neptunehealer

I can't stand this guy or his shoddy technique but i have to say i am veering closer to maybe purchasing his bass. It's very cheap, lightweight and holds a good tone (according to reviews i have read). I am a finger style bassist who is after an upgrade on my ten year old Vintage for my cover band. Why shall i spend £700 when i can get this for £170. Only thing i am worried about is will the pickups be good enough at the top end to cut through the mix.

[quote name='fifeq' post='121246' date='Jan 16 2008, 12:42 AM']maybe easy option- put in this place other sticker?[/quote] I am getting a bit of GAS about this bass as it's very cheap and seems like it's lightweight and got a good tone. This seems to be getting the nod over an expensive fender jazz.

[quote name='Jase' post='135415' date='Feb 6 2008, 11:55 PM']Right, can we have a quick re cap? What do you need in a bass?, how much do you want to spend? There's a lot of online shops that have good prices too [/quote] Well i play in a rock/pop/soul/funk cover band and we have a few weddings booked and i need a new bass really. I am after a passive 4 string bass which isn't too heavy on the shoulders. I will spend upto £600 if i find the right one for me, thing is i know buying online is good but i do know that trying them out first is imperitive.

I have got to the off to the shops bit, the only thing is the town i live in shall we say isn't blessed with music shops especially when it comes to basses. Of what music shops we do have the bass part reduces in size by the second, and what they do have are all copy models maybe with one Fender Jazz which is their prized possession. So it means a drive to Birmingham which by the time i get there i will feel obliged to buy something to make me feel the journey was worthwhile. So i have many factors which affect my decision process. P.S. I am hard work.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='135313' date='Feb 6 2008, 09:06 PM']I'm pretty sure this the hardest I've ever seen the members of a bass forum have to work to convince someone they need a new bass. It usually goes like this ... Q: My bass sounds like crap, what should I do? All: Buy a new one! Q: Right, I'm off to the shops. [/quote] Haha i am pleased i stand out from the crowd but in all seriousness i do know i need a new one. Oh yes to help anyone identify my heap of crap bass, on the headstock it has written in small letter under Vintage "a John Hornby Skewes Product" i am unsure as to whether all Vintage models say this. However i wish Dear John had made more of an effort with the bass, then again he probably had a young naive bass novice (which i was at the time) firmly in mind. Oh and i am fully giving my soul up for GAS.

[quote name='bremen' post='135161' date='Feb 6 2008, 05:08 PM']It sounds well f***ed. I haven't broken a string for years, and I hit them pretty hard.[/quote] I swear as i just read your comment my bass glared at me across my room and nodded. In a nutshell i would say it is toast because as someone said earlier in this thread that a good way to test it is if it sound like crap unplugged then it will sound crap plugged which is the case. Also i feel the tones higher are up the neck don't cut through the mix which will be due to the crap pups. Thing is i used to play in a band at college who did original stuff for a couple of years then we broke up and i lost inspiration. But now i find myself in a cover band who now play once/twice a week and i am getting hooked on the money but am still with the same old crappy bass. I think it is time to empty that hungry piggy bank.

[quote name='gilmour' post='135163' date='Feb 6 2008, 05:09 PM']Yes I know what you mean, If you are giggin a lot you do need to change your strings a lot. I tend to change my strings once a fortnight (which will be 3 or 4 gigs), there's not really a way around it. Luckily my Bass has quite an effective preamp onboard so I can boost the treble for a few gigs, but it's not the same. If your strings are dead it will always sound dead, although sometimes that is desirable it doesn't sound like what you are after. If you are gigging that often you deserve a new bass![/quote] Best news i have had all day that. But in fairness i hope all that you say isn't accurate as i would like to think a new bass guitar could give me a great tone with new and old strings as i don't really see any point in buying a new one if this is the case, as tone is god.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='135142' date='Feb 6 2008, 04:37 PM']Sounds like you probably don't have a current Vintage model - I think the quality has been more variable in the past. One simple test is what it sounds and feels like unplugged. If it sounds and feels dead I'd look for something else.[/quote] Yes i don't mean to critise the Vintage brand as a whole as i know some people have them on here who like them, but i did purchase my Vintage approximately 10 years ago now for £120, so maybe the quality was worse then. Oh and it sounds even worse not plugged in, it rattles at the headstock when i play it unplugged also strings break reasonably often which make me question the quality of the bridge saddles.

