uk_lefty

String choice makes a huge difference on these. I received mine with roundwounds, changed to round tapewounds which I didn't like they sucked the tone too much, and now I have Maruszczyk flatwounds and that works perfectly for me with fingers or pick.

Nice!!! Wish they did the lefty in that blue. I love mine, I usually play a Stingray but like to bring out the JC for some gigs for a different approach and sound.

I got one, great deal used and the toneprints is a big plus. I'm very happy with mine, and like yourself only use it occasionally for a big and not very subtle change

With these scams you often get "it's for my daughter/ husband/ granddad and we don't have time to come and see it but we want it right now" so they try to pressure you, make it seem like they're not the "knowledgeable" buyer but you must hurry up they're paying full price... Etc. It's the eagerness to get the thing completed and distancing themselves from it ("it's not for me") so you can't have a technical discussion that's the giveaway.

Great thread, really enjoying reading this. As a left handed bassist who fancies a bit of vocals I've always wanted to do a Beatles tribute, contacted someone a year ago who was setting one up but he'd already canned the idea and moved on to Cream, which I also thought about but realised the guy was flaky and changeable at a seconds notice. My current band did a 2000's night a few months back and we've been booked for another. That feels a good fit for us but we have been debating how far we need to go with the theme, how we dress, how we present the songs, to make it viable as a show and get booked for other venues. It's a long debate with no conclusion!

Do you have the option to buy both online together, carefully unpack them and return the one you don't want to keep? Might be the best way to test through your own gear and playing style.

+1 for Wunjo. Completely no pressure sales and great service. I can get my bass set up there for free at any time forever, sadly I don't live or work close enough for that to be worthwhile but it's a great commitment! North West Guitars have been brilliant with me phoning up and asking random questions about electronics and hardware. Manson's in Exeter are fantastic as well, whether in person while I'm visiting family in the area, or remotely when I'm ordering Mojo fake leather straps from them.

I've got a V9 too. Still not sure if it's "better" than my old G1 V7 vintage that I had. I suppose when they put ebony fingerboards and matching headstocks on the G2 V7 range there wasn't much setting the V9 apart except the flamed top. I personally really like the flamed top on mine, it was a big attraction, being lefty and not usually having access to these type of things, but guess they didn't sell so well. I don't think anyone is going to miss them.

For a covers band I'd try to get a recording done at a gig where you have a decent venue with sound man/ lady and some mics picking up crowd noise. If you've got someone who can add video footage to that audio then you can show potential venues what they get... Do they get three pensioners tapping their foot in an empty pub to offkey badly rehearsed covers or do they get an enthusiastic band who gets a crowd singing along and dancing? For a covers band a studio recording isn't going to do much for you, it's not the "experience" that you are trying to sell. Also, with social media etc these days a good live recording and a video, even if it's a montage of photos over your audio, is almost an essential. We were speaking to someone who books bands recently who admitted it doesn't matter so much how good a band is, if their social media is good then it's more indicative that you will get a good crowd in. Make of that what you will, but if you want to get gigs I don't think you can go very far without it.

I always think a preamp DI pedal is a good investment, better than a spare amp.

Well it looks like Stew made the right decision in the end! My last leaving a band take was roughly a year ago. The five of us had become good friends and two of the lads had the band logo tattooed on themselves so it was a tough decision to go. However, five and a half years of playing roughly the same set and to the same people became too much for me. I was having a lot of stuff stack up causing me stress including the band which should have been more fun than stress. Taking a step back I realised a few things about how certain people were using the band as their way of being centre of attention amongst their group of friends, rather than being in a band to make music and play in new places. There were many small gripes but it all came to a head when I was criticised for taking three days away to go to a Wedding, "pretty long f'ing wedding!", and a gig was booked for a weekend I was away and played without rehearsal. Needless to say it was a disaster. Walking felt tough but I knew I had to do it and I'd already been looking at setting up my own side project anyway. I'm now in a much busier and much more professional band but it's nowhere near as stressful because the other people in the band are so level headed and we're all pulling in the same direction. It's taken a while to find it but I'm doing more gigs, more varied music, better venues and taking home more money, all of which = more enjoyment.

The unlined fretless P with a maple board can be the 1978 reissue. Entire new product line made of really heavy woods and with the quirky logos they had at the time! Jackpot. In all seriousness unlined fretless Fenders would be cool. Working for Fender product development must be easy. Need a new product lads, pass me some of our old catalogues and a thesaurus so I can find alternatives to elite, ultra, professional, etc.

Khoi Khoi bar, Letchworth. The Desert Penguins playing rocked up pop and guitar driven covers from the last twenty years. First time at this venue, hoping for a good one!

Anyone seen the new Sire line? Looks the same as before but now there's a V8 (no idea) and the V10 is now a V10x with hipshot bridge and tuners.

In three colours!!!! The revolution has arrived just in time for the latest and biggest financial crisis in my lifetime. One step forward, ten back.

Not sure if you play guitar as well and that's why the question, but a guitarist I played with for a while used a Dunlop mini bass Wah on guitar and it sounded great. I've used the full sized unit and though big and heavy it's got a great range to it and is dead easy to use. I've now got an AMT Bass Wah that needs a good click press down on the toe to turn it on (unlike the Dunlop that just reads your mind) but still sounds pretty good with three different settings. I'll try my AMT bass Wah with guitar in the next few days now, I'm curious. A guitar wah robbing the lows would affect your solos IMO and make you sound like you're at the bottom of a tin lined well so you'd be best off with something that retains the bottom end and keeps the thickness and presence to your notes.

That's a bit of poor QC from the shop on the setup in my view. I've only ever played one Fender CS Bass and I have to say it was...... A bit like my 90s MIM Jazz. I wasn't blown away by it at all. I didn't even like the relic work, it just looked too fake and making the back of the neck look like it had been in a bonfire did nothing for the feel of it. Overall while I think some of their CS Basses look fantastic online I'd need to spend a lot of time with one before parting with my cash. You did right buying online so you could return with no fuss

I just don't see it myself. 😜

Bass Direct were doing a good offer on Maruszczyk flats a while back. I've got them on my Jack Casady and I'm pleased with them. I think I paid £20 or less for a four string set.

A proper precision is a joy. It just works. I do like a Jazz but there's just a simplicity and effectiveness of a P bass that makes me kick myself for selling mine two years ago. If you get a left handed one by accident don't put it in the bin, I'll find a use for it.

Understandable!

Nathan King. Not Nathan East. Still, it was a decent lesson nonetheless

Probably, yes. One of, both of, maybe some other factors too.

This, I think, is critical. There's so much good stuff out there for free but things mentioned in this thread are far better taught in person: posture, hand position on the back of the neck... I watch some slap tutorials on YouTube and you can't even tell if they're hitting the string at all, it could all be mime! I've only ever had one lesson. It was with Nathan King. I sent him recordings of my band and basically said "I want more musical knowledge to be a better player" it took quite a while for the lesson to get going as he tried to figure out what exactly I wanted and then how he could think of something to teach me (a great experience though and worth the money!). Some students might not be able to articulate their goals very well!

I'm no techy but when I've had cheaper pedals (Mooer, weirdly named stuff off eBay and Amazon) I've had unwanted pedalboard noise. When I've used Boss, Darkglass etc I haven't. I've always used a cheap power supply. I'm not drawing any conclusion to the exact reason except "cheaper components". If other people don't have these issues, great.