Dingus

I remember people walking round with lps under their arms when I was young , too . I was very young at the time though , and didn't really understand what joss sticks were . There were some hippies who lived in the big house across the road and me and my friends thought they looked like cowboys . Glam rock was definately a girlie thing , though . For most men back in the 1970s to be accused of being camp , or even more terrible ,being gay , was about the worst epithet that could be thrown at you . Make up and flamboyant outfits for men were not commonplace , contrary to popular stereotypes of that decade .

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1354469257' post='1886321'] In what way? [/quote] Very bright sounding with crystaline highs and hint of compression in the bass . Almost sounds half way to being like graphite . It's such a hard and dense wood that it's far more reflective and tight- sounding than woods from the rosewood family of woods . Does the things that maple is supposed to do , but much more so .

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354468785' post='1886310'] Agreed. I used to use a pick a lot more with bright stainless steel strings years ago, on a rosewood board P, and it was spot on for that very aggressive P bass tone...in fact sometimes it was too aggresssive. I think its more for aesthetics. I'd like to get a maple P and J to go along with my rosewood P and J, but I know deep down I prefer the classic colours, and most the time a rosewood board looks better. I used to have a 2008 ish sunburst/tort P bass, with a maple neck (very glossy). It was a nice bass, very light, but with tort, the maple looked 'weird'. [/quote] Maybe it's just because we are all accustomed to seeing Sunburst Fenders with rosewood boards far more than ones with maple boards . The did make Sunburst/ maple P Basses in the 60s , but they were far less common . I really like that combo myself , probably because it is a bit different , but have got the Sunburst / rosewood combo myself . Why ? Can't remember to be honest with you , but it was Christmas and I think I wanted to pretend I was Pino Palladino to escape the misery of the Yuletide festivities in the Dingus household . Is it really that time of year again ? Unfortunately so .

A wenge board makes the biggest difference of any fingerboard wood I have ever heard , but that particular wood is unlikely to feature on a Fender anytime soon .

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1354447193' post='1885958'] What is EBBM? And what are bindings? [/quote] EBMM stands for Ernie Ball Music Man . In reality it stands for this guy because , trust me , when it comes to EBMM , what he says goes . Binding is a ( usually) plastic edging to a fingerboard.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354404066' post='1885713'] Black blocks on a maple board look cheap and common to me now. Has to be rosewood with white pearl blocks. Much classier. [/quote] [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1354408186' post='1885744'] im with you.. i dont personally like a maple jazz with black blocks.. maple with pearl block is the way to go.. imo... or rosewood with pearl looks amazing.. [/quote] I love black blocks and binding on a Fender- style neck . It alludes to Fender Jazz Basses made between 1970 and early 1974 , which featured such blocks and binding , and looks great to me , depending on the aesthetics of the rest of the bass , of course . I used to go see a band back in the 1980s and the bass player had a sunburst Jazz with black blocks and binding and it looked beautiful to the young Dingus . The fact that he was a wicked player with a great sound didn't hurt either . The early 1970s were the last of the great Fenders in my book , and anything after that just ain't vintage to me I'm afraid . As I have mentioned before , one of the biggest revelations of the internet age has been the insight it gives into other peoples taste ( or lack thereof in certain cases ) . Basses in colour schemes I would have thought to be too ugly for anyone to ever buy are almost always the apple of someones eye on sites like this , and yet there are folks out there who think that black blocks and binding look cheap , ugly and just plain wrong . One thing is for certain though - blocks need binding . Blocks without binding is a big no-no for me . No excuses , it's just not right !

They are great sounding basses , but if you want to get a more agressive sounding example try band find a later model with the Hanson/Lakland Neo Punch pickup . These came out in around 2007-2008 and are standard on Duck Dunn basses made after that date . The older Fralin P pickups are more vintage sounding and use a traditional design with an Anlico magnet , whereas the Neo Punch uses a Neodynium magnet and has a really remarkable sound , no doubt partially as a result of this . It has got a super hot output and a very fast and responsive sound with a more chunky bottom end than a vintage Fender style pickup . There is a bit of "hair " on the note and a hint of compression that gives a very appealing sound for rock music . All those Hanson pickups that Lakland use are top quality , and sound as good if not better than the more celebrated boutique makes that they used to use , in my opinion . I too like a P Bass with roundwounds rock sound , and the Lakland DD with the Neo Punch nails it as well as anything else I have ever heard . If you go to the Lakland website you can listen to a high quality sound sample of the Duck Dunn with the Neo Punch in various styles . Go to the multimedia section and look in the audio samples gallery . (The Duck Dunn is now called the 44-64 Custom)

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1354384539' post='1885460'] This forum would be a far better place if everyone displayed the intelligence & good taste that you so obviously possess. [/quote] Rhys is not just an intellegent man , but a good- looking one too . Happy now ?

