simon1964

[quote name='gilmour' post='67578' date='Sep 30 2007, 09:28 AM']As a warwick owner I'm surprised that people feel it has a similar neck, the Warwicks have a much much chunkier neck, and the Sandberg's had a much flatter profile and wider string spacing (much more similar to my Yamaha TRB in fact) that said I'm comparing 5 string against 5 string, so the 4's maybe more similar?[/quote] +1. I tried a Sandberg Basic 4 string at PMT in Birmingham. This is the model with a single MM pickup and 3 band EQ. Fantastic bass. But the neck was much slimmer than my Warwick Corvette - in fact the whole feel and sound was different.

I bought one as an emergency DI when my amp failed on the afternoon of a gig. I'm very pleasantly surprised - an excellent bit of kit for the money.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='65024' date='Sep 24 2007, 09:42 PM']Hi guys, looking to buy a jazz bass 24 in cherry burst, but need to know if the Korean build is any good before I drop another load of money Thomann's way?? Still like that Precision Big Block, too... Choices, choices![/quote] I've not got one, but I noticed that there was one in store at PMT in Birmingham today. It certainly looked the part - I didn't play it as my GAS was aimed at their Sandbergs!

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='65570' date='Sep 25 2007, 10:02 PM']Buy a Gotoh bridge rather than a BadAss. The Gotohs are an easy swap - like for like - whereas the BadAss, you've got carve the slots into the saddles yourself. Just fitted a Gotoh to my Yamaha BB614 and it rocks![/quote] +1.The Gotoh is very easy to fit to a P bass and is a direct replacement (assuming you've got a standard Fender type bridge on there at the moment). You will need to set up the action and intonation, but it is a pretty straight forward mod. And the Gotoh is also a lot cheaper than a Badass.

[quote name='Sean' post='64296' date='Sep 23 2007, 10:55 AM']I've decided to put a pick guard on my Lakland 44-02 but just can't decide on a colour, I'm not keen on white or black or even brown torty... A clear one, white pearl, black pearl or something else? What do you think would suit this? [/quote] that looks great as it is - I wouldn't put a pick guard on there at all!

[quote name='Bald Eagle' post='62609' date='Sep 19 2007, 12:38 PM']I like the look of this, no idea what they cost new or second hand, any ideas? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sandberg-Jazz-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ180160983597QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohong"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sandberg-Jazz-Bass-G...bayphotohosting[/url][/quote] They're fantastic basses. I think they're retailing new at PMT in Birmingham for around the £900 mark, so around £500 would be a pretty decent price.

[quote name='simon1964' post='62518' date='Sep 19 2007, 10:08 AM']You could try here: [url="http://craftedinjapan.co.uk/gallery_74489.html"]http://craftedinjapan.co.uk/gallery_74489.html[/url] I've never bought from them, but they do seem to have some nice stuff at reasonable prices.[/quote] oops - just noticed you've already tried them!

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='62062' date='Sep 18 2007, 10:21 AM']If I don't want to go down the import route, where can I get one of these in the UK? it's 70s (75?) RI CIJ jazz [/quote] You could try here: [url="http://craftedinjapan.co.uk/gallery_74489.html"]http://craftedinjapan.co.uk/gallery_74489.html[/url] I've never bought from them, but they do seem to have some nice stuff at reasonable prices.

[quote name='BeLow' post='61346' date='Sep 16 2007, 08:01 PM']What I like about a lot of bassplayers, especially the good ones, is that they do really balance the chemistry of the band, and most of them would never be as stupid as to write off the contribution of the other members of the band. A lot of bassplayers hear the band with greater clarity than others because of their unique role.[/quote] +1. One of the best drummers I've played with once told me that guitarists play guitar but bassists play the song.

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='60520' date='Sep 14 2007, 06:19 PM' The bass is an altogether different beast, a strange 4 stringed thing played by a fat bloke who doesn't want to take a solo every 8 bars.[/quote] Sounds like my band!

My lot at the moment are: Fender US Jazz Fender Jap Precision (70s re-issue) Fretless Precision Warwick Corvette $$ OLP 5 string unbranded cheap acoustic I've also got a double bass - not sure whether that counts for the poll!

[quote name='theosd' post='59420' date='Sep 12 2007, 06:18 PM'][url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html"]Thomann[/url]. For everything cheap.[/quote] Its certainly worth haggling in my experience. Sound Control knocked £150 of the marked price on my Warwick $$ - I told them the internet price, offered the cash there and then, and they matched the price straight away. I'm pretty sure they didn't sell it to me at a loss, which does beg the question why it was marked so high in the first place.....

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='57283' date='Sep 8 2007, 07:51 AM']question is, do Mike Dirnt and Frank Bello actually use the Squier Signature Editions named after them on stage???[/quote] To be fair, Mike Dirnt does use his Fender signature on stage - the Squire was introduced later presumeably as Fender wanted to sell a cheaper version to younger Green Day fans. But lots don't use their signature bass - I seem to remember Tony Levin admitting in an interview he'd never actually played the production version of his OLP signature!

