leonshelley01

The EHX Bass Big Muff Pi is very good as well, with three modes including a dry mix tone.

In another odd decision, the MIM Jazz V seems to have been discontinued as well, so their "entry" level fiver is now the Active Deluxe Jazz.

I used to have an Ibanez GSR200 which was pretty good, but my Jazz just feels so much better to play. I like thin, fast necks and use Ibanez RGs as my main guitars, but the Ibanez was too slim.

I have a number of Line 6 products, so here goes:

Toneport GX - Basic USB interface for recording (I use it with Cubase 4 using the POD farm modelling software). Excellent product for the price, with settings for bass, guitar and vocals.

Pocket POD Express - Used as a practice tool, much more versatile than the similarly priced Vox Amplug range (I use it with both bass and guitar). Not great tones, but fine for headphone practice.

Spider II 210 - My main guitar amp. Very good cleans and high gains for metal, piss poor lower gain settings for blues and rock (very artifical). I use it to play metal mostly so does the job well enough and with the FBV Express pedal gives me access to 4 presets, a volume/wah and pedal tuner. If you want to play thrash, it's a great amp otherwise look elsewhere.

When it came to buying a combo, I tried the Line 6 Lowdown range, a couple of Ashdowns and the Marshall MB. The Lowdown was a very versatile, good sounding amp and if you need a wide range of tones during a set, it would be a worthwhile buy, however the Marshall had the one tone I was looking for.

As with all things, you get what you pay for, but the quality of lower price range equipment has improved dramtically over the last ten years and Line 6 are no exception.

I had to do this a while ago after replacing the bridge on my Jazz with a Gotoh 201 and was easy enough to do. I'm pretty sure that my 10 year old son could follow the instructions in this thread and do a good job too! Well worth a sticky!

I do backing singing and usually it's fine, but if the rhythm of the vocal melody line and bass line are miles apart I tend to lose the bass line, so I get the guitarist do those instead!

I would. They sold you faulty goods and are obliged (morally if not legally) to replace it.

Coda (Luton) did a partial refret/fret dress on my Jazz bass under warranty and did a great job, so I would have no problems recommending their tech.

Sorry, I think he took a perfectly good guitar and ruined it. What a knob.

Mix of both. First band I'm in is mostly rock/metal covers with a few originals in the set. Second band is mostly our own rock songs with a couple of covers as filler.

And gone!

Since modding my MIM Jazz, I have the following parts as spare:

Fender 4 string bridge.

Fender Standard Jazz Neck Pickup.

Fender Standard Jazz Bridge Pickup.

If you want them, just PM me and I'll give you my address so you can send me an SAE and they're yours!

I did it to an Ibanez RG470 as the "purple sparkle" was particularly hideous, but rather than varnished I used a coloured beeswax and it turned out great. Tried the same thing on an Aria STB and it looked like a jigsaw puzzle, although I was impressed that using so many parts in a body still constituted it being "solid"!

I'm struggling to picture an uglier bass, although some of the Deans come close.

Likewise I don't see the point of the £1,200+ reviews as I will never be able to afford one!

There needs to a better balance in the reviews, maybe try to ensure there is a sub £500, a £500-£1200 and a boutique review each issue, so that all price points are covered.

I had some fret rattle on my Jazz that I noticed a couple of months after I bought it, so I took it into the shop I got it from. They got on the phone to Fender UK who authorised the repair immediately and it was fixed under the warranty at no cost to me. It has in no way put me off Fender products as the after-sale support has been great (unlike Ibanez which was like getting blood from a stone). I suppose I was fortunate that I live within a couple of miles of the store I bought it from, but the retailer has to be the first port of call.

I believe the Ibanez BTB range are also 35" scale which should do the job.

Now you've got me thinking about doing the same thing!

[quote name='YouMa' post='429975' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:18 PM']If i buy a bass off anyone here the first thing i will do is change the strings.[/quote]

I'll be doing the same!

Yoko Kanno also did the music/sountrack to the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime series. She often utilises different vocalists for tracks.

[quote name='Jamesk86' post='423902' date='Mar 3 2009, 09:39 AM']One other remark I have heard far too often at gigs and from other musicians is that bass players are failed guitarists and any guitar player can play a bass!!

arse I say![/quote]

I would say most guitarists are failed bass players who can't keep time.

As a former guitarist who has now seen the light, it took quite a bit of practice to get the timekeeping precise and to understand that I was more effective when I played what was right for the song rather than being showy all the time.

As a convert from guitar, I started off using a pick but eventually taught myself to play fingerstyle as I prefer the tone on the whole. Some songs however require greater attack and therefore I am more than happy to use a pick for them. The other thing worth mentioning is contingency planning. What do you do if you get a cut or blister on your picking hand? Do you cancel rehearsals, auditions or gigs? The ability to use a pick allows you to continue playing and your band to fulfill commitments.

Personally, I can't slap very well, but I shall persevere because it adds another skill set to my playing which ultimately makes me a better player. There is no black and white answer to the initial question of which is the correct way to play, but being able to play more than one way allows us to be more expressive and through that improve the song the song we are playing.

I've got one and love it. Great P-bass tone, lovely neck and a cool colour too! I had gone in to get a MIM P Bass as I like my MIM Jazz so much, but the Squire just felt nicer to play.

As long as I can be (just about) heard, I'm more concerned with getting the notes in the right order at the right time. I used to spend a long time coming up with "great" tones, but playing with a drummer and two guitarists using distortion, they all got swallowed in the mix, so now I just have simplified everything and lo and behold, I now cut through.

I tend to buy new "big" stuff (basses, guitars and amps) from either Coda Music in Luton or Machine Head in Hitchin. New effects have been bought online through either iMuso or Dolphin, and secondhand stuff through ebay.

My setup currently is quite simple

Modded Crybaby Wah>E/H Bass Muff Pi>Arion EQ (for volume boost).

I sometimes use a Zoom B2 as well, but thats cheating!

I will be adding an envelope filter of some sort and an overdrive at some point, as now now I am happy with my basses and amp, I need something to spend the money I don't have on!