NJE

I have heard and seen, the sunburst models have really poorly matched body woods, so you get very obvious mis-matched lines on the body. Unless you can go to a shop and pick through a few and select a nice one I would stay clear, unless of course it won't bother you. I would go for red or white, they look fantastic.

I was looking at one of these as well and I think it is 18mm bridge spacing. Someone on Talkbass was asking if it would be a leap from a Stingray 5 and the response was that it was only 5mm more so should be fairly easy to adjust. That however is what has been said on talkbass so could be fairly inaccurate, but I have no reason to doubt it. A few guys over there already have them and have started a club which seems to be the done thing on the other bass forum.

Not quite a solution but the guitarist in my dad's band took me and my dad on a road trip to try and buy some new gear for the band. We drove a couple of hours and spend a large portion of the day at the shop fiddling with gear. He eventually bought a very nice limited Strat and a big Peavey 212 guitar amp (Peavey were very much the rage then). Anyway, with leads, pedals etc he paid out about £1600. When we got back it was 7pm and his wife was home, something he hoped to avoid. We got out of the van, she came straight out with a big smile on her face and said "ok so what did you get, and how much was it" my dads friend shows her all of the gear enthusiastically and avoids the price question. She says again "how much" with a big smile, and he fobs her off with about £600. She see's straight through him and says "be honest, I will find out". He buckled and gives her the price, cool as a cucumber she says "oh there we are then, very nice......so (with hand out) where is mine". Guitarist friend then slumps over, absolutely gutted look on his face and hands over £1600 cash to his wife, her reply "thanks" and walks back in the house. The moral of the story, never try and fool a woman its not worth it. Personally I couldn't get away with anything, my better half knows her basses and cabs, she was looking though the for sale section the other day suggesting a new Bergantino 212.

I am not here to defend how Mark has treated customers, just to give my experience. I have had nothing but positive dealings with Mark both in person and over the phone. The most recent was when buying my Aguilar Tonehammer, I called him and asked about the amp and explained what I had owned and what I was after sound wise and he gave me some solid advice. Mark in my experience has a certain way of interacting with customers and I think it can be a 'marmite' effect, some people love his approach other can take it the wrong way potentially. The first time I went up there was to get a bass repaired, a small job that he wouldn't make much money from. I was there for 2 hours with my girlfriend and he made me question my choice of amp, bass and general approach to equipment. It was however a brilliant conversation, and made me see past Fender, Warwick and MusicMan. He then proceeded to listen to why I didn't like certain instruments, took on board the music I was playing and then proceeded to put multiple thousand pound instruments in my hands, and he was SPOT ON with his suggestions. I went through Roscoe's (amazing instruments but too small for me) Nordstrand, Alleva, Warwick, Spector, Elrick, Dingwall and so on, at no point did I give him any indication that I was even in the market for a new instrument. He disappeared a few times to answer the phone but always came back for my feedback on instruments. He was even incredibly kind to my tired and bored girlfriend and involved her in what was going on. I had a very earnest conversation with Mark and he was brutally honest about a lot of the gear he has in stock and gear he has used and had experience with in the past. He basically tries to get people out of their comfort zone and try something they would never normally look at because they are stuck in their ways or too caught up in what they read in magazines and on the internet about gear. He said words to the effect of "yeah Fender are ok so are MusicMan, but they are mass produced inconsistent instruments, they do what they do but why not try, THIS bass, its hand made, balanced and better quality for less". He basically said he has had too many years of customers having pre-conceived ideas of what they want, spend thousands and then come back 6 months later with the same gear and swap it again because it doesn't do what they want, and he can more often that not save them that grief if they listen to him. I will say he is always INCREDIBLY busy, I was on the phone with him and he was juggling two customers in the shop trying basses and looking at accessories, and having a decent conversation with me. I ordered my amp with him at about 3pm and it was here the next day, amazing service. Book an appointment, go speak to him, keep your mind and your ears open.

