Green Alsatian

I like 'em - if the build quality/feel/sound is comparable to the other MIM Classic series then this should be a cracking bass.

The maple/black inlays is rather striking to me - nice to see they went with a Precision neck as a Jazz neck just feels wrong on a P-bass to me. True, it's an anachronism with the blocks, but if they'd just released a 70s period-accurate P, folks would probably complain that it added nothing new. (I suppose having something 'new' defeats the purpose of a 'Classic' series!)

When I heard that Fender were adding a 70s model to the Classic line, I was sort of expecting a natural/maple neck combination (similar to the Squier VM Amber Precision).

I've had the GLX Bass EQ and both versions of the Boss Bass EQ (the older brown one and current model). The GLX is the same pedal (Harley Benton and Beta-Aivin are other rebrands) and I found it to be sturdy, noise-free and did what it was supposed to.

I can't remember if the seven frequencies are the same ones as the Boss (I seem to remember the older brown Boss Bass EQ had a slightly different set of frequencies), but they allowed for greater control of EQ settings than my then-combo and allowed me to set it flat as a boost when needed.

I paid £20 for the GLX on eBay, something to factor in - well worth it. I sold it when I picked up a GEB-7 for £35! The Boss is the better pedal - the sliders operate smoother and are easier to see but as I never used any 'extreme' EQ settings, I couldn't say whether the extra cash (if buying the Boss new) was worth it for what I used it for. If you find the GLX/Harley Benton/Beta-Aivin cheap, give it a go - you might be satisfied.

I tried a few of the other GLX stompboxes - the Bass Chorus (based on CEB-3) Bass Overdrive (based on the ODB-3) and Octave pedal (based on OC-3) - these weren't a patch on the Boss pedals, however.

I recently sold a Vintage V4 'Reissued' P-bass which had Wilkinson hardware and pickup. I changed the pots/wiring for 250k CTS and used a .047 orange drop capacitor, changed the pickup to a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 and strung it with Fender flats. When it came to selling, I put the Wilkinson pickup back in there and if I'm honest, I struggled to tell much of a difference between the two - the SD had a bit of extra clarity, if I recall.

Might have been a different story with roundwound strings, however. Given the Wilkinson P-pickup only costs around £15 on eBay, it's got to be worth investigating - you wouldn't be much out of pocket if you found it lacking. Bear in mind, that it's been wound to a 'vintage' spec and thus isn't a high-gain pickup.

Other reasonably-priced P-pickups I've used in previous builds were the Wizard Trad and the Seymour Duncan SPB-3 'Quarter Pounder'. The Wizard Trad's a great pickup for a vintage P-sound and the SPB-3 is a bit of a monster - higher output and a more modern sound.

I've had my L2000 Tribute (Sunburst/Maple) for a month now and wouldn't say it's capable of the Stingray tone either, but definitely has its 'own' sound. It's certainly the most versatile bass that I've owned and sounds quite different from my other basses, past and present. What I love about it, is that the bass/treble controls are passive (cut only), and that the preamp seems to boost the overall output. Then of course, you have the treble-boost setting, which is more cutting.

I bought mine from Musik Produktiv in Germany and their service was excellent - ordered on a Thursday, arrived the following Wednesday.

Good stuff! I'd hate to think of someone getting stung by it.

On the subject of selling Rickenfakers, I thought the copyright is held by Rickenbacker in the US and thus cannot be enforced outside the US and that the buying/selling of instruments 'inspired' by their brand were legal in the rest of the world. Ebay can be arseholes about it too - if the seller doesn't mention 'Rickenbacker' in the auction text then they should have no ground to pull an auction.

A local fellow had a Shaftesbury for sale as a Rickenbacker copy (still stating that it wasn't a Rickenbackerin the auction text), so I tipped him off about it before ebay could pull it. I don't know if it did get pulled, but it was a cracking bass - I'd have bought it if I had the cash as I do miss my old 4001.

The bass listed last week was black and a bolt-on - I'm pretty sure this new auction is the same bass as two identical instruments in Hull in the space of less than a week since the original auction was pulled is unlikely.

One thing of note, in the original auction, the seller updated the description with 'Don't bid on this item until further notice' - presumably as others (like myself) had been in touch to inform them that it wasn't a genuine Rickenbacker.

