Grand Wazoo

[quote name='hhoward' post='1120899' date='Feb 9 2011, 03:59 AM']Hi again Steve, i haven't received them yet, i will keep checking the email Could you please also take photos of the back as i want to see how the Velcro is anchored to them, i think it may be stapled, i am not sure thankyou again Steve Regards from HowardH [/quote] Here you go:

[quote name='The Burpster' post='1122118' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:41 PM']What wood fretboard...?[/quote] Maple with White Pearloid (wonky) blocks an'all! something like this, but without the matching colour headstock

Phase Two... Bridge is fitted and now there's two choice of pickguards available, I have ordered both. Parchment Cream or.. White Pearloid My idea originally was to match exactly this template: Which of these is your favourite one?

And we have an old saying in Italy that goes like this: [i][b]"Ogni scarrafone e' bello a' mamma sua"[/b][/i] which roughly translate in... [b][i]"every cockroach is beautiful to his own mom"[/i][/b], and that ultimately means that if you like it, that's what matter, and if others don't that's tough!

[quote name='redstriper' post='1121217' date='Feb 9 2011, 12:08 PM']Everybody loves the CVs, but how do you think the VM jazz basses compares to the CVs ?[/quote] Hi redstriper, this is only my personal opinion, but if I look at the quality of an instrument and I compare VM vs. CV I find them to be words apart. We also discussed this in intense details circa 10 months ago in another thread. The factory in China where the CV's come from have consistently shown to be way better skilled in the functional manufacturing of a musical instrument, whereas it appears that in Indonesia where the VM come from these are basically assembled by factory workers who follow plans and sketches and have very little understanding of the end use of their products.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1120083' date='Feb 8 2011, 01:50 PM']Are the CV Jazz basses really that good?! I played one, and it sounded pretty ok. But are they as nice as the current American Standards? How far apart are they? I realise its a huge price difference.[/quote] for the last time.... YES! they are that good provided you appreciate them for what they are, and I mean look at them as in their "stock" livery. Great basswood body with excellent neck weight ratio, superb hi-mass bridge with brass saddles. Perfect neck fit to the body (find me a mim that has a good neck fit in the pocket and I'll eat my hat) out of the 3 CV's (jazz / 60's P and 50's P) the jazz had the best resonance out of the 3 unplugged, always a good sign. Finally, and tha'ts a fact, they are limited in the electronic department and while, say... 75% of the people here who owned one could live with the stock alnico p/ups the other adventurous 25% of peeps, like me sees them as a blank canvass for modding, (none more than me having even bovined the look of it as well as totally junked p/ups and wirings) which means they are a very decent starting point towards making it your dream Jazz bass picking and choosing the best boutique p/up to fit in them. Gareth I have read that you are someone who doesn't like tinker with mods and you prefer a stock Fender USA but think about it. £1200 spent on one of them which you weren't even full satisfied with, against a starting price of £300 for the bass and no more thant £150 on p/ups and pots leaves you with something that, a) you made it your way and that will be the best 500 quid you've ever spent on a bass that will defeat all your expectations. Man you know it makes very good sense.

[quote name='nipplebass' post='1112006' date='Feb 2 2011, 08:47 AM']Hey Guys! Iam currently using a 76 marshall superbass and am quite fancying one of the new tech 21 VT pedals. I've heard a couple of people say that Tech 21 gear does'nt react to well with an all valve amp? anybody got any experience with this?[/quote] [b][i]I've heard a couple of people say that Tech 21 gear does'nt react to well with an all valve amp?[/i][/b] Totally unfounded statement. They work great with any amps all valve / hybrid and solid state.

Wow, impressive! Well done Lucio Marrone

[quote name='Macko1968' post='1119339' date='Feb 7 2011, 07:50 PM']... a copper earthing strip, as found on vintage Jazz basses between the back pickup & the bridge? Guitar Part Resource used to sell 'em but not any more [/quote] [size=3][u][b][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUITAR-SCREENING-COPPER-TAPE-SHIELDING-SELF-ADHESIVE-/390279243780?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5ade74a804"]Here[/url][/b][/u][/size]

