miles'tone

Christ just read all that back, please forgive the gushings Here's the condensed version : I bought a Squier P5, they are f**king ace. The end.

Here's my VM P5, modded a bit to save weight. I've installed licensed by Hipshot Ultralite tuners and an aluminium A style bridge and aluminium knobs. (I'm not quite sure if the new bridge has altered the tone at all, which is a good thing too as it sounded great anyway, but it has made a difference to weight of the body which is all I was after there) I had my luthier mate rout out the body under the pickguard too. It weighed 9 1/2 lbs when I took delivery of it and now I've got it down to 8 1/2 lbs (I could've sent it back and kept looking for a lighter one I suppose but I was so pleased with the fit, finish and feel of this bass that I couldn't part with it!) I've also dropped an American Standard P5 pickup in that I picked up here on the BC classifieds along with a KiOgon wiring harness. There wasn't anything about the original pup and pots etc that made me want to change them, it's just the USA pup came up on here for a song and I had the wiring harness from an old project anyway. Played in isolation it does sound a little more refined but the original Squier pickup has it's own throaty quality that is equally valid. When cranked loud with a band the difference is negligible anyway I reckon. It plays,feels and sounds fantastic! Very pleased indeed I tried to get some decent pics of the finish in the sun today as the Candy Apple Red looks legit to me, as in it does look like a clear red over gold in a traditional way rather than just a thick coat of a single metallic red. It has some lovely coppery sparkles when the light catches it which my pics don't show too well unfortunately. A killer bass for the money even when stock. B-) Edit: I jammed last week with my two oldest friends who have heard me playing all my basses over the years, back to when I was young, free and single enough to be able to spend silly money on basses - they said this Squier is the best sounding bass I've ever had! (they're not the type to mince their words either) I have to agree.

It's a winner for sure! \m/

Congratulations! Lovely looking bass. I've just been looking at these this very afternoon (online that is) and I must say these are the first J basses that Have caught my eye for a long time. I love the idea of that pre :-) I'm constantly amazed at the quality of relatively inexpensive instruments these days (proud owner of a Squier Vm) Is it a heavy bass out of interest?

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1425571214' post='2708736'] This one too! This^. One, two! [/quote] Boom-tish!!

If you have a 24 fret bass, you'll only be trading it's highest 5 notes to get those lower 5 with the added Brucey bonus of being able to fret a low E for a different flavour. Those lower 5 are much more useful to a bass player imo (well,this bass player anyway)

The Entrance Band

Couple of prolapsed discs in my lower back did it for me initially. I now also have two young sons, one of which is autistic so there literally aren't enough hours in the day. I do get out for a great jam a couple of times a month (just improvising for kicks) with some really good friends and I'm playing at home too. I do see me returning to the gigging world in the future as I do miss it, but not for a couple of years at least. Hey ho. I'm 43 this year so it ain't over just yet! \m/

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1425035190' post='2703166'] Sort-of, it was the triangular tortex ones I was using, the .73 at the start, then the 1.14 which are my usual ones. [/quote] My faves are also the 1.14 purple triangles but do check out the . 73 regular shaped yellow tortex picks. I love the feel and sound of them when played back to front with the point pointing away from the strings. Read here recently that Bobby Vega uses them this way round and it works! Much less clacky and plastic sounding than striking with the point of the pick, alot warmer with faster attack I find. You can indeed get pretty funky too with ghost notes sounding great and even. In my experience anyway. The purple triangles are my faves though but it is great to have a big change of tone (and technique to a certain extent) in my pocket I might add that I've only been using a pick since new year as I've spent my 22 years of bass playing just with my fingers as I always found it hard even holding a pick! Made it my new years resolution to only play with a pick til I get it down as alot of my favourite players use one. It's coming on great now and I'm absolutely loving it!

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1424988581' post='2702794'] I would love to hear his tone isolated. [/quote] Yes! I'm surprised we haven't heard any isolated J. J. yet.

