thebrig

Looks stunning, but I've just done some research and the reviews are not good, here's a couple of examples from "Talkbass": Those were an early experiment in combining piezo and magnetic pickups and are rare because they were a bad design that was pulled from the market quickly. They just didn't work very well. By modern standards the electronics were pretty terrible. It had a master volume, piezo/mag blend and a single EQ knob with a center stop. No separate battery door, at least 4 screws to remove to get to the battery. Inside, the battery was just sort of flopping in the cavity, wrapped in foam. No clip to hold it in place. And they're very difficult to intonate because of the acoustic-style saddle. Since it has just one saddle for all 4 strings, it makes intonating the instrument a game of compromises. Since the saddle is straight, where the length of the strings isn't, makes that some strings will be sharp, and others will be flat. And because it's an acoustic bridge (a piece of wood glued to the top), you can't make any adjustments in terms of intonation when you change for a different brand/gauge/material of strings. I played one, and while not terrible, it wasn't great either. Like mentioned before, the electronics are sub-par compared to contemporary standards, the sound is nothing spectacular (and downright cheap on the piezo), but it's built well, as can be expected from Fender Japan.

Scale length is not really important so long as it balances well on on a strap, but in an ideal world, I would prefer 32" medium scale.

Funny you should ask that question because I wasn't sure whether they are call semi-acoustic, or semi-hollow? But this is the sort of bass I'm looking for.

My gigging days are virtually over and I'm now in the process of selling a lot of my gear. Old age and back problems have finally caught up with me but I'm still able to play at home, so I'm looking for a semi-acoustic bass that is nice and light, but sounds and plays well. I've played mainly precisions over the years because they worked perfectly with the type of music I play (classic rock/pub rock), now I know I won't get that P sound from a semi-acoustic, but is there one that gets somewhere close? I would prefer the nut to be no more than 40mm, and scale length is not important so long as it balances well on on a strap. I have a budget of around £1000 and happy to buy second-hand.

I think the fact that it's a 20 fret neck and the fretboard overhangs the heel would mean that it takes it closer to the bridge, therefore measuring 16" from the bridge to the 12th fret. That's the only way I can think of it being able to work.

Thanks for the info, it's very useful.

Has anyone ever fitted a 'Medium Scale Bass Conversion Neck' to your long scale P or J bass body, and does it really work as claimed? This what said about these necks: Medium Scale Conversion Neck to Fit Fender Spec Pockets. For Players who find larger basses cumbersome. Select Canadian Maple and Rosewood Fingerboard. Jazz Bass Nut width (38mm). Bone nut. Flawless Natural Satin Finish. Jazz Bass profile. 14mm/11/16" tuner hole size. Perfect fit on Fender Bodies. Sounds the same as a Full Size Bass. It's not necessary to relocate the bridge.

That might be a good idea to mention that I have local contacts for possible gigs in and around my own area.

In one of the bands I was in a few years ago, I got every single booking except one, which was a birthday party for the guitarists mate, and it turned out that it was his mate who asked our guitarist if we could do it, not our guitarist suggesting that we could do it even though he knew his mate was thinking about hiring a band. With all the bookings that I did get, I emailed and sent FB messages to all the venues that I knew hired live bands, I contacted a total of 125 venues, I still have a register of them all in my band folder, I think got about two from them, the rest I got from actually going into pubs and venues, having a drink and befriending the band hirer in the hope of getting a gig, and because I was actually going into venues, most of the gigs I got were within a 10 mile radius of where I lived, and believe it or not, the rest of band had the cheek to complain that all the gigs were near me, and yet I'd been forever asking them to do the same as what I do in their own areas, but not one of them made the effort. So like you, I thought I am not getting involved anymore, and not long after, the gigs dried up and the band came to an end. After that, I vowed to leave everything to the band leader in any new venture I got into, but I always found that if I don't do anything, no-one else will, so I still end up being the most proactive member. Now after five years of not being in a band, I would happily do all the work again.😉

Yes, you could be right, I do it because I thought it to be a tongue-in-cheek way of saying I'm a bit older, but I will leave them out in future.

Just to be clear, when I've been in a band, I've always been very proactive in finding gigs, arranging rehearsals, etc, and I even rehearsed on our anniversary because I didn't want to let the guys down, luckily for me, I have a very understanding wife.😉 As far as my adverts go, this is a typical example of what I've been posting over the past five years: Experienced, Reliable, 'Mature' Bass Player Available. I've played mainly Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Blues Rock, and Pub Rock in recent years, but I've also spent some time in a function band covering all styles from Motown, Soul, Soft Rock, and Pop, so I'm open to all genres. I have top quality gear and transport, I'm prepared to travel for the right band, and I am happy to put the work in at home learning the songs properly, so that I'm fully prepared for rehearsal and gigs. I have no other band commitments. I have links to my playing if required. Please contact me if you think I might be what you're looking for.

I'm not worried about it, just a bit surprised by it, lol

Not sure what this has to do me my struggles in finding a band, but I suppose if I owned it, I would be very much in demand.👍😉

I always make it very clear what I'm after in my adverts, but maybe that might work against me because I do favour classic rock and pub rock (Dr Feelgood, Nine below Zero, The Pirates, etc), but I am open to other genres, but because I usually state my preferences, then maybe that might make people think that I'm not genuinely into anything else. As for start ups/new bands? I've spent the past five years trying to get bands together, but unfortunately, I've found that there so many people out there who like responding to ads but have no intention of carrying out what they say to you, and over the years I've noticed that on sites like JMB and BandMix, I seem to see the same people advertising, or responding to my ads over and over again. I agree that I should try networking more in an attempt to meet the right people for me. Cheers.

Thanks, I already feel a bit more positive, it's amazing what this great community can do, I think I got into a bit of a rut having not been in a band for five years, but I'm determined to put a lot of all the great advice into practise.👍

Thanks again for all the sound advice, I've taken everything on board and I'm going to restructure the way I go about finding a band. I'm going to frequent open mic/jam sessions regularly, and I'm going to watch more live bands and get talking to them, not in an attempt to immediately replace their bass player, but to casually let them know that I'm a bass player and enjoy what they play, which might prompt them to ask me if I would be interested in joining them if ever their bass player did leave for whatever reason. I do get see a lot of really good older bands where the members are even older than me, so I know that all is not lost yet, so I will stay positive.👍

I think you are probably right, but I'm referring to replies or responses where they start off "Hey! can I ask how old are you?", which suggests to me that they are probably from younger people who are concerned about the image of the band, which is fair enough if image is important to them, but it does tell me that there's a good chance I won't fit in with that particular band.

Yes, that's usually how I describe myself in adverts, "Mature, Experienced, Bass Player".

Thanks for the compliment Dave, I do think that I look a bit younger in real life than I do in photos and videos, but I'm realistic enough and realise that many people are ageist, and I often get replies on JMB from people asking how old I am? I usually reply, "if you need to know how old I am, then you, or your band is not right for me".

I've always been prepared to travel a fair distance, when I first moved to Bridgnorth ten years ago, I used do nearly a four hour round trip for weekly rehearsals, although I have to admit that as I've got older, I don't enjoy long journeys anymore, especially at night, I would say 45 minutes to an hour each way is about my limit nowadays.