P-T-P

Who do you get the code from? My missus works for DHL

Kylie's "Spinning Around" and Sophie Ellis Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor" have oodles of lovely bass goodness going on. "Maggie May" just oozes feel, so much so that even the "wrong" notes are right.

Yeah, shame they wouldn't put a link to our site in the story, or alongside it.

Our singer helped a mate of his who was putting together a production about bands. We've made the Guardian... [url="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/feb/10/pub-rock-brian-logan"]http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/feb/1...ock-brian-logan[/url]

Something I was going to add about basses in this price range is that to me, the sounds they produce don't have an especially distinctive character to them. The Fleabass does have a voice of it's own, or at least one that makes it stand a bit more apart from similarly price basses. [quote name='Rayman' post='739040' date='Feb 8 2010, 03:58 PM']I've modded mine with an EMG-35HZ pup, and I love it, great little bass.[/quote] I've seen a vid comparing this pick-up to the stock one and for me, I kinda preferred the stock one. Would be interested to hear a quality recording of the EMG though.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='737861' date='Feb 7 2010, 09:19 AM']Which colour scheme did you end up getting, Pete? I'm glad someone found a good one, as the ones I played have now all been sent back to the distributor by a local dealer. They were all so terrible! Rich.[/quote] It's the "Punk" one I think; green with pink scratchplate. Orange would have been my preference but after other's experiences there was no way I was buying one without playing first. I'd not really intended to buy this as it happens. I needed to get a bass before next weekend and have a decent budget but haven't seen anything I'd want to spend it on - aside from the Nordy 5 I just missed out on last week - but I liked the look of the Fleabasses and I noticed my local (very small) music shop had one so I gave it a go. Lo and behold it was a decent player and will do the job. Saves a lot of faffing about. [quote name='bass5' post='737905' date='Feb 7 2010, 10:33 AM']Very true, but there's a lot (and please believe me that what follows is barely my own personal preferences) better basses for that kind of money, I'd rather spend that 300 smackers on a Squier or an Ibanez SR300, or... has anyone tried a Yamaha RBX374, dual humbuckers and a neck that flies? I just don't like them Flea basses [b][u]to me[/u][/b] they look naff.[/quote] As you say, horses for courses. I personally wouldn't have gone for a Squier simply on the basis that I've played a few in my time and while there's nothing wrong with them, they don't really grab me either. A friend loaned me a GSR200 (?) and I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely it felt but horrified to find that from the 15th fret up the frets weren't parallel so the intonation gets progressively worse along the A, D and G strings. The Yamahas I just don't like the look of while the Fleabass I do. Having played it and found it to be decent and then having set it up and achieved better results than I have on many other, far more expensive basses, I'm chuffed really. All that being said, there's a Jap P gone on eBay yesterday which I would have bought ahead of the Fleabass just 'cause it's a good price, with a guarantee of no money loss when/if I come to sell it!

...a much happier experience than others have had with them. Set-up was decent enough: neck straight, intonation spot on and action about middle of the road and completely buzz-free. This wasn't a shop set-up either as bass was about a tone out of tune when I first picked it up. Neck joint really good, paint spot on and all the hardware decently installed (no out of line tuners or poorly cut nut). The pots work smoothly and alter the volume/tone evenly aside from a very distinct bump on the tone control when going from fully rolled off to just a little on. Only real niggle was that the fretboard was pretty grubby. I've been on the lookout for a new bass and it turns out, much to my surprise, the Fleabass is now that new bass 'cause I bought it. Having got it home and put a set of DR Extras on it I was able to set it up with a pretty low action, lower than I was able to achieve on many of the much more expensive basses I've owned. The action could actually go epicly low with a bit of attention to a couple of the frets. Naturally, I gave the fretboard a good clean! The neck didn't seem to mind the changes in tension when I removed all the strings to clean it and then added the new strings. Tuners nothing special and are maybe a bit on the cheap side but they work fine. All in all I can't really fault it for the money (smidge over £300). If you are/were thinking about getting one of these but had been put off by other's experiences, I'd recommend you get out and try for yourself because either they've sussed most of the QC issues or there are some decent basses making it through.

Thinking about getting a couple of the MarkBass pedals but a little put off by the whole 12v DC supply thing. Anyone know if they come with a power supply? Also, the consumption on some of them is pretty high, which makes me concerned I would have to have sperate supplies for each rather than a daisy chain jobbie. Anyone know of a power brick that can provide power to 3 or 4 of these pedals? Thanks.

[quote name='martthebass' post='714185' date='Jan 15 2010, 07:11 PM']The DJ5 was my first foray into 5 string P. Before that the widest neck I'd probably played was vintage P type (1.75") at the nut but I'm generally happier with 1.625" (Ray/Modern P bass). The neck width and flatness just made it feel like a plank to me. The thinner neck on the Sandy and SR5 was more comfortable to my hands. I'm aware that many players find the DJ5 to be Nirvana - just not this one. Guess I'm just not a 35"/19mm guy.[/quote] Interesting. For me, I like the fact that the Lakland necks feel like they have the same protportions as a 4 string, just made bigger to accommodate the extra string. I personally disliked the Sandberg 'cause it felt a bit too chubby. Horses for courses I suppose. From what you've said though, I don't think you should be too put off by 35" scale though as it makes for only a minute difference in the distance between frets. The "length" of the neck, and by that I mean how far away the nut is, isn't going to be affected by scale length as such. That's going to be determined, more than anything, by the shape of the bass' body and in particular the upper horn extension and the placement of the bridge in relation to the edge of the bass. For exampe, the nut on a Lakland JO5 seems a little further away than on a DJ5, but the DJ5 bridge is closer to the edge of the bass. A Warwick Thumb 34" scale is going to make the nut seem miles further away than on either of the previous two because the upper horn only comes out to about the 15th fret (if that).

