ZilchWoolham

[quote name='el borracho' timestamp='1495304881' post='3302887'] Looks to be a lot of black around the forearm cutaway - ply body??? [/quote] Agreed - this is never a good sign. The body might just be from 1969, but if it is it's probably from Japan. And with the black around the contour, it's sandwiched at best, and could very well indeed be plywood.

On acoustic guitar I use a capo all the time, because I like to involve a lot of open strings, and I'd like to be able to do so in several keys. Also, open chords with a capo somewhere up high like the seventh fret have a very sweet and unique timbre. As for bass, sometimes you'll find yourself playing bits that really wouldn't be particularly playable if you'd have to fret every note, and if you have to transpose it a capo would certainly be handy, but I've never had to use one myself for that reason. I have used one for another reason, though. A lot of Andy Rourke's parts with The Smiths were played on a bass tuned to F#, to match Johnny Marr's guitars of the same tuning. Out of curiosity, I've sometimes placed a capo on the second fret to get a feel for how he originally fingered those songs. None of them really needs it to be playable, but a tune like Barbarism Begins at Home did feel a bit more fluid that way.

Very impressive! Did it have a [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfeyUGZt8nk"]buttery biscuit base[/url]?

You can indeed get a noise-cancelling J pickup, either two coils stacked or two coils next to each other, but like mcnach said it's not going to sound like a Stingray pup.

It's Hopper, isn't it? Wonderfully creative player!

I can't remember exactly what the circuitry actually did, but it came about because Moog and Gibson were both owned by Norlin at the time. Norlin also made the Lab amplifiers around that time, and I believe they had some Moog components as well.

Let it be known that I have a particular penchant for great song titles. They can be inviting, evocative, and poetry in their own right. A forgotten art form, in a sense. There are a few bands/artists who strike me as being especially good at this craft. Such as: [size=4][b]-Pavement[/b][/size] with songs like [b][i]Mellow Jazz Docent;[/i][/b] [b][i]In the Mouth a Desert;[/i][/b] [b][i]Frontwards;[/i][/b] [i][b]So Stark (You're a Skyscraper)[/b][/i] and [b][i]Lions (Linden)[/i][/b] [size=4][b]-They Might Be Giants[/b][/size] with tracks like [i][b]Which Describes How You're Feeling;[/b][/i] [i][b]When It Rains It Snows[/b][b]; I Am a Human Head;[/b][/i] [b]How Can I Sing Like a Girl?[i];[/i][/b] [b][i]Dead [/i][/b]and [b][i]Don't Let's Start[/i][/b]. I also feel that one of [size=4][b]Morrissey's [/b][/size][size=5][size=4]biggest strengths as a solo artist is his knack for titles like [/size][/size][i][b]In the Future When All's Well; Yes, I Am Blind; That's How People Grow Up; We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful [/b][/i]and the wonderfully depressing [i][b]My Life is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye[/b][/i]. He also had some great titles with [b]The Smiths[/b], like [i][b]Barbarism Begins at Home; Shakespeare's Sister [/b][/i]and [b][i]Oscillate Wildly[/i][/b]. What are some of your favourite titles, or favourite artists who consistently deliver the goods when it comes to the former?

Really, really liking that headstock shape!

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1491234686' post='3271438'] Ah yes, quite right, should have read the question better. I was talking about the two halves of the P not PJ. Could be an interesting experiment in there somewhere though.... [/quote] I know some people do it with Jazz basses to get a bit more oomph. I reckon with a P pickup in the mix it would be more oomph than you could ask for, but I suppose it could be someone's cup of tea. Some crazy folk even wire humbuckers on guitars in series (again, the two pickups as well as the coils within the pickups). It tends to sound a bit... thick.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1491224064' post='3271315'] Hang on...does this mean that PJ basses are typically wired in series? This would explain a few things and possibly lead to me kicking myself... [/quote] [quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1491224649' post='3271322'] Yep, typically wired in series. I think there are some oddballs out there that aren't but I think its very much the exception. AFAIK anyway! [/quote] I'd assume the two individual coils of the P pickup are wired in series, as per usual, but surely the P and J aren't in series with each other? Wouldn't that sound monstrous? Or maybe I don't quite understand how electronics work. [quote name='Jack' timestamp='1490881626' post='3268755'] If you just want the neck feel then it's easy enough to add a P neck to any jazz bass. If you want the full on precision but with jazz pickups then I think (and I'm happy to be corrected) it'll have to be a custom job. Plenty of people will make you one, [url="http://www.valentibasses.com/models.html"]such as the blue Valenti on the bottom of this page[/url]. [/quote] It always pains me to see a legitimate business using Papyrus for their logo. [quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1490885684' post='3268814'] Or one of these from Maruszczyk: [url="https://www.public-peace.de/index.php/bass-guitars/maruszczyk/jake/4-string/508-jake-4p-c3pu-el-comandante130137"]https://www.public-p...omandante130137[/url] Just turn down the P pickup volume and there you have it. [/quote] A damn gorgeous bass that is!

