Dingus

This looks good to me : http://www.bassnw.com/Used%20Basses/fender_1972_precision_bass_sunburst_rw_370980.htm

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1362514823' post='2000693'] Do the gauges work in the same way? Would 45 flats have the same tension as 45 rounds? [/quote] On the whole , most sets of flats feel much tighter than the same gauge of roundwounds because they are greater mass for thame diamater gauge . Thomastic are a notable exception and feel much more elastic than other flats .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1362515271' post='2000699'] It certainly is. I always had a rose-tinted memory of the late 70s, but watching TOTP from 1976 was a real eye-opener. With one or two notable exceptions, the charts were chock full of crap, and no mistake! [/quote] Funny you should mention 1976 , I nearly posted this clip from the charts of this week in that year to illustrate my point : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDtci6OSPzY So bad on so many levels .

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1362508690' post='2000480'] No, because pop songs have to be sh*t to be a hit these days. I am too good for that sort of thing. [/quote] Without wishing to deviate too much from the original subject of this thread , I think there was always just as much crap in the charts . The memory is very subjective - you only remember the better stuff from bygone times . Watch the repeats of 1970s TOTP on BBC4 and that point is hammered home every week .

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1362512541' post='2000619'] What's the consensus on flats by the way? What are the most widely used ones? I fancy trying some on my Bob Glaub. My preference of rounds are rotosound swing bass 45-105. [/quote] As a dedicated roundwound player myself , Thomastic Jazz Bass flats are the only ones I can tolerate in terms of tension and feel , and luckily they also sound great .

I think writing a catchy hit song is the hardest thing to do when it comes to pop music . As I once heard Paul McCartney say , you can send people to music college and teach them all the rules of composition but you can't teach them how to write Happy Birthday To You or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star . Creating something immidiately memorable that inspires people or catches their imagination is magic ticket to success ,fame and wealth and if it was that easy then everybody would be doing it . I don't think I could do it on my own , but I think I could collaborate with somebobdy else to produce something competitive . My dream would be to make a cheesy Europop hit that would get people dancing in the bars and clubs of the Meditteranean one summer . It would be a great feeling to know that people had contracted an STD whilst listening to music that I had created from my own imagination .

I remember Reflex pickups from the late 80s/early 90s and they were considered pretty good pickups , from what I remember . A lot of Jazz Bass -style pickups are a little bit quieter than P Bass pickups and big beefy humbuckers in my experience . I find a big difference between the output of one bass and another anyhow , and high-end pickups are not automatically louder than less expensive designs , In fact sometimes the opposite is true . Are you sure they are wired in the correct phase ?

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1362403975' post='1999197'] Make sure you do your research before making what could be a very costly mistake! There have been quite a few threads on upgrading J pickups recently, and many people seem to have come to the conclusion that the differences are nowhere near as obvious as others make out, and that often there is little to be gained from going straight to the premium end of the price scale. This one for example: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/181375-are-very-expensive-pickups-worth-it/page__hl__jazz%20pickups"]http://basschat.co.u..._jazz%20pickups[/url] What is your "Jazz bass"? Is it a Fender? If so, what type of pickups is it currently wearing? Also, the comments about strings are very valid too. I personally found that changing string brands can make a bigger difference than changing pickups. And then there are adjustments to the height of the pickups too.... Of course, it is your money - but you might find that you end up £200 lighter in the pocket and still yearn for "that little something extra" in your sound... [/quote] This is a very good point . What kind of bass is it and do you know what pickups it has in to begin with ? A point I have made before on these threads about changing pickups in general is that if you have got a decent bass with crap pickups then it can certainly be improved by a pickup upgrade , but if you have got decent pickups to begin with and you just want to change the overall flavour of the sound then you are far more likely to get dissappointing results . It's very unwise to spend good money swapping one perfectly good set of pickups for another supposedly better set because you have read that they have whatever supposedly superior sonic attributes .

The resurgence of flatwounds in the last ten years or so has really benefitted from the improvements in modern bass amps and their improved clarity and definition in comparison to most of the amps from the era when flats were the standard for bass strings rather than the novelty they are now . With the exception of the formiddable Ampeg SVT , most vintage amps would struggle to make basses with flats cut through the mix in a rock group , whereas modern hi-fi high- tech amps and cabs have given a new lease of life to flats with their improved clarity , detail and definition . I personally still find flatwounds can struggle a bit in situations with loud guitars and dense keyboard textures , but other people seem to manage fine so what do I know ? . I think the overtones you get from roundwounds really help you get heard in a different way to flats , but ultimately you have to record the results , play them back and see what you think . I am currently toying with the idea of stringing a bass up with flats again myself , and if the other musicians complain that they can't hear me I will shrug and say that they always complained before I played to much and too high in the mix so I am just giving them what they want .

Looks like a fine example of a mid - Seventies Precision . Andy Baxter seems to get the best selection of vintage basses of anywhere in the U.K . I hope you get a lot of pleasure from playing it . Let us know how it sounds when you have had a chance to get familiar with it .

Would it be unkind to suggest that Steve Lawson should try to get an endorsement deal with Frizz Ease ? He's a virtuoso bass player but his hair conditioning leaves a lot to be desired .

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1362312530' post='1998164'] That's how I got barred from Aldi..... mind you , I was checking the collar and cuffs matched. [/quote] That's Lidl behaviour , Dave . [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1362313965' post='1998187'] If you can afford to shop in waitrose, i can be a natural blonde for you [/quote] I get most of my male escort work from women who frequent Waitrose - I can't afford [i]not [/i]to shop there .