I would suggest the EBS Reidmar and then look at a secondhand EBS cab, which there were a few of in the for sale section, or look at the EBS classic 112 cabs. Don't be fooled by the power of the Reidmar, it completely destroyed my MarkBass LM2 which was 500w and it was louder than my Aguilar Tonehammer 350. The 112 cabs are fantastic and not too pricey, two of those will give you a good sound. I used the Reidmar with a EBS neo 4x10 which was about £450, but you can get some superb deals on the proline series. The whole rig was incredibly loud and punchy but clean and articulate! Easily kept up with a 10 piece band. EBS have the best top end and general clarity of any amp I have used, I switched to Aguilar for a change and it is a great amp but it doesn't have the super clear top end of EBS, but I don't need that playing soul music.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1377652116' post='2190005'] Rather good band, eh? I'm looking forward to Paul, keyboards, gigging with our band in September. [/quote] I am very envious, he was phenomenal, and seemed like a lovely chap too. [quote name='XB26354' timestamp='1377670226' post='2190033'] A guitarist that can really play in time is like gold dust. They've obviously rehearsed and are experienced players - the balance and sound of instruments fits together like a pro act and they have chops but don't overplay. What elevates them above the norm is the way they groove, and the gaps they leave between notes. '70's US TV cop shows springs to mind (in a good way). Great to see a sax player upfront, too. I'd pay to see them play. [/quote] The keys player told my dad that they were all playing 4-5 nights a week. I don't know if that is together or with different bands but that certainly explains why they are all so tight. The sax player Tony Rico was out of this world, and Paul on keyboards described him as seriously dangerous..... a spot on description judging by what I saw. The whole thing was great though, small amount of kit, small PA, one guitar each and just brilliant playing. I wish my band were 1/10th as good and could organise our gear so it was that simple and organised. I highly recommend their album, best £10 I have spent in ages.

I am not usually one for raving on about things I see and hear musically and I very rarely seem to get excited by bands these days, but I had to come on here and mention a band I saw last night called [url="http://www.cutthefunk.com"]Cut The Funk.[/url] I am down in Pembrokeshire (West Wales) and it was the last night of the local AberJazz festival and Cut The Funk were playing with a band from Gloucestershire (where I live) so I thought it would be worth going especially for the bargain price of £7. I am anything but a great musician but I am a great critic and really good and being a grumpy old sod when it comes to music even though I have no right to be. What this means is that I am rarely impressed with bands I see live in person or on the TV. Last night however, I was blown away by Cut The Funk. Within 10 seconds of them starting I was flawed by the musicianship, and sheer class of their music and I was smiling from ear to ear for their 1 1/2 hour set. I am not normally a fan of instrumental music, I usually like a good singer belting out some melodies, but I didn't miss a vocalist as the music was so engaging and melodic. They were some of the best musicians I have ever seen and on a par with when I saw Jamiroquai in terms of tightness of their playing. They were all INCREDIBLE musicians, virtuosic even, but as this is a bass forum I have to mention their bass player [b]Joe Sam.[/b] He had one bass, (70's Jazz) and a lovely EBS HD350 and 4x10 cab and the sound was monstrous, easily filled the large room we were in. His tone was great, and he played some of the best funk and most tasteful slap I have ever heard including all the videos I have watched on here over the years. I chatted with the keys player when I bought a copy of their album and he was a lovely guy, incredibly humbled by the compliments he received from others and myself, like he didn't quite realise how good the band was. I also briefly said thanks to the band when they finished and they were the same, they just couldn't quite believe that a room full of strangers in a small town on the Welsh Coast who had never heard them before were lapping up everything they played. I could go on and on, I will stop now though and just say, please check them out, they really deserve to do well. Here is a video to give you a taste but in the flesh it was so much better: http://youtu.be/fosWocUKVio

I shipped a NS Design upright to Croatia (I think) some time ago, I was very nervous about doing it especially as I only had the soft bag the NS came in. I wrapped it in card and bubble wrap and it was pretty bomb proof but I was still nervous but I used a company called P4D. They act as a broker for several companies and I called them and went through everything to make sure they would be happy shipping an instrument. I think I paid about £60 fully insured, took pictures of the instrument and packing so there were was no come back from the courier if they smashed it and tried to say the packing was not suitable. It got there in one piece in about 5 days and It was a very easy deal. Just check all the small print with whatever couriers you use and take pictures in case the worst happens.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1376996300' post='2181904'] Different strokes for different folks, eh? One of the main reasons I sold my RBVs was because I much prefer the sound of a 35" low B and the RBV is a 34". Believe it or not, having bought & sold two RBVs I genuinely can't remember if I bought one from you, or sold one to you! @ 6v6, this all underlines how important it is to try some basses before you buy (like you needed me to tell you that, right? ). Also worth mentioning that Precisions are capable of sounding wildly different depending on whether they're strung with rounds or flats. It's surprising how many people seem to think there is A sound for a Precision, when in fact there's quite a range. [/quote] Your right, we are a diverse bunch and I think it highlights exactly why playing different basses is important. How good a bass plays or how good a B string sounds is often down to the players personal preference, we all interpret feel and sound differently. You bought my first Roscoe Beck, which I think then went to silverfoxnik, and then possibly back to you??? I did try and track it for a while because I wanted it back so badly but I lost the trail...