Someone uploaded a demo of the earlier Ibanez, albeit one which had been modified with a third pickup:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-CtJXt5IKk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-CtJXt5IKk[/url]

There is another Ibanez copy (also bolt-on), which looks even more Rick-y due to its more authentic-looking pickups:

[url="http://www.harmonycentral.com/thread/1534922"]http://www.harmonycentral.com/thread/1534922[/url]

By the way mods - please excuse my misplacing of this thread. I didn't know about the eBay thread here in the Marketplace - noted for future reference.

I've been a mod on several forums myself (main one being Vintage Synth Explorer) and know what a pain shifting misplaced threads is!

Regarding the bass, I just hope someone doesn't steam in there and think they're getting a bargain if they were the only bidder at £900. Like the bass last week, it even has screws placed in the holes from where the P-bass styled bridge pickup cover would have been attached. (the only pic I've seen with one with the covers on was Bruce Foxton's when he used one before getting hold of real Ricks)

They'd easily make £300-£400 on the bass as-is, if they removed all reference to the 'R' word and dropped the picture of the headstock. They do sound pretty nice too:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrAjLDgOKZU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrAjLDgOKZU[/url]

Someone's selling what looks like an Ibanez Rick copy as the genuine article on eBay. Last week, I messaged a seller who was selling what looked like the same bass (same colour and also with a Rickenbacker truss rod cover) that it wasn't a genuine Rick as it had a bolt-on neck and the pickups were not Rickenbacker pickups. I didn't report the auction as the seller might not have been aware that it wasn't genuine, but eBay pulled the auction the next day.

Here's the new auction, also in Hull with different pics (no shots of the back this time):

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rickenbacker-Bass-guitar-/270764632509?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3f0ad469bd"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rickenbacker-Bass-gu...=item3f0ad469bd[/url]

It could well be a coincidence, but I thought I'd best tip you folks off just in case there's anything fishy going on. In the original auction, the seller claimed it to be a 1973 Rick and that they'd owned it since the 70s. This chap says he's owned it for the last 7 years and that the previous owner had it from new.

Sorry if any of you lot are the seller, but this bass clearly isn't a genuine Rickenbacker.

If you're after a dirt cheap platform for modding, the Vintage EJM96 Jazz copy can be had for less than £100. I had one not so long ago with the intention of modding it and found that it sounded and played pretty decently as-is. With better wiring and a decent set of pickups, it would have sounded even nicer.

How about a MuzakMan Stungray?

It's nice to see Dennis get some recognition - a great bassman. I used to play along to Killer, School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies when I first started playing bass in '89. I like it, but I couldn't imagine anyone else but him playing it.

Hey, I wonder if Gibson will bring out a signature EB styled after his Frog bass, which is just as decorative.

That'd be ace, I do like a loud-looking bass - it'd have to be called The Wasp or The Hornet or similar! The 5-string version could be called The Low Bee (sorry!)

Regarding the Zodiacs - as I think someone else mentioned, there's a Dave Ellefson signature model which I believe goes cheaply now that he's back with Jackson - the Zodiac DE Scorpio, which has Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. I thought the BXP was great enough - picked mine up for £120 on eBay, but they're only about £225-£250 new.

As others have mentioned, although not 24-fret, the [b]Peavey Zodiac BXP[/b] is a great bass for the money. I had a sunburst/maple and the neck was thin, but a bit chunkier (but not uncomfortable chunky) from front-to-back. Glossy vintage tint to the neck/fingerboard, so it looked as lovely as it played.

The stock pickups are really good too - the J-pickup is actually a split-coil and is therefore hum-cancelling. As I picked up the bass cheap, I tried a few different sets of pickups - an EMG PJ-X (there's room for the battery) which I later swapped for a set of DiMarzios (Model P/J), as they were more to my taste and found the J pickup to be lacking in the EMG set, when soloed.

I've owned a [b]MIM Fender Precision Bass Special Deluxe[/b], with the three-band preamp and it's a very versatile bass and not too expensive. I liked boosting the bass a little, a touch of mid and dropping the treble a hair and having the pickup blend P-heavy, with just a little of the J in there for clarity.

