Chiliwailer

From what you've said, Music Man, Overwater and Alembic spring to mind first, though replacing that Aria sounds hard given the love you seem to have for it. This bass is lovely, and Andy is a great guy http://basschat.co.uk/topic/302878-alembic-rogue-4-string-excellent-condition/page__fromsearch__1 There are cheaper Alembic models too though. Checking out Bass Direct and The Gallery websites would be good. Better still, Mark at Bass Direct would have his views.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1497722099' post='3320273'] Are the cobalts brighter than Fender flats? [/quote] Yes, and they are also a very different string in their own right. The treble strings can be quite zingy like rounds, but the bass strings still have a smoother thing going on. I'm a big fan of the Fender flats too.

Ernie Ball Cobalt flats, that'll sort it They seem like a happy medium and I love them on my Jazz Bass, very versatile.

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1497716509' post='3320234'] I took your advice - thank you - and I'm now banging out country blues with a slide on this : [attachment=247478:s-l1600 (1).jpg] [/quote] Loving the vibe of that one, the soundhole ring and tail piece have some real character. So pleased to hear that you're playing something

+ 1 for Fender flats being a great intro. I'd go for the lightest gauges so you can get used to the tension, so try the 9050L. The Ernie Ball Cobalts flats are also great if you want something that kind of blends rounds with flats. I don't agree with only rounds for funk, depends on the funk and your style. Bernard Edwards had flats on his Stingray, Flea has flats on his Jazz Bass which you'll hear on a few albums.

[quote name='Atomic dustbin' timestamp='1497075818' post='3315652'] Don't fight the feeling Chili. You know you need a Stingray😃 [/quote] Ain't that the truth Got a lovely pre EB Sabre, but a Ray would be nice too. One day I'll have one again....

This is not helping my Stingray GAS at all.....

You'd need to 'black light' the neck and head to look for signs in the lacquer (logo change?), and check for marks in the neck pocket and heal (that show where they may have been previously attached). The rest is speculation.

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1496593396' post='3312534'] Why is that piano playing itself? https://soundcloud.com/mornats/broken-keys [/quote] Damn, that's haunting! Love what you did there

[quote name='BassAgent' timestamp='1496160004' post='3309220'] Thanks a lot! I took the PG and neck off. Unfortunately, due to unknown causes (I suspect the bit wonky refin) the neck stamp is impossible to read. It does have the name "X. Armenta" on the neck. The pots indicate the 18th week of '71, so does the serial. So I guess it's not a '72. [/quote] Some of the stamps can be hard to read, especially on the lighter coloured ones. Some weren't stamped at all. 1971 seems a good guess. (The only other thing to date is the pickup, but I personally wouldn't take it out unless you really needed to). Congrats, it just gained a year!

Had the last 2 afternoons off work so here's my little ditty for June... https://soundcloud.com/user-382247502/puts-the-past-to-death-v1 .

Loving the picture, made a little start today

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' timestamp='1496247093' post='3309916'] http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/acoustic_guitars_detail.asp?stock=170125306619001 This has caught my eye... [/quote] Great brand, nice colour too. Many of these Canadian ones are satin finishes so can relic easily, guess that depends on your taste. It's personal preference, but I never liked pickups under the saddle due to the mids they give off. I always prefered spending less on just the guitar and then later, if needed, getting a decent soundhole pickup which mixes a magnet and mic. Still, thousands of others will disagree!

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1496272202' post='3310193'] And I clearly remember my dad being 33. That was 30 years ago. "How old are you dad?" '33' I remember that. (I'm quite a few g&t's in) [/quote] Remember that too with my Mum when I was about 4! Happy Birthday pal

Congrats Wild Frog! Great job

http://youtu.be/MTJ1DTiAwus

This one will be fine to take off without any need for worry. Keep in mind, the pots don't often have the same dates as the necks as they could be old parts. If you do get that neck off, it may be stamped and therefore... http://guitarhq.com/fender.html#specs 1972 to 1980 Neck Stamps Explained. This information was provided by Greg Gagliano. The 1972-1980 eight digit code is similar to the previous 1969-1971 system. Example, Music Master (s/n 595121) with code 49002153. The first 6 digits are paired off and the last two digits are taken singly. So that gives us 49 00 215 3 where: 49 = model code (Musicmaster, Mustang, Bronco) 00 = neck code (rosewood fingerboard) 21 = week code (week 21) 5 = year code (1975) 3 = day of the week code (Wednesday) Model Codes Used from 1972 to 1980. Model codes (first pair of digits): 01 = Precision Bass 02 = Jazz Bass 04 = Mustang Bass 08 = Telecaster Deluxe 09 = Stratocaster 13 = Telecaster, Telecaster Custom, Telecaster Thinline 49 = Musicmaster, Mustang, Bronco Neck Codes Used from 1972 to 1980. Neck codes (second pair of digits): 00 = rosewood fingerboard 01 = rosewood fingerboard 03 = fretted maple neck OR skunk stripe neck with rosewood board 10 = fretless maple neck Now try and decode a Precision Bass (s/n 647149) with code 01031051. You should get: 01 = Precision Bass 03 = fretted maple neck 10 = Week 10 5 = 1975 1 = Monday

