basshead56

Yeah I've contacted Ampmaster about getting one of their replacement bridges. Hopefully they will be able to ship to New Zealand. From what I can see, they are an excellent solution - drop in replacement but woth added functionality for intonation etc. Just ran the bass throughmy Darkglass AO900 and it sounds monstrous in both A and O model- the original pickup seems to thrive in OD territory. Doesnt seem to be tone of annoying hum either. Amd the only crackles I get are from the tone pot which I suspect needs a good blowout. Will wait till I have a new jack organised before pulling it apart

Well it arrived and I'm pretty happy 😁 In reasonably good shape (I was expecting worse tbh) Much less yellowed than my 78 Oly white P Bass. Pickup sounds good. quite thumpy. The not-so-good bits: Definitely needs a new input jack. Definitely needs a new bridge. Needs a good scrub but pretty great shape for a 50yr old bass, overall

Without a doubt, one of the most incredible instruments I have ever seen, heard or played. The bulid quality and feel is well above many Custom Shop basses I've tried (IMO) and it juat looks incredible too. The stock preamp has been pulled in favour of a Bartolini one and it absolutely sings now. Sadly I dont have a second one lol. But the chap I bought it from had both this IV and the V strong version. I did own a Victor Bailey sig acoustic bass years ago but completely different of course.

Another pair of pairs: Late 90s: 98 American Standard Jazz 97 American Deluxe Precision Passive US Jazz goodness 22 American Pro 2 98 American Standard

Updated pic. 98 American Standard 22 Ameican Pro 2 13 American Deluxe (on the way out -watch out for the replacement...) 10 Victor Bailey 03 American Deluxe QMT 21 60th Ann. Road Worn

The Dusk purple and Harvest Green Metallic look cool on the Jazz but hardly anything spectacularly different. Fender seem to think a preamp and a different/extra pickup equate to revolutionary. Would've been much cooler with a Meteora or Rascal or something a bit bolder than the traditional fare of the last 40 odd years.

I absolutely love my Pro 2 in Mercury. the neck is incredible! Hoping to land a matching Dark Night Jazz later on.

Worst I've owned was probably my old Ampeg B500DR. Seemed like a great idea at the time - 4 programmable presets and 500 watts but it was absolutely gutless. Could never get it to maintain stage volume or keep up with the band, not overly loud even . It was a disappointment across the board. Other amps I've played through at gigs and felt pretty meh about - a couple of Markbass combos, one was a 1 x15 thing and the other was a little 2x10 - guessing they were LittleMarks but both were very thin and a bit farty. I"m on the fence about keeping my Darglass AO900 or moving it on. Overall, nonplussed I suppose. Love the tones but not sure it's getting anywhere near the use it deserves after being relegated to the home Jamnasium in favour of my GK 1001RB rig for live stuff. Bought it to do clean and distortion stuff live but I find I prefer the sound of the dUg pedal pre in front of the GK a bit more. Especially comparing the clean tone options. Also having a Darkray I can call on to do the AO thing probably doesn't help. Seems like a lot of kit to just have laying around.

Updated. After a good fretboard oiling, new strings, slight action adjustment, new black sparkle pickguard and a set of straplocks - the latest addition is looking pretty darn tidy

Hi All, Had a punt on an auction site yesterday and ended up winning. Soon I will take delivery of a 1975 Fender Musicmaster in what was once Olympic White. All original except for the pickguard, which the previous owner has swapped out for a custom cut stainless steel one (ngl, don't hate this!) Given it wasn't anywherenear expensive as I thought it might be, I'm in two minds as to whatto do - keep her as is, or make it a project bass. I do quite dig the Mojo on this bass in terms of it's look. But I'm also intrigued by the thought of doing it up. Options I'm considering are: sanding it back and respraying it in another colour from the period - Daphne Blue or Dakota Red. Would add a white plastic pickguard and maybe strat knobs and a tugbar too. Then theres the pickup. Keep it stock or add something like a Curtis Novak pickup that sounds a bit more familiar. Would love a lipstick style pickup. Then, do I make it my only bass with flats? Oh the possibilities... Keen to hear thoughts/suggestions on this ☺️

