Grahambythesea

I had to get rid of my Fender Jazz for similar reasons and I bought on this site a Spector Rebop second hand that's about 7.25lb and very comfortable. Top end of your budget but available. Also have a Spector Spectorcore semi hollow which is just over 8lbs but it is a 5 string with. 35in scale so I reckon the 4 should be lighter as its a 34 ins scale. There is an Italian web shop which sell them new within your budget and deliver to UK really quickly.

Are you going to take an amp with you too? Otherwise there doesn't seem a lot of point to a solid bodied bass to travel with.

As a Arethea would say R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Treat instruments well and they'll serve you well. Don't get hung up about the odd bump which will happen, but keep 'em clean, with good strings. I don't get buying a new instrument which has been deliberately aged though, what's that all about?

The slab body with a humbucker has always struck me as odd. The pickup seems to me to be a copy of the monster Gibson bass humbucker as on the EB2/Rivoli and the EB0/3. They were muddy and boomy too. The slab body must be uncomfortable for long gigs, which is why Leo came up with contouring . If you want to hear a tele bass played well and imaginatively listen to Rick Kemp in Steeleye Span. He used one for years in the late 70s/80s mainly played with a pick, although latterly he did add 2 standard Precision pick ups which looked kind of strange and resulted in an awful lot of knobs.

The slab body with a humbucker has always struck me as odd. The pickup seems to me to be a copy of the monster Gibson bass humbucker as on the EB2/Rivoli and the EB0/3. They were muddy and boomy too. The slab body must be uncomfortable for long gigs, which is why Leo came up with contouring . If you want to hear a tele bass played well and imaginatively listen to Rick Kemp in Steeleye Span. He used one for years in the late 70s/80s mainly played with a pick, although latterly he did add 2 standard Precision pick ups which looked kind of strange and resulted in an awful lot of knobs.

For some time now someone has been advertising on Preloved, an unused set of 1960's Fender light gauge, flatwound strings, still in their packets. So would these still be usable or will time have taken its toll? But at £250 I shall not be tempted.

Like the tricolour sunburst, not so wild about the headstock shape. Assuming those pickups are single coils, do they suffer from hum interference from some types of lights like many Fenders?

Thanks, using an ipad is pretty limiting, not just for BC but lots of sites. Editing on a 'proper' computer is a doddle, should have used it in the first place.

Why not use the Behringer Ultrabass which electronically creates an note an octave lower. Probably a whole easier than floppy strings! (Other octave shifters are available, not plugging this make particularly, just happen to have one)

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1463945004' post='3055251'] Let's face it, the P bass isn't much more than an electrified lump of alder with a few twiddly bits carved out of it (ooh, [i]fancy[/i]) and a stick of maple screwed into it [/quote] Absolutely, there so simple it's amazing they work at all! 😂

If you go to a UK luthier and specify exactly want you want, you're more likely to get that precise requirement. There are plenty of great guitar builders I this country and the advantage is, if it's not exactly right they'll probably put it right . You may also get the pleasure of watching it develop at various stages in the workshop, how cool would that be. I expect most luthiers know how to build a p or j clone.

If you're still concerned where to rest your thumb, you could always get a thumb rest! All early precision started off with a finger rest as everyone played with the thumb, but then it got moved to the top edge of the pick guard as a thumb rest. You can buy them on a well known online auction site. I had a 70s precision with one fitted but I probably still ended up using the edge of the pickup. They look retro though.

Surely the point of 5s is that you can play along with just about anything. Loc C is only fret 2 on the bottom string, but if your really unsure of fretting from there you could always use a capo! Yes I know it's not the done thing on a bass or in rock but actually it works really well!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1463063494' post='3048231'] I've just noticed that the strap pin isn't in the middle of the neck but on the top half of the body. Is this the case with all Spectors? [/quote] Yes, and it makes for very good balance.

The machinery to cut out the bodies etc can't owe them much after all this time. Let's face it, the Tbird isn't much more than an electrified plank of mahogany, minimal shaping. If they dropped the price to sub £800 I bet they'd sell them in droves and make as much profit out of volume as. They do out of over-pricing.

Thanks. I may try using my laptop instead and see if that gets me anywhere.

I'm using an iPad and an apple browser. Does that explain the lack of name?

Thanks for the guidance but I can find nowhere where the name appears ion the right.

I'm sure this has been dealt with somewhere, probably years before I was a member. I've tried a search but to no avail. So how do I revise my profile including the avatar?

Traded my Fender Jazz for Dave's Spector Rebop. Transaction went without a hitch courtesy of Parcel Force, it arrived from Dave in well under 24 hours. Good guy to deal with.

I think it looks good! Shows care for detail, what bass is it? I would love a decent 5 string semi. I'm guessing from the backwards slopping tuners, it's a Warwick Starbass.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1395945180' post='2408306'] Neepheid is quite right. I mean the back of the neck. I can understand why bolt-on neck instruments do it (even though I don't like the look of it), but to go to all the trouble to deliberately mask off the neck and have it not matching the edges of the body seems ludicrous to me. It wouldn't have to be sunburst - simply a continuation of the colour at the the point the neck joins the body would be suitably aesthetically pleasing. Nothing wrong with a gold neck on a gold bodied bass IMO: [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC00292_zpse1b3fa8e.jpg[/IMG] [/quote]

'96 USA F. Jazz 5 string = 10lb. I now find this too heavy for longer than about half an hour even with a 4in wide leather strap. Spector Spectorcore semi hollow 5 string = 8.5lbs, but this feels much lighter and can be played for relatively long periods without strain. Is this something to do with design and balance? I know it's sacrilege to suggest a Jazz bass might not be perfectly designed but what do others think?