meterman

Mucky Bongo, you say? Phwoar, got any pictures?

That green to yellow burst reminds me of the Precision that Jean-Jacques Burnel used early on with The Stranglers. I like it 👍

I’m mostly a Mustang player, I’m currently on my seventh, they’ve ranged from 1970s USA Fenders to 2000’s MIJ reissues to more recent Squiers. I swear the Squier CV Mustang is the best and most consistent of all the ones I’ve owned. I might have just got lucky with this one but it is excellent and not just for the price. I’ve played JMJ signature Mustangs and a black one is on my wants list but for now the Squier CV for 300 notes (plus 50 for the La Bella strings) is brilliant. I still own both Fender and Squier gear, and I’ll play whatever ever feels right. Badly, obviously, but I’ll still play it 😂👍

Iggy And The Stooges “Search And Destroy” (Iggy mix, not the Bowie mix) I don’t know if it truly helps me let off steam but I do know that if I put the “Raw Power” album on I do seem to get the hoovering and cleaning done a lot faster. See also: 1st Ramones album or any of The Saints early records 👍

Definitely fewer Bass V’s doing the rounds than IV’s. And every one I’ve seen for sale in recent years has been crazy money. But they are rare. Chandlers used to be my go-to for repairs and setup work, mainly because Brinsley Schwartz was so brilliant with Telecasters. Also I only lived in Richmond so they were just one stop away on the District Line 👍

Well, exactly!

Yep, as Nilorius says 15 frets, but with a weird elongated body. I do like them although I only ever played one once, it was a target-burst one that was for sale at the old Chandlers shop in Kew, Surrey. Price wasn’t outrageous for the time (2003) but I was more into Mustangs at the time so didn’t pursue it. Maybe I should have done?

Best of luck 👍 Hope you smash it!

Didn’t Jet Harris from The Shadows use a Bass IV for some recordings in the early 1960s? I know Jack Bruce from Cream used one too. Such cool basses. I also have a soft spot for the original and pretty weird 1960s Fender Bass V, but that’s my problem 😂

It’s too early for me to tell how good the HB flats really are, a recording session would be the true test. If they record well enough then I’d be happy enough to keep them on my Jazz.

I’d be interested to try that! My main (well, only) bass for a couple of years was a 25” scale Precision copy. The idea of a similar sized acoustic version floats my weird boat.

I used a tin of Nitromors and a wallpaper scraper on an old ‘68 Tele that was Candy Apple Red. It came off really easy. Not sure about how more modern finishes would take to it but a test patch in the rout or neck pocket might be worth a go?

Ha, the show is on Soho Radio. I’m usually on the same day as Dennis Bovell and Norman Jay. Harry Shearer and Simone from Primal Scream both have shows on the same station but I’m not sure if there’s any other bass player-related shows in the schedule. I’m probably only in there due to an admin error or something. My last Instagram food post was when I found Tunnocks Caramel Wafers in a French supermarket. Maybe it was a pan of sausages before that. I’m dull as absolute f............. 😂

I use Instagram but only post once or twice a month. I generally keep things music related so I’ll do a post when my radio show is going to go on, or if I’ve got a record coming out or something. It’s definitely handy for for that kind of thing. Occasionally I’ll post something non-music related but that’s rare. I mainly like seeing pictures of cats or rare records or instruments or architecture, or egg and chips or whatever, I’m pretty mundane like that. I have my account set to ‘private’ as I got fed up with the crypto spam friend requests and religious / political stuff, so only 350 or so people will see anything I post but I’m okay with that. It’s more for my mates really and it still keeps the radio station and label happy in terms of promotion. I did have another Instagram account where I posted every day for a year, pictures of numbers 1 to 365 in chronological order from buildings, vehicles, vintage packaging, etc, which was more therapeutic than anything else but I found there was a lot of other folks doing the same thing. There’s nutters everywhere. If I wasn’t still doing radio shows or making records I probably wouldn’t post much at all, or even bother having an account. Egg and chips tho 😎

Never tried Status strings, wasn’t aware of them. I admit I’ve only bought about 7 or 8 sets of strings in 35 years of playing.

The back of the the packet is very light on info, it just shows which colour ball end represents which string, and not much else. Interesting that you’re mention Olympia strings though, they’re the only other sub-£20 bass strings I’ve ever had. And they were decent as well, I seem to remember.

That’s the one! I ordered mine from Ali Express so when it eventually gets here it’ll probably have a great big 3 on it or something but for 78p I’m okay with that.

Am about to do the same tin-on-Jazz thing. Neither covers are going to get in the way of my playing (which is right at the end of the neck, either with a pick or plucked with the side of my thumb because yes I’m a throwback) and I always liked the look. Plus, it’s a £150 Squier with Fray Bentos flatwounds on, so it’s not like I’ll be defiling a vintage Fender or anything. And, if I really don’t get on with them I can always take them off and sell them on ebay or Reverb for more than the bass is worth 😂

Not really, but I recently put an order in with Thomann and added some Harley Benton flatwounds in to get over the free delivery threshold. When the parcel arrived I forgot I’d added strings to the order but I put them on my Jazz bass today and they’re surprisingly decent. Certainly an upgrade on the Fender cables they replaced. Didn’t expect them to be as good as they are. Not as smooth as La Bellas or Chromes, and certainly not as pricey, but sonically they’ve got a good old thump to them. No idea how long they’ll last, but as I’m not gigging, probably a fair while. For the price of a couple of pints of Guinness in today’s money these are definitely worth a go. 👍

I’ve been dropped into similar trouser-browning situations musically, and always chose to give them my best shot. Sometimes you die on your ârśè in front of thousands of punters, but sometimes you have an absolutely brilliant unpredictable whale of a time. Always give it a go, otherwise how are you gonna know?

Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. Pretty awful circumstances for Syd, but Floyd were still great for a few albums afterwards. Sex Pistols, purely because after they split, Public Image Ltd released “Public Image” and it’s one of my favourite singles. Ultravox, where John Foxx got to do his solo thing and the fellas he left behind managed to carry on without him. Oh, and Oasis. Just, because. 😂

Oh aye, now you’re talking! The milk chocolate ones are one of my favourite things on this earth but I’ve still yet to find a store in south west France that sells the dark ones. Someone told me there’s an Aldi equivalent but I’ve not seen those yet either. I now have GAS for Tunnocks 😂

Thank you so much! 🙏 Ordering the cover now 👍

Quick question for all the Jazz bass players who have the old style bridge cover on their bass: are the fitting screws the same as pickguard screws or something bigger? I’m looking at getting one of the classic ‘F’ bridge covers (because I’m a retro git) but none of the online suppliers seem to sell them with the screws. However if I buy a Jazz pickup cover they come supplied with the screws... what the heck? Anyhow, I’m after one of these: any advice about the correct mounting screws to use would be seriously appreciated 🙏 Thank you folks. Hope everyone’s got decent biscuits for their tea or coffee break. ☕️

Thank you. I don’t know if I just got a good one or something, but for a cheapie short scale I really like it. Would love a JMJ in black but for the £’s this more than does the job 👍