4 Strings

For 35 years only one and for 25 of those it was the same one, Jaydee Roadie 1A. Since then it seems I caught the bug and one has been added every year or so for the last few years so now, to my shame actually, I have 5 in this order: The Jaydee; Fender Bitsa Precision; Pre-EB MM; '76 Fender Precision; American Jazz Deluxe Funny though, I have said that I'd never sell the Jaydee but haven't used for a couple of years and it is now not considered so indispensable. If I was down to one it'd be my Jazz Deluxe which is probably the least precious but very adaptable. MM is better (fav bass ever) and the one I'd least like to lose but would bring most money.

Tension has to be the same to give the same note with the same string. However, the additional distance required to fret a string with a high action can cause it to go a bit sharp. Can rectify this with the intonation adjustment. I never think its a good idea to set the action by adjusting the truss rod. That takes ages to get the relief just right and it affects so much of the feel of the bass, its so easy to keep things stable and adjust the bridge saddles for action. As for me, I set it as low as it will go without buzzing, a great neck will allow this to be really low with the faintest of relief. For recording I can be more focussed in my playing and it needs to be perfectly clean so I always raise the action a little so no last second buzz ruins a take. Even though you pluck the string parallel with the body when it 'does its thing' it actually vibrates in a circle. It definitely needs a bit of space to do this. If it doesn't the tone it gives is different, less body and bass. JJ and Jaco were renown for almost unplayable basses due to very high action and I'm sure we all envy their sound (same for Bob Babbit). Entwhistle's live (at Leeds) sound is generally like that of a low action - gritty, trebly - fantastic but not with the same body.

Tanglewood seem to be making a great effort to get into the quality market. Not the same thing, I know, but my lad has a Canyon 2 bass, really exotic boutique type thing. He loves it to bits and guards it like a dog with a food bowl. Will they make it? Seems like hard work if Laney's efforts are anything to go by.

On any bass, for the deep, accompaniment stuff, lightly touching the strings, for a defined sound and also for anything figurative I belt them hard. Got Jaco on right now and you can hear he's really twanging them, but then it sounded like JJ did too. Maybe a throw over from playing uprights. This is the first twin pup bass I've had in over 30 years of playing and I still need to think to switch thumb positions but I'm amazed at the differences. [quote name='JayPH' post='1214230' date='Apr 28 2011, 09:34 PM']Wow, you're right mate, that is pure MellowPowerGoodness I'm a bit bevvied like haha. This is how I'm gonna practice Marley lines from now on. Big Respect to your Aston Family Man Profile Pic man. I haven't had a chance to try all configs but Ghost_Bass settings for Slap sounds cool: Neck: 90% Bridge: 90% Tone: 60% Pups at 80% and tone Full on is sublime for most of what I'm playing I never knew the Jazz Bass was so versatile. I'm made up I chose this over a P-Bass. I find it difficult to play between bridge and bridge pickup but the position you play really does effect the sound. On a slight tangent how hard do you guys hit the strings? This is the first decent bass I've ever owned and I'm finding I only have to touch the strings.[/quote]

This is a great question, I have recently acquired a strange coloured 1997 American Deluxe and I'm struggling to get a satisfactory Jazz Bass tone. On my Deluxe the controls are a bit odd and I'm still playing around. They go: Vol: Pan: Bass/treble stack: Mid It was 100% on both pups (pan control on the centre notch), boosting bass 80% and treble and mid rolled off ~30% for a band playing Linkin Park type rock. Works for that band but not really what I'm after sound-wise until I went to cutting front pup by ~50% and the Jazz Bass sound was beginning to be revealed. The tone variations are very powerful and its going to take me a while (all suggestions welcome!) I'm surprised that almost everyone plays with so much on the neck pup. Has anyone also found the amazing difference in sound playing off the two pups? Moving my hand from the front to back pickup is like changing guitar.

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='1212885' date='Apr 27 2011, 05:23 PM']Yep its here!! On my way to band practice now!!! wish me luck [/quote] Your taking it our the house?!

This is hard because I'd really like of these, but it all depends on how it sounds and plays. Its a vintage Jazz, bound and block neck (I think I'd prefer black trimmings) with a super low action and a Tracyesque Jazz back pickup sound with a good Precision rendition on the neck pickup. Its in great condition but not so perfect that I'm scared to touch it. Comes with an original hard case. I would sell basses to buy it if I had enough of that sort of worth. There are lots like this but the one I'd like is the one I'd like - if you see what I mean. So I suppose I'd like one like this that I'd like!

I'll just send mine to myself then, no case, just a few little yellow stickies "not here" and "here is good" in the various places I want it protected or bashed. I can almost claim the damage was done by me! A bit an*l perhaps but 'relic' is a noun, to make a verb out of it is causing all sorts of spelling issues as there is no such word to represent its past tense and it's requiring apostrophes ("relic'd" etc), the worst being "reliced" which surely means to stock it with creepy-crawlies once the old ones have gone. Its possible to make a relic out of something but even that would involve a passage of time. Perhaps this is why a serious company cashing in on the trend would call it 'Road Worn' as they know what grammarians proper bass players are.

