LukeFRC

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Awesome fretless I got in a trade with rasta.

It's a Aria pro II SRB of some type that at some point in the eighties has been defreted, and modded. (suposedly by someone who played with/in van halen...who knows)

The fretboard was defretted, having tried a defret myself i would guess that this is a pro job, the neck looks like it has been varnished smooth with the logo being taken off.
The pickups have been replaced with 'shadow' bass pickups, and the electronics are:
volume, tone, 2 coil tap switches (one broken), and 3 pos pickup selector.

Soundwise it sounds awesome, to the point I have been consdering just getting it refret.

Rasta said this
[quote]I was given it by a landlord about 12 years ago and have been reluctant to part with it because its simply hands down the best fretless sound i've ever heard, i've bought and sold many basses over the years but have strangely always kept hold of this one-but i realise i am probably never going to be a fretless player these day and well.... i would like it to get the use it deserves!.
It has had pick up upgrades from the previous owner and has Shadow humbucker pick ups?, passive, possibly electrics upgrades as it has toggle switch-phase switching i assume or could be single coiling??? making for a nice sound-the bridge is particularly Jacoesq. Its sunburst, battered about a bit but in a good way-nothing serious, just age mojo (apparently the previous owner was some legend hedonistic folk muso but i cannot remember the name but i do remember my landlord mate telling me he played with Van Morrison).[/quote]

So it is fairly mojo'ed, if you like pristeen basses look away. Buy it for the sounds it makes, not the looks!

I'm admitting that I'm never going to play fretless and it's wasted on me. So thought i would stick it up on here.

Price wise who knows what it's worth, it's quality japanese construction that sounds amazing, the thing I swapped it for was worth about £180 so lets price it there including postage.
(too low? too high? -tell me via PM please) Postage on top, it came in a thin gig bag so ill stick it in that.

(Trade wise I'm after a jazz bass, I could add money on top too for the right bass)

I'm in west end of Glasgow if anyone fancies a play. Click on feedback loops in my sig for feedback

Cheers

Luke

(camera phone pictures, i will get better later in the week)

I got so excited reading that, then I realised it was a P bass not a jazz! oh well, cracking bass!

well i went there... to find a sold sign on it....

no adivce? its just im going to go look at one tomorrow in light blue priced at 350 and want to know if that is too steep or not!

Hey

wee question... how much does a 80's tokai jazz sound (jazz bass) go for? I've looked all over the net and can't really work out the going rate. The last few on here seem to be going at around £400 mark.

any advice? (there is a reason! )


Luke

mechanically an electric bass is pretty much a generic commodity in many different variants.
The fender bass (and guitar) was revolutionary partly because it could be mass produced cheaply, that was one of the points of it.

So why do we still play them now? (and why are there not more double basses played) - because music is shaped around the sounds of the instruments. And also the image of the music is shaped around the look and vibe of the thing.
The fender bass is part of pop and rock music in a way no other form of bass will ever be.
The fender brand therefore stands not for quality or playability (primarily) but for the image of rock music, of soul, of jazz... you get the idea.
Also they only have two main designs (and varients on that) so it is fairly easy to know what you are looking at.

boutique stuff I would understand differently.
How it should work is that the player goes: I want this from my bass, who can supply that? And then looks around makers to see who can provide it. The player then gets the bass they want.
How I think it often happens is that people buy into the shadowsky or ceillenders for the brand rather than the instrument.
If you are buying for what it is, rather than the brand then the question of investment is negligible.
Will these brands hold their investment protential? Well if they look after themselves (as warwick didnt at the start of the century) and if they offer something different (like i think wal or status do) or get some big name playing them ( modulus) then maybe,
If they bass is essentually a more shiny version of a fender bass... then no.

I have 3 basses. And two of them have a value over £200.
My approach has been.
Buy what I really want.
Buy what I'm interested in.
Buy what sounds good/amazing.
and then finally buy cheap something knowing it possibly will hold it's value.
so I have a 1991 warwick streamer stage one, and a 1982 JV squier (lg fender logo) both of which I could sell for more than I go them for.

in a side note when i first started reading about basses everyhitng i read said avoid late 70's fender if you can. Yet the prices seem to be going up and up....

err

warwick stage one 400
JV p bass 650


£1050 for the two amazing basses, not bad eh!

i have sold 3 basses... and took a wee loss on compared to waht i spent on two and a profit on another so in that sense i am +£100 on trading....
tempted to sell the fretless...

yum

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='936665' date='Aug 26 2010, 01:17 AM']Lately I've seen some Japanese RI Jazz basses on eBay in a variety of colours with matching headstocks and blocked fingerboards, they look amazing. If I was shopping for a Jazz right now I wouldn't be able to resist them.[/quote]

yeah they look good.... one question, is the pup in the 70's possition as it seems to stick out the top of the cover?

