LukeFRC

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1343056176' post='1744431'] Well ive had two now, a HW1 and a HW-One and both were fantastic basses (also had a HW-one P). Saying that, i really dont think ive played a nicer neck than the CV necks. I love the vintage frets and how nice the back of the neck feels. I don think i could go back to med jumbo frets now. Although i have a Lakland JO neck on my CV P its only because i wanted a maple neck on it, and this came up cheap on here a while ago. Every time i get the CV Jazz out the neck just makes me smile. The two basses have cured all my Bass GAS......for now. [/quote] TBH a good passive jazz and a good P and you're sorted. What I think is great that a "good" version of each can cost anywhere between £100 and £5000 - and really, if you find a good one at the bottom end of that you are kidding yourself that one at the top end will be that much better.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1343052323' post='1744328'] I felt the stock pups (and the bass in general) has a warmer, soft-ish tone to it. Its hard to describe but my fav Jazz tone came from my HW-1/one basses and these had a more middy, brighter tone. Not quite as deep but they seemed to cut through a bit better. The Wizards get me closer to the HW's, a bit more punch and upper mids, without sounding too bright. I actually started with Wizards 84's but found them a bit darker than i hoped for, so the 74's i have are in the middle of the 84's and the more vintage sounding 64's. I still feel the bass has a deeper tone than my HW's but thats fine, i like how it sounds now. I should add that i didnt really look around before getting the Wizards. I wanted to try them, and as they were pretty cheap i just went for them. I expect there are better out there (i'd love to try Fralins on this bass) but these do me for now. As its a cheap bass, and a back up i hardly use i dont want to spend too much on it. If you do want to compare stock with the Wizards you're welcome to come and compare mine to yours. [/quote] Tried dozens of jazz basses trying to find a good one, only one I regret not getting was a HW1, it was dirt cheap too

just imagine we are one big european super state.... no taxes across borders!

I think it is K1ingon or someone on here that will be able to sort you out a wiring loom if you so desire. Why not wait till you get it? I've played a fair few in shops and never really thought anything was so bad I would *have* to upgrade. I prefer them over the MEX fenders for instance. If the thing holds tune then the tuners will be OK, if the volume turns up and down then probably that will be ok, if the tone pot works that will be ok- if it doesn't a new cap will cost about £0.06 to try out. and you may think the pickups do the job fine- of all of them if I had to upgrade they would be first I would do.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1343044870' post='1744144'] Actually what you end up with is a Gus Bass. [/quote] as I pressed Post I KNEW you would pop up within a short while! [quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1343044826' post='1744141'] Luke, that's like saying....'it's made out of wood, that's old hat'! Graphite's just another material that has unique properties and can be fabricated to make a pretty good bass (or guitar). I like my Status because it's light, never goes out of tune, never needs the neck adjusting and has no dead spots (can't say the same for my Fenders), novelty has nothing to do with it. Having said that I wouldn't be without my P & J! [/quote] You misunderstand my point, I am pretty sure, having owned one (a wood neck) status are one of the top builders in the world and the use of graphite has many benefits - but they are also very unfashionable at the moment. If you want to change that about you try new stuff. or put it another way status make amazing basses- the graphite has so many good properties- how can you maximise that effect in your design? Status and their use of the material are great- but wheres the innovation? Or... in my mind- think of a status (S2 shape) with ACG electronics in it..... that would be something!

nice bass BTW. One thing I don't get about alembics... they make these amazing instruments- no expense spared- and then those knobs????

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1342998743' post='1743752'] The way I figure it, our humble country could do with more Alembics and I have been looking at these and thinking of my old Epic for a while now... [/quote] My parents recently went on holiday in florida, flights were $200 return. If postage starts getting silly expensive may be worth having a wee holiday out there at the same time. Also I've wondered- how to customs know how much a secondhand bass is worth? Like if you got a bargin somehow that cost you $1000 rather than $5000 how do they take that into account?

