Dingus

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1367857168' post='2070290'] That's put me right off pulling my knob - with a screwdriver blade or otherwise. [/quote] I feel cleansed . I am enjoying my new life , free of sin and wrongfulness . I will not rise to the bait you putting in front of me by talking about knobs . You mean potentiometers . Sometimes they can be difficult to remove during instrument repair procedures and an specialist implement is now available to fascilitate their safe removal . [u]There is absolutely nothing sexual about that[/u] .

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1367856671' post='2070281'] minus points for G&L's spelling of "turquoise" [/quote] These are turqoise , it's a slightly different colour .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1367856564' post='2070279'] Is Harriet Harman a clue..? [/quote] No more filth , smut or innuendo from me ...

I would love to recount an anecdote about an accident I had doing my zip up too fast and without undue care whilst wearing a pair of ski trousers , but unfortunately I have already been warned by the moderaters about cleaning up my act .

Love the sound of G&L basses , love Tom Hamilton's playing , but these basses look like they have been decorated with glitter by some schoolchildren for Christmas . Way too Liberace for my tastes , I'm afraid . Also chronic neck dive on all ASAT basses , sorry to say . They need to sort that out like EBMM did on the Reflex / 25 Anniversary model .

That looks absolutely fantastic . I want one .

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1367760335' post='2069121'] The trouble is I already have an Am Std Jazz and it's not that great. I got it s/h on here and spent a fair bit on a fret dress to make it playable and putting a new bridge on it. It's also a touch on the heavy side, unlike SOME 70s fenders that I've played / owned. You're second point is exactly what I'm trying to say - I'm sure that loads of people would actually buy a bass like that if they sold at the right pricepoint! [/quote] Is your American Standard Jazz a post -2008 ( when they had the upgrades ) one ? In any case , as we all know , Fenders of any vintage are totally hit and miss when it comes to finding a good one . I too have owned some very light 70's Fenders , by virtue of the fact that I would never buy a heavy one , but I probably wouldn't choose to pay the going rate for one nowadays when I look at what else I could have for the money .

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1367755656' post='2069055'] Yea, if you had a slim P neck (as opposed to a narrow J one) with a maple fingerboard, then that is exactly what I'm talking about! I wouldn't want to be paying custom shop prices though, but how about a series in between the American Special & Standard ranges? I think that would be interesting... [/quote] Your best bet might just be getting a Jazz pickup put on a post - 2008 American Standard . The 1.625 nut width and modern "C" profile on those basses is perfect for what you want . Why Fender don't make one like that , I have no idea . I'm sure plenty of people would buy them .

Lovely bass . Looks a little bit earlier than 1985 to me , with the paddle headstock ect . As far as I know , Wal stopped making these in the early 1980's . How much you can sell it for depends on a few things . Firstly , the working condition of the bass - providing the the neck is sound and the electronics work o.k ( I think some of the spares for this model are getting to be in short supply ) then you can expect a very good return on this guitar . The cosmetic condition of the bass looks to be very good , so that counts in your favour , too . If you have the original Wal case that will also significantly add to the value . The other thing to consider is how quickly you need to sell the bass , in so much as even though the bass is probably worth in the region of £2000 ( you might even get more than that if you sold it in a shop rather than on Basschat ) , there are a couple for sale on Basschat at around that price that haven't sold and have been reduced a bit to try and shift them . I think the problem is not so much that people think they are over - valued so much as there just isn't a lot of money about at the moment . A lot of folks would be ready to pay a couple of grand for one of these but they just don't have the money at the current time . If you can be patient I'm sure someone would buy this bass for a very good price sooner or later , though . They are superb and highly desirable basses with great cache .

I think these new production models are supposed to be retailing from about the £2650 region , or something around that . Not that bad , really .

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1367690124' post='2068500'] The one thing that this thread seems to show is that people want Fenders to look like Fenders! The one thing you can say about such an iconic brand is that there is not a lot wrong with the styling of P or J basses! What I would like to see is something like a ‘70s Player’ series, which would include a lightweight PJ bass with a Badass bridge and a not too chunky maple neck with a skunk stripe. Basically, the best that you would hope to find from a modded 70s fender P bass. I might even buy one myself if they got the build quality and price right… [/quote] Did you see the 2011/ 12 Precision Pro ? It was beautiful , which is why these latest ones are such a bad joke :

They look to be the ones . As far as I know , they would be what Fender used in your bass , but please do whatever else you can to make absolutely sure that is the case before you part with your money - I would hate to steer you wrong . But in all likelihood they would be what Fender would out in an Am Standard bass . , I expect .

[quote name='bigevilman' timestamp='1367679729' post='2068335'] Its a 3 band eq, with a selector changing it from series to parallel. [/quote] Series will be noticably louder and have more pronounced low mids that will help you be heard with loud guitars ect , generally speaking .

[ [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1367679552' post='2068330'] I like Bass almost maxed out [/quote] Fight ! Fight ! Fight !

