dmccombe7

Had a quick play with one of these today and was very impressed. The bass has an active / passive switch but doesn't appear to have any tone control in passive mode. Does anyone have one and can clarify before i look at buying. There's no mention on the Fender website. Dave

Tried the Deluxe PJ today and found it very well made and a nice all round bass. My only negative being no tone control when used in passive mode which seems a bit odd. I would have to say that in active mode with everything flat it sounds same as passive tone. You can still sweep between pick-ups tho. That precision depth is just so impressive. Didn't get a chance to try the Squier today but will next time i'm in. I was offered an equivelant Sanberg to try and altho i tried their 5 string few yrs ago and found the neck wasn't to my liking this 4 string VM (P/MM) and the TM (J/MM) versions were very impressive and had more tonal range than the Fender. The necks were pretty similar altho i did find the TM rosewood neck very comfortable. Only issue with the Sandbergs they were both reliced and i grudge paying full price for a well worn bass that has had extra work done compared to normal finish. Fair price difference tho with Fender at £850 and the Sandberg circa £1700. (i can get these basses cheaper at Bass Direct) Not sure they are worth the extra tho. That Fender did feel good. Gonna have a ponder on this before actually buying. For those that have ordered a Fender Deluxe (Mex) you won't be disappointed as i tried few of them and they all felt pretty good to me. Standard set up which was ok for me. Pick-ups were maybe a little too close to the strings being my only concern but nothing major there. Still need to compare against the Squier basses tho. Dave

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1484646475' post='3217059'] If your'e talking about one of these... [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Fender-Deluxe-Active-P-Bass-Special-RW-Olympic-White/1N4K?utm_campaign=bEngine%20-%20Fender&utm_medium=paid_search&network=google&adgroup=31445970137&matchtype=b&utm_term=%2Bdeluxe%20%2Bactive%20%2Bp%20%2Bbass&device=t&creative=169962388796&adposition=1t1&gclid=Cj0KEQiAnvfDBRCXrabLl6-6t-0BEiQAW4SRUGPmlbHCBI4oegbNaPcWXVHLvnj-XfeMOKPzq2eOntQaAujF8P8HAQ"]http://www.gear4musi...OntQaAujF8P8HAQ[/url] ...Then as coincidence would have it, I'll be finding out whether it's a goodun or a baddun within the next couple of days. [/quote] Yes that is the very beast only in sunburst with maple neck. Let me know what you think or have you already tried one. Dave

I'm easy, have both and never really give it much thought. If i use my passive basses i adjust the amp as required or needed. If i use my active basses i use both the amp or bass EQ as required. I'm more interested in whether i like playing the bass. Dave

A lot will depend on what the dealer has in stock but just to get things right as regards the Squier basses :- JV is the one to look for. CV is the next "best" bass. VM is the 3rd best bass However try them all to see what fits best. I'm really looking for a PJ active set up for all round tonal possibilities and the Deluxe Fender altho being Mex seems to have all that altho its down to indivivual bass as to whether its gonna be a good un or a bad un. As advised many times by BC'ers TRY before you BUY. I can only guess the Squier i've seen advertised is one of the sought after Japanese ones. Dave

I need to try some more Squier basses. I tend to overlook them as "just copies" and i know that literally is Fender snobbery but having lived a long time and remember when copies were pretty poor its just kinda stuck in my mind that things haven't really changed that much. I'm heading into Glasgow tomorrow as i'm interested in the Fender Deluxe Precision but think i'll give some Squiers a try too to see what i'm missing here. I'm not looking to ridicule anyone for the price they are asking for any bass they are selling but it did make me wonder why a Squier is worth over £800 when a new Fender Deluxe (Mex) is typically selling at £853 with standards selling for good bit less. I've only recently seen the adverts so the basses haven't actually sold at that price yet. It was a serious query as to why a 2nd hand "copy" is worth more than an original. I guess Fender is the easy target for that question. Pretty sure if it were a different manufacturer like Warwick or similar then copies or what we regard as "cheaper" models of same range would never sell for more than the original. Dave

Got to be Burn for me. Dave

Recently on various sites incl BC i've seen some Squire basses sell for same price or more than a Fender original bass. Some are selling for more than a new Fender. Are the Squier basses that good. I tried one yrs ago and thought they were pretty impressive. Is it just snobbery to buy the Fender rather than the Squire ? Dave

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1484420028' post='3215401'] I'm more interested in the action between the 1st and 5th fret, which is where I play most of the time, rather than up the dusty end. Often I have to file the nut to get a low action in this area. You can twiddle away at the truss rod or the bridge saddles forever but if your nut is too high you'll never manage to get a low action. [/quote] Good point. I have come across the odd bass with that problem too. My Warwick has adjustable brass screws on the nut which are very helpful. Nothing worse than playing top of the neck with a high nut. Feel as tho you have to really press down on the strings a lot especially at that point where string movement is far less than the middle. Dave

That looks pretty good to me. Is that the new Orange OB1-300 / 500 amp in the pic. ? I'm curious to know how that combination sounds together. Dave

