Leaderboard

First new bass in many years and I'm chuffed! Spector Euro LX4 DW (Doug Wimbush) in Amber. Great quality build, fantastic playable neck (and I'm digging the narrow nut) and a beautiful maple finish, reminds me of a Warwick thumb in many ways, but more 'grungy' Oh, and the pups are *really* hot! Lovely, lovely, lovely!

there you go, you're getting it! 🤣 seriously though, I apologise if my previous post sounded patronising - that wasnt my intent. ive often made the mistake of writing a sarcastic or fascectious remark on this forum only for it to be taken the wrong way because I didnt put a "lol", "haha" or emoji in the post so when I say this I say it because I have learnt the hard way myself. Not everyone will take the time to proof read or use "proper" English when writing a post on a forum - that said, you are right, your posts do generally seem to be more well written than most. I admire everyone who has taken the time and effort to learn another language as it is something I cannot do. I wasnt trying to be patronising, the sarcasm wasnt self evident as explained above. Peace

I couldn't resist - I've just ordered one. I'm going to be in so much trouble when the missus notices it.

All went good! :

Stanley Clarke (of all people) came out with an absolute diamond piece of advice once in an interview. He said "Learn all you can about theory and then forget about it". I didn't really get that until years later. It basically means learn as much theory as you possibly can, but just play what you think sounds best, regardless of what you think will impress.

had no problems with the sale, buyer has confirmed he's received the Bass in good condition

A musician, yes. Everything else is just detail. Professional, semi professional, amateur, talented, journeyman, good, bad, trainee, experienced, retired, Jazz, studio, session, classical etc etc.

Sorry about that. If you wait a few weeks it'll probably be up for sale, knowing me.

Gutted for the man. Is it me, or is just about every stolen music kit incident I've ever heard of been from the boot of a car? How do the buggers even know? There must be some times when its unavoidable, but I always force myself to unload the car after every gig, no matter how late or tired I am. I'd rather take the heat for waking the wifey and kids than find an empty car in the morn 8(

The Roadworn nitro is the one to have in my book, selected lighter woods me thinks.

