Beedster

Sounds like you need an EBMM Reflex Game-changer. I hated mine more than I’ve hated any other bass, but then I love Fenders https://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/the-game-changer

Often the way, I see so many parents who give their kids all the support they could ever want, only for those kids to simply waste opportunities and talents, whilst so often it's kids who, whilst by no means unloved by their parents, have to fight to for opportunities who seem to shine. Having said that, there are a huge range of factors that will moderate the support/success equation, not the least of which personality (in both the nature and nurture sense); some kids are just destined to waste opportunity whilst others seize on it, so at the very start of things you have the interaction of high/low support parents and high/low motivation kids. I think that I would have done better with more support, my Dad simply wasn't interested, in fact despite not being a musician himself he saw fit to criticise every instrument teacher I had, and my Mum was of the 'that's nice darling, you got Grade 8, you can have an extra sausage with supper tonight' type. A pivotal point in my life in fact came when my tutor told my father that without a better instrument I wasn't going to progress. I was studying Grade 8 at the time, I think I was 13 so pretty decent for my age. She advised buying new, not because it was a better decision, but because in the days before the internet, buying used was more problematic. She gave my Dad a list of instruments in descending price order, and was explicit is saying of the bottom one "Do not buy one of these". We went to the shop she'd recommended, I played about 20 instruments, and he then said "You're having that one, it sounded best" which was of course the one my tutor has explicitly stated not to get. It was 40 years ago, but still makes me angry. His attitude was characterised by "I'm not going to have some snotty orchestral teacher tell me what to do". If she's said 'Do not spend £10,000 on ........ as those instruments are rubbish" he'd have bought one just to fosters her off

Assuming this is in good working order it's a great bass at a very good starting price. Extremely light as you'd imagine, albeit with surprisingly good tone and two PUPs (bridge piezo). It's had the mod that buffers/regulates balance between PUPs and makes these instruments infinitely more useful also. No connection with seller. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-PBAC-hollow-body-Precision-bass/174441656122?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160811114145%26meid%3Ddcaf4addc2a14d8cba685e2e48b8145a%26pid%3D100667%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D7%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D324302669069%26itm%3D174441656122%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2334524%26brand%3DFender&_trksid=p2334524.c100667.m2042

It's the originality that sets it apart

Yes, heft, grunt etc all play their part

Watts have nothing to do with loudness or tone. IME a 25w tube head such as a B-15 through an efficient cab can blow a 250 Class D out of the water on both counts. But as ever, it’s horses for courses, volume isn’t everything and tone is a very subjective thing

Thanks for the comments folks, been a funny old week and had to put a few things on ice so urgency for a '51 not quite as great as a few days back, but might still investigate the PUPs, and possible a '51, when the dust settles a little.

That's very kind of you PS, you do realise however that I would leave the country and you'd never see it again!

Great idea. Main concern at present however is how the PUPs sound. Anyone played them?

Yep, I could probably buy a half decent SC PBass for that. At present I’m hoping that the right strings, the right action, and some vey big and very warm tubes are going to get me close enough

Maple, plus a chunky neck, do part way there already mate (and yes, I totally agree re boards despite the naysayers)

So this begs the question of the differences between a Jazz SC and a 51 SC, they’re in a similar point on the string, at least the front Jazz PUP?

OK, does anyone here speak Nordstrand, i think I need an interpreter

Ha ha, thanks Cameron, that had probably done the job, although I have a sneaking suspicion they’re not going to be at the low end of the price spectrum

Thanks Andy, yeh that's my sense, I'm wondering whether the neck PUP of the Jazz will get as grunty as a '51 when pushed, or perhaps whether there are any P-PUPs that'll get me close to the tone? I've got a pair of '80's DiMarzios in my Jazz, and they don't, at least to my ear?

Folks Looking at a nice new musical venture and something I've been wanting to do with the guys in question for a while. Kind of a tribute act, but perhaps more of a 'various songs in the style of' band really. Ideally I'd be looking at a 51' to emulate the rather special tone the bassist gets, which having listened at length, really is quite different to the tone of my Precision, even when it's driven to hell through my SVT-II. So if I want that gnarly '51 single-coil tone, without buying a '51, what's the most likely contender? I'm guessing front PUP of a Jazz, but I was wondering whether there are other options? Cheers C

Have to say that if owned a music store and a guy brought back a four year old amp, I'd tell him where to go also! Sorry, but amps aren't TVs, they get moved around, dropped, stuff spilled on them, plugged into dodgy power supplies, pushed to their limits. I think it would have been outstanding to the point of madness (the type of madness that put's stores out of business) if they'd taken in back

I think there's two sides to this. There's a lot of talk about the arts 'dying out' as if one generation and one event have the power to destroy a definitive aspect of human culture, not only going back several tens of thousands of years, but with what i think the anthropologists describe as cultural universality, that is arts emerged out of the emergent biology of human brains not by being developed and exported by a specific culture. In short, humans are hard-wired to not just enjoy, but need to be involved in music - either listening or performing - and to be engaging with other people as they do so. I'm an optimistic for sure, but I have some degree of evidence to back it up The other side however is the current business model in the arts and the current economy. The current business model, which has improved I think in some sectors, is still one in which about 98% of the money is owned by about 2% of the performers and organisations (yes I made that up before you ask, but it's ball park), so yes, like sport, I hope that business model is changed by Covid 19. I say this with all respect to the people here and elsewhere who make a living out of playing and/or recording music.

I think they will, although in a revised form (or at least, they will be replaced). Live music was struggling anyway, but Covid-19 has made many more people appreciate the value of real as opposed to virtual media. Once it's all over, we might see a revival of interesting in live music and live arts generally

You think live music is bad, come and see my lot sometime, it'll confirm it for you