The Light Pours out of Me by Magazine. Quite a tricky one note riff in the verses.

I can't really afford to change strings too often. My last main bass had the same set of strings on for as long as I used it (roughly 2 years). When I bought a new bass it came with very heavy gauge strings made for detuning, and I really only play in standard, so I just removed the old strings from the old bass, gave them a thorough cleaning, and slapped them onto the new one, where they can still be found half a year later. They do sound very dull though.

Buzzcocks did a song called Mother of Turds, but it's only been released on a rarities collection. It was just Diggle, Garvey and Maher sat by a piano during a break in recording.

Passive according to the seller in the Q&A section down at the bottom. I hadn't heard of Graham Noden before just now. This does look a bit rough-hewn but if he's a master guitar tech I'd assume it plays well! I wonder if that's a DiMarzio in the neck position.

I haven't really inspected a Warwick all that carefully before, but I think I'm now starting to understand the appeal. The craftsmanship is very impressive. From the front it looks like a one piece body, yet from the back you can see it's a neck through. Most brands would usually settle for a neck and two wings, occasionally capped with another fancy slice of wood. This seems to me like they've scooped out the back to fit the neck, leaving the top intact, and it looks so seamless. I can't remember when I last saw a bass that looked so much like one unified piece. Even the way the fretboard tapers off onto the body is incredibly smooth. Bloody gorgeous that is!

Doesn't get much bigger than this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhW6T5yzBQ[/media]

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1487182042' post='3237859'] I like that in the FAQs they make clear about the working practices of the manufacturers and decent ethics. I feel that's important and would draw me to their products. [/quote] I do very much support this but unfortunately I was so repulsed I never made it to the FAQ.

Love her tone and playing on this track: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-RDJ4Z4XrQ[/media]

[quote name='KK Jale' timestamp='1486765102' post='3234502'] Reading the OP, here's a long long long shot: a Fender Japan Hama Okamoto. It's essentially an alder-body sunburst slab-board '62 P-bass reissue, but with an A-width Jazz nut. Recently discontinued, and you'd have to order one used from Japan thus unplayed and untried. Great looking basses though..... [/quote] Great find! According to the leaflet ([url="http://www.rockin.co.jp/files/c7e9e42d8c4443ced9adba18bddb5995.jpg"]http://www.rockin.co...a18bddb5995.jpg[/url]) it does seem to be made of basswood though. [quote name='julesb' timestamp='1486829245' post='3234855'] The early eighties Tokais are great and reasonably cheap. I was given one recently in pieces that I restored. It was just a project that I fancied and I didn't expect anything much but I really love it. In my case it was a jazz with p/j setup but the hard punchers sound great. [/quote] The more I've thought about it the last couple of days, the more I want one of these, or the Greco or Fernandes equivalents. Many seem to have the B-neck as well. If I find one in sunburst with a rosewood board I'd be very tempted. I'm quite knowledgeable when it comes to the guitars of Tokai, Fujigen etc. from this era, but I suppose now is the time to read up on the basses!