On the cheap front, I've had a [b]Yamaha BB414[/b], which really surprised and impressed me with its sound and quality The P-pickup was suitably burly and the J was nice and burpy - great basses! I had the five-string version, the BB415 at one point and it was just as good, with a great-sounding B. I would like to pick up one of the newer BB424s at some point.

The only other PJ I've owned was a SGC Nanyo Bass Collection which had a great pearly off-white colour to it. Two band preamp and a nice thin neck. Wish I still had this one as it was really smooth-sounding!

[quote name='Johnnysonic' post='1248811' date='May 29 2011, 12:23 AM']That isn't right. Jazz Basses between 1961 and mid '64 had four sets of patent numbers, not five. The Jazz Bass immediately to the right of the text on page 34 of the book you mention has only four numbers, not five. The bass on the far right does have five numbers, but that's a '65. (Jazz basses in 1960 had no patent numbers.)

The '62 on page 34 does have the closer spacing of 'original contour body ' decal, but it is on the same decal 'island' as the 'Fender' part of the decal. In other words, it's a one piece logo. After mid '64 the logo is in two pieces.

The logo on Norman's Shoreline is unquestionably a post mid '64, with the five patent numbers and two pieces!!!!!!!!!!!!

J[/quote]
You're right on all counts - it is only four and not five. The dual-concentric Jazz bass pictured earlier in the book (with four patents) isn't specifically identified as a 1960, just an 'early 60s', although there is a pic of a 1960 Jazz headstock next to it, sans patents.

Time I had another eyetest, methinks! Or learn to count! I'll start with reading the book again more thoroughly!

Cheers!

Regarding the headstock decal on Norman's bass, it looks correct according to 'The Fender Bass: An Illustrated History'. On page 34, there is a side-by side explaining the differences between logos on the 62 and 65 headstocks.

The 62 (pictured immediately to the right of the text) has five patents under the Fender logo (only four under the 1960 Jazz, earlier in the book) and the 'Contour Body' logo in the same position as on Norman's. On the 65, the 'Contour Body' logo is on the ball of the headstock.

I read in an interview with Norman some time ago that he used his 70s Precision Bass (which he modded with a J-pickup after New Boots and Panties) to record the earlier Blockheads albums.

EDIT - found it. [url="http://www.globalbass.com/archives/june2001/watt-roy.htm"]http://www.globalbass.com/archives/june2001/watt-roy.htm[/url]

I'd agree with that - the basses I've tried in Liverpool's Dawsons in the last couple year or so aren't set up well at all - probably just taken out of the box and put on display. That said, of the two chaps I've spoken with in there, one was a guitarist and the other a drummer, nice fellows though. Naturally, folk are going to like different action on a bass, but it makes sense to have them at least playing well, to foster a sale.

I tried a 5-string Epi Thunderbird Pro from there and it was buzzy as hell and the low B sounded a bit weak but I thought "a set up should sort it" and I quickly got it playable at home, but it turns out it was one of the early models in which the pickups were from a 4-string and the output on the B was awful, even with the pickup height adjusted. To give the chaps there credit, they handled the exchange very well when I took it back, but I do wish they'd have someone set up/maintain the basses on display! Sometimes, a poor setup can mask problems with a bass.

Conversely, I bought a Fender Classic Series 50s Precision sight-unseen from Thomann and the setup on it was excellent out of the box - it had been restrung with a set of D'Addario ProSteels (I don't think they're stock) and the pickup height had been adjusted - I didn't have to touch it.

To avoid nut rattle when playing open strings after dropping a string guage, I usually stick a neatly-cut strip of copper foil shielding tape in the slot.

I've had both the SPB-3 Quarter Pounder and Wizard Trad in the same bass. I started out with the Quarter Pounder in a P-bass I put together and after four years, I decided I wanted a more traditional P-bass sound and swapped it for the Wizard.

If you're after higher output and a more modern take on the P-bass sound, the Quarter Pounder's the way to go. Otherwise, the Trad's a great pickup. I haven't tried any of Wizard's high output pups yet. My current 'P' is a cheap Vintage V4 (had to sell my Fender 50s Classic Series last year), and after rewiring/replacing pots etc., I went with the Seymour Duncan SPB-1 which is very reminiscent of the Trad.

