Dingus

Fender definitely sell more Precision Basses.

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1392205138' post='2365869'] There's a thread on TB suggesting that Fender have recently switched to D'Addario for their strings. New Fender strings have coloured ball ends. I love D'Addario nickels and have just ordered some 7250s to see what gives. Quite fancy 7150s too. [/quote] I am going to buy a set of 7150's as soon as someone buys my( already extensively plugged on this thread...to no avail) almost brand new 8250's for sale on this site. The only other pure nickel roundwound I have ever seen are the DR Jonas Hellborg signature set, and the big windings on those put me off buying a set . I can't find out much about what the 7150's are like , but they are cheaper than the DR's and look well worth taking a punt on . The Fenders might have an equally unique tone as Jonas' strings. The 7150's are available in a good selection of sensibly gauged sets, too.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1392130813' post='2365098'] Why are some of the cabinets now heavier then? [/quote] Presumably Markbass's engineers haven't quite found a way to train their Indonesian colleagues to defy the laws of gravity yet.

Just my bleedin' luck. I have had one eye on buying a new amp to replace my old but loved Trace Elliot gear ( yes , I still use and like Trace Elliot) that is badly in need of servicing, and had been coming round to the idea of Markbass being a preferred alternative despite my lingering misgivings. Now they have switched production to Asia they may as well have flushed their brand down the toilet as far as I am concerned. I getting sick of this happening. By and large, I would much rather pay more for the authentic domestically-produced product than buy an inferior product made in a new manufacturing location to keep costs down . Ampeg is/was another example of this, as was SWR. Of course, every manufacturer that does this protests that they have done so in a unique way , and so careful and meticulous is their training and quality control in the Far East that the product is easily the equal of what they made before, if not better. They will have to forgive my cynicism if I don't readily accept such claims. People buying relatively expensive goods from prestige brands want the peace of mind of knowing that what they are buying has real substance behind the name, and offshore manufacturing can only undermine that prestige. It's cynical short-termism on the part of the companies involved, and will harm them in the longer term. I would suggest to you that Markbass have made a carefully calculated move to maximise their profit margins. Having established themselves as a quality marque with big name endorsees and a brand that people aspire to, they are now seeking to exploit the kudos they have built up by making an affordable but inferior product they can sell to a mass market. I am now looking elsewhere.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1392062359' post='2364293'] I'm sure there are plenty of companies that will exchange your hard-earned for propaganda. Here's one take on it all: [url="http://www.aqdi.com/hype.htm"]http://www.aqdi.com/hype.htm[/url] [/quote] Who falls for this cable snake oil ? I'll tell you falls for it: Me. I am embarrassed to tell you how much money I have spent on fancy cables for my hi fi over the last twenty years.. I've just bought another one the other day, even though I know that when I fit it, I won't hear any difference whatsoever. The ultimate irony is that I don't even have the time to listen to music any more. I'm too busy trying to pay for the bleedin' cables. I wish I was joking.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1392061980' post='2364285'] Paul Geary endorses them. [url="http://www.paulgeary.com/"]http://www.paulgeary.com/[/url] So thhhppp! [/quote] He's not properly famous, though . He hasn't got lots of tattoos, a goatee beard and long shorts , he doesn't play in a band called something like "Rectal Prolapse" , and he doesn't have any videos on You Tube talking about needing a rig that can match his ferocious, high- impact bass playing and take his thunderous sound to the baying public who demand to be pulverised by his crushing tone . And for that kind of success you need a Celebrity cable , because that's where it's at. If OBMM want to add me to their user list then they need to get some big names on board , get some science going and, most importantly, put their prices up a lot. Why would a bass player of my stature use cables that people on Basschat can afford? I may as well start getting my bass gear at Netto.

[quote name='mikeswals' timestamp='1392092437' post='2364559'] The Wal is wearing a later Custom series neck, and later bridge; circa 81/82 ones judging by the hardware. Any idea why? [/quote] Without wishing to second guess the O.P , I know that a lot of these early basses had some pretty severe problems with the stability and durability of the neck construction. Pete and Wal were on a bit of a learning curve when it came to building basses, and it took them a while to find the perfect combination of materials and laminates for the neck . I seem to remember they experimented with cherry laminates, alongside the usual maple, and also graphite reinforcement strips in the late 1970's, before settling on the maple/ hornbeam/ mukalungu combination that served them so well after that. I think that quite a few basses from the early paddle headstock era developed problems with warping ect , and if they ended up back at Wycombe then more often than not they opted to put a new neck on the bass , rather than mess about trying to remedy the old one. They usually gave a new neck free of charge in such cases , and I have seen several basses of a similar vintage to this one ( like the one Nick Beggs played back in the day with Kajagoogoo, for example) that have subsequently had newer necks put on them. Pete was passionate about the basses they made being out in the World a being used to make music with, whether it was on a big hit record or being played in a covers band playing at the local pub, he wanted to keep all the instruments out on the road and giving proper service to someone , so to speak. I wouldn't be surprised if this bass has been the grateful recipient of a replacement neck. The bridges were always prone to developing a slightly annoying rattle that was notoriously difficult to isolate and fix, so maybe that is why they opted for a replacement bridge. Both of these are pure supposition on my part, of course, and hopefully the O.P can weigh in with the true facts. Nice bass, anyhow.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1392066775' post='2364374'] Hmm....nice price, aren't they taperwounds? [/quote] Oh , hang on . I thought you meant[i] tapewounds[/i] . Yes, the E string is taperwound over the bridge saddle section , as is the low B string on the corresponding five string set from Fender.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1392066775' post='2364374'] Hmm....nice price, aren't they taperwounds? [/quote] No , definitely very much nickel roundwounds.