I play in a Soul/Funk type band and I probably use my 5 string more than I have in any other band for similar reasons that you mention. We move keys around and I can play a lot of the lines that would normally be down near the nut much higher up on the bass. My band LOVE my 5 string because I can get lovely fretted low notes on some of the old soul songs. I would recommend a 5 string to anyone, I have been playing one pretty much exclusively for 8 years now, and had a couple of short dabbles with owning a 4 string but sold them quickly due to lack of use. Bass wise you could do a lot worse than the Roscoe Beck V, I have one at the moment, my second after foolishly selling my first. It does a very good P bass sound and has lots of flexibility and its something a bit different, i always get comments from people. It isn't however a Precision and doesn't get 'that' P bas sound perfectly. I use the neck pickup a lot for the soul stuff and its sounds fantastic but if your picky about your sound its not 100% there in term of P bass sound. I have never got on with Lakland but they are incredibly well made and good basses. I will say, after playing 34",35" and 36" scale 5 string basses, the best B strings I have had have been on 34" scale basses. My Stingray 5 was an absolute beast, focussed and powerful and the B on my Roscoe Beck is tight and controlled as well. I do agree with some of the comments above about and extra pickup, I really want a P bass for my soul band despite having my RBV, and if I had the money I would go with a Lull, Overwater or Nordy PJ5. On your budget I would perhaps look at a Fender P5 (there is one for sale on here at the moment) and look at having a J pickup added to the bridge or even try a East P retro preamp in it to give you a wider range of tones (also one for sale on here at the moment.....wish I had some cash) It might also be worth looking at the brand new Squier Vintage Modified Precision 5 and getting it really well set up so it plays well and seeing how you get on with it. A good set up by someone that really knows what they are doing can make a cheap instrument play like a bass 4 times the price. You would always sell it quickly here if you wanted to upgrade in the future, or modify that with an extra pickup? The new Squiers are FANTASTIC and I have been using one for a while.

I just fitted a Hipshot B style to my Jazz bass, beautifully made piece of kit, comes in aluminium or brass. I used to have a schaller 2000 series on an old bass, again really good bridge but I found it overly fiddly. Also previously had a Badass V on a Jazz, I thought it was awful, badly cast saddles and base plate, absolute rubbish compared to the Schaller and Hipshot but I could have just had a bad one.

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1376636123' post='2177036'] I've never tried Gumtree or Preloved. Easy to use, any good? Slight thread hijack, sorry Mr BB. [/quote] Like some have already said, you do come across some 'interesting' individuals on gumtree. Most of the people I get messages from cannot spell or even construct sentences it seems, messages like: "how much u do it 4" and "wot ur best price" and then proceed to offer you £30 for a £200 item because they believe paying cash and being able to pick it up today will compensate for the difference in price. Saying that I have dealt with and met some lovely people on Preloved, and had a wonderfully easy transaction with someone from Lancashire recently who needed a bass shipping. Easy as pie and he didn't quibble on my shipping conditions, price or anything. Preloved is much smaller than gumtree and gets less traffic but I would generalise and say there are some slightly nicer more eloquent individuals who use it.

I dont know about ebay, but I have sold guitars and basses faster and for more money on Gumtree and Preloved than on here recently. A cheaper bass I had sold for £245 on Preloved within 5 days and an identical bass in the same condition sat on here for weeks unsold at about £180. Basschat is brilliant but I certainly think for more generic mass produced basses you can sell faster and get more money elsewhere because everyone here knows the 'going rate' for Fender and Squier type instruments, and quite rightly wont pay over that in most cases. For slightly rarer, more specialist and more expensive gear I wouldn't go anywhere else but here.

I dont like f-holes, I don't really like the thought of semi-acoustic, but I REALLY like the looks of this, good call on a 5 string version but I doubt it will ever happen.

I dont know Barefaced cabs at all so cant comment there, but I had a LM2 and the best thing I ever did with it was sell it. I don't know if the LM3 is much different to the 2, but I was wondering why I couldn't get any real clarity out of the top end, it was an ok sounding amp but just sounded a bit muddy like my old Ashdown with a passive bass. I shifted it on and got an EBS Reidmar and it was like someone pulled a big heavy blanket off my cab. It had lots more clarity in the top and low end and lot more power before the amp started giving in and it was just brighter in every sense. I recently had the Reidmar stolen and decided to replace it with something different just out of interest really. I spoke to a well established bass store about the MarkBass, Reidmar and the Aguilar Tonehammer and he basically agreed about the LM2 and said that the Reidmar was a cleaner amp and much more detailed. I actually had to reign in the Reidmar a lot of the time because it was a bit too bright sometimes and he said the Tonehammer would sit nicely in between the two. Had the Tonehammer a couple of weeks now and had its first gig last night. Great amp, brighter and more top than the Markbass but not quite the sparkly, super top end of the EBS, but I don't slap so not got a lot of need for it.

