Dingus

If it was me, I would buy all three. In some ways, you can't go wrong whichever of the three options you end up choosing. The Lakland is a very playable and very, very versatile bass ( I was playing my fretless 44-02 last night in fact, and I'm always very impressed with how it sounds and the overall feel of that bass) and if you know you like that particular example, that makes it the most sensible choice. Regarding the EBMM BFR, if weight is an issue for you then make sure you know what it weighs, because a lot of those basses are on the weighty side. That is a very lovely looking bass though, and could be a sound financial investment , too. Just be sure you are being realistic and accurate about the cost of importing it. A Precision is a Precision . Everybody needs one, but the other basses offer a bit more variety.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1400761196' post='2456713'] Here's a couple of quickies.... [center][/center] [/quote] Wow, that bass looks even better in real life than in the pictures I had seen on the internet up to now. I love blocks and binding on a Jazz Bass, and that is why my dream Jazz Bass has always been a '66-73 era model, right from when I first started playing. This CS Geddy Lee bass is ticking all the right boxes for me so far, and I can't wait to hear about how it sounds and the overall feel of the bass. Above all though, I'm absolutely delighted that it looks to have been a relatively easy fix and that you can now get down to enjoying this beautiful bass.( I can now see that the bridge is in fact properly aligned from the way the strings pass over the pickup pole pieces , so all is well in that respect at least.) Result!

The fact that you can clearly see that it is misaligned in some way just from that snap is all the validation you need to send it back. If it was so small an inconsistancy that you could only tell by measuring it with a ruler that would be one thing, but something is obviously very out of kilter there.

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would be very keen on your vintage Gibson Ripper. Those basses are very much back in fashion at the moment for would-be hipsters, and so you may well be able to get a decent price, depending on the overall condition of the bass. I've seen good examples in vintage guitar shops for anywhere between about £800-£1100 in recent times, and if you do a search on the Basses For Sale section here on Basschat that should also give you some idea of what kind of money you might be able to get for your bass. Cash Generators would be a terrible idea, and I'm sure you could do much better selling the bass yourself. .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1400704730' post='2456346'] Surely there shouldn't be any room in the neck pocket for the neck to move in the first place? This isn't a 70s Fender we're talking about where the pin router templates were so badly worn that there was plenty of play. I've not owned a Fender but none of the other makes of bass (or guitars) with bolt-on necks that I own, have any play whatsoever at the neck joint. This isn't a cheap bass. Send it back as being of substandard fit and finish. If people don't complain then Fender will never take their QC seriously. [/quote] You are absolutely right BRX, there shouldn't be any room for the neck to move in the pocket, and the only really reliable way to do that is to cut the neck pocket slightly too small and/or the neck heel slightly too big and then for a skilled man to hand-fit the join. That's one reason why quality, hand-made basses are expensive. The bottom line is that the O.P ( quite understandably) isn't happy and that just isn't good enough. His best expectations are perfectly reasonable , as I'm sure Fender will agree, and so the only thing to do is return the bass and seek some kind of satisfaction.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1400694600' post='2456222'] In a word, yes. It's not what I would describe as a heavy relic, more of a medium to light. The thing is it's been done so well that I think that's what tore me in two when I realised it would have to go back. [/quote] I can totally understand why you would be very disappointed and even a little upset , not least of all because I have been in the exactly same position ( more than once, in fact) , but, in the longer term, I am sure you will get a resolution that you are happy with . Firstly, if you have made an order prior to release and Fender have subsequently sent you a defective bass then I would think that would now make you a priority to supply a perfect bass to, limited run or not. And if Fender don't go the extra yard to help and ultimately you have to give up on one of these CS Geddy Lee models , however sumptuous these basses undeniably are, for that kind of money you will find some consolation elsewhere. I'm sorry to say this but it's true, in my experience , let-downs like this are part and parcel of buying high end basses. I am sincerely sorry this bass isn't right, but I'm not altogether that surprised, and that's not just because it's a Fender, either . Regardless of the public reputations of most builders and the propaganda about fanatical commitment to quality and attention to detail which surrounds most of them, at one time or another I've found issues like the one you are experiencing or comparable bugbears from nearly all of the prestige brands that I have had first-hand experience of. You just have to try and accept setbacks like this as being part of the game, however hard that might be right now.

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400693475' post='2456203'] You could well be right Dingus but you could always throw in your lot with my James Last Tribute Band which will consist of Washboard, Kazoo and Tea Chest Bass. Last Chance. [/quote] Last Chance would indeed be a great name for such an act, but unfortunately Mrs Dingus would almost certainly be unwilling to launder the apparently obligatory pristine white outfit with sufficient diligence due to her allegedly having" better things" to do with her life, mostly like wasting my money on useless crap, it would seem to me . I would be too ashamed of the state my uniform to perform in public and so my friend, as yet another casualty of feminist rhetoric, I must decline your kind offer to join the band.

I wonder what happened to all the Gary Glitter tribute acts? Did they do four months in the nick and then run away to Cambodia? I suppose you have to be careful which mast you nail your colours to.

