Prosebass

[quote name='Musky' date='Jun 21 2008, 05:41 PM' post='223704'] My first thoughts were that it looks a bit like the Aria A-200 - same pickups, similar sort of shape (what I can see of it ). [url="http://matsumoku.org/models/aria/bass/a-100_200.html"]http://matsumoku.org/models/aria/bass/a-100_200.html[/url] It also looks like the Ibanez Goldentone guitar, which probably fits in more with the Ibanez brand on your bass. [url="http://www.grouseguitars.com.au/sold/ibanezgoldentone.htm"]http://www.grouseguitars.com.au/sold/ibanezgoldentone.htm[/url] Given that nobody seems entirely sure where a lot of Japanese brands were sourcing their instruments in the 60's, it's possible both models originated from the same factory. [/quote Thanks Musky it is the bass equivalent of the Goldentone at least in shape, the Aria must of come from the same stable as it has the same neck and pickups , just a little less pronounced in the horn department. As you will see the actual model a 5902 from 1964 has been tracked down..by bassassin cheers Paul

[quote name='Dave_MuadDib' post='223335' date='Jun 20 2008, 11:39 PM']I've always wanted a nice Jazz bass, and while I continue to rue the day that I passed up on that £200 Geddy Lee (IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT!) I'm back on the prowl for something about as affordable, even if it will be less perfect. I've heard lots of great things about the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass. I haven't had the chance to try one out just yet, but I should be able to soon. But what would you guys recommend? Are the vintage modifieds as good/better/worse than the standard or affinity series (I have no idea what the difference is!) or is there some other cheap Fender Jazz-style gem out there? Any help would be appreciated![/quote] I have owned 2 Squier Jazzes having just sold one last week. They are ok to play but neither of mine sounded much like a Jazz should. The one I just sold I modded with a J-Retro John East on it and a high mass bridge. It made the bass come alive and sounded superb but still didn't sound like a Jazz should.....save your pennies for a proper one if its the sound you are after.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='223629' date='Jun 21 2008, 03:28 PM']Do you still have it or that rather lovely jumper? [/quote] If I still had the jumper there is no way I would fit in it now !! No idea what happened to the bass after its second headstock break as I bought my Hofner S7B which I still have geez it was 30 years ago ...

The current topic on "First Bass" got me thinking about mine back in 1976 It was an Ibanez , originally a purple/black color, 4 scratch plates , 2 chrome humbuckers and a Fender style headstock. The distinctive body was a bit "Burns Bison" I think it was a late 60's early 70's model. It was a very good bass. I have drawn a blank with the web , can anyone help ? This is the only picture I have of it.....come on it was 1976 !!!! [attachment=9880:IMG_0581.JPG]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='223485' date='Jun 21 2008, 11:20 AM']Do you still have your first ever bass? What was it ? How much did it cost? How old were you?[/quote] Mine was a late 60's early 70's Ibanez with about 4 scratch plates a la Burns on it.It was given to me by my brothers friend. I wanted a Gibson Grabber but was only 14 (1976) so I stripped the paint put a Grabber style plate on it and french polished it. It played and sounded wonderful with 2 chrome humbuckers on it. I snapped the neck at the headstock but repaired it, then it broke again and I honestly have no idea what happened to it. No idea what model it was as I cannot find it on the interweb. [attachment=9879:IMG_0581.JPG]

[quote name='ahpook' post='223483' date='Jun 21 2008, 11:18 AM']looks like i'll be cleaning the pole pieces on my cowpoke tonight ! thanks for the advice peeps [/quote] Rather than a sheet of wet and dry I use disposable (not metal) nail files for intricate work. They are solid , cheap, come in various grades (including non abrasive buffers) I drive my beloved mad by using hers if I run out !!!

Just bought a Schaller 3D bridge from Jase on Wednesday afternoon and received it today (Thursday) Fast postage or what......cheers Jase

[quote name='JPJ' post='221853' date='Jun 19 2008, 12:32 AM']Well imho, I am not convinced that it adds a great deal to the sustain. I have two basses with through bridge stringing and one without. My MIA Jazz V DLX (with J-Retro) has a stock fender bridge and is strung through the body and has the shortest sustain of all three.[/quote] Hi I I am not suprised that the standard Jazz bridge gives the bass the least sustain irrespective of the through stringing I just don,t think they are that rigid, but have noticed that it gives better control as note decay is faster so lends itself to fast finger playing. My Squier Jazz (also fitted with a J-Retro) was still "dead" until I put a high mass Fender style (Chinese of course)bridge on. The bass came alive especially with harmonics, brightness and sustain but didn't sound like a Jazz anymore. I had to consciously damp strings more than I would normally when playing. I think bridge choice is very important and can completely change a bass sound and the way you have to play it. I have knife edge saddles on my Hofner S7B and the sustain is amazing. Aren't basses ace.......I learn more every day...

