White Cloud

This is exactly why I avoid buying Fenders nowadays. Why use a piece of Maple with an irregular grain pattern for a neck in the first place? Surely its asking for potential grief? Now; time to look out the suit of armour before the howling Fender mob descend upon me.

In my humble opinion the Lakland DJ model is, pound for pound, the best jazz bass on the market. Lovely pair you have there.

[quote name='merlin' timestamp='1362317095' post='1998257'] Letts Basses,love mine,the dude is on BC, [/quote] Absolutely agree. Jon Letts single cuts basses usually weigh less than 8lbs...and he builds great fretlesses.

Personally I think that if you are a finger player of any real ability a ramp makes perfect sense!

I look forward to your future builds, the sky would be the limit for you if you actually had a workshop...and didnt need to use a patio table as a workbench lol. Kudos!

Cant wait to see it dude.

I have to say, from a guitar building point of view, your methods were unconventional; but the proof is in the pudding. It looks amazing, very well done sir, and thanks for sharing!

Beautiful bass, I remember these well during the 80's. Is it true that Ashley started out building basses in his garden shed, or am I confusing this with another maker?

Yup, the Glaub is also the best Fender I ever played!

Trust someone who knows all about this after 35 years of fitting replacement bridges to Fenders (mostly Badass) The best option is to go for the Gotoh 201. Does everything the badass will do; direct replacement for Fender/Squier stock bridge, and sounds every bit as good as much more expensive models.

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1359128711' post='1950350'] Or if it sounds rubbish! There are some pretty good sounding ply basses out there but somehow they never seem to resonate like a solid wood body. Too gluey, probably. [/quote] It could be argued that Alembics, Ken Smiths and any other laminated basses are merely hugely expensive ply construction!

Without wishing to state the obvious that neck is screwed. Hopefully MM will sort you out with a new one. Its really stressful when a neck goes rogue. I owned a Jaydee Supernatural in the 80's that developed a terminal back bow that ruined the instrument. It was literally akin to Robin Hood's weapon of choice. This was found to be down to a rotten batch of Mahogany that JD had acquired. More recently I owned a Lakland that developed a large crack in the neck...it suddenly appeared and was growing every day. Credit where credit is due Lakland shipped me a new neck within days and paid for renowned Luthier Jimmy Moon to fit it and set my bass up with new strings at the same time. Lakland = awesome company.

Congrats! Beautiful bass. The G&L tributes are really hard to beat if you want a Fender style bass. Leo himself was quoted as saying G&L basses were his best ever basses. I would agree that far eastern produced instruments far outstrip Mexican equivalents. Lets just leave it at that.

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1358862249' post='1946154'] Good advice, although I wouldn't try it on my '78 Jazz as the neck pocket is routed so badly I'd end up with a short scale bass. There's best part of a centimetre gap all around the end of the neck under the pickguard. [/quote] Ahem, I am not saying anything regarding Fender routing issues lol. Last time I had an angry mob with flaming torches at my house screaming "kill the monster". Some very good advice here regarding the question posed. I would not recommend the luthier option as this is total overkill. The beauty of bolt on necks is that they can be removed and then re-applied easily. Piece of cake. I would have no issues with accepting a bass posted in this way.

I think there is a bit of clarity required from my stand point here. Firstly, hate is a very strong word - and having owned multiple Fenders over the last 30 yrs or so (some very good vintages) I would never say that I hate them. Therefore I am not a Fender "hater". I do however have an opinion on the QC issues that do appear to be pretty frequent on many of the models that I have played over the last 4-5 yrs. I commented objectively from my personal experiences and do not consider myself to be acting from any perceived bias against Fender. It is what it is from my perspective. The original poster invited reaction to the subject of Fender QC after observing the said picture - so its fair to say I feel entitled to put forward my tuppenceworth. Secondly, the last time I checked this was a forum for bass players to express their opnions and experiences...which is what I have done on this thread. If labelling me a "hater" and decrying my opinion and personal experience and objectivity makes you feel better then that is perfectly okay with me. Your opinion is every bit as valid as mine. We dont (and wont) have to agree on this subject. Thats what makes the world go around folks! You keep buying your Fenders and so will I.......after very carefully selecting a good one.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1358708670' post='1943803'] Biased nonsense. [/quote] Funny thing is....I was thinking the exact same about every post you have made on this topic too!

Well here endeth the debate. Fender die hards (as usual) will not hear a word said against the company - and are willing to accept poor QC and flawed / loose joints. I am sure that Fender really appreciate your continued support. Your loyalty and willingness to accept a low standard of finish works to their advantage. It is nice for them to know that any bass with the F word on the headstock is above reproach! The objective amongst us however feel Fender could step their game up and match companies like Lakland who consistently build Fender style basses to a higher standard of fit and finish for less cash. You make your choice and pay your hard earned as you see fit.

I have owned plenty of all of them and generally (as an active fan) I would much prefer a MM or G&L to a Fender. I think the G&L L2000 tribute is arguably the best value for money bass on the market and a much better option than a mim Fender. Ponder this - why does everyone play Fenders? Because everyone plays them...its a placebo affect.

My choice would be either the Musicman or the Ibanez SR1205, the Ibanez will do everything the Warwick will do and is lighter and has a more consistant neck. The spec, sound, playability & build quality is outstanding. Lakland is also a good 5 string choice. The best wisdom I can pass on is to beware headstock snobbery, try them all ...and then decide!

Ibanez. Simple. 34" inch scale, great sound and playability. The Yamaha's are great basses but I find the 35" scale seriously doesnt suit my fingers!