Nostromo

Fender Jazz Bass Special - Black/Rosewood - Japan 1983 Still use it more than any other bass I own.

Need a referee to sort out an argument here ! . . . Its trivia time ! . . . . Several of my mates here tonight are, over a beer or three, claiming they saw Michael McDaid (Paulo Nutini’s Bass player) on stage with a Fender Zebra Wood Jazz bass last year. The opposition say it isn’t a Fender at all . . . but don’t have a clue what it might be ? . . . . There is one guitarist here who doesn’t believe there is such a thing as a Zebra Wood Jazz bass ! ! Well here’s the picture: [attachment=82312:Michael_...ids_Bass.jpg] Anyone know what this bass is ? . . . . . we are all just arguing about it ! . . . we should be out playing ! cheers all,

[quote name='spud' post='1264402' date='Jun 10 2011, 09:27 PM']Hi I've been thinking about buying a new Jaguar for a while, preferably the active one. Has anyone played one and can tell me if it's worth spending money on. Any help is appreciated. Thankyou, Spud[/quote] Hi Spud, a second hand MIJ would be a better bet if you can find one. The UK MIJ model was discontinued almost a year ago i think, but the odd one comes up second hand. A few very very revered scholars on these pages have already predicted the MIJ Jags will become modern classics and I think they are totally right ? I haven’t tried the Squier version, don’t even know if they’ve got the same electronics set up as the MIJ versions ? . . . I’ve seen non-export, ie home market, MIJ models for sale on ebaY as well . . . don’t know if they are the same spec as the discontinued UK run ? . . . . . (any comments from you Jag aficionados out there ?) If I were you, I think I’d save up and hold out for a MIJ one . . . . they have stunningly comfortable necks (IMVHumbleO) and I really wish I’d got one around two years ago when they were not difficult to pick up ! . . . there it is . . . . easy to crave after you’ve missed the boat ! . . Lots of people on here saying Squier are turning out good quality gear these days so the squier option could of course be fine ? . . . if its anything close to the MIJ version it will be more than ok ? . . . neck profile permitting ! . . I cant belive it will have as good a neck profile as the UK MIJ run had ? Which ever way you go I'm sure you'll be fine . . . try and make sure you try before you buy thats what I always "try" to do ! ! ! ! ! ! . . .and its usually when I dont try hard enough . . . that I buy something I regret . . . havent ever bought many I regret but when I have . . its when i havent played them before I bought ! . . bit obvious really . . but so easy to make that mistake ! Cheers

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1193626' date='Apr 9 2011, 11:03 AM']Here are a few anorak notes for those who are interested... Last year, I've bought the same bass, the Lake Placid blue, at a much cheaper price, I've bought it new from Nevada and paid £234. This one I've got from GuitarGuitar and costed me £329, thats £95 dearer than last year's model. Inflation and high oil prices, probably a combination of both but there you go. [color="red"]I keep a record of all the details of every bass that go through these doors, to use as a future reference to compare basses specs, as in this case, and I recorded the weight of the Lake Placid Blue which has a basswood body at 9.12 lbs / 4.42 Kgs, now this Butterscotch Blonde has a pine body and weighs: 8.12 lbs / 3.96 Kgs that is exactly a pound lighter than the LPB one. Go figure?[/color] I won't bother you with other details but the other major difference I've noted is in the neck profile, infact that the neck is shallower than the LPB throughout the whole neck length, and the fingerboard radius at the 12th fret on the Butterscotch is 0.04 less deep than the LPB and by being so, it matches the Classic Vibe Precision Fiesta Red instead of the orginal LPB which was slightly deeper and beefier. I can only assume that this slight shaving of the neck profile has been done so to avoid the bass being neck heavy since the difference in weight between body woods i.e basswood vs. pine is so remarkable. However this morning playing this bass compared to my other Squier Fiesta Red showed a disappointing comparison, this pickup on the Butterscotch lets it down big time, is thin, lifeless and no matter how you adjust the height, you never get an even sound. Too close to the E string side and it farts, too far and the balance is weak compared to the G and D strings. It's got to go, so I am going to swap it asap with the Lollar because as it is, it's just a joke, a pretend, sounds like crap I am afraid, I had forgotten how bad it was on the LPB, I remember swapping it straight away with a quarter pound Seymour Duncan for a reason, now I know why. Oh well the pickup is the only things that lets it down everything else is a bonus, lighter, more resonant and perfectly put together.[/quote] I thought the body wood spec was the other way round on these . . . . ie, the spec sheets say the solid colour blue ones are pine and the blonde one is basswood ? . . . . Just a point of clarification ? . . . I could well be wrong ? . . but it might explain the weight findings ? . . . maybe ? . . . . I thought basswood was a light weight wood (propably a hard wood, but I'm sure I've read its light weight ?) ? ? Really lovely bass though . . . really nice

