NJE

Brilliant, just looking for insurance at the moment as I have been far too lucky for too many years and just started gigging again. I thought hmm I wonder if this has been covered on basschat......tada! of course it has. Cheers for all of the providers, just got to see who is the cheapest now.

First thing thatgot me into bass was waking up one morning and realising at 15 if I didnt start learning an instrument now I probably never would. I decided on bass because every monkey and his pet dog had a guitar. Music wise it was watching Wayne Stobbart playing live with Simply Red, scruffy looking white jazz with tort guard and I have wanted one ever since. Also listening to Extreme II P*rnografitti and a cornish band called Rootjoose. I was blown away by listening to Pat Badger from Extreme chugging away riffs in unison with Nuno Bettencourt and it still makes me smile to this day. Also the funky clever playing from Harry Collier from Rootjoose. I saw them live and his clever use of notes and timing is still an inspiration, a bit like a more funky Sting.

I have huge issues with people using/taking my stuff, I dont even let my girlfriend take food from my plate. I have never had insurance so never want to take the risk of getting gear damaged by people because are they really going to pay up if it gets broken? unlikely. In the good old days it didn't bother me as my basses were cheap but over the past few years I have become more protective as values have gone up. My two best friends are guitarists and I really have to bite my tongue when they pick up by basses. When it comes to general public though, I just simply say in a nice light hearted way "im sorry I wont even let my band memebers touch my gear" or "yup if you can give me a £900 deposit in case it gets broken" People usually completely understand and dont take it badly.

You paid £550 for the new Ray35? Thats really good, best I could find it online was actually asking price of £779. I could be tempted at £550 new.

Thanks for putting the article up, nice read. Although they look really good and from what I remember at the guitar show last year, they played and sounded very good, I still dont get why you would spend the money on a new one of these when you can get a really nice s/h Stingray 5 for similar money on here. Maybe when these show up second hand they will be worth a look, might be a bit of a bargain then. Maybe some people just like new instruments.

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='751924' date='Feb 20 2010, 04:52 PM']Maybe fender is a bad example but i know if i had £900 i certainly wouldn't buy a cheaper end bass and upgrade it!! with all the great basses that come up for sale on here that £900 could really get you something fantastic!!! you'd have so much choice at that kind of money! also with the higher end stuff that £900 can get you on the second hand market your almost guaranteed way better playability, wood's, build quality, finish etc etc etc and you have the knowledge that someone who knows what they're doing has put it together, your not just Guessing what pickups will sound right in your cheapo squire! [/quote] Firstly the point above is a really good one, you could get a stunning bass for £900 secondhand, spending that much and only ending up with a Squier is in my opinion a waste of money. I bought a Overwater Progress on here for just over £800 and the build and playability is fantastic, far superior to any MM or Fender I have ever played. I am not having a go at Squier though because I own one and use it regularly. I have a Squier Deluxe V and it is a fantastic bass but "for the money". The neck is good and the body solid, frets well dressed and joints all tight but it is nowhere near as good as my Overwater. I thought about modding the Squier and completely replacing everything. I was going for Hipshot tuners, badass bridge, Audere preamp, Dimarzio or Nordy Pickups but when I added it all up It would cost me about twice as much as the bass cost and I could basically buy a better bass for the money. As it is I did upgrade but with secondhand parts from Basschatters. I put in a new Aguilar Preamp: £40 and a Badass V - £50 (only because the bridge was cast badly and I couldnt get my gauge of string through) and its great. £90 of mods on a £150 bass is still reasonable I think. The point I am trying to make (finally) is that for me that Squier is superb because it only cost £250 with the mods. It makes me smile because its cheap and fun. When people play it they cannot believe what I paid, but even if I did upgrade everything with the best parts it still would only be a Good bass because the woods are not superb and it does feel cheap.