NBD - Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV *Revisited* I had been very smug and pleased with myself for getting down to just the one bass, a Bitsa Jazz that I assembled from parts and finished myself. Hipshot, Gotoh, KiOgon… all proper premium components, no tat! Very happy with it and its powerful Entwistle JBXNs, which sounds really killer through my 1997 Trace GP7 715 150W combo. BUT… dangerously, I allowed my mind to wander in an idle moment. What was the bass I most missed and most regretted moving on? Being absolutely honest with myself, it turned out to be (weirdly) a Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV - which I bought and reviewed on this very board some four years ago and then sold, for a reason I can’t now remember. GAS, probably. So, as they’re not the world’s most expensive bass and as I was curious, I ordered one - an end-of-line display/demo model from Andertons. Notable features include a three-band active EQ circuit and an Ebonol fingerboard. As I understand it, Ebonol is a phenolic polymer that mimics the qualities of ebony in that it is hard and dense…but is synthetic and thus completely impermeable. I like it a lot. It’s a slab board basically and renders the underlying maple neck very stable indeed. The neck plays well with practically no relief in it and allows a lower (and more buzz-free) action than I would otherwise entertain with a more conventional wooden board. The neck is arrow-straight and the fretwork is superb. And I mean £1000+ superb. Completely level frets and not even a hint of an edge anywhere. To find this quality on a bass that cost less than £300 is truly remarkable. This board is smooth and fast and this neck alone is worth the price of admission. The controls comprise volume, pickup blend, stacked treble/bass and mid. There is also the so-called 'slap switch', essentially a mid-cut which boosts the lows and top end, ostensibly for slapping… I won’t be doing any of that, but it’s useful to have at your fingertips and in conjunction with the EQ allows for more tone-shaping options. The board radius is 12”, a little flat for me but I don't mind so much as the nut width and shallow neck are (unsurprisingly) very Jazz-like, so a flatter board suits me here. The bass feels good in the hand, isn't overly heavy (around 9lb) on the shoulder and balances well on the strap. It's effortless to play and after a few minutes the controls become completely intuitive and very easy to use. This bass punches WAY above its weight. There are always negatives of course - the bridge and tuners are not premium quality - especially when juxtaposed with the Hipshot Ultralights and Gotoh 201B fitted to my Bitsa. The bridge is a generic Gotoh-alike high-mass top-load affair with saddle-screw runners - and does its job perfectly well. The ubiquitous budget ‘vintage’ clover-leaf tuners work smoothly enough and adequately hold the bass in tune, which is all you can reasonably expect, so no complaints yet. The treble/bass stacked pot is quite a bit taller than the other controls and I can imagine it taking a knock or two. The pots could be smoother and more positive in their action and the midway detentes could be more obvious. But I’m guessing Squier had to cut costs somewhere. These are minor niggles. Would I use this as my main bass? With absolutely no hesitation, despite the fact I don’t much care for sunburst and especially not pickguard-free sunburst. But irrelevant cosmetic issues aside, it plays quite differently to my Bitsa Jazz and has WAY more tone options on tap. You can of course produce the generic vintage single-coil Jazz sound if you want it, but you can also quickly dial in more ‘modern’ sounds - and anything else you can think of - from fat, fingerstyle dub tones through clanky, gritty rock via hefty plectrum twang to full-on growl, burpy funk and mid-free hi-fi slap. It’s all in there. And you'd be very hard-pressed to tell the difference between this Indonesian Squier and a MIM Fender (or dare I say it, a MIA Fender) in a blind listening test. The Squier feels right, plays very nicely indeed and sounds fantastic. It’s essentially a wannabe boutique Super Jazz, but aimed at the budget-conscious entry-level buyer. Or those in my position - the seasoned (yet impecunious) overweight senior cheapskate-cynic. But is it as good as I remember? Very much so, and in some ways it’s better. Four years have passed since I owned one and my priorities have changed, my playing has changed and I see things a little differently now, as I’m sure we all do. But I’m very happy to have this back in the fold. I did have a little fantasy about refinishing it in vintage white (and I may yet do so), tinting the headstock, applying an F-decal and fitting a guard. But I don’t want to drill new guard holes in the body, the decal thing is really only of interest to bass players and other idiots and frankly I’m getting a bit bored with the ‘identity’ thing. Name-band pro players regularly rock up sporting the S-decal and if it’s good enough for them, etc. So for the moment at least it’s going to do its thing completely stock and original as nature (and Squier) intended - apart from the new DR Nickel Lo-Riders I fitted. Hardly a modification, but a very positive improvement on the iffy strings that came with the bass. I can easily see it becoming a bit of a workhorse and it’s already a go-to instrument. It’s one of those basses you just can’t walk past without picking it up and playing it. You won’t be surprised then if I recommend you add this particular arrow to your quiver - it can currently be got at a silly price, especially if you haggle - even if you’re not a Jazz person (and I'm not), you can’t fail to be impressed by the dead-straight and supremely playable neck, the smooth, hard and fast Ebonol board, the extremely versatile and intuitive EQ and the huge range of tones on offer. In short, it’s a bargain. But if you ARE up for it, get one ASAP - Squier seem to have discontinued this model and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Yes - it's much higher than the standard fixing screws. The i.d. of the standard fixing screw is 3mm and is usually - I think - mild steel, the i.d. of a stainless m4 machine screw is 3.24mm and is, of course, stainless giving 16% greater area over a much stronger steel. The o.d. of the inserts is 9mm, against the standard fixing screws at around 4mm. Wal are the only commercial basses I've personally worked on that fit machine screws and I'm pretty certain they are m4 too. The thing that staggered me was once seeing the tubular fuselage of an Auster light aeroplane. Welded on were 4 small brackets with the holes for the 4 machine screws holding the engine on. Now, admittedly, that will have been aircraft grade stainless, but they were tiny. I reckon 6mm tops - maybe even 5mm.

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I haven't used any loopers before and wasn't sure whether swapping the lead would be feasible. I suppose I'll just jump in with the looper first, and look at splitters if I find swapping a fuss - or play chords on bass! Cheers all.

Hi Frank, Yes Times are good for the gigging Bassist. There is good Equipment for nearly every Pocket (pricewise), but no..that was not an exaggeration. We compared the two Amps at a small Bass Player Meeting from a german Bass Forum and the Difference was noticed by other Bassplayers too. When we really turned up the volume to get some performance, the mesa was much more sovereign, but of Course you're right, the Mesa is in another Price Class without a Doubt

You'll still be a musician but a jibbering idiot along with it.

Very tempted to bid in & see what happens.

Not bass related but.....I applied for holiday leave at work for a fortnight in 2019. Already planned what we were going to do - Eurocamp. Price was £1239 for a fortnight in a caravan in Italy (flights & car hire on top of this). My boss approved the holidays yesterday so last night I sat down to book. Black Friday deal with Eurocamp reduced the cost to £560 thus saving a whopping £679. Unexpected and a genuine saving for something I was purchasing anyway. Impressed!

