Bassassin

[quote name='JTUK' post='1134981' date='Feb 21 2011, 12:18 AM']what contradiction..? I never said the equation was that simple. Where did I say all expensive basses are good? That wouldn't be an assumption of yours, would it?[/quote] In what way is it an assumption? I said this: [quote]So you are still taking the "if it's cheap it has to be sh!t" line. Does it therefore follow that "if it's expensive it will be good, no question"?[/quote] It's plainly a question. If you'd expand a little on your answers & your reasons for holding your opinions, this discussion might actually become a bit more stimulating & productive than the monosyllabic contradiction it's largely been reduced to. So tell me - if you do hold the opinion that it's inevitable a cheap bass must be rubbish, why does it not follow that a dear one will be good? Why is that somehow less black & white? J.

Any danger you'd be prepared to expand on what appears to be a massive self-contradiction? Oh - let me guess... No? J.

[quote name='skej21' post='1134613' date='Feb 20 2011, 06:27 PM']Are you sure you want to take a risk on a bass that, in truth, you'll probably not have in 6 months because it'll be in a skip somewhere? [/quote] Investment potential! I've got a big loft, nice & damp. I can bung it up there for 10 years and when it comes out, it 'll be nicely mildewed, warped & unplayable (so I won't need to get my sander & blowtorch out), then I can Ebay it for loads of dosh. All it'll cost me is a couple of bob for a nice Fender transfer. And a Custom Shop one for round the back, obviously. Pays to think ahead. J.

I'll give you £70. J.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1134456' date='Feb 20 2011, 04:17 PM']but this bass is priced at a starter market with due compromises built in.[/quote] So you are still taking the "if it's cheap it has to be sh!t" line. Does it therefore follow that "if it's expensive it will be good, no question"? J.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1134253' date='Feb 20 2011, 12:53 PM']The issues I mentioned would be the basics I'd look for on any bass.[/quote] Of course - but as far as Auntie Sue's concerned, you've never seen one, never mind played one, these "issues" are therefore all in your head. According to the numerous owners, many of them simply don't exist - but you don't seem to be able - or perhaps willing - to accept that. J.

Quick heads-up for a nice-looking [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260737267600"]Matsumoku-built Kimbara Jazz copy[/url], rosewood board/pearl blocks, running out at 8.30 pm tonight. Currently £87 and hasn't had much attention, had my eye on this but unforseen circumstances mean I'm out! Could well be a bargain, & Kimbara Jazzers already have the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=68935&view=findpost&p=994038"]BC Seal Of Approval[/url]. J.

I don't have an Auntie Sue & have no particular interest in one as I don't really have much use for Precisions. I also haven't had the opportunity to try one. I'm perfectly happy though to accept that these are well-made, solid basses, constructed from decent materials & with a similarly decent off-the-peg specification. They might need a setup, but as I implied in my previous post - any new mass-produced bass, regardless of price bracket is likely to need some work to make it play at its best. As I always try & point out when these spurious, fatuous & bigoted you-get-what-you-pay-for rants come up, the biggest issue with the low-end is quality control - dodgy workmanship & inferior materials are undeniably more common, but the feedback from the numerous SR buyers suggests that these are largely pretty consistent. I don't know what factory these are sourced from but I'd be perfectly prepared to accept they come off the same production line as other, more "respectably" badged budget basses. A lot of people are buying them as the basis for a project but that's the case with a lot of stuff on BC - an awful lot of us are modders & tinkerers to start with and a decent bass this cheap is perfect project material. Plenty of other people are happy with the basses as they come - a setup & some decent strings results in a useable, playable and giggable bass that you don't need to worry about when you take it out - and for sixty quid that is a [i]phenomenal[/i] bargain. Jon.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1133917' date='Feb 20 2011, 12:22 AM']Not sure it would fix that - the bar is just held against the back of the bridge by the pull of the strings.[/quote] Wouldn't help one as far-gone as mine was, but if a bridge could be straightened, the bar would take & distribute the string tension & stop it happening again. I'm convinced that's why there's one one on this Westy. J.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1133873' date='Feb 19 2011, 11:15 PM']I thought I wouldn't be able to check into this thread until tomorrow. [b]Bassassin[/b] I don't have any Fenders, sorry.[/quote] I didn't assume you did - it was a metaphorical "your" £800 Fender, just like the one you mentioned. Did you read beyond the confusing part? J.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1133741' date='Feb 19 2011, 07:45 PM']Fixed that for ya [/quote] [attachment=72711:fenderbloke.jpg] I'm looking but I'm not seeing a sombrero or a poncho... J.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1132482' date='Feb 18 2011, 05:29 PM']I am so pissed off that Fender have the gaul to charge me £800 or whatever for a complete rip-off when I can get it for £60. It's not fair, I tell you.[/quote] You should be pissed off - if you are paying £800 for a mass-produced Precision, you are being ripped off - unless you find it a a hugely necessary part of owning a bass to be paying through the nose for a logo, a sticker saying "Made In USA" and for the wages of an American bloke who expects a decent pay packet. And yes - why shouldn't a Ryder P copy, if it's competently manufactured & assembled (which by all accounts the majority of them seem to be) and well set-up (which your £800 US Precision probably won't be, out of the box) play every bit as well as a "prestige" brand instrument? They're just wood & wire, after all, and in the case of any P bass, whatever the sticker says & wherever it's made, incredibly simplistic wood & wire. Jon.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1133005' date='Feb 19 2011, 01:51 AM']EDIT: Just noticed he's using strings with no silks, so it probably makes bugger all difference, or, as you suggest, is holding the bridge together.[/quote] Whatever else these are sold for, it's holding the bridge together, no question. This was mine when I got it - I've seen a lot of these & this is quite typical: [attachment=72631:trackbridge.jpg] Obviously, I had to replace it! The spacer bar idea does look like a workable fix if the bridge is deformed but not actually cracked, like mine. Definitely a fair bit cheaper than a new replacement 3-point bridge. J.

And if I haven't made it clear enough - [b]this is not an Ibanez[/b], or anything else vintage & MIJ. Absolutely not. In fact it's a lot more likely to be something modern, like a Westfield he's picked up for £20 from the local car boot then burned & smashed around in the name of "relic-ing". The tuners he's selling as [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BASS-MACHINE-HEADS-TRUE-70S-RELICS-/160546648800"]true 70s relics[/url] are identical to a set of OK-quality budget modern ones I have on my see-through P project, only his have got filth all over them. Jon.

Have a word with [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=3436"]Prosebass[/url] on here - he builds lightweight shortscale basses. Jon.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1132600' date='Feb 18 2011, 07:02 PM']Check out BORIS/boris [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170605251651&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en"]This looks like a reasonable set of parts.[/url][/quote] Italian-made Melody, that P. These have a 3-piece laminated neck - which is presumably where the split's occurred. Theoretically it might be possible to slacken the truss rod & then glue/clamp it, if it al still lines up properly. Oli - interesting you mention BORIS/boris, came across them on the soundtrack of a film called Elements Of Control a few weeks ago - didn't think too much of the film, but did decide I should listen to more Japanese bands. J.

Before you do anything - check your string spacing and fretboard width at the heel. These weird old JapCraps tend to have very narrow string spacing & you may end up with strings hanging over the fretboard edges. All of these modern bridges will tend to have 19mm spacing centre-to-centre, I'll bet yours is a fair bit less. And I'll do that Jedson catalogue scan soon - honest! Jon.

I'd take it a bit further & have it semi-hollow with an f-hole, Tele Thinline stylee. Think I'd want a lighter wood top (to go with the maple board I'd have) & a cream pearl scratchplate. J.