Matt P

a friend of mine (dodge_bass) has one, sounds great (although i haven't played it i was just a punter at a gig) i think it's replaced his sadowsky as his main 5 string, to me it sounded like my beloved 77 p-bass (which i actually bought from dodge_bass) but with the added bonus of a low b. I now have serious GAS for a 5 string p-bass but am veering towards a sandberg rather than a fender as i fancy the added sounds of a vm5/pm5. Matt

good luck with the search, i'll keep my eyes out for it, i'm on a similar mission to find a friends old yamaha acoustic, it got left in the carpark behind leeds corn exchange by a band member 5 years ago, every yamaha i see for sale gets checked to see if it's the one. ypou'vre got a better chance as the bass is far rarer. Kiwi, any chance of some more info on how you got your bass chipped? i'd love to do this for some of my more valuble instruments. feel free to send info by pm if you don't want to broadcast how it was done (thereby possibly telling people how to undo it) sounds like an ace way to prove ownership. Matt

i've been using the schallers for about 10 years now without any problems, i found that if you follow the guide linked above and enlarge the strap hole properly then the lock fits much better to the strap, it seems to just grip better and doesn't turn, i've seen some copies of the schallers and they'd modified the design slightly, removing the chamfer from the outside of the button and putting a bigger chamfer on the pin, looked far less secure to me, the schaller ones seem to grip better. i've seen the dunlop ones and used them on a friends guitar but I never really trusted them I prefer the schaller design, to my engineer mind it seems the better design. but each to their own. Matt

i've got hardcase for everything so orientation doesn't matter but i've also got a few stands around the place and a big rack for the cases, so there's usually a couple of basses and a couple of guitars on stands or wall hangers and the rest along with the cases are all in one big rack, i like to have a bass to hand to noodle on. Matt

Difficult question, have voted ernie ball as i have the flats on my precision, the others have all got picato flats and i really like these too but the precision's my favorite and that has the ernies so that's what gets my vote. i had a long time on dr's but the stories of bad sets and duff strings put me off, if the quality has come back then that's probably what i'll fit to every bass except the precision. i've only considered bass as well (i assumed that's what you were asking about) on my acoustic it has to be newtone heritage (just ordered 10 sets to keep me going) and on my electric guitars it's d'addario 10's (again order them 10 sets at a time to keep stock)

wow that's some neat work! the extra cost is fine by me, they look very nicely made. let me know when my name comes outof the hat and i'll send you some money. Matt

i'm expecting this for our next gig, we're playing for a friends wedding, they asked and we mistakenly said yes, the bride to be was under the impression that we'd just need a couple of practices before the big day but when they asked we were'nt really a band (we'd just jammed together a few times) we've all played in bands before but just not in this configuration, we've spent the last 3 months learning and practicing suitable songs, and it's been fun (we're going to keep on after the wedding), at some point someone (probably the groom) will shout "play freebird" (a long running joke with his best man who plays lead guitar in a rock covers band and refuses to play freebird) so we've worked out a version that works for us and we're poised to launch into it at any point. hopefully that should earn us a few pints to round the evening off. Matt

used this to go take some better pictures of my baby, this is my best acoustic, (I've got a Yamaha cutaway dreadnaught too but i have hardly touched it in the last 4 years) McIlroy AS25, Cedar top, solid claro walnut back and sides, bought 3 days before my wedding as a present to myself (with permission of course) that was 4 and a bit years ago, i still get a buzz when i play this guitar, i can't quite believe it's mine! at the time the single most expensive purchase i'd made, but the finest acoustic guitar I've ever played (and I've played some really expensive instruments from some big names including Martin, Taylor Takemine and Collings) Dermot McIlroy (pronounced mackleroy) learnt his trade at Lowden, and this shows in his guitars, i've played a few Lowdens and they're wonderful but the McIlroy has something special about it. a 40 year old (ish) Fylde has got close as well. [attachment=114128:P1020970.JPG][attachment=114129:P1020973.JPG][attachment=114130:P1020971.JPG] Matt

did i Pm you? can't remember if i did (and can't check as i'm on my mobile) if my name's not on this list should i pm to get in the queue? i'm up for either preamp as long as it has a blend pot (i would eventually love to have one of each but am a patient man and will happily wait my turn.) matt

nice, my first guitar was a red aria magna 20, if you ever need to sell this on give me a shout, I'd love to have a bass to go with it. Matt

