Conan

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1345671812' post='1780421']First play just confused me as with 6 Knobs, a selector switch and a passive option. In fact it is a straightforward system, with some extras. Basically its Master volume (pops up for passive option), Pan/blend-between jazz and humbucker, a dual or single pick-up selector switch and active hi, med and low knobs. The "extras" is a pan/Blend to mix in the Piezo and magnetic pickups.[/quote] You found out more about it in 10 minutes than I did in two months!!

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1345420480' post='1777409']..."pretty" woods and 30-year-old technology are "worth" the prices...[/quote] Same could be said of Wal - and look at the prices they go for!

In a similar style to the Ayers piece.... I always thought this was played on a 'Ray: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILjWG2KNIhE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILjWG2KNIhE[/url]

Green Day - Panic Song Eagles - One of these nights Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle Talking Heads - Psycho Killer Yes - Tempus Fugit

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1345551747' post='1778695']If I want Uncoloured - then the bass goes DI into the desk. [/quote] This. But amp-wise, as previously mentioned, the Hartke LHs give clarity (and volume) for very little cash.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1345548465' post='1778616'] Maybe this is more to your liking? [/quote] Indeed it is! No offence to Myung - who is an incredible player. But much of his stuff with DT gets lost in the mix due to his tone and the fact that he is usually doubling what Petrucci plays. I think that is what the OP is on about to an extent? Although JM can hardly be described as being a poor player!! Are we talking about "slap" as a style of playing or about that typical tone employed by slap players - i.e. scooped??

The Faridas are great, but yes the colour options are limited. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aks3fSHA1jU&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aks3fSHA1jU&feature=player_embedded[/url] Tokais are brilliant, but don't come up that often (not the eighties ones, anyway). The VMs come with the "Duncan Designed" pickups - which are certainly better than the stock Squier models, and may not require upgrading. Definitely listen to them first. I've played some Squier Affinity basses that were as good as some "proper" Fenders - but there are some pretty awful ones out there too, so you definitely have to try before you buy. I bought a nameless Jazz copy on here a couple of years ago - mainly just to have a proper try at the J format to see how I got on with it. At £100 is was great! Lovely neck and just a nice weight. Out came the pickups (which were very loud and growly, but a bit microphonic) and in went a set of Wizard Hammers. Now it's a great bass, and even if I decided to get it refinished in purple (which I am seriously thinking about!) it would still have cost WAY less than £300 in total. Take your time. Look around. Try as many as you can, but get ready to jump quickly when you find one that you like. However, it may not be the one that others tell you is "the best"! Trust your own judgement.

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1345381047' post='1776832'] Sort of sounded like Rush without the personality. [/quote] Exactly. Too many notes Maestro. Impressive, but ultimately unfulfilling. But what would I know?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1344416406' post='1764015'] This is why it is important to record your tracks and listen and make sure everything is ok before you go into the studio. [/quote] Agree 100%. The studio is not the place to be changing things. Nail it beforehand then concentrate on playing it accurately.

I use a kind of "pinching" motion using my finger and thumb.... works for me. Thumb plays downwards on the lower string (the E in this case) and finger upwards on the D. Give it a try!

Another vote for Grolsch!

[quote name='XylemBassGuitar' timestamp='1345046703' post='1772839']DRs (I've been told that their quality is a little inconsistent, but all the sets I've used have been very good). [/quote] I've heard that too - but all my experiences have been positive!

In response to the OP.... What are you missing? I'd say that's impossible to quantify! The genuine article? The Industry Standard? Perhaps both. However, the one thing that does my head in about Fender is the variability. Play ten Fenders and you will get ten different experiences. Find a good one and they really can be the best thing you will play. Get a poor or even mediocre one and you will be left wondering what all the fuss is about. And what is a good one for me might not be a good one for you!! Fender basses are, to me, like steak and chips. Cheap supermarket "frying" steak and oven chips - awful. Don't bother. Horrible and a waste of everyone's time. Four-week aged ribeye from a rare-breed (Welsh Black, Longhorn or Belted Galloway), grass-fed steer; seared on a red-hot cast iron grill pan? Hand-cut chips from Arran Victory potatoes, twice-cooked in fresh oil (or even better - goose fat or beef dripping)?? No comparison. It is the same simple meal with the same two basic ingredients. One will fill a hole but leave you unsatisfied. The other will give you an out-of-body experience that will stay with you for ever. OK - I like my food... But the analogy works for me

Are all of the Jap ones sold?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1345024463' post='1772374']I really don't need my '71 J any more, but I can't sell it. [/quote] You could always loan it to me Michael! I just loves Jazz basses at the moment

Brilliant player and a nice guy to boot! It's not just his pick playing that is awesome- he really can do it all.

Plenty of gigs up here if you want to play R 'n' B or blues covers. Done that. It's dull. Function bands getting plenty of work too - but it's much harder for anything that's original or slightly left of centre...

[quote name='ken_white' timestamp='1344897875' post='1770955']So how often do you restring your bass? or is that down to personal preference too? lol [/quote] Pretty much! Some (like me) want a zingy, clangy sound that you can only really get from new strings. If that is your preference and you gig/rehearse regularly, sweat lots and use cheaper strings, that could mean changing them every week!! Other people hate changing strings and only start to like the sound they make when they have been on a few months! Totally down to personal preference. Brand-wise, there are so many to try.... I like DRs at the moment. HiBeams for clang, Fatbeams for a bit more mid.... I haven't tried Sunbeams but they are reckoned to be more mellow and middy. Different strings sound different on different basses too... and don't even get me started on gauges!!

Shouldn't be too difficult to spot!!

Right. I'm off to listen to it now!!

[quote name='vsmith1' timestamp='1344887552' post='1770726'] I was wondering whether they'd have to cover Fender on the headstock of the Strats. [/quote] They did!!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1344893631' post='1770883']It just hasn't clicked with me. Squashed dynamics, fussy arrangements, weak melodies. [/quote] Me too, sadly. I [i]like[/i] it, in the way that I like all Rush material... But I LOVE a lot of their stuff. I still find it a tiring listen. It shouts rather than speaks. Some great moments and some good ideas, but mostly buried beneath bombastic arrangements. It's flat-out all the time. I love these guys. I really do. But I do wonder whether their creative pot is now nearly empty.... IMO of course!