Looks like a nicely finished bitsa to me. The block inlays and pickguard look brand new white and you right about the body shape. The neck does look good and correct though. Allparts maybe?

Cor.. Perfection 👌

Stunning bass Nige, congrats man! I personally love the position of the pickups you have there. The modern HH rays have the neck pups too far forward for my tastes. Your bass kind of reminds me of a Wal a bit in that respect. That birdseye!! <3

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1424546111' post='2697623'] So the best way to change your tone is go on a diet? [/quote] Or eat more sausages.

Would love to hear him rocking that 4005.

I left the country once to see the Violent Femmes play. Drove all the way from Cardiff to London and back! :-D

This made me smile today on Facebook:

Squier VM's come with Fender nickel strings fitted stock fwiw.

[quote name='No lust in Jazz' timestamp='1423734336' post='2688340'] That's ok, I view side one as the antipasti for side two - but the tracks Drowning Witch / Envelopes - are very very fine indeed IMO. Listen to the whole thing regularly tho.. [/quote] I like it! I had it on earlier after I read your post. Cheers for that \m/ My three favourite Zappa bassists together on one album! (Well you know what I mean..)

Violent Femmes - FULL ALBUM: http://youtu.be/QeJODSjIbT8 A very young Brian Ritchie on bass who arrived here with a fully formed musical identity from the outset. Respec'.

Absolutely love mine as I have endlessly stated in other threads The neck is fantastic. Never really been into red basses before but the CAR on mine is gorgeous.

Yes. I had great service from them recently. I bought a Kala tenor ukulele from them a couple of weeks ago (Omega had the lowest price online for the uke I was after) and I rang on a Saturday but unfortunately they were closed. I left a message regarding set up and first thing Monday morning I had a call back (which I missed) AND an email answering my queries. The answer was that yes, they do set up all ukes in their workshop before shipping for no extra cost (unlike many multi instrument box-shifters online). Bought it and it arrived the day after next in perfect condition, set up wonderfully and ready to go. Again, great service above and beyond AND the cheapest for what I wanted too!

Wateroftyne posted this vid to a similar query I had a while back. Sounds good to me! Spikedrivers - Young and Stupid (LIVE): http://youtu.be/BfjtK4Mnrg8 Cracking offer by Pete there BTW, sharing the BC good vibes. Good on you Sir!

Ditto all the above. I've pieced together my own wiring looms before and seriously, save yourself the hassle and give KiOgon a pm. All the top quality bits you would buy anyway, solderless pup/earth wire connectors and the price is right. Piece o cake.

[quote name='Big Al' timestamp='1422912205' post='2678380'] [color=#0000ff]His early green bass probably still has the 1963 pickups, but I read (http://stranglers-ratter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/basses-and-bad-backs.html) that Shuker used the green bass as a template for the JJ signature basses, and used overwound pickups to emulate the sound. I thought the bigger magnets and higher output windings would have the same effect. I've used them a lot, and like the bottom end grunt they give.[/color] [color=#0000ff]Interesting that he went back to a Hiwatt 50 for some tracks on the album 'Written in Red', and he also used a Hiwatt 200 in the late 1970s. I used a Hiwatt 100 and 2 Hiwatt 4X10s stack (see my avatar) to get that Stranglers sound, and it worked a treat.[/color] [color=#0000ff]His present tone using his signature Shuker bass and Ashdown amps and cabinets is very reminiscent of that classic early JJ sound - as can be heard on the Youtube video of 'Rattus at the Roundhouse' gig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SItRVpLjAI0.[/color] [color=#0000ff]Well worth watching![/color] [/quote] I really like that you've gone to great lengths to recreate that bass and have put your own twist on it too with the pups. (I had quarterpounders in a previously anaemic jazz bass once - it used to make me laugh how good they were, gave that bass BALLS and great dynamics - good choice!) Bet it feels and sounds awesome \m/ +1 Regarding the Roundhouse gig footage by the way.