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[quote name='Shambo' post='1136481' date='Feb 21 2011, 10:55 PM']If you're playing the bass, whose looking at you anyway? It's like a state of invisibility. I reckon I can appreciate a good looking bass when I see one but looks aren't everything. If it feels right and sounds right then carry on.[/quote] Depends how much attention you want. I want a lot so I make sure I get it by wear daft clothes and dancing like a twat

[quote name='gjones' post='1136086' date='Feb 21 2011, 07:53 PM']Thanks for taking the time to record those examples. That J-Retro is very nice indeed. You may have made my mind up for me. You should get a cut from Mr East for all the extra profit he's going to make this month. By the way I'm picking up a CIJ 62 reissue Jazz on Sunday..........hope it sounds as good as yours.[/quote] I'd never take a cut from Mr East, my reward is he will get more business! I hope you like your new 62! Where are you getting it from? What colour?

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1136098' date='Feb 21 2011, 07:58 PM']If something happened where you couldn't get paid for gigs, would you carry on playing for nothing, just for the sheer enjoyment? When I was young I definitely would, but I'm not sure now. I know a lot of bands do play for no fee anyway. Any thoughts?[/quote] That's why I have a day job, so I can play the music I love. I don't get paid for playing very often.

Aesthetics is important. No question. How important is down to the individual. I find the appearance of a bass incredibly important to me. I like the Warwick Corvette body shape a lot, but Warwick do some ugly shapes too. If I'm going to buy a bass, I need to feel I want to sit and stare at it is as pleasurable as playing it. Also, if I am going to be seen in public with it, it's going to have to reflect my personality. Even seemingly small details such as the shape of the bridge, or the hardware colour can make or break the deal for me. Body colour is very important, I do NOT like the look of daftwoods. I would not be seen dead with an Alembic, a single cut or any bass with more than 4 strings. A five string daftwood custom build with the vague look of a Carl Thompson is the ultimate in ugliness for me, as is a Fodera single cut. I don't care if it plays like a dream and sounds like god, you could not pay me enough money to own one. If all this makes me seem shallow, bring it on! I don't care. Hopefully the music I make on the basses I choose vindicates me. Something I do find very odd though is when people stick a pic or two of their 'gorgeous' bass in the gear porn section, maybe their wondrous Sei Flamboyant with the bookmatched burl ives top and all those laminates and gold hardware, waxing lyrical about the utterly beautiful aesthetics - and the bass on a stand next to an unmade bed with a hideously ugly duvet cover, magnolia fitted carpets, some sh*t looking Ikea built-in wardrobe in the background, and a load of dirty socks and even underpants lying next to the bass. I even see this in the FS section god help us! Some people reserve their aesthetic for certain things. If you really have an aesthetic, you will hopefully apply it to your entire life, not just a bass.

[quote name='clauster' post='1135233' date='Feb 21 2011, 10:58 AM']Although there are also active basses that can also only cut tone[/quote] And Fender do very odd active circuits. Generally though, it means the onboard preamp powered by usually 1, sometimes 2 9v batteries. Thi pickups may or may not be active. If you're interested, to illustrate the difference between the two, I just posted this 'before and after' comparison with sound clips of my Jazz with its standard passive electronics and after fitting an active preamp. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=123987&pid=1135241&st=20&#entry1135241"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...p;#entry1135241[/url]

[quote name='redstriper' post='1134985' date='Feb 21 2011, 12:24 AM'][b]PARDON ![/b] - Oh hang on, I'll just turn me subs down a bit.............. No need to apologise, I wasn't offended at all, I just had another listen and you're right, it's clean and very deep - what part of the frequency range is being boosted ?[/quote] I just realised you were being witty, sorry I must have had a SoH failure According to John, the higher you boost the bass on the J-Retro, the lower the frequency becomes. This would be boosted at about 50Hz. Amazingly deep for a bass going direct with nothing other than a touch of reverb. Cheers, N

[quote name='redstriper' post='1134892' date='Feb 20 2011, 10:28 PM']pardon?[/quote] Sorry, no offence meant. I was wondering if your speakers might be f***ed from too much loud dub. One of my Alesis M1 Actives is.

[quote name='redstriper' post='1134810' date='Feb 20 2011, 09:06 PM']I turned it right down, but it's still distorting.[/quote] Interesting, it's fine on mine. Have you been playing too much dub too loudly?

[quote name='redstriper' post='1134787' date='Feb 20 2011, 08:43 PM']ACTIVE East - Bass almost fully boosted / treble rolled off / bright flat / mid flat 7. Neck This sounds distorted, or is that the idea?[/quote] It's the subs messing with the speakers, if you turn it down it's clean. The bass boost is extreme!

Thanks gents JT, I did mess with the mids a little but to me, it's for getting a great place in the mix, and since this is solo bass, I thought I may serve the purpose of the thread better leaving it flat. You're right though, the mid sweep boost/cut is immensely useful. Pook, I use the neck pup almost exclusively on every bass, the neck pup's where it's at!