[quote name='martthebass' post='712549' date='Jan 14 2010, 01:55 PM']Main problem I've had is finding the right one. Lakky DJ5 - found the neck/string spacing too wide and scale length too long.[/quote] Not saying you're wrong, because if that's what it felt like to you that's what it felt like, but that's something I would never have imagined someone saying about a DJ5. What bass did you come to the DJ5 from? [quote name='Musicman20' post='713508' date='Jan 15 2010, 10:59 AM']I have 5 4 string basses and I have my first proper 5 string in mind. IMO, you cannot go wrong with the Lakland 5 string neck. I have smallish hands but I picked up a DJ5 and I could play really quick! Nice n comfy.[/quote] Exactly!

It's easy enough to get used to the presence of the extra string if you've got time to just play. It's easy enough to learn to incorporate the extra 5 low notes (assuming BEADG tuning). The biggest challenge, I think, is bringing the rest of the B sting into play which is where you really get the most out of 5 strings and something I still probably don't do enough 15+ years since first making the change. One bonus I do find with 5 strings is that when you pick up a four string, they're loads of fun. Kinda like driving a mini instead of a big car or something.

[b]Love[/b] Maple fretboards Unlined fretless boards Lakland oval bridge Old school Fender custom colours - shell pink, sonic blue etc. Block inlays and binding (as long as they're real inlays, not stick on type) Seriously bird's eyed maple necks sometimes found on MMan basses Brown tortoiseshell pickguard on 3TS Fenders (and similar) Cherry sunburst Colour matched headstocks Gold hardware, but only on white or black basses [b]Hate[/b] Strat type jack sockets (that means you, Warwick Rockbass Streamer Standards) $$ EMG pick-ups 5 in a line tuners (Fender, that's you) Inappropriate tuners - eg Gotoh type on a Fender-a-like headstock (Yamaha particularly guilty of this one) Gold hardware on blue bass - wrong Lake Placid Blue P-Bass type knobs on a passive jazz bass Top hat type knobs on anything Gibson Les Paul type knobs White pickguard on natural or sunburst bass Scratchplates that aren't white, black or tortoiseshell - certain solid or mirror colours may be permissable in special circumstances

[quote name='Musicman20' post='709835' date='Jan 12 2010, 11:42 AM']Lakland make some very nice Fender/Stingray type basses, with brilliant build. They are not US made, but they are up there with the high end basses for finish, etc. Dont let it put you off that they are not US made. IMO, the Lakland 5 strings are the easiest/most comfortable 5 string basses to play out there.[/quote] Just to clarify, as the OP may not be aware. Lakland "Skyline" basses were Korean made (recently changed to Indonesian made) and then shipped to USA where the electronics are installed, frets dressed etc. and since last year, they get Plekked (sp?) too. So they play like a dream The QC is supremely good and customer service second to none (e-mail them and you'll likely get a mail back, personally, from the boss of the company). Lakland also then have their US range which are impeccable, but very pricey (second hand you're looking at £1500 at least). The Skylines are, arguably, 90% of the bass for about 40% of the money. I would put my DJ5 up against pretty much any bass and expect it to hold it's own. I've yet to play the current crop of Fender US basses, which are reportedly extremely good quality, but prior to that, I'd have gone for Korean made Lakland over a US Fender any time.

If you're genuinely unsure and don't have time to shop around, Fender US second hand jazz or precision in black or sunburst in decent cosmetic condition without mods for £550-£600 and if you don't like it, you'll sell it on without losing any cash. Something to bear in mind with basses, there's quite significant differences between models that may or may not suit. A Fender P Bass and J Bass are as different as a Strat and a Les Paul are. Maybe find an hour or two to go to a shop with a few different basses and try as many as you can in that time and come back to us to say what you liked and/or disliked about the different ones and we'll figure out a more tailored suggestion.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='708980' date='Jan 11 2010, 04:02 PM']Bear in mind that's a 35" scale, might feel very long to someone coming from guitar.[/quote] Not really, pretty much every 34" scale Warwick feels like it has a much "longer" neck because of the body shape and how far the top horn extends (or doesn't). Scale length doesn't necessarily put the nut further away from you and the Lakland 5 strings do a remarkable job of hiding the extra inch. Unless you were moving from 34" fretless to 35" fretless, I daresay you'd not even notice it.

Lots of good advice, but for me there are really only two answers with your budget. A second hand US Fender Jazz will cost you in the range of £500 to £650 depending on the condition and age (talking 1990s basses on here, not vintage). You can play a bunch until you find one that grabs you or you can buy the first that comes along safe in the knowledge that you'll almost certainly be able to sell it on without losing any cash. Alternatively, the best value for money bass in that price range is, IMHO, a Lakland 55-01. Really well put together instruments that play and sound great. They'll comortably sit in pretty much any style of music and hold their own and the fact that it's a 5 string will give you a bit of added range you may well find useful if covers is what you're playing.