All I know about tribute acts is that my Latvian Black Sabbath project was a disaster. I would still give it another go though, and have got a sneaking suspicion that a Ugandan Emerson, Lake and Palmer could be a big hit on the college circuit .

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1400690926' post='2456169'] I have to disagree with you on this Dingus. Half a millimetre is [i][b]enormous[/b][/i] for any half decent CNC. Even a fairly basic machine should be giving you accuracies of around 20 microns, and repeatabilities better than that. However it also comes down to fixturing, tooling, the operator, and proper maintenance as well, but a CNC machine should be able to out perform a person quite easily. [/quote] The point I am trying to make is that the problem is not the tolerances of the machinery but of the material that is being worked upon. Wood is fairly unpredictable and changeable material. You can cut it to what are precise tolerances on paper, but in reality those micrometer tolerances are not borne out by the blanks you end up with. Even in precision engineering, some friction fit components made of steel are tooled by hand using special tools that require skilled men to use their judgement and experience.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1400690188' post='2456160'] Fender QC all over, some are just astounding, others complete dogs. Perhaps it's true of all bass manufacturers, I don't know, but it's not a problem I've had with the other brands with which I've dabbled on the large scale, EBMM and, dare I say it, Ric (I know others don't share my experience). I'm early into what will no doubt become my Yamaha period but it doesn't appear to be a problem they have either, despite apparently substantially lower price per unit quality than Fender? [/quote] Fender QC is indeed " legendary", but not necessarily for the right reasons. I love my 2012 American Standard Jazz , it's fantastic, but I had to send five back identical models before I finally received one that didn't have any issues. Yamaha QC is an entirely different proposition, and on their top-of-the-line basses like your BB2024MX the overall standard of construction in every respect is meticulous. The nut-and-bolts guitar building things are all done to perfection on those basses, and it shows in the cohesion of the final instrument . As with most forms of craftsmanship, achieving excellence is about doing every individual thing right, and Yamaha obviously understand that. . Taking this Fender CS bass is a case in point , it only takes one relatively minor oversight to ruin all the good qualities an instrument might have.

Can I ask you Warren, this problem not withstanding, what is your impression of the bass overall? Does it seem like a potentially great bass ruined by this flaw ?

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1400686693' post='2456112'] I've also seen [u]very[/u] expensive boutique basses with this issue. [/quote] Me too, on more than one occasion.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1400686386' post='2456108'] I'm glad I posted the update now as I had reached the point where I was questioning whether it was worth making a fuss about. Thanks for you comments guys. As a side note, the E string also buzzes like crazy. Nothing from the others, just the E all the way up. I accept a set up might make that disappear, but I'm not going to tinker with it. So, the billion dollar question, if it is either a misaligned bridge or the neck pointing in the wrong direction, do I really want anyone prodding, poking and sawing at it trying it to make right? My gut says no. I would prefer to have one without issues or any history of same. [/quote] Yes it is very much worth making a fuss about, and no , do not touch this bass with a barge pole. Get another one that is right or get your money back. And please understand, I'm not saying that out of a sense of indignation, but rather just to be practical. Why pay a very large sum of money to saddle yourself with any problems and, just as importantly, any niggling doubts that may mar your enjoyment of the bass? To get your money's worth you need to have complete confidence in what you have bought. If you are buying an elite quality instrument , that peace of mind is a big part of what you are actually paying for. For that kind of cash, you shouldn't be left saddled with any doubts or misgivings, or you are just paying a fortune to make yourself unhappy. I wouldn't consider keeping this bass, unless it was only something like a slightly misaligned bridge , in which case I would want it put right by someone eminently qualified to do the job ,[u][i] and[/i][/u] in addition to that remedial work , I would also want some significant financial compensation .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1400683603' post='2456064'] Surely a standard CS model (which isn't a hand-crafted Masterbuild) should have been CNC machined which means that all the routing and pilot holes ought to be in the right places for everything to line up? [/quote] I think that standard CNC routing isn't accurate to the kind of tolerances you need for the finer points of building basses . Half a millimeter at the bridge can make a discernible difference to the alignment of the strings on the fingerboard. Part of the problem is that wood is a comparatively soft , variable and unpredictable material to work with. It's ancient -world engineering, and so relies on craftsmanship as much as precision geometry .

That's exactly the kind of pressure I mean Chris ! They need to get them to the dealers in order to get paid. In most circumstances, the manufacturer isn't paid at least until the goods are ready to be shipped, and often after that by invoice after delivery to the dealer, so for the sake of cash flow, even companies the size of Fender are always working to a schedule to keep cash flow on track. However, the customer shouldn't have to bear the brunt of that, but the reality is that, all too often, they do.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1400675382' post='2455980'] I've seen loads of Jazz basses like that. Either the bridge has been drilled wrong or the neck has moved...either way not good enough. [/quote] Yes, it will be one of those things, although as well as the neck moving it can also be caused by the slot for the neck being routed very slightly off center , so even if the neck hasn't shifted, it won't be aligned properly. Far more likely to be one of the first two possibilities though . If the bridge is slightly misaligned ( the most likely explanation) then for a skilled luthier it's a very easy fix , but it should never have left the factory that way. It's a very common fault , and even on a lot of basses with properly aligned bridges, if you take the bridge off, you will see the holes from previous abortive attempts to align the bridge properly at the factory . However, the reality if that the Fender Custom Shop will have been under pressure to get these basses out to the dealers within a certain time frame , and this is exactly the kind of gaff that results from that expediency. I've seen this kind of thing time and time again from high end bass builders, and it almost invariably results from the pressures of the real world rather than from any inherent lack of skill or cavalier attitude to quality control . Especially with smaller independent builders, they need to get the basses out to the customer so they can get paid because they are desperate for the cash.

