basshead56

+1 to above The brand is unimportant (as are looks to a certain degree), its the sound and feel that matter most You can get a fairly decent bass for 500quid so shop around and try as many different basses as you can. It´s too late for me, I´m a Fenderphile and will always be, but do try everything...while you have a choice...

Mark Hoppus used a capo for the recording of Blink 182´s ´I Miss You´ The bassline was actually recorded twice and then filled in with a Fender Bass VI. Live he just slides-never as good as the recording. Using a capo is the same as a new bass, amp, or pedal or whatever-not for everyone, but it can work for some. I haven´t done so yet, but would never dismiss it outright- anything that can help make a song/tune better should be considered and seeing as it was mentioned earlier, the bass guitar IS a relatively new instrument and there aren´t any hard and fast rules yet. Don´t know why this is becoming a heated debate-like most things in life, its not really a big deal eitherway. Anyway, I´ve gone on long enough (still running on last night´s bubbly fumes), I´m off to sleep it off. Happy New Year to All!!!

[quote name='Ant' post='696974' date='Dec 31 2009, 09:42 AM']I have an old svt ii non pro that I'm looking to part ways with[/quote] Really? How much you looking for?

Hi. Would love to have to be stuck in that situation!lol i own a Mike Dirnt bass in black (its on long term loan to my kid sisters band at the mo though) which I love. It certainly weighs a bit-you know your wearing it! The neck profile is great-a real old scholl but kind of worn in P bass neck with Tele/51-style headstock. The slab body is great-Im much more a 57-style Precision man, but I love the overall look and feel of this bass-there´s just something about it! The sound was the only thing I wasn´t amazed by at the outset. There are US pups in them, but they just lack a killer punch, at least to my ears. I was caught between this model and a Mark Hoppus sig and in the absence of a pink Hoppus, I went with the Dirnt model. However like buses-a fortnight later, along came a now discontinued Pink Mark Hoppus and a tiny price tag(my mate leaving the country=cheap!!!). I much preferred the sound of the MH, so I swapped out the Dirnt´s pups to Duncan SP3´s and boom-one heavyweight (feel AND sound) bass! I strung it with Dean Markley´s and ran it through my old SVT 200T and 8x10- AMAZING!!! The build quality is superb, excellent QC, no issues whatsoever when it left the factory-only needed a quick action adjustment/change of factory strings, no sharp frets or edges, no buzzing/hum or loose pots or any other issues Seriously fantastic bass for the money-just dont buy the white/yellow one! black all the way (dont love the s/burst either) The roadworn series look and sound fantastic too! Though I´m now more of a precision guy, so I´d have to go with a fiesta red and rosewood-necked one of those! The QC and build quality of these is apparently immaculate. Havent seen a bad review of one yet. And the 10 mins I had on a RWorn Jazz before Christmas didn´t help me find fault either In terms of the Ric, personally, I´m not a fan. I find them heavey and limited sound-wise. I had the loan of a mate´s 4003 while he was in the US. It was a fireglo one and had the pup covers. My band INSISTED I used it cause it looked cool. I thought it sounded flat and boring! If the Ric sound is what your after-obviously, thats the bass you want. But if you want a bit of variety and a pair of basses that wont cost the world, go with the Fenders- you wont regret it Or you could get a Fender and a Ric copy. The copies are quite good and relatively inexpensive. Check out the Tokai Rockinbetter! great bass for the money (if thats your bag) Above all else though- go out and TRY these basses as buying without trying is a mistake and a costly one at that! Cheers mate, Happy New Year, Colin

Depends on condition really. I´ve seen V type heads go on ebay for less than 300euro and also seen them go for more than 700. they are great amps though. I noticed you´re quoting prices in euros, where are you based?

[quote name='maxrossell' post='694974' date='Dec 28 2009, 05:27 PM']Nah, none of the five guitar heads in my practice room go to 4. Three Marshalls, a Mesa and an Ibanez. Generally guitar heads will do one or two sixteens or one eight.[/quote] +1 Have only seen a very small number of guitar heads that come down to four ohms. The typical marshall set up is 2x16´s or one 8, though the TSL100 I had did do 4. Laney are the same. Havent seen too many HH amps though.

