Silky999

Folks to further complicate things, Andertons has a brand new SR1820 at half price. It’s got the Nords, the only difference I can see is that the neck is 5 piece as opposed to 13 and the body wood is different. I take it onboard about the tapewounds. I’ll stick with the stock elixirs. I used to use them anyway. So it’s now a choice between the 2600 and the 1820. Is there enough of a difference apart from finish between the two to justify the 2600 over the 1820?

Thanks folks for the advice and opinions. I am quite torn but I think at the moment, the 2600 has the edge based on the opinions of the Nords and I hate to say it.....the looks. I love a gloss finish on my basses and the 2600 is a cracker! I’ve never had a brand new bass always pre-loved so the prospect of having a bass that I completely know the history of is also a big factor. I’m going to trade in my Cort C4 LTD and maybe the SR800 to offset the cost. I don’t really want to part with the 800 but I suspect that it will be needs must if I get offered decent money for it. The 2600 is also £100 off in Andertons as well. I have d’addario tapewounds on both my current basses and love the feel, lack of noise and great sound they produce. Would tapewounds be a good choice for the 2600 or stick to the stock Elixirs?

Ead, how did you find the Barts?

Merry Christmas, I have the option of buying a new SR2600 or a used SR4500. Which would you go for? The new one is just under twice the price of the used bass. The SR2600 has 2 Nordstrand pups and the SR4500E has two Bartolinis. The SR2600 is Ibanez premium range made in Indonesia where as the 4500 is a prestige range made in Japan. Clearly the 4500 is older, 2012 I think, and will have a few battle scars. I already have an 1989 SR800 MIJ so know that the neck etc on both will be something I like and I’m used to. I can’t A B them as one is in a shop, the other on eBay. The bass will be used for gigging in a 4 piece pop/rock covers band I’m in. I have no experience of the Nordstrand or Bartolinis except what I have seen and heard on YouTube. My SR800 has EMGX pups and preamp. In PJ config so different layout to both the basses I’m considering. Both basses sound good. The 2600 is visually stunning where as the 4500 is more understated but I would not necessarily go on looks as a decider. At the moment my heart says 2600 but my head says 4500. The 2600 can be used active or passive which I believe is also true of 4500. I’ve never bought any of my basses from new so that appeals to me but I appreciate that more bass can be had for the money buying used. So do I go new or used? Would the Nordstrand cut through the band mix better than Bartolinis? Is the newer EQ better than the old. Any advice, opinions and comments from anyone that’s has either bass or knowledge of them to help me decide is gratefully received.

Yes they do. Would they make much difference to the sound if I keep the existing preamp?

Thanks for the reply. I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that the MM pups were active? Are they in fact passive with the battery supplying a separate preamp? So if I want to go the EMG route I would need to use their pots etc and remove all the old stuff?

Hi all, I’m new to the world of changing pups etc and wanted some general advice. i have two large soap bar Mighty Mite pups on my C4. They are105mm so I am looking at upgrading to EMG45DCX for both. I have some EMGX on my SR800 MIJ and really like the sound. These were already on that bass. The C4 has a master volume, pup blend, bass and treble pots. The master volume is also a push/pull for active/passive. Can I just wire the EMGX to the existing pots or do I need to replace everything? I expect that I would lose the active/passive option and it would be permanently active. If I need to replace everything, what EMG setup would I need? i have looked at the EMG website and it isn’t clear...... Sorry if this is a basic question.

So after some extensive digging around through old Fender parts catalogues..... The “58291xxx” in the neck pocket refers to a Fender MIM standard jazz bass body. The last 3 digits are the paint code. I think the WW is a QC initials. I took out the neck pup and there was a barcode with “MOxxxxxxx” This also matches with a MIM Fender. Overall it’s an April 2010 MIM standard jazz bass body fitted with a maple Mighty Mite neck in June 2010. I don’t know what the pups are.

So I’ve given it a clean, new set of nickel wound mediums and set it up. Plays like a dream and sounds superb. Best £140 I’ve spent for a while.

So update as I now have the bass in my hands. the neck is a mitey mite with a label stuck over it with “Chris June 2010” written on it. The body has a stamp and serial number on it which I cannot identify. Any ideas??

Setup I can do and a new set of strings. As I said, I will post back on here when I get it next week with what I find when I take it apart and clean it. thanks again for you help and advice....

I’ve never changed a bridge or tuners before. A simple task? Would changing these affect the tone and playability? Anything to beware about when removing the neck? Excuse my ignorance but I’ve only done strings before and don’t want to f@@k it up. I’m assuming it’s the 4 screws on the plate at the heel of the neck? I’m also torn about putting the bridge cover and PU cover back. I don’t want to try and make it something it isn’t. I would like to get the holes on the body sorted if possible. Is that an expensive job as I don’t want to go nuts on the body on something that is what it is? I really appreciate everyone’s comments and I will post back when I get the bass in a few days and dissect it.

Lol, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.... I’m starting to wonder if it’s possible that it’s MIJ copy well the body anyway. The neck and body do match some of the Fender American and deluxe especially the older ones. Can someone tell me what the small circular metal widget is on the back of the headstock? Is it some sort of alternative for the string clamp on the front?

So worth £140?..........

Thanks for all the opinions folks. I think until I can actually get hands on it, it will be difficult to sort out what’s what. Like I said, I’m just going on gut feeling and I’m hoping it will be more than the sum of all it’s parts. I kinda like the idea that someone has resurrected something from the bits of others. Maybe it will give me some “green” cred if nothing else. The seller said he’d had quite a bit of interest in it so worst case I can always try and sell to get my money back lol. You never know, it could be a diamond in the rough with a killer sound, but then again........

Yep there’s holes in it. Some of them have been used for a bridge cover and pick up cover but some of the others around the pick guard look like they haven’t?? Any fender/copy bodies come with pre drilled holes? It’s like they were an option for a bigger/different shape pick guard? I agree that the bridge and tuners are not original and the missing logo is weird. The sticker which was on the bass when the previous owner got it from a pawn shop says ”FENDERJACK CSD BLK PA 952100 0202” with a price of £499. Could this refer to just the neck and hence incomplete logo? I have hunted all combinations of this but nothing comes up in the internet. CSD could stand for custom shop designed, it could be a paint code for cherry sunburst which is what I think the finish is. No serial number obvious either, any suggestions about where to look?

Lozz, I’ve yet to play it so it is a leap of faith based on looks and gut feeling. I wanted something Fender like and this just seemed to sing to me lol

I’m in the process of buying this bass and wanted opinions on what it is. I’m sure it is a copy or some sort of Frankenstein bass made of the bits of others. I like the look of it and I’m not concerned that it’s some Fender rarity. I’ve paid £140 so please feel free to rip me a new one if you think I’ve been had over lol. i would really appreciate your opinions on it and any info.