Frank Blank

Very wise words. In the end we are, of course, pleasing ourselves and if that is at a cost so be it. I play acoustic bass mostly so I am fully satisfied with the modern basses I have acquired but I still yearn for a Fender Jazz that actually slays me.

I agree with you to an extent, as in a Fender of a certain year either is or isn’t the genuine article but I think a lot of people use that as an umbrella term to cover vintage instruments generally thus excluding modern instruments when perhaps some genuinely authentic older instruments may be only as good or sometimes not as good as a modern one but the modern ones are disregarded simply because they aren’t ‘authentic’ in the generalised sense I’ve talked about. I agree, it’s been a delight to hear constructive and interesting discussion.

This is what I’m after, what are the ‘differences’ of which you speak?

This is very true. I do mourn the age of hat wearing but embrace world that includes advanced medicine.

This is harsh but I wonder if it is a motivator behind some purchases and I can’t say I’m exempt. I have the latest iPhone and if I seriously analyse it there is absolutely no reason I can think of to have it really, my old iPhone does exactly the same. Although I am looking into the subject as far as basses goes I fear I am an example of your postulation in phone acquisition, I still can’t explain why I do so though.

That’s very kind of you although I feel there must be something in it, I can’t imagine everyone who plays and prefers a vintage instrument is being hoodwinked. The more I think about it and the more I read these replies the more I realise it is foolish to seek a quantifiable answer to such a subjective query.

This is a very good point but an experience I have never had. I think perhaps my experience with vintage instruments is just limited and I’ve never found an older instrument that played or felt as good as a cheaper modern version.

That notional golden age of the English is a subject I’m very interested in. It’s a topic explored deeply in Jeremy Paxman’s excellent book The English.

I suspect any, if not all, the replies will carry certain words and phrases you have so eloquently included, ‘beautiful instruments’, ‘authenticity’, which are, let’s face it, wholly subjective terms. This whole topic is subjective I suppose but they make the best discussions. I’d love to try your bass.

At the risk of sounding like a utter fool, can someone explain to me why people like older instruments, vintage basses and the like? I’ll tell you for why. Years and years ago I was sitting in on a Killing Joke rehearsal, I’d just been to a West End music shop with a friend of mine and he’d purchased a cheap Washburn semi-acoustic. Geordie (KJ’s guitarist) asked to look at the guitar and plugged it into his rig “It won’t sound any different to mine” he said, laughing and gesturing with his head towards his beautiful 1952 Gibson ES-295. And guess what? It didn’t sound any different, not at all. So what’s the point of vintage instruments other than a display of what you can afford? I’m not knocking anyone who owns such instruments, I’m just trying to understand it, not least in case I’m missing out somehow! Surely modern instruments benefit from being designed and built using modern methods and technology? I have played vintage basses and very expensive modern hand built basses and none of them have sounded or played any better than any of my sub £1000 (and in a couple of cases sub £500) basses. I have talked with the luthier who sets up my guitars and basses about that and he speculated that most instruments simply aren’t set up correctly and that makes so much difference to the playability and tone (I have to agree here, I think I realised the first time he set up one of my basses that I had simply never played a correctly set up bass before). So, in summary, how or why are vintage instruments any better than modern, current models? I have never found this to be the case, is it just a myth or a marketing ploy, is it just peacock strutting with the most expensive or rare items? Or is there something I’m missing or just don’t know or understand, is there an old Jazz bass out there that I’d play and have the vintage revelation? I am mindful here of the story about the chap who only discovered his second-hand $35 violin was, in fact, a Stradivarius after it was run over by a bus, only then did he realise it was worth a million dollars, nothing in the playability or the tone led him to think it was anything special before he saw the name.

Getting it home is worse, I can’t put it down.

The Taylor is ridiculously addictive and coincidentally perfect for the music I play. Wingbass you say..?

That is so green! I like the look of that Jackson, I’m going to try one out! Thanks for this.

Oh lord, the SWB-1 Pro... Man that bass looks right up my rue!

Yes, I’m liking the Mustangs, thanks for this.

So, having gotten used to my Taylor GS Mini-e bass, in fact I am unable to put it down as it is more addictive than crack, I have come to realise that the vast majority of my bass playing woes over several years stem from my small hands vs. full scale bass necks. So I’ve decided to sell up all my full sized basses (Godin A4 and my new Aerodyne that’s barely a month old) and stick exclusively to short scale. I’ve been looking at a Gretsch G2220 but as I am a novice in the world of short scale basses I thought I better see if anyone has any recommendations or ideas. I have the Taylor and I’ll be getting a second as a back up but I want a short scale electric bass and as it will be my only EB I’d like as good quality as I can get... Whaddya think?

Thanks Dan Dare

Cheers Tubster.

Thanks so much for this.

So I have very recently purchased an AER Basic Performer. This has a far more complicated set of controls than my previous extremely simple Fender amp. Despite running the obvious risk of revealing myself as an utter fool, I feel this is the perfect place to ask anyone here to explain the various controls that I don’t understand. Obviously I can just plug in and see what happens but I’d rather do that with a little knowledge first. So here is the list of features/controls I don’t know... DI pre/post 24 volt phantom 9 volt phantom Notch filter/frequency (I think a notch filter is something to do with feedback?) ...any pointers/explanations you can give would be hugely appreciated. Here is a diagram of the controls...

Sorry, you were probably just doing that as I asked...

Got any pics?

Fender Jazz, all the way.

I have just recently moved to using acoustic basses exclusively. They have the right sound for the music I play and there is just an alive feeling I get from them that I don’t get from any other kind of bass. Having said that I find myself agreeing with most comments above including the apparently negative ones. I have... Taylor GS Mini-e Bass Godin A4 Fender Kingman ...I have attempted to play the Fender in an acoustic jam and despite it being the loudest ab I’ve ever played and it being fitted with very bright strings it just wasn’t loud enough an I was playing it hard! I was satisfied with the sound reaching the short distance to my ears but nothing of note reached anyone else’s. The simple fact is that they do need amplifying, and yes, they are expensive if you want a good one unless you get the Taylor but then you have a short scale. Imho the Godin is an unparalleled acoustic bass but again, useless unless amplified. I rehearse in a normal sized room with one other acoustic guitar player and both the Godin and the Taylor need amplifying even in that minimal situation, the Fender cuts through but, again, even in that situation I have to play it hard. I don’t necessarily agree that the simple option of having to amplify it negates the reason to have one and use an eb instead, but, again, unless you get an expensive one you might as well because you won’t get that character and tone. Then if you decide to amplify it you are into difficult water again because to get the best out of them you need a acoustic amp really, I know people say just use a normal bass rig but it doesn’t cut it, really you need that acoustic amp and you can lay out a lot and it won’t be able to handle it. I’ve just sold a Fender Pro 200 because, as lovely as it was with an acoustic guitar it couldn’t reproduce the tone properly. After years of trying other amps I ended up (two days ago) with an AER, I knew I’d end up with one because they are kinda faultless at reproducing the bass tone accurately, I thought I might find a cheaper option but nope, AER it had to be. So I’d say I can’t see an option to jam with a large group of people unamplified. I think I’ve banged on at length here without being any help.