Vibrating G String

[quote name='Killerfridge' post='1328357' date='Aug 5 2011, 02:08 AM']Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the differences would be predictable in the sense that they are currently used. Just that if you attached 1 string to a length of plywood, with a nut/fret/bridge at each end, with a pickup in a determined position, and plucked it with a mechanical finger providing a designated amount of force - you would potentially see a difference in the recorded wavelength to one attached to a board made of ebony.[/quote] I'd agree with that as a probability. It's when people pretend to be able to discern which wood makes which sounds that I want to slam the door and tell them I don't need to be saved by jesus or whatever they're selling. You could also do the above experiment with not just different woods but different size boards of the same wood and likely get the same amount of unpredictable variance.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='1345011' date='Aug 18 2011, 04:41 PM']Maybe you don't gig the 58. [/quote] I don't know, I thought that was something you made up.

Reduce the weight? Do you have any figures? The Status I had weighed a ton.

Nope, no difference.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1342482' date='Aug 16 2011, 02:11 PM']I would also suggest that for us here in Europe a "Made In The USA" mass-produced bass is actually rather poor value for money when compared with the output of the better far-eastern factories.[/quote] It's the same in the US Even with many of the made in USA basses cutting costs by using tons of Asian parts.

[quote name='peteb' post='1342271' date='Aug 16 2011, 10:59 AM']A question for you mate.... what is the cheapest bass that you have used on a pro gig in the last few years?? Genuinely interested to know……[/quote] I'm not Doddy but to hijack your question I gig the rather prestigious Boom Boom Room in San Francisco with an OLP that cost me $115 brand new, delivered to my door. Though I have tripled the cost modding it

[quote name='mcnach' post='1341561' date='Aug 16 2011, 02:01 AM']When I started playing guitar cheap meant invariably crap, it meant seriously limited. These days, there are very decent instruments for little money.[/quote] I recently bought a friend an SX bass for about $140 that is better than every single pre CBS Fender I have played in over 30 years. I'm sure this statement will trigger defensive criticism from those who have played none of the basses I'm referencing but who have an allegiance to marketing and labels. It's kinda like how you can buy an economy car today that will outperform a 1962 Ferrari in almost any field. A Honda Civic will never be cooler than a Ferrari though.

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1341557' date='Aug 16 2011, 01:57 AM']The cheaper stuff would probably need a major setup and some decent strings, and may need adjusting more often than a more expensive instrument.[/quote] Shhh, that's the big secret of many high end basses. A good setup requires skill and time. Cheap basses don't get this. Once you give the attention to a cheap bass maybe even going as far as a refret the differences that people pay thousands of dollars for tend to disappear.

The Sadowsky is a bass & treble boost only, I would try something with a mid boost if anything preferably with a sweepable frequency center as the mids are what I like in fretless.

[quote name='noelk27' post='1341414' date='Aug 15 2011, 05:49 PM']Urban legend, perhaps (I've no way of knowing), but I read that Geddy Lee has done a bunch of recording with a $200 junk shop find ... Says it all, really.[/quote] Didn't Jaco spend like $90 for his jazz? Sir Paul bought the cheapest bass he could. The list is endless. Figuratively I love high end swag, I just don't fall for the better tone marketing.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1341383' date='Aug 15 2011, 04:29 PM']I find the whole concept of 'pro-level' gear to be bogus and a pure marketing ploy to get people to spend more money.[/quote] People who make their living selling stuff trying to get us to spend more? I thought they were only interested in helping us getting our unique tone.

[quote name='deepbass5' post='1341381' date='Aug 15 2011, 04:24 PM']I would pay up to 2k for a new bass I felt right for me, but i cannot see that a 3k 5k or 7k bass is that many times better than a 1 or 2k bass[/quote] My most expensive bass, a Tobias Killer B, has the worst tone of the ten or so basses I own. I don't think money even suggests better tone, just more expensive. I don't think we need to assume expensive means better at all. The Tobias also has the most unstable neck. Still a cool bass, just not as much as my $250 Peavey or Fernandes.