In my own experience , the amount of laquer on the maple board playes a big part in how much difference theur is between maple and rosewood boards . The extra brightness people traditionally associate with maple is actually more to do with the laquer on the board rather than the actual maple itself , so how different the same Fender bass with rosewood and maple boards sound is to a certain extent dictated by what kind of finish is on the board . In the mid to late 1970s Fender basses with maple boards were covered in a thick layer of bulletproof laquer that even coated the frets , and so were much brighter sounding as a result . Nowadays the laquer is much thinner , so there is not as noticable a difference . Choose the one you like the look of the best . They will both sound like a P Bass .

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1354375741' post='1885351'] I have a few VHS videos of Jimi: IoW, Berkley, Monterey, Band of Gypsies, and of course Woodstock. There's something to be learned from each. As far as tuning issues go, what do you expect if you string an instrument with a floating vibrato upside down and then give it serious abuse? Strats are hard enough to keep in tune even when you string them up the right way round, have them properly set up by your tech, and are gentle with them. [/quote] That's right , but out of tune is out of tune . I wouldn't just single out Hendrix as having over-hyped live performances either ; there are are a fair few other bands of this era who have passed into legend whose recorded live performances undermine the myth which has grown up around them . I am reticent to name names for fear of starting an argument , but to my ears at least , when it comes to so - called rock legends live performances all too often the Emperor is wearing no clothes

I too am a big Hendrix fan , but have to go along with those who think that his recorded live performances were all too often out of tune and shambolic , particulaly towards the end . The out of tune bit is partly due to the primitive guitar technology of this era - they didn't have electronic tuners or locking tremelo systems - and partly due to the chaotic circumstances of Hendrix's live performances . In the 1960s Rock music was not the slick and professional business that we know today . Strip away the Hendrix mystique and and lot of these performances are pretty bloody awful . There are some great live recordings too, but unfortunately not neccesarily those on film . Everyone lauds Jimi Hendrix as a virtuostic guitar player , which he undoubtedly was , but he was so much more than that . He was a great songwriter too , and that coupled with the brilliant overall production on his classic recordings ( which for me is only the three Experience albums) is why his music has endured . He wasn't the greatest guitar player of all time - no such accolade exists - or even neccesarily the greatest guitar player of the age ( although he was surely the most influential ) but what is beyond question is that he was a visionary and a one-off original . Genius is often flawed , but it is genius nonetheless .

I like the knobs , too .

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1354371745' post='1885289'] Roger recognised that the Japanese are great at attention to detail, and attention to quality... thats why he went to them... (so ive heard). lovely bass, and i bet it sounds awsome.. congrats... [/quote] +1 ON THIS . "Made In Japan " is a mark of quality , and has been for a long time now . These Metros really do sound very close to the NYC basses . The only real perceivable difference is in the weight and the slightly different sound that the chambering on the NYC gives . The low B on the NYC Modern 5 is the best I have ever heard , and it's a 34 inch scale too , thank goodness . What makes all Sadowsky basses so great is that they are very practical instruments ; they're not cheap but all the money has gone into quality craftsmanship and intelligent design . They play great and sound great for any style of music . Why haven't I got one ? Because Roger puts a bit too much fallaway into the NYC necks for my taste , but that's just my own preference . These are high quality basses .

One of my friends when I was a student was allegedly conceIved during Jimi Hendrix's set at the IOW festival , so something was going right for someone !

On Sather Gate , the main entrance to the Berkeley campus , somone has etched an image of Jimi Hendrix's face into the stone . Very cool.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354312738' post='1884854'] Indeed! Some time back now...it looked like a 'Friday' afternoon job to be honest. But...as is with Fender....you kinda have to make sure you are picky until you get a good un. [/quote] As I know you are well aware , that can be very long and frustrating process when buying sight -unseen .

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354309261' post='1884781'] I reckon neck pocket wise it's just loads more obvious if its a touch out on a white bass. But yeah that is odd! [/quote] If I remember correctly , didn't you buy a Am St P in white that had a gaping neck pocket gap ?