Waffling aside, I've always been more than impressed with Wizard pickups (I had their 'Sixty Fours' in a Jazz build) and their service is excellent (not to mention their prices!) and thus wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Red - the flame looks nicer plus I think black hardware looks better with red, always thought chrome hardware looked better on a blue bass.

[quote name='benebass' post='1232174' date='May 15 2011, 04:59 PM']This seems to be the best demo on You Tube & funnily enough uses a Hartke amp as a pre (audio clips a bit, mind): -

[/quote]
Hey, I recognise that duvet cover!

That was a quickly-knocked up (and very clippy!) demo I recorded auction, to demonstrate that all was working well with the bass.

I have to say that the Bison bass really surprised me - I don't think I've had a passive bass with such a wide array of sounds. With the neck and middle pickups, it reminded me of my old Rickenbacker 4001 and with the middle and bridge pickups, you have a Precision/Jazz-esque sound, depending on whether you are in mode A or B. I had it strung with a set of D'Addario ProSteels during my time with it - didn't get to try it with flats, which I expect would have sounded very nice indeed.

It's really comfortable to play too, with a lovely neck - the neck looks much longer than it actually is, presumably due to the deep cutaways. The 'horns' also point outward, away from the surface of the body, which is an unusual, but pleasing touch.

Sadly, another 'had to sell at the time' affair.

Where's a lottery win when you need one?! I'd dearly love Norman's modified 70's P, with the added J pickup.

[quote name='Dr_Tom' post='1223454' date='May 7 2011, 05:38 PM']Cheers for the advice. To be honest I'm not entirely sure whether I want the vintage sound or not (sounds odd I know) but the bass sound that I have always loved and grown up listening to is Mark Hoppus' the bassist from Blink 182. I apologise for it being pop punk and I have moved on with my musical tastes, but still I really like his bass sound and he has always used SD quarter pounds (albeit P bass ones). Having said that I do love the sound of my jazz at the moment with the original mexican pickups I just feel it needs a little more 'umph'. I think I might need to find some to have a go on.....[/quote]
Ah, with you - no need to be embarassed over music/sounds you like!

In that case, the Quarter Pounders will definitely be the way to go for you. When I put the Jazz build together, I initially wanted it to sound a bit more muscular than a standard Jazz and the QPs fitted the bill perfectly. After a bit, I started getting GAS for another Vintage Reissue Jazz (I stupidly sold my MIA '62 reissue six years ago to fix my car) and swapped the Quarter Pounders for the Wizards.

Here's a snippet of the bass track for a cover I did showing the Quarter Pounders in action (wish I hadn't sold that also now, as I'm currently Jazz-less!). This was both pickups on full with the tone wide open. I think the amp was my old Fender Rumble 60.

About time I made my first post, I think!

Are you after a vintage sound, to go with the vintage look? If so, you might want to consider a different set of pickups than the Quarter Pounders. They're great pickups and have a nice hot output, but not a particularly vintage tone. If it is an older tone you want, their Vintage SJB-1 pickups would probably be more up your street than the SJB-3 set.

Another recommendation (and cheaper than the Seymour Duncans) would be for a set of Wizard Sixty-Fours. I used them on a Jazz Bass build a couple of years ago - I actually replaced the Quarter Pounders with them, opting for a more traditional Jazz Bass sound and they sounded really nice. They're £70 a set and the service from Wizard is top-notch, too. They also do higher-output pickups.

[url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass&sub=Jazz%20Bass"]http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?ca...sub=Jazz%20Bass[/url]

I've used a Gotoh 201 on a P-bass, when it wasn't possible to get hold of Badass II bridges and found it to be an excellent, sturdy bridge - a P-bass bridge cover fit neatly over it, so I imagine that the Jazz cover plate would too as it's longer. You might find with the Jazz cover, that you need to move it slightly back to clear the back of the Gotoh as the back end of the cover tapers more than the P-bass cover, but you can position it before screwing it in.

I've no experience with block inlay stickers sadly, but I think there are a few threads on Talkbass about them. They certainly do look nice and are quite cheap to buy.