Musky

Well, there's quite a few variables there but here's my take:

1) If you can't get to a shop that stocks your combo or it's discontinued, take your own along. Probably best to call first though.
2) Ask to try it through other combos. What it will sound like through a PA is anyone's guess - it's not just due to the variability of the combination of different PA's and rooms, but your sound is pretty much in the hands of the engineer as well.
3) Never assume that it's going to be better with a set up - it might be playing as well as it's ever going to.
4) Unless you use flats it probably won't sound substantially different (assuming the strings are in good nick). The basic character of the bass will still be there, though it's likely you can find another set you'll prefer more. It's worth bearing in mind that more expensive basses are more likely to come with decent strings anyway.
5) It'll sound exactly the same when you're used to it. Your expectations or tastes may change, but then none us know what we'll want in a few years time.

Buying online can be a bit of a pig-in-a-poke, especially if you're looking at cheaper basses where quality control might not be great. On the other hand, if you buy carefully second hand off ebay, you could reasonably expect to sell it on without without making a loss if you decide you don't like it.

I was going to suggest a Squier VM Precision, but having looked at the ESP it's quite metal looking so maybe a precision is not to your taste. The ESP is a 35" scale, which is longer than standard but would make it good for detuning if that's what you're into. On the flip side it will also make it a bit harder to play, especially if your hands aren't that big.

There's a lot to be said for that Warwickhunt. If you're on the look out for for a specific item or just a bargain in general, and have put the time in on ebay, you'd not be overjoyed to see a thread about it.

On the other hand, some BCers have actually benefitted from these kind of threads. It's a bit of a two way street. Plenty of links go up in the JapCrap thread, and I consider these more of an information service more than anything else - a lot of these basses go for bargain prices anyway (for what they are) and Jon's comments are usually an education. I'm equally as sure that particular thread has prevented a few unsuspecting people from buying Japcrap in the truest sense of the word.

I wouldn't like to see a ban but yes, maybe people could pause to reflect before posting a link.

[quote name='Bassman7' post='97859' date='Dec 2 2007, 11:17 PM']Ed Straker says: "It's part of late 60s early 70s British culture don't you know..."

Caption: S.I.D. (Space Intruder Detector)

"Alert...unidentified bass player unfamiliar with classic Gerry Anderson late 60s Sci-Fi culture"

(Bit of fun really!!)[/quote]

Hmm... Early seventies, surely?

Rothko had three bass players, as did Spinal Tap on Big Bottom - in fact I was in a band in the eighties with three bass players.

Cop Shoot Cop, Girls Against Boys, God Speed You Black Emporor, Treponem Pal, The Dirtbombs, The Vipers (the Manchester one) and Deity Guns all had two bass players.

Bands have two guitarists, even two drummers, with no problems so why not double up in the bass department. Twice the fun!

[quote name='Bassassin' post='97178' date='Dec 1 2007, 12:09 PM']Nothing about that suggests it's anything other than a generic cheapo J copy with a period-incorrect Ibanez transfer slapped on it.

Worth bearing in mind, [b]no[/b] Ibanez copy had that style of logo, ever.

J.[/quote]

Absolutely. I think the logo first appeared on the JEM series in the late eighties, by which time Ibanez had long since given up on direct copies.

Though to be fair to the seller, he's not actually selling it as an Ibanez.

Danelectro do plenty of curvy pedals.

[attachment=3843:FAB_E_2T.jpg]

Though obviously that one's an echo so probably not what he was using.

[quote name='mistahbenn' post='96295' date='Nov 29 2007, 07:19 PM']He did and he was thankful, he's also left feedback for the seller hehehehehe @)[/quote]

Did he reply to you then? I often wonder in these sort of scam auctions whether the bidders think they're getting the real deal, or whether they just bid to spoil the auction.

[quote name='16Again' post='96073' date='Nov 29 2007, 11:58 AM']My first bass was in 1982 and it was a Kay P bass kinda thing bought for about £70 from santas grotto but i think it actually came from my mums Marshal Ward clubby book, i 'found' it in my mums wardrobe when i was doing pre-christmas present snopping
That was the year i found ALL my christmas presents before christmas [/quote]

I think my first bass was the same - a natural precision copy by Kay. Weighed a ton, ridiculously high action that couldn't be cured because it not only had 6 bolts, but was glued as well. Cost me £70 in 1980.

I gave it to my brother - no idea if he still has it.

[quote name='bremen' post='95353' date='Nov 27 2007, 10:24 PM']Fukking he11, he's already sold an instrument with the same serial number for $3500

I've grassed him up to ebay, wonder what they'll do about it?[/quote]

Well, it wasn't him that was the original seller. This guy has just copied the original auction's details and a few of it's photos.

It's dodgy alright - [url="http://ekg.ebay.com/items/desc/140177721545/"]http://ekg.ebay.com/items/desc/140177721545/[/url]

Why do scammers make it so easy to do a search by including serials and pot dates?

[quote name='Weird War' post='94755' date='Nov 26 2007, 08:45 PM'][size=4][b][url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DXc_OvTpOLA"]Jon Spencer Blues Explosion[/url][/b][/size][/quote]

Good call! Likewise Jon Spencer's earlier stuff with Pussy Galore.