I ordered some strings a few months back online and it did take a while to get them but that was ofset by the cost (£19 for a good set of string for a fiver is ace). Can I make a suggestion, if you have not already done so, just give them a call dont keep sending emails waiting days for a possible response. I know they should be on their game with emails but I called when my strings were taking a bit long, quick 30 sec call very friendly and they arrived a day later. They are always quick to pick up a call and they are so helpful and friendly whenever I have called and most of the time I speak to Chris May himself. Alternatively PM Bleedproof on here, I think he works for Overwater or at least has strong ties with them, he has answered some questions of mine before and sure he would help.

I came to the following conclusions a long time ago with regards to playing live with a band: 1. A suprising amount of people dont even know what a bass is or what its purpose is in a band "is it liek a big guitar" 2. Most people wont be able to hear or pull out what you are playing from a band mix 3. Even if they can hear you most people dont really care what you are playing 4. Most of the time the audience watch the singer and guitarist because they can idetify with it easier than bass. 5. Nobody really cares what bass or amp you have, not even musicians a lot of the time. 6. Even if someone knows about bass their knowledge only usually extends to John Entwistle, Mark King and Flea "Jaco who?" 7. In most cases when you start slapping the sound engineer turns the PA off or down and then asks you play "properly" I say "most of the time" a lot because there are odd occasions when someone will comment on your playing/gear. This is in my experience is either a really young person starting out asking about your gear and commenting on how good you were. In these cases its always nice to chat and be humble and honest because basically I am not very good. The other occasion is usually cocky musicians saying your tone was rubbish and "why dont you get a proper bass, I have a Fender". In short I agree with the other chaps, be tight try and impress your band and hold your own musically with your them. Get the best sound you can with the best gear you can and try and put on a good show and play the songs well. You may not be noticed individually but the music wouldn't be as good without your low end.

LOVING Incognito at the moment. Just been on Amazon and seen a few DVDs including a new one due out soon live from London, but I was just wondering what do people think are the better Incognito albums? there seem to be so many and just wondering where to start. Cheers, Nathan

I think this is probably what I was thinking of when I say "Super P". This is a lovely offering from Nino Valenti. [attachment=42638:Valenti_P.jpg]

First proper bass setup was a Yamaha RBX 260 with a P bass pickup and a Trace Elliot Commando 100 combo. That RBX actually had more thump than the American P I bought several years later. Currently using Eden WTX 260, EBS Proline 2x12 and Overwater Progress III. The Eden and EBS has much clearer highs and tighter fatter lows and also much more transparent sounding than the Trace and Yamaha but it was a great little rock setup at the time, good times!

[quote name='Jono' post='742454' date='Feb 11 2010, 07:50 PM']It's on the Overwater site now so I can announce I am the incredibly lucky winner of the Overwater comp. I just couldn't believe it when an email from Chris May popped into my inbox on Tuesday night, asking me to contact him. One phone call and a million thank yous later and I couldn't get the smile off my face. I'm just getting some initial thoughts together on the spec but even after years of lusting after a custom build that's not easy. A trip to Carlisle is definitely on the cards. I will of course keep you updated on progress.[/quote] Congrats, I thought it would be a basschatter. Please dont take any offense in this but, JAMMY BUGGER! ha ha. Any ideas what model you will go for? Progress, Jazz, new Precision?

