uk_lefty

The squier VM Telecaster bass and the Modern player Tele bass (with two pickups) both seem to have bitten the dust very early. Hard to find them knocking about second hand though - with either I'd be tempted to do a very simple conversion to lefty (strap pin, nut and strings switch around only) I find the big chrome pickup really visually striking, but if the sound is just mud that sucks. I have seen original telebass on eBay with a jazz pickup butchered in probably to put some more character in the sound.

So is the single coil Telecaster bass pretty much an early p (e.g the "sting" p bass) In terms of pickup placement and tone? Or is there a difference?

Bob you've captured it! I remember a snarky Jeff Berlin interview where he was really disparaging towards people who don't sight read and know classical music, made me think he's a c*ck. Playing bass, like most things in life, is a case of do what you enjoy (as long as all involved are consenting adults and nobody gets hurt)

So the precision or jazz thread got me thinking... What happened to the telecaster bass? Being left handed I Kay never get a go on one, though I have lusted after them and even the Squire that was out a few years back... So, were these any good? What is the sound like? A classic bass or something that just wasn't on a par with the p and j?

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1464021623' post='3055826'] Its rather like asking whether a chicken madras is better than a lamb dhansak. There's no reason why a bit of variety should be considered a bad thing. But if I could only choose one it would be a P. [/quote] No word of a lie, I always order a chicken dhansak as hot as a Madras... It's unbeatable

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1463942816' post='3055224'] Thanks! I've contacted them to ask if they do a lefty model. [/quote] The Gold Tone lefty was on eBay a year or so back... It definitely exists!

Saw a band recently where the bassist used one of these through a fender rumble (probably the 500) and the sound was excellent. Just typical issue of no lefties being made... :'(

Being kack handed I stand on the right so there's no risk of headstock clashing. The singer likes the symmetry my upside down handedness brings to the visuals...

Still trying to work this out... At the moment precision for its simplicity, but that bridge pickup and skinny neck on the jazz certainly adds something.

I still have the manual for an amp I sold on a few years ago. Might be good for an owner of one of these amps should they also be looking to sell on. I'll post it to whoever wants it, no charges at all, I hate throwing things away! PM me if you want it

General ass-holery... Like the guy "leading" a band with two female singers (one former pro) recruiting rock players like myself, but insisting on playing mostly stereophonics songs. With two female singers. Who sing 80s ballads beautifully. Who don't sound right singing stereophonics songs. The strength of that band was the singers, all we needed was to play songs within a genre that suited them and it could have been very good. Constant chopping and changing of set list to the point you never get a settled list of what to play. Arguing over new songs to play all the time. Not having a consistent "theme" in the songs... With covers bands I always find an audience needs to know what they're getting otherwise "vague witty band name" playing jailhouse rock and then Adele just confuses people and prevents them sticking around. Not respecting other peoples opinions is a big one too. If I suggest a song I think will work it's ok to disagree, I'm fine with that, but to be abusive time and time again is just not worth my time. Having a singer who walks around spitting and a guitarist who cannot play in time was my reason to leave a biker band years back. No regrets there Guitarist and singer turning up drunk for rehearsal and getting more and more pissed while you've paid for the room was also a factor in one swift exit!

The active circuit isn't the best and I've found it benefits from some additional eq through my hartke vxl... Which defeats the point of the active somewhat but in combination I've found some happy mid ground and a good clanky funky tone. I can recommend GHS bass Boomer strings. For what could be considered quite naff looking I'm actually finding it incredibly playable, better for slap than my fender jazz. I'd love body wings on a headless but wouldn't want to retro fit. Mine came with an original vinyl/ fake leather hard case which has zips instead of latches, which raises the game considerably when it comes to coolness. My band love it too, which is odd because I thought they'd kick my ass for bringing this bass!

