molan

[quote name='99ster' post='667848' date='Nov 27 2009, 11:12 PM']...of the daddies![/quote] I've just zapped him a note - I really need to get my SVTII non-pro sorted. I'm loving some of the FAQ stuff on his site

[quote name='chris_b' post='659204' date='Nov 19 2009, 01:42 PM']I used to play at the Cartoon in Croydon[/quote] I've played there as well - last time was to a mostly heavy goth crowd & we were playing '70's rock. We were headlining with an awful Goth outfit called 'Spit Like This' supporting. They were truly dreadful, turned up in a hearse and all seemed to have completely brand new gear, mostly BC Rich & Marshall stacks from what I remember. They genuinely couldn't play them to save their lives but they went down a storm and, astonishingly, 7-8 years later they are still going and have an album out! Anyway - we came on & it took about 2 songs to empty the goths out & we were playing to the bar staff & sound man who really liked us & helped us get some gigs at other venues!

Standard D'Addario 4 string set colours are: Green 45 Black 65 Red 85 Brass 105

Wath out for weight issues with later 70's P's. There's some monsters out there!

My old functions band were booked to play at on of the Inns of Court just off Chancery Lane for the wedding of a very senior judge. Super flash & very expensive wedding in a room full of old antiques - we went to move a table at one point and three people ran over to tell us it was a priceless relic that Henry 8th had used as a dining table at some point. Anyway, as is so often the case, everything was running horribly late & we came on about an hour after we'd been booked to play. Did our first 45 minute set and went down quite well. at the break the judge came over and quietly asked if we'd be 'terribly upset' if we didn't go back on for the second set. Turned out the disco they'd booked to play after us was being run by some young relative who'd never DJ'd live before & his family were putting pressure on the judge to give him a decent amount of time to do his stuff on the decks. We were due to earn £1,700 for the gig and he offered us £2,000 if we would not only not play the seconf set but could clear out of the, very convenient, back door in under half an hour. He also said we could stay & drink for free at the bar afterwards if we wanted My guitarist very much took him at his word - I've never seen him clear his gear so fast. He then got completely smashed at the bar and ended up snogging some ludicrously upmarket girl & nearly got clocked by her fiance, lol. All in all a great night!

[quote name='deksawyer' post='665220' date='Nov 25 2009, 03:45 PM']Well one of the benefits of the East pre is the passive switch. Great idea!! D.[/quote] Good point - I never use it on the OW for some reason. I'll have a play tonight

My Overwater Jazz currently has a J-Retro fitted which I'm vaguely happy with (it arrived with this fitted so I've never heard it with any other pre installed). As part of a trade I recently received an Audere JZ3 VB 3B and have been toying with swapping it with the J-Retro. Just wondered if anyone ahd ever tried this direct back to back comparison and what their views were on the differences between the two set ups?

I have to say that my AC has really made me re-appraise what I'm looking for in a bass. It's not the most stunning bass I've owned to look at - in fact I still struggle a bit with the headstock and, in my personal casen sunburst isn't my favourite finish. However I do think it just 'works' better than anything I've owned. My only current reservation is that I haven't had a chance yet to play it back to back against my favourite Spector. It's also made me think more about my Overwater J - a very fine bass indeed. The OW compares very favourably with the AC - certainly if you take the relative costs into accout. I'm woondering a different pre in the OW would bring it even closer. I have an Audere kicking around which might give me some different options to the J-Retro it currently has.

I'd definitely go with the option of buying something out there if you really need one. Check the SF shops in advance & pre-order. Might find a decent used Squier for peanuts. Remove the neck on the way home & stick the parts in a suitcase (be prepared for US security to open your case though as it'll show up on the x-ray). Dragging something with you could be a right pain & you'll be worried up to the last minute on whether they'll let you on board or not!

I must admit that a good starting point might be to stop thinking of this as a '63 Jazz. If you think about it as something with a nice neck & body that you've grown to love plus some old electrics then all you're potentially tinkering with is something that has sentimental (rather than high monetary) value. If you're sentimental about the heavy body then just keep it & accept you need to buy one of the zillions of fantastic light weight basses on the market today. If you're not sentimental than hang on to the bits you like & junk the rest - plenty of lighter weight bodies out there to fit the neck to and your end result would be just as much a '63 J as your current bass. One thing to watch out for might be balance - if it currently balances really well then a lighter body could wreck this and make it neck heavy (although a set of hipshot ultralites could make a huge difference).

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='658125' date='Nov 18 2009, 02:22 PM']It's about flippin' time! Glad you're finally up to it. That's good news. Anyway.. it's a GREAT bass. That pickup is as poky as they get, and the whole bass feels great. [/quote] Only issue I had was that it didn't balance as well as my AC or MTD (my 'reference' basses). However that may simply be that I was using an old school smooth leather strap rather than one of my Comfort Strapps which tend to support the bass better.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='658122' date='Nov 18 2009, 02:18 PM']*baits breath* [/quote] Opps - hit the send button by mistake - must have still been in shck from the joy of a '72 P last night

So I bought WoT's lovely '72 P bass on a bit of a whim & have been mostly just playing quietly at home. However last night I took to rehearsals just to see how it worked in a band mix at loud volume (of course we rehearse far too loudly!). I sounded just great with such an out & out rock tone. There was a pick sitting on top of the bass amp & I just couldn't resist using it - despite having not played anything with a pick for years. Dropped the strap a few notches & I was in pure old school rock heaven Thin Lizzy bass parts kept popping into my head & I'm sure I managed to irritate everyone, expect my loud ex thras metal guitarist, by continually hitting everything really hard & playing far too many notes. . . Had a great time though - will ahve to try the '78 J next week in the same setting