grayn

I noticed a slight volume drop-off on the A-string of this bass. I rang Overwater and Chris got some replacement pickups in for me. I took a trip to Carlisle and Chris fitted the newbies personally. These newbies have a blade rather than pole-peices and also have a ghost coil. Wow, these new pickups are great. Not as powerful as the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz p/ups on my other Overwater J. But they are perfectly balanced, with a full, very hi-fi tone, that sounds great with my band. Great service from Overwater and a pleasure to meet them, in their workshop

I can't understand why, when a thread starts "I want a Fender", why so many folk can only reply by trying justify their own (non Fender) tastes and basses. If you really want a Fender and can raise the cash, I can't see a problem. Apart from the huge choice available

Definitely think you'd be better off finding a shop with a good range of basses and trying every bass within your price range. You might be surprised by which one suits you best and it's a lot more fun than ordering a bass off the 'net. You seem to like basses that get their looks from guitars. Why not try some that were designed as basses, from the start. If you are small, I'd suggest the excellent Fender Mustang. Good luck

[quote name='Sawtooth' post='1215483' date='Apr 30 2011, 06:18 AM']I've always disliked ostentatious basses. [i]but[/i], I can't stop looking at the vulgar beauty of the Lowenherz ... What's not to like about a 'Golden Lionhead-Sustain-Stringholder'!!! Edit: and somehow, I really hope that gold knob adjusts the 'Lioness'.[/quote] It looks like an Alembic, if it were made in Pakistan.

My Yamaha QY700 sequencer. Must of had it at least 15 years. It's beeen used and used. I don't know what I'll do if it dies.

A few years ago, when I played in an acoustic trio, quite often, after work, I'd feel over tired or occasionally have a headache. I used to think, Oh no, I have a rehearsal tonight. But every time, after the music, I'd feel 100% better. So yes, it works

Here's my review of this bass: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=133206"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=133206[/url]

This Overwater Jazz Bass has a body of swamp ash, a one-piece maple neck, with a rosewood fretboard, Hipshot tuners and bridge and Overwater’s own pickups. The semi-transparent sunburst finish, with matching headstock and tortoiseshell scratchplate, have a classic and classy look. It has 4 control knobs. Volume, pan, treble & bass (3rd knob is stacked) and finally a push/pull knob for passive/active, which is also a passive tone control. The set up and finish is superb and is what I’d expect from Overwater. Everything is high quality and very solid. The classic jazz bass neck is smooth and supremely playable. The EQ is a tiny bit disappointing. The treble is subtle, with enough scope to get what you want. The bass is almost too much. Crank it up and it just booms out too powerfully. So, one has to adjust this control, with care. However, the pickups have a very pleasing tone. Not the most powerful, they have a very clean, charismatic sound, which is expressive, with a little bit of low end growl, if required. I bought this bass as a twin to my other Overwater J-Bass 4-string. They are of the same design and components and feel almost identical to play. My original bass has a natural finish but the main difference is the pickups and pre-amp. The natural bass has DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups and a 4 band EQ, giving it a mid boost/cut and a mid sweep control. I feel these add a lot to the effectiveness of the bass’s pre-amp. The DiMarzio pickups are definitely more powerful. The Ovewater pickups have more of a subtlety and clarity. Both basses share a sound characteristic, which I can only put down to them being Overwaters. To some extent they can cover the same ground, yet are different enough to make things interesting. When I bought my first, natural finish, Overwater Jazz, I chose it over this sunburst model. I liked it’s bigger sound. But now I have them both at home, it’s hard to choose between them. Once the pre-amps have been understood and adjusted to preference and the subtle differences are determined, I’d have to score them equally now. And that sunburst finish is really beautiful too.

[quote name='Schnozzalee' post='1209731' date='Apr 24 2011, 12:59 AM']I'm a Marleaux fan from Carlisle, the home of Overwater lol ,[/quote] Those Marleaux basses are very individual and i can definitely see/hear the attraction.

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1209708' date='Apr 24 2011, 12:14 AM']I love the grain on the top, and how it shows through the beautiful sunburst. I'm possibly going to be after a Jazz bass later in the year. An Overwater would be very nice ![/quote] Thanks. I think you'd be very happy with an OW Jazz. They certainly are the best that I have played. Even with different pickups and preamps, these two do have a sound characteristic, that I really enjoy.

Probably my favourite music shop is Promenade Music, in Morcambe. They are well worth a visit and on a sunny day like today, right on the sea front. They have a good selection of Overwaters, both English and Chinese. And whilst there i played a lovely, natural wood, Musicman Stingray. I also had my first go on a Marleaux. I'm not keen on their look but it played nicely and sounded pretty cool too. Quite a big, rounded tone, with lots of scope for tweaking the EQ. But i was lucky enough to come away with this Overwater J-Bass: It's very similar to my other OW but with different pickups and electrics, it does come from a slightly diffrent angle, tonewise. I'm loving it