Jesus

Just received some pickups and a control plate from Oli without a hitch. Cheers man.

[quote name='chris_b' post='355548' date='Dec 16 2008, 12:39 AM']Leo Fender made the first popular, mass produced electric bass but not the first, that was invented by Paul Tutmarc in 1935.[/quote]

Pics?

[quote name='martthebass' post='356267' date='Dec 16 2008, 06:30 PM']Some basses have a default (either a push pull knob or a switch) to turn on/off the pre-amp.
G & L L2000/2500 do - so if the battery runs flat you can switch to passive and it still rumbles.
The Stingray doesn't so if the battery runs flat you get no sound. There's usually fair warning of this - the sound starts to distort.
I guess different basses are more efficient with battery life; my Ray(s) generally had 12 months+ with weekly use, wheras an old Westone Thunder 3 I had was dead with the same use in less than 2 months.
Always take the jack plug out of the socket when not using it - this drains the battery. No jack plug - no draining.[/quote]


My Aria Pro II worked both active and passively at the flick of a switch which was handy when i did aforementioned leaving the bass plugged in. Are there many active/passive basses on the market?

It dont work when the batteries dead, it does when its fine.

And dont do what i did and leave it plugged into the amp. It seems to drain the battery.

I feel slightly more intelligent now, and a lot more geeky.

I keep reading posts on here and on TalkBass when people are asking for bass recommendations a lot of reply's refer to the PRECISION in P-Bass meaning it is, indeed, more precise than other pickup configurations.
Now im not even gonna pretend i know the first thing about bass, bass playing, or bass equipment but i thought the Fender P-Bass was the first guitar-style bass, and the precision name referred to the fretted neck being more precise than the fretless double bass of the time?

Like i said, i know nothing, but this has been playing on my mind for a while (i know, i need to get out more).

Ive just bought a Digitech Pedal from LowBlow, he posted the next day and it was very well packed.

Be nice everyone was this good to deal with with.

[quote name='LowBlow' post='350089' date='Dec 9 2008, 07:11 PM']Digitech BP80 now sold. [/quote]

It arrived promptly this morning very well packed.

Cheers man.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='350801' date='Dec 10 2008, 02:56 PM']How you going to play with those holes in your hands?[/quote]

If anything its easier, my right hand self lubricates up and down the neck, and my left hand has a handy place to store spare plectrums, ear plugs, and lollipops.

Right i bit the bullet and ordered the Aria P-bass for £110 delivered. With the money saved ive managed to grab a leather strap (my current one is nylon and very thin), and new stand, and a Digiitech BP80 pedal secondhand from LowBlow.
Dont ask me why i chose Aria over Johnson, i think it was the headstock, or maybe that my righty was a Aria Pro II.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='350461' date='Dec 10 2008, 10:28 AM']Yeh any guitar OD pedal with a bass EQ control should be fine. I like the ODB-3 and the Marshall Jackhammer myself, but i'm sure there are loads of other great pedals out there.[/quote]


Ive just purchased a Digitech BP80 from LowBlow on this very forum, not to expensive and i reckon i'll be able to have some fun with it as i get more and more competent.

Cheers for your words of wisdom guys.

[quote name='vegas_hooker' post='349970' date='Dec 9 2008, 05:27 PM']Theres a lot of this covered on the forum already (just drive pedals generally), but I guess a good starting question would be the sorts of bands youre looking at/hearing for a distorted tone.

I think for most faster metal, a light grind would suit more than full on fuzz.[/quote]

Thats basically it, does this mean im looking for an overdrive pedal? Any recomendations?

[quote name='neepheid' post='349840' date='Dec 9 2008, 04:08 PM']£20-£30? That's a typical spend that down the pub on a Fri/Sat night! At the risk of making an assumption about your lifestyle - stay in for a couple of weekends then get the Streamer?[/quote]

If i wait im gonna be talking till about Feb for the Streamer, and ive just sold my righty so i dont even have anything to play around on at the min. And if i go with the Aria it leaves plenty to get a new decent strap, a stand, a gig bag, and a pedal.

I love Warwick though, since i first got into bass ive been into them big time.

