sblueplanet

I would like an anodised pickguard for my lefty jazz. Might be time to contact the Doc.

I remember seeing his gold jazz bass advertised for sale for just under £7k. I wonder if anyone bought it?

I set up my brother's medium scale Yamaha fretless as BEAD using light gauge string set and didnt have to change the nut.

The newly found 'Bass of Doom', which was put back together by a luthier after being smashed by Jaco and the body veneered, looks nothing like it did originally and actually ive seen a few Squier lined fretless tribute jazzes that have a very similar finish to what it looks like now. You often see them on ebay starting around £100.

I recently picked up a micro Ampeg VR rig on here. 200w ultra light head and a 2x10 cab. Looks like a toy but really nice to play with my Fender P. I have also wondered what the portaflex stuff sounds like in comparison.

My 2005 CIJ P bass is the best I have played but I think the replacement pup is a big part of that. Over the years I used to borrow P basses or use in-house studio P basses when recording and the quality and weight etc varied drastically. I love the look of some old 60's ones but would def try before parting with a bucketload of cash. There is a '63 on ebay for just over £2k if expense no problem.

My Fender CIJ Precision is a 2005 '57 RI and is fitted with a Kent Armstrong pup. It has a fantastic tonal response from muddy lows, great for that motown or dub feel through to bright and sparkling highs for slap or an attacking plectrum approach.

If it had an all black body and pickguard with that maple 51 P neck I would be happyto try it.

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1364667559' post='2029516'] Jimi use to play righty guitars upside down but string them as a lefty. [/quote] I knew that but sometimes it gets complicated trying to explain the upside down thing. Actually, on the cover of one of this month's guitar magazines is Hendrix playing a Fender Jazz bass upside down, including the strings. Never saw this photo before. Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets plays the same way I do, playing lefty but strung right-handed. Makes complete sense to me anyway. I sometimes string a bass properly as inspiration to come up with new lines etc.

Im still waiting for someone at Fender to give the green light on a lefty Mustang model.

Its very possible its that one. I bought the bass (seen but not heard) with it already fitted and its the best sounding P bass Ive come across so lucky for me. In terms of J pups, I have a jazz with Seymour Duncan Hot Stax and they are warm and not very toppy. My other J bass is fitted with Di Marzio and I find these to be brighter with less bottom end. I also used to own another Fender which I fitted with a Seymour Duncan P bass single coil with 1/4" pole pieces. Very bassy and low mid. EMG are punchy with great bottom end but dont know if they offer a P+J combo.

I didnt get around to owning an actual lefty bass till I had been playing for over 10 years! I simply would pick up a right hand one and play it upside down like Hendrix. I would play on symmetrical body shaped basses such as Hofner, Gibson and Steinberger. These were easiest for neck access although I would sometimes have to tape down the control knobs to stop them moving mid-tune. Im not rich or that sentimental so would always sell on to satisfy the next urge. Happy with what I have just now but will be selling stuff soon to fund a lefty five string.

I have a Kent Armstrong pup in my Fender Precision and it has great tonal response. The low end is fantastically smooth and defined. Great for reggae/dub, trance whatever. The high end is bright and the notes have plenty of clarity should you wish to use a pick, pluck some harmonics or the odd bit of slap.

If considering a Hohner B2a as a Steinberger placebo bear in mind that the neck profile is quite different. Ive owned both and the Steinberger has a narrow deep profile whilst the B2a is wider and shallower. I actually preferred the range of tones that came out the Hohner, being able to play in either paasive or active mode. I guess a sold my L2 because when it comes down to it, I prefer the sound of wood. Like the Private Eye style joke above btw ;-)

[quote name='whynot' timestamp='1364485513' post='2027148'] I had a US one in the early 80's. I remember buying it used for £150 in Shaftesbury Ave. Don't know if it was a good deal then or not, probably not. Wish I still had all my early basses. [/quote] I was just getting my very first bass in the early 80's and thats the exact amount I had to spend. I remember US Fenders being even cheaper as no one wanted them because active electronics was the fashion. My older brother had several old jazz basses which he ditched for something modern at the time. Doh!

The shortage of in stock lefty instruments in music shops is an everlasting one. Even when I used to visit London most stores never had the exciting stuff in the lefty option. Its always been like that up here in Scotland therefore I bought my Warwick thumb blind. Ive spent many bass-playing years simply playing right-hand basses upside down. The internet has made a huge difference to finding stuff of course but it still means 'buy before you try'.

Im a lefty and used to flip bass round on the pivot. Last year I came across a guy selling a lefty XL2 in europe but I could have bought a pre-CBS Fender for the asking price. Im using a lefty Warwick thumb and in many ways is similar with small body and narrow neck but the long scale. I just wish Warwick would make medium scale instruments too. Lucky Bill Wyman, ex Rolling Stones bassist, had a one-off short-scale L2 made for him. Would love to get my paws on that.

I owned an early L2 fretless. I like small-bodied basses and the Steinberger was the smallest thing out there. I found the neck access the best of any bass ive owned. Yes, it does feel a longer stretch given that it is 24 fret but with such a narrow neck it never really bothered me. Also, the strap pivot meant you could alter the height of the neck without actual strap length adjustment. I got out of the habit of playingfetless, otherwise i would prob still have it. The whole balance issue also disappears when wearing the strap as the pivot is at the centre of your body's gravity. Damn, the more i remember the more i want one again! Haha.

Sting is a fantastic current example of what can be done playing with yer thumb on an old Fender P.

[quote name='LeftyJ' timestamp='1363683382' post='2015597'] I find many black basses rather boring, but they can also be very chic. I love the look of my MIJ '75 Jazz reissue, but I wouldn't have liked the look of it with a rosewood fingerboard and without the pickup cover. [IMG]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/de_slager/Basses/Fender%20MIJ%2075%20Jazz/DSC02789.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/de_slager/Basses/Fender%20MIJ%2075%20Jazz/DSC02791.jpg[/IMG] [/quote] This bass should be in the Gear Porn thread. My brow is sweating. GIMME!

I used to own a 70's Fender that was black. I thought the finish was too much like plastic so I stripped it back to natural. However, I now lean towards finding a suitable black bass again. I agree about the white pickguard on black combination being a turn-off. I do like a bit of chrome though.