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1341378' date='Aug 15 2011, 04:21 PM']And you must be playing with either mute or deaf musicians because musicians i play with always make suggestions or comments on the tone. Usually the clearer it cuts through the better[/quote]I play a lot of funk and the feel seems to be the most important. I never try to cut through either, I always found that concept a bit odd for my style. My tone changes constantly but I only seem to get comments on the groove. I can't even get my band to give me feedback on which basses they prefer, they just say they all sound good I did have one drummer who really preferred fretless but that's a pretty big tone change.

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1341374' date='Aug 15 2011, 04:14 PM']i didnt mean it as a factual statement, more of a joke.[/quote] Well then it's funny

[quote name='lojo' post='1340990' date='Aug 15 2011, 10:51 AM']surely the US ones sound much more expensive [/quote] You can make the MIM's sound just as expensive by lying and telling people they're custom wound Nordstrands under the stock covers. Specifically designed to sound almost like a real Fender.

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1341355' date='Aug 15 2011, 03:48 PM']pro's dont buy their basses they get given them[/quote] False.

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1341340' date='Aug 15 2011, 03:31 PM']When your a professional you need to have no worries about your bass, it needs to work and work consistently. It also needs to suit the need of the gig/ session. And finally it needs to allow your sound to be equal or better than other bass players. If you lose a gig because someone elses sound is better then it will almost make all the work you put into getting the chops redundant, until you get a bass that works.[/quote] I've never heard of someone losing a gig because someone else had a better bass tone. It's rare any one besides other bassists will even comment on tone. And non bassists are notorious for liking traditional tones that come from stock MIM Fenders. I have seen people lose gigs for being too nutty about their tone and annoying everyone else or having a ridiculous hifi tone that's too upfront and not supportive. If reliability is important go passive, something rarely done on the high end.

[quote name='PerfectionBG' post='1341248' date='Aug 15 2011, 02:12 PM']Are these expensive basses really worth the money? Or do we buy them for the fact they did cost that much money, and that makes us psychologically assume that they are better? Anyone have an answer?[/quote] The people who market them have the answer and it is the more you pay the more you think it's worth. Marketers know that even though people will always say they want the best price in reality often they want to buy something expensive and will choose something to fit that expectation. I'm sure you've seen posts along the lines of I have between $1200 & $1500 to spend on a bass. That person is not likely to be happy with a $400 bass no matter how it plays and sounds. As for the concept of pro level being more expensive I'd suggest it's the opposite. In general many pros use simple gear and much of the boutique market is sold to amateurs.

[quote name='KiOgon' post='1339857' date='Aug 14 2011, 10:21 AM']As in the title - I've got hold of a MiM P-bass that the owner before the one I bought it from, told him that it's got a USA pick up fitted. I haven't opened it up yet but is there any way of telling? Cheerz, John[/quote] Is there any way to tell by listening?

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1339708' date='Aug 14 2011, 08:15 AM']I think I would have enjoyed that more if I could speak Spanish![/quote] Italian might be more helpful understanding what they're saying Bobby is awesome, he should be a hero to more of us.

[quote name='ossie' post='1339968' date='Aug 14 2011, 12:06 PM']I wanted to keep the tone of the bass (which is awesome)[/quote] Then don't change the pickups Learn to use the EQ on your amp. Trying to buy tone is a never ending and futile journey that takes away the time you could be using playing music. The stock MIM pickups are just fine, try to get your bass in the hands of a great fretless player and you'll see. Current MIM pickups are made to a higher standard than pre CBS pickups and those worked for Jaco.

Cool stuff, some of that is what I'd call old school and not acid jazz but that's not important.

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1331232' date='Aug 7 2011, 10:59 AM']I'd suggest any reputable brand, and avoiding the budget lines within those brands.[/quote] I'd say just the opposite. The most inflated Fenders from the 50's - 70's are the low end models of that time periods catalog, strat and tele over jaguar and jazzmaster. The biggest gains in 80's models are the low end squires from Japan. Ibanez from the 90's, you heard it here first

[quote name='Roland Rock' post='1332398' date='Aug 8 2011, 09:09 AM'][url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=149699&st=0&gopid=1332394&#entry1332394"]These[/url] are quite collectable, apparently [/quote] OLP basses have tripled since going out of production compared to the prices they were closed out at. An awesome investment that's well above pre CBS Fenders.