cameltoe

[quote name='bass5' post='783577' date='Mar 23 2010, 03:41 PM']The Gallery in Camdem is the closest to central London, and still one of the best at the moment. However the Gallery is still a small shop and crammed with stuff, just not enough space for you to try something in peace and quiet. If you really want to have the uiltimate bass experience I would, from personal experience, recommend you to stretch out a bit more to the South East and go to Essex to visit Colechester where you will find another very nice [b]and most of all LARGE store [/b]with tons of gear in the Bass Merchant where Darren works, Darren is a member in this forum and will give you a discount just for being a member of Basschat. His store is really ample and is situated in a quiet industrial estate with [b]plenty of parking space[/b], whereas parking in Central London is near impossible. He stocks a variety of nice basses, MusicMan, Fender, Lakland, and other, has loads of excellent amps, Mark Bass, Aguilar, Genz-Benz and other, so you will be definately spoilt for choice. Hope to have been of help.[/quote] I'm unfortunately not going to be able to make it outside of London- I've got 2 days off from work and we're going to be staying one night in Camberley, with one night/one day in London. BUT- I'm not going to Denmark street after all these recommendations for The Gallery. It would have been preferable for me to find a load of stuff in just the one shop anyway, as the Mrs would soon get annoyed by being dragged from shop to shop. I'll hit the Gallery, and see what they have. If I find a bass I like that's a NEW model, you guys are right, I'll have to bear in mind that I can probably get one 'online' for alot less, and will probably walk away if the mark-up is too high, but 'down here' in Cornwall I don't have the oppurtunity to try anything other than Mexican's and Squiers, unless I want a bass ordered in specially. Hopefully going to London will give me the chance to try a few of the guitars that have been catching my eye lately and have a better idea of what I want. There's also the slim chance they might have something like a second hand Jap Precision that I fall in love with, in which case I'll be buying on the spot! Oh, and looks like the best idea for me is to sell the Mexican privately then! Keep an eye on the classifieds!

OK so I'm gonna be hitting Denmark Street for the first time in May, and if all goes to plan I'll be looking to either buy a bass outright, or trade my Mexican P in for something else. I'd like it if you guys can recommend me some good places to go? I'm pretty sure I want another Precision, and will have somewhere around the £600 mark to spend. I've had a look at the Classic series '50's Precision which I like the look of, but obviously if I can see and try as many in the flesh as possible then I can make a proper decision on what feels best for me. Doesn't have to be a new Precision- just the one that feels best to me and is in my price range. So a good range of new and used basses with an emphasis on Precision's would be good. Also, they have to let me try a few out. I need to be able to feel what's comfortable as I've not been playing all that long, plus I'm not going to buy a bass I can't try out first. I really, really don't want to go all the way to London to be patronised. I get that enough in Craig's music down here! I heard the Bass Cellar sucks.... I'll probably go in there though, just to see for myself how bad it is! Anywhere you guys can point me towards?

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='782237' date='Mar 21 2010, 11:07 PM']Happy to help. Both are awesome finishes - I wish I had that choice back in 1990. On the 50s they are a flatter neck profile to the standards. I like it but it may take a few minutes to adjust if you are used to a modern profile[/quote] Is it the same neck profile as the Road Worn series? I played a fiesta red Road Worn just the other day and it felt very comfortable. My local music shops are Fender dealers, but they don't often stock alot of gear, therefore I'd probably have to get them to order one in. Going to London in May though, so hopefully I'll get to try one out in Denmark st. [quote name='AndyTravis']Blonde is a winner with the covers. My wonderful lady bought me mine for my 24th... The one at the top, next to a Jap Squier and a Jap 62 reissue. Never let me down, and plays like a dream. Trav[/quote] That looks lovely. A bit whiter than it looks on the fender site but this makes the gold pickguard look awesome. The covers set it off beautiful. Hmmmm! Hopefully I can see both in the flesh!

[quote name='Telebass' post='781652' date='Mar 21 2010, 01:50 PM']...yes, the Road Worn is a reliced version of this bass.[/quote] Woah so literally £400 extra to have it dragged across the factory floor and pay a mexican to drill a couple random holes? I'll do it myself!

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='781814' date='Mar 21 2010, 05:17 PM']Go back 20yrs and the pre-runner from MIJ Fender was my first bass I still have it and still play it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, in my humble opinion the jump from MIM Standard to MIM Classic is as big a jump as Squier affinity to VM Series. They are that good. Mine was SERIOUSLY abused over the years as I owned it in the bad old days before I cared about looking after gear so the mods are because of mistreatment - this bass is great stock! The MIM Classics also seem pretty consistant from the bunch I've played[/quote] That's awesome. Great response and good to know. Helped me make up my mind anyway. The MIM Standard will be traded for a Classic! Now.....Honey Blonde or Fiesta Red??