This is sarcastic, in fact, you are the one who didn't get it, sorry. And by the way, the correct sentence shoud have been : "I'm not sure you understand sarcasm : furthermore, I guess English isn't your mother tongue ?" And certainly not this approximation : I'm a bit fed up with this "not your mother tongue" remark as I do write a way far better English than most of the natives on this website. Period.

I must say, the experience of being part of a choir has not only made be a better bass player, but a better musician all round. I didn’t have any formal training in music. I started playing as a teenager, so moved and inspired by the early output of Jamiroquai/ Zender, that bass was the direction I took. 25 years later and no regrets. Bass is still my primary instrument, and the one I love above all. My musical tastes have remained very much rooted around that hemisphere of music too, but deeper, naturally. However, a few years ago, by some bizarre accident of events, having had no previous singing experience and no involvement in traditional music, I found myself joining the local Gaelic Choir. It was a revelation, and there was no turning back. There is something ethereal and electrifying about standing in the midst of 30 voices when you’re locked tightly into a complex arrangement of a big piece. Whether it’s sensitive and beautiful, or vigorous and bold, the emotive power of the situation is huge and unquestionable. There are strict technical requirements though, and these are what have made me the better musician. Firstly, I had to learn how to read music and, by default of the learning process, my sight-reading is ever improving.By absolute necessity I’ve developed a greater sense of subtlety, restraint, and discipline. A more refined sense of place and, as a result, the whole. My natural timing has improved, and the basic nature of choral singing has made me infinitely more harmonically conscious. Also, the specific process of learning, breaking down into tiny detail and reconstructing a few select pieces over many months, and the inherently complex nature of the arrangements have allowed me to understand music in a way I never would have otherwise... and it’s all transferable to bass. Choir singing happened randomly, and out of the blue, but now that it’s part of my life I love it. I’m more of a musician than I ever was before, or ever would have been without it ... and I’m grateful for that. Are there any other choristers here? If so, what benefits have you perceived? Tell me something of the kind of choir you’re in 🙂 My choral experience has been entirely in the (Scottish) Gaelic language, in both men’s and mixed choirs, in performance and competition, Scotland, and abroad.

I tried googling all types of knobs and frankly this isn’t the website where I landed at all 🤗

Whatever goes into the input comes out of the link, untouched. So if the input is at line level, the link will be at line level.

why the DI? Surely the mixer should have a "line" or "mic" setting on the input, and if the XLR out from the cab link is line level and the desk is set appropriately it should be fine? Our guitarist uses a Line 6 Helix and the matching Line 6 FRFR powered monitor as a cab and we take a line level XLR out from the cab into our Yamaha PA to round out the sound a bit. Works for us.

Gold or a nice deep tort. Black is just lazy IMO.

Is the cab link out at line or speaker level? If the former, you can do it, but will need a DI box with attenuation, to lower the signal sufficiently to avoid overloading the input stage on the mixer. If the latter, no.

Behind me I'm in. Already on my calendar.

Back in the late nineties I tried to put together an Eighties tribute act. I couldn't find a guitarist that would play the Pop stuff needed to get decent gigs. At one rehearsal I discovered that the keyboard player had an amazing voice....long story short... I purchased backing tracks, he sang and I mimed the keyboards. At first I took my bass gear along and played live on some songs because I felt guilty ( the agent and the venues always knew that I was miming) but eventually we realised that nobody cared and I stopped lugging it around. In two years of gigging two or three times a week only one person came up to me and said " You're not playing those keys are you?" when I answered" no" he replied " you do a good job of making it look like you are though!" Go and enjoy the gig ….the punters will just be out to enjoy themselves.

Am I the only one that thinks black pickguards on light colour basses look absolutely awful? Jesus christ, I think those Seafoam/Blue PJ basses would look MUCH better with a white pearl pickguard.

For Sale - A particularly grim copy bass which frankly I can't wait to get rid of. £1 I've checked the wanted ads - nobody is going to want this sucker. From the minute I got this I knew I'd end up selling it - it plays like gristle. Never been gigged. No way I'd risk this in public Trades gracefully accepted - even for a pack of old used Ernie Ball flats I have dogs and smoke like a chimney. I let the dogs sleep on it and chain smoke when playing - it's the only thing that numbs the pain I'd link to my gumtree ad, but it makes me look like it's a scam. Action at 12th fret - about 1' 5" Weight - more than me, but less than the missus. No photos coming soon - it's hideous enough in the flesh without a permanent record I'm based just north of Peterborough. I'll wait for years if necessary to get rid of this. It's likely to be discounted tomorrow and every five minutes subsequently until I end up paying you. I'll ship this in a brown paper bag. It'll only improve it. I'm prepared to travel about 3 miles from home, on my pushbike, dragging it behind on a rope. Feel free to lowball me. I quite like it - it's a chance to feel someone actually wants to talk to me. Is this what you meant @skankdelvar?

