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Hey all. I sent the photo onto Fender Consumer Relations who have responded swiftly and advised (in writing) that it has been a "mis-build" - a rare occurrence but the second time they've seen it on a 70's spec Jazz. GuitarGuitar Edinburgh have also been fab (as usual) and offered me a straight swap to a replacement - they currently have these in stock and have spot checked a couple to confirm correct spec. With this written confirmation from Fender, I'm comfortable keeping this f*ckup. In fact we're becoming quite inseparable. Here it is with all the bling removed (much as I love the look, it does get in the way)...

They’re great strings, I’ve used them for years. I’m really surprised you’ve got a dead one, but that’s more likely to be because the bass was strung months ago and has been sitting in a shipping container at sea between Indonesia and here, suffering all sorts of extremes of temperature and humidity. One of the main reasons I’ve stuck with the EXLs for over 15 years is their consistency - all that time I’ve never had a dud. In 40 years of playing I’ve been through most brands, and some major makes (naming no names) have truly appalling quality control.

I've played a two set gig with no drummer when he fell ill and the replacement was my right foot on the wooden stage floor. I reckon I could do a gig as a bass player on anything with at least one string. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be better than cancelling. The less you've got, the simpler the music, but I reckon that at least 90% of the audience won't notice.

@Ashdown Engineering you might want to follow this thread

Thanks. Something went wrong with an update. We’re on it!

OK OK. I finish work in a couple of hours and will take a couple of piccies then

It’s ok I got a Sharpie 😆

Better start going through all my Pink Floyd albums too and binning anything with imposter David Gilmour playing.

I play bass guitar alongside (usually) six other guitarists known collectively as "The Glissando Guitar Orchestra". We all bow our instruments with metal objects using a lot of compression and delay, creating fabulously rich textured drones. It sounds like this:

I’d better throw away my copies of Yessongs, Going For The One and 90125 then... I never realised they didn’t count as they’re just by some tribute band.

I attended a 'Zappa plays Zappa' concert a few years ago, with Terry Bozzio as guest. Just as he was starting his 'routine', his bass drum batter head split. After a couple of minutes 'kerfuffle', he moved over to the 'house' kit whilst a drum tech changed the head, after which he came back down to his own kit. Apart from extensive use of a whole raft of china crashes around his kit, there was no difference whatever in his playing. I reckon the bloke could have finished his spot with cardboard boxes (or even a Squier bass..! ) if he had to. He's good, is that there Terry Bozzio; very good indeed.

@BigRedX - I designed and printed the feet myself. They fit onto the helix using the same screws as the rubber feet and then some wood screws into the board. The board is only just big enough for the LT and some space behind it for cables etc so not much good if you use external pedals. I know @dood had a board that was big enough for quite a few pedals and the LT - he may be able to point you in the right direction. the LT was sitting way too high as standard so I dropped the height of the main board in the case by removing the wood support underneath it so the LT will sit lower and have a bit more clearance inside the lid - works well for me and drops the height by about 45mm. Edit : I’ve still got some screen protectors available from the next production run for sale and I can print some fixing feet if anyone wants some

I can only imagine the level of depression if one of those broke during installation

The UV light on my Trace Elliott gives me a ridiculous amount of pleasure and more than makes up for it weighing the same as a small military vehicle.

Not a chance. Why..? ... I play drums.

It's just a change of key, so E would be Eb. I wouldn't down-tune I'd find it weird playing a B and hearing a Bb. I'd rather just transpose and know that I'm playing a Bb instead of a B, if you see what I mean .

The 12th South East Bass Bash will be on Saturday 29 September 2018 At Jubilee High School, Surrey, School Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 1TE The first planning meeting has already taken place! (in a pub) Get the date in your diaries!

I've spent a lot over the years in my quest for 'the special one' and have owned exotic and beautiful instruments from Zon, Rick Turner and Rob Allen as well as many other expensive-ish basses. More recently I've been playing around with budget basses and have been very pleasantly surprised! My latest one is this Squier Bronco which was professionally modded by the previous owner with a Hipshot bridge, Hipshot tuners, new pots/harness and a Sentell 'Big Sis' handwound pickup (http://www.sentellpickups.net/bass.html). An ebay special for the princely sum of £150. A bit on the steep side for a used Bronco maybe, but it's a little gem! It feels and plays well above it's price point and the Sentell pickup is gloriously rich and sensitive to playing touch. I love it! Anyone else out there with something rather 'special' at the budget end of the GAS richter scale? Post pics if you can!

Nope. Anyway, Limelight aren't just any old basses.

Unless it's going to be a key part of your sound, I'd have thought a Zoom MS-60B is really all you need? I think even the basic multi-fx are pretty good at delay, chorus, tremolo, tuning and EQ; they just struggle to match the dedicated pedals on some of the trickier stuff - synth, dirt, octaver and arguably compression. Just trying to save you a few £££'s

I love that colour on guitars and basses Very, very cool

Absolutely. All of them apart from his new one, I'd say. Incidentally, the reason I'm on this thread in the first place is because having willfully managed to resist Yes for the best part of 35 years, I've finally succumbed. I've got a bit of catching up to do.

One could also say the same of Roger’s post-Roger albums...

