KevB

The only thing that was mildly disappointing with my P bass special was that it was advertised as having a matching coloured headstock but in fact just has an unfinished headstock with the logo on it. Not particularly bothered, at least the body colour was what I ordered. More interested in the playability of the neck and the sound I get from it really.

As I recently posted on the P/J pickup thread I just bought a Squier P bass special and where ever they are being made (box says China, back of headstock says Indonesia) they seem to have got it right, extremely good value for money IMHO. Plays and sounds like some I've played at twice the price or more. Also should I wish to make upgrades (PU's, bridge etc) there are plenty of aftermarket choices that will just slot straight in with no mess. However I'm pleased with it as it is for now as it was just bought as a cheap back up.

For a good all-rounder look for a used US jazz with S-1 switch for a bit of tone versatility, should find one for less than 500. I got one off ebay for less than 400 and it's probably my favourite bass to play and suits different music styles quite well. Will probably keep its resale value fairly well too should you decide to move it on in the future.

[quote name='Bottle' post='691469' date='Dec 22 2009, 01:25 PM']Very happy with the wide range of tones I can get out of my Squier Precision Special - most of it's down to RH technique and playing over the bridge or neck pup. And well worth a punt - mine was bought for under 200 notes.[/quote] +1 Having heard someone playing a squier p special at a jam session and finding out it was as bought with original PU's I decided to take a punt on one. 180 quid delivered and was totally playable straight out of the box. If I need an extra bass in an odd tuning or whatever this will be perfect for the job. Better than I expected.

Doesn't look like Squier on the headstock, more like Fender. Later in the vid there is a closer shot of the bridge which looks non standard too, doesn't look like a badass either.

I also have one of the 'Ashdown type' BX4500H heads and used it all the time for rehearsals, superb value for money and never let me down. Also have a digital mixer from them and that was fine too.

I picked up one of these recently; [url="http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Fender_Bass_Gig_Bag/FEN-0991422006"]http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Fender_Bas.../FEN-0991422006[/url] And was surprised how roomy and well made it was for the price, it seemed better quality in the flesh than the photo suggests.

I'd also go along with lefty's suggestion of Guitarpro as it is also a very useful tool for learning songs from already available GP files on the net as well as knocking up your own. It's gone up in price though, I recently bought vs 5 and with the poor euro/pound exchange rate it was nearer £60 in the end.

Looks like a low output version of Orange's Bass Terror maybe? If they do a 400W version to rival the terror it will be either called the 'Total Utter Big Bastard' or the 'Christopher Woods Custom' model though that may never actually make it to market ^_^ (just in case Big J reads this thread)

Had no problems so far, bought a single set to try initially on my jazz and they seemed fine so I bought a 3 pack and used 1 set so far on a P copy I have. I bought the 45-105 roundwounds. The set on the jazz have been on a few months now and they haven't dulled yet.

[quote name='Faithless' post='672324' date='Dec 2 2009, 05:58 PM']Marcus Miller, I believe.[/quote] Ah yes, I recall now it was demoing his SWR preamp. Not exaclty EQ but it includes some good basic stuff; [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hx-UYcUHQI&feature=PlayList&p=5286C22F0A35DD37&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hx-UYcUHQI...=PL&index=8[/url] There's a part 2 but the link seems to have gone squiffy...

Wasn't there a youtube link in an older thread where Nathan East (or possibly some other well known bassist but I think it was him) was running through what the EQ did on his signature amps? do a search on youtube and you'll probably find it. It looked fairly well explained.

Missed it - did he have much to say? Is he still carrying a huge chip on his shoulder about the Gillan band days?

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='669758' date='Nov 30 2009, 08:53 AM']I was there. I didn't see you? Mine was Gillan in Cardiff Top Rank - must have been 1980? Support were Quartz and White Spirit, Janick Gers band years before he joined Iron Maiden.[/quote] All quite coincidental. I too was at that Monsters of Rock that various people have commented on. I was reasonably near the front when the stampede happened, two people died in the mud but most of us were unaware at the time. I never went to another Donnington. Also like Bilbo my first 'proper' gig was Gillan but a little later in 1981 in Bradford when Gers had by now joined the Gillan band. Budgie were one of the support bands.

Geddy Lee - Circumstances

Looking at the set list I'm almost tempted to try to get to a show before they move on to Europe. Let's face it we wouldn't have got at least two of those songs on any set that Anderson had a hand in...

So can whoever it was that went rememebr the set list? I thought about going down to Birmingham but something else came up and like others wasn't sure about seeing them with a tribute stand in singer (though I believe he got good reviews for the US gigs).

Find the strap button closest to the bridge, tie a piece of string round it, make sure you have about 18" of string dangling free. Replace the strap so the string is wedged firmly in place. Tie a brick to the other end of the string. Job done

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='651581' date='Nov 11 2009, 01:26 PM']Come and see us...we're not miserable at all![/quote] Just when I finally decided to come see the band (having seen you advertised a few times locally over the past few years) I can't find any proposed dates for Nottingham at all - have you given up on us?

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='650561' date='Nov 10 2009, 12:45 PM']Decent bloke too, I've met him and he let me get served at the bar first.[/quote] He let you get served first so he could sidle up behind you

Nothing to do with performing but it's music related... When I was a kid I was in a school rock band and didn't play anything so I was the 'singer' (I use the term very loosely). I was 'replaced' before their first proper gig cropped up so you can tell how sh*t hot I was Anyway as a 'singer' one of my all time heroes was Ian Gillan. Fast forward 10 yrs and I'm doing a rock show on hospital radio in my spare time. They ask me to go interview....Ian Gillan. I go slightly weak kneed but battle through it, asking what were in retrospect some slightly impertinent questions. Expecting to be either chinned or summarily dismissed at end of interview I thank him for his time etc. To my astonishment he says he thought it all went OK, he'd finished all his commitments for the rest of the day and did I fancy a pint? So there I am sat outside a Nottm pub with him, a couple of hangers on and my girlfriend at the time as he regails us with off the record stories of his time in Deep Purple and other ventures. Utterly surreal. Even invited us out for a curry later that evening but I felt we'd taken enough of his time and declined.

I thought Crush was a good album for them, bit of a return to form. I never got the impression they tried to seem too much of the 'big stars' but it's go tot have some effect playing the vast audiences they did over the 10 or so years they were a really big draw and selling bucketfulls of albums. I'm sure there are just as many 'Lemmy - what a complete twat' stories out there too, I know of one myself actually.

Come to think of it my jazz has never had a proper shop set up and it's due for a restring anyway so I may nip in on Sat, would it be likely to be done same day if I brought the replacement strings with me (which were bought at the shop anyway) ?

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='640023' date='Oct 29 2009, 01:22 PM']Well, lucky in a sense but they got lucky because they were/are a great rhythm section.[/quote] Undoubtedly but it's an odd situation where the founding people who gave the band it's name have relatively few writing credits through the years, I suppose it's probably not a lot different from Wyman & Watts though