mcnach

I know those guys!!! (and her, although I have not talked to her much) We used to play at many of the same festivals... last year the sound guy at one of those events near Newcastle thought for a minute that I was substituting Mandy: I was the bass player for two bands that played back to back, and Bombskare was next... and I was wearing a Bombskare T-shirt... I think the guy just thought I was part of the amplifier and was there to stay for the duration

let's keep in touch... and see who blinks first

!!! Not the kind of seller I'd like to have to have any issues with. The bass is lovely 'though.

My plan for the Squier Mike Dirnt was to keep the passive tone control, but add a mid-sweep module to it. I realised that bass is not something I generally want to tweak much... so I'm happy with whatever the bass has. If I need to change it, I go to the amp right at the beginning, and that's a setting I won't tough again. I like the way a passive tone control works, so I'd keep that. It's on the mids where I really want more control. A mid-sweep module covering anything between 100-1000/2000Hz gives me huge range to get the sound I want just right. So that's just one knob (concentric), and I can easily put volume/tone onto another concentric pot, keeping it simple. But *if* I did get the Schecter... I'd probably wait and just do that to it.

Ha ha! You go first then and tell me what you think The Yamaha is a good bass for sure... but not really my thing visually. I have to like it, as well as feel nice and sound good. Does it come in maple fingerboard? The Sire P7 is probably nice too. Does it come in maple fingerboard? I don't mind not having a passive option, although it did save me once because I thought I had replaced the battery that year and I hadn't (on my Stingray, which has a MMSR preamp with a bypass switch)... generally I'm good at keeping tabs: I write the date on batteries, and even have a spreadsheet with that information for my basses. But it's not fool-proof, as it was shown to me during a gig last year The look is very attractive to me. I have a thing for natural ash/maple/black. It looks 'warm', it makes me want to take it and play it... hard to describe.... and it seems to make the right kind of sounds. What puts me off is... I could try it, and immediately know "this is not for me". I can check neck profile, dimensions, weight... but I need to actually have it in my hands before I know. Yes, I am sure I would be able to play it just fine... but I don't *need* a new bass, so I only want it if it "speaks" to me. It would not be the first time I'm attracted to a bass, on paper, then I try a few examples and decide that I don't really like them. Right now I'm playing a lot this Squier Mike Dirnt Precision. I ended up finding a nice lacquered maple fingerboard neck that fitted so I put it on it... it's a very comfy and light bass and I replaced the pickup... I love it. And I was just thinking about adding a preamp,, and possibly a second pickup, when the Schecter showed up. Hmmm...

Oooh, not bad!

I like this...

That's pretty sexy too... but the Schecter still calls me more, aesthetically. I wishe it cost £1544 like the Fender, that way I'd easily just forget it. However at £700ish... it's too tempting.

The Classic 50s is now around £850, so asking for that much used does seem excessive... but there's a version in nitro that costs £1,050 or thereabouts... so I can see some "as new" instruments going for £700-800 or so. They have a good reputation, and with good reason (my Classic 50s is going nowhere). The RW version is about £1200, so £800 does not seem crazy either... and they ARE really nice instruments. Prices have gone up a lot over the past 2 years or so... it's crazy.

I agree with your sentiment... that's a very poor response.

You got my point then

I'm besotted by this thing. I don't need it... but I waaaant it. Really cool looking P/J, the right... everything. I hope I don't get to try one because if I like it I won't resist it. What a sexy beast...

Amazing, the kind of arguments we get to have here...

Not necessarily. It could be set up the way the tech likes it, and he plays with a light touch... then someone comes with a harder style and it'll buzz... so it may need just a slightly higher action. If adjusting this seems complicated then it's important that the tech knows how you like it. I used to bring another instrument as an example, or find one of the ones in the workshop to say "like that"... now I do it myself, mostly because I got frustrated not having the exact setup I wanted, so I learnt. Or it was set up in a certain environment, and then the customer at home has a very different level of humidity which changes things... This is particularly common with basses shipped from otehr countries that may be set up nicely but when they arrive they buzz or seem to have too much relief. This only requires a slight tweak of the truss rod. However, a later post indicating the issue is mostly on one fret seems to indicate that there's some fret levelling to be done, and if a bass was returned without it... that would not be a good job, I agree with that.