[quote name='gafbass02' post='935630' date='Aug 25 2010, 08:47 AM']The mij/cij 75ri's really are amazing basses and they do a lush candy apple red [/quote]
yeah I've been looking at them, guitar emporium has stopped trading though, whats the best way to get one anyone know?
I had a cij '57 ri P bass, awesome neck


[quote name='Bassassin' post='935745' date='Aug 25 2010, 10:55 AM']I'd say decide what you want from a Jazz, then buy the bits & put one together yourself.

Jon.[/quote]
though of that.. and it would be the best...
reason I wouldn't though is that any resale value would be minimal compared to buying secondhand (dependent on what buy)

[quote name='benthos' post='935777' date='Aug 25 2010, 11:21 AM']Here's a great solution. Take a look at this: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=100079"]Warwick Corvette FS/FT[/url]

You already like the sound of Warwicks and this goes passive if you pull the volume knob (ooo-err)

Build quality is arguably better than a Fender (dons flame-proof overcoat)

Obviously I have no interest whatsoever in the sale [/quote]
oooh i see what you did there! Never liked the look of corvettes though!

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='935623' date='Aug 25 2010, 08:35 AM']When I was studying there was no chance of me affording a new bass![/quote]


ahh but im not studying! so there is a chance

i meant on jazz basses but that is useful stuff seeing as I will be working around the corner! thanks!

yeah as soon as i move over i'm checking out the glaswiegan music shops .....

any thoughts anyone?

As some of you may have seen I was going to go to uni and do a masters, well they eventually got back to me saying I didn't get in. So I'm moving to glasgow and found a new job and having saved up a wodge of cash for this masters I'm in half a mind to spend some of it on a new bass, possibly selling my awesome streamer to fund it partly.

Basically I have a brilliant P bass. I love the passive tone, the way it sits in the mix and the thudy-ness
But I also love the tone with the bridge pick up on the warwick, that thinner and sharper sound that cuts through a bit better.

So I have been looking at Jazz basses. Basically it has to have 4 strings, probably be passive and sound good. Ideally it would be bright red, but im flexable on that!


The bass got me thinking was outtoplayjazz's 60 anniversary Jazz (the red one) it looked amazing and if i had known then I wouldnt get in i would have probably pulled the trigger. Otherwise it doesnt have to be new and i dont mind a bit of the signs of use.

I love the look of the stack knob jazz (but no idea how they sound in comparison to a 3 knob) and was looking at the Fender AV '62 RI, Bass direct has a second hand Lakland US joe osborn which also caught they eye.

The 75 RI looked nice too, but again there was a real '75 for sale on here up till today which looked brill too.

But then part of me thinks I'll looking at the top end of the market (for me!) and a jap Fender would be more than good enough and half the price.

What does the basschat forum of knowledge suggest?

(and yes I *know* i should just get out and play lots! at that mythical place in scotland where there are lots of basses to try out! )

im actually fairly tempted... ive been wanting to try a jazz, does it sound like a good jazz bass?

looks like a nicely made bit of wood for not much money.... also I would be willing to guess that if you got it and couldn't fix that pre-amp that if you stuck info in the home built FX thread in the effects section some folk would be able to help you fix it!

i keep looking at pictures of this, it's lovely lovely lovely.....

that looks lovely!

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='931634' date='Aug 21 2010, 08:41 AM']Roughly 20 years ahead of the competition? How do you figure that?[/quote]

cos OTPJ has been banging on about status on basschat for 20 years and the modulus he just bought is still in the post!

[quote name='Jigster' post='931645' date='Aug 21 2010, 09:08 AM']ha ha - no it's CAR -

pics on [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49793253@N07/sets/72157624771886106/show/"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/49793253@N07/...771886106/show/[/url][/quote]


wow that bling!




Best P bass money can buy? lets just say my large fender squier JV P bass is not for sale!

second hand neck through model if you can, I have a streamer stage one.

other wise the streamer $$ seem to get good press

recommend playing anything before buying though!

there was a bit in the status thread where I was asking outtoplayjazz about something... to paraphrase
he said how a fender jazz would sit in the back of the mix whereas a status would be clear articulate and cut through.

Thing is i don't doubt that both fender and status can make amazing basses but they do sit differently in the mix. (and this helped me decide a fender would be better for me than a status!)

Likewise i play at cvhurch with the same people and the same (ashdown ) amp. Warwick streamer or P bass? Well if I want a thunderous low(ish) end rumble to underpin everything the.... P bass, if I want something that will cut through, yet take up less space in the mix... the warwick
depends on the music.....

aww gawd bless basschat,

group hug guys?

was that the one in fife on the edinburgh gumtree for a while?

wow, makes here seem amazing, even in the off topic! Kinda puts me off a mm, i know when I bought my first bass, a status that had been in the shop for 5 years, I rang up knowing nout about basses and got talked through fixing a wonky pick up by one of the guys who had made it.
That is how you keep customers- would always consider a status- even though i know i dont want one!