ossyrocks

The wiring looks untouched to me. It's really rare to see that these days I think. I would have been tempted to pop a pickup out, just to see, but the chances of those being changed or messed with, given the rest of the bass, are miniscule. How's the pickup height adjustment doing for you? I mention this, as my '73 wouldn't adjust at all because the foams were so badly deteriorated after 50 years. I had to change those out and it's sorted now. Rob

‘76 Jazz popped up just now on ebay, no affiliation. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USA-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-1976-Near-Mint-ALL-ORIGINAL-SUNBURST-with-hard-case/125886025376?hash=item1d4f644ea0:g:VCwAAOSwwcFkO90w&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA4LQ7zNy+17vharPOUOCQiiQ6B1A6JSAgjdiEhLyltpwZ+0RoZfVtHMgizKhOnlZvo+szEKzF4nR5ZwtTQ6wuyGxrK+JWNhCPXVUXIAUqjxoHvakzBP94B8gFaUoV+rzWFpaytrmzMt8GN+ZYUyC7+xpuQu/RMq1IfGg4YwXJKBZeK9tU8Hpf7ikYDQunAqP77uXhk/3Unqsjejj4wz0RTD7Q7gXAFVyuLBQz0UoYM3bLfEHyOZlVPXc3tq4yXfIxOUYaq1ZEqsBn5eOMByibsG1CXI8ZlIWdbVFapUNExj2P|tkp:Bk9SR-SLm6LxYQ&LH_ItemCondition=4&pageci=f6e591b5-318f-4e72-bbd3-0628a67de622&redirect=mobile Nice bass by the looks of it, and not an unreasonable price, also open to offers, and will ship. hmmm. Rob

Congratulations! Lovely bass. I really like early 70’s Precisions.

The new Mark Bass line is only just starting to hit shops here. I saw a new 1x12 in Promenade Music this week, but I think that’s the only one they have yet, despite being quite a big Mark Bass dealership. I honestly don’t expect them to sound much different to the earlier stuff, in fact, if they do, then that’s a big risk for them to take, as lots of people like “that” sound. Used Mark Bass stuff is reasonably priced, and holds its value, especially the cabs. So maybe pick up a used cab, which is still very lightweight and toneful, and you could move it on for no loss if you don’t like it. I am aware that people have had difficulties repairing the amps, to the point where if they they fail, then you’ll probably be just better buying another amp. I have a Little Mark III, I bought it cheap secondhand, and I would always carry a backup if I was using it. If it fails, I won’t be trying to repair it. Rob

I’ve played guitar in bands for decades, laterally my own three piece with me singing and playing lead. I’ve played with lots of bass players during this time, all of whom were quite different in approach and tone. There was one bassist who I really enjoyed playing with, and he had that thick thumping tone which I felt most complemented the tunes we used to do. Others were more modern players, one even a slap virtuoso, and I liked their tone less. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, but when I picked up bass, it was a P bass with flats that first grabbed me. I like jazz, blues, soul and funk, and for me there’s no better tone for it. I do have a Jazz bass now too, but even that has flats on it. I guess the best tone is subjective and is different for everyone, but that tone is what I find most inspiring and rewarding and it encourages me to keep picking up the bass. Rob

