Dr.Dave

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='243542' date='Jul 19 2008, 11:38 PM']In 23 years I've never broken a string, is that some sort of record ?.[/quote] Nope - I went 25 and I have an excuse for the one that popped !! You'll have to play like a right wuss for the next 2 years if you want to be the Daddy !!!!

I'm sure some of the 'hanger' stands on the market would work but I lay my Explorer flat on top of my rig , as the top bits are inside a nice soft Warwick rack bag. How do you get on with the Ex ??? Better than I do , I hope !!! Can't reach the first couple of frets on the bloody thing half the time and I'm only just shy of 6ft. Wondering how you transport it too. Mine goes in an Ex guitar gig bag , which is too short so I cover the 2" that stick out of the end with a pair of walking socks! '1000 mile' socks , if you want an endorsment !!!

I've broken one string in 30 years of gigging. An 'E'. At the Londoner in Leeds on 25th April 5 years ago. I know the date because the string's here on my wall with a note attached !!! It was faulty - new on - and unwrapped from the brdge. Went 'floppy' rather than a straight snap and got in the bloody way. So - solution to your problem is the same that I used that night.... By all means carry a new set of strings - I do - but also carry a spare old set from the last time you changed them. I boil and dry them when I change a set , put them in the new string's wrapping and into the gig bag. Well useful to stop 'new string' syndrome if you snap one. A snapped string is also absolute best reason NOT to have ashtray bridge covers on a Fender. You can't even get the old one off never mind a new one on until it's removed which takes even more time.

[quote name='IanBassMeg' post='243033' date='Jul 18 2008, 08:33 PM']Hi there from a newby. I'd love to know if that is an Empathy or not as then I'd know for sure what mine is.... Sadly lacking any info on the head stock other than Status, Graphite, Made in England..... Lovely instrument had it for over 10 years from 2nd hand. Never needed setting up, just plays like a dream. [attachment=10970:Stacey_Small.JPG] [attachment=10971:Stacey__s_Head.JPG][/quote] To my eyes - this is an Energy. I had one for ages , and very nice it was too. Don't forget , everyone , that the real experts (not me) are likely to frequent www.statii.com They were very helpful in helping me be sure that my current Series 3000 wasn't another Energy - and the resources pages have a wealth of info.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='239731' date='Jul 15 2008, 07:35 AM']It would be nice to see Fender bring out something radical and new that isn't based around their Precision or Jazz shaped bodies though, wouldn't it? P[/quote] You're a director of a huge multi national company. Market leaders. Your products are near enough the same as they were when they first entered the market 60 years ago. They've been industry standard since that time , and continue to sell in huge numbers. Your occassional forays into different design territory have not proved anywhere near as successful , indeed have met with crys from your customers to go back to basics. There are several successful smaller companies in your market catering for the desires of those customers who want something different and their customers aren't fans of your products and are unlikely to change their view whatever you produce.Many of the most successful of these companies are ones producing versions of your own classic designs. You have a highly successful operation producing cheaper versions of your main products to take advantage of the 'copy' market - these sell in droves to folk who want the original product you've always produced , with your name on it , at a low price. Would you bring out something radical that isn't based round those main products ?? If I had shares in your company I'd be asking why. I actually agree with you from a player point of view - but it's not going to happen anytime soon. I just noticed how many times I used the word 'successful' above. That's the thing you can't argue against - certainly opinion won't sway it.

In general terms. You can get more for some instruments by breaking them into parts. Vintage jobs with a few non original bits for instance - or modern ones with upgrades. Seen Wall Street?? Folk buy a failing company because they know that by selling off it's assets they'll make a profit. The machinery - so much , the land - so much etc. Same thing.

[quote name='Rickster' post='242208' date='Jul 17 2008, 10:00 PM']Usually find them going for around £70.00 for chrome.[/quote] I just got a B III from US ebay shop jmimusic for £43 delivered. Took about a week to arrive. That was on 'buy it now' Bass Parts Resource would work out at about a tenner more currently. I'm hoping this place will be able to compete with US shops in the spare parts market but at the mo their starting prices are about the same as US 'buy it now's - so you wait ages for the sale to end and you might not get it at the last minute. Anyway - more competition - good news for us.

My III just arrived and I would have measured it for you - but just noticed the excellent tech. drawing of one that Muppet did and posted on the Badass sticky in the repairs forum. Think it'll answer your question so long as you get someone to measure a Jazz cover.

Happy to report that I've just put a III on my Jap 54 re-issue. Dropped straight into the 3 screw holes and the 4 string holes line up perfectly. What I didn't realise is that the III comes with 2 sets of saddles , the spare set having no grooves. For some reason they're called a Billy and a Bob set !! and even better each saddle is marked (L1 L2 R1 R2) so you put them on in the right order. For the first time ever I'm without a II , which I now consider to be of poorer design than my III or my original Badass - though it's still a bloody good bridge and miles better than the Fender baked bean tin.

