Vibrating G String

[quote name='benebass' post='1194311' date='Apr 10 2011, 01:13 AM']Funnily enough, I had a SBV for a while & although it looked a bit mad, I thought it sounded more like a traditional Jazz than a lot of modern Fenders...[/quote] I have a Fernandes that sounds more like a Fender Jazz than my Fender Jazz does. And while I recognize that doesn't make sense it's still true

[quote name='Len_derby' post='1194105' date='Apr 9 2011, 02:13 PM']Could it possibly have something to do with cultural snobbism?[/quote]In the US buying Japanese is considered un patriotic. Though it's more China these days but they Japanese stigma is still very strong.

[quote name='parker_muse' post='1194100' date='Apr 9 2011, 01:59 PM']What do Yamaha have to do to break into the top tier of bassy conciousness?[/quote]Become fashionable and cool. They need a Flea or a Geddy, Nathan East aint cutting it.

[quote name='merello' post='1186783' date='Apr 3 2011, 07:22 AM'] New inlays look superb![/quote] I like this one, reminds me a lot of the 1980's. Can't wait till they start showing up used

Did you see Jens put his face in cartoon above the control plate?

[quote name='griffonite' post='1179622' date='Mar 28 2011, 07:30 AM']Would it influence your opinion of the bass if you knew it was owned by a top class musician and the repair was done by Martin Petersen of Sei basses and that the bass had been in the repaired condition for twelve years?[/quote] Was this particular repair done by Martin Petersen?

[quote name='Roland Rock' post='1178204' date='Mar 27 2011, 04:57 AM']I'm dubious that a repair to damage like that could result in the instrument being superior to the original.[/quote] Simply suggesting that would scream scammer so loud to me I would never consider the bass. To answer the OP's question

[quote name='All thumbs' post='1176904' date='Mar 26 2011, 01:42 AM']Stupid really, but I think most of us have that fear of playing cheapy stuff.[/quote] I used to think that way, mildly embarrassed to play my Tokai copy (of course 25 years later they're now cool). But now as my playing and confidence has improved I actually enjoy playing cheapies. It also lets me focus more on music and less on fashion.

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1173899' date='Mar 23 2011, 02:16 PM']Or do you have a few basses that you like for their own merits and they don't really resemble each other?[/quote] I have a pile of cheap to mid priced basses, currently 6 of them get gigged. They all have the same scale length, are 5 strings and have 17 -17.5mm spacing. They go in and out of being my favorites so I just grab 2 based on my mood and pop them into my double gig bag. I also carry 2 tuners and cables but no spare strings or batteries. Sometimes they are similar if I bring 2 jazzes, sometimes they're very different.

[quote name='All thumbs' post='1176256' date='Mar 25 2011, 11:04 AM']There doesn't seem to be a clear 'winner' and most agree that both sound comparable.[/quote] I think they sounded rather different. I liked 1 for fingers and bridge and 2 for slap but found both useable for all styles. I'm happy to see #1 was a super cheapy with non hand selected non tone woods with a short scale for lesser tone I like the cheap stuff, it takes a musician to make them sound good

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1170384' date='Mar 21 2011, 02:40 AM']"Dear Wayne, at the moment we can't officially say that we will make another Simpsons-bass again. We still not sure if we get the license again. But if you want to have another picture on the bass (pictures of whatever) I can make you a cutom own design. Many Greetings jens"[/quote] Awesome, he did do it legit

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1169758' date='Mar 20 2011, 11:16 AM']Looks less tacky that a standard Ritter.[/quote] It might be the first one I've liked I wonder if he paid to use the artwork?

[quote name='tomb' post='1168981' date='Mar 19 2011, 03:52 PM']i dont use but ive been dying to get my hands on a Fuzz... problem is they are a bit expensive new and ppl here dont seem to want to send it to my country. tried to get a local shop to make one but they charge 100€ [/quote]If you're good with a soldering iron it's the easiest effect to make. Here's a super simple one [url="http://home-wrecker.com/bazz.html"]http://home-wrecker.com/bazz.html[/url] And a more complex one that had some subtlety I really liked. [url="http://www.runoffgroove.com/sili-face2.html"]http://www.runoffgroove.com/sili-face2.html[/url]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='1167662' date='Mar 18 2011, 02:18 PM']Fender Japan and Fender Corona don't use the same lumber yard for theit woods, etc etc.[/quote] Export grade is the good stuff. Japan even has treaties about this signed as part of the WW2 treaties. Also the wholesale cost of the wood in a Fender guitar is just a few dollars. Remember they were designed to be as cheap as possible.