I’ve done “the tour” today. JG Windows, huge shop in a beautiful Victorian arcade. Loads of staff, hardly any punters. I don’t know how shops like this survive these days, but I’m glad they do. Probably only 5 Fenders, the best being the American Professional series. No amps at all and only one cheap acoustic bass. I did have a little play on a Boss Dual Cube thingy, but it felt like a toy more than anything else. The built in drum machine was interesting for about 10 minutes, but it’s very limited. My Rumble 15 sounds way better for practice. Then onto GuitarGuitar. A much better selection of basses from Squiers, CV’s, Players, Vinteras, Am Prof and one Custom Shop. Also had a couple of nice looking Laklands. There were a few Aguilar TH heads just sitting on the floor, not wired up to use. My mouth did fall open when I checked the price on the CS Precison……..£4999 !! Is that what they are now? In the last 14 months I’ve bought a ‘73 P and a ‘78/79 P, both excellent, which add up to exactly the same money as this one CS bass. Lastly, PMT. limited selection here too, maybe six Fenders, Am Prof being the best. No acoustic basses and very few amps, none of which I would consider worth looking at. Stayed about 10 minutes and that was pushing it. So, it does seem they’re all geared up for selling electric six strings and guitar amps, but very few basses. At least I’m going home with a new cab, but that was from a member here to whom I detoured on the way. Thanks for the info though chaps, Newcastle is a nice place to visit, lots to see and do, great places to eat, and the Spoons is very cheap for drinkies. Even saw that red headed geordie lass off Gogglebox coming out of Spoons. Rob

The Newcastle trip has started nicely. There’s a Barefaced Two10 in the boot of the car already! Rob

What have you got on it? Mine is TU2, SYB-5, LMB-3.

Yep, great little pedal. Used mine all afternoon today at rehearsals. I’ve got a proper old school Boss board in a plastic Boss carry case. The LMB-3 is an “always on” pedal. Rob

I have a couple of sets of those too! Not sure, they are plastic and pretty lightweight. I think they’re just to remind you which string is which. Rob

Very nice, congratulations!

I’d like to find that.

Yes, I’ve done that today, it was almost there after the string change, now it’s spot on.

That’s really unlikely if you look at the position of the screws for the bridge cover, and the marks in the finish from the cover. Good suggestion though, I may have a look at some point.

Thanks for the reassurance everyone. Yes Tony, these are TI’s (what am I like?). I hadn’t expected another P bass along so soon, hence selling the last set to you! I may hang on to strings a bit longer in future…… I thought I’d fit this with something different to my other one which has La Bella LTFs as you know. Now I have options. I’ve carefully trimmed back the silks with a craft knife and put a tiny bit of PVA on them to stop them unravelling. I think it’s ok now. After a slight tweak of the truss rod, a little saddle, pickup, and intonation adjustment, I think it’s ready to play in for a while. I’ll take it to rehearsal tomorrow and give it a proper outing for a few hours. Here’s a pic with the silks trimmed. Rob

That’s really useful, cheers. I’ll have a closer looks at the silks.

Chaps, I’ve posted a conundrum in Repairs & Technical re my vintage P’s. I would definitely appreciate your thoughts. Thanks, Rob

‘‘Twas you!

Hi all, As some of you may know, I’ve just acquired a late 70’s P bass. It came strung with rounds (no fabric wrap either end). I did note that the saddles were already adjusted quite a way back to get the intonation right, but it was intonated, so I wasn’t concerned. I’ve just got some flats for it, with fabric wrap at each end, and just looking at them, I knew this wasn’t going to work the way I hoped it would. Once fitted, the fabric wrap extends over the saddles, so there’s no real metal to metal connection there. On comparing this one with my ‘73 P bass, and measuring the distance from nut to the back of the bridge, there is a big difference. The ‘73 measures 90cm from nut to back of bridge, whereas the ‘78/79 measures 89cm, and is markedly further away from the edge of the body. I have had a close look to see if La Bellas would work, but I think even with those, the string would reach the saddle before the end of the wrap. So, I have a dilemma. What do you think of the strings on it the way they are right now, with the fabric wrap sitting on the saddles? Or, I could get the bridge moved back by 1cm to be same as my ‘73, and everything would work just fine. But, it’s an original bass, and I would be drilling it, and also I’m sure there would be marks in the finish which showed the original bridge position. I’ll add some pics so you can see what I mean. The first one is the bass in question with Thomastiks, the second is my ‘73 with La Bellas. Rob

Cheers. That’s only 12 minutes walk from where we’re staying according to google.