@BigRedX - I could do a set of 6 feet for £6.50 posted in the UK - a few different colours available. They can have a countersunk screw hole as pictured or plain depending on which screws you want to fix them to the pedalboard with. The height is the same as the std. rubber feet so the same screws can be used to fix them to the Helix. PM me if your're interested

not necessarily- it looks fine and fender do have a history of parts-bin builds. He's got concrete proof from Fender its really one of theirs and left the factory like it. I think he's bullet-proof on this one @Grahambythesea fair play to Fender for owning up to the problem.

FWIW, some people seem to have cracked driving this pedal with a bass:

It seems to me to be a blatant case of mis-selling... They sell the combo as being able to work with an extension cab. You found out that they have mis-described the combo, and it doesn't do what it was advertised to do. You tell them, and they offer to fix their mistake by charging you money. They're taking the P! A few years ago I took a car dealer to court for mis-selling; dealer had sold me a van saying that the gearbox had been replaced recently, showed me a piece of paper to prove it. Then the gearbox went (just out of warranty!), and the receipt for the alleged replacement gearbox turned out to be for another vehicle. He refused to do anything about it, we took him to court and the judge found he'd mis-sold the van. Ironically, we'd told dealer-boy we'd accept £1000 toward the cost of the fix, he told us to go spin - judge awarded me the full cost of the repair (£1600) plus £500 out of pocket expenses... So I'd be telling Mr Ashdown that the item was mis-sold, and that advertising standards and the courts take a very dim view of that!

The presumption that a bog standard Fender P or J, or the Squier version thereof can be used to perform absolutely every style of music is wrong. Take Level 42 - Mark King used a Jazz - indeed had a signature version - for a short while - then stopped apparently very soon after because it didn't allow him to sound like Mark King (and Level 42 like Level 42) on quite a proportion of what he played - thus it was inadequate for the job. The Fender basses and derivatives are fine for a whole range of music - excellent for some - but the idea they may be fine for absolutely everything is really delusional!! If they were none of the other more recent bass types and the styles and sounds of music developed using them would have happened - that is also presumably why Marcus Miller modified his main bass so long ago. Tell most Wal players to play a Fender and you'll probably get a rude answer from most. For some of us, it's like asking us to take a backward step for no good reason - those who drive Ferraris are not going to willingly going to change to a Ford Popular even though both will no doubt get you from A to B. I often wonder if musicians were in charge of the motor industry whether it would have regressed as far back as solid tyres - after all they support a vehicle perfectly adequately.

I had a bass built by Bernie Goodfellow with the primary spec that it had to be light - it certainly meets that spec and balances perfectly. Sound wise, it's certainly in the more versatile camp when it comes to bass tones. If you want something a bit different then you could do a far worse!

Nice - sounding good!

FYI, here's my orange Precision. Fender neck, Squier body, Badass bridge II, Shadow pickups, Schaller Straplocks, wiring loom I made. I also plan to get a Hipshot eXtender/D-tuner for it at some point. I previously had a Mighty Mite fretless neck on it, but I swapped it over for the fretted Fender one. I might pick up a black Fender body and reinstate the fretless; if I do, I'll make it all Fender, including a Fender Hi-Mass bridge on it and a Fender Precision pickup (both of which I have in my parts box).

I've played expensive Fenders in the past and always worried about bashing and denting them. I feel more comfortable with a cheaper brand. Obviously I still avoid accidents but a £1000 instrument in my hands intimidates me so I tend to own mid-to-low price models, 3 of which are Squier. With a proper set-up and your own choice of strings, the VM range are great value for money. I'm very happy with mine, decent quality and all made in Indonesia.

Well, no, actually..! At that time I was completely unaware that 'stuff' even existed..! Sheltered childhood..? One could say so. Later on, I came into contact with dealings of the sort, but I never let it go to my head. Well, not much, at any rate. Not as much as some of my chums (and family, as it happens...). A couple of visits to mates being held for their own safety, too many deaths for various reasons related to such, a nephew born handicapped... It puts one off rather quickly, I found. Staid..? Yup. Fuddy-duddy..? Rather. Anarchist, so others have to take their own responsibility; I won't condemn, but it's not something I'd recommend to anyone, neither at the time nor in hindsight. T'was a splendid week-end, anyway, with no need of artificial aid.

Zilla Cabs would do a great job http://www.zillacabs.com/

Just acquired a Victory to go with my Artist...................

Matamp built me a couple. Try them.

Yup. As effectively I do nowt. Hahahahaha. I used to have a lovely 83 squier. Gigged it in favour of many more “expensive” basses... My stuff is lovely and when I get chance it’s nice to play the CS jazz which effectively replaced the 83.

Rock n Roll killer

My Ian Hill signature and my Doug Wimbish

Don't play through it for a few seconds after powering it up.

So the bass player doesn't have any gear? If these guys were serious they'd have their own gear. If they aren't serious I wouldn't lend anything to them.

I'm on a selling group where the guy who runs it tried to have a £1 member fee and it all kicked off - I thought charging for groups was against FBs t&cs?

Good grief, that's a real horror story makes me glad they're not getting many bookings. We had grief from some of the punters too. They found it highly amusing when the hag told us to eff off, and a couple of them joined in in that special "hyuck hyuck, yeah gwarn, f'koff" way that only a cerebrally challenged sister-lover can manage.