Musicman20

I'm very very picky with quality and I am very happy with mine. Maybe I was lucky for once.

A chap on Talkbass put a photo up sans-pick guard. I like it!!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1469633679' post='3099931'] ah, thanks! any idea how they compared to the Custom Shop 60s? I was thinking of those for my bass... [/quote] Not sure unfortunately. My American Standard has the normal USA Standard pickups from before 2012. The 64's just seem very 'organic' and 'full' to me.

That looks awful!

Fender Pure Vintage 64 Jazz Pickups http://intl.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-bass-parts/pickups-and-preamps/pure-vintage-64-jazz-bass-pickup-set-black-2/

[quote name='spacecowboy' timestamp='1469611140' post='3099663'] Valid points! The pickups are fantastic aren't they! [/quote] They really are. I have a 2009/10 American Standard Jazz which is lovely and well built bass, but I'd rather play this Flea bass...the pickups just seem to be the perfect Jazz tone I've always wanted.

I still use CDs, but my main source for music is mp3 and vinyl. Vinyl just has something about it. It's larger, it looks better, it has a collectability about it, it sounds fabulous. Cassettes? Weird. They were great for what they did. Recording off the radio was brill or copying a friend's mix. Mixtapes were also fun! This nostalgia is just another fad for hipsters to get into, but as long as people are buying/collecting/sharing music, so be it!

Looks great, glad you sorted it out. I honestly think for £900 ish, for 2016, this is a lot of bass for the money! Rare nitro finish Pure Vintage Pickups Rare control setup This bass is similar to what the guitarist get with the Baja Telecaster....a bargain (although more expensive due to being nitro).

More guitar-related I'm afraid! Jazzmaster.

If you are still relatively new to bass, I really think you should leave it. The contours don't make a world of difference. The Classic Stingrays are fantastic basses; my Stingray Classic 5 is the best bass guitar I've ever played/heard/seen in my experience. It is the perfect blend of old and new. They are pretty expensive and basically a top of the range Musicman. PLEASE leave it as it is!

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1469488253' post='3098789'] Wasn't £949 the original RRP. I'm sure I saw that somewhere. [/quote] Yeah I think so. When I meant in terms of monetary greed, it was more in the sense that it could just be retailers thinking 'we can easy shift this at a higher price and thus make more profit'. Yep, business sense, I understand that, I am just very cynical when it comes to the way musical instruments are sold in this country. For another topic, but Reverend have the right idea with a 'no dealer/middleman' model.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1469482213' post='3098761'] Its not unfair, politics or greed. If anything, going from 880 to 950 is actually getting off quite likely when considering the exchange rate to the states, luckily we are getting the Euro price, as and the euro has been depressed too, it seems that fender are soaking up some of the loss. The day before brexit, $1199 (the US price) was £800, today it is £913, so it is exactly the opposite of greed. [/quote] Unless you know the buying price then we will never know. I do think the situation is unfair but it's not for this topic.

Price rise is a bit unfair. But, let's face it, without going to far into politics, Brexit is already causing enough problems as it is. Could also be greed!

Oh yes the washers are the same on mine! Thankfully it seems normal and they work perfectly.

My opinion is that if you can earn properly to have a good quality of life (and I don't mean JUST scraping by, I mean earning what a normal career would offer or what you used to do) from music, you are very lucky. I'm glad some of us are able to do that...there is hope! Says the musician who just spent hours preparing for a DJ set with a friend, filled the room, made everyone have a fun night, and chose to do everything free of charge (apart from the bar handed myself and my friend about £40 worth of drinks over the night). Music is the biggest part of my life. I have too many hobbies but seeing bands/buying vinyl/hunting down new music/playing guitar/bass and trying to play music and write is everything to me. I do it for free because, well, I come from an underground punk DIY background despite not appearing like I do! However, if an opportunity arose that allowed me to earn from it and enjoy myself, without giving up 3 nights a week to a guitarist who probably doesn't have such a strict career, then I would take it without thinking! Glad some of us are living the dream.

Facebook shares, Instagram, not so much twitter as it is SO busy with junk. I like old fashioned flyers but I've not seen a band use them, apart from big bands advertising huge gigs, for some time. Miss the days of going 'flyering' at 12am and steering clear of the authorities.

They look decent to me. I reckon just a fret dress would sort it out. For that age, the frets are doing well. You could think about switching to 'bright' flats as well to maintain the life of them.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1469181728' post='3096348'] I'm warming to one of these. Just a quick one to owners concerning the finish. Where the nitro has been removed/distressed, is it bare (new) wood or some kind of clearcoat underneath? I watched a couple of You Tube clips last night and the bare wood looked a bit shiny when the demonstrator was flipping the bass back and forth. [/quote] It certainly 'feels' a little bare. I am not sure whether it is! I presume it has some sort of thin coating for protection.... Yet another weekend jam packed so no time for a quick play. BOOOOOOO!

One thing I will note, EBMM instruments ALWAYS lose value with modifications, more so than most basses. Why? Well a lot of it comes down to those who want one in the first place. I started getting into Stingrays because of the aesthetics and tone, but the other factor was the fact that the bass needs zero mods. I like them how they make them.

Usually a cover band is covering popular songs, maybe slightly shaking up the format of the song, and making a profit from it. I don't think I'd ever 'work' in a covers band unless I earnt a healthy amount of money from it. I tried it at 16 with a few older lads and it was fun, (mainly because we hit the wave of Brit pop/indie revival in the 90s) and I've tried it a few times since, but it never feels the same as writing music, recording your own music, and gigging it to people who enjoy your music. Writing with people you really connect with - that....is simply the best thing about being in a band.

The jack socket on a few of my basses is super tight. This is the same. I usually press on the control plate whilst pulling the cable out. I can see how the above might be done... Strange to see how the wear is so similar! On Maldy's pics, the rear picture shows a missing piece of finish on its own, with a 'smile' of darker colour underneath it. That is identical to mine. WEIRD.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1469003447' post='3094925'] They turned out to be hippies. [/quote] NEVER TRUST A HIPPY

Sorry yes it's Mexican made but obviously Fender are in the USA. This isn't a normal price rise, this is Brexit's fault....less said the better.

Order a 2EQ modern Ray 😁

Man, you might regret it! Andertons have announced USA products are rising in price.