White Cloud

Without wishing to state the obvious that neck is screwed. Hopefully MM will sort you out with a new one. Its really stressful when a neck goes rogue. I owned a Jaydee Supernatural in the 80's that developed a terminal back bow that ruined the instrument. It was literally akin to Robin Hood's weapon of choice. This was found to be down to a rotten batch of Mahogany that JD had acquired. More recently I owned a Lakland that developed a large crack in the neck...it suddenly appeared and was growing every day. Credit where credit is due Lakland shipped me a new neck within days and paid for renowned Luthier Jimmy Moon to fit it and set my bass up with new strings at the same time. Lakland = awesome company.

Congrats! Beautiful bass. The G&L tributes are really hard to beat if you want a Fender style bass. Leo himself was quoted as saying G&L basses were his best ever basses. I would agree that far eastern produced instruments far outstrip Mexican equivalents. Lets just leave it at that.

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1358862249' post='1946154'] Good advice, although I wouldn't try it on my '78 Jazz as the neck pocket is routed so badly I'd end up with a short scale bass. There's best part of a centimetre gap all around the end of the neck under the pickguard. [/quote] Ahem, I am not saying anything regarding Fender routing issues lol. Last time I had an angry mob with flaming torches at my house screaming "kill the monster". Some very good advice here regarding the question posed. I would not recommend the luthier option as this is total overkill. The beauty of bolt on necks is that they can be removed and then re-applied easily. Piece of cake. I would have no issues with accepting a bass posted in this way.

I think there is a bit of clarity required from my stand point here. Firstly, hate is a very strong word - and having owned multiple Fenders over the last 30 yrs or so (some very good vintages) I would never say that I hate them. Therefore I am not a Fender "hater". I do however have an opinion on the QC issues that do appear to be pretty frequent on many of the models that I have played over the last 4-5 yrs. I commented objectively from my personal experiences and do not consider myself to be acting from any perceived bias against Fender. It is what it is from my perspective. The original poster invited reaction to the subject of Fender QC after observing the said picture - so its fair to say I feel entitled to put forward my tuppenceworth. Secondly, the last time I checked this was a forum for bass players to express their opnions and experiences...which is what I have done on this thread. If labelling me a "hater" and decrying my opinion and personal experience and objectivity makes you feel better then that is perfectly okay with me. Your opinion is every bit as valid as mine. We dont (and wont) have to agree on this subject. Thats what makes the world go around folks! You keep buying your Fenders and so will I.......after very carefully selecting a good one.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1358708670' post='1943803'] Biased nonsense. [/quote] Funny thing is....I was thinking the exact same about every post you have made on this topic too!

Well here endeth the debate. Fender die hards (as usual) will not hear a word said against the company - and are willing to accept poor QC and flawed / loose joints. I am sure that Fender really appreciate your continued support. Your loyalty and willingness to accept a low standard of finish works to their advantage. It is nice for them to know that any bass with the F word on the headstock is above reproach! The objective amongst us however feel Fender could step their game up and match companies like Lakland who consistently build Fender style basses to a higher standard of fit and finish for less cash. You make your choice and pay your hard earned as you see fit.

I have owned plenty of all of them and generally (as an active fan) I would much prefer a MM or G&L to a Fender. I think the G&L L2000 tribute is arguably the best value for money bass on the market and a much better option than a mim Fender. Ponder this - why does everyone play Fenders? Because everyone plays them...its a placebo affect.

My choice would be either the Musicman or the Ibanez SR1205, the Ibanez will do everything the Warwick will do and is lighter and has a more consistant neck. The spec, sound, playability & build quality is outstanding. Lakland is also a good 5 string choice. The best wisdom I can pass on is to beware headstock snobbery, try them all ...and then decide!

Ibanez. Simple. 34" inch scale, great sound and playability. The Yamaha's are great basses but I find the 35" scale seriously doesnt suit my fingers!

You wont go far wrong with any of your stated choices. I would also highly recommend you look at the Ibanez SR1205 which retails for around that price. It is an awesome 5 string for the cash.

