Jonesy

You can't go wrong with a Japanese Fender, they're lovely basses! I had a PB70 US (Ash body, maple neck) and it was lovely, only really sold it because I wanted a different Fender Japan P bass. 

As others have said, don't worry about getting a MIJ over CIJ - I've played a load and can't hear or feel any difference. From what I hear, guitar production in Japan is quite collaborative and I've even heard people say the Boxer basses from the mid eighties were made by Tokai because Fujigen were at capacity. Don't know if that's internet folklore, but either way, Tokai are another factory capable of making great guitars.

I wouldn't even be too picky over a US and non US model. The hardware and pups still do the job on the non US models (even watched a vid from a Japanese guitar specialist and he said they were made by Gotoh) and a pup is an easy change if you don't like it. Finding one in the finish/neck combo you prefer would be my main concern. 

Your other option is the MIM FSR that was released about 5 years ago. They don't pop up that often, but meet most of your criteria. For some reason they have a bound neck...

Sounds like you have it sorted - you can't go wrong with one of Ki0gon's looms. I have one of his looms with a push pull for series/parallel and tone bypass. Really well made and that'd be the first thing I'd look at if your pots aren't doing much.

If you fancied upgrading the pups at some point I'd recommend the Fender Pure Vintage 74 J Pups. I have them in a G&L Tribute and they're glorious!

I've always been a greatest hits kind of Prince fan until the other day when I thought I'd check out more of his albums, so the timing of this thread is fantastic! Some great tunes already, thanks for sharing! 

So far my favourite tune that is new to me is Bambi, off of his 2nd album - Prince.

Fantastic stuff. Especially considering he wrote, arranged, performed and produced everything on the album.

It'd be cool if they made a 70s P bass in the Vintera range.

27 minutes ago, Agent 00Soul said:

Is there a difference in quality between the Koran and Chinese manufactured instruments?

According to internet folk lore the early Korean ones all contained some of Jack's DNA in the paintwork, so were naturally more resonant and sounded a lot better.......

I had a Korean one and it was great. Since selling it I've had hankerings for another JC and all of the Chinese ones I've played in shops sound and feel just as good to me. Appreciate that's not an extensive test in laboratory conditions, but I hope it helps 😃

The JC is the top of the line when it comes to Epiphone basses. When they're contracting out the build they're going to set a certain quality level with it, no matter who builds it or where they're situated, so they're going to be fairly evenly matched. 

I love this range of MIJ basses, they're among the best I've played - particularly the US versions. The necks, frets and pups are just great!

As others have said, the larger tuners point to this being a US model. The other tell tale sign is the bridge - the US versions have spiral saddles like yours whereas the export models have barrels. If those pups are original then they'll be US too and there should be a stamp on the neck/body that confirms this. 

As well as Fender catalogues, this site is pretty handy....

https://japanfender.wordpress.com/products/about/precision/

5 minutes ago, toneknob said:

 

Just catching up with their set for the first time. Best so far! (anyone got an effects board run-down?)

 

Don't know how accurate this is.........

https://equipboard.com/pros/georgia-south?gear=effects-pedals

I was looking at them when upgrading the pups in my G&L Tribute J and came to the same conclusion as @Baloney Balderdash after checking out loads of vids on YouTube. 

By all rights they're a great pickup, but they're not quite as snappy as regular J pups and lean more toward P bass territory to my ears. It's still a pup right up against the bridge, so there'll be some of that J bite there, but not as much as a regular single coil. Personally, I bought a J because I wanted it to sound like a J and have that bite, so I went with another pup. 

In the end I chose the Fender Pure Vintage 74 set because I thought they were the most middy and aggy sounding. I paired them with a @KiOgon loom that has a tone bypass push/pull and also a series/parallel push/pull. I'd defo recommend one of those, whacking it in series mode gives you a lot more grunt and gets you in the P bass ballpark. 

5 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Just watched Nova Twins.

Everyone else should just give up.

Rock'n'roll!

Some bass player!!!!!

In awe....

Ah, will have to catch up on their set. Saw them support Skunk Anasie last year and was really impressed!

I caught Shame's set earlier and really liked that too. Nice to see a bit of post punk.

Has anyone seen The Hives set this year? Can't find it on iPlayer, but it was supposed to be good.

7 minutes ago, Daz39 said:

They played the Piece Hall here in Halifax last week; my mate and his lad went and said they were great.

Nice! I had mates go see them in Margate the other day and said the same. Really want to see them in London, but hate the o2, so will see what happens.

I love the gear Homme and Van Leeuwen use, most of its pretty cool and obscure looking. Shuman's basses have all sounded great too.

QOTSA on the other stage are worth a watch. They're flinging out great tunes, sound massive and seem to be in great form from all of the live footage I've seen from this tour. Love em!

You have to love the bassdirect website. When you click on one of the images of the Pro Go (or Progo), it takes you to the Andertons website 😂

The thomnan t'bird bag is 127cm, but you'll then likely have a gap where the wings would normally be.