[quote name='silddx' post='1119345' date='Feb 7 2011, 07:57 PM']First time ever for me. I would, without question, never replace this bass without first trying the prospective replacement. This is the first time I have felt a deep connection with a bass. I hope it lasts. It's hard to explain, but I feel that the notes I play on it are given back to me by the bass, they don't disappear, every not I play on it brings the bass closer to me. The bass does not remain the same, we give to each other and take from each other. The bass and me are synergistic. It's harder to play than my Warwicks, it has four frets missing, it's passive, it's a funny colour, the frets are too skinny, it's completely old fashioned. But the neck is wonderful and it responds to everything I do. I realise it sounds stupid - it's wood and strings, but it's what I felt on Saturday night, and I still feel it. I truly loved my Warwicks because they were so reliable, great sounding and beautiful to play, but I never got this feeling from them. I don't get it from the Chris Squire Electra I built either. They are all tools. This is different. I wonder if the feeling will last? I've been searching for this feeling for a long time, once I realised it was possible. I had it with a guitar 20 years ago, a Aria Pro II that I modded very heavily. I wore the frets out after three years. I gave it to a friend.[/quote] yeah so... how much you want for it then?

Oh Man! What a beauty that is. Classic as it should be. And I am a big fan of those chunky hi-mass bridges they really do work compared to the old bent bit of tin. Congratulations.

Have a read through this... explains how Tony Levin came out with the idea and design of the ff [url="http://www.papabear.com/pbtlff.htm"]http://www.papabear.com/pbtlff.htm[/url] Quote: "Who invented them? [i]From Tony Levin: "It started when, on Peter Gabriel's SO album, Jerry Marotta drummed on the bass strings for Big Time . Later, on tour, I was trying to simulate the riff with one stick - one day Peter looked at me doing it and said 'Why don't you attach the sticks to your fingers?' I turned to Andy Moore, my tech at the time, and asked him, 'Can we do that, Andy?' (Of course, I said 'WE' but HE's the one who designed a way to do it - first with a strap, then with a cutout and elastic loops for fingers.) We modified them a lot, and came up with a comfortable shape and different lengths for the two fingers." What's on the ends of the sticks? We've decided that rubberizing tool handle dip is the best hitting surface so far, so funk fingers will now be shipped with rubber ends. They can still be wrapped with other material. "[/i] Here's an HD video that shows them in use

There's a video of it on youtube

[quote name='alanbass1' post='1117068' date='Feb 5 2011, 09:14 PM']A good jazz sounds great without active circuits and all that.....[/quote] I agree

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1117319' date='Feb 6 2011, 03:39 AM']Why would you need a preamp with Barts?[/quote] Because they are designed to give the best performance when powered by a 9volts preamp circuit, without it they sound like poo, bland and unpowered. Try and see.

[url="http://www.tech21nyc.com/products/effects/boostchorusbass.html"]http://www.tech21nyc.com/products/effects/...chorusbass.html[/url] I want one of these

I saw a youtube demo on the Roger Waters one and it was mentioned MIM never seen the Duff one so I can't say.

[quote name='fatback' post='1117157' date='Feb 5 2011, 10:44 PM']Thanks for this. I was going to post asking about jazz humbuckers. Sorted. [/quote] That's why we have this excellent forum, those of us who've been there and experienced the evils of trial and error can pass our findings about what works best to those who are attempting it for the first time. Sorted!

[quote name='Mikeg' post='1116648' date='Feb 5 2011, 04:01 PM']For my next bass i'm either going to buy a second hand Squier vintage modified jazz, and put in some bartolini's and a high mass bridge. Or a fender jazz standard Any opinions?[/quote] If you want an hi-mass bridge, then you might as well get a Classic Vibe Jazz cause they all come with one on it and it is an excellent bridge so that would be at least one of your requirements sorted. If you want Bartolini's you're going to have to spend on a preamp too, why don't you get some Wizards, Frailin or even Lollars instead. Seymour Duncans do some single coil sized humbuckers that you can wire both in series and parallel individually and eliminate the unpleasant hum familiar with Jazz Basses, they are also very decently priced compared to Lollars and Frailins. here is a link to the SD's I was talking about [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/basslines/cutting-edge-1/stkj1_classic_f/"]http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/bass...tkj1_classic_f/[/url] I've had them on my Squier Jazz Moo Moo bass and they were the dog's blx