This is really quite interesting because functions and weddings was basically where I learnt to play my instrument, I had been playing a year when I was thrust into my dads band aged 16. We started off doing pubs and such and quickly got asked to do functions, charity events but mostly weddings. I am tallking 10 years ago now so things have changed but we had no website, no CD, no youtube videos and barely any business cards. We got every gig by word of mouth and being reccomended. It also helped that we did public events as well so we could invite people down to see us in action. We had one big setlist which we could move around to suit the mood but were never asked to play specific songs by anyone, except the occasional first dance which we were happy to do. Saying that, no harm being able to say yes to specific requests. Someone mentioned going to wedding venues and giving your details and offering a "discount". Brilliant idea! other than that, word of mouth is a really good way of getting gigs, we were always busy without agents and stuff but then again we had no competition back then and there are now so many people doing teh function band thing. I would say the following are pretty good ideas: 1. Have a good diverse set. A lot of weddings will be younger folk like sibob said 25-35 but remeber there are older relatives, mums and dads etc so have something for everyone IMHO. 2. Do the DJing yourselves, it will save the bride and groom money and you can ask a bit more. Never share the night with a DJ. I can count on one hand how many of them were nice, polite and worked with us rather than get in the way and play our entire set before we started. 3. Play well!!! get yourselves tight and then tighter again and learn the songs until you can play them in your sleep. If you can play without thinking you can enjoy yourself and have fun with the guests and I have never done a gig where the guests didnt enjoy a bit of participation as the night went on. When you have fun, guests have fun, it really does rub off i fyou have a blast and people will remember you and word of mouth is priceless! 4. Make sure your gear is good and you have plenty power for the venue. The last thing you want is your gear to fail half way through a set (its happened to me and its not fun). Check everything and never let your guitarist put his pint on any amps. Check leads all the time and carry spares. You might be thrown into some crazy venues that sap the sound away, have good powerful gear with headroom.

[quote name='OldGit' post='736221' date='Feb 5 2010, 02:25 PM']An active P bass with two pickups? Well Fender did that to them in the 80's - those ones with the white pickups but it's really not the Spirit of P is it?[/quote] The "spirit of P" is what I was wondering about. Is it just that P fans are happy with it as it is and dont want mods and extra pickups? I remeber those older two pickup P's, Fender also used to do an amazing 5 string Active Deluxe P which I loved but they have been pulled I think. Shame great basses. [quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='736240' date='Feb 5 2010, 02:53 PM']I think these are super P's[/quote] Thats the kind of thing I am talking about, blocks and binding and extra humbuckers or single coil, but in a 5 string. Dont seem to be as many of those as there are High end Jazz V's.

Apologies if there is already a thread on this I did do a search, but I just started thinking (always dangerous), there are so many companies making 5 string "Super J" style basses and "Jazz Bass on steroids" where are the "Super P" Basses? Ok so I know that a couple of companies do produce 5 string P basses like Sandberg make the California PM, and Sadowsky make a NYC 5 string precision ( I think) but on the whole, unless you go custom, like the lovely Shuker P 5's on here, there doesn't seem to be much about in terms of a slightly more "off the rack" Active 5 string Precision with some extra pickups options. Why is this the case? Is it because the P doesnt need messing with? is it because P basses arent as attractive as a jazz bass? (they are to me BTW) or is it something that people want but not many builders have supplied? I am quite happy to be proved wrong on this so please if they are about let me know.

Not sure if you are a Jazz Bass fan, but I have a Squier Deluxe Active V. Great bass and well put together. I got mine for £150 secondhand and replaced the preamp with an Aguilar. I am also thinking about new pickups but to be honest the ones in it cut through very well in a 5 piece band, I just want soapbars for a bigger thumb rest. As I said the bass is really well put together, great neck great fretwork and great finish. the neck is quite wide and flat though which is not everyones cup of tea.

So the Overwater 30th anniversary competition is closed and winners should have been announced by now. I didn't win and neither did my girlfriend so just wondering if anyon on here snapped up the big prize?

I actually read the article on The Bass Gallery/Sei last night and absolutely loved it. I have been fascinated with Sei and their basses for almost as long as I have been playing so it was a real treat. Just looking at the pictures made me day dream about building guitars and having a basement full of tools and bass parts. Anyway brilliant article and written by one of our own which is superb. I also have to say that the 6 string in the pictures looked stunning (does it belong to anyone on here?) and loved the pictures of their Cat, he/she looks lovely (sorry big cat lover). Brilliant mag and just getting better and better IMHO.

My WH Smiths is amazing they have it in stock before they get the new issue upon their own website. I gave up on subscriptions because the whole point for me was getting it early delivered to my door. It usually took a week after Smiths got it in for mine to turn up so that wa sthe end of subscriptions. Still love it though.