[quote name='Frusty' post='220415' date='Jun 17 2008, 10:32 AM']This is perhaps a silly question, but I have never tried anything like this so bear with me! I am considering defretting an old Jazz bass copy that I have. The neck has block inlays. Are there any problems with using a neck with block inlays as a fretless neck? Will there be a change in tone as you slide from note to note over one of the inlays? Again, sorry if this is a silly question![/quote] You won't know if its a problem until you do it ! Certainly it will affect the sound as you will be sliding over different materials and depending on the quality of the neck there could be voids under the inlays and at worst they may become loose. Also the wear rate will be different and will be noticeable most at the edge of the inlay. You may be able to negate these problems by using a quality epoxy coating. In general most necks are stable enough to have this treatment, one of my basses had it done in 1984 and has suffered no ill effects, indeed it has never had the neck adjusted ever. Unless you must do this or really want to I would still advise against it. To do it you need to know if the frets are a push fit or if they are glued also. If they are a push fit you should be able to drift them out sideways with a small hammer and a punch. If you try to lift them the tangs will rip chunks out of the fingerboard. If they are glued you will need to heat them first with a large powerful soldering iron. Once you have removed them the easy fix is a good quality flexible wood filler , the more time consuming way is to inlay the fret slots with strips of veneer and refinish the board. Have you considered another neck ? Cost wise they are approx £50.00 from various suppliers and if you decide you don't like fretless you can put the original neck back on. Alternatively buy a cheap fretless.

[quote name='bassaussie' post='220387' date='Jun 17 2008, 09:48 AM']As said above, this is definitely not a Fender - it's early 70s Japanese, made in the same factory as Cimar. The pickup shape is what makes the source obvious, because of the rounded corners, and the tuning pegs are from the source as well (both pointed out by SJA above). There's other obvious signs - the headstock shap isn' quite the same as a Fender, nor the body shape..[/quote] You are bob on there as soon as I saw it Cimar came straight out of my mouth which makes it worth what £80.00 ? I had one many moons ago. Lets hope the bidders see sense and remove their bids.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='217263' date='Jun 11 2008, 10:53 PM']I wonder if Jaco or Rory Gallagher ever cleaned their guitars, they must have looked at them and said,look at the state of this, b...s to cleaning it.[/quote] Looking at the unfortunate state Jaco was in before his horrible untimely death I doubt he thought too much about about cleaning himself let alone his bass. Its a bit like cars I used to polish mine every week now its about once every 6 months but the interior is always spotless and the mechanics looked after. I think a good setup and good strings are much more important than the depth of the shine..... A favorite saying of mine is "you can't polish a turd" but thats not appropriate here obviously, I just like it.......

[quote name='martyn107' post='218666' date='Jun 14 2008, 12:57 AM']Hi chaps thinking of getting an acoustic, just spotted this on ebay, what do people think? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hohner-Electro-Acoustic-bass_W0QQitemZ170228390016QQihZ007QQcategoryZ22966QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hohner-Electro-Acous...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] If you have a use or need for one then this looks ok for the price, if its around £100.00 I used to have acoustics in the past but don't own one now. If you intend to use it acoustically ie jamming with friends or sitting at the bottom of the garden on a sunny afternoon with the barbecue on then fine. If you only ever play indoors at home or rehersals or gigging then put your money towards your next "electric bass" instead, or practice your "hey noddy noddys" and form a folk band .................. Mine just collected dust and someone got a bargain 6 months on.

Pleasure doing business with Aynsley for the Thunder 1A he just bought off me, thoroughly decent chap.

[quote name='Bassmurf' post='216748' date='Jun 11 2008, 11:58 AM']Don't know if I've posted this in the right section but I have a Fender Geddy Lee jazz bass and I was wondering what the best stuff to use to polish it with? [/quote] Pledge is fine providing you don't use it on the fretboard.........personally I prefer "Sparkle"

[quote name='spychal' post='216116' date='Jun 10 2008, 01:06 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300230135118&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=020[/url] What do you guys think of this. The guy also has it for sale on gumtree, and I'm probably going to go try it out this evening. He is selling it on gumtree for £230 which seems very cheap, raising my suspicions somewhat. It seems like he's modified it with an s-switch and a bad ass bridge.... any tell tale signs to look out for?[/quote] If its a genuine Mexican then its a bargain, if you try it out and you like it and it sounds right then buy it. It could possibly be a Mexican neck on a non Mexican body but even if it is the price is fine, especially with the S switch and badass bridge. How it feels and sounds to you is what matters and I would not be too bothered about authenticity at that price. Plus its a Fender so you will probably want to put better pickups on it anyway......