So, I'm still waiting to see this Shine Bass ! . . . maybe it'll be ok . . . or can be made ok ? . . . . from whats been posted it sounds quite interesting ? ? Out of interest here's a bit of blurb I found on the internet about this manufacturer who I hadn't even heard of until a couple of days ago ! . . . [color="blue"][i]"Saein Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. Is located in Namdong Industrial Complex in Incheon, Korea. Saein was estabulished in 1991. Currently, we have 100 employees, and our monthly capacity is 4,500pcs still growing to expand. Our main business is OEM work for the famous brand Epiphone. Also, our own sole branded Shine models are increasing in popularity steadily. In February, 2001, we successfully launched a new independent factory in Gaomi City, China. It is only an hour away from Qingdao Shandong province. Our China factory employees are 300 people, and monthly capacity is 10,000pcs still growing to expand. In China we are an OEM vendor for famous brands Ibanez and Peavey. Also, our sole branded Shine is gradually gaining in popularity. We have become one of the famous leading guitar manufacturer in China".[/i][/color] Well there you have it ! . . . useless detail but . . . well, my band aint got a gig tonight so I'm twiddling my fingers ! Cheers,

You could consider a Squier ? [attachment=82240:Squire_V...Sunburst.jpg] This Squier Vintage Modified Sunburst might be just the thing ? I understand they are about £275 . . . They get good write ups from a VFM point of view ?

Hi all, I've picked up a great playing but very cheap second hand Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz - but thats for a reason - its got the most unatractive timber joins in the body - three totally different bits of wood both in grain and colour glued together to make the body leading to very pronounced glue joins as you look at the currently naked body. Also, its got a scratch on the front and a slightly miss-positioned Bridge (slightly off centreline relative to the neck) leading to the bottom E string being much closer to the edge of the fretboard than the top string at the pocket end of the fretboard. Regarding the Body, Im thinking about fitting a vintage Tortoise Scratch Plate on this one as this would cover up the scratch and ugly glue joins nicely, and, I suppose, also make my example even more vintage modified than it was to start with ! ! Regarding the Bridge, I'm thinking of removing the bridge, filling the screw holes, and re positioning/fixing the bridge (or maybe an upgraded bridge) in its proper position so as to achieve the correct positioning of the strings across the fretboard. So my question is, I've read several posts here that say its not so straight forward mounting exchange scratch plates as they are not very often interchangable and often dont fit well - especially at the scratch plate/neck interface around the neck ? . . . So . . . does anyone know which aftermarket Scratch Plate model is going to be the most likely to fit my fretless so far as snug fit at the around neck pocket is concerned ? ? . . obviously I dont need to worry about screw holes and I can even slightly move/adjust the control plate as required to make it fit snug against the scratch plate; but, it seems sensible to buy a scratch plate, which, from the outset, fits snugly around neck properly ? Second less important Question, any thoughts on any alternative vintage style bridges that I might consider ? Cheers,

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' post='968395' date='Sep 26 2010, 02:30 PM']I took a chance and bought one on ebay and with a little bit of filing round the neck pocket & control plate it now fits perfectly. Secret was taking my time and being a bit of a perfectionist (nerd). My opinion was, if I bought one and it was nowhere near fitting I would sell it on, guess I got lucky....... although I bought a brand new allparts black pearle one for a CV jazz and it doesn't fit, so i'll have to sell that one![/quote] Hi, I'm just about to embark on fitting a scratchplate to a Squier fretless Modified Jazz . . . . and am scratching my head as to which scratch plate exactly to order for the job ? I note you said you got one off ebaY . . . which, with a little bit of fiddling you got to fit perfectly . . . Can you remember exactly what it was that you ordered and who from ? . . . ie make/manufacturer and source ? I'd be very grateful to know as I reckon ordering the same make that you used is as low a risk option as I'm gonna find ! . . Any similar advice from anyone else who's in the know about this issue very much appreciated of course. Thanks