[quote name='bass5' post='694876' date='Dec 28 2009, 03:01 PM']A lot of shops are offering 50% off by the way, sorry to say I have tried them and I thought..... well best not say what I thought of them.[/quote] Which ones are offering 50% off?

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='693752' date='Dec 26 2009, 03:11 PM']Ah the vultures are circling No. No parts will be for sale. I have to be able to put it back - excepting the paint of course!![/quote] Vultures indeed.lol They are lovely sounding pups the late seventies ones- I wouldn´t sell em either. Yeah, suppose being able to switch back would be pretty handy. best of luck with it anyways mate and keep us posted on the ´transformation´ Have a great New Year Colin

If you are planning on selling the original Precision pup, I might be interested

Are you using your amp´s effects loop? why not run the first distortion/fuzz pedal with the rest of your pedals in the effects loop and use the second, thicker sounding distortion through your normal input on the front? The difference being that the activation of the first shouldn´t really impact on the gain or volume too much, whereas the second (front input) one might increase the gain and overdrive of the amp. Just a thought as have tried similar with my Rust Ride and Bass Big Muff Cheers, Colin

Update. Ok guys, I am now the proud owner of a wicked if somewhat worse for wear 78! It sounds great though. First off, the neck is straight and smooth as the proverbial baby´s. Frets seem to be in good nick and loads left in em. No dead spots or buzz of any kind, anywhere. The paintjob was a little surprising upon opening the case. Was expecting what I saw in the pics (obviously an LED flash camera makes everything look pale and interesting-worked for my ex...baddumm-tsch!) not what I got though- the only Olympic White bit left on her, is on the butt of it above the bridge. The rest has turned to that most interesting of finishes bongwater/nicotine yellow! Always wanted one-it worked for DeeDee and Glen Matlock! Few nicks and dings, but not as bad as I thought it would be! phew! Machine heads are tight, no rattles or buzz or anything Bridge and screws, saddles etc are rustier than the Titanic, but are saveable-unlike the Titanic (had my tech look at her already and he´s going to work on her tomorrow!) Never mind the aesthetic Bo****ks, Here´s the sound bit. Tried it out through an Ampeg SVT450 and classic 410He. Lovely warm, round sound. Sounded way deeper and mellow than I thought-was expecting a more buzzy, twangy EMG sound. nope, pure P bass! The Jazz pup needs lowering on the treble side as the G string was insanely loud with that pup run solo. Still trying to decide what I´ll do pup-wise. Since they are not originals, i can strip em out and add either passive Duncans or try and source original 78´s. Weighs a tonne and think my shoulders have seperated carrying the bloody thing around all day yesterday and today (had to brave icey roads, snow and a total of 13hours on busses-thank god for iPods,newspapers and Guy Pratt´s literary genius!) Original case included-proper 70´s Fender one with orange plush/felt. And all for the paltry sum of a cup of coffee, 40 odd euros in travel and 500 euro for the guitar. i´m well chuffed

I started with a Laney richter rig. it had a 4x10 and a 1x15. I always thought the 15 was a bit flabby. I then upgraded to a similar setup from Ampeg, but again the 15 lacked depth-at least to me. I areplaced it with a second ampeg 4x10 and robert turned out to be my mother's brother! 8x10 all the way!!!

I have one of the original pink ones. love it!!!Don´t have another bass that sounds anything like it-even the Dirnt I modded to the same pup spec. The pickup location and pickguard on this new one look very different. Read somewhere that he made similar mods to the one he actually uses. Think he reversed the pickups or something? like the 70´s kind of headstock too. Interested to hear what they sound like and how much more expensive they will become!