If you are going down the exotic woods / singlecut route then I would say that , unless you like a heavy bass , I would ask the luthier to keep an eye on the total weight of the finished bass , or else you could easily end up with something that weighs a ton . Woods like wenge and padauk tend to be very heavy , and so if you combine them with ash make sure it is lightweight ash . I played a bass a while ago with an ash neck and it sounded and felt great , so maybe that would be an option to consider . As for fingerboard , ebony is a good choice but be aware that if you use roundwound strings they will eat into an untreated ebony fingerboard , regardless of how hard the ebony is . Only coating the fingerboard with epoxy really works if you want to avoid eventually ruining it .

[quote name='WhoNeedsYou' timestamp='1362256844' post='1997747'] Amazing what you can get in Aldi these days eh ? ;-) [/quote] I can get a natural blonde in Aldi ?!! Why didn't I think of looking there years ago ? If it weren't too late to cancel the arrangements I'd be sending that internet bride back to the Ukraine right now . Oh well , I suppose it serves me right for being a snob and shopping at Waitrose .

I read somewhere that Neil Murray ( hugely underrated and absolutely superb British rock bass player ex - of Whitesnake , Black Sabbath , Gary Moore ect ) makes his own ramps from built- up layers of gaffer tape . Sounds like it would work if you wanted to experiment with how a ramp might feel .

[quote name='WhoNeedsYou' timestamp='1362254812' post='1997710'] Last one I promise! 2010 and the whole package is fully realised.....minus specs, but it was dark on there! [/quote] Whoever is colouring your hair is doing a very good job - you look like a natural blonde .

[quote name='John Cellario' timestamp='1362245265' post='1997529'] Never actually tried a ramp so am wondering, if you play with the plucking hand over the p/up, which is the same height as a ramp, does it give the same feel? [/quote] I think the reason a lot of people go for ramps is precisely because it give a consistant feel under the fingers when you play in between the pickups .

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1362237402' post='1997387'] Yeah, I know. I often get a strong feeling that I want a change. For me my sounds come from the POD X3 (which I have never felt like selling), so basses are the fun interchangeable tools part of my equation. Must admit though, I had a bit of a panic dream last night regarding selling the CT I'm starting to have second thoughts which is a very good thing Thanks mate. [/quote] Something I once read here on Basschat that comes to mind when I think about Precision Basses is that , arguably more so than most other designs , a less expensive example can yield very acceptable results . Especially if you are thinking of going for the muted tone with flatwounds that is so fashionable at the moment , many budget model P basses that you can pick up for peanuts will give a very good version of that clunky sound . I bet that the final recorded sound from a decent Squier or similar would be very hard to distinguish in terms of quality from a USA Fender .

I have personally never felt the need for a ramp , but back in the days before ramps I remember a couple of bass players I spoke to telling me that they always played directly over the pickup not for the sound but because they didn't feel comfortable without feeling the pickup under their plucking fingers . I couldn't understand why back then , and still don't now . Presumably a ramp is a remedy for people who share that percieved sensation of discomfort without something underneath their plucking fingers .

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1362179596' post='1996985'] And here's another P bass in action: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukOcZ4Tjk0[/media] [/quote] If you had an all- girl group called Fanny nowadays .. you would get some attention !

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1362159435' post='1996654'] Oh dear, I have just put the chrome Warwick up for sale [/quote] I would think very carefully before selling your Warwick to get a Precision , Nige . I love my Precision Bass , but there are times when most folks would crave a bit more variety . Your Warwick has already got a wicked modern P Bass sound amongst its' many tonal options , what real advantage would having a Fender offer ? Put simply , your Warwick will do the Precision thing but a Precision cannot get close to doing what the Warwick does . Another thing that occurs to me is that I shudder to think what the current U.K retail price would be on a German - made Warwick with that chrome finish .

Fender Custom Shop 60s Jazz Bass pickups are great , as are Lindy Fralin , or if you want a slightly more hyped - up tone Aero Type 1 or Di Marzio Super Jazz pickup sets .

[quote name='WhoNeedsYou' timestamp='1362166091' post='1996759'] Stepping out with a cappucino waistcoat, tiny bass cab & ill-matched t-shirt! [/quote] I was going to say that the outfit makes you look like a girl ... then I realised it's the fact that you are a girl that makes you look like a girl , the waistcoat is just incidental . Lucky escape from a potentially embarassing mistake .

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1362153943' post='1996544'] Kind of related, I had a 1973 black/black/maple Fender P was my first 'proper' bass, it was s/h, around 6 years old at the time. I traded it in for a then new Aria SB a couple of years later. Could only afford the SB600 model. It was a good decision at the time, wouldn't be now though. [/quote] I had a white / maple 1971 Precision with a B- neck that I bought in 1987 as a stop - gap in between one fancy 1980s active bass and another . I sold it in 1989 for what I paid for it - approximately £200- and I was glad to get that for it . Last year I saw a 1978 one in the Gallery for £1850 . What would mine be worth now ? What's worse is , I still haven't spent the £200 !

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1362141915' post='1996316'] He looks like the sort of tosser who pretends to be a wild child at the gates of oblivion but then goes out to work as a bank clerk. As far back as 1982 I was at least making an effort to look as if I'd come round your house , throw up on your carpet , eat the contents of your freezer as a milk shake and f*** your dog. [/quote] Looks like a rock 'n roll Bjorn Borg entering a gurning contest . Have you still got the Precision Bass , Dave ? It looks like a nice one .