bigjohn

I like Fenders.

I like gibsons.

I like marshall bass amplification.

I like ampeg amplification.

I like hiwatts.

I like whirlwind leads.

I like hiscox cases.


The only only other stuff I've owned has been cheap and crap and is broken. I've never suffered from bad QC from fender, gibson, marshall, ampeg (well, only once), hiwatts, hiscox or whirlwind so there...

pm'd

I have an american deluxe bridge plate minus saddles somewhere.

If you don't need the saddles I could dig it out and let you have it cheaper than £30!

John

Yeah, can play by ear. I can hear a note and say, that sounds like a d or an f#. I'm usually right. I can usually play some sort of accompaniment to songs the first time I hear them because of this. I don't think I'd have learned to be like that if I read music, which I don't at all in any way. I looked a tab book the other day and got quite confused as to why it would be helpful. I do know where the notes are on my bass, but, tend to play by pattern once I've found which key(s) I want to be in. I wouldn't advise learning like this. It took me a long time.

London is great with money. sh*t without. Dick Whittington has a lot to answer for.

I "played" guitar at home for about 6 months before I got a bass. That was about 20 years ago.

I've always had one. And enjoy playing other peoples, but hardly play my own. Am thinking of getting a new one I think if I got a nice one I'd play it more.

I always enjoy people's reaction to me picking up a guitar though. No-one ever hears me play one so it's a shocker for them when it dawns on em I can play a bit in my own way!

Although, thinking about it. I was in the school band playing acoustic when I was about 9. Never knew how to play it though. Just used to strum along!


I'm more of a failed drummer than a failed guitarist though. I had lessons at school and was ok at it - but was never allowed a kit at home.

Managed to nearly knock the end off my little finger last night playing drums at rehearsal (for one song...) so perhaps that's a good thing!

I bought "Hard Promises" by Tom Petty the other week. Was on a bargain stand for £3.

Love it!

Stick a bit of wood glue on the screws. It won't glue em in, but the glue will harden on the wood and add some protection to the wood the next time you take the neck off.

ie, when you shim it!

BTW, getting the screws in and out is much easier and I've found less damaging all round with a power tool rather than a screwdriver.

I wouldn't order a wiring kit. I'd just order what's in em from allparts.

I bought a wiring kit from ebay - you get short changed with the length of wire. And one of the pots was dodgy. Probably a second.

Also - there are better caps out there than orange drops. Esp if your going for a vintage pickup - maybe an oil/paper cap would be more in keeping...

[quote name='ednaplate' post='343975' date='Dec 3 2008, 12:33 PM']My Spector Euro has developed what I can only describe as a rattle on the E string. I thought it may have been a problem with the nut but it also occurs whenever I fret a note. All the other strings ring good and true. The E string rings to and then there is this metallic sounding rattle/vibration that is starting to annoy me on an otherwise fantastic guitar.

It's due some new strings but before I replace them is there anything else I should consider?[/quote]


Has the bridge saddle become lowered?

I bought a 2005 mint FSR gun metal blue MIM Precision earlier on this year for £170.

I dunno why was the only bidder. Very odd.

I'm quite tempted...

But then I am pissed.

[quote name='bremen' post='328425' date='Nov 13 2008, 03:25 PM']Is that you applying for the research grant then?

OK, I'll put in a quid if you try disconnecting all the wiring associated with the J pup and comparing the basses. I have a Wizard J pup that I *might* put in my FrankenP but I'm wary about disturbing its P-ness.

tee hee, I said P-ness

ps Who's that in your avatar, Tee? Looks like a right yob ;-)[/quote]


I'm going to have a good look at the wiring in my PJ anyway at some point, there's a bit of a crackle, and I was gonna change the cap.

I was also thinking about wiring it with some concentric pots in a VT/VT/master vol, but have read you can lose output with em so I've bottled it a bit! although I have the parts...


Would be an ideal time to see if disconnecting the J pickup increases it's P-ness.

[quote name='bremen' post='328388' date='Nov 13 2008, 02:36 PM']Why do you think this would be? Could it be the magnetic effect of the second pickup on the strings? Surely cutting the recess for the pickup wouldn't make that much difference?

Mine was never 'just' a P to start with, actually it's a Warmoth 'dinky P' so it's hard to say whether it'd sound like a P without the J. Maybe I should try adding a J to a real P, just in the interests of science.

Where do I apply for the research grant?[/quote]

F*ck knows!

