Telebass

Well, I'll taje Harold over the zombies any day. Might I request a copy if I cover the expenses, pretty please?

I'll be ordering all of those at the earliest opportunity!

Barry Bales on DB and Ampeg Baby Bass for Union Station. Check out the 2002 live recording of 'Forget About It'. Use good 'phones or speakers. Makes me shiver.

Surely the commonest reason for a really good condition old bass. Looks great, sounds...meh.

Both my giggers are Ps with J necks, wouldn't have it any other way now!

I've said it many times before. If you're strung through the body, the mass of the bridge really is irrelevant. It's just there for the strings to break over. Change your bridge because you don't like the saddles/spacing/lateral slip etc etc, fine. You'd do more to affect the sustain by changing the strings. And as ET said, what is this need for sustain? How many seconds of ring do you need?

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1414713863' post='2592700'] I'm not a physicist but that sounds contradictory. If the bridge transfers more vibrations to the body then how is it possible that the bridge also absorbs less vibrations from the strings so that there is more sustain? Surely, either the vibrations stay in the strings for more sustain or they are transferred to the body for less sustain. Besides which I've never had a bass that needed more sustain. Muting and damping is much more often needed than more sustain - in my experience. [/quote] Again, this.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1414353198' post='2588591'] The Boss TU2 or 3 has been the industry standard for many years for good reason, I brought a Peterson tuner to replace my TU2 as the Peterson's are supposed to be the dogs doodahs, the first thing I did was tune up with the TU2 then see how far it was out compared to the Peterson.....guess what it was absolutely bang on in tune.......1 Peterson tuner sold and one Boss TU2 safely back on the pedal board [/quote] Let's reload this reply. Tells you all you need to know, really. ..

Like!

[quote name='dincz' timestamp='1412763470' post='2571684'] Dad are ee oh! [/quote] Correct! Dee A Dar E O makes me cringe... And the official American pronunciation is just as bad...

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1414620840' post='2591608'] I wouldn't waste my money. [/quote] This.

Yes. And the Squier 5er is pretty good too.

Another vote for TU-2 or 3. I run a Boss BCB30 pedalboard. Three positions: wireless receiver, TU-2, OC-3 octaver. All run off a Boss PSA240 psu. TU-2 has been bombproof since day 1, at least 8 years, probably 500 gigs.

Nice! Welcome!

About the manufacturing differences. They are not really that great. Each body and neck is still hand finished to some degree. It's not an operation that CAN be entirely automated, or not easily enough to make it worthwhile.

Good post. Also has to be remembered that some of the oldies in good nick are in that condition because the original owners and beyond found that weren't actually that good...the best ones got gigged into the ground! I had a '68 Jazz that looked fabulous, but was an utter dog. And a '69 Telecaster Bass that looked an utter dog, but was fabulous! Every bit as much a lottery as buying a new bass. Certainly not remotely worth it JUST because of what they are. If they are good, fine. If not, then they are very collectable firewood, or good only for vintage spares.

I'm with Westarx here. The vintage thing is ridiculous, and I'm ancient enough to have owned new what are now vintage pieces.

They weren't ALL heavy back then. Mine was entirely ok weight wise, about 9lb. But why oh why does anyone put the strings on the tuners like that? Makes me wince just looking at the pictures!

Oh indeed. I personally think the obsession with all things vintage is a bit of a joke, not unlike when Eric Johnson used to obsess about the right carbon - zinc batteries in his pedals! Even he wised up eventually. Find instrument that suits you. Play it.

Precisely. Even the nagnets aging takes decades. You'd need a time machine to chevk on the sound difference, and then it wouldn't be great.

Or 20mm, whatever it is...

RIP, Mr Bruce.

A Fender 5, which has standard 19mm spacing, is quite wide enough...

Indeed, magnets age. They get weaker over time, abd this must affect the output. For a start, it must decrease a bit. If you then adjust the pickup closer to get more output, it will likely change the tone. Or if you were able to compare the sound, unadjusted and years apart, the magnets would account for most if not all of the change. Movement and drying of wood, particularly if the finish is largely gone a la Rory Gallagher, might also change things a little. But I can't imagine it having a great effect.