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354307208' post='1884752'] Agreed! I'm thinking of getting a P4 and J4 in that colour combo though...it was stunning. [/quote] You can't beat Olympic White for a Fender, either with rosewood or maple . Strange as this may sound though , my experience has been that when it comes to the much -vaunted Fender lottery , the sunburst basses fare much better than the white ones . I looked at five Olympic White Jazz Basses that were all wrong in one way or another before giving up . The sunbursts were all pretty much perfect in all respects - nut slots . fret work , neck pocket , weight ect . Coincidence ?

I really like the look of these basses and would love to try one , but all the recent Fender price hikes coupled with the fact that the 5 string Am St. basses missed out on the 2012 pickup upograde ( but still copped the price increase ) means that I would always be kicking myself for not buying the same bass cheaper when they came out . Still like 'em though .

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1354305106' post='1884729'] I love the way everyone assumes it's his missus who likea all the flowery stuff. Maybe he's just got a thing for chintz [/quote] This man writes songs called things like " Number Of The Beast " and you're saying it's possible he liikes flowery curtains ? Does not compute ! Does not compute ! Next you will be trying to tell me Rob Haford of Judas Priest is gay . Hang on a minute ...?

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1354221029' post='1883884'] I'm not sure about ash being the lighter option. My old Lakland DJ 4 had an ash body and was nice and light, but my current bass (a Stingray 5) is weighty. Very weighty, and whilst I'm aware that this is a Stingray trait I've also owned another ash P-Bass that again had a very heavy body. It might well be luck of the draw, a case of trying out a few instruments. Whilst I'm saying that ash sounds like this and that, I'm more keen on just using my ears to judge what sounds good. Fairly certain I've played alder basses that sound aggressive as well as ones that sounded mellow, pickups, preamps, build quality, a lot of stuff to take on board. One thing I am confident about is that the weight of an instrument to my ears indicates little if anything at all to with what it's going to sound like. +1, this is the framework I'd work to when getting a new instrument. [/quote] Your Stingray will be Northern Ash , which tends to be very hard and heavy , as in all probability so was your P Bass , whereas your DJ will have been Swamp Ash which tends to be lighter on the whole .

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354209761' post='1883689'] Absolutely. I find a lot of cities blend into one another. I think Leeds edges it for up and coming trendy places to live, but Nottingham has a brilliant music scene....really good bands. I was probably at my peak of 'wow, Im actually in a good band' in Nottingham. Granted, I've been in busier bands since, but that band I had in Nottingham were really, really good. A cross between The Mars Volta and Radiohead. Anyway, Leeds bass stores? I used goto Soundconrol, (now PMT)....I don't like PMT now. Nottingham? There isn't that much there in terms of instrument stores unfortunately. [/quote] I must confess it's a long time since I was in Leeds , Nottingham or indeed the fine city of Newcastle , but of the three I would guess that Newcastle is best served with guitar shops , with Sounds Live and Guitar Guitar . I suppose it is significant that as a city Newcastle is a hub for that whole region , and people from Teeside all the way to Glasgow would consider Newcastle to be within their orbit in terms of shopping ( as well as nights out on the town ) . The sad thing is how depressed the rest of the North East is compared to Newcastle , and there are some pretty depressed parts of Newcastle !

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354200150' post='1883467'] I wasn't for a second trying to say anything other than 'most of the people I've met in Newcastle are REALLY friendly'. That's the truth. I've lived in Leeds, Nottingham, Grimsby and Newcastle. Grimsby is the home town (unfortunately) but I won't be moving back. No city offers a life like Newcastle. [/quote] Have you ever noticed that Nottingham and Leeds are like the same city just rearranged a bit differently ? On the subject of the online retailers , one of the very best is MB Music . Decent , honest and straightforward to deal with , in my experience .

That is going to be a nightmare for Mrs Dingus to clean ! I would love to help , but I will probably be too busy entertaining my celebrity mates at the bar . p.s Does anybody know when the cap on housing benefit comes into effect ?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1354204626' post='1883576'] Easy then. Find a piece of Alder with the correct density for what you want. Any decent luthier with some scales and basic maths can figure this out from the contents of their wood store. Job done. [/quote] This is what I requested , but apparently alder light enough for my requirements is relatively scarce , although not unheard of . The builder recommends swamp ash , but I have got a nagging preference for alder as my gut instrinct . It all depends on if I am prepared to gamble on the weight .