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retroman

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Posts posted by retroman

    A Buggers Muddle!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I think it fair to say that Ric's are a real Marmite bass.....You either love 'em, or hate 'em :)

    I have a '80 4001 in JetGlo, and I love it to bits. Played through my SVT Classic, and 610HLF cab, it's a real tone monster. It has a really fast slim neck, with a really low action. It weighs a ton though!

    They are totally different to play to Fender type stuff though (I have a Jazz, and 3 P's). They have a slightly shorter scale, and the strings are very close to the edge of the fret board. Also, I think anyone used to Fenders would find the bridge, and the pickups very strange and awkward to start with.

    I would recommend playing one for an hour or so to see if you get used to it/ grow to love it. I would also consider going the second hand route, as the full retail on a new one is horrendous.

    Does anyone prefer Squiers over Fenders?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I have a Squier Affinity Jazz that I use for band practice. It's fitted with the EMG J set, and sounds awesome! Really growly tone. The build quality is excellent, and really hard to fault, unlike a certain 1K+ bass I bought recently...... :)

    IMHO, a MIA Fender is not 1K better than a Squier by a long shot :rolleyes:

    The bass, the wood...the electronics...

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Good thread :rolleyes:

    I seem to favour Mahogony bodied basses. Seem to give a much deeper, thicker, fatter tone to my ears. The three I have that are built this was are my Thunderbird, Stingray, and Ibanez IC200. The Stingray, and the Ibanez both have bolt on maple necks, with rosewood boards.

    Another real tone monster I have is my old faithful Rickenbacker 4001, which dates to 1980. Totally different tone to the above, and tends to have much more of a "voice" in the midrange frequency, and sounds awesome when playing chords. Pickups are a bit on the quiet side in this one though.

    Also have several lumps of Fenderesque type timber floating about. 3 P's, and a Jazz. 2 of the P's, and the Jazz are pretty much the same umplugged, and have rosewood boards. But the one that stands out is my old Aria Legend, which was my first bass. It's got a maple neck and board, and a ply body. don't ask me why, but it's the loudest bass I have for playing unplugged! :) It plays really nice, and has a good fat tone when plugged in too.

    As far as electronics go, for tone, I seem to favour good old fashioned passive. But I have to admit, I have recently gone into the world of active, and they do make life easier if the backline is supplied, and you're not sure what you will be getting on the night. Pickups certainly can make a huge difference, as I have found out with my Squier Jazz bass, and Squier Precision Special. The Jazz has the EMG active setup, and the P has SD Quarter Pounders.

    Then there is always the debate on construction. Bolt on v's through neck, different laminates, bridges, nuts, use of composite materials, headstock angle, etc

    Bass Gear Blown Up

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='Rayman' post='664272' date='Nov 24 2009, 08:11 PM']Yep, my Trace Elliot blew up halfway through a wedding gig, just as the bride and groom had started to dance.

    I plugged straight into the PA and did the rest of the gig that way.

    I got the Trace repaired no problem, but I was nervous for a few gigs after that. Apparently the power amp had blown, a common problem in older models I'm told.[/quote]
    Sounds familiar......... :)

    Used to use a Trace Elliot 7 band EQ thingy in rehearsal with my old band. That blew the power amp, and filled the room with choking smoke. Then exactly the same thing happened with my AH600 V-Type head.
    Getting the V-Type repaired wasn't that funny either. Eventually got someone on the phone at Trace, and managed to get a replacement board. My repair guru told me that the power amp section had absolutely no circuit protection what so ever.

    IMHO, I'm never surprised to hear of Ashdown amps doing the same thing, as they were developed by ex-TE engineers weren't they??

    Felt totally un nerved recently at Derbyshire Band Of The Year, as we weren't allowed to use our own amps, and the bass amp supplied was a Trace :rolleyes:

    Are some basses suited to different playing styles than others?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    My good allrounder would have to be my 3EQ Stingray. Very versatile, and always gets a good sound if I am playing either pick or finger style. My Squier Jazz loaded with EMG's is also a good bass for this.

