ossyrocks

I've become a big fan of Sean Hurley over the last year or so. I like his approach, his technique, and his tone. I've even got a big old piece of foam under the strings of my P bass at the moment, which was remarked on by the drummer at rehearsal last night. He didn't seem to think I had any issue before using it, but to me it makes getting "that tone" quite a bit easier. Rob

I think you're right. The cost of new basses these days has pulled the vintage market with it. Look at this brand new Fender custom shop Precision for sale at Peach for £4600, and it becomes harder to say that a nice condition, all original sunburst/tort/rosewood '70-'73 P bass is worth less. https://www.peachguitars.com/fender-custom-shop-2023-collection-64-precision-bass-relic-bleached-3-colour-sun.htm

Ah, I didn't know he did commission sales at 15%, that's useful to know thanks. Rob

I also agree with Tony that the older ones sound different. I've had various modern Fenders, standard, AVRI, CS, MIJ. My favourite "modern" one was a MIJ PB62-RI from 1987, it was exceptional. But none of them played, felt or sounded like my vintage ones. My current favourite squeeze is my latest '73 Precision, it's just sublime, but I'm still in the honeymoon period, and the others are feeling a little neglected, but I do still love them all. When I get on stage with one of my vintage basses, it just feels right for me, I'm not working hard to find the tone in my head, it's right there, every time. Rob

ah ha, good shout. I've just taken the guard off to have a look. There's nothing on the pots which indicates the values, just a manufacturer from Korea. The cap is standard 0.047uf. I've had a root in the bits box and found a P bass loom I pulled out of a late 70's P bass. It's not an original, it was a replacement in that bass, but they are newish Dunlop pots, 250k, cloth covered wire, and a Sprague Orange Drop 0.047uf cap. I'll drop that in and see if it makes a difference. Thankfully I also have some new flat top chrome knobs which fits these pots. It sometimes helps to be a hoarder! Rob

It arrived today from Thomann. The packaging wasn't great, I do a lot better job myself when posting a bass. However, it has arrived unscathed, but I think that was more luck than good packing. Fit and finish is good, it's not too heavy, 9 lbs 2 oz, or 4.14kg. The action was high in my opinion, but the first thing I did was set it up. I put a set of La Bella Low Tension Flats on it, then it needed a good tweak of the truss rod, and intonation and bridge saddle height. It's now got a low action and is playing well. The neck is great, very much like an early 70's Precision, the fingerboard has soft rolled edges and the fret ends are well dressed. It's a good bass to play. Sound wise, it is brighter than I expected, even with the flats, and when compared to a vintage P bass, it does sound thinner. I'll have to see how that pans out. Does anyone know if the wiring is standard, as per the Fender P bass diagram? I'm wondering if a change of cap value is all it needs. Rob Rob.

Two of us share lead vocal duties in my band, and the band leader sings backing. We have sort of settled on whichever of us is singing the next tune, then it's up to them to talk if they feel like it. We don't have a hard and fast rule, we keep it low key, brief, and appropriate to the audience. Some rooms are bouncing and they love the recognition that we, as a band, are loving their appreciation. I suppose it's like having a conversation with your audience. We now have the added problem of merchandise. So a couple of times last night, I did mention that "this next song is the title track of our album, etc", come and see us after the set and grab a copy etc. We did sell A LOT of merch last night! Rob

Are you at the Hope & Anchor tonight, Friday? It's my favorite pub gig in the whole of Cumbria. It's tiny, and I mean small, you couldn't swing a cat in there, but they're lovely. Give Joanne the landlady a squeeze from me.

Let us know what you think Shug. I'm just home from my gig in Manchester tonight where I used a GK Legacy 800 with a BF cab. I've stopped using my old RBs for these gigs as the DI isn't great, and the Legacy 800 is just so convenient and sounds good. I still use the old RBs for backline only gigs though, and they are hard to beat. I would love to do a side by side of my GK Legacy 800 and your Mesa 800D sometime. All this talk of fur and valves.... Rob

No, it wasn't me. I didn't need the cab either, and I think I want to try one first. It's not like I'm short of amps at the moment, there are six here right now, although one of them is sick.

