Misdee

May I ask, are the short scale TI's very loose in terms of tension? I noticed that they are the same gauges as the long scale set except for a heavier E string. I use TI's on a 34 inch scale bass and they are very elastic . I would have thought on a 30inch scale they would be way too slack?

If the O.P wants to specifically know why short scale basses are in vogue at the moment , it is mostly because this trend is the latest expression of bass players gravitating towards the retrospective and "vintage" . For the last twenty-or-so years if you are a hip and happening bass player( or like to think you are..) you have to eschew all that is modern and "hifi" in terms of equipment in favour of vintage-inspired choices that mark the owner out as one of the cognoscenti. Short scale is irrevocably associated with ancient times, when bass players sounded mellow and, above all, tasteful. Yes, there were twangy short scale players back in the day -Stanley Clarke and Jack Bruce, for example, but for the most part, a dull, thumpy tone with or without a bit of click thrown in was standard fare. And as a bass player , nowadays it is sinful to draw attention to yourself with a bright strident tone , apparently. The fact that playing a short scale bass after years and years of struggling with 34 inch scale is just about the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off does help too, I must admit. Especially strung with flats or tapewounds . It is an undeniably great sound.

The most growly Fender P depends on who is playing it and with what intent, rather than the bass itself. John Wetton, for example, played an alder/rosewood early 60's P with roundwounds ( probably Rotosound, still the best string ever for that kind of sound) brilliantly and never has there been such a growly and menacing sound. An ash/maple 70's P bass could sound much more mellow, depending on who was playing it and what they were trying to achieve.

Maybe we are all being too cynical. When I was a kid we played at World War 2 with Action Man . Maybe kids nowadays need to play at Motorhead with dolls like this one. An afternoon spent with other children acting out imagined scenarios from the Bomber Tour during the autumn of 1979 could be both therapeutic and educational. They could use Barbie dolls as groupies, and Blue Peter could show you how to make a hotel room out of an old shoe box.

Lovely Mustang! I too love a pale green bass, but different basses look good in certain colours, and I like the Talman in black. They all look good, but the black is my personal favourite for that bass. .

I am thinking that, all things considered, I am going to plump for the Ibanez Talman. It seems like it will be well-made and pretty versatile. The shape is pretty attractive to my taste, too. This whole exercise has been an eye-opener for me, though. I may well end up buying a less expensive bass for my own use in the near future.

I had a look at them on YT , amazing value and great sound, but they are meant to be a bit on the heavy side according to some folks.

I take your point entirely, and yes, Fender will proliferate no matter what. I just mean that there is no real reason why Fender can't make basses like they used to, just better . And Fender players mostly prefer their basses how they used to be at some point in the past. I am perfectly happy to have a new one, but they could incorporate the better things about the old basses with the best things about the new basses. Then I would be even more of a Fender fan.

I will reserve judgement until I have played one, but it seems to me that Fender consistently shoot themselves in the foot by offering a "standard" range of American-made basses that, more often than not, are not particularly appealing both sonically and aesthetically. Part of the problem is that they don't want to compete with their own Custom Shop, part of the problem is that they are not very in touch with what discerning players crave from a Fender. All of this is compounded by their inconsistent quality control. The American Standard range was a lot more appealing than the subsequent American Professional range, IMO. The Am Pro are perfectly ok, but just not very exiting. They should have stuck with CS pickups , for my taste anyway. .

Yes , back in the day ,cheap basses used to be a waste of money. Now it seems you can get something very worthwhile for not a lot of dough. Just another example of where the snowflake generation really don't know how well-off they are .😄

I'm a big fan of Yamaha BB basses, in fact I would say they are just about my favourite. The sub-£200 Yamaha basses are not that attractive to me, but I take your point.

Sounds fixable. Look for a specialist hifi dealer in your area ( if you have one) and ask if they have someone they can recommend who does repairs on audio equipment. As you have already found out, if you have a CD63KI they will understand why you want to get it fixed. There are loads of old machines out there to provide cannibalised parts if Marantz can't provide the.

As far as HB are concerned, I really fancy both the PJ-74 and the Shorty.

I am finding it a bit hard to get my head round the idea that you can get a decent instrument in the sub-£200 range ( let alone sub-£100!). I came up in a time when cheap basses were truly awful. Funnily enough( ironically enough...) , the last bass I bought that cost less than £200 was a Squier JV Series Jazz Bass, which cost me the princely sum of £185 in 1983. Should have kept it, I know, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. 🙁 No one ever suspected at the time that they would become so sought-after. "

I've had a look , but they re a bit on the heavy side, apparently.

Cheers, I'm having a look right now!

Yes, it does seem to tick a lot of the right boxes ie Fender style, decent materials ect. Can basses this kind of price be acceptable quality, that is the question I keep asking myself. I've looked at some YT vids and it seems that yes, they can .

Cheers, very good to know that. It looks like a strong contender.

I want to buy a relatively inexpensive but decent new bass as a gift for someone and I want to make the right choice. I am a bit out of touch with that end of the market nowadays . On my shortlist so far are an Ibanez Talman and a Harley Benton PJ-74. Any other suggestions very gratefully received.

For me, Jon Andersons far-out lyrics are offset by his down-to-earth strong Lancashire accent. Listening back to those classic Yes albums now, it really strikes me how, contrary to their reputation as overblown prog dinosaurs, the band sounds edgy and raw , especially compared to equivalent acts nowadays. They may do a lot of extended tracks, but as musicians they know how to be concise and to-the-point. And Chris Squire's bass sounds epic. '

Back when I was a youngster in the late 1970's and just starting out on the bass, Yes epitomised overblown pretentious prog rock. Or so we were told. Listening now without the fashionable prejudices of those days ( which still proliferate), at their best, Yes were super- hip. Tracks like Heart Of the Sunrise, Close To The Edge, Roundabout ect still sound fresh and fearlessly experimental. I would venture that if a new young band with a contemporary image came on the scene today and made those tracks they would be lauded as creative geniuses. Modern bands like Muse or Radiohead cannot get close to the virtuosity and invention of Yes in their prime, and back in the early 1970's Yes were their cultural equivalent. Jon Andersons' lyrics are definitely a bit strange though, I must admit.

I'd like to see a preamp pedal that actually sounds like an Ampeg SVT, with some semblance of the variable midrange frequency control.

As I understand it , the pickups on the 2024/5 are made in Japan, the pickups on the 1024/5 are the same schematic made elsewhere, probably Indonesia or China.

Some people have just got something special about them . Teddy Pendergrass was one of those people, it seems to me.

Teddy was a magnificent soul singer, right up there with the all-time greats like Marvin Gaye , Otis Redding ect. It's a shame he doesn't get quite the same recognition, because during his own lifetime he was an icon in America . Such a stylish man, too. If you watch live footage of him at his peak both he and his band were off-the-scale in terms of tightness. A class act.