[quote name='Clarky' post='1261437' date='Jun 8 2011, 04:47 PM']Out of interest, what are the acoustic bass-playing members of BC using to make their bass gig-friendly? Piezo pickups? microphones? I have just acquired an Eko fretless bass (from, you guessed it, Beedster) and fancy trying it out in a live setting. I already have preamp and acoustic bass amplification (Acoustic Image/EA rig) but how best to take the signal/sound from the bass in your view?[/quote] I got one of these - Fishman Soundboard Transducer with Endpin Jack - easy to fit, and the endpin replaces the strap button in the usual way:- [topic="1261437"]www.fishman.com/products/view/sbt-e-soundboard-transducer-with-endpin-jack[/topic] I fitted the whole thing internally so nothing visible on the external of the acoustic bass body. Very natural sound. The fitting instructions suggested the sensor pad should be fitted close to and under the highest pitch string of the instrument and also, of course, away from any bracing, however, I found I got a more balanced sound that I liked with the sensor located the otherside of the bridge, ie, the sensor pad closest to the low E string on my acoustic bass. I run it direct into the PA Desk via a RANE AP13 Acoustic Pre amp. I initially found I had some feedback problems but the Graphic EQ on the RANE AP13 enables me to sort it out without to much trouble.

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='827476' date='May 4 2010, 02:21 PM']I have a friend who said he'd make a pedal for me that did the job (and I suspect he'd do as good a job as anyone, given he's had a long career in music synthesis and electronics for sound engineering ... AND he did some research by extensively miking up an upright) but I've not chased him on it ... the last thing I heard was that the prototype he produced was causing a stir with local bassists ... I must find out how far he got with the idea. Andy[/quote] Any news on your pals Acoustic Bass emulation pedal Andy . . . . . . I'm sure there's a markert for it ! . . . . . . . Cheers,

[quote name='Sid Rainey' post='1235685' date='May 18 2011, 01:41 PM']Got one for sale if you are still into it. [email protected][/quote] Are you out there Sid . . . . ? Still into it . . . . . have emailed you. Cheers

[quote name='Sunburst79' post='1193484' date='Apr 9 2011, 03:54 AM']I have a working 1996 Rumble Bass Stack (head and 2 410 HF cabs). I had a bit of an issue with crackling and the volume going up and down. Checked the tubes which were original and fine. Reseated the multi pin amp to chassis connector a few times. The Amp worked for about a day and then the noises came back. I decided that the next logical step before taking it to the shop was to clean and lube the pots - although none of the pots were actually scratchy. Which I did. I also tapped and probed all of the caps and resisters with the unit while running and none of them were particularly microphonic or intermittent. These units seemed to be designed to be field serviced and for whatever reason Fender used 148 "Fast-On" Connectors! (Spade terminal connectors) to connect various sub assembly's to the main circuit board. While the unit was apart I made point of going through and rocking each connector to ensure it was making good contact. A bad connection here is going to act exactly like a cold solder joint. Its worth taking your amp apart and checking these connectors. My amp has been flawless since July of 2010 After doing this. [color="red"][b]Normal precautions about working on high power amps apply.[/b][/color] It worked for me and hopefully helps someone. I've never played through a vintage Blue Line SVT but this thing has noticeably better tone then my mid nineties SVT CL 810HE.[/quote] Thanks for the above advice Sunburst79 What are the normal precautions that apply when working on high power amps ? . . . . I know there are issues about high voltages inside valve amps . . . and as Im a mechanical engineer and not an electrical one this has always put me off tinkering ? Are there easy steps that can be taken to discharge any potentially dangerous components so that you know the amp is safe to work on ? Cheers

[quote name='Bankai' post='1260941' date='Jun 8 2011, 11:11 AM']My first bass was a Shine Extreme Series 845. Very very tasty, obviously not going to be as good as a £400+ bass but definitely good as a starter/intermediate player![/quote] Thanks all, Hes bought it . . . . . £110.00 cash . . . . and is bringing it over to my place at the weekend . . . . I'll post up a foot note to say what I think of it. Thanks for posts.

