Marc S

Try a Fender Roadworn Jazz. They're based on the '62 J - And they're absolutely stunning. I'm sure it would be great to own a truly vintage Fender - but I'd be too afraid to take it out anywhere, for fear of theft or damage

Hi, I have a shadow pickup on my eminence (as backup to the David Gage which it came fitted with) It was bought 2nd hand on here, and wasnt expensive. Sorry, I can't recall exactly how much.... Its pretty good too, it boosts my output a lot, although its a tad more noisy than the Gage pickup I also bought a Behringer pre-amp pedal recently, as someone locally was selling one cheap - I thought I'd try it, on bass guitar this time tho - not on DB / EUB. Again, the behringer gives me quite a few tonal options, and quite a boost in signal level. Its also quite noisy, and quite heavily "toppy" so careful eq'ing is needed. I use it for gigs sometimes, but wouldn't perhaps use it in the studio. That said, I gave only a tenner for it. They're about 25-30 quid on ebay, so may be worth a try for your budget.

I used to have a Markbass CMD102P. I must say, I don't play slap bass that much But I do now & again. Mainly when jamming, and the odd couple of notes or riffs when gigging I was always pleased with the amp. Never ever cut out though.... So I know it's a different amp - but just thought I'd add my own experiences Also, I tended to use a mixture of active and passive basses too..... I mention that last point, as In once played a gig as part of a support band We used the headline bands' backline, and the bass head clipped a heck of a lot, if I had the output of my active Ibanez set quite high To combat this, I had to turn the volume down on my bass, and up on the amp It surprises me to hear that Markbass gear would have this sort of issue A mate had an older version of the 102 combo, and I know that tends to clip when he plays an active bass through it Maybe get your amp checked out? Let us know how you get on, and best of luck with your issue

I play with a pick on some songs, and without on others Personally, I quite like the tone when playing with a pick - again on some songs Others I'd rather play with my fingers, because that's what suits the song When I started playing, I only played with a pick - it was fast, furious punk back then JJ Burnel and Paul Gray were my fave players, and as others have said, it didn't do them any harm But I learned to play without a pick, purely because I was frightened about dropping a pick mid-song, and having to faff about digging out another. Then I learned that some songs just sounded, or felt better to play with fingers an no pick Ignore the snobbery (I actually don't think it's that bad, on here at least) Just play what is most comfortable for you, and what suits the style of music you are playing .... but if you can, learn to play with and without. If I can do it, I'm sure you can

Hi Boanerges, I'm really sorry to hear of your health problems in the first instance. But I'm appalled by the behaviour of the guy who has ripped you off Hope you can get your bass back, and I hope you're doing well with your health issues PS. Do you have an address for this bloke? I'm sure the Police could trace him..... Take care, I hope your bass is returned, and I hope this rip-off merchant is caught

I've got a Roadworn Jazz too. It's a wonderful bass - so lovely to play. Feels great and sounds the part. I wanted to try some different pickups in it too - just for curiosity's sake really, I suppose On trawling the ads on here, and on a local facebook group, I found a guy selling some old (1970's or 80's) DiMarzio J pickups Fitted them, and was blown away! The original pickups sounded great, and had a vintage tone about them. But the DiMarzio's are even better It's still got that vintage Jazz sound, but a much bigger output, and quite some punch too. Of course, it may not be easy to get hold of a set of older pickups - put an ad on here, or keep an eye on local facebook music groups? I got mine pretty cheap too - and I'll be sticking with them Have you could also considered a preamp pedal? That way, you don't have to mod the bass at all I bought myself a Dunlop MXR - the one with a built in, separately controlled distortion effect Really pleased with it

Hello and good morning, from an even leafier South Wales An 8 year hiatus is nothing - I stopped playing for over 20 years Oddly enough, I enjoy the bass even more second time around Enjoy your playing, and welcome to BC

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1464681090' post='3061292'] £200 - £250 is the standard pub gig rate down South Wales area. Some places will try to pay less. Usually those gigs go to acoustic duos. We are lucky to be able to charge a little more as we are a 6 piece and don't often play pubs (maybe 10 a year), but £300 is pretty much tops. Standard set will be 2 X 1 hours [/quote] Another bassist from south Wales here, echoing what FuNkShUi has said. Although lately in Cardiff, pubs are now edging toward the trend of NOT paying in cash Instead, they want you to submit an invoice. This usually means one band member who has his own business submitting the invoice, and he ends up paying tax on it. Of course, we all should be paying tax -but that rather reduces the £200 fee between 4 or 5 band members.. And, given certain politicians' history on paying tax - one feels that £200, which was the going rate around 15 years ago seems rather paltry Especially as Cardiff city centre gigs usually mean you have to pay to park too Oddly enough, we seem to get paid more in the Valleys of South Wales, where you also get paid cash, often get a free drink or 2. And I have to say it, but they seem to prefer their live music

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1464544183' post='3060227'] A little bit of info, if your routing isnt deep enough for the long pole piece studs these use, just hacksaw the bottom off till theyre flush with the magnets, it makes no difference to the tone or output, ive done it. [/quote] Thanks for the tip