I'd add to that early Cramps stuff as well, especially The Most Exalted Potentate of Love. None of their later stuff with a bass comes close - with that much fuzz who needs bass.

I think I'm doing myself out of a job here.

[quote name='Russ' post='94369' date='Nov 26 2007, 02:13 AM']This is more or less correct. I believe the bass he used on RHCP and Freaky Styley was, in fact, a Musicman Cutlass (basically a Stingray with a Modulus Graphite neck - this is the bass the Flea Bass was based on). Other than that, yep, it's all pretty much right, apart from the fact that Stadium Arcadium is roughly half-and-half the '61 Jazz and the Modulus. The '61 J was strung with flats and sounds very different to the Modulus Flea - you can seriously hear the difference between the two basses on the album tracks.[/quote]

I think you're right about the cutlass - I've got a video from The Tube in '85 where it's obviously a Musicman he's playing, but you can clearly see the back of the neck is entirely black (it's a bit hard to make out the front as it's covered with tape and stickers).

Some of the footage was used on the official video for Freaky Styley, though you can see in other edited in segments that he's using a bass with a skunk stripe.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='94016' date='Nov 25 2007, 01:01 AM']BTW whoever's selling that Franconia's a know-all gobsh!te, ain't they?

J.[/quote]

That one's yours I take it then Jon?

The Electra auction has ended early - someone must have made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

A lot of people here like their Markbass amps, but by no means all. There was some discussion of this recently which might suggest it'd be best to try one out before purchasing, especially if you can't afford to take a hit by selling it on. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8726"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8726[/url]

One man's meat is another man's poison.

Welcome to the forum!

I've got to disagree with those who suggest not bothering to try out a cheaper bass first. It's usually the lower end stuff that has the biggest issues with quality control. Although I've not heard that this is particularly a problem with VM Squiers, why not go for the best one available? If you got a friend to guide you, not having played much yourself shouldn't be any obstacle.

Wunjo's is the only shop in Denmark St worth bothering with in my experience, although their bass stock is small. Sound Control beneath Virgin Megastore could be worth a visit at a quiet time of day, if only for the amount of stock they carry.

I can see were it says 'Fender' on the headstock, but should it not also say 'Jazz Bass'?

I think I'd want to check with the seller that it definitely is a Fender before paying for that.

You've got it in one - the amps output will be split equally between cabs.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='92663' date='Nov 22 2007, 12:21 PM']I agree with both of the last posts and the value of anything is down to how much it's worth to you as a buyer, but is there a case that says "well a late 70s Jazz is worth between 1200 and 1400 quid (for example) but that ones had the pickups replaced so I'd knock 100 quid off for that?

or am i just saying the same things differently?! [/quote]

I think there's a case for that but other buyers might disagree, especially if they really liked the replacement pickups. The difficulty comes with how much of a premium the buyer puts on originality. An early nineties jazz with SD's might fetch more than a stock item, but at some point in the future originality will start to become more important to collectors. Exactly when that time comes is anybody's guess.

You also seem to get a tipping point, when condition or originality ceases to become so much of an issue. A battered non-original probably wouldn't attract the attention of collectors but still be of interest to players. In that case restoring the bass would probably far more than you could get for it in the restored condition. It wouldn't fetch as much as one in good condition (obviously), but it probably wouldn't be devalued by as much as the cost of replacing the parts.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='92605' date='Nov 22 2007, 11:11 AM']what I'm interested to see is not how they are to live with (there's only one way to find out and most of the time, it's down to personal opinion on something like that), but how to avoid buying a dog.

There's only so much on the Fender website which allows you to date a guitar. I'd like to know what effect replacement parts has on value all the way from strap buttons to pickups. Does swapping out an original bridge for a badass and then changing it back to an original bridge again, which leaves marks and mounting holes from the badass have any affect?
Not all bad basses bark at you when you spot them and sometimes you get bitten on the arse sometime later.

That kind of thing really.[/quote]

I don't think it's possible to make an exact science on valuing a bass solely on a part by part basis - it should be regarded as a whole. You could factor in the cost of buying a genuine period correct replacement, but I don't think that would accurately reflect the value of the instrument. A metallic pink refinish would probably lower the price of a bass more than an olympic white one, and an after market tortoiseshell guard might well find more fans than a damaged original. It can be a hard job to put a price on mojo.

The Hohner B2 and Jack are both passive headless basses.

There was some talk of doing a wiki for 70's Fenders just before Basstalk ended, with someone (I can't remember who) offering to kick the whole thing off. It seems like a good time to resurrect the idea.

Like this [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1711"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1711[/url] ?

Series 6, which dates back to 1989.

[quote name='tauzero' post='90932' date='Nov 19 2007, 04:46 PM']Incidentally, Roland seem to think that the Cube-100 puts out 100W (although they don't actually state that it's RMS). Where do you get the 28W figure from?[/quote]

I'm assuming it's from the sticky about volume, where alex stated that given a nominal 1V input a 100W amp will produce a max output voltage of 28V.