[quote name='Jonny Walker' post='207928' date='May 28 2008, 11:36 AM']I have never understood why people buy copy fenders.... not that i am a huge fan but it seems to me (outsider) that Fender came up with their perfect bass and every other luthier copied the plan to get some sales.... and everyones buying into it... surely if you want a fender buy a fender? If you want a different sound shove some better pups in... And if its the expense, theres always the Squires... not that there anything special but surely its better to keep it in the family...[/quote] Many reasons, with people in top bands currently and over the years endorsing Fenders, many kids starting out want to emulate their heroes be it Jean Jacques Brunel or Gordon Moakes. Having no experience of playing a lot of basses and not having an informed opinion they go with their heroes. Many bassists starting out cannot afford a Fender indeed many of us in later life still either cannot or will not wish to afford a Fender. The copies (unless its some Matsumoko offering from the 70's or 80's rarely sound like a Fender, but they look like them which is the main reason for buying them. My first "production model" for my bass company is a Jazz style body with a maple /maple Jazz style neck. Why ? its a safe bet as its recognized and I am more likely to sell those than a model of my own design. Its a matter of the market. I will be selling my own designs but need the "bread and butter" models to give me an income to develop my own designs and I think its similar for larger manufacturers. Squires are not very good, nothing wrong with the wood just the hardware, and it will always be a Squier , the poor relation.There are some £99.00 copies better than them. I was watching my friends sons band (god I'm getting old) and his son is bassist/ vocalist. "Why do you play a Squier Precision" I asked "Because its white and looks like Paul Simonons" was the reply, he wasn't too interested in an authentic sound just looks. My second production model looks like it will be a white Precision style model. If I had offered him a through neck (5 laminate) mahogany bodied with maple top bass that I make I know what his answer would of been. We forget that for every 1 of us on this forum with our hand-built bubinga / wenge / fretless spalted topped badass bridged twelfty stringed Pedzon Jayker Droder Special there are 10 kids out there emulating their hero's on whatever they can afford. £769.00 for an American Standard Jazz you must be on Glue !!!!! you can buy a good car for that much. lol

£150.00 is way too much I have just sold one on here for £135.00 and it looks barely several years old , with everything as it should be. A few come up on ebay which is where I got mine a few years ago. £90-£110 should get a good one £140 a cracker and £175-£200 one that looks like its not been out of the case. Everybody raves about these basses (with good reason) but nobody seems prepared to pay good money for them ? A good Spectrum LX can be had for £70-£80 or the Thunder 1 without the active for about £20.00 less than the active. The Thunder 3A with the through neck is worth more with the last one I saw on ebay going for £250.00 If you buy any of the Westone basses you won't be disappointed, they are excellent for the money. Heres a good site for technical info [url="http://www.westone.info/indexbasses.html"]Westone Bass Specificatons[/url]

[quote name='Grand Puba' post='215212' date='Jun 9 2008, 08:20 AM']Dear All I was at the concert at the Jazz Cafe in London on 22-05-2008. What was the name of the tune he opened the concert with before "Lopsy Lu". It is driving me mad as the riff seems very familiar. Anyone in the community know?[/quote] If you want another angle on it watch this [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm1jdhiwoZs"]Joni Jaco[/url] Its only for a minute or so before Jaco goes into his schizo solo mode.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='214519' date='Jun 7 2008, 06:04 PM']I wouldn't say it makes it the rarest ever, i've tried searching for some things on google and come up with absolutely nothing.[/quote] I,m only encouraging debate and trying to find out if there are still some out there. What have you searched for and been unable to find ? I know of more 51 Precisions than my Hofner !

[quote name='BigRedX' post='214391' date='Jun 7 2008, 02:45 PM']The fingerboard is bare wood which is why it's got flats on it. Actually they sound great with the Lightwave pickup system, so doubt I'll be trying anything else on it soon. To get back to the original post... Personally I don't like basses with light-coloured fingerboards unless the body is a similar light coloured wood. My three favourite basses all have ebony fingerboards.[/quote] I think it depends on the combination of body, neck and hardware and the sound you are after, heres a few examples [attachment=9390:Maple_Ebanol.jpg] [attachment=9391:Maple02.jpg] Top one is a mighty mite maple / ebanol Lower is my own specification far east maple /maple