Has no-one got a precision 5 string they could stick a ruler over? i just want to know if the spacing is close to the stingray 5 so the strings will run properly over the polepieces, then i can start the search for all the bits for my build. if the spacing is different to the stingray (more than 1/2 a millimeter string to string) i'll start looking at buying something from the classifieds. (sandberg is the current favorite) Thanks in advance Matt

the spacing doesn't really matter to me when playing as i find i can adjust pretty easily, i just want to make sure that both the pickups line up properly with the strings. i've got my eye on a number of possible basses but i really want a good precision tone, the added musicman pickup would be a bonus and hopefully quell the nagging thought that i really want a stingray as well. I also like the idea of owning something unique, i've never seen a 5 string jaguar with a p/mm pickup combination. Matt

i'm hoping someone can help me here, i'm trying to find out what the string spacing at the bridge is for the Fender Precision V and Google hasn't been much use. I heard a guy play one at a gig yesterday and it sounded just like my beloved 77 but with a great low b as a bonus. i'm Gas'ing for a better 5 string and have been toying with the idea of a P/MM pickup combination on a Jag body with either a jazz v or a stingray 5 neck (depending what comes up in the classifieds here). the pickup combo will be very much like the Pingray that Ou7shined built but on a jag body in sonic blue with tortie scratchplate. with fender and musicman usa pickups most likely (again it depends what appears in the classifieds) if it all looks too expensive or complex then i'll probably just wait for a sandberg PM/VM 5 to come up secondhand. (the build will be mostly secondhand parts with the probable exception of the body) Thanks Matt

last time i played a pub gig on bass i only had one bass so that was easy (about 300 quid's worth i think) but back in my guitaring days then it depended on the gig, i played a few acoustic sets with my Mcilroy where i was definately uneasy (very low stage and very drunk punters very close) i think i would have been happier with my old Yamaha and i'm darned sure the punters wouldn't have noticed the difference between 2k's worth of handbuild Northern irish beauty and a 25 quid argos special. i have had a cheap bitsa p/j built as an alternative to my 77, but that was mainly because of the weight, i can only play for so long with 11lbs of bass on my shoulder, so a short set will get the 77, but if i'm up there for a long time then i'll only use the 77 where it's needed for a song here and there, the bitsa will get most use. all my instruments are tools to be used and i try not to get precious about them, and i do pretty well most of the time but the thought of damage to my Mcilroy brings me out in a cold sweat. Matt

custom order would be well outside my price bracket, at the moment i could just about scrape enough together to pick up a secondhand one from the for sale section here (and that would involve selling whatever i could spare from my current collection and whatever else i could find in the house that i could live without!) the precision-musicman pickup combination is exactly what i want though, especially with the reversed p-pup, a nice natural basic vm5 would be absolutely perfect, a california vm5 would be beyond perfect (a great match to my natural '77 p-bass) i can sort the gas for a sonic blue bass with a can of nitro and my old squier jazz i'm off to stalk the classifieds. Matt

why did you have to post all those pictures? i've got serious Sandberg GAS now! a PM5/VM5 (am i right in thinking they are actually the same bass?) would suit me perfectly, people have mentioned that the necks are lovely and slim, anyone able to give me a comparison with the Ibanez sr 5-string necks? it's a good thing they don't do a sonic blue without the relicing as it would dent my bank balance pretty hard and pretty fast, going to have to wait paiently for one to pop up in the for sale section here in a finish i like. Matt

