HeadlessBassist

Yes, yes. And if you painted him red, he'd be the fastest bass player EVER.

No, I'm not brave enough to try and modify mine much, either. Looking at my American Original [which I've had for nearly seven years], the nitro finish is just starting to show tiny flakes in places here and there, but we're talking pin-hole sized dots. No checking, though.

I read the story on Reddit from the guy who gave the original '61 to Flea, and ended up getting a prototype signed Modulus in return. Apparently he paid $6000 for it at a store in LA.

Agreed, and some of us don't even get sweaty hands. I have a variety of satin necks, glossy graphite necks, oil finished necks, and even a couple of nitro finished gloss necks, and I don't have a 'sticky' problem with any of them, thankfully.

Can you say that again? I didn't hear you the first three times...

That looks good, SM. I keep wondering what the little round dents are supposed to be, or what happened to Flea's '61 from which these basses were copied?

WHAT..?!

Very true. I've been plotting a new Jazz build with @Silky999 and the parts I want are often prohibitively expensive. Right now I'm looking at combining this build with one of Kiwi's forthcoming graphite necks. [Even more expensive!]

I hate lazy renaming of things too. While I'm at it, string instruments have a fingerboard, because the wooden board glued onto the neck doesn't necessarily have frets. It's not a fretboard.

People who drive over the middle of mini-roundabouts instead of driving around them properly. The clue is in the name - Roundabout! Oh yes, basses... People who call my instrument "a guitar". It's not a guitar, it's a bloody bass! People who think music is a hobby as opposed to [in my case] a profession. Precision Basses. (I've tried, I really have. Many times. Honest.) Flatwound strings. (Again, I've tried. I really have!) Being buried in the mix. Ampeg Amplification. People who think a bass player is some simpleton who lurks at the back of the stage. Dull old strings.

There’s something satisfying about little finishing touches - my genuine Fender Road Worn™️ strap buttons arrived in the post today…

Which gives us the tag line of: “Slap-up Curry or Fender Tax..?” 🤔

40's work well on a short scale bass. Fender puts 40-100 as standard on the American Performer Mustang I have, and I use cut down Elixir 40-95's which suit it down to the ground. I do have a set of nearly new LaBella deep talking flats for short scale bass that I took off my previous Vintera II Mustang if you'd like me to send them to you to try, @Swills?

I'll have to try that with my '95 Stingray's mutes.

Palm muting can sound even better and more expressive.

They're basically metallic talent inhibitors. We can't get to the sweet spot or move around the pickups for different sounds with them on. Marcus Miller uses the neck pickup cover as a wrist rest, but I'm sure it still gets in the way. I'm sure it was a great idea in the 1950s/60s to add them and have mute pads attached inside the bridge cover, but techniques have moved on in the ensuing 75 years - unless you're looking for the Laura Lee style consistency... I'm sorry, I fell asleep there for a moment.

Excellent sub-reason to buy more basses. I agree wholeheartedly.

It's a difficult one... The new standards with the ceramic pickups made by the Cort factory (is that correct?) have received very good reviews. I would say the new Fender standard would just edge it. The cachet of the Fender brand definitely helps, too. Maybe a well set up Squier 40th Anniversary Jazz would just pip the scales in Squier's favour. I sourced one of these for a pupil in recent months and it was an excellent instrument. There's definitely not a lot between them. I'd say it's down to the individual player to play both and decide which they like the sound of best.

It almost sounds like the circuit is picking up your mobile telephone or some other device with an internal antenna. As others have said, if you can send us a picture of the internals with the control cavity cover off, someone here may spot an issue like a missing ground wire.

Cash Converters seem to have cottoned on. Only a few years ago, they'd have sold this for £85 thinking it was a toy.

The pickup cover and bridge cover have never been attached to my American Original Jazz since new. Nor will they ever be. No unsightly holes in my bass, thank you very much. One instrument I had already had the bridge cover attached by someone else (Grrr!), so I carefully replaced the screws after removing said Talent Inhibitor. I don't like unsightly holes if avoidable. If I take an instrument's scratch guard off, I always lay the screws out in the exact pattern they came in, so the correct screw goes back into it's original hole. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to walk to the Post Office without walking on a single paving slab crack or join... 🤔

"You mean you want to beat the living daylights out of it with a metal pick and make people's ears bleed..?" "Yeeeaaah..."

I've never played one plugged in, but have been hanging my nose over the Triad occasionally for a while now. Need to investigate further at some point... 🤔 @dmckee Dave, loving the IrnBru!

Lovely collection you have there too, @Stub Mandrel. Especially liking your Sire P10. I had the V10 for a while. It was a great bass.

I guess they're basically the follow on models to the previous Road Worn Jazz and the Highway 1, both of which were universally loved. Same basic recipe with some added 'Signature Bass' dollars added on.