[quote name='gjones' post='1205832' date='Apr 20 2011, 01:54 PM'].com/watch?v=UotbyS_sU3E&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UotbyS_sU3E...feature=related[/url] The only problem is they just look so teenie weenie.[/quote] Yes, bit of a problem. £450, bit of a lump to play for such a little guitar! Worth a thought, though, as they sound great.

I'm quite pleased that doing this to guitars has moved on to this sort of response. Not long ago we had to accept sanded guitars as being a good thing as part of our tolerant, existential society. When will this move to those who have received this treatment at the Fender factory - or am I still treading on egg shells?

Great idea, £1200 though.

Right, done a gig now, surely the only real way to test things. Very nice, great improvement, more than I expected. I think the old strings were Fender (green silk?) and these have way more life and tone. The feel took a little getting used to but I now like it. Thought they were sticky to start with and unhappy but now they seem silky. I know we don't want lots of sustain with flats but these run for a bit to give tone, just like the real thing (an upright) but the definition was the real ear opener. I play in a Motown tribute and I know a thick 'brown' tone is required to match the sound of our hero, it's really hard live. Having tried the dullest flats I could find it worked but, to be honest, wasn't very enjoyable and muddy and slow and really weren't right for an upright sound in Jimmy Mack, for example. The TruBass strings encouraged a bit of creativity and ad lib - not what I was paid to do! - as things just seemed more musical and melodic with the improved definition and dynamic. They sound more like an upright, but not really like an upright, and they sound much better than what I had before. I am now enjoying flats more.

[quote name='garethox' post='1196993' date='Apr 12 2011, 04:27 PM']Well they aren't happy judging by certain comments, but seeing as though John's Alembic had a Gibson shaped body - they can't really say anything. Other than the cobwebs and the note inlay markers, there is little else to set John's Exploiter apart and they were probably John's design mods anyway...[/quote] They're only making 25 of the Alembic copies and there'll be enough US fans to snap those up. I grew up loving the guy and his playing, still think he's absolutely awesome but I would feel like I was insulting him by buying one. Personally I find the red cheapens the whole look. Didn't he use Jazz basses early on (My Generation is on a Jazz) before Precisions. Rick here: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtzI0zLVu0&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtzI0zLVu0...feature=related[/url] Didn't he use Burns as well? Seems he tried to avoid Fender very early on with Danelectro getting a go too.

Apart from snobbishness, I would add blandness. I've never played a bad one either (haven't played many I'll admit) and heard only good reports but ... what is there to attract? Seems rather characterless somehow.

I found this: [url="http://www.jacop.net/faq.html"]http://www.jacop.net/faq.html[/url] Swing Bass it was. Wow, he plays clean! No grindy noises or buzzes. Explains a lot though, especially the ringing harmonics and being a fretless would reduce the noise. Interesting about the epoxy on the fret board as Swing Bass strings would make a bit of a mess of a fretless. No excuses then, already got Swing Bass on the Jazz, just need to practice more!

I'm presuming flats of some kind, but they seem very lively (or is that his playing?) Would love to get that resonance for harmonics with flats.

[quote name='umph' post='1187555' date='Apr 4 2011, 11:15 AM']Think it'll be more to do with the speakers or the amps you used not being that great. Most valve bass amps will cover all the usefull frequencys.[/quote] Hiwatt and Marshall. The Marshall went via the keyboard player who used it with a graphic heavily boosted to the left to get the bottom but neither were specific bass amps. Selling the Hiwatt was one of the worst decisions of my life, but that's another story. I certainly agree about the speakers.

Just a spanner in the spokes about old valve amps. I don't know about new Matamps but old valve amps, in my experience, do not have the frequency spread that we're used to with modern amps. When I used to use them for bass there was no real deep tone in there but what we'd now call low mid. It was only in the 80s when I tried Trace that I realised this deepness existed. Nowadays any good bass amp will give that output but years ago it was different (even tranny amps). I never afforded Ampeg/Musicman etc so these may be different. This might be to do with preamp voicing and/or better speakers rather than power amp response but just a thought. Its not to say valve amps don't sound great, how I'd love one, but I'd want to try it out first. The suggestion of a Matamp with a 'slave in' socket is a good one, if you didn't want to use your pre for any reason just plug into the Matamp pre as usual.

Wow, quickest service yet. Asked this question yesterday after lunch, got the advice from you guys I needed, ordered from Strings Direct and they arrived today and are now on my bass! Thanks to all concerned. Its a bit late for me to really try with an amp but they're on and have a bit more sustain and tone than the dull old flats I took off. I'll report back when I've had a blow.

Thanks guys, exactly what I was after, I'll try him on Monday.

I've had a whizz around the net but cant find who to go to for spares for Hartke gear. I need a power input panel for an amp and a couple of corners for speaker cabs. Any help would be gratefully received cheers

First Bass Owned: Hondo Precision copy - weighed a ton! 'Go To' Bass: Pre-EB Stingray 'Your' Bass: Jaydee Roadie 1A