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1486674115' post='3233797'] Contact Doug Wilkes at Wilkes Guitars. Based in Keele, Staffordshire he will hand build you [u]exactly [/u]what you want from the very finest select materials literally to the nth degree. This will be done with a minimum dose of bullshit and a large helping of sardonic humour, unlimited free coffee and chocolate digestives thrown in. [/quote] I should probably add that my budget wouldn't be high enough to hire a master builder. Luckily, I don't think I need one either, as what I'm looking for could easily be pieced together from rather standard parts. [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1486683793' post='3233909'] Definitely give the Maruszczyks a look... [/quote] Ah yes, I've given them more than a few looks in the past. However, at this point, I don't really need anything quite custom enough to warrant the price of a fully custom Maruszczyk, which, affordable as they are (and anyone please correct me if I'm wrong), I believe would still be a bit more expensive than a Limelight. A stock model would be a good idea, since they are insanely affordable, but unfortunately I don't like the look of the M logo, and I can't stand John Belushi! Actually, WoT, what I'm looking for is something very much like your lovely '71('72?) P. I'm not terribly well versed in Fender history; is it ash or alder? It doesn't look very figured, but still perhaps a bit too figured to be alder. Were they nitro or poly finished at this time? In my original post I mentioned both alder and nitro as preferences of mine, but really I think I'd be well pleased with something that looks, plays and sounds like a bog-standard early 70's P. Ash does tend to be heavier than alder though, which does concern me a bit. Of course, Fenders of the late 70's seem to be rather well-known for their less than ideal ergonomic properties. [quote name='luckman67' timestamp='1486679943' post='3233875'] What about a secondhand American special or American Standard? [/quote] I'm thinking about this.

While G&L and Sandberg make fine basses, I'm really aching for something that looks a bit more like a Fender (if not a Fender). The good thing about Limelight and Peterbuilt is that they're essentially very well put together bitsas made from Allparts (parts), and Allparts, much like Warmoth, are officially licensed by Fender to make accurately dimensioned necks and bodies. The Peterbuilt prices seem to be a tad steeper though. If Limelight were able to put together a non-relic bass I think my mind would've been made up.

Thanks, fellas! The Nate Mendel gets several things right but unfortunately it's in Candy Apple Red, which I find deeply unpleasant to the old eyeballs. The Highway One's might be a good fit, even though the satin neck and headstock look a little bare. I'll see if I can find the neck specs for these. Lw. - That's good to know. I'll dive back into the Limelight gear porn thread to see if I can find a few examples of the just-about-reliced ones you mention.

Well, I've seen this happen in other people's lives, and now it's happening in mine. After a few years of chasing multi-pickup oddities with 4-knob pre-amps (admittedly mostly in an attempt to emulate that elusive Wal tone), these past few months have seen me fully accept that which I've known for a very long time - that a Precision paired with the right amp makes a very nice sound indeed, and a sound that I'd like to be making! So, inevitably, I am now looking for a P-bass. In a vintage flavour, really, so no PJ's and no actives. Ideally a sort of 60's-70's hybrid. That is to say, one with a nitro finish over alder but with a B or even A-style neck. I even find myself hankering for a sunburst (although I've no idea how this happened). I'd also like both body shape and headstock to look the part, that is to say, like a Fender. I'm not terribly concerned about the logo, though. I've had a few glances at the various Limelight threads and at the moment I'd say they seem a good option for me. They look accurate (although personally I'd probably not want the F-logo), are well put together, and they are custom, so I could probably get my preferred specs. At the same time they are parts-made which puts them in my reach financially. I'm not looking for a relic job however, at least not for the body, and I don't think I've ever seen a non-relic'd Limelight. I know there are several relic tiers, but does anyone know if no relic at all is an option? If it is, would that affect the price favourably, or would I be better off with another make if I'm not interested in the trademark Limelight treatment? Are there any other builders/brands/deals I should keep an eye out for? I wouldn't mind an early 80's Tokai, Greco or Fernandes but I'm not sure they were ever made with necks narrower than C-width, and I believe most were finished in poly (if my knowledge of vintage Japanese guitars apply to basses as well). All guidance appreciated!

I do like a bit of 80's inspirational movie cheese. "You're the Best" from The Karate Kid is one that never fails to cheer me up. The one 80's theme that reigns supreme, however, is the theme song to the classic [i]Yor, the Hunter from the Future[/i]. Right from the opening chant of "Yor's world - he's the man!" it's a slice of absolutely magnificent Italo-cheese. Honestly, this isn't even a guilty pleasure of mine, I really love this song. It's got some great bass as well. It's almost impossible to hear it and not want to play it again immediately after. [media]https://youtu.be/64Rgw5DxBU0[/media] Edit: I've seen people embed videos here, but I can't figure out how to make it work.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but absolutely flat would either be 0 or [color=#252525][font=sans-serif][size=3]∞[/size][/font][/color], wouldn't it? I actually saw 0" given as a measurement on a bass not too long ago; unfortunately I can't remember what that particular bass was. I suppose if it's not listed as 0", it would just say flat.