Linus27

[quote name='Merton' post='471721' date='Apr 24 2009, 05:09 PM']Cheers Colin! Yes, I have an LH500 you're welcome to have a play about, but I'm not really very mobile at the mo (at home bonding with MiniMert, 4 days old now) and I need it a lot over the next few weeks. PM me and we can prob sort something tho Mert[/quote] Thanks for the replies guys. Mert, don't worry for now, Stylon has offered for me to try his and he lives close to me. Plus, things must be a bit hectic with a four day old minimert. Thank you for the offer though.

Looking at getting a Hartke LH500/1000 but would really like to hear one before making the plunge. Anyone know of anywhere around the Surrey/Hampshire/Berkshire area that has them that I can go and hear? Also, not sure to go for one of the new Hydrive speakers or one of the paper coned VX speakers with it.

The Hartke website says the following regarding the LH1000, Dual Parallel Mode: 2 x 225 watts @ 8 ohms, 2 x 320 watts @ 4 ohms, 2 x 545 watts @ 2 ohms Bridge Mode: 1 x 750 watts @ 8 ohms, 1 x 1100 watts @ 4 ohms I am a bit confused what the difference is between dual parallel mode is and bridge mode. Could someone explain what it means in relation to if I ran an LH1000 with 1 x 8 ohms speaker or an LH1000 with 1 x 4 ohms speaker?

I really want to get one of these LH500 amp heads but its not fair. You guys all paid around £200 and now they are selling at around £300. Not fair, I want one :)

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='465185' date='Apr 17 2009, 04:10 PM']I have a suspicion, but firstly answer me this: do you have the same problem when you play sitting down? My theory: you're wearing your bass very low (from your avatar). Your right wrist is resting on the bass body. Your fingers, when at rest, are parallel to the plane of the body of the bass. So when you pluck the E string, instead of stroking parallel to the PotBotB, you're stroking towards it (as you have observed already). Solution is to keep your right hand away from the body, which you won't be able to do unless you wear the bass a bit higher. S.P.[/quote] I think your right on this. I have raised the bass up a little and it has helped but I think I need to be aware of my technique and get used to plucking up and playing softer.

[quote name='Stu-khag' post='464017' date='Apr 16 2009, 03:29 PM']Its got to be worth more than £350! Ive seen them online from around £520 upwards. Ive seen one in a local shop a few pounds shy of 600 quid. if its mint and you have an invoice with the setup work thats been done , surely its worth a punt offering it for near that price and see what happens. People can only haggle it down then.[/quote] Yeah, this is kind of how I feel about it. It also comes with a Fender gigbag. £350 seems too low for a bass thats mint condition, only played at home complete with a full setup. Might as well keep it for that price.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='463643' date='Apr 16 2009, 08:42 AM']If your MIM classic 70's jazz is mint, I'd start around 350. Sounds reasonable to me Someone's sure to snare it at that.[/quote] Not sure its worth me selling it if £350 is the best I can get. Thats losing quite a bit on a bass thats a few months old. Probably worth keeping for that price.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='463675' date='Apr 16 2009, 09:42 AM']£80 for a setup? Jeez, what does he do for that?[/quote] Strips the whole bass, treats the wood, checks all the electrics/wiring and replaces or re-wires if needed, greases tuners, saddles etc, adjusts the neck relief, sorts the frets out, pickups height, string height, and setups the bass to suit your playing. I think there is more but can't remember. Every single part of the bass is treated. The bass then plays like creamy butter afterwards :)

[quote name='jim_bass' post='463535' date='Apr 15 2009, 11:42 PM']£20 to me she's lovely[/quote] HAHA does that include postage?

I have major gas for a Lakland Darryl Jones Skyline. However, the only way I am going to get one is if I sell my Fender Jazz Classic 1970 Re-issue. I bought it brand new a couple of months ago and only used it at home so it in in total mint condition. It has also been set up by Jo White, a professional luthier which cost £80. New they seem to be around £540 - £580 but seem to be out of stock for some reason. Any ideas what I should sell her for if I decide to? Here is a picture of her on the right.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='463028' date='Apr 15 2009, 02:38 PM']Agreed - but when you have a US in your hands, you can tell the difference in the woods big time. US uses choice pieces of wood. The Skylines are great, but you do notice that the wood is somewhat "plain" in comparison. Are the US nicer than the Skylines? Absolutely. Every time. Are they worth the extra money....? Not convinced.[/quote] I guess thats the difference then and I guess depending on budget and personel taste, only oneself can justify if the extra price is worth paying. Is there anywhere in the UK that sell the US models? I had a look and could not really find anywhere advertising them. Wanted to try and find a price of a US Darryl Jones 4 String.

