NJE

I very much doubt that the new SR is 19mm, just look how close those mono bridge pieces are. Also their description of the bridge ‘MR5’ is the same as the upright. I found a copy of the 2018 catalogue and did a screen grab. No mention of the scale of the upright but it one picture is does look similar to the NS NXT, I wouldnt be surprised if they were made in the same factory.

I had a pretty long drive home after New Years with the family and my mind started wondering all over the place. One thing I started thinking about randomly, was how do people record the YouTube play-along videos and reviews of basses etc? I presume a video camera doesn’t give you good enough quality audio on its own, so do you use recording software, play over a loop or a song and then synchronise that to the video with video editing software? How do people like Scots bass lessons and Anderson’s do it when they go between speaking and playing? I get slightly obsessed about the mechanics of how people do things.

I am looking at a small combo or speaker cab for the house to practice through and it has brought me back to this thread. I was looking at PJB combos, small 8” Markbass combos, etc and then thought, what about a small FR powered PA speaker? In my head something like an Alto TS210 which is 500 watt I think, should be ‘better’ than something like the TC Electronics 208 combo? Am I way off thinking this? Are the small speakers in a tiny bass combo going to be better voiced for bass than a FR PA speaker?

I think my opinion is slightly skewed by the fact that classic American rock hasn’t really featured much in my musical world. As such Rudy wouldn’t be the first person to pop into my head when I think of ‘hired guns’ in the music world. You also make a valid point about being able to actually get certain people for the film and then they have to actually be a decent personality in front of a camera, it’s entertainment after all. I did enjoy it though, and in fact I actually looked up what Rudy had done after the films because I thought he seemed like a thoroughly nice chap.

I was slightly disappointed, but only slightly. It was very much focussed on ‘rock players’ which is fine, then there seemed to be odd bits where Billy Joel’s ex band members laid out how he is basically a complete ar*sehole. whilst I can appreciate Rudy Sarzo is a great player and seemed like a thoroughly decent chap, I couldn’t help but think they could have got someone more prolific to talk to from a bass point of view, Lee Sklar immediately sprang to mind when watching it, but what do I know. A very nice insight into that world and nice to seen some great players get discussed (Phil X is a funny fella) but I would have preferred more from Steve Lukather for instance, and what about guys like Steve Gadd representing drummers? Just a few rambling thoughts but overall it was far more enjoyable than most of the dross out there at the moment.

Ooh very nice, I was admiring that for a while on the retailers website. I may get a gang of angry traditionalist after me with pitchforks for saying this, but I thought a tort guard would look amazing on that.....(runs for cover ?) lovely bass though, I am starting my savings tin in the new year for a CS Relic.

I cam across these a while ago, Tim Lefebvre has been using them for a while and they are all over his Instagram account. They seem to be fairly new and starting to pick up pace as a brand. Hand made and pretty pricey I think, but no doubt high quality especially if you have someone like Tim Lefebvre using them. Have you looked at talkbass yet? Bound to be a Serek club on there, they love their clubs over there.

I used this as the basis when I played it:

Whilst I do absolutely love the NG2, I would be going for the 3 pickup AB1 for a bit of flexibility and because if you are spending the money, why not have a fully fledged Canadian made Dingwall. However, a good 80s Stingray is always a good buy and that era tend to have some stunning flamed and Birdseye necks. The AB1 is a very cool instrument.

Nicely done, I was actually wondering what they would do about the bridge on a complete build, and actually hadn't seen one finished, so that explains it. £1k doenst seem to bad to be honest, not that I have that kind of money at the moment, but certainly an option for those that don't fancy the JMJ Signature.

If you have reverb and or Instagram, check out Jagged Offset Electric. I don't know much about them, but I believe they can make vintage correct Mustang basses as well as various other Fender type guitars. I know you can buy necks and bodies without the hardware on Reverb and they aren't mega bucks.

Another big fan and I am thrilled they have found a way to keep going. They wrote some fantastic tunes and it would have been a shame to just stop because of Scott. Rob is a superb player and has always been great to listen to, he can be so busy but it just works so well. From what I have managed to find out, I think the bass is made by their guitar tech, I believe he also made his brothers telecaster.

They seem to be in plenty of Japanese stores and Bass Japan Direct might be able to source one. They do a lot of variants, just google image search for Atleier Baby Z. Seem to come out around £900 from what I could tell.