Some of you know I bought a gorgeous CAR Japan Fender Jazz from Far East Guitars a couple of weeks back. It's wonderful to play but I am used to active Warwicks and, for me, the tones on offer from the Fender did not float my duck. It has a BadassII bridge which may or may not contribute to that. So, having already bought a U-Retro Deluxe from John East last year for another bass, I thought I'd get a J-Retro 01 for this 'un. I recorded 8 clips, three with the original passive electronics and five with the East. All are direct into my desk with no EQ, compression, nothing, except a little bit of hall reverb so you can hear the sounds more clearly. All played finger-style with thumb resting on the neck pickup. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=72772"]01_Track_1.mp3[/url] The clips are as follows: [b]PASSIVE Fender - tone control full on[/b] 1. Bridge 2. Both equal 3. Neck [b]ACTIVE East - All controls set flat[/b] 4. Bridge 5. Both equal 6. Neck [b]ACTIVE East - Bass almost fully boosted / treble rolled off / bright flat / mid flat[/b] 7. Neck [b]ACTIVE East - Bass slightly boosted / treble boosted about 50% / bright boosted by about 20% / mid flat[/b] 8. Neck There is a passive mode on the East too, It's almost exactly like the original Fender tones. There's a 'get out of trouble' switch too in case your battery dies at an inopportune moment. I have to say, I am totally knocked out by the J-Retro 01, it's transformed this Jazz into a go-to bass for any situation.

He wasn't a BC member when I sold my gorgeous Kopo Lina fretless to James about 18 months ago. But thought I should add to this thread. He is the perfect gentleman, a great player and an absolute pleasure to know, and to deal with.

I picked up a Roland TD-3KW drum kit from Christine and her partner today. She listed it with a very fair price and the kit is virtually mint. She also sold me a Mapex double kick pedal at a bargain price too. A very easy, friendly and pleasant transaction, and I'm delighted with the kit! Christine, thanks very much!

Don't worry mate, you know all this is a self-imposed justification for buying another bass you fancy Otherwise you'd just turn the tone back and raise the action a little, buy a pre, or a graphic, or summat I know, I've done it many times myself. "My band wants me to play only fretless, therefore I must buy a REALLY GOOD fretless!" Drool over the FS section night after night, scour ebay and the internet, dream, dream, dream ...

[quote name='BassBod' post='1132343' date='Feb 18 2011, 03:30 PM']Takes all sorts, but I've had generally excellent experiences buying and selling here. I would expect a minority of wafflers and tyre kickers in any transaction..but BC is pretty much hassle free. Its worth using the feedback threads..and looking people up for some background. There are some sellers I would avoid. Nuff said.[/quote] Same here. Exactly. I have a general princple that I am always as helpful as I can be to any potential buyer, if they come over, I'll make sure we have a good chat and a cuppa or a beer, relax, then leave them in peace for as long as they need in my studio so they can play what they might be buying. I'll pick them up in the car, give them a month to get their cash together, whatever. I'll give them as much information as I can, and hopefully they have a nice buying experience and know the bass is a happy one from a happy person. I'll go out of my way to do that, but it's no effort because I'd do it anyway. But I expect similar from others too, and thankfully I've always been happy with Basschat transactions. No matter how much I want something though, I won't deal with a misery. If I see listings that say sh*t like no tyre kickers, endless PMs, etc. I'd not even bother enquiring.

[quote name='Phil-osopher10' post='1132264' date='Feb 18 2011, 02:26 PM']Oh no, my, admittedly weak bank balance is going to hate me baaad! I think I'm starting to get a gas attack for a dirty blonde warwick thumb. Does anyone have one?[/quote] There was a beauty on here late last year. Don't know if it sold. Like this? [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=45304&hl"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=45304&hl[/url]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1132127' date='Feb 18 2011, 12:51 PM']Ironically I prefer the neck pick up soloed.[/quote] Me too, on every bass I've had. You like it then? You'll adore a recent German one!

I fitted the J-Retro 01 to my Fender Jazz tonight. I have recorded a before and after comparison for your listening pleasure which I will upload tomorrow.

Nope. It's the multi-laminate bubinga/ziricote/ebony/burl ives bottom and the 3D quilted maple 8mm drop cap, along with the real bone nut and the very very very very thin breathable thinsulate nitro finish. The strap buttons are hollowed out to get that nice airy sound and the bridge is made of bone with corian bolts, and the bridge saddles are savoy cabbage for the extra iron content and maximum string vibration to body transfer. Other than that, it's probably something to do with the pickups and electronics.

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='1125142' date='Feb 12 2011, 04:57 PM']+1 those DR's look amazing. No gloves though?[/quote] Nice aren't they! Jam owns that bass now. I forgot to put them on

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1130645' date='Feb 17 2011, 09:46 AM']How hard are these to fit? Id quite like one for a Jazz bass.[/quote] Piece of cake, only the grounds need to soldered together, the pup wires are solderless connections. Just make sure your cavity is not tapered at the jack end, like I just found out, I need to shave a couple of mill out in a small area, no big deal though, just a little bit near the top of the cavity so the switch fits comfortably.

Put what you like best on it. Tort only looks good on white basses, mint is nice, pearl white is really nice and would match your bass well. Pearl black is horrible.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='1129874' date='Feb 16 2011, 04:49 PM']Well that's fascinating. Learning stuff like that beats sitting around vegetating.[/quote] Yes! It really gets one's pulse racing doesn't it.