Hi all, I've had quite a bit of input and experiences from you shared here, so thank you. Some people have also contacted me privately with their own experiences. It seems opinion does vary widely, from "it would probably be ok", to, "it definitely won't cut it". I was of a mind to wait and see, and perhaps I could try one when I came across one, or someone locally had one I could try out. Now it turns out that Bass Bros have one in secondhand. I have had nothing but good experiences dealing with them, and as I'm a repeat offender at Bass Bros, I might be able to wiggle a bit off it. I'll have to ponder over it I suppose, and if it sells before I decide then c'est la vie. It doesn't help that Mesa have brought out the 800D, which has really piqued my interest too, but it's a completely different animal. Thanks for all your input, it is much appreciated. I still have some thinking to do! Rob

Well, those who know me will find this surprising..... I just ordered a Sire bass ! This is the one, a P5R in natural - https://www.thomann.co.uk/marcus_miller_p5r_alder_4_nt.htm It will mainly be for jams and to carry as a spare on gigs. Fingers crossed it's not too heavy. Rob

@shug I will be beating a path to one of your gigs to hear it if you get one. Keep me posted, you have my number.

I had a good experience with them too. I had a problem with a new cover from Barefaced. Isaac at Barefaced dealt with it quickly and had Hotcovers make me one and send it to me directly. It took about 48 hours.

Thanks for the info, unfortunately he's also a very long way away, just in the opposite direction!

I have an old GK amp which needs looking at. Surrey Amps have been recommended, but they are very far away from me. Who is Dennis the Legend?

Andertons and Peach are both offering this at a cheaper price than Thomann. Another one to add to the "must try one of these" list! Rob

Hotcovers are the people who make the covers for Barefaced, and I think are probably the best of the bunch.

Thanks Tony, I know if I were closer I'd be beating a path to your door. Re volume, this is the crux of the matter, and without understanding it's capabilities first, it's a risk. My band has been making every attempt to play quieter in recent months. The band is relatively new, coming up 2 years since we first talked about this project, and only 18 month since our very first gig, and we set off very enthusiastically allowing and tolerating everyone doing their thing, including the drummer. Now, he's a lovely guy, we're all firm friends now, and we love him to bits, but he can get a little bit excited. He's brilliant though, one of the best drummers I've ever played with (he's played the Royal Albert Hall, twice!). Thankfully, we can talk openly about these things, and some recent gigs have been sublime in their understatement and power. We did do The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival last month, and I think because we were on a big stage with PA, monitors and engineers, he thought he could go for it a bit more. But it was in fact the opposite of what he should have done. The gig was still ok, but the drums on stage were too loud. The top and bottom of this dilemma is that if I can reign in the drummer I think I'll be ok, if not, then I think I'll need more oomph than the PF-50T can deliver. I do so wish I could take you up on your offer Tony! Rob

Having just spent a few days playing around with my vintage Fender Bassman 50, my interest in valve heads has increased, and I'm being drawn to the PF-50T specifically, as it just seems to tick all my boxes. But, I have never even seen one, let alone tried one! I'm listening to whatever I can find, and have spent too much time dreaming about vintage B15's, which may in fact turn out to be an expensive minefield. My Bassman is ok, but it's HEAVY. I expect it's actually heavier than the V-4B Reissue, and I can't envisage me actually gigging it regularly. My band isn't overly loud, not relative to my experience anyway, and at the moment a GK 400RB is doing a great job, whilst just barely ticking over. Having said that, we do seem to be in a constant negotiation with the drummer about acceptable levels regarding his drums. He does love to hit them when he thinks he can get away with it. I would be running it, if I got one, through a Barefaced Three10, with a P bass with flats, playing blues and more funky/greasy 70's blues too. Fire away! Cheers, Rob

I could get used to the feel Tony, in fact I had really, but I just couldn't get on with the tone. They just didn't sound like me. Anyway, they're sold already! Rob

Well, I've tried, but the honeymoon is over. They just aren't for me.

So, this topic has caused me to venture into the workshop and sift through my stash of valves. It's resulted in the Bassman getting a bit of TLC, and a few new valves. However, I have also realised that I have more valves than I will ever need in my lifetime (what remains of it), some of which I've hoarded for decades. I'm going to start selling some off, and have put a few on Reverb already. Mods - if the following link is not allowed, please let me know, and I'll remove it and try to create an ad here in the Accessories section. Discount available for Basschatters. Also feel free to ask if you're looking for anything in particular, I also have a lot of pre-amp valves which I'm wading through now. https://reverb.com/uk/shop/robs-house-3 Rob

To be fair, the scales are old and not to be relied upon. It does feel more like 26kg than 14.5kg. Plus, it has a bigger output transformer than was fitted as standard, so that will add to the weight too.