Yep mines are around same 2.5mm but usually set it up to either Fender or Warwick recommended and then adjust from there as required. Lot depends on style of playing. When i use my fingernails i get more attack and usually have to raise strings a touch. If i cut my nails i can drop lower than recommended. Don't really use a pick. Also style of music makes a diff as i tend to play harder when with a rock band and lighter with blues / funk band. Don't generally do a lot of slapping and only occasional for effect when required. Dave

[quote name='smaz' timestamp='1484413556' post='3215335'] I played this last year - was great fun. If it's at Sheffield again, was a nice venue for it. If you like the bands, go for it - it'd cost you £10 alone to see some of those on the bill, more for others! [/quote] Yep but its a 4hr drive plus hotel costs so not a cheap deal. More concerned whether the thing is genuine as they want £60 booking fee for the 6 tickets and i don't remember entering the competition. Its not usually my kind of music altho Ten Years After and King King would be good. Dave

[quote name='ROConnell' timestamp='1484312177' post='3214576'] Fender Deluxe Active Precision Bass Special. MIM with American Parts. P/J with Active controls, you won't get a thin sound at all! [/quote] Exactly what i'm looking at just now. Gonna try one in Glasgow next week before buying tho. Various reviews i've read said these MIM ones were pretty good compared to older ones. GAK & Guitar Guitar doing them at £853 but always room to barter on any bass i've found even in shops. Dave

Just been looking at these Slick Basses on Guitarfetish website in US. Anyone tried one or know anything about them. ? This one looks particularly nice.

Seems like a good saving on the tickets tho. The Prog or Rock ones might suit me better but if its only a £10 a head for a weekend pass that's not too bad. Good luck with the metal gig. Dave

http://www.hrhblues.com/ Apparently i've just won 6 weekend passes for this festival. Normal price is £59 each. I need to pay a booking fee of £10 / pass tho. Anyone else seen this competition and entered Has anyone been to the HRH Blues festivals before. Dave

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd Seconds Out - Genesis

what a chancer. Keep yourself and ebay in the right by re-iterating that it was a 2nd hand bass incl strings. You might add you would be prepared to send new strings at buyers cost incl postage. (obviously quote cost from most expensive supplier you can find ) That might shut him up. Dave

I have 2 Overwaters and they are stunning basses that i love. I also have a Jaydee fretless which is good but find the tone a bit limiting compared to some other basses but i guess that's the tone they were famous for back in 80's. I've never really gave the UK thing any thought altho i did want a UK 6 stringer for my 50th few yrs back and that's when i first met Chris and Martin and the team at that point are were absolutely on the ball and so helpful more like good friends than someone selling me something. I can't fault the Overwater team and the basses simply speak for themselves. I am a Fender fan tho and just can't help it. Always had one and always will i think. Dave

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1474402405' post='3137792'] Have you ever compared the PRO2 with the PRO4? How do they stack up? [/quote] Have used both with 8x10 cabs in studios for rehearsals and found the SVT2 had a warmer deeper sound but slightly muddier than the SVT4. I was able to get more tone changes with the SVT4 and thought the SVT2 was more a one tone amp even tho it had similar controls. Maybe the SVT2 just had a sound i quite liked and didn't need to experiment with it too much. The SVT4 i had to tweak controls to get the sound i was really looking for. Did find the graphic was a bit of overkill and never really needed to use it unless set up for soloing in a song and just switch it on / off as required. Dave

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1474263718' post='3136534'] Well, I went for the second hand USA SVT 4PRO, and I have no idea why I have wasted 30 years messing around with gear switching and GAS; this is what bass is supposed to sound like! Running it through my Bergantino NV610 and it sounds warm, and 'burpy' yet somehow nicely scooped. Perfect one knob compression, loads of tonal options (although sounds perfect flat). It's not even as heavy as I remembered! And it's so different to the SVT 3PRO in all the right ways. One final small, but also weirdly massive point that so many manufacturers get wrong, the volume knob actually lets you dial in low volumes; I've found all my previous amps went from zero to loud in about a millimetre! I can practice even with this massive rig without upsetting the neighbours (much...) Why does nothing else sound like this?! [/quote] I bought one few yrs back as had same thoughts as you. Had used them in studios and always dreamed of getting one. Had the chance of a US one which was 110V but had an external transformer. Tech in Glasgow changed the transformer for me and it was brilliant. I did however find it was never as powerful as i expected altho still more than enough for anything i needed. I was using it with my Berg HT322 cab (another piece of heavy kit ) In past 6mths it started to cut out and eventually stopped altogether. Replaced the valves and after some checks found the Pre-amp section works ok so must be on power side. Where i'm going with it is that its now left me having reliability doubts added to the weight its probably never gonna be repaired. I also have the GK 1001RBii and it doesn't compare tonally with the SVT4. Its a great amp and quite flex but its cleaner than the SVT4.. I now tend to use my Markbass rig which running flat gives me a nice warm sound with my jazz and seems to cut the mix better than either the SVT or GK amps. Dave

I've never given the Mesa amps much thought until recently reading that Mesa Walkabout was being used as a comparison for other tubed pre-amp style amps. This demo was really helpful. Kept it simple and more about the amp than the bass or ability. Too many of these demos get used as a ego trip for bassists just to show off and you dont get the full review of the amps capability. Well done and thanks Dave