HeadlessBassist

@police squad You did exactly the right thing there by walking off. I do wonder why some bands have three 'guitards' and that wall of hateful guitar noise. It really is just a row. We often ask audiences near the start of the gig if it's too loud for them and jokingly suggest that anyone that finds it too loud should write us a note on a £20 note. But joking aside, we do genuinely ask the question. We want to keep things down to acceptable levels and make it comfortable for everyone. When you get to the point where everyone is having to turn up to be able to hear themselves, that's the time to have a serious conversation. I've seen plenty of amateur bands where even I had to leave the building because I couldn't stand the noise levels.

The Joe Dart budget model effect is like the "Access" Trim level Dacia Duster with the steelies and zero equipment. We've mostly all got a modern car with literally everything in it, but that stripped out, bare bones approach is somehow inviting and cool.

Thanks Frank. It continues to impress me...

I seem to have an odd relationship with Sire. I had one of the original early model V7 ash bodied models in trans white, followed by a couple of second generation V7/P7/V7 Vintage models and finally a V10 which was a cracking bass. But I ended up selling them all on. Seems I prefer a Pure Vintage pickup equipped passive real Fender Jazz. (I have two, both with the Pure Vintage 64s and nitro finishes.) I also have a recently acquired 2016 American Elite Jazz which is utterly phenomenal. I found with the Sire preamp that the sound was too deeply scooped (even for me!), and I had to boost the low mids in order to get to the sound I really liked. I've really been fancying a Z3, but I've held off, having recently bought a '95 2eq Stingray with an Aguilar pickup. Maybe I'm just in a lucky position where I can own great examples of the real thing. Let's hope Sire don't bring out a Status alternative. Then I'll be in real trouble. Oh no, there's one coming out, isn't there? 🤔

Very nice E Sharp, [or should we call you Mr.F..?) It's amazing how we all notice that missing 1mm in the string spacing, isn't it?

Agreed - my 2-band 1995 Stingray is a monster. I guess that's really the proper original Stingray sound.

Drum roll, please... 🥁

True, but often the 2-band instruments sound better than the 3/4 band ones. Definitely worth a look, I'd say.

A second hand 'real' Bongo would seem to be a better option. I keep hearing that the SBMM pickups and electrics are nearly, but not quite like the real thing. I'd hate to lay out a grand while all the time wishing I'd bought the real OA Music Man model.

It's a very clean sounding bass. Very light. Very fast for slappage, and pretty punchy. There's not much to like. At this money the colours really don't matter. It's a great playing and sounding bass for significantly less money than a Fender Player II.

Very nice Clarky. I was up at Tony's house last weekend setting up a few basses for him. Nice job with the crown inlays. Looks very special. I only wish Spector necks were thinner (fingers to thumb), because they never suit me. I had a spalted maple Euro with Aguilar pickups for a couple of hours a few years ago until I returned it to Andertons.

I'm was going to go for the obvious used options, ie. Hohner Jack / B2A are usually very reasonable, but instead I'm going to go for one of your other suggestions - I've been using a Cort Artisan Space 4 for the last couple of years (started with a Space 5 first) and they're a great, compact bass. Very light, too. I keep mine permanently in the boot of the car as a backup, or teaching bass. Highly recommended!

I love your Em-bassy more every time I see it, Neepheid.

Yes, I only encountered it once - it almost became an International Incident!

Just don't wear a hat in the servicemen's clubs - I played for the McCoys some years ago in one and the drummer dared wear his pork pie hat. The patrons were most offended and he was told so. Apparently it's seen as a mark of respect to the dearly departed servicemen to take your hat off.

That's good to know. I know a lot of people pooh-pooh basswood as a cheap alternative, but I've never known a bad sounding basswood instrument. They even use it on top-of-the-line Music Man basses, so can't be bad

How does the basswood body compare sound-wise to the American Vintage/Original alder bodies? I ask, as I'm just in the middle of having a set of Fender Pure Vintage 66 pickups put into silky999's prototype nitro bass, which has the okoume body.

Oops. Sorry! 🫣 🤣

A last minute booking that came in yesterday morning from the Parasite, er I mean the Agent. Just a trio job ten minutes up the road at the Village Club, Spondon. A lovely crowd, but got a very interesting comment from an 'audient' - he said that he was really pleased to be able to hear all the individual bass notes, as usually with bands the bass is an undefined mess and too boomy - Must be the wooden stage and how people EQ. I blame the flat wound or long dead strings, personally. 🫣

Congrats WoT. Looks lovely. I like those vintage Jazz necks too - just that extra little bit of depth to them, making them really comfortable. Having a look around, these come in some lovely colour combinations. Is it Will at BassBros bringing these in?

I guess if the average Joe Public looks in a music shop, everything looks shiny and new. I'm in the fortunate position where the singer/guitarist I've worked with for about 35 years regularly says that I have the best bass sound he's ever heard. However, that's just in trio/duo situations. In the live tribute show, my sound is thoroughly buried by five other noise makers. Ah well.

Yes, it's definitely got all the right ingredients - alder/maple construction, Nitro-Cellulose finish [to allow it to breathe/speak] & Pure Vintage 64 pickups. It's got that rich early 60's Jazz Bass sound with enough top end sparkle, but not over the top. As for the Road Worn finish, the body really does look like it's been kicked around a car park by a bunch of Mexicans on their lunch break. 🤣 The pattern of wear seems to match Flea's original 61 very well. This one is a 2019 bass, so I'd imagine they've gotten pretty good at the process since the original RW instruments were launched ten years earlier in 2009.

Working on it... 😁

First Bass Owned: Columbus (Korean pointy headstock Charvel/Jackson copy) 'Go To' Bass: 2019 Fender American Original 60's Jazz / 2016 Fender American Elite Jazz. 'Your' Bass: 2007 Status-Graphite S2-Classic.

That's a very shiny looking fingerboard. Are those flat wounds you've got on there?