[quote name='gilmour' post='135129' date='Feb 6 2008, 04:24 PM']Cheapest option is to cahgne your strings, IMO dead strings don;t give nearly the same tonal variance that a newer set will[/quote] Done that to be fair, the strings sound bright for a few days but as i gig nearly every weekend the brightness soon goes. That in my opinion is an expensive way to have a bright sound for one gig only.

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='134918' date='Feb 6 2008, 11:51 AM']can you identify it from this list of suspects??? [url="http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintagebass.html"]http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintagebass.html[/url] oh, by the way, Vintage are not cheap nasty basses... I have the V950B and it's very nice...[/quote] Well it seems like the V4 series looks the most similar. Mine is in sunburst with a white scratchplate, one tone one volume control. Also mine has white pick-ups instead of black and has 22 frets instead of 20.

Haha the welcome to the world of GAS comment made me chuckle as that is too true and i thought i was one of them players that would'nt get it. Well my bass is a 4 string 22 fret Vintage. Thats all it says on the headstock is Vintage i don't know if this helps at all.

Basically i hate my tone which is not unsuprising really considering i play a cheap nasty bass which is really heavy and a bitch to play. I currently have 600 watt peavey sessionbass head and a laney speaker. I have twiddled and played around with my head and still can't find the tone i am after. To describe the tone would be a muddy bland bass sound. I am wondering if i keep my rig the same and purchase a Fender Jazz bass will this alone give me the tone i am after or will i need to seek a new head/speaker aswell?

[quote name='Buzz' post='134339' date='Feb 5 2008, 02:17 PM']*ding ding* I own one, and I think 3 or 4 others do, Paul_H springs to mind who I'm 95% sure has one. It's an interesting beast, you can't fit other bridges unless you find one with exactly the same measurements as a fender one, or you either 1) route the bass or 2) create a mounting plate because the bridge sits in a 3mm deep recess. The top's curved, but there's no actual forearm cutaway, which depending on your play style and lead to being uncomfortable on the shaper edge of the body. Pups are standard fender ones, however this leads to a problem as the P-pup drowns out the J-Pup if you use them both together, I'm ooing about perhaps getting a Wizard 84 in there to bring it up to a decent level. I've got one of the non-export Jap ones, with dots, scratch plate and traditional control plate, as expected it's 100% Jap excellence all the way I havn't actually found a fault with finish or construction yet and I've had it for er...nearly 2 years I think. If I was you, I'd possibly consider looking for a 2nd hand MIA Jazz or P and get it routed if a P-J is really what you want, or look at other brands that sell similar basses. Mine might go on sale at the start of the summer to get a 2nd hand Jazz, my aero is just too pristine, I don't want to take it and use it incase I damage it. I also want a satan finish on the neck, my aero's got a gloss finish.[/quote] Well the main thing that drew me to it was it being lightweight and easy to play. Do you find it being lightweight a good or bad thing? the p/j pickup combination isn't the be all and end all for me i may find i may go for a Fender Jazz if i can find one that feels nice and isn't too heavy on the shoulders. My playing style is with fingers, and in my cover band we play a mixture of pop, soul, disco, and funk and a tiny amount of rock. Just the p/j pickup combo was triggered in my mind after hearing Stu Zender playing Valerie with Mark Ronson with a fender p-bass and the sound at the start was something to die for, then again it could have come from his super expensive amp.

Ahh good spotting, yeah he did come to think of it.