I haven’t even got one Mustang yet and I am already looking for my next one ? I have just rediscovered the Atelier Z Baby Z They do a PJ and an active version in loads of colours.

I came to The Police and Sting through my dad who was a massive Sting fan. I had the 'very best of sting & the police' album when I was about 15 and his song writing and playing was a huge inspiration. As a young player I could grasp parts and play along to a lot of Police stuff fairly quickly, and it had plenty of energy. The more I listened to his solo songs and albums the more I appreciated his playing and song writing. I think he is hugely underrated as a player, he is a great example of playing for the song but when you listen carefully he has a great feel and note choice, and faced with the same song I doubt many of us would be as inventive and subtle as he is.

I am desperately trying to join the club, Christmas and a 1 year old boy are depleting my bank account rapidly though. Soon......

Its not fat, its stored potential energy

Excellent news! I have never heard anything but good things about Mr Baxter and that is great customer service. I really need to stop looking at threads about Mustangs, it’s driving me nuts with envy!

I think Sibob has hit the nail on the head. It looks very much like an amateur attempt to fit a regular precision pickup in there (seems to happen a lot to old mustangs). It won’t affect what is still a cool bass but you should have been informed and the seller should have known about it, especially as I thought he dismantled most of the basses he has in, or used to. You seem to have been really concerned about the bass from the start so I think you would be perfectly within your rights to return it. If it was me, I would suggest seeing if there was some haggling room and seeing if you could get a decent chunk off what you paid. As the Bass had been modified anyway, I would perhaps look at having the route properly done for a Precision pickup to smarten it up, and you have the option then to swap in the future. I doubt it would do anything to the value, especially if you have the work done by someone with a lot of credibility and shielded properly etc.

Well folks I think you have me convinced! ?. Got a couple of gigs over Christmas which may help me gather enough funds. I’m off to Cardiff at some point in the next week or two so may have another try out in PMT with a more critical eye to make sure it’s not just one of my fads.

Cheers chaps, I must admit its only a small tiny voice in my brain niggling at this issue, I normally don't give a monkeys about what people think of me or my choice of instrument. I was just curious to see if any other big fellas were proudly hitting the pubs/clubs with their short scales. On the subject of the bass, I was incredibly impressed with the overall build and feel, they really are doing good things in Mexico. The one I tried had the well known pickup switch issue, (a little intermittent when going between pickups) but by all accounts its a simple fix and a good haggling point for a discount!

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks about stupid things like this. You are right, Dave and Pino are both very cool individuals and I watched a John Mayer video and he completely dwarfs his strats and doesn't look daft. No one would think it odd if I picked up a guitar as you say.... hmmm

I had a day in Bath yesterday trying to break the back of the festive season shopping. As a spot of luck I walked straight past a new music shop there, Guitarbitz. What a lovely surprise that was, a lovely little shop with friendly staff and more than happy to let me have a try out and chat without any pressure. Anyway they had a few Fender basses in there at a few price points which was nice. They had a lovely RoadWorn, some squiers, SUB Stingray etc but what caught my eye immediately was the Capri orange Mustang PJ. What a incredibly fun and playable bass and well made for Fender, I was really blown away. I sat and played it for a while, it was so easy to fly around the neck, just sheer joy. I REALLY want one now, but the only concern I have is that I would look like a weirdo playing one. I am a pretty big chap, height and width (I do like a biscuit with my tea) and I worry that I will just look daft, like a giant playing some kids guitar. Most of the guys I see playing Mustangs are skinny/small hipster types and they don't look out of place on them. Are there any more 'substantial' members playing mustangs that can alleviate my concerns of looking stupid? or shall I just give up on my Mustang dreams

And another image emerges: https://instagram.com/p/Bb736fqDCcU/

I think as a player you need to decide what you want to achieve, do you want to get a ‘better’ sound or do you just want to change your sound? What sounds ‘better’ is all subjective and causes huge arguments on forums like this. Different is a lot easier to achieve and you have already highlighted the ways to create different. Without spending money, the quickest and easiest way to change your sound is to change hand position. Then age of strings, leave them dead if you want a warmer ’vintage’ sound. Next option, eq on your existing amp, try extremes of eq and everything in between. A plectrum is another big change for nothing (if you steal a mates plectrum). I can do almost any kind of music and find a complementary tone for that style with just these things. Personally, I would not look to pedals to help make my sound better, only to modify, leads IMO make little to no difference (in a live situation). That is where I would start anyway, but it’s all down to what you want to achieve and that’s down to the individual.