Jebo1

Lovely chap and didn't bat an eyelid at my very messy house when picking up a P Bass. Enjoy the bass!

All joking aside, I think - alongside Fenders - an iconic 'vintage' collection should have a Wal, Warwick streamer, Gibson EB and Thunderbird, probably a 60s Hofner, an EB Stingray (pre 1990 I think). What am I missing?

It's the internet, I never get upset with what people write. I leave that for people on the Guardian of Daily Mail websites...! [quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1462001932' post='3039404'] And just for clarity as well, I wasn't being tetchy or sarky so hope it didn't read like that... And vintage or not I reckon there's a Wal shaped space in most places. But I am biased... Very biased. [/quote]

I'm just being silly, of course. My Wal was the best recording bass I ever had. It was one of the original Pro series and could do everything. The problem is - and I'm honest enough to admit it - was that it could do so much, I couldn't get my head around it all. Sadly, I'm quite a simple person when it comes to basses. Was heavy though! I got offered an obscene amount of money for it by an Amercian and then sold it. I'd love another one, but I'm not recording anymore really. Any vintage bass collection needs a Wal I'd say. [quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1461971823' post='3039329'] Oh dear, properly bad luck then... Funny, when I look down at my Wal I think, "Crikey, this is beautifully made, ergonomically designed bass that hangs just nicely, feels perfect in my hands and serves up every tone I've ever wanted it to make... " but then again Your Milage May Vary, horses for courses, one man's meat, each to their own, takes all sorts and all that malarkey... [/quote]

Good story. Problem was, I had changed the battery, done the sound check and all the rest of it. Wasn't the first time I'd done a big gig. And if I looked down at a Wal I'd mostly be thinking: "crikey this is an over-engineered and massively heavy plank of wood that's beautifully made and stunningly finished." [quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1461912485' post='3038606'] Imagine the scene: Me at the Royal Albert Hall, venue all sold out. The night before I'm proudly looking at my active Wal basses and think, "Huge gig tomorrow, I don't reckon it needs it but I'll change those batteries just in case." I've been playing an active bass since 1988 and never had a battery go down in a gig. Mind you, I've always maintained my basses well and changed batteries on a regular (although not that frequent) basis. Goes with the active territory. A cheap multimeter from Dyas or Screwfix is a dead handy bit of kit... With the Wals I got into the habit of changing the battery every time I do a string change so they were swapped every six months or so. Their power draw is stupidly low given how the power and versatility of the active circuit. A case of "once a year whether it needs it or not!" Of course, now I've gone over to flats that approach goes out the window... Even with that low draw the battery isn't going to last four or five years! ;-) [/quote]

[quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1461659365' post='3036443'] Because of the awful rate of interest from banks I have toyed with the idea of buying (even a right handed) limited edition Fender or Gibson and just locking it in its case for twenty years to sell on in future or pass on to my kids if I have any... Bit of a gamble, the vintage guitar market may be dead in twenty years, or I may need to "relic" it to make it sellable. Not the worst financial idea... [/quote] I'd suggest buying a genuine vintage instrument, not a limited edition reissue. Personally, I have about the same amount of money in my instrument collection as I do in my personal pension (work one is slightly different).

Bass was fine then it wasn't. Not worth getting angry over (that's my mindfullness coming out!). Went to a 66' Jazz bass which worked out just fine. It could have happened to anyone. I'm a simple man, so simple guitars work just fine :-) [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1461501479' post='3035155'] "PPPPPP", as they say: Poor Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. You should sack your Guitar Tech! TBH, I'm sure that's why a lot of live gigs are done using Fenders - cheap passive bass that is serviceable and cheap to replace (in relative terms). [/quote]

I'm not trying to create conflict. I have no strong feelings on the matter at all... A great sound engineer, good player and the right amp and setup can get a great sound out of anything. Often the more time people spend tinkering and fiddling the less they spend actually playing. Whatever people decide to play is cool with me as long as they've got groove and a bit of soul it's all good!

I couldn't really stop the gig and go and get a battery, so I plugged in a passive Fender. Problem solved, Warwick sold. Extreme example and certainly nothing to do with the quality of Warwicks, I just won't use them after that. Superstitious nonsense I'm sure.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1461434255' post='3034650'] Normally I'd agree, except for 'vintage' Warwicks that is [/quote] Imagine the scene: Me at the Royal Albert Hall, venue all sold out. I'm proudly stroking my 1988 Warwick Streamer, we do a line check ready to start and there's some piercing feedback on stage. Look at the Warwick. Look around the stage and realise it must be me. Warwick dispatched to its case, Fender plugged in and gig is played. That's why I can't trust Warwicks!

Very true. Mind you, Wals used to be around for £500. I paid next to nothing for them years ago. Nice basses, but heavy and very precise, I found them quite impersonal. Same problem with Warwicks. I agree the bottom could fall out of the bottom of the market. The funny thing is the vintage instruments I own have all been purchased for less than the cost of modern reissues. That's bonkers. The problem is people purchasing for investment, not for playability and pleasure. That's why things are getting bonkers.

If have a vintage P bass over a Wal. I've owned a number of both, and it all comes down to personal opinion.zz

I went for a drink with a mate of mine who is a violin and cello restorer. Very interesting chap, and we discussed vintage instruments and he is very much of the view that it's unwarranted in many cases. in some cases though, they hype and the price is warranted. It all depends on the player and the bass. Which is why you should always play the instruments you buy. People aren't doing so with the Internet (I have done it in the past). Some people of course will hate the vintage market for everything it represents, and there is some merit in that.

[quote name='paulmcnamara' timestamp='1461415998' post='3034460'] Just thinking lately about bass icons such as Jameson and Jaco and how at their pinnacle they were using Fender basses that were probably no more than 10/12 years old, and yet we seem to put so much emphasis on 'needing' to use or desiring a vintage bass when really these guys show us that its all in the fingers and head? [/quote] It's an interesting question I've asked myself a few times. I've always bought vintage instruments to play and keep based on how well they play, not what they represent.. The early 60s Fenders are generally beautifully made things. I have a 63 precision and it's an incredible bass made to the highest standards. In the 70s quality dipped of course. My view is there's room for everyone in the bass community...

The celebrity owned thing is interesting. I spoke with one guitar dealer who soar even if a guitar has been celebrity owned, he won't talk about it or list it, preferring to sell the guitar on its own merits. When I asked why he told me a funny, if slightly sad, story about a friend who had invested a load of their savings in Rolf Harris artwork.

If you have the money, it's worth trying a SansAmp bass driver (it's a DI as well, so you're saving money on having two boxes!), or if money is tighter you can try the Nathan East pre. Both will add a boost and some tone shaping. The Apex Bass Exciter is also worth looking at. I've had all three in the past actually (I don't play fretless anymore, I play DB instead). A lot of it is about working out the issues in your technique and weaknesses of your bass and then find either practice regimes, or pedals and devices that can help you to fix them. Like a lot of people, I wanted to try and get that Jaco tone (which I now find horridly nasal), which took some doing, but it's good fun. One thing to do is to play and record phrases and then play them bike while trying new things, settings and so on. One issue I always see fretless players struggle with is fingering. Now I'm not suggesting you fall into this trap, but the fingers need such a little amount of pressure to stop the string, it's the grace with which you play fretless bass that makes it sing. I spent years trying, and then realised the sound I wanted was a DB in the end anyway.