Lozz196

Some of the MIJs are made of basswood, which generally is lighter than alder or ash, and can account for the neck-dive.

I have to remind myself of this every time I get Jazz bass stirrings.

I have to admit that on the punk scene in the majority the audience are the same sort of age as, or older than me - I`m 52. Every now & then there will be younglings at a gig, but even for the newer bands (such as Dirt Box Disco, Booze & Glory, Wonk Unit to name a few) it`s still predominantly middle-aged people that go to see them. There are a few young punk bands on the scene and it`s really refreshing to see, but it`s not that often you see people under 30 in the bands.

I`ve had Markbass amps in the past, great amps, really good quality, and sit nicely in the mix. With the eq options on your MM JB you would have a very versatile set-up, especially for the pop/soul/funk aspects. I`ve not had one myself, but for punk and rock the Fender Rumble would be the better amp (imo) as it is voiced more vintage with some very nice drive/clank available if needed - I`ve heard bassists use them for this type of music and they`ve fitted really wel,. With the eq on both your bass and the Rumble I`m pretty sure you`d easily be able to do soul and funk as well as the heavier stuff. Lastly cost - the Markbass is a fair bit more costly. I`m yet to read anything negative re the Rumbles which is always a good sign and would say that indicates that the quality is sufficient for regular gigging.

I`ve currently got 5 US Precisions, none have neck dive. I don`t have super-duper straps either, just regular 2" wide nylon-weave Jim Dunlop straps, still no neck-dive. One feels different to the others, seems to pull a bit on my left shoulder a bit more, but still no neck-dive. Sounds like a case of very lightweight body as mentioned above.

One of the reasons why I use Ashdown amps, anything wrong and I can drive it there within an hour, and their customer service I`ve found to be excellent.

I think it was 2017, the time all seems to blur into one big lump after a while. Re amp with/without, I set my amp to have none of the eq/compression/drive activated, so without the PDDI it sounds just like a plain Precision would to desk, the PDDI therefore does all of my eq/gain etc. That`s why I love it so much, one little box that I can plug into any amp/FOH and the audience get what I want them to. The bonus is that the natural warmth of my Ashdown gear works well with the clinical sound of the PDDI for the on-stage sound. Not tried the Q\Strip, I love the look of it, especially with the sweepable high and low mids, but the lack of any gain/drive has meant I`ve not tried it.

Physical product for me, my choice being CD as I prefer the sound quality.

I thought this thread was gonna be about Bryan Adams - I got my second real six-string. I`ll get my coat..............

That`s a good call, buying cases on-line can be tiresome because of differing sizes. Our guitarist has been after a specific case for ages, e-mailed a retailer that appeared to have them in stock and asked them to measure it as the newer version is bigger, which he doesn`t want. They confirmed the sizes were as per the ad/older version. it arrived, of course it was the newer version. It seemed that using a tape measure was beyond the competence of the person dealing with the e-mailed enquiry.

The last item I bought was a 2016 US Precision last Saturday, entirely un-needed, I just wanted one in white/rosewood. A week before that I bought a BOSS WL20 Wireless Kit so I could (in my mind) leap around the stage (in reality it`s stumble/shuffle around on the same spot). But in answer to the question re the last item I bought that made a positive difference to my sound, it was my Tech21 Sansamp Para Driver bought early last year. I wouldn`t be without it now. It`s as much part of my sound as my Precision and fresh steel round-wound strings.

I`ve not heard the Rumble cabs in action but the Rootmasters are very nice cabs - I had the 210/115 for a while, swapped to two of the 210s, both set-ups very nice and they`re an easy lift. But, and this is a big but, have you considered changing to rounds instead of flats? For the music stated try some Rotosound/Warwick Red Lable Steel rounds with all the extra harmonics going on that come with rounds, it may be a much more economical way of getting where you need.

Yep, a few of my mates have a band where they rehearse once a week and have a laugh. They have no intention of ever gigging, but it`s a night out where they can be daft, tell stupid jokes, and play songs they`ve loved for 20+ years, all for less than a tenner, and wake up without a hangover. Each to their own, it`s what the individual wants from it and getting in cahoots with like-minded people is often the most difficult thing of all.

I currently have 5 of the 2012-16 Series MIAs, all are fantastic. I`m quite happy buying this particular range blind providing the seller has confirmed in the for sale ad that the truss rod and all moving parts are working correctly, I have that much faith in them.

Well I`ve no experience of 5-string Precisions, but imo the best standard range (as opposed to custom shop) 4 string Precisions Fender have made (that I`ve tried, and I`ve tried/owned plenty) are the 2012-16 range. Nab yourself one of those and sit back grinning.

What killed rock n roll - musicians being told/thinking they`re role models.

The tattooist I go to gets all of his music mixed at Abbey Road and he says it really is a step up.

It could well be the cabs you know, Markbass cabs do have a high-end roll-off. I`ve always been very impressed when hearing Markbass amps through Barefaced cabs. But saying that, I think @Cuzzie hit it spot on, one set-up you love, the other not so.

Well imo they are seriously good basses, not for the money, just seriously good full stop. I`ve been really impressed with my Tony Butler V4.

It sounds to me that your ears preferred the TC rig. I`m not knocking the Markbass gear that you have, far from it, I`ve had that gear myself, but from your post it appears to me that you really preferred the TC gear. Given that I`d say get that same rig. I ended up with Ashdown through the same sort of circumstances, every time I played through an Ashdown rig I far preferred it to my own, so went and bought some Ashdown gear.

Nice one, will continue via PM

Looks great, Mark, if I were any use with anything practical I`d refin my Vintage Tony Butler V4 in white, but I`m utterly pony at anything/everything practical. Don`t suppose you want to earn a few quid doing it, do you?

If I recall correctly Tim, you depped with said drummer/band for a while?

OK, update time. Used the WL20 at 2 gigs at the weekend, hadn`t had a chance to use it at rehearsal so went straight in, trusting it would deliver. And it did. Great to be cable-free. I`m not much of a mover/leaper around stage, but it`s so liberating to not be fearful of falling over your own dratted lead. I didn`t notice any difference in sound but that`s cos I was using 2 different rigs at each gig, neither being the same as my own. Overall I`m very glad I made this purchase.

I played an all-dayer at The Fleece in Bristol yesterday, 7 punk/oi bands and today my ears are whistle-free. The sound-people they have there are to be applauded, they make all the bands sound great, at volumes which are tolerable. Bear in mind punk/oi isn`t exactly subtle, yet you could hear the bar staff when ordering a pint of diet coke, chat - albeit loudly - to people when the bands were playing. A great venue made even better for the sensible approach to the sound.