    For retro sounds I love my Rickenbacker 4001, and my Gibson Thuderbird. I play these mostly with a pick, and the Ric sounds gorgeous when playing chord and arpegiated type stuff. The Tbird is a good, growly, low end driven rock monster.

    P basses are good at getting the job done, and sound best when played with a pick IMHO

    My old Gibson EB2 has to be a sinner in terms of being versatile! :) I love that bass to bits, but it is definately a one trick pony. But what a trick :lol: For low end, it can make a 5 string sound weedy. True 70's wooly, trouser flapping bass. Lovely thin, fast, short scale neck as well. Never fails to put a smile on my face when I pick it up. Sounds just the same playing with a pick or finger style. I think trying to play slap on one of these would be plain silly! :rolleyes:

    IMHO, Ibanez make some good value for money allrounders as well

    What's the most over-rated bass, or bass related product???

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Reference above comment about Squier's being s***...............

    I've got a Squier Affinity series Jazz. It's very well built, came very well set up straight out the box. I've fitted a better bridge, upgraded it with the EMG J set, and it is now the main bass I use for practice sessions, and my main back up bass. I have several basses that cost £1K PLUS.

    I still have change out of the price of a Mex Jazz, and in terms of sounds, and build quality, it just makes the USA models look a complete rip off :)

    Being a "real" Fender is only a headstock decal away........ :rolleyes:

    Squier Jazz Affinity Series

    in Basses

    Posted

    Thought I would do a bit of a "progress report" on this bass :lol:

    The tuners are now much improved after a strip down, and reassembly with some nice thin grease.

    I have also carried out a pretty serious upgrade on it today.....It's now active! :) I have fitted the EMG J Set, which comes as a complete kit, with matched pickups, replacement pots, jack socket, and hardware. A nice touch is the pots and socket are pre wired, so it's only the pickup wires that required any soldering. Fairly easy to install, and the battery fits into the standard routing.

    The kit has vastly improved the tonal range of the bass, which now gives a really fat bottom end, and crisp, bright highs. OK, maybe not as much range as my 3EQ MM Stingray, but still quite impressive IMHO.

    This bass has become my main bass at practice sessions. It now stands me at around £350, which is still less than a MIM, and it would certainly now give a USA Jazz a serious kicking :rolleyes:

    What bass

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Don't forget to check out the Squier versions! :)

    Myself, and a few others have recently been very impressed with the Squier Jazz bass, and the Classic Vibe model is getting rave reviews. One of these would be well within budget, and as above, you could always retrofit it with a pre-amp, and if you want to look the part, fit a Fender headstock decal :rolleyes:

    Squier Jazz Affinity Series

    in Basses

    Posted

    Thanks Chaps :rolleyes:

    Saddle screw heights is something that I too have found annoying - especially with Fender style bridges, where the screws are that tiny they are bound to be sharp.

    I have to admit, I have already modified it!! I had a Gotoh style bridge kicking about, which is a much nicer piece of kit, and has the Fender screw spacing. so I thought "why not"! Has improved the sustain a small amount over the original bent tin jobbie.


    Rich, Dave and the gang offered me a coffee several times, bless 'em. They're a top bunch, and I have been going in there for years. I had to decline the coffee, as there aren't many places to stop to answer the call of nature between Donny, and Chesterfield! :) :lol:

    Electro's really doesn't do my GAS any good at all, hence my calling the place "dangerous" :lol:

    I have to admit, the Tokai was very tempting, as I know they are one of the best budget manufacturers out there, IMHO. But, I asked myself the same question as the USA Fender...........Is it really worth the extra money over the Squier? The answer was no.

    recommend a 2x15 for me please

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    If you can find one second hand........

