elom

First impression - wow. Loads of stuff tucked away in there, a few duff effects but lots of usable ones. I think I've only scratched the surface and it will take a bit of effort to get the most from it but I can slowly unravel all that over time. I'm pleased with my purchase.

[i]"Congratulations You committed to buy the following item: Fender Performer Bass, 1985 RARE Sale price: US $560.00"[/i] Woo hoo!!! Finally bagged one. It's battered and beat up but the seller claims it plays fine. I had lots of email conversations with the seller and he sent loads of photos of the damage so I took a chance on him being the honest guy he seemed. At least this way I wont worry about breathing on it too hard! Very happy with the price too. When it arrives I'll stick some photos up in Bass Porn.

Okay three things I'd like to see in BGM: [list=1] [*]Blind comparisons - seriously! Go on, blindfold a reviewer and give him a Squier, MIM, MIJ & MIA (or any variations) and lets have a shootout where you don't know what you've got! [*]Reader's wives. No not that, but why not feature one of the readers and their kit for a change? Some (not all) of the celeb interviews are so dull and uninformative that I reckon regular Joes would be just as interesting. [*]A review with less than 3 stars. It's almost as if they are afraid to do it for fear of annoying the advertisers. The Gibson SG review is a good example I reckon [/list]For what it's worth, I am a subscriber and I really like the mag so I'm not dissing it - just making some suggestions.

Have heard good things about the Hartke A70. Has all the kit for practice and is kick-back style too. Plus you'll have enough change from your £200 for a pot noodle and a can of Special Brew! [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/hartke_a70_aseries_basscombo.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/hartke_a70_aseries_basscombo.htm[/url]

[quote name='OldGit' post='19323' date='Jun 17 2007, 09:40 PM']Elom did you get one? What do you think now?[/quote] Ordered it on Saturday, should be with me tomorrow or Wednesday. I'll post some first impressions once I've had a couple of days to play around with it.

The point right at the start about fine-tuning is important I think. If the filter had just affected f*** and c*** then I don't think that people would have been too concerned. Having it set to affect incredibly mild words was always going to provoke a reaction. The balance needs to be found but it would be very positive if we could feel involved in finding that balance. An announcement on this board beforehand would have eased the way too. I think there is a lot of support for the mods and appreciation of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. It would be a shame if this started a 'them and us' vibe but if the fine-tuning can happen soon then hopefully we need never mention Mylene Klass again!

I like BGM too. Some of the contributors can be found on these very boards.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='16466' date='Jun 12 2007, 07:58 PM'] Oh and who want blue sea when you can have brown!!!!!! [/quote] That is the difference in a nutshell!

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='15870' date='Jun 11 2007, 08:25 PM']Alright, who is Myleen Kl[Myleen Klass] and why has she suddenly appeared in the middle of a quote? We need photos ...[/quote] Okay, seeing as you asked. Apparently Kiwi is her new agent... (sorry I meant to post [url="http://tinyurl.com/yhn8uy"]this picture[/url] but the profanity filter switched it)

If I put aside my Devonshire brogue you'll hear the vowels of a native Grimsby lad (with family in Boston Tinman)

Cool name and nice web site. Best of luck with your first gig.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='14794' date='Jun 9 2007, 09:00 PM']Blue book states that production was limited to '86+7 and for 70% example its worth about $400----- So a bit optimistic me thinks![/quote] 5 years ago you could have picked on of these up for about $250. However the price seems to have been rising pretty sharply since about 2004 and current prices seem to vary from about $650 in not great condition to $800/$900 for close to mint. But that's the crazy world of the Internet. The one I originally spotted on ebay does seem rather fully priced. I keep encouraging the rational side of my brain to explain that to the irrational side of my brain...

The following is taken from a post that John Page, who set up the Fender Custom Shop, made on a Fender Forum: [indent]"Yes the Performer was one of my designs. Believe it or not, the Performer bass (designed before the guitar) was designed to be the Elite version of the Jazz Bass... yes that's right... it was going to be the top version of the Jazz Bass... scary huh? The shape of the instrument is derivative of the back of the Strat. Look at the waist cut on the back of the Strat and you'll see where the basic horn/body shape started. At the time (1982-3ish?) I was designing this, Fender was considered a pretty conservative instrument. Kramer, BC Rich and Jackson were building these radically styled instruments, so we wanted to get into that market. In my original design, it used a Strat stlye peghead and the pickups were a double Strat humbucking setup. I also designed the Fender logo on the Performer... I can't say that that a good thing, but it was kinda cool to design a new Fender logo. We got some comments that it looked like the peavy logo, which really pissed me off. The guitar that was produced was different than the original that I designed. I initially designed it to be made in the US, but it ended up being made in Japan. When that transition happened, things were changed. The peghead went from the Strat to the Swinger, for example, so I don't remember what pickup they actually went with. I angled the pickups to thicken up the top end a bit... and it looked cool. Well, at least to me, I like "off-line aesthetics". Why weren't they successful? Look, I was a designer in Fender R&D for years before I started the CS. I was always trying to design something new and different. When we started the CS, I tried to do the same. Reality is, the public wants Strats, Teles, P & J basses from Fender. So it's really tough to get them to accept any "new & different" designs in any great quantities. I'm afraid I have no idea how many were actually produced. I designed the five string version when I first came back to start the CS in '87. To the best of my knowledge there was only one protoype made by Fuji Gen Gakki. It was kind of a pinkish color and had the same basic features of the 4 string Japanese model. When I initially designed both bases, the were modified mustang coils, wound beefier and wired to be humbucking. When the four string version was released it used a single coil p/u under each cover. The original also was designed with a angular/massive/fine-tuning bridge, and a "lightning bolt" styled string tree. Both were prototyped but never released. I never heard of any instruments being destroyed for any legal issues... maybe another one of those "legends"? The idea behind the neck was simple, at the time a lot of bass players were guitar player converts. Bass playing style started to have more of a "lead guitar" approach, so the idea of a narrower neck was to help along those lines. The original proto went on the summer before it was released with the them "hottest" bands, Billy Idol (I don't remember his bass player's name) and The CARS bass player, Ben Orr. "[/indent]