The Stingray can be a bit of a muddle at first to find a sound that cuts through in a rock group situation . First thing is start with the tone controls half way , on the centre detent . Maxxing out the controls as some folks do gives way too much boom and tizz to the sound . Play along woth the rest of the band and try and analyse if you need to add or take anything away from the sound and then make adjustments accordingly . A major difference between the Ray and you Lakland is that the Lakland is a lot more present in the midrange , whereas Stingrays have a very pronounced scoop in the midrange frequencies , so some different amp EQing may be neccesary to get a sound that cuts .

They didn't start fitting the 60's CS pickups to the Am St basses until early 2012 . Unless they have been changed , they will be standard pickups , which I think were the Fender Original series . You could give Fender U.K a ring and see if they have any to sell .

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1367605079' post='2067569'] You have said it all really. I just don't get the Fender hype anymore. Overpriced and inconsistent. I would look at the alternatives at that price point. [/quote] That inconsistancy is Fenders achilles heel . If they were all as good as the best examples , Fenders would be fairly priced compared to the competition , in my opinion . The problem is that if you are ordering in or buying sight - unseen , you can literally have to buy half a dozen to find one without any production glitches that's worth keeping . It's pot luck as to what you will get when you open the case .

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1367599318' post='2067472'] For only a few grand more you could have bought Larry's Closet Classic Precision. I hear it's the best bass for metal. [/quote] The best bass for people with a metal plate in their head , maybe .

Came across this on YT : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp6ybb3o8H8

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1367571173' post='2066975'] I've noticed a fairly big rise across most brands, but Fender are starting to price themselves in the boutique zone now. I realise they will always have high end custom basses, and their original vintage basses will always command a lot of money, but c'mon, almost £2k?! There is one on a thread on Talkbass (new 74 Jazz) where the bridge cover was fitted on an angle! I'd expect perfection for almost £2k! [/quote] Two grand is a lot of money , Gareth , that's for sure , but if you look at the amount of extra work and detailing on these basses and the pretty sumptuous final results , it would be strange if Fender were selling them for less than these prices . They are close to boutique prices , but Fender have an advantage in company -profile and distribution which means they can find a market for these basses . Were it not for the fact that I have no need or reasonable justification for buying these basses ( and the fact that I can't be bothered to take the neck off every time I want to adjust the truss rod ) , I think would have a 63 Precision and a 74 Jazz .

If the guy conducting that interveiw is Brian Fox then I am shocked . He looks like he has aged twenty years overnight .

I like these . I would might buy one under the right circumstances , depending on the price , which I seem to remember is less than you might think ( under three grand ) .

[quote name='cloudburst' timestamp='1367532362' post='2066712'] Hey thanks for the compliment. I've just turned 48 and that photo in my profile was taken this year :-) Back on the 74 jazzes - obviously you'll always get some old instruments that have had a hard life, but of those that have been cared for, does it tend to be the 3 bolt neck models which you think aren't as good, or just Fenders in general go patchy from the mid 70s? I think mine cost about £300 back then which was a lot of money in 1974 when I was 9. I guess it has been good value. The original strings certainly owe me nothing :-) I probably have already posted some photos of it. CB [/quote] A Jazz Bass must have been a bit of a daunting prospect when you were nine ! I got my first bass when I was twelve , so compared to you I was a late starter . My dad dad didn't buy me a Fender though , unfortunately , and with hindsight if it was nowadays I would report him to Childline . I have only owned one three bolt neck Fender - a 78 Jazz that was not very inspiring , but not because of anything to do with the three bolt neck fixing . It was absolutely dead mint with the original strings , but just had little to recommend it in terms of sound or feel , similar to say a bog standard Mexican Jazz Bass you could buy for about three hundred quid nowadays . No way was it worth the £1750 - 2000 I could get for it now as an instrument to play and use , if you see what I mean . I have some very good old Fenders , too , but I usually had to have a bit of work done on them to get them playing how I like .

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1367530383' post='2066667'] I totally agree with you about the price. I paid £400 for mine all those years ago but wouldn't pay a couple of grand for one nowadays. On the other hand if you see my one for sale in the classifieds one day could you please forget all i said about it not being worth two grand. [/quote] If I had your bass I would expect two grand in cash in my hand before I considered letting it go , looking at what some inferior examples are going for . I don't expect you will be selling anytime soon , though .

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1367527987' post='2066619'] Yes. I bought it around 1990. [/quote] [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1367528196' post='2066623'] Same here. Mine is a 4 bolt from 1974 (see photo in my previous post) and it's great . It's funny but most of the criticism i see about Fenders from this period comes from people who don't own one. [/quote] I have owned numerous 1970's Fenders myself with varying degrees of satisfaction , as you might expect , and none of them were as good ( to my taste ) as my new ones . Don't get the idea I'm dissing anybodies prized vintage Fender , though . The point I am making in this instance is that a lot of the 1970's ones you see selling for high prices nowadays are erring more on the side of being knackered than of having "character " . If you have got a nice old Fender like you and Cloudburst have then that is something to treasure , but I personally wouldn't pay the silly prices some very poor examples are now selling for when other options are available .