Looks good to me. If you can get that for under 500, I rekon you are doing quite well indeed! Get a black p/guard though-if you´ve got a black P bass with maple board, you HAVE to get a black guard too!!! Best of luck.

thanks lads for all your input. Yeah, the battery compartment under the bridge is my only real concern. It´s actually very close to the 500pound mark, which I don´t see as being extortionate. And yeahBurritobass I do have a thing for 78 P basses - the very first bass I ever saw, touched or played was a 78-my mates dad´s one when I was a kid. I plan on maybe un-doing the jazz pup from the wiring and just leaving it in the body (not a huge fan of the PJ config). But thats after I have a whirl on it and see how it all sounds and feels of course. Cheers guys

[attachment=38414:IMG_0366.JPG] [attachment=38413:IMG_0365.JPG] [attachment=38412:IMG_0364.JPG] [attachment=38411:IMG_0363.JPG] [attachment=38410:IMG_0361.JPG] [attachment=38409:IMG_0360.JPG] [attachment=38408:IMG_0359.JPG] [attachment=38407:IMG_0358.JPG] [attachment=38406:IMG_0357.JPG] [attachment=38405:IMG_0356.JPG] What do you guys think? Does it look all there?-aside from the mojo and EMG'ing thats gone on. From the picks I gather it is all proper anyways (78) I hope to pick it up on Monday, and it won't be costing the world, by any means.

[quote name='Andy Blowers' post='683021' date='Dec 13 2009, 02:33 PM']Marshall VBA 400 for me now... Sounds even better. The Ashdown cabs are going soon...[/quote] +1 Just got a VBA400 and VBC4x12 and love em. Stands up to my old SVT in a BIG way, and weighs less! just wish I could have a second VBC4x12!!!

bought one in Dawsons when i was in Liverpool last month. There are 5 or 6 in the amplug range. The bass one comes in a slightly larger packcardboard and plastic package, which has a bright red background (the guitar ones are typical vox blue/green cardboard backgrounds)and has the word BASS in bold red/white below where it says VOX. Great idea but you really need a decent set of headphones with good low end response. I´ve blown two pairs of em so far. Still, in terms of the actual unit, keep the gain down and the volume up and your in decent sounds-ville. it has an aux in for connecting your mp3 or whatever too, so you can play along to songs and all that. There re also effects but again, pretty pointless really, unless you have AMAZING headphones. It cost me 38pounds, which isnt incredibly cheap considering Fender and Dean have pelt pack versions for around 25pounds, but I like it cause its small and plugs straight in.

Definately try and get a look at 1) Dean stylist 2) Eastwood Classic 4 (very similar to Gretsch in looks) Have played both and really liked them. I´m a big fan of the 335-type body (pure Chuck Berry!) so the Classic 4 wins on looks for me. great woody sound with a tiny top end bite. great for pick playing! But if you come across the ltd edition Cabbie version of the Stylist-happy days. The PERFECT rockabilly bass (guitar). They sound lovely and warm and also are great for pick playing.

Thanks very much for that Gareth, very much appreciated. I have been looking at some of the options from Thomann in the last day or two. I may be up around your neck of the woods early in the new year (like every second person in the South, ) Thanks a million Colin

Hi guys. Been offered a true/proper 1978 Fender P in faded oly white. Lovely bass. Only problem is the owner EMG´d it and modded it. He fit a battery box, new knob on the pickguard and an EMG jazz pup in the bridge. Im much more a fan of the vintage P bass sound (and single P pup), so is it possible to return it to the state it left the factory in (glorius)? Could just refuse, put im a sucker for a good priced oly white/black Gaurd/rosewood-boarded 70´s Precision

Thanks Jake. After reading some posts from other BC users, I will definately take your word for it. May I ask if you know of anything somewhat similar but less pants sounding? Many thanks Colin

Thanks Jez. You´re spot on though, as the one I started on was pretty crap. I was lucky it had strings! Managed to somehow sell it though and did alright on the price I got for it I only want something I can abuse in a rockabilly type context-slap and twang and all that. If its pretty light, even better. Just kinda liked the look of this one.