I have been looking at this bass for a while now and it appeals to me as it's lightweight and has a combination of Jazz and P pickups. I never see any famous bass players using this bass which kind of suggests to me it's not the best choice out there. I would like to know if there is anyone here who has tried one or even owns one and how do you rate it. I kknow the jack input location is a flaw but i have found an Aerodyne on a website which has the jack input in a more traditional location. Just would like more insight into this bass, many thanks.

Anyone think he has a good booming live sound? I was watching a couple of their songs on Youtube playing at woodstock 94 which was the year Green Day encouraged that infamous mudfight, and i have to say i liked the power of his sound. I also liked his bass and was unsure what make it was. His playing was good and simple and locked in perfectly with the bass drum. Anyone have any views on him?

My cover band are currently seeking public liability insurance and i have been looking at joining with the Musicians Union. It says it will cost £144 for a years cover but i was wondering if that will be for each member or will it be for the whole band. Just £144 split between 4 of us won't be so bad but £144 each will be a bit of a bummer. Any advice and help on this will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the welcome peeps, yes Bassdad another Shropshire thouroughbread here to mix it with the masses. Haha to the last comment i am quickly learning that there are too many basses and amps to choose, and as i have always had a cheap nasty bass i am already finding it difficult to choose a model as i have a problem with being indecisive. I am trying to not become another perfect tone chaser as it can be an expensive game.

[quote name='Leowasright' post='130897' date='Jan 30 2008, 07:21 PM']I have never had any problem getting a thuddy sound from a Jazz! I have played one since 1994, I have always played rock on it. I'm getting a USA Fender Jazz (with this S-1 switch) this week, so I'll have to get back as whether the band moans about my (extra) low end thud at the next practice....... Or is it just my amp is too loud!!!!!!!!!! David H[/quote] Ahh lucky you, i may be following suit if you give me positive feedback from it. If you could tell me about what you think of the new bass in the way of sound, action and weight that would be cool as i am at the buying stage. Also i have seen a japanese fender jazz but no switch but it has a badass II bridge. So have you ever had any troubles with the usa standard bridge? and is the jap bass worth getting purely for the badass II bridge?

[quote name='Mike' post='130360' date='Jan 29 2008, 11:16 PM']Everyone on Talkbass seems to hate the S1 switch even on Jazzes, and have been indicating their content with Fender not reissuing it. Personally, whilst I think it's a waste of time on a P, I felt it really transformed the Jazzes into very versatile instruments. It's a shame they aren't keeping it up - I would definately have one on my jazz.[/quote] So in my case where our cover band plays james brown, chili peppers, some funk/disco and some rock like arctic monkeys, wouldit be best to suggest that i would require a jazz bass with the s1 switch to add more bottom end on the rock songs, but then i also have the option to switch it off for funk and disco? Or as i have read reports of the s1 going faulty etc would i be ablke to get away with just having a fender jazz without the s1 switch as i am scared to death of losing bottom end?

So if i was to get a fender jazz bass would you recommend the model with the S1-Switch or would you recommend one without? Also without the S1 is there enough bottom end in the mix on a jazz without the S1.

I am aware the new Jazz Fenders won't use this function, so i am intrigued to know was it all a waste of time. With them not including it in the new range suggests to me it was a bad experiment and would anyone agree. Just i am in the market for a Fender Jazz at the minute and have never used the S-1 switch so i guess my question is would you rather have the switch or not have it?

Ahh i may try out the new Fender Jazz so do you think getting rid of the S-1 switch is a good thing personally i never tried a bass with it on? Also the cij 62 re-issue i am looking at for £700 has a badass II bridge which the new fender jazz won't have.

Well i am currently torn between 2 basses i found on guitaremporium.co.uk Its between the Aerodyne and the Fender Japan 1962 Re-issue Jazz Bass with US Vintage Pickups and Alder Body and Badass Bridge which is £700. Just wondering can anyone add weight to either of these basses and help my decision, and also is that bass worth £700.

Well they are just the responses i wanted as the basses i am looking at are bolt-ons.