Nothing boring about this at all. Looks great, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Grab the Tobias...very well made instrument. I had the 6 string version and the construction and playability was flawless. The elecs are its achilles heel but to be fair more than good enough for most applications.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1358081170' post='1932669'] Could be that the neck pockets are in spec according to Fender. I don't think I have seen official Fender neck pocket gap specs anywhere. Maybe they set a tolerance to cut the pocket slightly larger to allow the neck heal to expand without causing problems. I'd imagine that happening is a much bigger deal than a slight gap, which doesn't really make a difference to playability or tone. Just my thoughts though. [/quote] Wrong. Any neck heel expansion (extremely minimal in only the most extreme of circumstances) would simply result in a very tight neck pocket...which is what any manufacturer aspires to on a bolt on neck design. I cannot believe that so many players here are arguing that a gap is no big deal - the reality is that it compromises, to some degree, the integrity of the whole design. Also another flaw in your argument is that by the very nature of seasoned timber, especially Maple, it will in fact SHRINK with age and not swell. Could the Fenders be leaving the factory with tight neck joints and improperly seasoned necks...that shrink leaving a gap in the pocket????? I would argue that this is in fact where the problem lies. With bolt ons Its all about stability. I have removed necks from many makes of bolt on neck basses and some are so tight that they could probably be plugged in and played without the screws holding the neck in place (Lakland for one).

Yup. I have been doing it for 30 years. My inspiration was Geddy Lee. After so much time I just find it completely natural. I just split myself in two psychologically...much as a pianist or drummer would do. In doing so I find it easy enough to play complex lines whilst warbling. When I'm singing my fingers just do their thing, probably down to muscle memory. Playing bass well is easier than singing well. The voice is after all the primary instrument.

Well Yolanda Charles uses one as her main gigging instrument ..and she knows a good bass I can assure you. These are very good quality basses make no mistake - however the lack of the F word on the headstock turns the general populace off them (as usual).

The last Fender P bass that I owned (50's classic mex job) did what it said on the tin...but the neck pocket was too loose for the neck. Its a common issue. They are what they are...simple design, gigging tool. QC is very poor. I also inherited a mex standard jazz a few years ago and the fret job was a joke - but thats another story. I shall now roll out my favourite catch phrase "if you want a great Fender buy a Lakland"

[quote name='Joel McIver' timestamp='1341383351' post='1717895'] Hi all Just a quick note to say hello. I recently became the editor of Bass Guitar Magazine and have been reading the posts here about the magazine with interest. I've noticed a few complaints about the content and some queries about why we do certain things, so I thought I'd better post here and if you have any questions, you can put them to me directly. Thanks to Bass Chat for letting me do this, it's an amazing forum. Cheers Joel McIver [/quote] Hi Joel and welcome. Personally I really enjoy the magazine...so keep up the good work. I had some communications with one of the previous editors a couple of years ago requesting an interview with one of the countries most overlooked prolific players...fretless genius/virtuoso/innovator Percy Jones. Too many young players havent even heard of him and that is a travesty. An incredible British legend....get him in print & put a smile on my face!

Hugely underrated bass guitars. The expensive models are as good as anything on the market. The cheaper models great value for money.

Half of my bands material! Tedious songs that make me want to chuck it (but punters always want)... sweet home, brown eyed girl, sex on fire ...more recently moves like jagger, bruno mars etc etc etc. BORING

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1357768207' post='1928230'] I've owned a standard Squier Jazz made in Indonesia in 2001, a Japanese Squier Jazz bass made in 1994, A Geddy Lee Fender Jazz Bass made in Japan in 2004, and a 62 reissue Fender Jazz bass also made in Japan in 1996. Both the Squiers were the equal of the Fenders in feel and sound. And there wasn't much between them when you compared quality of construction. These days most Squiers and Fenders are made with computerised lathes, so you can make them anywhere in the world you can transport your machinery. The biggest difference is price and that is down to labour costs - you can pay a worker in Indonesia or China a lot less than you would in Japan or the States. [/quote] Very valid and true statement. One nit pick though, it is actually computerised CNC routing machines that do the machining and not lathes. Lathes are for woodworking "in the round"...and not guitar building

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1353837547' post='1878794'] In my limited experience (having only played 3 GLs!) I would whole-heartedly agree with this. If you pick one up second hand (typically in the £450-£550 range) then the quality is stunning. [/quote] Yes it is a very good jazz bass indeed....but its not as good as the Lakland Darryll Jones!

The last Fender I bought was about 5 yrs ago or so for a gig that required it. I set out to buy a new US P bass, but once in the shop I tried all four new US models in stock and compared them with two highway 1 P's & out of interest a used mexican classic 50's fiesta red P. To my utter surprise the classic 50's P blew the rest away. The US P's were set up like dogs and the highway 1's werent much better. I bought the 50's classic and for £290 it did me a real turn. Despite having a neck pocket that was slighly oversized it was really quite a good workhorse. The nicest P bass I have ever played was a Lakland Bob Glaub....lighweight, killer tone, amazing neck, faultless construction/fret job. What else is there?

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1357596210' post='1925228'] Dont listen to em mate. Find a bass [i]you [/i]like and forget names and image. I would say it's a status thing but that would just confuse everybody [/quote] What I need is a Letts bass....but thats another discussion for another day