john_the_bass

go and buy a battery now - that way, if there is no battery in the preamp, you will have one ready to put in!

following on from the Ashdown thread and inspired by the courier system points thread, who have you had good service from so the rest of us can go there in future? You can put who the bad service comes from too if you want! I have had good service from Ashdown, Laney (actually Headstock, who sent me 10 - yes 10 - amp feet FOC), Marshall, Watford Valves, Allparts, Axesrus and Diago. and rotosound and warwick (i forgot those two!) Your turn.

good one - if it was damaged in transit though, i assume you'd be properly bummed if you wanted to make a claim for any more than $400 [quote name='BassBunny' post='99240' date='Dec 4 2007, 10:13 PM']Nice one John and here is another solution from the Money Saving Guru. You get your own US address. [url="http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/best-buy-usa#web"]http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/best-buy-usa#web[/url][/quote] now that idea i like

i've had a similar level of service buying stuff from them. mind you i've also had excellent service from headstock (laney distributor) and marshall.

you get "rolled fingerboard edges" on an Am Series as well - i suppose it just makes it feel like a played in neck, but it is quite nice and cast machine heads - presumably as opposed to pressed out ones - again, i couldn't tell you what the difference is in quality.

they're both MIA although i'm guessing you mean Am Series? H1 has a badass and nitro too but rosewood fingerboard only (i think), so if you want a maple board, out of the two the Am Series is the one to go for. If it was my money, I'd buy a secondhand Am Series and the price difference would be significantly less I suspect [i]edit[/i]: just to add to that - the finish on my Am Series precision is very good, the lacquer on the back is scratched to buggery now but not through the finish so it looks a bit messy as opposed to "mojoed", but it was well put togtether and everything works as it should. The S1 switch is a waste of time on a precision and they should have been sacked off at pre production. I think there is a slight difference to some of the hardware as well - tuning machines I think and the spec on the fender site says nothing about the H1 having the graphite neck rods, which the Am Series does - although what benefit these have, I have no idea. A new H1 will come with a gig bag, the fender moulded cases are, IMO, a load of crap and aren't worth the premium. I'm not a massive fan of the satiny finish either and i'd probably still go for a second hand Am Series, especially in the current sh market.

talking to my dad yesterday and he expressed an interest in a 5 string solid bodied fretless, and knowing me dad's preference for stuff like this, he'd want an unlined and probably active one. Any recommendations? I think he'd quite like a neck thru thumb if there was such as thing that met all the requirements, but I don't think he knows how much they cost!

[quote name='Bassassin' post='105252' date='Dec 17 2007, 11:00 AM']Blimey - that were right rapid - well done![/quote] my thoughts exactly!!

+4 = 136

mine has. i think all the current "American Series" basses have string through bodies. I assume the reissues and that won't have if they weren't made with string through bodies in the first place. Maybe some of the basses that were made before the last model revision (S1 switches, graphite neck rods, etc) didn't have string through bodies either - no idea.

most satisfying for me is bullet in the head. but only because i like it.

[quote name='tauzero' post='104141' date='Dec 13 2007, 11:37 PM']What a marvellous coincidence: [attachment=4125:coincide...ick_4003.jpg][/quote] you beat me to it although I should have noticed really that you'd already posted the image before I went to the effort of making the pic and then hosting it!

[quote name='Musky' post='103776' date='Dec 13 2007, 11:30 AM']Yeah, I think it's a case of what kind of sound you're looking for. There's a sticky about an impedance buffer Tayste is having made to overcome the problem.[/quote] i was under the impression it also depended on whether you were using a fuzz with a silicon or germanium circuit. One works alright and apparently another one doesn't This thing about high/low impedance and fuzz pedals. If you run a fuzz after a buffered pedal, are you not getting a low impedance signal anyway?

[quote name='Musky' post='103772' date='Dec 13 2007, 11:17 AM']Just a thought, but if you're using the Dean with a fuzz you're not going to get good results. Active electronics and fuzz don't mix.[/quote] works grand with my stingray

i've got an LBM - is very good. Preferable to my ears on the bass than it is on my guitar, probably because of the low end. it will be a permanent addition on my post christmas board.

if you wanted to look at the environmental impact then I'd rather buy something from a UK manufacturer which has only had to be shipped a short distance - especially when you consider that China are supposed to be the world's biggest polluter - presumably less manufacturing in China would reduce their pollution and possibly world pollution, if different manufacturing processes were used (although why these can't be implemented in the far east, I don't know) - although, if you take into account a product can be sold for less (including shipping it halfway around the world for sale and presumably some form of import tax) by making it in China, than making it here, the Chinese made variant starts to look attractive [i]edit: I've just read that back and it's a right cobbled together, unstructured load of words. I think i can understand what i'm trying to convey![/i]

good man

my ashdown head is chinese made and I have never had a problem with it (I hope I don't now!) the british built cabs - are they made my cabtex?