I have their fender shaped equivalent and it's served me well for 5+ years. Zips still work, handles aren't frayed and my bass is still in one piece. Having said that, I'd say it was just an ok gig bag and not exactly super padded. Does the job for the price though.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_gigbag1_bass_heavy.htm

I'd say the protection racket gear would be better. Our drummer swears by their stuff and he's put it through their paces. From what I've seen it's all good quality and would imagine their gig bags are just as good.

How about a thunderbird gig bag? That'd probably be long enough, just not so sure on the rest of the shape.

If you're looking at the lower end of the market then it's hard to beat Harley Benton in terms of quality and bang for your buck. I've had a 70s jazz bass that was pretty heavy and their 51 Pass that was average. 

If you had a bit more to spend then this is a lot of bass for the money too.....

https://www.andertons.co.uk/brands/gl-guitars/sb-series-basses/g-l-tribute-sb-2-bass-surf-green-maple-fretboard

It has the same pickups and bridge as the made in USA version and is essentially an angry precision. If you don't want to use the J pickup then just turn it down. Mine balances perfectly and is fairly light.

Really lovely t'bird, it just oozes cool and I bet it sounds just as good as it looks. I'd be very tempted if I didn't have a limelight on the way!

That looks great, really pleased for you!! I think the black scratch plate really suits that green better than the tort does on the P5. Maybe it's the rosewood board too.

Andertons online presence is great. Site navigation, range of stock and prices are spot on, their YouTube channel is one of the best of any e-commerce business around imo.

1 hour ago, Ander87 said:

ooooh tell us, what did you ordered? I had to wait a couple months for mine…!

 

Ander. 

So, it'll be a medium relic P with a J neck - shell pink over white, tort guard, cream pup covers with a 70s overspray headstock.

I love the evil dead so I'm thinking of having 'Boom Stick' with a decal of Ash rather than 'Precision Bass'...….

Mark is also installing and relicing a Jag mute for me.

Fender make a shell pink case that I really want, but I don't know if A) it's worth it seeing as I generally prefer gig bags and B) it'll just scream 'nick me!'

Fingers crossed it'll be with me mid August.

29 minutes ago, Lw. said:

You might find this useful; Limelight on the left, custom shop on the right. 

 

I don't actually know how either company do it but going on feel/looks, the Fender feels like it was a high gloss tinted neck that has been sanded down to bare wood (it feels very smooth like bare wood but I assume there's a very thin layer of satin clear coat on it) - the Limelight feels like the whole thing has some kind of oil finish that is even throughout, not rubbed through in the middle. That's what they feel like to me anyway. 

 

 

Ta for the info! I got in touch with Mark and he said that all of his necks were glossed, maybe he does something to them afterwards to take some of the sheen off? Anyway, after chatting to him and reading about how highly rated they are in here, I placed an order and should have something to contribute to this thread in the next month or so. The wait is killing me!!!!

3 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

I think most have been mentioned in favourite bass YouTubers , but for theory and exercises I use Mark from Talking Bass , I like his no waffling approach 

Mark is great, all of his lessons are really clear and well put together.

I can't help thinking if this sketch whenever I watch one of his vids though 😂

https://youtu.be/bwAioN2mtsA

On 05/06/2023 at 22:54, jay-syncro said:

 

Hi, it's a relic job, although it's more convincing than a lot of Fender Custom Shop basses I've played! 

 

I assume it's alder due to the prominent grain patterns, but I'm not 100% sure I'm afraid. 

The non US models generally all have basswood bodies, so that is what I'd have thought this has, especially with it being light.

You can check out the Fender Japan catalogues for confirmation.....

1993

https://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/fenderjapan/1993/en_09.html

1994

https://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/fenderjapan/1994/en_08.html

Not that it makes much of a difference imo. I have a MIJ P with a basswood body and it's fantastic, EB use it in the Bongo too.

Some great advice already and there isn't really anything better than going to a shop to try a few to see what you like, especially seeing as your new to it all and still figuring stuff out.

As well as the brands already mentioned, I'd suggest looking at the G&L Tribute range. They're cracking basses and most of them have the same bridge and pickups as the full fat made in USA line. The SB2 is their PJ and sounds like a P on steroids, with the J pup adding some extra bite. The L2000 is worth checking out too, it's armed with a pair of mighty humbuckers and all sorts of tone shaping possibilities.

It might help if you chuck us a couple of examples of other bassists tone you like, or take a look at what your favourite bassists play if your after their tone.

I played one of their 2nd gen J basses (can't remember which. Sunburst, maple neck with blocks. Maybe a V7?) and was really impressed with it. The neck was very slim front to back and felt great. I'm not usually a fan of active basses, but that preamp was pretty great too.

Congrats on your new bass, I'm sure it'll be great. Just hope the wait doesn't kill you, not too long to go now!

Just want to chip in and say I bought a MIJ Hama Okamoto P bass from @fenderfever and the service was great. The bass is probably the one I play most and it I can't fault anything with the transaction, really happy with the whole process and I'd happily buy from there again. I played a few basses when down there and they were all really great, very nicely setup. In fact, I'd say the bass I bought was probably one of the best setup basses I've ever played and a couple of mates who have played it were really impressed with it 👍