I've shifted quite a few basses in the last couple of years but only to make room for stuff that I've wanted more . Honestly thought I'd be more upset shifting some of them but as time goes on, I find myself feeling less attached, sentimentally anyways. Definitely thinking more logically, at least that's what I tell myself. Quality and value seem to be more important in my reckonings on curatong my collection these days. Most recently, the Thunderbird Studio. Had it for about 16 yrs. Never thought I'd be ok to sell it as it looked brilliant and sounded great. Only Gibson I've owned that O've actually gotten on with but given I've hardly used it at all, I found it relatively easy to sell it on last week, to make way for something else. Ditto for my Stingray 4H, both Jags, Dean Cabbie, 79 Precision, 90's Dano DC, Jackson Minion, Squier CV 50's and my 2011 Am Std Jazz (probaly a couple of more too) But they've all gone away in the last 18-24 months and made way for some stuff I have really been enjoying: EBMMDarkray, Am PRO2 Jazz, 03 Am Dlx QMT Jazz, Victor Bailey Jazz, EBMM Stingray 4HH, a 75 Musicmaster (inbound, as of yesterday) and hopefully another Am PRO 2 Jazz in the coming weeks There are always a couple that I will regret but time and GAS heals all... To quote Mr Burns: "I'd trade it all for a little more" That being said, I genuinely don't know if there is anything I now own that I'd be happy to sell 🤣🤣🤣

None at all that I noticed. Just tried it on a strap again about 5 minutes ago and neither it, nor my Victor Bailey have a hint of neck dive. tried 3 different straps too. Hope that helps. They are beautiful instruments.

Power Conditioner. the pull out lamps on the front panel provide light to make seeing the controls etc much easier in darker rooms/stages etc.

Finally got to put the dream team together at rehearsal last night. Sacred Poos, this rig is insanely loud. Had to keep it around 2 so as not to blow the drum kit over... Havent even had a chance to buy the fancy speakon cables for the woofer/tweeter bit yet but keen to see how much of a difference it could make 🤔🤔

It's a Gibson. very late 90's to around 2009/10. The white colour option from that period was a yellowy white. I had a 2003 one in that colour Brown leather case with pink interior. all original. Didnt have it long, sold and bought a 70's Precision

Well, after a spur of the moment "If I dont buy this, someone else will!" while perusing the latest bass listings last Sunday morning... This was listed for about 8mins before I jumped on it. I sold my Danelectro DC recently with a view to finding something else but wasn't quite sure what. Was still looking out for another Jazz with a rosewood board (been looking for a 5th Jazz to round out the collection and cap off 12 months of reconnecting with my first-love Fender model). Was thinking maybe a CIJ or something. Missed out on a couple of cool basses locally- an Epiphone Tbird Vintage Pro, a red Cowpoke Precision (for practically nothing!!!) and a cool Aerodyne Precision Special in green. But then randomly, this pops up and the price was almost too good to be true. I took that as the sign I needed. Cut to today and 3.5hr drive each way (but barely even noticed tbh). But here it is: One 1998 American Standard Jazz in black with rosewood board. Came with a 2008+ American Standard case too. Not long in the door, straight to the jamnasium and plugged into the SVT! And dayum! This thing thunders!!! It is so loud and punchy. almost absurdly It is in great condition overall, bit of swirling on the finish on the back and a light scratch on the front but no dings or dents. The rosewood is beautiful on it. Will give it some oil to bring it up a bit more but it is absolutely lovely. Overall quality feels very good. Very similar to my 97 American Deluxe P. Neck feels great, similar to my American Pro 2 Jazz but slightly different somehow (guessing radius). It is ridiculously heavy though. Like 70's Precision heavy. But will see how it sits on a strap later. Originally thought it would make a good mod platform later but I'm inclined to keep it stock now. Though I will swap out the pickguard for something a bit more 'disco'. Will also have a play with the action and maybe swap out the strings. Pretty darn happy

I was pretty annoyed to start with but in hindsight it's worked out rather well. Would have been nice to have another QMT but the one I already have, as well as the Victor Bailey, Am PRO 2 and 60th ann RW (all bought in the last 12 months) are all more than enough to cover all my Jazz needs. To be fair, I will probably get more live use out of the new HH and having sold my Ray 4H very recently, it fills the gap rather nicely. And rest assured no fellow BCers were sworn at, spoken ill-of, nor harmed in any way 😊

Well, it's a big, chonky beast!!! Love everything about it! Now to find a rosewood board version for twinsies! The extra pickup and switching is really cool. Very versatille. Have run it through the A0900 and the 4PRO. Will give it a whirl through the SVT this evening. Definitely worth the verylong day trip lol

If you need another silver one, I'm selling mine 🤣🤣

So after originally agreeing on a deal to pick up a 2002 Am Dlx QMT, things have changed a little. Before Christmas i found said QMT online at the other end of the country. Spoke to the seller, agreed on a fair price and booked a flight there and back. Cut to late last week, the guy messaged to say he has decided to keep it for sentimental reasons. So I'm down 350 for return flights and no bass Ive been waiting on. I was pretty darn annoyed considering the logisitics, booking a day off etc, etc (and the 3 or 4 tasty instruments I passed on along the way while waiting to pick up this one!!!) but hey, it's his bass at the end of the day. Was about to go and see if I could move my flights out to later in the year and use them for something else, (maybe a Pixies gig or something) when suddenly up pops a 2012 Ray HH in pretty tidy order bar a couple of scuffs AND for the same money as the 2001 Ray 4H I sold on Christmas Eve... and in the same black and maple scheme lol So off to Dorkland at a sparrows on Thursday. Will be a very long day but hopefully very worth it. Always wanted to try a HH 4. Pretty sure it will scratch the itch for a while lol Pics will hopefully follow soon

