SlapbassSteve

I've got one on my Precision. It cost me about £45 to import from the states, is solidly built and does the job well. Just the other night I was chatting to another bassist at a gig in Cheshire somewhere who noticed I was using one and seemed thoroughly impressed with the idea. I'd thoroughly recommend it

I've had to do this a few times, 30 second job with a Dremel or similar. Less is more...

[quote name='uke' timestamp='1348694125' post='1817136'] Not very pretty, and very expensive! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1978-Gibson-Grabber-Bass-guitar-status-quo-/221131113752?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item337c710518"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item337c710518[/url] [/quote] WHY???

[b]'[url="http://www.adverts.ie/member/647667"]henrykirkwood[/url] placed offer [color=#647682][size=2]20/09/2012 5:38 pm (1 day ago):[/size][/color][/b][color=#2A343B][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3] €20 Offered[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A343B][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3] [b][url="http://www.adverts.ie/member/245518"]ninebobnote[/url] says [color=#647682][size=2]20/09/2012 7:21 pm (1 day ago):[/size][/color][/b][/size][/font][/color][size=3] @henrykirkwood:moron[/size] [size=3] [b][url="http://www.adverts.ie/member/519882"]Darkglasses[/url] asked a question [color=#647682][size=2]20/09/2012 7:54 pm (1 day ago):[/size][/color][/b][/size][size=3] You ask 13,000 for a bass with minimal pictures and barely any description? I'd lay off the "moron" comments. This is how you sell a vintage guitar - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Prewoned-VINTAGE-Fender-1956-Precision-Bass-MN-2-Tone-Sunburst-w-Case-/150890410404?pt=Guitar&hash=item2321c4f1a4 [b][url="http://www.adverts.ie/member/245518"]ninebobnote[/url] says [color=#647682][size=2]21/09/2012 5:26 pm (about a day ago):[/size][/color][/b][/size][size=3] @Darkglasses:your a moron with absolutly no interest in the bass,so keep your stupid comments to your self'[/size] [size=3] Wow. [size=3] [/size][/size]

[quote name='the_skezz' timestamp='1348157251' post='1810188'] Found a stream of it on facebook (you have to like the page first): [url="https://www.facebook.com/steveharrisbritishlion?sk=app_348295651924692"]https://www.facebook...348295651924692[/url] I'm enjoying it musically, very different to Maiden and sounds great. But I just can't get on with those vocals. I wasn't expecting Dickinson level screaming, but these just don't sound strong enough for the tracks IMO Maybe it's just me Metal Hammer link: [url="http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/steve-harris-british-lion-full-album-streaming-exclusively-on-metal-hammer/"]http://www.metalhamm...n-metal-hammer/[/url] [/quote] It needs Jack Black. Musically it's good stuff, but the vocals sound very weak. A lot of it is in the mixing, IMHO they're down pretty low, doesn't help.

[quote name='uke' timestamp='1347919875' post='1806793'] "full pro set up by me" Can he say this? [/quote] If his butchery qualifies as a 'pro set up' I think I might need to raise my prices a little.

[quote name='Grant' timestamp='1347917341' post='1806730'] I have two cheap P basses (an SX and a Squier VM) and they are great basses for the money. Spend the [i]proper[/i] money on a decent amp. You can always swap parts on your bass - a bit harder to do with an amp (unless you're an electronics whizz...) [/quote] +1 -Always better to have a cheap bass through a good amp than the other way round, a cheap bass through an expensive amp will always sound better in my experience- hence my current setup being a £150 Squier Standard bass(admittedly with upgraded pups) through £1400+ worth of Markbass rig.

I've got a HB six string bass and recently a HB twelve string guitar from thomann. Fantastic value for money! There are a couple of places on the 12string where you can see they saved a bit of money at the QC stage but it's purely cosmetic. Shipping was fast, both were set up and ready to play straight out of the box and I wouldn't think twice about buying another bass/guitar from them. I expect they were made in the same far eastern factories as a lot of the better branded guitars in the under £300 price bracket, and then just had a Harley Benton logo slapped on em and a quick set-up. So... GO FOR IT!

Dare I admit it...that's actually quite a nice-looking bass . About £70 overpriced mind, and he's probably completely raped the nut with a bastard file too, but still... ...ah hang, on, here's one he's not had his hands on yet! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Squier-Tobacco-Burst-Jazz-Bass-Korea-97-/330791923768?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4d04bc3038#ht_5808wt_1151"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Squier-Tobacco-Burst-Jazz-Bass-Korea-97-/330791923768?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4d04bc3038#ht_5808wt_1151[/url] That'll do!

[quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1347568253' post='1802649'] Thunderbird played with a pick yes? I see you have one on the way, you should get close with that. [/quote] That is pretty much it really. You should be able to get pretty close with a flat EQ and the right amp simulation; just add or remove mids to taste depending on if you're playing with a band or to the records. Nice to see some Followill appreciation going on, massively underrated bassist!

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1347452792' post='1800955'] Oh and strings make a difference too don't forget. [b][i]It's bleeding endless and nobody in the audience will give a toss of course![/i][/b] [/quote] Sadly the curse of our profession isn't it, we could have all kept that dodgy first bass and nobody would know the difference!