[quote name='Mikeg' post='1167645' date='Mar 18 2011, 02:02 PM']For example, why does this cost 2000 pounds more than a MIJ p bass?[/quote] Because someone will pay Prices are not set by the cost of making and selling them, they are priced at what the market will bear. Cost of manufacture only sets a minimum price they need to sell it for. Capitalism dictates the price rises to what the people will pay. Amusingly raising the price also raises the perceived value and once the over valued price is paid the customer often become an unpaid promoter of the product. If you want to understand more about the mental dynamics start here. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance[/url] At least one guitar maker actively posts ads for their product with ridiculously high prices that never sell. Invariably this will result in a forum post somewhere by someone who says "wow I didn't know they were that good" and their perceived value has risen. The moral here is keep the extra £2000 If you want to impress the people who can hear the difference change the decal on the headstock.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1168075' date='Mar 19 2011, 04:30 AM']There are people who can tell the difference between the sound and playability of different makes of bass. If that difference is important to you then it's worth the extra cost.[/quote] In my experience most people who claim they can, can't. But they can still be upsold that extra cost if it's marketed well. They also usually associate tonal differences with anything they've paid more for. For example spalted chestnut tops, Fodera calls them tone sinks that need to be filled with superglue to prevent it from falling apart. Owners of the bass will call it exotic tonewood that makes a difference if you can hear it It's a religion, if you're in no amount of evidence can change your mind.

[quote name='mattyfunk13' post='1166280' date='Mar 17 2011, 02:18 PM']Sure the asthetics of the wood is important, it may sound soppy but if the bass looks good you will want to play it more, it will make you happy and you will get better.[/quote]I'd agree with that. And playing better will sound better and could be called a better tone. But it's not the wood directly changing the tone.[quote]But mind games apart the higher density of the wood will give better sustain in the same way that a thru neck does vs a bolt on.[/quote]Theoretically that makes sense and is probably true but where sustain is increased that other marketing buzzword, resonance, is decreased with all else being equal. Which is why I feel anyone who markets a claim of increased resonance and sustain for a particular wood is usually either ignorant or lying.

I've just always seen it explained as a roll off without the peak unless it's an active system like a Wal or Bartolini EZQ. The peak thing is new to me.

[quote name='hellothere' post='1161237' date='Mar 13 2011, 05:17 PM']Do any Fender's not have the fender logo on the headstock?[/quote] The only way I see it could be legit and mostly Fender is if the neck has been refinished or just the neck replaced which I have seen many times.

Interesting, the 56n's appear louder to me and the 100n's a bit muffled.

[quote name='chaypup' post='1160299' date='Mar 13 2011, 04:05 AM']It's funny, but I'm pretty sure he's not slapping in this song! Certainly, if the video is live then you can see it's fingerstyle. \[/quote] Look closely and you can see he does the pops by pulling the string between his thumb and index finger so it snaps back against the fretboard. I don't think he is slapping with his thumb though.

This will bust your budget but scroll down to Superleggero [url="http://www.biarnel.com/eng/liuteria/scorcio/seriescorcio.html"]http://www.biarnel.com/eng/liuteria/scorci...riescorcio.html[/url] You can get an under 3 kilo headless short scale.

[quote name='Feelgood' post='1158380' date='Mar 11 2011, 10:12 AM']OK, I won't bore you with my medical history,[/quote] The punch line to a funny joke. Besides weight 2 things I find helpful for neck and shoulder comfort are balance and strap button position. Headless basses put the weight closer to the right hand and leaves the left free to move without having to consider holding the neck in place. Kubicki X-factors can be real comfy in part to this balance. I also like a strap button to be over the 12th or even 11th fret as that sits the bass with the neck in closer to you than one around the 14th or 15th fret, letting your left arm hang down more than holding it out to the side. This one is important to me and is why I could never play a Spector or Streamer or Thumb Then there's the double strap setup like Alain Caron uses that puts the weight on his hips.

[quote name='Muzz' post='1158144' date='Mar 11 2011, 06:59 AM']Anyone replaced a maple neck with a wenge one? Did it completely change the tonal character of the bass out of all recognition?[/quote] In 25 years of hassling people who claim they can hear wood I've yet to find a single person who can identify wood by the tone alone. From this I've assumed that while different woods may have different tones I've never seen anyone who can tell me what they are. So if you dig wenge go for it. I think it's heavier than hard maple so consider the weight, the Warmoth site is great as they list weights of their stuff. Also I would go with a wenge fingerboard as ebony expands and contracts with humidity differently than other woods and I've found it to be the most unstable fingerboard wood. A wenge/wenge neck with an oil finish on both the back and board should be rather stable and still have a raw feel.

OK, 1 more. He also lays back in parts of this. This clip is cool because he's not playing a fretless or any numinous gear and he hits a big old clam in his solo This tune is more playful than a lot of what he did.