Sounds like my ideal gig, well paid, food, not using my own car and I don’t have to actually remember anything.

I'm currently in the market for a loop pedal, primarily for home practice, and looking for some advice. Ideally I'd like something which can handle two instruments, so that I can loop a chord progression on guitar and play along on bass. As far as I can tell that rules out the boss rc-3, which is a shame as I think the built in drum samples would be helpful. The electro-harmonix 720 appears to do what I need, but doesn't have the drum samples of the rc-3. What do you use, and do you have any advice or further suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I’ve got an ABY splitter pedal at the front of my effects chain that has both a fretted and fretless bass plugged into it simultaneously. Just a click on the pedal and the input switches from one instrument to the other. Rapid changeover when looping. You could do it that way. At the other end of my effects board is the looper. I use a Boss RC-300 multi-track looper, which itself has multiple inputs. So that too.

Andy is a great guy to deal with. I sold a Yamaha BB bass to him and it all went smoothly!

If people ask me what I do, I say I am a musician, simply because I don't do anything else, nor do I want to. If people ask me if I earn my living from music, I tell 'em to mind their own feckin business!

> reminds me of a Warwick thumb in many ways No looks like a Streamer copy

I sold Stew a Bruce Thomas P bass - a very pleasant transaction! Stew was fast to communicate and pay, and let me the know the bass had arrived safely. Thanks again Stew, highly recommended Kev

Well, I've got a few days of grandparent duties coming up but I'm pleased to say - other than a tweak still to do on the volute - the basic neck carve, I reckon, is there or thereabouts and we are now entering the 'sanding, finishing and assembling' stage: The back cover and body will be the same shade as the headstock once the finish has been put on and the body will darken a touch. The neck will probably remain this sort of colour. And I say 'the basic neck carve, I reckon, is there' because I've actually never ever played a 6 string bass - and I'm building this for a guy who has...and lots. So what we ACTUALLY have is, 'I've never played a 6 string bass but, if I did, I think this is what I'd like one to feel like' What could possibly go wrong

I'm kind of in both camps I suppose. For example there's no way I'd have considered listening to a lot of stuff I now do since getting more into playing bass properly. Or at least as close as I can get to properly! I can't imagine choosing to listen to The Jackson 5 or Fontella Bass before I learned the basslines to I Want You Back or Rescue Me. Now I love listening to them. Particularly the bass on I Want You Back is joyous and just makes life feel brighter when I listen to it. Since joining a covers band there's loads of stuff in this category that I now listen to and enjoy which I would have either just pulled a face at or listened to and been nonplussed by ten or even five years ago. On the other hand stuff I now realise a lot of the songs I liked best when when I was young have amazingly effective bass lines that I had obviously enjoyed but not properly appreciated at the time. This happened for me when the bass player from Marilyn Manson, of whom I'm a big fan, joined A Perfect Circle with the singer from Tool, who I find massively boring. The result: massively boring to my ears. I guess it depends on the band, the bass player and how the two fit together.

Putting in a great preamp with bad pickups is the wrong way around for me. The pickups are the first contact for a good sound. A good preamp will compliment the good pickups.

Play the chords on your bass.

Not wise to answer this for fear of tempting fate.

😂

Here is a project I completed using ‘ready-made’ parts to put together a Tele Bass. I finished the body & neck with Wudtone which was a really interesting process for someone like me who isn’t experienced with staining, finishing or in fact working with wood. All respect to the builders on here who start from scratch. I take my hat off to you! For the novice or anyone interested in Wudtone, check out the video https://youtu.be/Bm9mijSt20A

I've been gazing over a Spector EuroLX4 for a while now! Let me know how those are playability wise...and sound-wise obviously. Also, what do you mean by "narrow" nut? They definitely don't look they have a narrow nut width.

That's all the confirmation I need. Thanks, Dave.

I’ve sold and bought about 450 things on eBay. Only have 201 feedback. Really Irks me when people don’t leave feedback.

You are a bassist and thus a God. Don't let anyone tell you different. (Although non-readers are only Demi-gods. so Ner ner ner)