Dr M

[quote name='razze06' timestamp='1357751134' post='1927837'] Much more choice on 34' scale than on the short ones. [/quote] Thirty-four [i]foot[/i]!? Damn, that's certainly long-scale! Joking aside, my other half is looking to take up bass. She's been playing my Squier Jazz - likes the feel of the neck, doesn't like the weight or stretch between frets. Took her into GuitarGuitar in Epsom and found an Epi EB-0 for her to try. She got on very well with that - small, light body and narrow short-scale neck. The quality seems to have improved now they're being made in Indonesia, too.

To be honest, never liked the look of Precisions. To my eyes, the offset waist on a Jazz is sexy as hell, and next to it a Precision just looks like a member of the Russian women's Olympic weight-lifting team. Doesn't stop me from wanting a P though.

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1356289133' post='1908866'] Do these places make thorough checks on authenticity, seems to me that Fender decals are cheap to buy? [/quote] Probably not, but if you were going to go to the trouble of sticking a new decal on, why put a Squier one on, not a Fender? Certainly there are plenty of fake Fenders around (I'm sure I've seen a few threads here about them) but they're easy enough to spot. Most of them aren't particularly well done. If you're worried about fake Squiers (unless you're talking about the 80s Jap Squiers, I think this would be really unusual) I think the things to check would be the neck plate - should have an engraved Squier logo, and the back of the headstock - should have a decal with country of manufacture and serial number. At least this is true for my Squier Jazz ('06 Standard Series).

Usually by the 'Affinity Series' label at the top of the headstock. As was pointed out to me earlier today, it's only on the Affinity Series that it actually says 'P-Bass'. On the old Standard Series and the newer CV and VM Series' it would say 'Precision Bass'. To a certain extent, I think the Affinity Series has an undeservedly bad rep. There are certainly some awful ones out there, but many of the more recent (ie. 2000 onwards) ones I've seen have had more-or-less the same hardware as other Squier models - full size tuners, etc. It's also worth noting that the Affinity Series are now £160+ new, so if it's a newer one in good nick, £60 is a pretty good deal.

Fair point with Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, but I thought basically all Warwicks and Sandbergs were active? Sandberg's website certainly only seems to list one or two models that don't have a preamp.

Out of interest, where are they making these? China or Korea?

There just don't seem to be as many options out there. It seems like a good majority of companies make one or two passive beginners' basses, and then nearly everything else in their range is active. Fender being an obvious exception. Or am I just missing something?

I really like the look of covers, but I usually play with a pick (heresy, I know!) and palm-mute quite a lot. I've got the impression this is pretty much impossible with a bridge cover.

The modding question really depends on what you want out of your bass (or guitar for that matter). If you're buying an instrument you're intending to use (and abuse) then changing pickups, wiring, scratch-plate, etc. can make a [i]good[/i] instrument into [i]your [/i]instrument. If you're buying something you're certain you're going to move on at some point and want to recoup as much cash as you can, then you're better off leaving it well alone.

A bit of a tricky one. I'm assuming the ABM was bought new, and is still in warranty? If that's the case, I understand Ashdown have a pretty good reputation for customer service. However, they may not be inclined to take responsibility for the Ampeg cab. I've always been under the impression that most companies work on the principle that they won't guarantee their equipment is compatible with any other manufacturer's. There's also a question of the age and specs of the cab. Ashdown themselves only guarantee speakers for 2 years. In addition, the ABM is rated at 1000W at 4 ohms / 575W at 8 ohm (I believe). If the Ampeg cab doesn't meet either of these, then it's very unlikely Ashdown will take any responsibility.

Even in London it can be hard - not necessarily just to find people, but to find like-minded musicians. It seems that everyone trying to form a band around here is 'determined to break the mould and make it in the music business'. I have a full time job and a realistic opinion about the quality (or lack thereof) of my playing...

Guitar and Bass for me. Guitar (on and off) for going on 12 years, bass (seriously) for a little over 12 months, though I've owned a bass for about 5 years. It was playing bass in a band that really converted me - responded to an ad looking for musicians saying that I play both (maybe a little ambitiously!) Jammed with them on both guitar and bass, but found it was the bass I really enjoyed, along with the power-trio set up that led to.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1353517533' post='1875532'] I bought a Korean Epiphone (new) last month. The quality is superb. The price tag wasn't exactly budget. I have a JV Squier from 83 and many folk rave about them. Are they really all that? Mine is a tad lighter than a US Fender I think but is it really any better? i don't particularly like playing it and now only play my Warmoths that I assembled myself. No it is not for sale. [/quote] Out of interest, what was the Epiphone you bought? I was under the impression all of Epiphone's production had been moved to China. On the subject of the JV Squiers, I think some of the stories have been blown a bit out of proportion. There certainly seem to be some really good Jap Squiers that are better than a bad US Fender, but I always understood that the real point was the quality for the price. A US Fender is maybe four times the price (currently £200-£300 for a Squier, £800 upwards for a US Fender. I imagine it was a similar gap in the 80s) but can you really say the US is four times 'better'? (The difficulties in quantifying 'better' aside.)

