police squad

I am the very happy owner of the new Fender 'Flea' bass. I've always played Precision basses and I've hardly ever used a Jazz. I don't really like the nasal honk of the bridge pickup. With this in mind, the few times I've gigged a jazz, using only the neck pickup, it's pretty much sounded like a P bass. But, with the Flea, last night, I could here a bit more 'fizz' to the sound. More presence I think. What do you other players of both basses think? I'm even warming to the bridge pickup on this bass. I've started using it, on its own, during set up/ sound check. It's quite a meaty, nasal honk!

In the 80s and 90s there was this great shop in Canterbury high st, called ' Trash'. They had it all. Spandex,leather jeans, cowboy boots, rubber dresses, boots with spikes, dresses with spikes, spikes with spikes. It really was amazing if you wanted rock n roll stage gear. I bought a fantastic purple, silk(ish) shirt. Handwash only. It faded and looked fab. Girls always tried to buy from me at gigs. Now it's H&M and Allsaints for me (well ebay for Allsaints, have you seen the price of that stuff new, utter madness) This was 26 years ago

I'm still loving mine. It gets another run out this Sunday

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1469619257' post='3099734'] what are the pickups on this bass? I have a 75RI Jazz to reassemble and needs pickups (it came with Nordstrands which I am using elsewhere now)... I might try these and see. [/quote] USA 1964 reissues

I'm lucky, after many years I've found a lightweight rig that works for me. Yes I could improve it (and I will at some point) a pair of TKS 112 will do it but it what I have fits in the car (with the PA and Lights). My gear wasn't expensive, ampeg PF500 was £350 new, one of my Mark bass cabs was £150 s/h and the other was £190 s/h. £690 all in and I rarely need the 2nd cab, in fact I've used it twice in 4 years.

I use 'planet waves' lemon oil. Other brands are available. Drizzle it onto the board, wipe it over the whole board so that the entire board is covered by a thin film and then let it soak in. I did mine 3 times

could just be bad luck. When you've owned P basses and broken the scratchplate, you do learn to support the plate when you unplug. (this comes from years of the plates being held together with tape because I couldn't be bothered to change it)

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1468854120' post='3093787'] Ahem. I believe I was the 1st to receive one, so when club numbers come to being handed out........................... Actually, I've never been no. 1 in anything, bit late to start now [/quote] YES YES as I've said before, it's all Karls fault!!!

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1468853710' post='3093781'] I'm quite proud of myself for resisting.................... so far. [/quote] You are weak. The Flea is strong in this one!!

Here's mine at work, last saturday

yes board oiled. 3 times. looks much better

Me, I've got one. Using it tomorrow for the 2nd time.

[quote name='King Tut' timestamp='1468410619' post='3090731'] Just ordered one from gear4music. Htf did that happen? [/quote] you are weak, the Flea is strong

yep +1 for Aaron Armstrong

JTUK its got great pickups but as you know, I am a passive fan, although I have another Musicman stingray and the Spector Euro 4. Tuners work well enough and I don't mind the bent bit of tin bridge. I like the option of the tone controls, one per pickup. Signature basses divide opinion but this doesn't have anything quirky. It's just a jazz bass, light, resonant if a rare colour and reliced.

yep, I gigged mine last night with a Who Tribute. Used mainly the neck pickup but on 'won't get fooled again' I dialled 3/4 on the bridge in. Both tone pots wide open, ampeg pf500 thru a markbass club 1x15. What a great sound. It growled like a growly thing. Lightweight, very even string response all round. I'm very very pleased with it. I can't wait for my next gig. It's not often I get excited about a bass but this a corker

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1467987068' post='3087862'] Gig bag isn't bad at all. Quite glad I've now got a light bass gig bag. Nothing of Mono quality but not bad. [/quote] I use the fender gig bags a lot. They're good enough as long as you're reasonably careful. I always load my basses in last and rest them on top of the other gear. I carry the PA and lights so it's get pretty crowded in the back, but nothing can fall on the them.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1467976244' post='3087717'] Ta da... [/quote] looks like mine

I spent an hour last night, banging out 3 Who songs that I need to have learned by saturday. I enjoyed every minute of it, on my Flea bass. In fact, I'm probably going to use it, [s]next week[/s], I mean tomorrow, on my Who tribute (on account of not having anything remotely John Entwhistle like). No thunderbird, no fenderbirds, no buzzards (of any make), certainly no alembics or slab 66 P basses. Flea does Entwhistle!!

you secretly thought, 'I should be their bass player' be careful what you wish for lol. Seriously, as JT has said, stick it out, chalk it up to experience. I've been there, recently. My mate is the guitarist and needed a bass player for 1 gig. I had 2 rehearsals (I didnt need any, I know the stuff). They have a set list of 70 songs and insisted on a load I've never played. No problem, I'd always wanted to play most of them, Billly Jean, Club Tropicana etc. Got to the gig. Very amatuerish. Indeed just a hobby band. They picked 35 songs and played them all. Past midnight and the pub was empty but they ploughed on to play all of the songs. No performance art, no rapport. usual stuff That's the last dep I do with them. But I did enjoy Club Tropicana by Wham!

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1467720480' post='3085590'] I pretty much follow the splendid Carl Pedigo way of setting up. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIzV9462xeE"]https://www.youtube....h?v=cIzV9462xeE[/url] I mean, a lot of Lakkies are based on vintage Fenders [/quote] I shall try that method myself, thanks for that

ah ok. if your relief is 8/1000th that's pretty almost dead straight isn't it. I don't fiddle much with mine, there's always a little relief and not too low an action, as I hit hard, with a pick!! (and sometimes fingers etc)

Karl, in your post about set up, you took the neck off. Have you shimmed it? how do you set your relief?

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1467704227' post='3085423'] Thanks Karl, TBH I've never found stacked T/V very useful, and think there's a few pretty obvious reasons why Fender (and a lot of folks who at the time owned early Jazzes), switched to VVT. As Dan suggests above, there might have been some voodoo about the original circuits, but I've never found that to be the case with modern versions. [/quote] Chris, I'm curious why VVT is better than V/T V/T. Personally, I rarely touch the tone on my bass, but very occasionally I find I have to roll the treble off, in a way that an amp tweak cant quite do. I've always loved the stacked look. I think it comes from watching the Marc Bolan show 'MARC' over and over and over and drooling over Herbie's jazz bass. I'll probably take my Flea out this friday, the only drawback with Friday's gig is that this band detune half a step, and I cant really be bothered to adjust the truss rod, I've already given it a quarter turn to flattern it a little bit more than it came with.