Conan

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1420729768' post='2652710'] have a listen to the on-line demo - not super clean or anything, but def removes some mids. By the name you`d expect the opposite. [/quote] I have! Indeed I commented upon it in another thread on here!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1420285246' post='2647483'] I`ve just bought a Hot Rod (ex-Wizard) Thumper and it does a 70s Precision tone very well. Scoops some of the mids out a bit, so sharper top-end... [/quote] Maybe I'm wrong, but when I hear the name "Thumper", a mid-scooped toppy tone is not what springs to mind...

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1420728008' post='2652663'] Not just me then who's irked by poor grammar and misspellings! [/quote] Maybe the proof-reading was done by Marcus Miler (sic)?

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1420724089' post='2652565'] I know I'm not the target audience for this but, the world needs another entry level bass? [/quote] Why not? There is plenty (maybe too much) choice and variety in the mid to high level market - why shouldn't beginners or cash-strapped players have choice? To be fair though, other than the preamp I'm not sure there is much that is novel here - although the woods used for contruction seem to be good quality (assuming that the wood influences the tone, of course! ).

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1420706964' post='2652262'] I imagine with the fairly unique preamp... [/quote] Not sure how unique it is (as the specs are not easy to find) but on the face of it it looks and sounds rather like the East J-Retro that is available as an aftermarket mod for the existing Fender MM bass. I agree with Marcus that a midrange control on a bass (and especially on a J bass) is very useful indeed. That preamp looks a bit complex for a lot of beginners though - I've been playing 35 years and I found the East version just too much faff!

Interesting! Pretty good spec there - even compared to a Fender MM.... if they can deliver that quality for under £300 I will be amazed! Not sure how much it will appeal to its target audience though. MM is not particularly well known among "young people", but then again does that matter? How many people notice the name on the headstock, especially when they are just starting off playing? That's a pretty awesome "starter" bass, but it is till quite a lot more expensive than some of the cheaper Squiers and way more than the likes of J&D and Harley Benton - which are also damn good basses for the money. Its a great time to be a bass player starting off. When I think of the [email="cr@p"]cr@p[/email] that was available back in the seventies for beginners...

What works for one person, at one time in their life, doesn't necessarily work for anyone else (or even that same person at a different stage in their lfe!). It's important to be honest with others and - most importantly - with yourself.

The bridge seems awfully close to the end of the body...

[quote name='Shedua511' timestamp='1420488654' post='2649984'] I wouldn't be surprised at all if the bass in the video was just a non-functioning prop... [/quote] Sounds a bit like our rhythm guitarist... The neck is certainly "Fender inspired", but is a 24 fret job - so unlikely to be a proper Fender. Not that they don't make them with two octaves of course, but they ain't that common...

In: J&D Vintage 1975 Jazz Fender CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz EBMM Sterling Barefaced Big One* Out: Fender CIJ Marcus Miller Jazz EBMM Sterling Barefaced Compact* *I know they're not basses, but still... What have I learned? That some basses, no matter how good they are and how much I like them, just don't work in some bands/situations. Active preamps are too much of a faff for me to use live. Jazz basses suit me and my current band. Sometimes I buy/trade stuff just because I like buying/trading stuff - not because there is anything wrong with what I have or anything better about what I want. I need to spend more time playing rather than browsing the for sale threads...

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1420463723' post='2649559'] Probably in the minority here - but I've no issue with Ged's current tone. Like the '7 Cities' clip above, fantastically growly. It's unmistakeably Ged, as much as the Ric days. I far prefer it to the Wal or the Steinberger! [/quote] Me too! But I find the vocals on that "Seven Cities..." clip very difficult to listen to!

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1420383577' post='2648594'] To those of you who are in the rush camp, please post a vid which you think will show me what they're all about.... Maybe you can show me what I'm missing ? [/quote] It's very difficult without knowing what kind of material you favour. Awkward time signatures? Acoustic stuff? Melody? Out-and-out rock and roll? Simple or complex... Rush have done it all in their extensive forty year back catalogue, and to be fair not even every Rush fan loves everything they've done!! A personal favourite of mine (in one of their lighter moments). Understated bass and drums, and a lovely guitar solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLTFbtOfmxk And, in a completely different style, a bombastic blues-rock ballad from their first album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXSCm_4ND3g

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1420143919' post='2646130'] I presume they have a much hotter output than anything I've owned to date? [/quote] I certainly found that - as the Euro I owned did not have the trim control on the tonepump circuit. It managed to easily overdrive my Hartke LH500!

[quote name='Jenny_Innie' timestamp='1420148613' post='2646189'] Yeah, but you have to remember that life looks a little different where you're 5'2" and 8st 4 lbs. Light and small gear is good. Heavy stuff isn't an option. [/quote] Absolutely! But a two-cab setup from Barefaced is never going to be heavy, even if it does mean a second trip to the car! It seems like the kind of sound you want can only be achieved by using one huge cab or multiple smaller ones. Only one of those options offers portability

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1420142949' post='2646112'] If you fancy a bass to modify then the J&D is cheaper and gives you more cash to try out pickups and the like. [/quote] Ironically, the pickups are one of the better elements of the J&D! The tuners though... that's the first thing I would change

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1420041048' post='2645098'] Does anyone actually use the 'Lo' socket? I think every amp I've owned over the last 35 years has had a 'lo' socket and I've never bothered with it. [/quote] You've never owned a Spector, have you?

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1420110440' post='2645575']If you don't like the sound and don't want to carry 2 cabs, your options are pretty limited. [/quote] Nail hit firmly on the head there!

Having played and owned a number of Fenders and Squiers, I would be unwilling to fully commit to either exclusively, and neither do I see the point. There are good and not-so-good in both stables. Play 'em all and buy the one(s) you like best I say!

Not sure about the other options, but I would just like to add how happy I am with my J&D J bass. Every time I play it I have to keep reminding myself how cheap it was... Sure, there are one or two minor niggles - but you'll get that on a bass that costs five times as much! Go for it, I say!

To the OP: Great review! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us But.... as this thread title mentions the dreaded word "Barefaced" - lots of other issues raise their heads! Not only that, but the old chestnut about TC and their "liberal" power ratings... Once again to the OP: Many of us old crusties on here have spent decades in our quest to find the ultimate in amplification, never mind the relatively recent phenomenon of the "one-cab-solution"!! You have embarked on a long and interesting journey - one fraught with euphoria, frustration and depression in equal measures. You will grow as a person while on that journey, but (and this may be news to some) you may never reach your destination... Still, as Swing Out Sister once sang - "It's better to travel". Good luck on your quest young one!