just finished watching the documentary, my favorite album of all time, the first time i heard it was when a friend lent it to me to try out my new record player, i sat on the end of my bed and listened to the whole album through twice, sat there doing nothing but listening, went out first thing the next morning and bought myself a copy. i only got the cd version 6 months ago, the re-issue with the alternate recording of diamonds on the soles of her shoes, with just the voices and Bakithi Khumalo's bass, sends shivers down my spine every time i hear it. Matt

that appears to be a t-amp (or a clone) there are plenty on ebay, that's the first one i've seen with a built in radio as well, to use it as a bass amp i'd put something in-between the bass and the amp, a pre-amp of some kind would be best but a small pad mixer would also work (and would have phono outputs as well) the choice of t-amps and thier clones is huge, some are available direct from the far east (like the one you posted) and some are available from uk re-sellers, these often have the bonus of a uk spec power supply and faster delivery but with a slightly higher price. i've been looking at these for a while to use with my computer but haven't got round to pulling the trigger as the current powered speakers i'm using are still doing sterling work and all the spare hifi speakers i had lying around have been sold to my mates. Let us know how you get on if you buy, i'd be interested in the sound quality that you get, Matt [size=2](edited for spelling)[/size]

[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1340802107' post='1709770'] 1. Most people will deliver, and the cost of delivery is vastly offset by the saving you will make over a new instrument. 2. You can't exactly trust the quality of new instruments either; fender are known for having had pretty shocking QC on their mass produced instruments in recent years. [/quote] This^ where do you live? if you're in a reasonably populated area then there should be plenty of guitars available within a bus ride, Matt

i know that you've stated that your not much of a fan of 2nd hand instruments but that's what i've always reccomended for first-time players, especially if the budget is low, you'll get something that will most likely be much better quality than a new guitar at the same price, especially if you buy from the classifieds here. if you want versatility i'd go for something vaugely strat-style, i'm a big fan of super-strats with coil-tappable humbuckers, you'l never exactly nail some of the classic tones but you can get 90% there which is usualy a good enough position to be in. as for brands, well the yamaha pacifica line is great, and squier can be fantastic too (but i'd take each guitar on it's own merits as i've played a few of the affinity strats which were below par) but my favorite budget brand is Vintage, i had one of ther les-paul copies with a lovely sunburst finish which i picked up for 90 quid in cash converters, played and sounded awesome, only sold it to make space for my '77 p-bass as my wife has a strict one in-one out policy, i sold it to a friend though so i have first refusal if he ever needs to sell (i'll sneak it back in somehow!) Matt

ok a quick check in the souviner programme and a google search leads me to this guy http://www.youtube.com/user/greyman45 Kevin Powell, he doesn't seem to have a public web page, he's played with a few big names and done quite a bit of tv work. No clear picture of his bass though, shame as it sounded great and i'd love to know what it is. Matt

i saw this show last week in Newcastle, i couldn't identify the bass as the stage was pretty gloomy and i was sitting in the upper circle. The gear stalking method only really works when the stage is easy to get to and not too high, at the theatre royal i would have had to climb onto the stage to be able to identify the gear. Matt

i bought quite a few klotz cables back in 97-98, and at least one of them is still going strong, possibly 2, the others i've either lost/had stolen or were broken due to my hamfistedness (shutting them in my cable box and severing the cable is my favorite method but accidentally burning through then with a soldering iron works too!) but any that have been damaged have had neutrik plugs put on and gone straight back into use, as they get shorter they get cut up for patch leads. a friend of mine uses then too and bought his before i started playing (early 90's i guess) and as he really looks after his gear all his are still going strong. oh and i bought a whirlwind cable in about 98 too and that one is still exactly as it left the shop, cost me 18 quid, i don't use it that much any more as it's a little long but when i need a lead i can trust it's the first in my hand. matt