4 Strings

It's not much to do with the physical properties of the bass, more the kudos of the transfer and the satisfaction of knowing you've got the proper thing, the 'real' one. Hairy armpits? Goodness. Yes, say some more...

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1349464799' post='1826799'] Your lover should definitely be Italian though. [/quote] Or French.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1349463872' post='1826774'] Your guitars should come from the US of A. [/quote] I have been in love with my Jaydee for over 25year and want a Wal! Unfortunately you're pretty much right though. I resent liking Stingrays and using one all the time.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1349462925' post='1826746'] Yup. Shoulda got a Fender MIA P. It works this way. You turn up at the pub, and on your arm is Holly Willoughby all flushed and flustered telling everyone that you are the greatest lover she has ever had. Now, actually, there are lots of regular "girls next door" out there who have better figures than Holly Willowbooby are nicer looking and are (probably) better in the sack. Trouble is ..... they're just not Holly Willowbooby. It's the same thing with basses. For Fender P Bass - read Mrs W. When people see you got one - they think "cool, mojo, rock'n'roll". A copy is just a copy, no matter how much it cost. You don't find us MIA P owners jumping in like trian spotters to other people's forums about their "Sadmakersky Dingbat Yamamoto made in someone's garage basses" saying "my bass is better than yours because, because, because, because". We just know. I've had about a dozen and a half of MIA P Basses over the years. There have been a couple of bad ones. There have been a dozen really good ones. There are two perfect ones which I still have. That's no different for any brand of bass. The big thing though is ........ there is THAT Precision sound which cannot be replicated. It's most noticeable (to me) on the low G note. A sort of thud with a burble, which, if the sound could be translated into English........ would say "rock'n'roll". Accept no substitute. [u]Nothing [/u]even comes closes. Fender MIA Precision. Strap on. Rock. [/quote] So when I say a bass needs the right transfers to be nice, am I near the truth?

I ordered 1 set. I told them £50 is a bit of a lump to try some string out, they agreed and allowed me to order a single said. Its a bit of a wait so allow plenty of time, they responded to a chivvy from me by telling me they'll put mine in a batch being made this week. Friendly and helpful, if busy, but I'm happy with that.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1349461455' post='1826717'] That's slightly inaccurate. The USA fenders with painted finishes usually have 3 piece bodies, the naturals sometimes have two as you're looking at the wood. USA deluxe/select/reissues etc have 2. Unfortunately, there is no waste in the Mexican factory, so they can make the body up with as many pieces as it takes. I had a friend who stripped his mex tele and it had 76 bits glued together and sanded to create the shape of the body. [/quote] Really? You see cheap tables etc made like this, I'm surprised a genuine Fender would. If this is the case there is quite a difference to MIM, although I doubt it would make any difference sonically or otherwise to the actual guitar. The body would have been cut from a block by the same machine as if it were two or three pieces glued together.

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1349458619' post='1826671'] Just got the email from Alex. asking for the balance on the Super Twelve. The wait is going to be even worse now that I know I shall be receiving it soon. [/quote] In the meantime you can offset some of the cost of it by flogging your Thumpinator to someone with a lesser amp, your Streamliner has such a circuit built in.

Because they sell 1 to every 100 Fenders?

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1349425264' post='1826058'] So, what I'm reading here is that if you want a Fender, you need to try lots of them to find a good one unless you go for a Japanese one. There are a few good Mexican ones if you can find one and US ones are generally better but there are some dogs amongst them. I wouldn't accept this from a car manufacturer, it would be ludicrous. I would just go to a company that makes great products that don't disappoint. We need to get over Fender, it's a joke. [/quote] tbh, this is really an impression rather than fact. They're all fine. Some might be set up nearer your ideal, but it you like a Fender P and there is little difference in the neck profiles between the MIA and MIM you're going to find any of them fine. Its similar to people thinking the older ones are better because they are, well, older. They are mass produced like cars and despite the post from Monckyman they are actually made in huge batches by machines. The machines are operated in both factories mostly by Mexicans though! Just their quality department will be bigger than most other whole guitar guitar making organisations, I think they know a bit about production consistency by now.

[quote name='bengovier182' timestamp='1349432973' post='1826185'] i get the appeal of relics, but i dont personally like them, if my guitar is new, i want to look F*****g new! But if its old, real vintage, i like it to look used. But that warwick is just all over the shop, the point is relic it wear it would naturally damge and wear from actual playing; the forearm rest, the thumb rest, around knobs. Not just any old place! [/quote] Apart from not really getting the new-relic thing, for me the main point is that that model of bass hasn't been around long enough to naturally wear to that extent, would need to have been treated with total disrespect. Or faked.

[quote name='legoman' timestamp='1349449326' post='1826517'] Funny enough I'm gonna road test a 550W MiBass during my gig on Saturday so I'll see if that's the one for me! [/quote] Be interested how it goes. Considered one of these but got the Streamliner instead without hearing the Mibass.