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1259984' date='Jun 7 2011, 05:46 PM']Sein (shine)make decent quality reasonably priced gear IMO.I tried one of these about 4-5 years ago and was quite impressed,iirc it was about £250 new.[/quote] Thanks for your thoughts guys and girls ? Im still unsure as to what to tell him tomorrow ? . . . so this is a sort of bump just in case anyone else has a view . . . . . . Cheers

A mate of mine, a hobby guitarist, who plays 6 string acoustic & electric guitars is thinking of taking up bass. He's on the verge of purchasing a second hand Shine Bass (not sure if I've spelt Shine correctly ?) He’s described it as a 4 string Bass, natural timber finish with a telecaster guitar shaped body, maple neck with R/W board and in mint condition. I've never seen, touched, picked up or played such a bass . . . In fact I'd never even heard of the make Shine until about 15 minutes ago ! He says it appears to be reasonably well put together, says it has good (for budget) components and he reckons its got a nice action. He's asked me if I think its worth buying as a starter bass ?. . . . . As I have absolutely no knowledge of this brand at all, so I thought I'd seek the views of any of you who've tried one or own one ? I never dabbled with starter gear, so don’t know anything about really budget bass gear to be honest . . I got a second hand jap fender Jazz Bass Special as my very first bass . . . However, there must be some starter brands that are believed to be better than others ? . . so if any of you give the Shine a thumbs down, it would be nice to know what you think would be a better starter brand. I think he’s offered £100 for it . . I think ? Any thoughts ? Cheers

[quote name='Telebass' post='1259377' date='Jun 7 2011, 10:01 AM']I can never figure out why anyone finds any Precision neck too wide - it's the same, even at its widest, as a 6-string guitar...[/quote] I just find the wider string spacing of a Precision less comfortable for playing than the closer string spacing found on a Jazz width neck. Whilst I agree that a P neck is no wider than many 6 string guitar necks, the strings on a Jazz are closer together (maybe almost as close as the string spacings on a 6 string I guess) and I suppose that may be why some bass players say that Jazz necks are "faster" ? . . . Ive got smallish hands and not particularly long fingers, so all other things being equal, I find playing fast difficult bass runs much easier on a fine Jazz neck than I would do on a fatter P neck. Even when it comes to Jazz necks, they are not all the same and I much prefer the small finer shallow C shape ones to the fuller D shape ones. So as you can guess . . . wider P type necks are non starters for me out of choice. I like the fine shallow Jazz necks found on many MIJ models and I've always fancied trying a Geddy Lee as I expect I'd like that but never come across one to try yet ? Its also true that I started playing Bass using a Jazz . . . it just felt right to me, right from the word go, so maybe now I'm just predisposed to like the feel of the shape that seemed to appeal to me in the first place. The one argument that you dont hear quite so much about on these pages is the "Tone" argument ? . . In the 6 string guitar world there is a boat load of opinion suggesting, for example, that fat 50's style gibson necks give better "tone" than slim 60's gibson necks ? . . . . I've never been able to hear that difference in tone myself as I think there are so many other factors that have such a vastly bigger effect on tone ? . . but I guess every aspect of a guitar contributes a bit to its sound so maybe its relevant ? And I do know a couple of P players who swear blind that Jazzers lack the tone of a P because of their thinner necks ? . . . well . . . maybe ? . . but I cant hear it ! ! ! . . I would have thought it was mainly due to a different pickup in a different position ?

I think the Jazz Bass Specials look fine without scratch plates . . . . I think the Fretless Squier Jass Modified looks a bit odd without a scratch plate though ? . . . but maybe thats just because its still got the control plate on it ? . . if the control knobs were fitted direct into the body I think that would probably look fine too ? IM Very HO of course !

Thanks for that . . . . I don't feel so bad about exposing my ignorance now !

[quote name='mcnach' post='1257542' date='Jun 5 2011, 06:08 PM']For me, the single most important factor deciding whether I like a bass or not is the neck. Yes, I can play pretty much any out there, but some just feel right. It's a combination of width, profile shape, radius...[/quote] Totally agree . . . . . I've always felt the neck dimensions and profile is by far the most important aspect of a bass (after all its not impossible to change the pickups on common popular makes of bass - but you can't do much in the way of aftermarket neck modifications ! !) . . . and yet, manufactures advertising on the net hardly ever bother to say anything about the neck ? So, I rarely buy a bass without trying it for this very reason . . . . its probably one of the strongest arguments for supporting Guitar Shops and not just going for the cheapest internet price ! I think I've contributed to a thread on this subject before . . . and I seem to remember someone enlightening me about a fender system of different neck widths and profiles that used to exist to help players understand exactly what the neck would be like (A, B and C necks etc . . . can anyone elaborate on this ?) . . . . but dear old fender don't, as far as I know, do this any more apparently . . . and the others never ever did as far as I know . . Well . . . . thats progress for yee ! ! ! !

Stratocaster body - really? Matsumoku factory - I didn't think any Fenders were made there? Anyone know the low down on these? [/quote] Dont know anything factual . . . . have just been looking at a couple of front on pictures of Lyte bodies and comparing them with my Strat sat about 5 feet away from me . . . . You know its just possible that this story could be true . . . . I would say it may be possible that the body of the lyte could have been crafted from the same blank as a Strat body . . . beyond that they certainly are Not the same finished body shape . . . . . ? Interesting story . . shall watch this thread with interest ?

[quote name='I am not excane' date='May 28 2011, 12:40 AM' post='1247797'] Now that I have acquired both of these basses (which are incredible) I took some photos of them together in the same light. I'm interested to see if this changes anyone's mind from the last thread I had. [b]Which bass do you prefer in terms of looks?[/b] (They are both identical except for the finish) I prefer the quilt pattern/grain in the timber top on the Red one . . . . . . the quilt looks a little more pronounced ? But I prefer the colour of the Blue/Green one . . . . . Option paralysis wins . . . . . !

Where exactly does short scale end and long scale begin ? . . . I mostly play fender Jazz's . . . but to be honest I expect there are a lot of people on the forum like me who arnt up to speed with "terminology" and wouldn't know if if a fender Jazz is a long scale or a short scale . . . I think it must be long scale but I'm not sure and wouldn't wanna have to bet my guitar collection on it ! ! ! ? . . . I guess this may be because I probably haven’t tried out that many different types of basses over the years ? I look forward to being technically enlightened and lifted out of my ignorance ! !

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='1257523' date='Jun 5 2011, 05:46 PM']Hi I've found the above bass used and local to me, but before I buy it, does anyone know how I can tell from the serial number that it is on fact a genuine vintage modified one and not just a boggo squire?[/quote] Cant help you Im afraid - but a very good question you've posed ? . . . . . . I saw/played one of these in a shop a while ago and looked it over . . . . was struggling to tell what are the components on it that qualify it to be called "vintage modified" . . . . what exactly are the modified bits ? . . . . . On the Jazz fretless I can sort of understand it . . . . er . . um . . . its got the scratchplate removed ! . . . . not exactly a mind blowing modification but something at least to qualify that model to have "modified" in its name ! . . . on the vintage Modified P Bass I couldn't work out what had been moified at all ? Am I missing something here ? ? By the way . . notwithstanding the above, that vintage Modified P Bass played very well . . . . squier certainly are turning out some good value for money basic instruments these days ? As for your question . . . just try it out . . . and if you like it . . . and if it sounds good ? . . . feels good ? . . plays well ? . . . well maybe thats all that counts ? . . just buy it ?

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1244947' date='May 25 2011, 11:02 PM']Sorry but, for me, wrong headstock and wrong pickup.[/quote] Id go for one if it had the big Humbucker pickup . . . like on the early 70's reissues ! . . . . and a Tele headstock of course ! As it is . . . . . well . . . . . a bit underwhelming I think . . . . . not as exciting a project as it could/should have been to celebrate 60 years of a glorious instrument ! !

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1257284' date='Jun 5 2011, 01:12 PM']Yup, I've used them on a couple of basses and it's not snake oil - they really do offer some serious tonal variety. Try to get the one with the [i]detentes[/i], i.e. the clicks as you move from tone to tone, since it's a lot easier to remember where a particularly good sound lies. One thing to watch for is allowing ham-fisted friends to use a bass with a ToneStyler. If they twist the tone knob too enthusiastically, they can twist it half off the shaft ... not good.[/quote] Thanks for the advice . . . . I will keep a look out for one . . . there appear to be several models on the web page . . not to sure which one is the Bass one ? Also looked on ebaY but again cant deduce if there is anything for a bass guitar on there ? Thanks again