I have been waiting for Squier to do a proper 5 string precision and these look fantastic. If they are even close to the quality of the classic vibe's I'm getting one, well done squier.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1349032878' post='1820948'] And a new video too - [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEIrz4WkYrM[/media] [/quote] I have just accidentally found these guys, they are called Fresh Steps and they have an album out. I am loving it, an album of Jazzy covers of pop tunes. They cover Price Tag by Jessie J, I loathe that song but just listened to their version 4 times........I want a GB now. The website is here for anyone interested and they have a few tracks on there and youtube: http://www.freshstepsuk.com/freshsteps/music.html

I love a good musician biography, I cant think of many bass player ones but I have read and enjoyed the following: Broken Music - Sting Bit of a Blur - Alex James Its so easy - Duff McKagan Also not bass player ones that are pretty good: Eric Clapton Ronnie Wood (pretty funny) Keith Richards Anthony Kiedis

You grabbed an absolute bargain there, congratulations! I have been though a few 5 strings and I can honestly say in a real working band situation the Stingray 5 I had was the best, it just cut through the mix and I had so many good comments on my sound, even from the drummer. I struggled with the spacing a little but only sold mine to buy another Roscoe Beck V which is the most comfortable bass I have ever had. I now really want another Stingray 5 to add to the collection, I can live with the spacing because they sound so good. Let me know if you find you dont need the B string....

My best friend is a full time writer/session musician and has done really well over the last couple of years. He records a lot of bass himself and for years used a Yamaha RBX model that was about £170 used. Quite simply it was one of the best sounding basses recorded, with little to no tweaking needed when he was mixing and producing tracks. One of the pickups broke I seem to remember and it wasn't worth the effort and cost to repair so he went and bought a Lakland 55-02 Deluxe. Sadly he has had nothing but grief with it, it is a solid bass but he struggles getting good sound from it. I thought it was him so we both sat for an afternoon checking it over, fiddling with the switches in the cavity and still it sounds thin and lifeless in comparison to the Yamaha. Even my Squier CV sounded better into the desk and in a mix. Conclusion.....god bless cheap basses but, pick carefully.

Big cup of Yorkshire Gold, slice of toast and marmite, a sit down and then a good nights sleep. Jesus I feel old.......

Pino envy!! I really need to find one that is an absolute dog to play, so it puts me off before I go and buy one and put myself in debt.

I have been day dreaming about a custom spec 5 string precision for weeks now and came to the conclusion that I would want a really classic tone from the precision pickup and then a bridge pickup of some kind to give a bit more flexibility and to give that tight barky type tone of a Jazz. I would plump for a set of Nordstrand pickups, NP5 and then either a Fat Stack or Dual Coils at the bridge. Big tone from the bridge pickup but its a little smaller and less cluttered on the bass than a MM5 pickup IMO. On top of those I would perhaps look at some kind of John East preamp, perhaps a modified P-Retro.

Firstly can I say that it is a lovely looking bass you have done a nice job and obviously invested some money into it. In my experience there is no point fighting an instrument, if you have owned it a while and still don't get on then perhaps it is not meant to be. I have owned several basses that I thought would be 'the one' and ended up not feeling comfy with them for various reasons. Prime example was my Stingray 5, the best sounding bass I have ever owned, looked amazing but I hated the neck and I tried and tried to love it almost a year I think, but ended up selling it. I think after a while the small niggles you have will end up distracting you, and you don't want to be gigging or doing a session and just be thinking "god this bass is uncomfortable". The only issue you may have is that you may not only not recoup the money you spent on the bass in total but you may not even get the price of a mint Mike Dirnt Precision because you have customised it and a lot of folks out there like original and mint condition. I would love it personally but sadly lacking in funds to make you an offer. Good luck with the decision.

That is a strap button. I am no fender autority but i believe they used to, or maybe still do put these on the vintage reissue basses. I seem to remember they were fitted to allow players switching from upright bass to play the electric bass in a position they were more accustomed to. So basically strap from back of the body to headstock for extreme angles. As I said I am no Fender expert so I wouldnt be suprised if what I have just said in nonsense.