BB2000

[quote name='philbillbass' post='22641' date='Jun 24 2007, 01:21 PM']what are the advantages of MIJ fenders? i mean is it just they are affordable but for great quality. for example:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-57-Precision-Bass-in-Fiesta-Red-Shadows_W0QQitemZ300122294963QQihZ020QQcategoryZ4713QQcmdZViewItem is that a good buy? all opinions welcome[/quote] No, it isn't. If you're after a 57 your best bet at the moment is the MIM classic 50. Probably the best value fender available at the moment.

[quote name='ngombe' post='13319' date='Jun 6 2007, 09:43 PM']I play a lot of different styles but so far I haven't really found where the P shines. I know it wouldn't be such a bass icon without reason - please help me to discover it's strengths.[/quote] You're a troll, and I claim my free prize ..

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='13480' date='Jun 7 2007, 10:22 AM']Sunburst? Ah.. can't help you there. Sorry! It's to balance out my collection. I don't like odd numbers. [/quote] Nice score.

-->QUOTE(Lenny B @ Jun 4 2007, 11:15 PM) [snapback]12171[/snapback] Is it possible to date a bass to its build month? Somewhere on my GAS list is a Precision, and i thought it would be nice to find one that was the same age as me (august 75) - see which one of us ages better![/quote] They have dated pots, pups, neck and if you're lucky body. There's often no markings on '75 necks due to the green vampire ink they used. So you can't really date one accurately unless you strip it down.

[quote name='mhuk' post='12158' date='Jun 4 2007, 11:07 PM']It may be just shy of a metric tonne, but can someone tell me specifically what is poor quality about a late 70's Precision?[/quote] Don Randall and Leo Fender had nothing to do with Fender by 69. QA seemed to slip. Natural finish (Ash) became popular in early 70's, Fender purchasing started buying Northern Ash and any old crap to meet the demand (hence the 12lb etc. precisions in late 70's). Up to '73 ish most instruments were assembled with quality components and timber, after that it was hit or miss for quite some time.

No point shoving 'em under the bed. Honest playing wear doesn't really matter all that much in the vintage Fender market. Keeping 'em original is the thing.

Ain't rocket science. They're the price they are because that's the price people are prepared to pay. And IMHO they are a good buy, because they are sought after, and there is a limited supply resulting in a sellers market. I've been looking for an early 70's Precision for a while, and when I see one that ticks the boxes, that I'm happy is genuine, I'll pay the going rate. And I'll probably buy more. Prices ain't going to go down, so as well as a nice bass you've the bonus of a potential nice return on your investment when you coil up your leads for the last time. There's not many basses you can say that about Wall's might be another (I hope).

Percy Jones, look him up. Sobering to think that good as he is, he's unable to make a living from music.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='10382' date='Jun 1 2007, 08:34 AM']The bodyguard is just a clip-on thing. It's good that it's there.[/quote] They can leave a bad imprint on the instrument finish around the edge of the guard, which can't be removed.

[quote name='OldGit' post='10250' date='May 31 2007, 10:48 PM']And thats a plus point because...?[/quote] Well, where I live it's a plus point because I've never yet had a problem with parcelforce/royal mail (wrt damage) but I have with the local dingle-berries who handle delivery for the likes of DHL. The only problem I have with PF is this bl**dy stupid £150 limit! A lot of the small courier companies (apart from the one man one job lot - who would charge about £500 to deliver a bass to London from where I live) work through one another, so a parcel sent with them might go through say a dozen separate operators. Even though your local one may treat your goods with kid gloves you're unlikely even to know which other companies will be handling your parcel. Few years back I had a $15000 dollar electronic instrument delivered (UPS) to my home address (should have gone to my work, but that was my mistake). Shipping was about $300-400 because it weighed about 80lb. At Aberdeen it had been transferred to some local muppet with a van who left it outside my front door in the (usual) pissing rain sometime on a Friday where it lay until I got home the next day. When I complained I was told that I had signed for it. At least I know with the royal mail group (at least where I live) they wouldn't have been so cavalier.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='9762' date='May 31 2007, 11:01 AM']the bass i sent yesterday with DHL through interparcel has just turned up safe and sound and whilst i don't know how the package was treated in transit, I daresay I would ship with them again - especially if they're happy insuring basses (I didn't think to check, but the value of the bass didn't exceed £150). It also occurred to me that the UK leg of Thomann shipments is handled by DHL and I've never heard of any of their stuff broken in transit. Thumbs up from me i suppose[/quote] You've got to be kidding! Probably about 20% ir the parcels I get from Thomman have been badly treated (burst open, or with perforations or with contents broken). However, this may be because DHL seem to use local contractors for the final delivery outside major population centres, and they appear to be cowboys. UPS are the same. Fedex seem to have their own delivery vans (at least where I am). One good thing about Thomman is that there's never been a problem with sending a replacement. One plus point with parcelforce is that it is either parcelforce or the royal mail who handle your pacel from collection until delivery.