I have heard that the behringer plastic cases are ABS and not standard plastic, so much tougher. The tuner pedal I used for four years or so is still in one piece with no signs of cracks or anything. I really don't think the casing is anything to worry about. Put the behringer guts in a metal case and you'll still have the same effect.

I have had three of their bass chorus pedals, each one has failed after less than two hours use. I have used for about four or five years their tuner pedal though and found that did it's job admirably. However, now I have enough pedals to warrant a board I've only replaced it for something smaller, no quality issue.

I bought this cheap and cheerful distortion/ fuzz and took it straight to rehearsal. I've seen recommendations to stay away from this pedal on this forum but never a review... So here comes a review! Yes, better pedals will exist. However my criteria were cheap without being "too cheap" and using as little space as possible. I wanted a distortion of some sort as my band has gigs where I may be using a provided backline so can't rely on my amps built in overdrive. I had heard that this pedal is a clone of the ehx bass blogger, which I used to own, so I had a good idea what I was getting tonewise but with a fraction of the pedal board footprint. The distortion and fuzz... Not massively distinguishable from each other I'm afraid, but I keep the gain low for a gritty sound rather than a full buzz saw effect. I used this with both a p bass and a headless hohner in to the rehearsal spaces Orange amp. The sound was what I was looking for, not the warmest and most natural sounding but effective under two guitars for adding the grittiness I wanted. I can't see me playing around too much with the settings. Running an envelope filter before the distortion combined the two effects well, and despite its tiny size it was easy to find with the sole of my boot. If you love heavy distortion and it's an integral part of your sound invest in a different pedal, you'll appreciate it more. However if you only need the odd touch of distortion now and then you won't go wrong with this one as a live and rehearsal tool, for recording you may want something more lavish to get a warmer sound from. For less than fifty quid I think this is good value. Having had cheap bass overdrives before this is definitely a step above the bottom of the range guff you can get, but there are many many more upward steps if that's your style of play. The case seems durable and the tiny size is a blessing.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1462987431' post='3047637'] They may be worth a go on my fretless, I love the sound of rounds on a fretless but not the damage they do to the fret board, I will give some a go [/quote] Me too! Got standard Ernie ball flats at the moment but a but more of a roundwound tone would suit me better

I have the Steve Harris Sig. Pickup in my MIJ P bass and the sound is HUGE. It's a big, open clear bass tone. I also have the Steve Harris sig. Strings. They're heavy and take some getting used to but it is such a big and clear tone, can't think how else to describe it. I'm not a Steve Harris fan either, but I will be keeping the pickup and strings as long as possible.

If it happened to me I wouldn't find it funny... But thank you for sharing, it made me chuckle a bit. Hope your bass appears soon!

I have the toneman 300 combo. Very good value.

Massively under played song that is unmistakably RHCP!

These look amazing!! Anybody have a rough idea of how much a lefty conversion would cost... And whether it would be effective?

Went for less than 150????!!!

Not a musician but I once asked Tracey Emin for directions to the bass centre (??) Near Liverpool street station. She didn't know. I realised it was her the next day. I also stood on her friends foot by accident.

Hi Phin, love the ambition and hope you make it!! You certainly know a good bass player and good bass music already so now it's just about finding something comfortable for you. A PJ bass sounds like good solid advice, as you start playing with more musicians they may not always appreciate your Larry Graham repetoire so having a multi functional bass where you can just whack on the P pickup and play 90% of all rock music with a solid tone that cuts through. Have a tickle on a few basses and see what feels best to start you off. Best of luck

Hi. I had a Brice six string about nine years ago. It was HEAVY, really really heavy. I found the neck manageable but the pickups and overall tone were poor. The top was a very thin laminate on a very thick body. I sold it on quickly. Had it been a four stringer I'd have said it was no more than a nice looking beginner bass. Having said that I would consider their jazz bass style six stringer but would ideally want to try first. It looks pretty and the pickups would be easier to replace. No experience of Ibanez but from reputation I would expect it to be far superior.