I recently ordered 2x P scratchplates and a J plate. The P's fitted perfectly (one on a Squier Classic Vibe, one on my Fender RW P) Both top quality, with shielding and were about 4 quid. The J plate doesn't quite fit perfectly - but then, the J is a Bitsa I can see that with a bit of tweaking, I should be able to get a decent fit from it The area around the neck pocket needs a very small amount of widening - so if I'm careful with a fine file and some wet & dry.... It's also pretty good quality, and again, was under a fiver including delivery Sorry to hear of your woes It's luck of the draw, I guess - but I ordered one plate, just to see how good they were, and got lucky

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1463905396' post='3054786'] The answer is simple - both! But if I was forced at gunpoint to choose one, it would be a PJ with a J neck.... [/quote] Definitely both, if you can afford it, or have the space If not, then get a P, and mod it to a PJ, With which ever neck you find most comfortable I prefer a J width neck, but that's just what suits my hands & style

I too went back to my roots with a P bass. Mine is a roadworn P, which I bought from this forum. Its had the neck slightly "shaved" / trimmed to be a little thinner. I had a J pickup added, as I like the flexibility of a PJ. Its wonderfully lightweight, and a joy to play. Sounds great, and it just "fits" for me I've also gone full circle, trying all sorts of other basses. I'd even completely gone off fenders for a long time. But now I'm back. I don't see it as time wasted, but its been a voyage of discovery, a trip on which I learned some valuable lessons. Not least that Leo did indeed get it right..... Yes Bobby is a great guy. Met him the other week - he kindly gave me a couple of tickets to see his band playing. Doesnt surprise me that he trusted you with a loan of a bass - such a decent bloke Glad you've found your ideal bass

Welcome Sparks Glad you're back into playing music. Keep it up, and keep the enthusiasm too I stopped playing for many years - but I've been playing again for 8 or 9 years, and am now more enthusiastic than ever Recently, I've spoken to quite a few musicians who gave up because of family commitments etc each of them said they're enjoying music much more the 2nd time around - I wonder how many of us experience this? Don't worry that you're "blagging" - I think many musicians feel this way You are learning sir - just learning, honestly. In fact, the best way to view it, is as a continuous learning curve As long as you're enjoying what you learn and play.... EDIT: Singing is not natural to me either I can do some singing whilst playing - but nothing too taxing

[quote name='Kex' timestamp='1462098674' post='3040199'] Just saw ColinB avatar and thought it was me for a second - anyhow, hello from Chepstow-ish [/quote] I thought you were one & the same too - twins separated at birth, maybe? Hope you guys can make Gelfin's bass bash - be good to meet up & chat

I must say, I prefer black definitely if with maple board, but still nice with rosewood. Tort looks superb on black too, esp with rosewood board So black or tort, but definitely not white

Again, this may not make that much difference. As I've said, mine didn't have neck dive I've since added a J pickup (well, luthier Dave Dearnaley did it for me) - mainly because I really like PJ's lately A pickup & wiring may not add much mass, but if you opt for lighter tuners too, and add a J pickup - might help a bit more? Really enjoying my RW P - the sound options now it's a P/J are great. The bridge pup is an Entwistle JBXN - about 19 quid posted too! Also Fred, maybe look at what strap you're using - perhaps something with a bit more grip may help? Again, worth a shot.....

Traded with Lee very recently. A P bass body & cash my way, and a US neck his way. Great guy to deal with. Paid really fast, posted my item really fast too Smooth transaction, had some good chat with him as well - thoroughly nice guy Trade in confidence fellow BC members Thanks again Lee

Also wanted to add; Not only does my RW P seem to have perfect balance (i.e. no neck dive) It's the lightest solid bodied bass I've ever owned - apologies for not backing this up with weight (I don't have a set of scales) Previously, my US P bass was the lightest, but this is a shade lighter again I wonder whether batch variations have produced big differences in weight? Although other RW P owners also say theirs is very light.

Bought a Jazz bass body from Rich He couldn't have been more helpful. Nice smooth transaction and quick delivery Deal in confidence BassChatters

I've got both a RW P and a RW J, and I don't experience any neck dive at all.... I'm amazed you do Both seem perfectly balanced to me.... One thing that can throw me occasionally though, is the reverse tuners. It's not a bother to me, but I could see that some folk might want to replace them. I would say in your case, they probably won't make much difference to the overall weight though Let us know how you get on - I'm intrigued

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1461265217' post='3033174'] these sound good! Are they good for getting a John Entwistle tone? I can get a similar tone with my new way of playing with a precision, but does this add extra growl like his? Or are the surnames a coincidence? haha [/quote] Yes, the surnames are just a coincidence - the pickups have nothing to do with John Entwistle

18th or 25th good for me Gelfin I look forward to it matey - been a long time since the last one

I also own a Roadworn Jazz, and it's an amazing bass. I did like the sound of the pickups in it, but at the time I wanted just a bit more output, and perhaps a little more "bite", without losing the vintage vibe of the stock pickups. I placed a wanted ad on a local facbook bass group, and got hold of an old pair of DiMarzio Jazz pickups They are absolutely brilliant! They still retain that vintage tone, but they have a huge output for passive pickups, and they're very punchy. So if you can get hold of some old DiMarzio's - give them a try. Or perhaps some pickups from an old 70's Japan built bass? You could also try a pair of Entwistle JBXN pickups. I have one in each of 2 P/J's I've got. I really like them. Alternatively, as Cosmo Valdemar says, the stock pickups are nice maybe you could think about pepping them up, with a bass preamp pedal? - Just a thought....