That looks to have worked, to a great extent. I have one of those Neotech Mega Bass straps myself , and they are great, but , ironically enough, I find it works best on lighter basses. The friction is less than suede , but more than woven nylon , so about average in that respect.

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1392048403' post='2364013'] .....can be so pleasurable. Just spent an hour or so cleaning and restringing my Wal and G&L and it has made me very happy. I'm so easily pleased these days [/quote] So all it takes to make you happy is a couple of the best basses that money can buy? You are obviously a man of my own simple tastes, and I salute you!

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1392057387' post='2364182'] the only thing that concerns me with flats is I feel I am going to burn the tip of my finger if I slide too much on them.... [/quote] I have the same problem with women between the age 16 and 35 nowadays... Burnt fingers and another court case.

If these OBMM's are so good then how come no one famous uses them and where are their adverts? What use is a cable without propaganda? I can get something for under a tenner that will make sound come out my bass, but I want some bullshit to believe in to go along with that sound, preferably involving words like "coaxial" , " symmetrical" and "hyper-litz". That, my friends , is worth paying extra for.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1392060574' post='2364252'] You wont have any shortage of opinions on this gear obsessed forum! Good luck with the search. [/quote] Yes, quite, but if we stopped obsessing about buying basses then we might have to actually confront the task of learning to play the perfectly good ones we already have, and that would a much more tricky proposition.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1392051932' post='2364089'] Yes, they are low-compliance or high-tension or however you want to say it, but I'm finding this works well for the kind of music I'm playing. These are the 50-100s, too. I find they are better balanced across the strings than my previous 45-105s. [/quote] In contrast to the flats, the roundwounds are not particularly high tension/stiff feeling , but I think a lot of that is due to the fact that they are actually a round core construction, similar to DR Sunbeams/Hi Beams/Fatbeams, in that respect at least.

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1392047399' post='2363994'] G & L should probably be on your radar. Many consider the P's that Leo designed at that point of his career to be the best. [url="http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/USA/basses/LB-100/index.asp"]http://www.glguitars...B-100/index.asp[/url] [url="http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/USA/basses/SB1/index.asp"]http://www.glguitars...s/SB1/index.asp[/url] The pups in the SB1's are seriously hot. [/quote] Yes G&L! Fantastic basses built to last , and as well as the P's and J's, the L2000 has got a whole host of unique tones on offer if you wanted a radical departure from what you have already .

Some people have described the Stick as the most difficult stringed instrument in the World to play, and it is definitely geared towards the adventurous and musically -competent player.Most ( all) of the notable exponents I have ever seen were truly gifted individuals. I have never had a go on one myself , despite loving the way they sound, and I am sure that playing the bass guitar would be no real preparation for trying to get going on one of these contraptions. I am not dexterous at the best of times- I can't pat my head and rub my stomach at the same time ( a fundamental skill for Chapman Stick playing) , and I still struggle to tie my shoe laces the proper grown up way- and, from what I understand the Stick requires a Zen-like capacity for sideways thinking and unnatural-feeling movement.

I see plenty of cards in phone boxes and news agents windows in central London advertising services to do with discipline, mostly offered by women in leather wear. Maybe one of them could help you , but it might work out cheaper and less painful just to buy a new bass .

Just get your salary paid directly to The Gallery and have them give you an allowance out of it to live on .

Well, I like the idea of the Jack Casady, even if I have never actually played one, but I hate neck dive, so that would be a deal -breaker for me I'm afraid. If you like your Lakland so much then why not get a 44-02 and exploit the numerous and very varied tonal options of that bass ? If, as I strongly suspect, you are using flats then the MM- style humbucker will give you plenty of thump, especially in conjunction with the preamp, and then if you switch the pickup configuration into Jazz Bass mode then there are a myriad of vintage -style tonal references available to you there, too. That bass offers so much that would compliment and contrast to your P Bass that , while it might seem a bit hi tech on the face of it, would be a good choice if you want a bit( a lot) more variety.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1392045096' post='2363947'] ...but if, on the other hand, one doesn't wish to rely solely on luck, one buys OBBM cables. No, seriously, he does make rather fine cables. Mine are spot on. +1 [/quote] Have I been lucky and not realised it? Is there some kind of Monster cable lottery that I have won without even realising? Is mine the 1 in 10 that makes the grade? I bought it from a shop in Norwich, and just assumed it would work . I was right ! As far as I can tell, that is...

I don't know anything about OBMM, but I have used a Monster Bass cable for the last 15 years and it works perfectly and sounds good, too.

My first thought is that a wenge fingerboard is not particularly suitable for fretless playing, anyway. Despite the fact that it is an exceptionally hard wood with some remarkable tonal qualities, very few builders offer wenge as an option for fretless boards, and, significantly, Warwick always offer ebony as the standard option on their fretless basses, and those basses often sound sublime. The fretless Thumb NT, for example, is one of the best -sounding fretless basses I have ever played or heard . The[u] very [/u]open grain of wenge means that it could feel a bit weird under your fingers, and the fact that it is actually a very bright-sounding wood for fingerboards, with crystalline highs( because of its' exceptional hardness and density) mean that it might not be to most peoples' taste as the fingerboard wood for a fretless, If you read Basschat for any length of time you will realise that having a bass you are happy with is a pretty rare phenomena, so I would be very reluctant to alter this one if it satisfies you in its' current form Your musical context could change, or learn to accommodate your bass as it is. The options of an additional neck or , even better, an additional bass seem much more appealing to me.