neepheid

You say you prefer your Fenders. Seeing as you're looking to spend a bit more than what is required to secure a Squier Bronco Fender's current short scale offerings are limited to the CIJ Mustang. Historically speaking, Mustangs do go back a fair way if you'd prefer to look for a USA made model (1966-1981). There was the Musicmaster, but it was Fender's budget instrument at the time (uses a 6 pole Strat pickup under a solid cover amongst the cost saving) and as such I would suggest that the Mustang is a superior instrument. However - the discontinued Squier Musicmaster (Vista Series) is a surprisingly much improved reissue of the original Musicmaster with a proper bass pickup (like with 4 pole pieces over which the strings actually traverse), through body stringing and matching colour on the headstock. Other Fender short scale oddities (good luck finding them) would be the hollow Coronado and the short scale Bullet Bass.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' post='1237629' date='May 20 2011, 12:39 AM']Sounded great - really punchy and growly - but weighs a ton since it appears to be made of solid maple. If anyone's interested I'll try to take some pics later.[/quote] As the proud owner of a solid maple Gibson Victory Artist, I can sympathise. It's a good 12lb I reckon.

I had a DeArmond Starfire for a while (Korean made reissue of Guild) - I quite liked it, but in the end the short scale made it feel a bit weird to me. It had a nice woody tone to it and was nice to play. I took it on as a repair job (the fingerboard was coming away from the neck) and while I successfully repaired that with a glue injection and a good clamping in the end I sold it on as I just wasn't playing it enough. I also had a Danelectro Hodad. These are hollow, despite their appearance. This one was regular 34" scale and I liked it a lot, played it live a couple of times, but an opportunity arose to increase my Gibson collection and this had to make way to help fund that. It would seem to me that your first narrowing down of the options should be a question of scale. A lot of hollow body basses are short scale, which may or may not be your bag. A lot of them are short scale - Gibson EB-2, Epiphone Rivoli, Guild/DeArmond Starfire, Hagstrom Viking, Danelectro Longhorn/other short scale. Long scales include the Gibson Les Paul Signature, Epiphone Jack Casady, Danelectro Hodad/other long scale, Lakland Hollowbody, Warwick Star, Spector Spectorcore, G&L ASAT Hollow etc.

[i]Jamais contente[/i]

[quote name='Lylodile' post='1235024' date='May 17 2011, 10:35 PM']I may be coming into possession of an aerodyne jazz bass soon . However, [b]I was wondering what options there are for replacing the bridge without routing the body[/b] (I am not a fan of the bits of bent tin fender seem to issue as standard). I heard the badass II's don't work because of the curved tops, but would other bridges work? I've been looking at hipshot type A bridges and Gotoh 201's. Would they fit fine?[/quote] The base plate has to be exactly the same size as the original if you don't want to do any routing or leave unsightly gaps. That severely restricts your options. The Wilkinson bridge with brass saddles MIGHT be close in dimensions but I don't know definitively: Otherwise, you either have a routing job ahead of you, or you accept what's on there - which despite all the negativity isn't the worst bridge in the world. You could have one of these: See, the 4 saddle Fender bridge now seems positively high tech!

[quote name='chipmunk_jr' post='1234504' date='May 17 2011, 04:20 PM']Every band you seem to see live, there bass players seem to play fenders. I've played a couple and I cant see what all the fuss is about???? Ive played much nicer basses for a lot less money.[/quote] I attended a band showcase last week and the basses used were a Traben Array, a Jaydee of some sort, an Ibanez and a Gibson SG. Not a Fender bass in sight. Quite surprising variety for such a small, geographically challenged city.