Ok - can't really find a suitable forum for this - I'd like to put it into general discussion, but I don't think it goes there and I don't think it's really for the gigs forum. [url="http://www.myspace.com/27brigade"][u]27brigade[/u][/url] (that's my band) have had a bit of a lazy 2007, we've done a bit of recording, supported a couple of major label acts and generally kept outselves amused, but I think we should make a bit more of an effort next year. Basically, I want us to start playing outside Leicestershire - nothing against the county, it is after all my home, but I would like to see what the scenes are where you live and would like to ask if you have room on your bills for us. I would like to try and get gigs for 2008 in: London Derby Birmingham Sheffield Stoke Liverpool Manchester Leeds Newcastle, Scotland and the South Coast would also be nice, but would probably require an overnight stay and our guitarist/front man would have to square with his boss (mrs). Have a listen at [url="http://www.myspace.com/27brigade"]www.myspace.com/27brigade[/url] and if you like us, drop me a line. We do the usual sort of 45 minute set (8-10 songs) so sit well on a bill of three bands playing original stuff. I will keep plugging away with CDs to venues/promoters, but I'm getting f*cked off with the "how many people can you get through the door?" question - I'm not going to start bullshitting promoters and telling them literally thousands of people will be queuing up outside to get in, because it's not true - our fanbase will increase as we play to a wider audience - we have a small (2.5k) myspace fanbase (mainly people who don't know who we are, don't read what we write and ocassionally have a listen to the new stuff) and so we can promote any shows we have booked in. We can bring our own gear (we'd like to share the drums if that's ok and if I can possibly get away with just bringing a head, even better ) and we're usually very flexible and extremely well mannered. Weekdays are a bit of a bummer if we have to travel any further than Derby or Birmingham as we all have to work so it's a nightmare to get anywhere more than 50 miles for a soundcheck and to get home to get up in the morning so Fridays/Saturdays are ace. I know this is the lazy bugger's approach, but I thought it might work and I seem to be only contacting promoters who want me to put on a coach every time we look for gigs. Cheers

[quote name='David Nimrod' post='102709' date='Dec 11 2007, 02:19 PM']I use the ABM 500 1 x 15" combo with an ABM 4 x 10" cab. I think it sounds great and I've had no reliability issues. OK, it's not got a 'hi fi' sound - but that's not what I want... It sounds organic, full of life, warm and needs very little eq. But of course you have to try it out for yourself, and enjoy![/quote] bang on. i'm pretty much the same. I don't want something that cuts through the mix, i want something that makes people want to go to the lavatory but they don't know why. If that makes sense I really like my ABM300 - I only use it with a mini 15, but it's plenty for what i want it for. I'll pair it up with a 210 sooner or later.

[quote name='Hamster' post='101970' date='Dec 10 2007, 12:31 AM']- everyone's got to have 1 P bass [/quote] Oh, at least.....

i've got four - I did sell a couple and go down to 2 when i) I wasn't really using them and ii) I'd bought a guitar that I couldn't really afford, but needed for another project and parted with a bass that I wasn't using. Then I bought another two because they were a good price (one was a *bargain*). So I went from having 2 Precisions (MIJ and USA) and a Stingray to having a Precision and a Stingray and back to 2 Precisions (USA and JV) and a Stingray (!) and the most recent acquisition, which is the bitsa jazz from Luke, because I wanted a jazz and it was a good price and turns out to be an extremely good bass. If I can afford (comfortably) to buy an instrument, be it a bass or a guitar, because I've saved up for it or made a few quid and I have no other financial commitment, then I'll buy one regardless of whether I need one or not. I don't aspire to have dozens and dozens of instruments, but if I have the money hanging around (which is not very often admittedly) then I'd rather spend it on something I'd get a return on if I sold it than just waste it. Does that make sense? I'm having trouble articulating properly what it is I want to say. I've bought guitars this year that I didn't know whether I [i]really[/i] wanted, but bought because I had the case, knew I wouldn't make a loss at the prices that I paid for them and the only way to find out if you're going to use an instrument in a band situation particularly, is to buy one and try it. Whilst you can get a feel for one in a shop, you don't know how well it's going to sit in a mix or how you get on with it over a period of time. Plus, I have a couple that I don't [i]really[/i] want that much, it gives me motivation to sell both of them and get the one big thing that I really want - in this case, this bloody idea of a 70s precision that I want. A couple of guitars is as good as money in the bank that i might have spent on nothing. does that make sense? my brain hurts

i want me a 70s precision. means I will have to sell a couple of bits, but the stuff I've bought in the past has always been with the intention of being able to shift it for the greater good!

[quote name='TheRev' post='102065' date='Dec 10 2007, 11:08 AM']I've no problem with letting others use my amp & cabs as long as they're not complete tw@ts and ask nicely.[/quote] i am partly with you on that - although if I've not had any advance notice, I am still a bit reluctant no matter how much of a nice person they are.

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='101699' date='Dec 9 2007, 01:08 PM']He broke a string, and then shouted to the audience "I need another bass now".[/quote] in my pre-backup days, I once did this, albeit very politely and with a "I'm awfully sorry, but would anybody be able to lend me a bass for the remainder of our set?" The promoter's daughter (and also the fella who runs the studio we record at) very kindly lent me her Ibanez Blazer. Of course, I carry a backup these days. I've lent my rig out in the past - I'm not very happy about it when I'm put on the spot, particularly when the bass player tells me that his rig is outside in the van (go and f*cking get it then). I think the last time that happened was the gig we did with Rosalita - perfectly nice fella (couldn't say that same about his 1 trick pony drummer and keyboard player) who said he had a head in the van. no cab? Who goes touring without a cab? I wanted to go home but in the interest of keeping the gig running smoothly (for the promoter and venue more than anything as I don't want our band to get a reputation for being awkward buggers), I left my rig on the stage.