So... How much you want for it then? [quote name='silddx' post='1116601' date='Feb 5 2011, 03:06 PM']Haha! I was just kidding mate It looks beautiful as it is and I doubt I will change anything. To all those who recommended a mint PG, it is already a minty PG and it complements the finish perfectly so it's staying for now. I've just got it home! And by god it's an absolute CRACKER! The finish is as deep and rich as you can imagine, and in superb condition. One thing I was a little concerned about when I first clapped eyes on it at John's place was that it looks to be a six piece alder body, the joints are just visible as the paint has shrunk over time. BUT, on playing it unplugged with the old chin on the horn trick any concerns vanished, it's wonderfully resonant. The emphasis seems to be in the pillowy lower mids, exactly what we want, and it is at the headstock too. It's like it's alive! And boy, it's a real rock machine, growly, snarly, bright, but it's got a good bottom end too which will be good for my dance/pop bands. I reckon it will be a good all rounder, but the emphasis is really on the rock side of things. As soon as I played it I thought of Geddy. The Badass no doubt helps as it seems to have great sustain and unplugged it seems way louder than any bass I've owned, certainly much louder than my Warwicks unplugged. I can really dig in on this bass, it just wants to be played hard, it's that sort of instrument. The neck is just what I'd dreamed it would be. Very shallow, truly lovely to play. Deep dark honey colour gloss over the nicely figured maple, the rosewood is dark, and it looks old. The frets are very thin and there's almost no wear. The edges are nicely rounded. The nut is in great nick too. There's almost no relief and therefore action is a little high to compensate, so I'll loosen the truss rod a 1/4 turn and lower the saddles, that should do the trick I hope. I'll give it a full service while I'm at it and put a fresh set of the new K3 coated DR Black Beauties on. The pickups are Fender USA Vintage SCs and they seem to have a high output and sound bright and detailed. It plays better than any Jazz I've ever played, new, old, vintage. It's incredible. Totally different to my Warwicks. I just want to pick it up and play, it feels that inspiring, even to a lazy bastard like me I don't think I've ever felt this way about a bass. It looks the absolute dogs nadgers! And I'm absolutely delighted! John Blackman is a wonderful bloke to deal with. He's got a great eye for instruments and really knows what he's talking about. I have no doubt you will also be delighted if you purchase an instrument from him. I tried a lovely RI Tele guitar when I was there too, it played like a dream. Cheers all![/quote]

Google Tony Levin funk fingers and see if anyone is selling them otherwise make them yourself not from flipping chopsticks, those wont last two minutes but use exactly what Tony Levin uses, which are drumsticks (one cut in half and with the smoothed edges) then get some wide rubber bands or velcro belts. If these were ok for TL, I am sure they'll be ok for the man in the street.

Agreed, Squier CV 60 Precision is one of the best P I have ever owned even though I have totally modded mine, the only original bits left are the body and the bridge. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=118337&st=0"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=118337&st=0[/url]

Also I need to warn you of a possible sinister result, the more you rub off the lacquer the more you weaken the neck and you risk ending up with an unstable neck difficult to keep straight and to keep in tune. Kinda like turn the heating on and the neck bends forward, turn it off and it goes the opposite way. So don't go so strong as to end up to the bare maple.

Can I ask, is the neck that you want more "lived in" or is it to do with the body paintwork? if it's the neck, just get yourself a pack of "0000" wire wool, remove the neck and start working on the neck (prepare yourself for a lot of elbow grease) up / down in from the top to the bottom, not in any circular or slanted motion, just up and down following the grain pattern of the neck, first the back then the front and go easy around the frets. After a good half hour you should have taken a thin layer of the shiny lacquer off the neck, polish the neck with wax, and if you are not yet happy, start again until you see that it feels more comfortable and natural to you. If it is the body paint that bothers you I wouldn't recommend rubbing the Lake Placid Blue paint as you never know what lurks underneath, these are after all cheap basses so don't expect a highly figured veneer to come out. For all you know you might find unsightly glue joints, dove tailed parts even... so I wouldn't if I were you. Good luck

I used to have the POD XT Live and I've found to be good only if you own on of their Variax basses otherwise to me none of the simulated effects were really up to the task, a bit like the Cosm effect on Roland micro amps, not here nor there. Best to save your money on individually designed effects, like a proper compressor, chorus, flanger etc.