Mrbigstuff

That’s the spirit!

I once knew a guy who replaced his Squier tuning peg with a 50p coin, is that a downgrade? 😆

I am still wary when a seller says recently setup by “insert name of local I’ve never heard of”. Just because they charged money for it doesn’t guarantee they’re any good at it. At least that is easily fixed though if they haven’t broken the truss rod. The modification that can really ruin a bass is a bad paint job and sometimes that’s hard to see in photos

I rest my case 😂 Oh sorry I got the impression you were arguing if favour of it being cool!

The days of any metal style being cool are long gone!

Zuckerberg is most definitely a nerd. Back on topic, 36” scale lengths are super nerdy! Who are you trying to impress with your tight B string!

Surely it’s the bass with the most knobs? I’ve always thought Wals to be a bit nerdy

Cars are a really good example on how you can make it worse. Lots of modified cars end up having reliability issues. Not saying it’s the same for guitars because they’re not as complex mechanically, but I wouldn’t risk it for the same principle.

I don’t know him personally but Anthony Jackson was reported to use higher action on his latest fodera. Victors is low but that’s so he can accomplish his playing style that hes made a career from. As I said horses for courses and there’s no right or wrong. I just find that it affects my tone most of all and you can’t disagree with that 😆.

But you can play soft with higher action for a different tone again! FWIW I like having a mix.

The volume knob can’t change your sound, it’s either quieter or louder. Of course it’s horses for courses but if players like John Patitucci, Anthony Jackson and Janek Gwizdala think raising action has an affect, it probably does!

For the sake of Fenders it tends to be pre 1980

I’m not a scientist so could be wide of the mark but IME higher action impacts the vibration of the string. Does this help sustain and frequency range? I’m not sure but I think it might. I see strings as similar to tyres on a car, they are the contact patch so have the biggest impact.

I prefer a medium action. IMO higher action enables more warmth and fullness in the note compared to lower action which is easier to play and gets a bit of that sizzle/ Slapback that I associate with late 70s/80s sounds. So for me medium is the compromise but when I play a bass with a setup either side of that it changes my sound and note choices completely. Janek Gwizdala documented going from being a super low action player to high and then benefits he gained from doing so.

Unless the one is timing, then it’s a bit of an issue for James Brown. You’re right but wow how did they not notice! I recorded a video where I was a tone out on one note and the whole band was looking at me 😆

Strings and string height are the big two for me

The OP hasn’t commented since so I can only assume he took the gig, earned a lot of money and is now busy yacht shopping in Monaco.

Yes that’s definitely been an issue with vintage Fenders, and there’s the slightly weird situation where despite there being lots of dealers now, they compete by charging highest prices - often with a tag line of you’ll never find another like this - for the mass produced item they’re selling 😂

Simple. Price it too high and you limit your market size. Price low and you will increase your market size but attract buyers who foresee potential uplift when they flip it - nothing wrong with that if you’re happy to sell for the price.

I suppose with it being a scaled up operation and parts getting cheaper that wouldn’t be a surprise. However, there are still absolute dogs in the vintage market, all be it lots were modified.

It was the reviews of playing these arco that put me off and I ended up getting a cheap 3/4 DB. I’d love to try a Yamaha silent bass but can’t justify the price of a decent German bass on one. Unless you’ve played with a bow before I’d recommend lessons for it. I didn’t find it an intuitive skill.

That’s going to sound god awful if you hit a bum note. I’ve heard of synth backing but if it’s a pre recorded bass guitar then you might as well mime along.

There’s better ways to say you disagree. You have your experiences, I have mine. Jones bass has his and there’s nothing wrong in having more basses in the world.

Come on read what I said properly. I state two things you’ve neglected to recognise before posting a sarcastic response. 1) I specifically refer to large ensembles where you see less Fenders in typical professional bands compared to 5 string active boutiques. 2) I specifically referred to modern fenders. Even in smaller ensembles (bands) a lot of the Fender used are vintage (pre 80s) because the tone cuts through the mix better and has that full fat timbre. I’m sure they’d use modern fenders instead if they cut the mustard given how much cheaper and easier to maintain they are.

Ian is now giving away some transcriptions on his YT via a mailing list