The best (scientifically speaking) way to find out if you're missing anything is to try it. Buy a "modern" bass (whatever that means to you), attend a bass bash and try some stuff out or go to a shop. Will it make you play any better? I doubt it - not directly anyway. A correct set up will make playing easier because you're expending less energy/time forcing the instrument to do what you want but it's up to you to translate that into better playing. It's all in the set up to be honest. Unless the instrument is a duffer or your ergonomic requirements are particularly esoteric then it can be set up to accommodate you. Of course, spending lots of pennies on a bass will have you believing it's the best thing ever, but if it isn't the best thing ever then the truth will eventually become apparent. I don't think age of instrument has hee haw to do with anything, it's either well made or it isn't. Assuming it is well made then it's either well set up (for you) or it isn't. Also don't get hung up on "stigma". I play Gibson basses. I play them because I like them. Deep down I think part of the attraction is that not many people care for them. Keeps the prices down if nothing else If I cared what other people think because I play basses made by the pariah of the bass world, I'd never leave the house with one (or admit to owning one, never mind three (and a half if you count the Epi LP)). All the haters, while entitled to their opinion, can jog on. Looks of course are completely up to the individual. I doubt you'll catch me with a Big Al, tempting though the 3 pickup madness is

+1 for the ER-20 plugs. If you can't afford the full on moulded ones, these are far and away the next best thing - vastly superior to foam plugs in their attenuation properties. They last longer than foam plugs (you can clean them). They often come with a wee case and a cord to hang them round your neck when you're not wearing them. For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong.

I played a Bison (a modern reissue rather than a vintage one) and I have to say I was thoroughly disappointed by it. I was trying it out at the same time as I was buying my Gibson G-3 through the same amp (a Phil Jones if memory serves) and it couldn't hold a candle to it on any setting (yes I tried them all).

Well, I'm glad it's all sorted out now. Confrontations, even done at distance are never comfortable.

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1230085' date='May 13 2011, 04:06 PM']Public transport can be really cheap nowadays. I just did a search on Megabus, a return from London to Edinburgh for a random day next week is £28. That's going one day, and coming back the next. If you're flexible it's cheaper, and a lot cheaper than being ripped off by some weaselly conman on Ebay. Another example Aberdeen to London is £40 return, a long trip, but again, it's better than being ripped off.[/quote] Time is money. It is not cheaper for me to take a day off work (because that's when the cheap tickets will be - week days) to then sit on a bus for anything up to 10 hours each way, for what could amount to an unfavourable tyre kick and a no thank you. Or maybe someone who doesn't even show up at the rendezvous point (I've read about that happening to someone on here). I'll do my research and hope for the best. I can fix a lot of things for myself these days, and if I can't (or can't find someone who can) then I'll take the hit of moving it on with issues, or part it out. Even that's still cheaper than watching grain after grain of sand trickle through the hourglass of life on a bus/train and end up doing it all again on the way back home with nothing to show for it. How was your day off? Rubbish - I went to London to get a bass and all I got was a bad back and pressure sores!

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1229960' date='May 13 2011, 02:29 PM']It just goes to show that you should never, ever buy a bass unseen or untested.[/quote] Disagree strongly with that. Being geographically challenged as I am coupled with the esoteric tastes I have, I find myself with little choice other than to buy from afar. I've got 5 keepers. The few I've had problems with, I've returned without major hassles (just some minor squirming on a couple of occasions).

Is it ok to dislike them both equally?

[quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='1227202' date='May 11 2011, 09:58 AM']I'll skip the Hartke ones though thanks I don't like anything to do with Hartke. Never been a fan of their equipment.[/quote] That's up to you, but I wouldn't be surprised if the only involvement Hartke have in these strings is allowing the printing of their logo on the front of the pack. They're great strings for the money and I use them almost exclusively.

[quote name='burray' post='1228647' date='May 12 2011, 12:27 PM']I'm struggling to sell the bass in my sig, which surprised me as it's great. Thing is, I'm hesitant to hit eBay as it's a bit more hassle and I'd rather it go to someone from here who will look after it and use it properly. Ho hum.[/quote] If you're insistent on selling it here then you'll have to drop your price, as no-one is biting at the price you have it advertised at currently. I reckon you'll get a good price for a Yamaha BB414 on eBay - they're held in high regard and don't come up as often as you might think. Search for Yamaha bass right now and you'll get wall to wall RBX models with the occasional BB and TRB (as well as trombones and recorders ). Looking back, I've bought and sold a fair bit on here but I have to say that in recent times (like the last year or so) I find myself getting more and more annoyed with low-balling chancers who will annoy you over the sake of a fiver, or seem to think that postage costs don't exist. It's really beginning to put me off - so much so that I've been preferring to arrange deals locally (gumtree/other localised fora). Maybe it's just that everyone's skint, but the chancers irritate the hell out of me as I find it rather insulting given that I take the time to research my prices and put stuff up at a reasonable value with good photos and honest descriptions, pride myself on bombproof (or at least courierproof) packaging and prompt postage. Maybe it's just because BC is getting bigger - more people == more chancers.