    I used to have a Trace Elliot V-Type full rig, with the 1528 V-Type 2X15 cab. Provided lots of serious low end. It's a full sized cab, and rather a weighty beast though. The early versions were available in green carpet, later ones in black vinyl/tolex.

    Squier Jazz Affinity Series

    in Basses

    Posted

    OK, here goes with my first review!

    Recently popped into the dangerous place, that is Electro Music Services in Doncaster. Having heard all the good reports lately of the Squier basses, I thought why not give one of their Jazzes a go? I have to admit, I was impressed enough to buy it!
    I played it back to back against a Tokai Jazz sound, and through an Ashdown Combo. I played a mixture of finger style, or with a pick. I don't do slap!! I didn't do a back to back with a USA Jazz, as I wanted a "cheapie" for use in our rehearsal room.

    Fit and Finish.

    Really impressed. the Metallic Red finish has a lovely shine too it, and you have to look very hard to fault it. The wood grain shows through VERY slightly. The neck pocket is tighter than a gnats chuff. The rosewood fretboard, and frets are nicely finished. The neck itself is lovely and smooth, with a satin finish, and the truss rod was very well set up, making the bass easy to play straight away. The edges of the finger board are very slightly rounded off as well, so the edges don't feel "sharp", like some other budget basses. 9/10

    Playability.

    The bass was very well set up, and very easy to play from the start. Once I had the bass at home, I carried out a few little tweaks to suite my own playing style, but they were very minor. The intonation with the factory set up was spot on for the A,D, and G, but very slightly out on the E. The bass holds its tuning really well, and after playing for 2 hours straight, had only gone so slightly flat, it was only the tuner that gave the game away. Access to the upper frets is maybe a little restricted, but this is no different to any other Jazz, be it Mex, or USA. The bridge saddles were nicely set height wise, so there were no nasty grub screws protuding to rip the side of your hand open when playing with a pick. This bass also has great sustain for it's price tage 9/10

    Hardware.

    The bridge is the usual piece of Fender bent tin, and the chrome plating is of a nice standard. The chrome on the switch plate is also well finished, and the pots feel of reasonable quality. The neck plate is also nicely chromed, and engraved. The only slight failing for me, is the tuners. Again, nicely chromed, but they do feel quite cheap in operation, with a slightly gritty feel, and a very slight tendancy to stick when fine tuning. I have seen worse on other basses at this price though 7/10

    Sounds.

    This Jazz has the familiar two volume, and master tone, that we are all familiar with. This bass sounds just like a Jazz should, and it is possible to get a wide variety of tones. It has even managed to produce some serious low end, using the neck pick up, and the tone rolled right off, then using the bridge pickup, with the tone full on, it becomes very bright. Very easy to get a pleasing tone quickly. The pickups are nice and quiet, and free of any nasty buzzing. Being critical, I have found that the E, and G strings are VERY slightly louder than the A, and the D, but some of this maybe down to my playing style, although I haven't had this problem with any of my other basses 8/10

    Conclusion.

    This bass punches well above the £200 I paid for it. To be honest, I really cannot see why the USA Jazz is worth a £1000 extra! I think at some point in the future, I will be fitting some better tuners, and if you so wished, fitting some top notch pickups, and maybe a J-retro style preamp would turn this into a real USA Fender killer. I had recently had a quick sniff at a USA Jazz, and although the fittings on the USA model were of higher quality, the Squier I have bought is in some areas a better built bass. The USA model I tried had a small gap between the scratch plate, and the control plate, and you could see the routing, and the wiring through it! :)

    Somebody on this Forum recently posted a comment along the lines of "I don't know how much longer Fender can allow Squier to keep making basses of this level". I have to admit, I have drawn the same conclusion.

    Unusual Rickenbacker

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Incubus, give me first dibs if you ever decide to part with that beasty :brow:

    I bet Ric never put Lemmy's rather unique truss rod cover on the signature bass.........If you look very carefully, it actually says "Rickenbastard" :)

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