This thread has me s**ting bricks. Can someone clarify which courier (who accepts orders from non-account holders) does offers insurance that covers musical instruments? Would amplifiers and cabinets be classed as instruments?

[quote name='OldGit' post='8490' date='May 29 2007, 10:14 AM']Hi Do you have a link to a website please? Ta[/quote] +1 I've a bass to send this week - always used PF in the past with no problems but now looking to change.

[quote name='guitarnbass' post='7207' date='May 26 2007, 05:05 PM']Why loosen the strings when sending instruments?[/quote] To remove stress at the headstock/neck join. Certain designs (such as gibson guitars) are susceptible to breakage at this point, and weakening the strings is alleged to reduce the risk of this happening. In the case of fender basses I doubt if it makes any difference (and I don't bother).

[quote name='OldGit' post='6359' date='May 25 2007, 11:12 AM']"Guitars and other musical instruments should be packaged in a [b]hard case [/b]with sufficient internal packaging to ensure that the instrument cannot move during transit. Please note that if the instrument hard case is used as the external packaging then the case itself will be treated as packaging and not contents, as a result the case will not be covered for damage compensation. Any instrument strings should be loosened. [b]Musical instruments will only be covered up to £150 of compensation for loss or damage[/b]." Has to be in a hard case and you can only claim £150, no matter how much it's worth or how much copmpensation insurance the counter person sold you .. Grrrrrrrrrrr[/quote] I've been trailing through the online terms and conditions and can't find this statement anywhere - could you point me to it? EDIT - found it in the packaging guidelines! This disclaimer never used to be there - I read these several months back. I see it also instructs the sender to loosen guitar strings.

[quote name='ShaunB' post='7678' date='May 27 2007, 03:49 PM']...question... do you find the top string close to the side of the neck? It's quite different from my 44-02D and I have found myself pinching it over at times. cheers Sahun[/quote] Can't you you tilt the D and G saddles a little to force the strings towards the centre of the board?

Thanks Nik, I'll get in touch with Paul.

Given that Pete's not doing any repair work at the moment can someone recommend a luthier familiar with Wall basses (fret work rather than electrics).

The main thing to worry about with the Ash basses is that sometimes you can end up with a boat anchor. The alder ones seem to bit a bit more consistent in their weights. I've seen the (ash) jazz ones go from 9 to well over 12 pounds.

That's the one.

Never seen one.

I don't know about the Rufus book/DVD, but Bob Gollihur sells getting started series (only costs $30 or so IIRC) which a lot of people recommend.

How does the build quality and sound of the SB1000 reissues compare with the originals? Pricewise they don't seem to bad (at least in Yen - I haven't found UK pricing). I notice they also have a slighyly cheaper range of SB1000's with black hardware at about 75% of the price. [quote name='MB1' post='3072' date='May 20 2007, 07:38 PM']MB1. hi its a aria LEB laser active classic the serial no for my old one was 5051048.i have had 2 of these basses,i have a photo of 5051048 its the same as yours. so now you know,funnily enough i just found my first proper bass again after last seeing it in 1982 it managed to get all the way to macclesfield from chorlton.an aria pro2 sb special 2 in black,which i managed to get back for £80(silly price,some people prefer electric guitars specifically,i for one care less for them!).the last bass like yours i saw was on ebay at a start price of £250 immaculate apparently.this like many of the aria range were and still are great playing basses and really well made,they made some nice guitars too,they still feel and play better than some of the so called big name gear.i wont be parting with my sb again,i sugest you get the duster out give this a swipe and get it gigged. all the best MB1. aria recently reissued john taylor(duran duran)s aria sb bass for a load of bucks but the build quality reflects this ,by todays standards ,an eightys reissue at a 2007 price that still cuts the mustard.aria were unbeatable value in the eightys and there still good today.[/quote]

A couple of others to consider - Yamaha BB's and G&l SB-2. Unless it has to have Fender on the headstock.