[quote name='Robert Manning' post='1228424' date='May 12 2011, 08:51 AM']260771411942 250807357152 Do you reckon there genuine gibson pickups? and thanks guys!, ive sighned up for that forum! waiting for my discussion forum the admin! thanks guys![/quote] If they are genuine then they are most likely from a later non-Bartolini Les Paul bass. Thunderbirds have never had guitar humbucker sized pickups with plastic mounting rings.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1228381' date='May 12 2011, 07:38 AM']Lets just say that with your heads-up and a little research I've established that your Aberdeen bassist selling an Overwater in this unusual colour shares the same first name with the Aberdeen bassist who sold me an Overwater in the same unusual colour... in the same time scale! I'm not guessing that it is a coincidence but right at this minute I am giving my seller the opportunity to see if someone else in his household has maybe signed for the bass. If that isn't the case and I don't have my refund sometime soon then I'll dig a little deeper into this. [/quote] We could gather a small [i]posse basschatus[/i] and pay him a visit

I try to set up my basses as low as I can WITHOUT fret buzz. I think it sounds horrible acoustically and really irritates me, regardless of how little of it transfers into amplified sound. Yes, I'm a relative beginner, but I don't see how that's relevant to what is simply a personal preference? I just like my strings to ring clear and true.

TV Jones Thundertron? Not huge (guitar humbucker sized), but definitely shiny: [url="http://www.tvjones.com/pickups/thundertron.html"]http://www.tvjones.com/pickups/thundertron.html[/url] Lipstick pickups are shiny - Kent Armstrong do a Jazz type one: [url="http://www.wdmusic.com/split_tube_jazz_bass_chrome_front_pickup.html"]http://www.wdmusic.com/split_tube_jazz_bas...ont_pickup.html[/url] eBay finds: Artec small humbucker: [url="http://cgi.ebay.com/Artec-Mini-Humbucker-Violin-Bass-Neck-Pickup-Chrome-/160558992924"]http://cgi.ebay.com/Artec-Mini-Humbucker-V...e-/160558992924[/url] Artec soapbar: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150511742166"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150511742166[/url] Hofner Diamond or staple top pickups (like on violin bass): [url="http://www.projectguitarparts.co.uk/Pages/hofnerparts.html"]http://www.projectguitarparts.co.uk/Pages/hofnerparts.html[/url] (scroll to near the bottom)

Just get a pedal tuner and use it just before you play and even during your set. Then it doesn't matter what happens in your gig bag between your house and the venue. You're just causing problems for yourself if you don't. In my opinion it's the single most useful thing you can get after the bass itself and amplification. I'm not suggesting that tuning forks are wrong. I am suggesting they are impractical for the pub gig because they rely on you hearing the sound generated by the resonance created by the vibrations of the tuning fork. It is true though - you should try to be able to tune by ear to a reference note, it's good practice for your pitch recognition. But may I be so bold as to venture that it's an activity for your own practice time rather than at the gig.

You could try ebay items: 130514356368 130514357150 They're saying USA only, but if you don't ask, you don't get and all that Additional - EMG have brought out a T-bird shaped pickup: [url="http://www.emgpickups.com/products/category/260/2"]http://www.emgpickups.com/products/category/260/2[/url] Pretty sure Bartolini do one as well - T4CBC

Another thing I heard they don't like is jack plugs with the sprung loaded collar on them like these: Could be BS, but that's what I seem to remember hearing, and I certainly try to avoid using such plugs in my G&L.