Linus27

[quote name='markdavid' post='359841' date='Dec 20 2008, 08:00 PM']I agree 100% the quality of the new squiers should be celebrated. I think it is awesome that for under 300 you can pick up a quality bass that is solidly built and sounds good and that you could easily gig with[/quote]

Yes, very true and it means a lot of people starting out can get a decent bass for not much money. Its all good stuff really.

Oneday, when I'm really bored and have some spare cash, I promised myself a Warwick Streamer. This stems from back in the late 80's when they had an advert for a light wood Streamer with Ying and Yan inlays. Not sure if its the original Streamer or a Stage 1. Anyway, I fell in love with it and always wanted one.

Does Warwick make a decent bolt on neck Streamer bass, either old or current? Never been a fan of thru neck basses so would prefer bolt on if possible.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='359529' date='Dec 20 2008, 12:59 PM']Anyway, rather than this being a slight on the current quality of Fender, isn't it the case that the current quality of Squiers should be celebrated instead?

It seems to me that Squiers have just got far better in the last couple of years.

It's a bit like telling Steely Dan to improve because Nearly Dan are doing such a good impression of them.[/quote]

Yep I agree. It's a case of Fender having to up their game and justify why someone should pay 2x, 3x, 4x more for one of their basses over a Squire.

I have a Squire VMJ fretless and its one of the best basses I have played. The neck is amazing and easily as good as a Musicman which is probably my favourite neck. The Seymour Design pickups are also amazing although I do think it could be greatly improved with some better ones.

As for the comparison, I think it showed that Squire are currently making top notch basses and as already said, Fender have to really up their game. Tone may be hard to improve as there is only so much you can achieve with basses of this type. However, quality, tonal range, workmanship, playability is where Fender can really take the advantage. In a live environment, the tone won't make that much difference but from a players point of view, playing a Fender should feel so much different over playing a Squire.

A comparison would be, driving a Caterham or a Lotus Elise at a race track. They are both very quick, handle superb and give you a great driving experience. Then do the same in a Porsche 911 or Ferrari 430 and your get the same great driving experience but your also be driving a higher quality car, with more comfort, more versatility etc. Fender should be the supercar and Squire should be the sportscar.

To me, they are a certain type of bass for a certain type of player. They are light, thin, great necks and easy to play. So excellent for female players or people who want a light bass or are of a slight build. They also sound great. However, not my cup of tea but my wife loves hers.

Yeah, I think they are being a bit optimistic with those prices.

A couple of Bass Collection's up on Ebay at the moment. Check this thread for links.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=34573"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=34573[/url]

A 5 String.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Collection-5-string-bass-Very-Rare-1988_W0QQitemZ320324937211QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item320324937211&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Collection-5-st...A1%7C240%3A1318[/url]

A lefty.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Collection-SB-501-Left-Handed_W0QQitemZ250342832689QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item250342832689&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Collection-SB-5...A1%7C240%3A1318[/url]

[quote name='Aharon' post='356247' date='Dec 16 2008, 06:06 PM']PM replied.

Bump![/quote]

New PM sent.

[quote name='lateralus462' post='356368' date='Dec 16 2008, 08:50 PM']No not a warwick - but I'm still looking at 5/6 strings as well as 4's - TBH I realy want a lakland DJ5 or similar but there is no way I can afford one.

As this is going to be the last bass I can buy for a while I'm having to think really hard about what I want, and the truth is I can't find one that ticks all the boxes in the price range I'm looking at - I know I'm going to have to compromise but it's sooo hard to choose.[/quote]

What are the boxes that need to be ticked?

[quote name='lateralus462' post='356346' date='Dec 16 2008, 08:30 PM']A couple of places - but I'm on the verge of changing my mind again!!![/quote]

HAHAHA to what? Please don't say a Warwick

[quote name='lateralus462' post='355255' date='Dec 15 2008, 06:30 PM']I bet no-one ever asks to borrow your bass at gigs though!!!! Actually I always thought it was a bit unfair, I have a really good mate who plays guitar left handed - He always seems to end up paying way more than the righ handed equivalent for his guitars. I am so glad I learnt right handed!!!!! (and I'm so looking forward to getting my 70's Jazz later this week )[/quote]

So have you found somewhere that has a 70's re-issue jazz in stock??

PM Sent.

How is this done? Is there a program to do this or is it just something that was done for these tracks?

What's this active/passive switch? Can you tell me more?

Did you fit it yourself or did it come as standard with the bass?

Is there any sound difference when passive and active?

Thanks

[quote name='lateralus462' post='355072' date='Dec 15 2008, 02:48 PM']It says they're out of stock on the andertons website[/quote]

Andertons website is not always up to date. It might be worth phoning them. When I went to have a look, the bass was not even on the website but i asked and they got a new one down still boxed from upstairs.

Try Guitar Village in Farnham also.