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1353330493' post='1873653'] Two pieces of wood don't know whether they were cut and bolted together in Korea or California .What matters is the quality of the materials and , perhaps even more importantly , the care and accuracy with which they are manufactured into the final product . [/quote] Sorry, I wasn't trying to suggest that factories in the Far East are any less capable of producing high quality instruments - simply that in general, instruments produced in Far Eastern factories will be produced to a much tighter budget. Even accounting for the difference in labour rates, this usually results in far less time being spent on finishing and QC, leaving instruments more likely to be somewhat rough around the edges. The surprise is often that, even though less time is likely to be spent on those finishing touches in Far Eastern factories, the results are still outstanding.

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1353339880' post='1873834'] I think I see some of my old school desk in there. [/quote] Funny you should say that, I've got a guitar that my Dad built from worktops from the science department at my secondary school. My Dad worked there at the time, so when they tore all these solid wood worktops out, he took the lot. This was about 10 years ago, and he's just got through that stock. The wood actually turned out to be something like a darker korina once all the varnish and graffiti was sanded off! OT: I do recognise that headstock shape, but I'm damned if I can remember which budget make I've seen it on... Have to say, not too keen on the bridge saddles, though.

Looks to be going the same way Japan went with regards to musical instruments. I own 3 Korean-made guitars and a Korean-made bass. These cover a bit of a range of prices, but the quality across all of them is outstanding. This seems awfully familiar when you think about the reputation Japanese made budget instruments from the 70s and 80s now enjoy. So are we going to see a gradual rise in the prices of Korean made instruments? Some companies already seem to have shifted manufacture of budget lines from Korea to China (Epiphone springs to mind). And do you think the current Korean budget instruments are going to achieve the kind of reputation things like Japanese Squiers now have?

I use one of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/EXTRA-LEATHER-GUITAR-STRAP-BLACK/dp/B004RT9Z7E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352478269&sr=8-2 Not had it very long, but it seems tough as old boots, and for the price, I can't fault it. I believe the seller does a range of sizes, I just went for the extra-long because wearing an Ibby Iceman up in your armpit seems wrong somehow.

The short-scale Squier VM Jaguars might be worth looking at. They've got narrow (Jazz-style) necks, and a lot of people have good things to say about them. Plus the P/J pickups and active electronics will give a good range of sounds.

I suppose one consideration is how you want to fit the series/parallel switch - push/pull pot or microswitch. From a purely aesthetic point of view, push-pull pots look a lot better, but of course this is incompatible with stacked pots.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1352469160' post='1863475'] Is the correct answer! I'll PM you with a lighting set up question if ya don't mind ........ or maybe I should do it on here so everyone can see? [/quote] Yeah, no problem. I'll respond to a PM, or if you think the info would be useful for anyone else, feel free to post the questions here.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1352411712' post='1862847'] This..... Fog machine over smoke everytime...IMO [/quote] This is actually a common misconception. Unless you're referring to dry-ice low-fog machines (which I'd suggest you avoid unless you [i]seriously[/i] know what you're doing), fog and smoke are just different names for the same effect. With fire alarms, the trick is talking to the venue. Some venues can isolate and turn-off certain areas - this is ideal, but mostly found in theatres. If a venue has a heat-based (rate of temperature rise usually) fire alarms, you're fine. If they have [i]smoke[/i] alarms then there's a good chance that any atmospheric effect will set it off (smoke or haze). With regards to smoke vs haze, the question is what effect you want to achieve. Haze, if used properly, is basically invisible. It serves purely to enhance lighting and make the beams visible. Smoke on the other hand is the white billowing effect you'd expect. I actually work in this industry, so if you've got any questions I'd be happy to help as best I can.

Bit of an experiment with an '06 Squier Standard Jazz. [attachment=122944:Hotrod Jazz.jpg] The route for the neck pickup was massive, so I decided to do something useful with it! Cheapy humbucker - had to sand a couple of mm off the sides of the cover, but after that it slotted in pretty easily. The neck volume pot is a push-pull with a coil-tap. Liking it so far. The pickup's nothing amazing, but it offers a very different tone. Much thicker mid-range - sounds a little more like a precision to my ears. Now I just need to make up a new tort plate.

[quote name='grumble' timestamp='1351295217' post='1849943'] Made the mistake of having a look at Thomann....... [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/danelectro_wild_thing_bass_cab.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ng_bass_cab.htm[/url] £151+ £10 shipping, its almost in the 'impulse purchase' range [/quote] Ok, that's more of a price I'd be prepared to pay for one! That being said, I wonder if that massive reduction in price suggests Thomann are having trouble shifting them,