We're ZZing in Farsley that night. Shame - we could have probably winged a souly Doc Blue set even if it meant Take me to the River and Mustang Sally allnight. That or I'd have had a crack at singing the set with your band. Most of these guys are mates of mine but a bit tight with a buck and I don't think the fee will suit them on an 8 way split. [url="http://www.the-solicitors-band.co.uk/"]http://www.the-solicitors-band.co.uk/[/url] Or there's these [url="http://www.theofbband.com/"]http://www.theofbband.com/[/url] I don't know them as well but have seen them and they're OK. Not as good as the Solicitors but probably more likely to do the job for that money.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='242280' date='Jul 17 2008, 11:59 PM']Aha! The consensus seems to be wobbling slightly! GK's = brighter, Ashdowns = woolier* - don't these things have a tone knob? [size=1](*description noted elsewhere on forum)[/size][/quote] Exactly right. I've always been of the opinion, though, that if I can get a sound close to what I want without moving any of the knobs far from 'neutral' - then that's the amp for me. Small tweaks then perfect the sound. GK = bright. Well , not in my experience - though of course they're capable of being so. The core sound - which is essentially what I use - on my 400RB mk4 is lower than a dacshund's nads. Think most folk would want to add a bit of top if anything. Ashdown = wooly. Well , yes - a bit. Have to throw my hat in there. Not mixing speaker sizes??? New one on me. I'd like to know the thinking behind that. You , my friend , need a trip to 'World of Bassamps' somewhere and try a few out. At the end of the day , opinions are like arseholes - we all have one.

You can pick up old style Hartke 3500 amps for around half your budget. A loud 350w with a valve stage. Folk seem to have stopped raving about them , maybe as they seem very big and heavy compared to the new generation of micro stuff. Team that with a 4x10 - there was an Ashdown ABM going here for about £160 - plenty of noise there. Option to go full stack and add a 15. I'm in a blues rock band and I'd be happy with that. My own choice is a GK 400RB and 2 Ashdown compact cabs, a 2x10 and a 1x15. You'd be pushed to get that within the £350. Not as loud as the set up above but a bit easier to hump around.

The seller? - well , I've shifted 2 or 3 worn out and sub standard bits off my 73P for daft money and replaced them with better quality new parts for a fifth of the cost - so I'm not really in a position to call him worse than sh*te , am I? Point is - if you crack the pickguard on your pride and joy vintage instrument...... a £300 30yr old replacement is no more original to you and your bass than a £15 one from Axes r us. So why bother? I don't get it. But that didn't stop me taking a fast buck from those who do.

One thing you'll find a revelation. Don't think of cheaper gear as being rubbish. The quality of some stuff out there , esp basses themselves , is amazing.

If you replaced the word 'expensive' with the word 'good' I'd be able to answer very easily. There's so much good kit around these days at a reasonable price that good doesn't equal expensive. So - good bass or good amp. Good bass , no question. Sound is in the eye (ear) of the beholder. Playability , though personal, is more concrete. I can play decently with a good bass through a crap rig. If I can't perform properly because my bass is a piece of sh*t then the best rig in the world won't make any difference. We play with our hands - the bits they touch are important , everything else can be fixed with a credit card.

So it's down to interested parties to satisfy themselves about what they're getting. Ask questions - arrange a viewing etc and don't bid if you can't get the answers you want. If you pay big bucks for a fake - it's as much your own fault as the sellers in my opinion , maybe more so as he may be genuine about what he thinks he has. The zero feedback thing - well , as has been said folk have to start somewhere. If the dude had joined BC to sell it here half the membership would be on his back moaning so he can't win that one.

I doubt you'll be short of opinions about gear in these parts! Welcome to the pleasuredome.

Gary's cheque arrived this morning. It couldn't have made it alone , meaning Gary took the trouble to put it in an envelope and address it to me in double quick time. He must have been licking the stamp before I could write 'sold' in the ad!! In return for his contribution , a pickguard and associated knobs will be heading to him asap for his project bass. Hope we get to see it when he's finished. Cheers Gary - nice one mate.

Seems to be a Steiny copy that's missed the point. There's a comment on the link he provides telling us the necks may have stability issues - nice to know what you might get for 6 grand. It's rare. Suckers aren't , sadly.

Elites for me - got them on my Status headless. If something does a decent job - and these seem to for me - I can't say I'd ever find the fact that they're cheapest to be a problem. Bloody bonus where I come from!

[quote name='beerdragon' post='235196' date='Jul 8 2008, 07:23 PM']Google does'nt come up with anything when i put that link in. [/quote] That's because - in typical twat-like fashion - I spelled it wrong. It should be [url="http://www.auctionstealer.com/home.cfm"]http://www.auctionstealer.com/home.cfm[/url] Tightwad that I am I don't subscribe , I just use the free bits. 3 free snipes a week and chances are only a subscriber can get in quicker than you. The rest of us can't type quick enough. Update on the Blueflower. Badass III on the way from the US , along with the quarterpounder. I'm not overkeen on the reverse tuners and will probably put a set of US series tuners on. I have them already and a shame to waste them. I'll post a pic of the finished article approx an hour after the bits arrive !! So you'll find the tuners and pup for sale in the classifieds - link in my sig.