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1495620972' post='3305310'] Seagull or any of Gordon's other acoustic brands - Norman, Simon & Patrick or Art & Lutherie. Also have a look at some of the higher level Cort guitars. Look for these secondhand, as, with all lesser known brands, the resale value is terrible. [/quote] +1, especially for the Canadian brands. I'm a big believer that you usually get what you pay for with acoustics and price points, so my 'problem' with acoustics at that price is that it's always 6 of one and half a dozen of the other around the tonal qualities. Lots of great brands and guitars metioned here, and I've either owned or recommended a few of them. My personal favourite was an awesome sub £400 cedar top Art and Lutherie dreadnaught. Soild cedar ages quickly and has a blues type warmth, but that isn't everyone's cup of tea. These days I prefer small body fingerpicking guitars, and my mate has a lovely wide neck small body Sigma for that. Sorry to state the obvious, but the more you play the more you'll know and then find the one that speaks to you. It could be any of the brands mentioned in this thread.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1495695185' post='3305860'] I always thought they used Swanp ash what other kind of ash would they have used? Swan ash grows in the US I asked out of curiosity because I want to build one [/quote] Just remembered someone posted this once http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/all-about-tonewoods/14591

Loving the contrast! Good score

I'm loving my set on my Jazz Bass. It has also had some other great strings on before, it's just the Cobalts happen to suit that bass best for me. The bass is versatile due to those strings, love them. Tried them on my MM Sabre and old Lull PJ4, they were great but maybe not the best strings for what I wanted from those basses.

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1495696655' post='3305874'] I suppose it also depends on your resale policy. My '66 is going nowhere (barring massively unforeseen and serious circumstances). [/quote] Same here with my 66P

[quote name='countjodius' timestamp='1495671885' post='3305811'] Sorry to hijack the thread slightly, but seeing as we're on the subject of 70's Jazz particulars! Did Fender change the wind of pickups along with the other design features from the mid 70's onwards? I ask as have always toyed with changing the pups on my 1973, but was unsure if this fell under manufacturer's 60's or 70's style winds. [/quote] From this useful site: [url="http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html#specs"]http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html#specs[/url] [b]Pickups and Pickup Springs[/b][list] [*]1950 to March 1964: all models had "black bottom" pickups and cast slug alnico magnets with rounded top edges. Pickups not dated. Pickup wire is usually a real rich cooper color. Pickups are dipped in hot wax to eliminate microphonics, and this wax is evident on the entire pickup. Also the pickup screw "springs" are made out of rubber surgical tubing cut into small 3/8" long pieces. [*]March 1964 to late 1970's: most models had "gray bottom" pickups and cast slug alnico magnets. Gray bottom pickups would be the rule, but black bottom pickups were used from old stock as late as 1967. Starting in the early 1970's, the top edges of the magnets were no longer rounded. Most gray bottom pickup assemblies have at least one pickup with a hand written date. By the late 1960's this changed to an inked stamped date code, much like the date code used on the butt of the neck. Most gray bottom pickups have a deep burgundy colored pickup wire. Wax treament is no longer used in favor of a lacquer dip treatment, which is much harder to see. Pickup screw springs are now actually real cone-shaped springs instead of rubber surgical tubing. Click [url="http://guitarhq.com/fenddiff/gray_bottom_pu.jpg"]here[/url] for a picture of gray bottom pickups (1970s). Click [url="http://guitarhq.com/fenddiff/gray_bottom_pu_stamp.jpg"]here[/url] for a picture of a November 4, 1964 gray bottom pickup date stamp. [/list]

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1495631968' post='3305447'] If that's true, it's not very good news for my bank account. I think I need a second opinion on this bass, I need to find a jazz bass expert in east london to take a look at it objectively and tell me whether it's as good as i think it is, or if i'm just being fooled by some slightly odd pickups. [/quote] Trust your gut pal, we all like different things! Maybe the shop could give you 48 hour approval, it's not unheard of, I've allowed that myself when I managed shops in Denmark St.

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1495628662' post='3305406'] Also out of curiosity i tried another similar bass today, a 76, and it sounded nothing like this bass, it just sounded like any other jazz, so I think there is definitely something different about this one. [/quote] Spot on, that's why I mentioned mojo when talking about my mates CS Jazz in my first post. I've played 8-10 different CS Jazzes through my headphone set up at home in the past three years, that bass has all the characteristics you mentioned and yet on spec it's not that different to many of the others. A friend of mine techs for Dave Swift, he told me about a time Dave got a Fender 5 string and loved it so much he ordered more, only to find they were nothing like the one he loved. They swapped pickups to see if that was it, but it must have been the specific pieces of wood (not the mojo )