[url="http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=6624&catid=8&manid=29&quantity=1&product=Fender+70%27s+Reissue+Jazz+Bass%2C+3+Tone+Sunburst%2C+New%2C+Inc%2E+Gigbag"]http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-det...C+Inc%2E+Gigbag[/url]

[quote name='lateralus462' post='355021' date='Dec 15 2008, 01:55 PM']I think I'll probably end up going for one of these, unless something amazing turns up secondhand. Now I just need to find a shop near enough to me that has them in stock!!![/quote]

Have you tried Andertons in Guildford?

To be honest, that was my thought at first, that Mexican Fender's were horrible. I was after a mid range bass that I could use as a solid workhorse and would either be my second bass to a Musicman or my joint main bass to the Musicman.

So I did a search and saw some threads on here regarding this bass and the Mexican Fender 50's Precision. Both basses were being raved about. Especially the 70's Jazz. Some were even saying that it was as good as and better than the American models which people had played in the shops or owned.

Of course, the proof was in the playing so I went down to Andertons in Guildford to try a few different basses, including the 70's re-issue Jazz. The standard Mexican jazz bass was horrible. The standard Mexican Precision was okish but certainly not what I wanted to spend £350 on. So I tried the 70's re-issue jazz as this was what I really wanted to play and from just holding it, the bass felt fantastic. Please note, this was also brand new out of the box. Plugged in and again, fantastic. Clear, punchy with lots of great tone. The bass does however feel very 70's. Bit frets, defined C shape neck and looks very retro. I fell in loved with it and my wife said your playing that as if its been your bass for years. I then compared it to a musicman and this also sounded fantastic (I used to own one so I know how they sound and play) but no better or worse than the 70's Fender. Just very different. Totally different tone and totally different neck. So the Fender stood up very well and I happily parted with £450.

I then went about comparing it to my 1988 Japanese ESP 400 Series Jazz bass which is one of the best basses I have heard and to be honest it sounds as good if not slightly better.

So as you can see, it really is a superb bass and as others have said, some of the Mexican basses are stunning and better than the American counterparts. All you can do is go and try one for yourslef. I would also have a read through these threads.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=31064&hl=Linus27"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...&hl=Linus27[/url]

My wife came up with this idea which I thought was pretty cool but I am not so sure how to go about it. My old band recorded and released an album. She said she would like to get it made into a music book like the ones you see for other bands. However, as we would design it, we can choose what would go into it. So we would have the music, band photos, recording diary excerts and anything else relevant.

However, we would need somebody to transpose the music. I am not sure what goes into normal music books but maybe the melody and bass part. To be honest, no idea as not sure what normally goes into a music book.

So, has anyone done anything like this? Anyone point me in the right direction to get me started? Any companies who could do this?

I think the main thing is getting the album transposed into music. After that then I guess getting the whole thing put together and printed.

Any help appreciated.

What a great idea. I don't want to borrow it but if I ever did it would only come back with 4 strings and a missing tuner. 5 String basses are so wrong

These are great. Thanks you.

[quote name='lateralus462' post='354568' date='Dec 14 2008, 08:43 PM']2. After dismissing Fender/Jazz basses for so long thinkking that they looked nice but probably weren't for me the VMJ has completely changed my mind - in fact at the moment I think my ideal bass at the moment would be a Sunburst 70's style jazz with block inlays and a tort pickguard, but that just sounds so unlike me.[/quote]

I have just bought a Fender 70's Reissue Jazz bass, exactly as you described. Block inlays in Sunburst. It does have a black pickguard but you can change that or take it off your VMJ and put it on the Fender Not only highly recommended here (look for my other threads) but when I was buying it, I was comparing it to a Musicman and there really was not much in in it. Yes it had a different sound and neck but no worse, just different. It cost £440 and I love it. Check the picture below.

[quote name='lateralus462' post='353262' date='Dec 12 2008, 11:32 PM']That's it - I'm officially hooked. I was expecting this bass to be a cheap introduction to fretless (which it is) but I'm blown away by the quality - easily matches the standard of my Ibanez which was a fair bit more expensive!!!

Sounds good as well - although it's a little bit noisy, but I'm sure some proper shielding will sort that out. Oh and it looks sooo much better with a pickguard as well.[/quote]

See, we knew you would love it. Its such a bgreat bass. Now get some pictures up with the scratchplate on

[quote name='simon1964' post='352404' date='Dec 12 2008, 08:39 AM']Ish again! You really need to use the lines as a guide. IMO, there is no substitute for using you ears on a fretless, and you will need to make minor adjustments to where you "fret" a note as you play, rather than rely slavishly on the lines. All part of the fretless fun!

I very nearly bought Pentode's VMJ a few weeks back - I think it looks fantastic with a tort scratchplate.[/quote]

Yeah very good point. Your ears are always your best option.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='352267' date='Dec 11 2008, 11:11 PM']The 95 means 1995, yes, but the 32 is merely a coincidence. Yours was probably the 3293rd bass they made in 1995.

My SB325 is S/N 883357 and my SB330 is S/N 951938.[/quote]

Ah ok, thank you for the help.