Im looking to get a cheap pedal for crimbo, it is my birthday afterall and i was originally looking at the Zoom B1, and Digitech BP80 but all im after is a bit of metal style distortion through my very very old combo. What cheap pedal would you guys recomend?

thanks

£200? It would be going to the most grateful home in britain. This bass is beautiful, one of the nicest ive seen.


(you can slap me now)

[quote name='The Burpster' post='349527' date='Dec 9 2008, 11:19 AM']Not sure I agree with that.... You do a lot worse than one of these, and they are VERY playable as standard.....

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_rockbass_streamer_std_4_bs_lh.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_rockbass_...std_4_bs_lh.htm[/url][/quote]


I would love a Rockbass Streamer, but they are £20-30 more than i can afford to spend for a while now.

I think i'm going to to take the plunge and get an Aria P-bass for £109.99 unless someone has anything to say on why i shouldnt?

[quote name='BOD2' post='349198' date='Dec 8 2008, 11:07 PM']You'd be surprised at how easy it is to change a neck (4 screws - that's all there is to it). And you have the whole of basschat to turn to if you need to ask any questions....[/quote]


Its still a little more than i wanted from my pick up and play bass. Cheers tho guys. Im still not sure what to do. Brand new left handers in my price range are basically all the low-end stuff, and second hand are few and far between.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='349100' date='Dec 8 2008, 09:33 PM']If you fancy a reverse headstock Jazz, I have a Johnson fretted neck sat around, kinda have plans for it, but could do with some pennies, I will send it to you for £30, with tuners on. You'll need to replace the nut. Its very chunky though, might be better off with another neck entirely if you fancy a different profile, and that kinda kills the idea.[/quote]


It would be cool to do, but my rookie status in the bass world means ive got a year or so to go before i start attaching new necks to things. Thanks though.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='348906' date='Dec 8 2008, 06:28 PM']I bought my Johnson off htis guy, bunch of the stuff he claims about the pickups is not true, but message him and see if he has a fretted one, he was cool to deal with: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JOHNSON-JAZZ-BASS-LEFT-HAND-FRETLESS-IN-ABS-HARD-CASE_W0QQitemZ350131845901QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item350131845901&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JOHNSON-JAZZ-BASS-LE...%3A1|240%3A1318[/url][/quote]

Its funny you mention this guy as i had already sent him a message. He has no left hander fretted Jazz's, a couple of P's though.

So at the end of the day, if resale isnt an issue, and you wanted to buy a P-copy, and slowly upgrade the components as money became available then any of the solid wood copies will do the trick?

Im asking because im a lefty (tried learning right handed, and just found it very very hard), and ive sold on my right handed bass and im in the market for a new one at around £150-200. But the options are few and far between. But i have noticed Johnsons, Aria's, and some other very cheap bass's knocking about for under £100, and would be interested if i knew they are just as good a starting point as the much loved SX's.

It'll cost me about £135 to get an SX P-bass shipped to my house, not as cheap as the exchange rate used to make it, and no warranty.

[quote name='BOD2' post='348763' date='Dec 8 2008, 04:02 PM']I think that's "solid" as in "not plywood"

Most bass bodies will be 3 or maybe 5 pieces glued together but it stands a better chance of being half-decent if these pieces are solid as opposed to plyood or MDF.[/quote]


I get ya... So bearing in mind that the cheapy guitar in question is made from proper wood, like alder. Are there any other things that effect it or that make the SX a better bass to upgrade?

[quote name='neepheid' post='348734' date='Dec 8 2008, 03:42 PM']There's more chance of an SX, Squier or something at that price point being a solid piece of wood.[/quote]

Solid as in a 1-piece body? How much difference does this make, arent Thunderbird bodies 3-piece?

SX have this great reputation for being cheap to buy, easy to upgrade, and nice to play. Is this because they really are so great, or could you not buy a different brand of cheap bass like a Johnson, Aria, or ALBA and be able to mod that in the same way to produce a decent instrument?

Bump...

Yes, its made in Japan, i believe the body to be Basswood, it is a Jazz sized neck (but not a direct replacement), and as for age i believe its in the 90's. I'll speak to the owner when i see him later to confirm the year. And yes, active.