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1342694979' post='1739373'] I tend to agree that Status have become uncool. The never ending Kingbass with minimal tweaks (seemingly one every 2-3 years) has done it for me. 8 models which are minimally different and all the differences are options anyway. Build a new all graphite B1 (buzzard derivative) or I'm not interested. Whilst Mark King seems to have kept them in work for the last decade, it's got to stop soon doesn't it? Let's face it, Level 42 aren't nor were they ever cool after 1985. I would imagine Rickenbacker are getting into the uncool territory with their relentless pursuit of people trying to sell copies. I wonder how much goodwill has been lost on this site because of that. This is of course aside from the fact that their instruments are badly designed and trading on reputation. At least, in my opinion. They're £600 basses, not £1700 basses. I tend to find Fenders a bit meh, but then again I don't like passive basses so I'm biased. [/quote] They make it out of graphite, and the newness and novelty has worn off hasn't it? If they could come up with just one modern and inivotive graphite bass- well they could repare their reputation no end. In my mind the pickups and Eq's could be more interesting... I'm imagining taking pointers off Wal pups and EQ and adding carbon fiber.... and suddenly you have something no one else has

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1343036964' post='1743967'] Now's the best time to buy if you have a bit of spare, s/h prices are rock bottom [/quote] if you have the money now is a good time to buy a lot of things!

Everytime someone from Edinburgh joins there is talk of a mini Edinbass bash. I have two thoughts.... it would be great... make it happen two... I'm moving to england on thu so I won't be able to come But can you imagine it, Bassaassin (if we got hold of him) and a load of jap crap, andy67 and krispn have had some great basses I've seen through the years, stacker has one of the best tastes in basses around and mcnach has pretty much every variation on the stingray theme ever made... it would be great!

Not a clue on double basses but saw edinburgh in the title. The east coast trains have a luggage/cycle area at the head of the train. I would imagine they are pretty safe there. I have seen folk take double basses on planes- how do they manage that, and is that different to a train?

Now I know why Leo fender added them in the 50's.... but why has this fella added one? Do folk actually still use them? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Musicman-Sub-Bass-USA-Made-/280925598437?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item41687872e5#ht_500wt_1219

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1342798806' post='1741204'] To be honest, P's sound pretty similar to me no matter what. The only major differences I hear are in the ultra modern higher gain Seymour Duncans which aren't my thing. If you are playing fingerstyle, with flats, with the tone rolled off a fair bit, a cheap copy can almost get close to a high end boutique P bass, tone wise anyway. The rest is aesthetics, quality of parts (frets, wood, tuners, bridge) and the neck profile. Oh, and the fact most cheapie basses won't allow low action that easily without a few problems, (IME). Never played a NASH, but I'd like to. I'd rather get a real American Standard Fender with that money though, or a Roadworn Fender. [/quote] I would have agreed a wee while ago... then changed the pickup on my P bass.... I made a video about it on the the Kramner/JV pickup thread I started- I was astounded how different the two pups were

the fella will send photos if interested he says, prob is genuine I would think.

Interesting thing.... Warwick streamer stage one's P pup is more or less in the MM position (the rear half is, the front half just fore of it) There you go

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1342945577' post='1742916'] I presume this was Leo's plan?, It worked [/quote] Yeah. To be really really honest- the one thing that's always put me off is the way EB sells them. I dunno but I don't like that company.

Stingrays are one of the basses I've never really tried. Want to though, I had a project where a made a fretless mess of a bass with a no name MM pup in the right spot. that was nice. Prob I will build my own bass in a stingray style. To me it, it's not the same, but the way that it can sit in the mix and fill it out makes me think of it as the update of a p bass

[quote name='philw' timestamp='1342854877' post='1741837'] Really like the headstock detail on the fretless. Bit of a shame the rest of the aesthetic is so conventional though. P [/quote] ... just buy warwickhunts then!

[quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1340958837' post='1711938'] Tried the Markbass thing, bought one and sold it, tried them at bashes. Eventually came to the conclusion I just can't get on with them, not my sound at all. Now an Eden WT400.. [/quote] one of them up in the sale section now.... [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1341274199' post='1716367'] OK, once more - if you don't know how to use the VLE and VPF filters, then you are wasting your time with a Markbass amp. [/quote] My tecamp amp has a similar filter knob (similar idea anyway) vintage one way, modern the other- and it sounds best.... centred and off. A good amp always sounds good more or less flat IMO I've always been bemused by markbass stuff, I think the small combos are a nice idea... but not loved the tone on anything I've tried- but.... I always got a feeling that was down to the cab rather than the amp end of the package. When I got my amp I went for Tecamp as among the class D amps it has the most rounded natural bigger bottom

use your ears. And listen for how the signal is "squashed" on some of them (TC)

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1342799459' post='1741234'] Very good. Then you can easily move it on when you realise you don't need a J-bass! *hides behind sofa with saucepan on head* [/quote] how many times have I bought a J and then sold it? :S