Many years ago I went to see Stanley Clarke and thought to myself "He needs a bass player", and , to his credit, Stanley had agreed with me and gotten one ( Jimmy Earl).

To echo what Leroy has said, the simple fact is that everything is a time and a place, and Deep Purple's time ended nearly forty years ago. They were a great band back in their day- in many ways, better than anybody gave them credit for at the time- but the reality is that what made them Deep Purple ceased to exist back in the mid-1970's. Everything else has been a very pale shadow of that. Nothing can take away from what an extraordinary band they were though, and the transcendent power of their best moments is, quite rightly, the stuff of legend .

[quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1400584514' post='2455073'] This sounds really ok to me and not that thin.. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3mH7z84dkM"]https://www.youtube....h?v=C3mH7z84dkM[/url] [/quote] That example is much more like the sound he achieves in the studio. He gets an acceptable tone there, but you can still tell he is using extremely light gauge strings. To my ears at least, this version is more typical of MK's usual tone in a live situation: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzQpqFzRaIg"]https://www.youtube....h?v=uzQpqFzRaIg[/url]

There is no need to route out your bass if you want to change the pickups to Chi Sonics. Lakland/Hanson recently started making a version of those pickups that fit into a standard size Jazz Bass pickup casing with a closed shell. They should just drop straight into the existing pickup routes, providing they are a fairly standard size ( I would expect they are) . Contact Bo Pirucello at Hanson pickups and he will only be too glad to help. There is a Facebook page for Chi Sonic pickups and there is some info and pictures on there, too. If you just want to add a Chi Sonic at the neck like you describe ,I am not sure how you would do that and what the potential problems with differences in resistance might be, but Hanson might be able to tell you about how to do it and what the pitfalls might be. The Chi Sonics are very hefty sounding pickups, and switching your Jazz bass pickups for them will give you a big change in the sound of your bass, even without the added neck pickup.

As I have said before , MK sounds approximately the same whatever bass he uses, and recently I'm always struck by how much he makes his Status basses sound like an Alembic, albeit one with those incredibly weedy thin strings on . MK will always have a crap tone as long as he uses those strings , and I doubt he will ever change now. Someone should have taken him to one side a long time ago and said" Mark, if you use thicker strings , you will find it hard to play the way you do now, but that will be a good thing. " Mark might have been upset for a while, but in the longer term I'm sure he would have been grateful and the world would have been a better place. I last saw Level 42 when he played a JD and he had a sound so thin you could whistle over it, and fretbuzz that set your teeth on edge. I also remember MK sweat so much as he pummelled his bass that I was worried he was going to be electrocuted.

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1400526446' post='2454694'] Very true on shopping round and trying as many as you can find, something I've done a bit of after finding that magical 66 P I tried, sadly my hopes were high for the AVRI64 and it failed to get ANYWHERE near them, it was either extremely boomy or just clanked and sounded horrible in the treble register and I felt the lacquer on the back of the neck was FAR too thick, my thumb was getting stuck in place! Certainly wouldn't have purchased that bass! Perhaps I should just keep looking and see what comes my way! [/quote] Exactly right. Just try and find nice Precision. Could be new or could be not so new. And the impression you get when you try out a bass in a shop can be influenced very much by pretty superfluous things, like if the reissue bass had new strings on and the '66 had worn-in ones on it, the old bass will seem more mellow and "vintagey". Stick a brand new set of roundwound strings on the 1966 bass and it could have been a very different story. The finish on the neck is something that a lot of people are pretty fussy about, with good reason, and that is where basses like USA Laklands and Custom Shop Fenders come into their own, with oil and wax or reliced nitro finishes that recreate the feel of played-in necks. Unfortunately, basses like that tend be be quite expensive as a result. The curent Am St Fenders have a fairly thin satin laquer finish on the neck that reminds me a bit of the late '60's early '70's basses Fender made, before they started going crazy with the very thick polyester laquer in the mid '70's.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1400497908' post='2454332'] The diabolically massive hits you mean? Always the problem. Stay musically interesting and play to small crowds of musos or 'churn out' stuff that sells millions of albums that actually allows you to keep making albums at all. A moral dilemma indeed. [/quote] I think Chicago and Pete Cetera faced an artistic dilemma rather than a moral one. Hits are one thing , but not all hits make me question my own will to live like those records do.