Thanks folks! Sounds like I could do with a look at the height of the DM's before I buy anything. I wouldn't say there's anything at all [i]wrong[/i] with the tone itself, it's just a bit too smooth and dull for my taste. Is there any sure way of setting it, ie closer to the strings=brighter tone? Failing that, I think I might try some Quarter Pounders first, they seem a bit Marmite so I'll either absolutely love them or want rid as soon as I've heard them. Cheers charic for offering to let me try yours but for the cost of getting down south I could just buy them anyway haha! Luckily there are a few vids on youtube comparing... Will update as I progress!

Hi all, I've got a '09 Mex precision I've been modding for some time now and it's almost done. Plays like an absolute dream and I'm actually tempted to start using it more instead of my Jazz. Only thing is I've never had a tone from it that I'm entirely happy with. The original mex fender pickups sounded downright awful, lots of clanky mids and absolutely nothing else, so I swapped them out for a set of DiMarzios. The DM's are better, but now instead I'm finding them too dull, dark and muted sounding. So basically what is the most aggressive, ballsy-sounding p pickup out there under the £100 mark? I'm after that aggressive, punky tone similar to Mike Dirnt etc, but without loosing the bottom end like the stock pups. Difficult to explain really, sorta need the grit in the lower mids and not higher? I'm not sure whether I'd need a vintage style pup like an SD Antiquity II or something scarier looking like the Quarter Pounder series..? Cheers!

I wonder if that's the original bridge? A lot of the Vintage basses have Wilkinson hardware and I'm pretty sure the Wilko BBOT bridges have brass saddles... might be someone's swapped it over...and drilled extra holes in the wrong places???

Best thing to do is spend a wee bit extra and get a MarkBass CMD121P. Only downside is you can't remove the head like on the Ibanez, shame really as it'd be nice to be able to use the LMII with a much bigger cab for festival gigs etc...

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1346915989' post='1794706'] I think the only guys that do, non custom, are Sandberg and Lakland. [/quote] [quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1346925546' post='1794821'] I much prefer bound necks, unfortunately it means you have to spend lots of money on a bass these days. I don't know why Fender stopped doing them on the Jazz to be honest, I think they look like something is missing. And they never did on the Precision unless it had a Jazz neck on there. Unless you fork out for the very very top end model you just get dots. Very disappointing. [/quote] Pretty sure Harley Benton did a version of the Natural Squier VM for about £110 until very recently... vanished now though so they must be either discontinued or sold out. Be fantastic if it was an option on Mex Fenders again... that and those Jazz bass bodies where you can remove the scratchplate without exposing the routing, jaco style. Real shame that's mostly only on the expensive models these days too.

PEOPLE BUY THESE THINGS SECOND HAND? I went through phase of buying a new set of Roto Swing bass every three weeks and binning the old ones... the money I could have made!

Spent the first three years I was playing with a bass on me at my laptop between 6-8 hours a day(didn't have much of a social life as a teenager and never really saw the point of Xbox/PS2-ing haha!) either playing along to everything in my iTunes or just watching YT vids with it on my lap... after a while muscle memory kicks in and it's just another limb. Kinda like how you don't notice you're breathing until someone reminds you that you are(well, almost...) Depends a lot on what you're playing. I still need to pay pretty close attention with unfamiliar material, but a lot of the time my ears and I can just about blag it!

I'd just about finished this when I realised it looks like something Prince would dream about/and probably owns... still, the temptation to get one of those lovely Classic Series 70's Precisions and a can of spray paint is pretty serious right now. C'mon, purple and gold with that neck... [attachment=117428:Dreambass.png]

I've found people in general can be pretty thick. I know a few people that point-blank refuse to believe X factor is as contrived as it is. ...And don't get me started on all the 'singers' that think they're the next big thing because they can just about string together an attempt at an overplayed-to-death-and-now-just-plain-unoriginal Adele song...

I had a similar experience in a recording studio last year, got my filthy mitts on a vintage tube Fender Bassman with purple Marshall 4x10... best tone I've ever had. Cheaper gear can get very close indeed but there's that element of authenticity about old gear that I swear makes it sound slightly better.

My band haven't yet got 200 likes, but to change the name all I have to do is go edit page->basic information and it's about the third thing down.

Playing in pubs there's a bit of a ceiling to what you can earn, even if you do your own sound(which is normally expected by the venue as standard anyway. Not to mention when a venue does have a pa it's rarely worth using...). Number of people doesn't usually make a difference to price either, although as you'll be priced the same as say a three piece there's a good chance you'll be more likely to be chosen. Going rate in my area is about £200-300 for a band, though for Soc clubs/fezzies you can sometimes expect more or less depending on the event. Harsh as it sounds, if you're looking for more money per gig on the pub circuit the only thing you can really do is cut costs by being a smaller ensemble.

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1346271184' post='1787377'] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-II-Classic-active-bass-guitar-/230844766813?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item35bf6b9a5d#ht_500wt_1288"]http://www.ebay.co.u...d#ht_500wt_1288[/url] Wow ...... just Wow [/quote] hahahahaha brilliant! But far worse models have sold for over 2k so it must be a bargain... must think it's an Alembic bless him

The '2' in the price must be accidental.