A bit about the difference between the US models and the Skyline models. Makes you wonder why its worth paying the extra for the US model. For example, the list price of a US Darryl Jones is $5000 and the list price for a Skyline Darryl Jones is $1400. Now thats a big big difference. Anyway, here is the text. When we asked the Lakland founder, Dan Lakin "What's the difference between a Lakland U.S bass and a Lakland Skyline bass besides the price and the country where the body and neck are made?"we were surprised at his frank and honest answer! "The answer is a lot and not much, depending on who you are, what you like and what your needs are" said Dan. "Lakland Skylines are designed in Chicago but made in a state-of-the-art factory in Korea. Lakland determines all specifications and anything that can be done by machine is done by machine, including the fretting. Basses are manufactured in lots of thirty or more of each model. Most Skylines arrive at the Lakland factory fully finished, except for electronics. Lakland luthiers inspect each bass and do refinements according to an incredibly thorough set-up procedure that ensures each bass has proper string alignment, neck relief, fretting, tuner installation integrity, etc. The Skylines are then installed with the same electronics as the U.S models except for the 01 models which are shipped with Korean electronics. No Skyline bass leaves the Lakland facility until it's properly set up and in prime playing condition. We know the customer might not consciously notice it if the refinements weren't't done, but we believe that this incredible attention to detail is the reason most players consider Lakland Skylines higher in quality than most mass produced American-made basses".

I have a Lakland Skyline Duck Dunn, nicknamed Christine after the possesed car film as this bass is possesed and the same colour as the car. Saying that, it is a superb bass to play and the tone is amazing. Not sure about the difference in quality between the Skyline and USA models but I had heard that there was not much difference between the two and my bass is built perfectly. However, I must stress, I have had nothing but problems with the electrics on mine resulting in everything being changed. There are even new pickups being shipped over as we speak from Lakland as the current ones are buggered. However, looking back at the history, its had about 5 owners and nearly all have done some kind of re-wiring/re-soldering/pot changing issues so the problems may not be related to Lakland. Saying that, I adore this bass and plan on using her as my main working bass. This is over the Stingray, Jap Jazz and Fender Jazz. I am even thinking about selling the Fender Jazz and buying a Lakland Darryl Jones at some point. I would have no problem buying a Skyline but if you can afford it, then get the USA model I guess. Lakland customer service is also the best. They are changing my pickups for free. This is on a bass that has had about 5 previous owners.

I have had two Stingrays and both have been exactly the same. The first was a 1998 3EQ and the latest is my current 2005 3EQ. Both the same sound and feel.

My new band is looking at doing some gigs around the end of the summer and so I am on the hunt for some good venues to play. Not been on the scene for around 8 years so very out of touch on where to play and not to play. Don't fancy doing just random pubs to one man and his dog so I guess support slots is going to be the way forward. We play sort of indie guitar pop music, similar to Radiohead, Coldplay, Magic Numbers etc and all the material is original. We fancy playing around Guildford, Oxford, Reading, Woking, Basingstoke, Kingston, Windsor, Winchester, Southhampton etc so quite an area but all pretty much in the south. I have a list of venues which some I know of and some I don't but just wondering if anyone can add some other suitable venues. This is what we have so far, The Boileroom, Guildford The Railway Inn, Winchester Joiners Arms, Southampton West End Centre, Aldershot Live lounge, Basingstoke Jericho Tavern, Oxford Bar Four, Reading Bracknell Cellar Bar, Bracknell No idea if some of them are any good or not but any more suggestions really welcome and appreciated.

Reviewing all the great comments so far, I think my problem is my technique on playing the E string. I mentioned in another thread about getting used to playing the E string as it feels odd and my fingers feel in no mans land. The A, D and G feel fine as when I play, they come up and stop on the string above. So in the case of the A, my finger pulls up and stops on the E. I also rest my fingers on the E string when playing the A, D and G. Playing the E string, I have no where to rest my fingers apart from the pickups and so they feel in no mans land. So as I am resting on the pickup, I think I am pulling the string in towards it and hitting the pickups and using this as my stop as apposed to the string above. Not sure what the fix will be apart from being concious of this and making the effort to not pull in but up on the E string.