[quote name='16Again' post='56819' date='Sep 7 2007, 08:23 AM']magic, cheers guys. i'll just have to work out how to save settings on my bass floor pod, i know it's good all those effects mentioned, so here's hoping![/quote] My band plays this - as per the posts above, you need to combine some sort of fuzz with an octave effect. Boosting the treble will help cut through. I can get a reasonable approximation from my Zoom B2 and I would have thought you can get close with the effects on you pod. Its a fantastic song to do live by the way.

[quote name='carlosfandango' post='55864' date='Sep 5 2007, 12:34 PM']Not to mention all "endorsed" signature basses out there![/quote] I do wonder whether the whole ''signature'' thing can be counter productive. Take the Fender Mike Dirnt. Ignoring the endorsement, you actually get a really good spec - split P-up on 50s P body, Badass as standard, etc. But I suspect some people would simply dismiss the bass because they don't like Green Day. Similarly the Mark Hoppus, or the Ibanez Fieldy thing. Are manufacturers actually limiting their audience on these?

[quote name='Beedster' post='55197' date='Sep 4 2007, 12:27 PM']Poor tone is not always, or even usually, the result of poor PUPs, not in the first instance anyway. The best PUP in the world will still sound crap on a bass with a crap bridge and crap strings. Change the cheapest things first. 1. New strings (even a single E string to see if a different make or gauge does the trick re the 'muddiness') 2. BADASS bridge, looks sh*t on an old bass but makes a huge difference to tone and intonation 3. P-PUP, get a Wizard, SD or similar. Read the reviews to see which most suits your style. 4. J-PUP at bridge. For versatility, a good, although quite expensive idea. A good J-PUP won't make crap strings sound good. 5. Active EQ. A sad thing to do to any Precision IMHO. The classic PBass sound was NOT derived through an active EQ! Some basses just sound better passive. Chris[/quote] Thanks Chris. Some good thoughts there. The strings are new Ernie Ball Slinkys 45 - 100, same as I use on my Jazz and Warwick. I'd like to avoid active for the reasons you say - the Warwick can give me those sounds. I've got a Gotoh Bridge on it at the moment, which is bit chunkier than the standard bridge, but the Badass may be the way to go. I'll give that a try.

I've used Colin Staples at Dave Mann Music in Nottingham. Excellent for set ups and electrical stuff, and also does repairs and set ups for acoustic instruments, including Double Bass. Here's a link: [url="http://www.davemann.co.uk/page4.html"]http://www.davemann.co.uk/page4.html[/url]

I'm really pleased with the feel of my CIJ 70s Precision, but I think the tone lacks a bit. The classic P bass tone is there, but it can be a bit muddy, especially in the bottom end. I guess I'm really looking for the Precision tone, but with a bit more versatility and a tighter overall tone. Options I'm considering are: Active EMGs Adding a J Pickup at the bridge Sticking with the stock pickups, but adding a pre-amp I'd be interested in any views or recommendations - especially any experience with EMG Ps.

The skinniest necks I've played are the Ibanez SR series. The SR 500 is a fantastic bass, with Bartolini pickups as standard, and its just about within your budget. Unfortunately the neck is way too thin for my taste!

[quote name='Bidd' post='53245' date='Aug 31 2007, 11:44 AM']Cheers for the quick advice everyone I don't know much so what is BadAss, a type of pickup or bridge? Also I always wondered on this site what MIM meant, cheers for the info. I did hear good things about the Jaguar and really want to try one out. About buying second hand, I was a bit put off by the idea as I have a feeling that a brand new bass would be so much better (I don't know why). I have been looking on the For Sale section on here and will continue doing so. Also I may venture on ebay but I've heard from here that things tend to go pear shaped. I was also looking on GAK.co.uk cos they seem pretty cheap (obviously P+P has to be accounted), and has anyone dealt with them and what do you think?[/quote] A Badass is a commonly fitted replacement bridge. It is much heavier and more solid than the standard Fender bridge and (arguably) improves sustain and tone. A few Fender signature models have them fitted as standard, eg the Mike Dirnt and Marcus Miller models.

I think you have to try before you buy with Fenders. My current US Jazz is much better than my old Mex Jazz in pretty much every department. I also have a Jap Precision which is fantastic - superb build quality, US pickups. Having said all of that, one of the nicest Precision necks I've played was on my old Mexican Precision. Unfortunately, I think Fenders do vary a lot on quality. The Jap models do seem to be consistnently good, but the Mex (and to a lesser extent US) models do seem to be a bit of a mix. But its too much of a generalisation to say all Mex Fenders are lesser quality. If you can find one with a good neck, you can upgrade pickups and electronics and have a great bass for a lot less than the US models.

I think the Ibanez BTB 5 string has 19mm string spacing, and is within your budget. I've never played one, so can't say how close they would get to the MM tone, but they might be worth a try?

[quote name='finnbass' post='51098' date='Aug 26 2007, 11:59 PM']That's clearly a faulty bass. I'd ask for a full refund Mine looks like this...should I also lose sleep? [/quote] That's an amazing bass - If you do leave sleep over it I'd be happy to take take it off your hands!