If anyone is after one [url="http://www.projectmusic.net"]Project Music[/url] in Exeter have a mint 1988 Red 5 string. The tag price is £279 but they've had it for quite some time so I reckon you could cut a pretty good deal. They post too.

Seeing as Timface was quoting old McCartney songs....

[quote name='nik1093' post='13418' date='Jun 7 2007, 01:55 AM']has anyone custom painted their own bass? is this a good idea or should i get a pro to paint it for me?[/quote] Well it all depends on the quality you are looking for and how much confidence you have in your own skills. I spray painted my cheapo P-Bass with auto-paint and did an okayish job (though I reckon I could make a better attempt now that I've tried it once). It is nowhere remotely near professional quality though but then I'm not the most practical of guys. I found [url="http://www.paintyourownguitar.com/index.html"]this site[/url] an interesting read if you can get past the annoying 'infomercial' style. I've not bought his guides so this is not an endorsement. elom

[quote name='slaphappygarry' post='13949' date='Jun 8 2007, 12:21 AM']MU Rates would be worth looking at Luke. Cant go far wrong. the cover everything from playing time, gear lugging, mileage (15p per mile after the first 30 i believe) Check it out [url="http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/site/cms/contentChapterView.asp?chapter=1"]http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/site/cms/...w.asp?chapter=1[/url] G[/quote] Interesting read Garry. Following their 'National Gig Rates' document then for a 5 piece playing 9pm to 11pm we should be asking for £300. That's a lot more than pubs round here will pay but it does make me think that maybe we're too cheap. Still it's early days so we're prepared to go out for less than we'd expect in order to get ourselves established.

Thanks for that - a key point that I was unaware of. I think I'll email those nice Fender people and see what they can tell me.

Hi Spree, I did post a message to say that you'd been beaten to it but of course that disappeared when the whole thread went. I should have PM'd you but didn't have my thinking cap on (in a Bagpuss stylee) apologies, elom

Okay, I've been doing a bit of searching around and this is what I've found out so far. All from the Internet so elements of it may be less than accurate! These basses were only ever made in Japan and were both released and discontinued in 1985 or 86 (sources vary). It was aimed at metal players (not a traditional Fender market) and they largely ignored it. I think that it was produced at the very end of the CBS years and when the ownership transferred to FMI they discontinued it. I've seen comments that there were only 200 sold but there is no credible evidence for this and it sounds a little hard to believe. It has a rosewood 24 fret board, 34" bolt-on maple neck, which is very thin and guitar like. The body is alder. Controls are: Tone, Volume, Pickup Selector Switch, TBX Circuit Control (Treble Bass eXpander but I'm not sure what it is). It was available in Burgundy Mist, Gunmetal Blue, Candy Green, White and Tobacco Sunburst. This is the best photo I've found and at least shows some of the colours that were available. I'll get me anorak.....

I've just sat and watched this auction end with my mouse hovvering over the 'bid' button. I think I know what proper GAS is now. I'm off for a look around the house to see what I can sell on ebay (surely the wife doesn't need [i]all [/i]those shoes...)

Having a mooch around on ebay as you do and I found [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1985-Fender-Japan-PERFORMER-BASS_W0QQitemZ330125219334QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]this[/url]. It's a Fender Performer. I've never heard of them before but I like the look of it. I'm not in the market to buy but I'm curious to know more. Any one got one or tried one? I think this will have to go on the ever-expanding GAS list!

There was an early Thunder 2 on the bay a couple of weeks back in very tidy condition. Sadly I could only afford an ultra-low bid (and couldn't really afford that). In the end it went for £310 which I think is still a bargain for someone.

I think it had 184 of the blighters. However a fellow basschater beat you to it I'm afraid.

Having just given my aging PC a new lease of life by wacking a load of memory in it, I now have the original 256MB RAM left over. It's a Samsung 256MB DDR PC2700 CL2.5 If you want it, it's yours in exchange for some good karma!