Machines

My 2 basses with J neck pickups do not sound like my bass with a P pickup. The P is a lot fatter and has more thump. In the mix - I doubt those nuances would stand out so much.

Who else wants to know what bass it is ?

The only issue with them is image. Budget Yamaha basses really do not hold their value at all, and have never been as 'cool' as their Squier counterparts.

It's happened before. https://www.change.org/p/zoom-corporation-firmware-update-zoom-b3-version-2-0

I've done 3 auditions in the last few months. First one for a jazz band I was approached about, not my area of preference at all but I thought it'd be worth a shot. It went very badly, I got lost many times and didn't enjoy it at all. I was offered the role and told I did well for a first venture into jazz. I turned it down, as the music wasn't really engaging me, and it was too much 'effort' to learn. Second was a funk band which I was well prepared for and I think went well, I was turned down as they went for the drummers mate instead (time wasters). Third was last week, a rock covers band I was prepared for but not fully (learnt 8 of 12 songs). My performance was hit and miss but mostly reasonable. I was turned down, then later offered the role when their 1st choice didn't get back to them. All in all, what I learnt is it doesn't matter how well you think you will do, it's other people's decisions. Get out there and have some auditions, building confidence won' t happen in the house.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1453129641' post='2956628'] Probably not, but I'd learn an entire set list if I really wanted to be 1st choice and needed an advantage over the other contenders. [/quote] I have a 2 year old child. I shouldn't need to say any more

My D'Addario Chromes have got better with age, I think they're about 4 years old now and sound better than ever. The top 2 strings are also well balanced compared to the E / A.

I had an audition recently where I was 2nd of 2 bassists to be auditioned. We'd agreed for me to get there for 8PM, I left 30 mins before that and as I drove off got a text asking to make it 30 mins later, doh ! I got there for 8 anyway and hung around, getting cold in the poorly heated studio corridor. When my time came, I got setup, but my hands were freezing, and I very quickly got cramp whilst holding down some octaves for a whole song (Beatles - Taxman). I made a fair few fluffs, but overall considering the amount of time (not much) i'd put into songs I didn't know, it went OK. The next day they called me up to say they went with the other guy, as he was older than me (60s vs 30s) and he knew the material better (I had no issue with this bit). They did however have a reservation he wouldn't be committed, and asked me if i'd learn the setlist anyway just in case he didn't stay with them (!!!!). I was a little surprised by this request, would anyone else learn an entire bands setlist just in case you were 2nd choice in a few weeks or months ? I politely declined. I had a call yesterday saying he'd not got back to them about joining, so can I join instead ? I pondered on it, and decided to go with it. They might have been a little cheeky with their request and I may have been the 'backup', but they are actually very good and their location/frequency of gigs suits my needs. No point in cutting off my nose to spite my face etc.

I barely know the lyrics to my favourite music, but know their melody and intonation extremely well.

I don't think pickups costing £40 will improve your instrument. What type are the pickups?

I've sold about 5 basses through BassDirect. I'd say he got better prices than I'd sell for elsewhere but netted me the same cash after commission. For me not having the hassle of haggling or posting is worth the cost. Most of them were posted to Europe which is something id never risk.

This man is single handedly trying to destroy the musical instrument industry by suggesting people can be happy with what they have and not buy any more. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE LIES. BUY MORE BASSES.

After several days of deliberation, I took my Precision (with flats) to an audition last night. It's my 'learn stuff on' bass as i'm less able to mess about with pickup settings and just pay attention to the notes. Most of the songs being covered were recorded on one anyway, so I decided to take it. All of my other basses are either two pickup or active (or both). I decided the audition wasn't about how versatile my bass was, so along came the P. It just worked. Amp generally flat with a little bottom and top boost, plugged the bass in direct due to a lack of plugs for my Zoom B3. Awesome bottom end fatness - I could see the others appreciated it to. I haven't found out if I got the position yet, but either way I just enjoyed playing and not thinking about tonal options.

I've always had good service from PMT Birmingham, but that's in store and i've been going for about 10 years. I have no experience of their other shops, and a few only exist through acquisition of other companies (e.g. SoundControl).

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1452777933' post='2953371'] You can say that about anything including all the basses in your signature, if no one buys new you can't buy used. [/quote] True, but there isn't currently a shortage of 2nd hand StingRays. Bongos appear quite frequently too. It's the same scenario for Warwick, very high new prices but a extremely good value 2nd hand market.

[quote name='Treb' timestamp='1452772941' post='2953275'] Hmmm, you have a point there. But only if you want a used Stingray. Used Sterlings are almost as rare as hen's teeth 'round here. [/quote] There's one for sale right now.

I think considering how easily you can pick up a used StingRay for around £800 on here, the new ones represent poor value.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1452769451' post='2953208'] Ooh - interesting. Tell us more about this? You bought them unheard based on DS' use of them? Or was it hearing him on recordings? Or on TV? [/quote] i was looking at new pickups for my Cort. In the game was Seymour Duncan, Nordstrand, and Aguilar (also most expensive). SDs wouldn't fit without messing with routing, so down to Nordies or Aguilar. Aguilar were in stock at the retailer, plus I knew DS had given good feedback on them - so went for this. So in fairness, his endorsing of them influenced, but did not make the entire decision. I think I would have likely come to the same outcome without his usage of them, but with more deliberation.

For me, I wouldn't want a signature model as i'd feel like I appeared to be a fanboy who was trying to emulate that artist, rather than have my own identity. I did buy some Aguilar pickups based on Dave Swift's use of them though.

I want another, probably Fiesta Red with a maple board.

I'm in a bizarre position of wanting something new (as GAS does to you) but with a pick of everything in the world, have no obvious target. I'm auditioning for a band on Weds where my Precision would be the ideal bass from a tone and image point of view, yet I want to take something more versatile but without looking OTT as 5 string totally not needed for this music (it's mostly 70s rock covers). That said the Fender Roadworn Precision in Fiesta Red in the Market is VERY nice, and it isn't the first time i've eyeballed them and felt a bit lustful. I could afford if I sold to buy something but I don't think there's anything I want to part with, everything I have is great. I think if anything having so many good instruments is confusing - as you have nothing to aim for anymore (except learning to play better and actually make music).

The humbucker is 2 pickups in one case (so a quad coil really). From the Ibanez website: