thodrik

As I usually say, if you want a Fender, just try lots of Fenders until you find one that you want. You could lust after a Fender from a specific period end up with a dog when you actually find one. £1500 -£2000 will get you a late 1970s jazz or mid to late 1970s Precision. I'd probably try the newer Fenders too, along with Sandberg and Sadowsky etc.

I'm sure its a nice amp but over a grand for a really heavy class D that is more expensive than your flagship tube amp just seems kind of strange. I also don't see many people going for Orange for the 'clean hi fi' sound, though I'm sure a line of high profile endorsers will magically switch after being suitably impressed/paid/whatever. I do like the blending capability idea though.

50-120 on the Precision 45-105 on the Jazz. Entirely different basses, used with entirely different tunings.

I suppose I had that feeling for a Wal until I tried one.

I've always thought that Ashdown amps were pretty good. Not noticed any dip in quality. Prefer pairing them with Ampeg cabs rather than the Ashdown cabs though.

A signature bass/guitar for a player who plays in alternative/drop tunings that is actually set up for those tunings from the get go. Is it really a signature model if it is set up in standard tuning that is never used by the artist in question? Troy Sanders/Biffy Clyro sigs, I'm looking at you! I am probably of the opinion that there already too many signature models as there is.

If you get one good reply out of ten that is a good ratio. Out of the good replies, one good musician out of 5 is a decent ratio. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes it takes a while but Gumtree is still a decent resource.

Its only a step down so it isn't really a severe change. A heavy set of strings in the 110-50 and a decent set up would do the job.

Generally I have only played in one guitar bands, for several reasons: 1. One less person to organise in terms of arranging rehearsals and gigs. 2. It is difficult enough to find one good guitarist, let alone two. 3. It often makes for a quicker writing/arrangement process, partially due to reasons 1 and 2. I have played in bands with two and three guitarists as well and really enjoyed it. What works 'better' depends on the personnel and what you are trying to achieve musically. Generalisations such as 'two guitars muddy the sound' or that 'bands with one guitar sound thin' can generally be ignored.

I would probably get a Sandberg. If I was spending loads of money I would probably get a Sadowsky or Mike Lull.

In terms of string gauge I have used a 135 for a low A and it works okay. It all depends on personal preferences in terms of set up, etc. You could try the DR DDT extra heavy set of 125-65 or the bottom four strings of a medium/heavy five string set.

I have owned a 1978 Precision for 15 years so no surprise where my preference lies! I generally prefer the neck profile of Precisions to Stingrays. Aesthetically I prefer the look of Precisions too as I have never been a fan of the toilet bowl look of Stingrays. I never felt that a Stingray offered anything that I couldn't achieve with my Precision. Had I bought a Stingray originally I probably wouldn't have bought a Precision for the same reason though. Other reasons for not getting a Stingray include being fed of seeing them constantly being slapped to death by Flea fanboys in music shops and at sound checks, as well as not being impressed by the actions of certain company figures on certain online forums. These points are not really related to the quality of the instruments themselves though, which are generally exceptional.

Not sure about the look of the pickups on the more 'vintage' models, but I would like to try one out as I am intrigued by the electronics. Having seen lots of Fender-alikes I am not that fussed over whether a bass looks a bit like a Wal, I wouldn't make a criticism on a brand on that basis alone.

I would definitely like to try the 69er with my Trace Elliot V6. I've never been that intrigued by the smaller cabs (Compact/Midget) and had already own half-decent mid-sized cabs so the Super 12 etc have never been something I have felt the need to try as I never really budget for new cabs like budget for instruments and pedals. Barefaced definitely offer something different in the marketplace though and I personally think that some of the designs are really cool, even if not what I am looking for myself. Some of fanboy antics on the thread can be a bit annoying when the 'Barefaced' is given as an answer to every 'what cab should I get?' thread, but I suppose those recommendations are made by those who really believe in the product, so I really don't have any problem with it.

I played a Mark I. It was nice enough, not something I thought I had to have. Soon after that, the 'I need a Wal' feeling went away forever.

Because it would be rubbish.

Same here. In fact, I think that his playing on the new album is some of his best work.

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1386448618' post='2300353'] The Fodera Emperor I played today was awesome but after playing around with it for about 40 minutes I don't think it's going to work for me. I then played a couple of nice Overwaters that my mate had - they were superb but they're both 5 stringers and I'm after a 4 or a couple of 4s. I also played my friends American Standard Fender Jazz and Precision and loved them both. They were set up beautifully and obviously had those lovely classic vintage passive tones. Despite desperately wanting to jump in and buy some equipment I'm going to continue searching because none of those higher end basses really felt 'right' for me and I'm starting to lean more towards traditional basses right now. [/quote] Have a go of some of the high end 'super' Jazzes, should give you a blend of old and new: Sandberg, Sadowsky, Nordstrand, Mike Lull, Mayones and others. Although don't rule out a Fender if you find one that is right for you.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1386432753' post='2300080'] If you get a decent Fender worked on by a good luthier and finished off properly in terms of the fretting and nut ect , it really can play as well as a boutique bass. [/quote] My 1978 Precision has been my benchmark for all my other basses and it has never (to my knowledge anyway) been modified in a major way. I don't think that a passive Fender has to worked on by a good luthier to play as good as as boutique passive bass, though it can't hurt. There are 'good' and 'bad' Fenders in every line and if you get a good one, in my opinion they are as good as any other passive bass. Active basses are different as I don't think Fender have ever nailed a preamp to match Sadowsky and the rest of the boutique guys, but that is just personal preference In pure playability terms though, I've passed up Warwicks, Wals, Spectors, Rickenbackers and loads of other high end/ 'boutique' 'vintage' instruments that just simply didn't feel as nice (to me) as the Fender I already owned. Only a Sadowsky and a Vigier came close enough to actually convince me to buy them. The Fender is still the number one bass though and it cost me about £400 in 1999!

I would happily buy a Fender over a 'boutique' bass if I found one that I really liked which played as well as a more expensive bass. The trick is actually finding the Fender that is 'the one' to you. If the OP finds a Fender, or any instrument at whatever price point that they really like, why not choose it over a more expensive custom job? The best advice is to go out and try as many basses as you can and see if what you like the best.

Old Trace Elliot or Ashdown ABM would do the job. In terms of 'modern' solid state stuff I do rate the Hartke LH500/1000 amps, the Aguilar SC500 and any one of bigger EBS heads (got a Fafner myself). Or you could go old school SWR or Gallien Krueger if you want something a bit more unusual/1980s influenced. Peavey Firebass is also a good shout. I also like the SVT Pro series amps, but not so keen on the SVT450. Basically just see what is available for the money you have set aside and get what you fancy.

G&L is hardly a radical departure from Musicman/Fender territory so I'm not sure you would get anything different other than another nice bass. Not keen on the Gibson EB bass ergonomically, the Fender Dimension looks like the same bass but better designed (to me anyway). Probably a decent bass. If you are looking for a 'cool' but 'different' Gibson bass, maybe also have a look for a Grabber or Ripper bass. Thunderbird. Very cool but generally very heavy and suffer from neck dive. Maybe look at the Mike Lull versions if you want to spend loads of money. Rickenbacker is an acquired taste. If you don't get on with them to be begin with why bother? All it will lead to is another 'I went to try this bass and didn't like it despite it being expensive' experience. Of those in the list I would get a Rick.

[url="http://vimeo.com/79092556"]http://vimeo.com/79092556[/url] Couldn't help but think of this thread when I watched this.

[quote name='action_panzer' timestamp='1385988045' post='2294302'] Of course you [i]can[/i], but I've rarely seen it done, Arch Enemy being the only band I can recall that drop their ricky to a low C, and they seem to keep the character of tone (until all the pointlessly heavy stuff bulldozes it anyway...) Here is why I ask - the 4003 is my dream bass, i love the sound, the look, how they play, and I will shortly have enough dosh to finally go out and get one. Yet everything I play at the moment is in a C tuning, and I remember from looking on TalkBass ages ago people saying Ricky's really don't like being dropped beyond a D. Opinions? It seems pointless to have my dream instrument to only practice and noodle on. P.S. silyl rickenbacker spelling is because I don't know if BC would be harrased by RIC to take the post down if I don't [/quote] Start listening to and watching stoner doom bands. A Rickenbacker bass tuned to C (or below) is semi-obligatory with a lot of those bands. Start with Sleep and Kyuss (Reeder era) and go from there. There is a Stoner/Doom thread on Talkbass and I bet that there is a bunch of guys who use Ricks. The guitarist in Arch Enemy has another band called Spiritual Beggars, and I'm pretty sure that the bass on all the early albums is on Rickenbacker as well.