I haven't bought one specifically for the reasons above... I'm definitely an Ampeg fanboy and I've been so tempted to get a Venture series head but I'm really not sure about the reliability aspect of them. I had nothing but good experiences with the PF series. Owned all three models of the non tube heads and had a great run with them. Apart from one evening when my pf800 just cut out for about a minute. Never happened again. I've had friends have major issues with pf500s. Just sold my entire PF rig a couple of months ago. Sad to see it go but I didn't use it anywhere near as much as I thought I would. Given how new the Venture stuff is and the few issues I've heard of from the likes of Ed Friedland and the odd bit from other sites, I'm hesitant. Think I'll wait and see a bit longer. Never had an issue with my SVT or any of the PRO amps. On a similar note, I haven't gigged a great deal with my Darkglass AO900 but I've come across quite a few people who've had DG amp issues, mostly with the 500 series amps. Reliability there makes me a tad nervous too.

I have found trying to coax a super 'clean' tone out of my AO900 to be a bit fiddly on the fly, but it can certainly be done. This is because I bought it primarily for it's Dist. sounds as this was what I needed at the time and this amp is absolutely BRILLIANT at doing just that - making loud, crisp, clanky drive sounds. What I have gotten from the clean side is ok but I've certainly had much nicer clean tones in the past. I have since replaced this live rig with a GK 1001RB and my dUg pedal and the DG and 8x10 cab have been relegated to the Jamnasium at home. Still evaluating the right bass to drive it. Had been using the Aria CB and an AM PRO II Jazz and both sounded great, just missing some zing with the clean side of things (but only on a couple of tunes). Otherwise both paired with either rig are a match made in fuzzy heaven/hell... But while I'm off work for the festive period, I will certainly be sitting down with it and spending some time dialing it all in. Will let you know how it progresses.

One of those turned up for sale in Dunedin about 3 months ago. Was pretty tidy too. Someone got a bargain at $3.5K NZD!

So the Victor Bailey I got a few months ago marked bass number 50 that I've owned. I've had a count and it turns out I have moved on 30, still have 20. On the block to chop - My EB Musicman Stingray 3EQ and my 90's Dano DC. Will replace with one - either an active Jazz of some kind (currently eyeing up another QMT in cherryburst or a 2016 American Deluxe Jazz in Natural) OR a 2023 Am PRO II in Dark Night with rosewood. What I've moved on over the years, in chronological order: 1 Fender Mike Dirnt Sig Precision Bass Black/White/Rosewood 2 SX Acoustic Bass 4 Natural 3 DaisyRock Rock Candy 4 Pink Sparkle Active 4 2001 Fender Jazz Deluxe Active Black/Tort/Rosewood 5 2002 Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass CIJ Black/White/Maple 6 2002 Fender CIJ 70’s RI Precision Olympic White/Black /Rosewood 7 2004 EB Musicman SUB Bass Red/Black/Ebony 8 Epiphone Thunderbird IV White 9 1994 Fender Precision Lyte Deluxe Green Sparkle/Gold 10 Gibson Thunderbird Studio V Ebony 11 2004 Fender Mustang Bass CIJ Fiesta Red/MOP/Rosewood 12 1994 EB Musicman Stingray 3EQ Natural/Black/Maple 13 1979 Fender Precision Bass Sunburst/Black/Maple 14 Schecter Diamond 4 Black 15 2004 Fender Mark Hoppus Sign Precision Bass mk 1 Seafoam Green/MOP/Rosewood 16 Squier Jaguar VM Black/Tort/Rosewood 17 Epiphone Thunderbird IV Black/White/Rosewood 18 Fender Victor Bailey Signature Acoustic Bass IV 19 1970’s Aria Diamond Ric copy 20 2000’s Dean Stylist ‘Cabbie’ w Gretsch Blacktops – NYC Cab Yellow/Checker/Rosewood 21 1993 Fender JP-90 Bass Black/Black/Rosewood 22 BC Rich Virgo Celtic 23 Squier CV 50’s Precision Bass Fiesta Red/Tort/Rosewood 24 Squier SS Jaguar Bass Black/White Pearloid/Rosewood 25 Squier Precision Bass Mini Torino Red/White/Pau F 26 2004 Fender OBP-51 RI Precision Bass refin White/Black/Maple 27 Jackson CS Minion PJ Green 28 2011 Fender American Standard Jazz Bass Sunburst/Black/Maple 29 2007 Fender Jaguar Bass CIJ series 1 Hot Rod Red/White/Rosewood 30 2013 Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Precision Butterscotch/maple