Jerry_B

Yep, the whole relic thing does seem a little odd. I mean, I've always had somewhat knackered basses and the real 'been round the houses a bit' look doesn't resemble the reliced version at all really. The former beats the latter easily. As I'm a bit kack-handed sometimes I guess the fake battering will help hide any real knocks But, like I said, underneath all the silliness is a very nice bass. I've tried it with D'Addario Chromes and D'Addario half-rounds and it really belts out tone.

Yep, mids are what help chop through everyone else's sound so yours doesn't get lost.

There's a pic of one [url="http://www.guitar-village.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=10061"]here...[/url] - I can take some photos of mine if you want to see. As for those kippers - apparently there's real kippers and then there's fish fillets that've been dyed to look like kippers... ;0

I picked up a second-hand one of these recently and am a bit confused with what ESP/LTD are trying to do with such a bass. At it's heart it's a P/J-style Pbass, with a Gotoh-like bridge. Mine's black with a maple neck. The thing is, these basses have been reliced, but I dunno why. It seems to not really work as an overall effect unless you're more than 10 feet away. Up close, you can see the joins, as it were. The 'dirt' on the back of the neck isn't really anything of the sort, and the yellowed effect on the neck and head isn't caused by an sort of old-school glossy finish. It's a yellow-tinted modern satin finish. So it's a bit like those kippers that aren't really kippers. Also, the frets seem to have a reliced tarnish, but the other hardware is new. That said, it is a very nice bass and put together pretty well. The pickups are the best bit of the lot - hot and growly. Even the bridge pup isn't too thin sounding. I just wonder why they just didn't sell the bass in an as new state, rather than relicing it. I guess I'll just never get the relicing thing Mind you, I got for half the price a new one would cost me so I can't grumble! I wonder if Fender, etc. have done the same odd things with their reliced stuff...

Having been in several punk bands, I'd say the amp doesn't really matter. Whack up the gain/drive and the mids and leave it at that. Compression may help it along a bit too. Playing with a plectrum isn't always necessary - not all punk bass players use them. The trick is not to fiddle about with things - no-one in your audience will care about nuance

A Yamaha BB414 is also good, if you can find one.

[quote name='Roland Rock' post='1124707' date='Feb 12 2011, 10:10 AM']How would a light bass make you stoop?[/quote] Dunno, but that's just what happens. Heavier basses make me stand up straighter.

I think my T-40 weighs about 11lb or so. I don't actually like basses that are too light as they make me stoop!

Very nice - bit pricey though...

Wizard do two types of P/J set - as I also have one those Squiers I was thinking of trying the 'Big' version.

Thanks guys - I will bear all this in mind and consider my options...

Yep, I've seen those posts. The thing is, I'm probably going to need something a bit more portable and which takes up less space - and those two look like monsters I was wondering about the Harte Kickback but don't know much about them.

Hmm - interesting! Must admit I'd not considered a 2x, because of the size - but it's a nice idea. Any 1x combos in my price range that fit the bill?

Spot the pickups too...

I've started looking around for a combo recently and was wondering if there were any recommendations for something in my price range (the most I can go is about £300-325)? I'm after something that is a bit of an all-rounder, that can cope with punky plectrum-playing stuff as well as fretless playing. At the moment I've got my eye on the Fender Rumble 150, but is there something better out there that may suit my needs...?

I had the same strings on my Westone Spectrum from 1990 to 2003. I think they were La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels.

[quote name='Raggy' post='1115361' date='Feb 4 2011, 02:39 PM']This does it for me[/quote] Wonder what it'd sound like if he tried playing the same thing with a plectrum...?

Mind you, I may have to retract my previous statement a bit as the Yamaha BB414 I have has a modern finish and is very good indeed

[quote name='JTUK' post='1113751' date='Feb 3 2011, 12:36 PM']I also prefer them lacquered, which as far as I can tell...makes me in the minority here..?[/quote] I much prefer them, both in terms of feel and looks. Modern finishes which don't have them look very poor in comparison. Lacquer necks seem faster to me too - as does the black finish on my old Westone Spectrum - compared to a the modern finish on my Squier P/J. The lacquer finish on my T-40 is really good and this makes the neck easy to play, despite being somewhat chunky (but quite flat in profile).

I'd lean towards an unlined one, but I imagine that there's even less of a market for one of those! The black Aero 2 is a nice looking bit of kit!

In my experience varnish stripper does a better job than paint stripper.

Here's a recent acquisition of mine. The photos seem to show it as being more red in colour, which tends to be the case when it's out in the sun. The finish is satin walnut, which generally has more of a crimson tone.