[quote name='daz' timestamp='1349317134' post='1824709'] That snot and silver thing has been floating around the bottom of my basschat pages for months in the banner ads. I freely admit that I just don't get the point of reliced anythings ? Who wouldn't want a nice shiny new bass ??? Bloody long haired weirdos and punk rockers, that's what I call 'em. [/quote] ...can't hear the words, just boom, boom, boom....

[quote name='AnthraxThor' timestamp='1349314027' post='1824704'] You cannot complain much about the sandberg relic job if you recall what intially started this thread. Atleast they made a good looking fake rather than a "Custom aged" metallic green monstrosity! [/quote] That's like saying it would be ok to spray mud on the underneath of the 4x4 and knock some little dents in it.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1349356835' post='1825219'] That's partially down to laziness/cost saving and more importantly if all cabs sounded flat then they would sound exactly the same... boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring [/quote] Also the manufacturers want you to buy theirs so they do what they can to make theirs sound 'better' and a flattering sound in the shop goes a long way. Hartke scores there.

No shame in MIM, nothing wrong with them at all, if you're happy, that's it. Well done for resisting.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1349193123' post='1823084'] you'll never be satisfied until you've owned one and lived with it for a while, you may then decide you've wasted your money (if you buy a second hand one you might even not lose anything at all) but you'll never know if you don't get one and that's what eats away at you [/quote] This is why in reality, if you can afford it, you don't need to look any further South than California. It's a bad attitude, shows little self control but is exactly why I have no Mexican basses, despite being very impressed with the only Mexican P I've played and my lad (who plays way more gigs than I) strongly believing his now well-used Mexican Jazz Deluxe is the best Jazz you could find. I have say only Seth Govan gets a better Jazz sound to my ears.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1349193766' post='1823102'] My Ashdown was built in Italy of parts sourced from China. [/quote] heh, pretty sure my Hartke gear wasn't built in the US either, but you know what I mean.

Try to test them blind, ie without knowing whether the transfer says US or Mexico and see which one you like best. As someone has pointed out there are real differences in the modern basses (truss rods etc) but if its an opaque finish the number of pieces of wood makes no odds. Lay them the other way and you have a boutique bass! In the end it means something different owning one with US on the transfer, a different feeling when people look for at it and knowing which one you have. The most noticeable difference will be when you come to sell it, but then it's always best to buy to use.

Still a fake though. Bit like the 4x4 below, spray on mud, nice and clean underneath but give the impression of actually being used. [attachment=119952:lexus-suv-dirt-b.jpg]

I'm afraid I made my choice between Hartke and Ashdown a long time ago, regrettably as I try to stay British whenever I can.

[quote name='baseline9' timestamp='1349093447' post='1821596'] <p>I feel guilty now, I've started a depressing thread!! Someone in Aberdeen got their head trapped in a public bin over the weekend! [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19783214"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-19783214[/url] Something to cheer us all up!! [/quote] This worked! Despite the public pointing and laughing you have to admire the fire crew being very professional!

A pay freeze is luxury, like a lot of other consultants we had to cut by 10%, this lasted 2 years then they closed the London office and that was it. Been self-employed ever since and not looked back. I have 'From Whom All Blessings Flow' stamped on the strap of the bass I've been able to buy since (a US Jazz Deluxe which I've since swapped for a Stingray) as I'm not sure I can take all the credit. Yes times are hard and prices are either down or gear not selling as the owners don't want to reduce. Really is a good time to buy if you have a bit to spare at the cost of others who don't (but then it was the last time this lot were in - sorry couldn't resist it!)

If it was anything like my time with the 25Hz sinewave, skidder would have wanted to throw up! It's a nauseating experience which shuddered around the house.

[quote name='legoman' timestamp='1349028764' post='1820873'] OK, so I've given the Streamliner a good testing over two gigs and I've decided I'm gonna chop it in as especially during last night's gig I was finding it was doing some odd things whilst I was playing and was having to keep fiddling with the EQ, gain and master volume, which isn't ideal. During my 2nd set it felt like the bottom end punch suddenly dropped out a touch and needed to boost the bass to compensate. Maybe I have a dodgy one but I gave it another A-B against my EVO II today and it sounded OK, but just find that rolling in more bass on the Streamliner is more boomy than the bass on the EVO II (with the scoop in) so I don't think it's quite the right head for the kind of sound I prefer. Brig - I wouldn't let my experience with it concern you as I'm sure that it'll do the job you're after. I think I might try the Shuttle instead seeing as it's got the scoop on it...shame though cos it doesn't look half as sexy as the Streamliner [/quote] Mibass?

[quote name='guitarjong' timestamp='1348786452' post='1818383'] I keep looking at the various Harley Benton head/cab package deals on Thomann. They really seem to be great value for money. Just not sure if the old adage "you get what you pay for" should concern me??? I read good reviews and comments, then a ad one crops up. [/quote] What you don't get and don't have to pay for is a fancy name on the badge.