[quote name='bass5' post='781635' date='Mar 21 2010, 01:27 PM']Yes she is gorgeous, I was tempted too, I was very peed off that it didn't feel or sound better than my Squier.[/quote] True that may be, but my local music shop sells the CV Squiers at £389 now, so they're hardly a budget line anymore. Kinda need to be good for that price. My mexican P was £379 last year. Fiesta red or Honey blonde are gorgeous. I wonder what the real differences are between this and the Road Worn? I played one the other day, for sale at £899. Is it just one like this thats been left in the rain and had a belt sander put over it?

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='781578' date='Mar 21 2010, 12:28 PM']I think this is the one. [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/68234"]Classic 50's P[/url][/quote] Got there before me

[quote name='bass5' post='781575' date='Mar 21 2010, 12:22 PM']show us a link of the basses you are talking about, except the CV Precision '51, I know that one already, as I have said before I tried the Jap reissue 51 as in the pic below and a Sting one too (pic further down) and I still preferred the CV and money was not a problem. It was the quality of the CV that prevailed. [size=3][b]The Classic '51 Reissue (JAP) £639[/b][/size] [size=3][b]The Stink £619 [/b][/size] [/quote] This one [url="http://www.fender.com/uk/products/search.php?partno=0131702367"]http://www.fender.com/uk/products/search.p...rtno=0131702367[/url] GAK have them at £478 [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/68234"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/68234[/url] Nice huh? Would this be a chunkier neck than the Standard P then?

I fancy trading in my Mexican P for another P, and as well as the CV series squiers, I've also just noticed these. They seem to retail around £480- £520 ish. They have a maple neck, which is awesome, and they have fiesta red! Are they similar to the road worn series? I can see they're alot cheaper but they're both made in mexico right? So what's the difference? Any words of wisdom towards me trading an '08 mexican standard for one of these would be appreciated.

[quote name='bass5' post='780629' date='Mar 20 2010, 11:21 AM']I am sure you would have seen this video already, if not, check it out, it's a shootout between the 3 Classic Vibe basses and their Fender counterparts, by none other than the great Ed Friedland [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U[/url][/quote] They just look cooler don't they? They sound pretty damn good too- maybe a tad 'brighter' to my ears, but then they are brand new. I don't know about the rest of you, but as good as this video is, you only really find out about how the bass sounds and what it can/can't do once you're playing with a band. Hopefully the squiers would be as powerful as the fenders to either drive a band or cut through the mix.

Great Thread! I'm a fan of Precisions, it's just the way it thumps it's way out. Lock in with the drummer, and you can literally feel your chest pounding. As for stingray's, I've never played one. I'd be interested to know how people describe the Stingray sound? More mids than a P? There was a guy playing one in the band I saw last night. I think they look amazing, his didn't sound too great last night though, it was too loud for a start, and sounded kinda 'farty', if you get me. No discernable lows or highs really, a very flat farty sound. It was a real one, by the way, but I understand the bass is only gonna sound as good as the guy who sets the EQ. How would you describe the sound compared to a P then? That pickup looks quite far back though- must be a bit twangier than a P?

I almost bought the '51 reissue last year, can't think why I didn't in the end, as I love the telebass look. Between the '51 and the '60's I'd be very torn- the '51 does have the maple neck! I'm trying to establish whether these are actually better pieces of kit than the Mexican's full stop. I know better is subjective! My mexican does everything I need it to do, but it doesn't look as cool as either of the squiers. If they're better, than it's a no-brainer for me!

I've been hearing nothing but good things about the Classic Vibe Jazz, and I wondered if the praise was as appropriate for the '60's Precision version? My local music shop had a bunch in the other day- no precision unfortunately, but I did test out the jazz and it felt nice, although I wasn't blown away, primarily because it was wearing stainless strings which sounded really clanky, and the set up was poor. Out the box they should be wearing nickel strings right? Maybe the shop messed around with it. Anyway- I have an '08 Mexican precision which I love, and was wondering if the Classic Vibe Precision would be on a par (or even better) than the Mex? (I read a review where some guy said it blew his mex out the water and wasn't far away from the Am Std.) If so, I have a cheap Aria knocking about, might consider trading it in for the CV and then selling the Mex..... On a different note- would a switch to a Mighty Mite neck on either a Mex P. or a Squier CV be a good modification to make? Reason I ask, is because my Mex has rosewood fretboard, and the CV has rosewood, but I love Maple necks! If it would improve either bass to whack a maple Mighty Mite on, then I may consider it. A sonic blue CV P with a maple neck gets my GAS flowing.....

Dreadful neck dive on these. If you want to have a good technique, don't buy! This was my first bass and I've been in the habit of 'cradleing' the neck in my palm of every bass ever since this, for fear of neck dive. Big, messy, muddy sound. No tightness to the bottom end at all. Looks awesome though!

cheers!