My PJ though, sounds completely different than my P - both are MIMs from about the same year, both have US pickups in em. Although the straight P has a 62 reissue - there's a massive difference though.

There's gotta someone on here who's installed one on a P before.


I wonder if it's got something to do with the wiring and caps.

Alright?

I love my PJ, but there is a compromise involved with them.

For me, they don't really ever sound completely like a P does even with the J totally rolled off. But you do get a much brighter aggressive tone out of them with the J rolled up. Much easier to hear over loud drums and overdrives my amp much more than the P does by itself. I wouldn't consider it jazz growl though. It's more like a brighter, more opened up P.

Also - a lot of factory PJs seem to come with Jazz necks on em. Mine sounds and feels a lot more P with the P neck I put on it...

Has anyone tried the [url="http://www.korg.co.uk/products/tuners/pitchjack/tu_pj.asp"]PitchJack[/url]?

[quote name='chris_b' post='324348' date='Nov 7 2008, 05:20 PM']Look in the "For Sale" section for example, "Squier P Bass Special, Red, Great Condition £100". If this is still about, get it!![/quote]


I can't recommend that bass enough, although it's not really a precision... It's got a jazz bass pickup and a jazz neck. P Bass specials, although excellent, are somewhere inbetween a precision and a jazz (suprisingly!). Although, mine sounds a lot more precision like with a precision neck on it.


If a man wants a precision, he should get a precision.


Why not go and try a few in a shop?

Aye, but the MIM also has a jazz neck on it. (except for mine which has a P neck on it from a different MIM P bass.)


Both the passive and the active MIM P bass specials are deluxe and come with US electrics. The active has a noiseless J and some of them have maple boards which is unusual for MIM fenders. They're tip top basses.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='323602' date='Nov 6 2008, 05:47 PM']Sounds good, is it lefty loosey?[/quote]


Yeah - like a normal screw usually.

Give it a little turn - work out how tight it is. Generally, the tighter it is, the more work it's doing and the better off you are loosening it. If it's not doing much work and you're only gonna be a coupla days, just leave it where it is...


Truss rods aint usually that big a deal - and you might find that messing about with it will get you a better action.

Just use a bit of common sense. If you're having to force it - DON'T! (although a little tug is ok to get it moving )

ffnar ffnar...

Otherwise, it's as fair game to adjust as your saddle heights.

Putting a mark on it and counting the turns is the way - then you can put it back where you started if you like...

it depends on how much the truss is under tension. I'd loosen it anyway - but if it's not doing much, then there wouldn't really be much point other than the piece of mind you we're doing the right thing.

Why don't you loosen it and count the turns...?

Tune in next time for more thunderous thunderbirds, ebayed imaginings and more questions than answers...


BTW, are they your feet?






[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='323363' date='Nov 6 2008, 12:55 PM']Who won the 1974 cup final?[/quote]

Don't ask Malcolm McDonald.

Is it a studio model?

A bargain.

[quote name='Linus27' post='322551' date='Nov 5 2008, 11:40 AM']Good thread this. I also adore the Fender American Vintage 75 re-issue Jazz bass. I love the colour and its one of my dream basses. However, I can no way afford to spend £1200 on a bass, not at this moment anyway. So I am looking at all my options also. I love the Fender 70's Re-Issue Jazz bass that you have pointed out. They also do a Fender classic 60's Jazz bass for £549 and a Fender Precision 50's bass for £445 which also looks ace. Then you have the Fender Standard Series Jazz Bass for £350.

The thing is, apart from the name. what are the differences between these basses?? Is one better than the other or are they the same and just different branding?[/quote]


The MIM ones certainly feel much different than the standards. The necks are a different profile and feel like a vintage bass.

They are lovely. I played one in Paris and wanted to bring it home. Never did though

I've got one of these. It's a f*cking brilliant bass. Have thought for a while that a badass would suit it too.

You forget to mention (or did you know) these basses come with factory fitted US electronics and pickups. They ain't normal MIMs.

Why are you selling it?

[quote name='RussFM' post='322373' date='Nov 5 2008, 01:29 AM']Always wanted one of them after falling in love with my Jazz, but didn't know it had a Jazz neck, that's kind of put me off, prefer the Jazz tone but Precision neck. Shame! Great value though, if the quality is anything like mine that's an absolute steal! ...I'm still tempted![/quote]


I've currently got a precision bass neck on mine