[quote name='Mike' post='712535' date='Jan 14 2010, 01:39 PM']Wow, Oli Rockberger! One of my favourites of all time![/quote] I bloody Love Oli Rockberger (great name too). I completely love a track on his myspace called "I miss my home". Anyway just got the latest issue, nice feature with Martin Peterson of Sei which I cant wait to read, bit of John paul Jones, Gene Simmons, Duff and for those that complain about there being too many expensive basses, I dont think any of the reviewed basses are over £1500 RRP. Nice Dingwal in there. Cant wait to get home, stick a brew on, bust out the hobnobs and have a read. I really do love this magazine, despite its faults.

I have to be honest and say that although a fan of a Soul/Motown music I have never really paid much attention to the band or James Jamerson during my time as a bass player. Recently though I have been watching Standing in the shadows of Motown on you tube (very poor until pay day and cant get the DVD in any shops near me) and it has blown my mind. Jamerson is just superb, so incredibly melodic and clever in the way he plays, it is a true inspiration. I have loved watching it so much I am going to invest a small amount of money and get it from Amazon. The whole band are superb and I just want to get myself a P bass with some flats on it and start learning what I can of his basslines. A genius, an inspiration and so sad that he is still not with us, imagine what he could have created.

This is just horrible, so tragic and sad. My thoughts go out to you, your daughter and his family and friends.

thanks for the comments firstly. [quote name='EBS_freak' post='727928' date='Jan 28 2010, 06:25 PM']Have you checked your pickups? Are they pretty weak? Get a meter and measure the output... how powerful are the magnets? How close are they to the strings? Try raising them to get a volume boost.[/quote] The pickups are stock so going to guess and say they are not all that good. The pole pieces are not exposed and I have them as close to the strings as I can get them now. It made a slight difference but not much. I think my conclusion is that the pickups may need changing as plenty of people get on with Aguilar preamps. [quote name='BassBod' post='728164' date='Jan 28 2010, 10:01 PM']From memory the Aguilar circuits don't add any gain to the pickups - so they don't boost output as such, until you crank the eq. I used some old Barts with one, and found the output was similar to a low output passive bass. I guess (assuming wiring is all ok) its hotter pickups or another preamp...but first push the input gain on your amp and see if you like the sound. My guess would be better pickups will get you there.[/quote] This is really interesting as when flat they are just a little higher output than a passive bass. I used it last night at a practice and it does sound really good and i got a nice sound with the eq boosted (but not maxed). I think part of my problem also was testing it a home volumes. I couldnt hear a great deal of difference when I turned the eq at home but with my amp cranked last night I could hear a difference and the pre seemed to be doing more ( I know I should have though of this before) The one thing I noticed last night after not playing this bass for a while was that because the pickups are very small (almost like a 4 string set on a 5) it was really uncomfortable to use the pickup as a thumb rest which I do a lot on my Overwater. So after thinking about my volume problems and the tiny pickups/awkward right hand position, I think I am going to go for some new pickups. Just going to have a look at some Nordy Big Singles or similar I think and see when and where I can get them done. Cheers for the comments chaps, a new set of pickups isnt much in the grand scale of things especially if it makes the bas smore usable.

Hello all, I have a Squier Deluxe Active V, its a great bass fun to play but the preamp didnt do much when I bought it. I decided to replace it with an Aguilar 2 band EQ (OBP2?) and had it wired to 18v with and active passive switch. The layout is now: Vol/Blend/Bass/Treble with active/passive switch. The problem is that now the Aguilar doesnt seem to do much either. I have to have the bass and treble full on to get a good level out of the bass and even if I roll them back to the midway position the volume is really low. My question is, is this normal? My Overwater doesnt dip in volume when I roll the EQ off, but the Squier makes no noise when rolled off. What is going on, is it wired up wrong? is it not working with the stock pickups? I am getting to the point where I want to rip it all out and go passive or splurge and get a pre-wired Audere to go in it (or a Nordy Pre). I just dont use it because I hate having a "faulty" bass. Any help gratefully received. Nathan