Philips Hue Lights... dimmable and any colour you like

If there's an issue it is more with how hot the output of a bass is, which affects how many pedals sound. But that's not an active/passive thing as there are actives with mild and even lowish output and passives with high output. Active = high output is a myth. Most basses are ok with most pedals, and at worst, you may need to turn down the volume on your bass a bit if a pedal does not work the way you want it due to a high input. You can also use an EQ or clean boost pedal before that tricky pedal to lower your signal... there's a number of ways to get around it. In short: I would not worry... get the bass you want, and see what happens. Chances are NOTHING will happen. You may need the drive knob a bit higher or lower than you're used to (because no two basses are alike), but that's likely all. And if not, there are simple solutions but I would not worry until you're there. I never had much trouble, playing a mix of active and passive basses.

what's the point of this list? I can post another list of players that play what I prefer... say red basses... so, what is the point exactly? (this thing about "if X is good enough for Y, who am I to argue?" really bugs me (in a non-very-serious kind of way)

. I thought the same but found it really didn't make much (any?) difference, having both lined and unlined fretless basses simultaneously. I don't really look at the TOP of the fingerboard. You'll have side dots, which on a fretless should typically be placed AT the fret positions, not between frets, and that's enough help. I added smaller dots (stickers) on one of the basses at every fret position on the side for a while and that was helpful at first. So I'd go with the look you prefer. Lined fingerboard, on top, makes little difference in practice.

I do. They would not be my only string, but if I can have a spare bass with them, I like that. The black nylons vary quite a bit. The Rotosound TruBass are thumpy and woody sounding... if you want a double bass vibe, these are the ones. The D'Addario ones are very nice. I use those on my fretless Precision. You can still get a very thumpy vibe, but they have a lot more going on and you can get a very nice thick sound with them. They feel very nice too. I've recently tried Status ones (apparently made by Picato but I don't have direct evidence) and they sound very nice but they're a little soft and flimsy feeling. It takes a bit to get used to them, but they sound good. But my absolute favourites are Labella White Nylons. They are not like the others I mentioned. They retain more of a rounds vibe, with a tamer top end, so you can get a very nice slap tone with these if you wanted to (just not the very zingy ones ala Marcus Miller etc), and they have a very nice thick but defined bottom end and low mids. They're also very low tension, which can feel a bit strange at first, but you get used to it, and they are very responsive. They feel great. You can still get the duller sound of other nylons with these, but they give you a lot more options.

The EWS semiparametric pedal mentioned earlier would do the job. Alternatively, this cheaper Artec pedal can be very useful too, if slightly bigger: http://artecsound.com/effect/se-peq.htm

I ordered medium scale based on your recommendation! They did fit my Precision just fine. I got the 45-105 set... and it's growing rapidly on me. However I really wish they were thicker. I had to measure them with my electronic calipers as I thought they were more like a 40-95 or 40-100 perhaps. I really wish I could get something like a 50-110 set. The thinner strings in particular feel too thin. The Labella white nylons I got are a 50-105 set and those feel suitably 'girthy', while still very soft to play. But I like the sound of the Status blacks. More 'thumpy' than the white nylons, but not like the TruBass or even D'Addario ones... and on the Precision, rolling off treble a bit and bumping the low mids... it's such a lovely thick tone. Yum!

Yes. Strange as most manufacturers would call them Long Scale... but the medium Status strings fit Precision/Jazz basses (4-in line, so 2+2 would be ok too)

Indeed, and getting just the right amount of "clickety-clack" when hitting the strings... but so satisfying when you get it right

same here, I couldn't tell you what's my favourite 'action'... I just know what it is, and I adjust my basses to feel that way. I do admire those who take a more systematic approach and are able to get the bass just right by measuring things here and there. I measure very few things and go mostly by feel.

Lovely and disturbing in equal measure. Mesmerising... Thank you!