I guess if your at the stage of touring then your playing should be ok to not worry about. Having toured a few times, make sure you have lots of spares. Batteries, leads, fuses, plugs, strings etc. All the things you need to keep playing in case of problems. Also make sure everything is in its place. Get a proper case for spares, not a couple of carrier bags. Proper cases for your basses also, no gig bags please. As for the tour bus etc, lots of medicine, MP3 player, PSP/DS Lite, books, magazines etc. Also, the suggestion of a chess/backgammon board is a great one. We also took, or made sure we got, lots of fresh orange. Not the cheap crap stuff but the proper squeezed stuff to keep colds and flu away. Make sure you eat prperly also. Try not to live of burgers everyday. Saying that, enjoy yourself. After the gigs, have a few beers to wind down and enjoy it. Chat to people after. Its amazing how many friends your make on tour in different towns. Get their addresses to keep in touch. However, the most important thing to take is a camera. All those memories and expreriences must never been forgotton. Try and capture every moment.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I can't really go to heavier strings as I use 45 - 105 as it is. I can't turn the amp up. This is at home and so this is playing softly for me. If anything, I need to turn it down :) I'll have a look at string and pickup height and also work on my technique.

Been playing bass with a plectrum for about 20 years. Decided to start playing with fingers for the last year and a bit and so far so good. Managed to successfully audition for a band and now playing with fingers pretty naturally. However, I think I have either picked up a few bad habits or my aggesive pick style has carried over to my fingers. I find I am pushing down hard on the strings with my picking hand. This then causes the strings to touch the metal poles on the pickups creating a metal clanking sound. It's only really noticable on the E string, I guess because its fatter. This is happening on my Fender Jazz and Musicman Stingray where the poles are exposed on the pickups. My ESP Jazz has Bartolini's which does not have the pickup poles exposed like my Fender or Musicman and so I do not get this problem. I know the obvious would be to lower the pickups or raise the strings but I am just wondering if there is anything I can do to adjust my technique before adjusting the setup of my basses. Any advice really appreciated.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='457129' date='Apr 8 2009, 10:17 AM']Hi Linus, I've had quite a few jazzes & the best quality one was the Japanese Marcus Miller signature by a country mile. The Lakland Skylines (especially the DJ's & JO's) feel a too lightweight & little insubstantial to me, but they are really nice basses to play. MartTheBass had a lovely DJ5 that won me over instantly. It nailed the classic jazz tone 110%. If I was spending my own money on a jazz I'd go for one of the 'super-jazzes' like a Sadowsky Metro in natural Ash with maple neck. Nice While I think of it, have a look at OHM's Lakland JO on the for sale pages. The Jo is another really nice bass - Quite narrow string spacing for a four-stringer, but surprisigly nice to play. Rich.[/quote] Its interesting that you mention the classic jazz tone. I know what the precision tone is but what is the jazz tone, or the classic jazz tone? Can you give me any reference or some ideas of things to listen to. My ESP Jazz sound amazing as does my Fender Jazz but no idea if they are making the clasic jazz tone.

[quote name='obbm' post='457139' date='Apr 8 2009, 10:26 AM']Although not publicised, last year Lakland did a limited run (25?) of natural finish Skyline DJ4s with black block inlays just like the one they did for Adam Clayton. Very tasty. A BCer has one. They come up for sale occasionally.[/quote] Now that, would be my dream bass, I would love to get one of those. Going to be difficult if only 25 were made. Thanks for everyones input.

[quote name='wazz' post='456444' date='Apr 7 2009, 02:26 PM']is it as simple as the pickups being too high and overloading or saturating?[/quote] No as they have been set to what Lakland recommend and before that, lower than normal.

Just thinking about my perfect jazz bass and I have always loved the look of the Fender Jazz American 75 re-issue in natural with block inlays and its kind of the bass I would work up to owning oneday if the need for a good jazz was required. However, I am hearing great things about the Lakland Darryl Jones Jazz bass and wondering how they compare. Having played OBBM's one, it felt and sounded great. Plus, being a Lakland Duck Dunn owner, I am very impressed with the quality and customer service from them. Can anyone shed any light on these two basses, especially the Fender. I currently own a Fender Classic Jazz Mexican 70's re-issue which is a superb bass and this would go if I got one of the other basses. However, how much better is the Fender Amercian 75 RI Jazz and how does it all compare to the Darryl Jones. Just interested in opinions and thoughts really.