RussFM

Last time they did this I saved the codes and entered them when D'addario did a double points offer and ended up with another £35 of free stuff 😄

With the NS name and inlays I thought they were US made at first, and wondered why they didn't have the usual deep neck pocket. Makes sense now, they're more like the old Legend construction (I never played a Pulse). They look great and no need for inlay stickers! I'll have to try one out. The Frank Bello had Icon in the name too, is that how they're identifying the 'budget' range now?

I was on holiday in Crete on the day he died, the next day the entertainment team played Paranoid and Crazy Train during the pool aerobics 😄

I have a Hybrid II Jazzmaster and it's the best quality Fender I've owned (2015 US, 1985 Japan and several Mexican). I wouldn't hesitate in looking at a Hybrid II bass if I was shopping for another Fender.

Looking back at the few videos I took for my son, Rex's bass was only really audible during Planet Caravan. Robert Trujillo was cutting through the mix nicely though, even with the loud kick drum.

He was great, and loving every moment!

Just a few bassists from the day...

I was there, had a great day! Geezer was amazing, he can still play as fast as he ever could. Ozzy was clearly struggling to talk and move, but absolutely nothing wrong with his will to entertain and belt out the lyrics. Some of the choices weren't great (I could have skipped Sammy Hagar) but overall it was a perfect tribute to Sabbath and Ozzy. Shame Villa Park didn't plan to feed 40,000 people past 4pm and they were struggling with beer towards the end of the day too.

I bought the original one yesterday. I decided the v2 wasn't worth the extra £100 for 80 more Watts. I definitely would have gone for this though had I waited a day!

The headstock looks like a 5 string headstock which has been stretched and skewed to fit the four in a row tuners. Which just looks wrong! The body I thought was perhaps NS-94 shaped with a change to the lower horn, but maybe the top horn isn't quite that shape either.

Yep, 'modern' features like the extra fret, locking tuners, narrow tall frets, and non-traditional finishes.

I bought a Hybrid II Jazzmaster last month. I was tempted by the Beryl Red but settled on last year's more traditional White Blonde finish. The quality is exceptional, if I was in the market for another bass I'd definitely look at the Hybrid II range before any US model. The Hybrid range is designed to have more modern specs than the Traditional range, but of course, it's Fender, they don't stray too far off the traditional path.

Don't forget the far better US version! I had a matching Japanese version, but I rarely played it, the neck on this one was much easier to play and I prefer the P pickup. I agree the current variations look like they're missing something though, they don't look right without the chrome. I understand the Squiers need to cut costs (although the Classic Vibe guitars manage it), but the Players could at least have had some pickup switching there if not the full active controls. As a signature model it's fine, especially with the minimal controls, but I'd have specified some chrome blanks to complete the look! I'm sure if Fender brought the MIJ or American versions back they'd sell well.

Lozz's suggestion got me looking at the Rumble, and happened to find an older Rumble 112 cab for £149 at Bass Bros. They say it's light, and it handles 250w at 8ohm. That's got to be worth a try! Thanks for the recommendations, I'll you know how it goes after next rehearsal.

I don't have the time, tools, or space to build one unfortunately. I don't put enough time into practicing, so I don't want to eat up any more of that time. That was part of my thinking with finding something small - less time getting out the house for band practice, but also something compact I could set up in the corner of a room for home practice.