Dingus

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1383426483' post='2264451'] The Nate Mendel comes with 'road worn' swing tags implying it is given the same treatment as the road worn precisions and features light relicing, whilst also coming with a 1.615 nut, which is what is putting it top of my list at the moment! The quality for £700 is great. [/quote] I promise you that ten years after Fender discontinue them , the Roadworns will have a similar cult status.

[quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1383426754' post='2264459'] Again, not helping my gas- I love my Roadworn, but the 1.75 neck is (was) a drawback. The fact the Squier has a 1.625 neck is even more attractive. I do hear what you're saying about the hype though, but my [b]dream[/b] bass is an American Vintage '57 in white blond, that's been worn-in and batted around a bit (so as it's a bit more comfortable, and I'm not afraid to put my own dings in it) with a 1.625" neck. So Custom Shop only? I have owned a fairly recent American Standard (2005 model) and it was a fantastic instrument, but I found it a touch heavy, the finish cold and thick, the neck very hard, and it felt more engineered than crafted. It just didn't have that organic, wooden feel that I've grown to love. [/quote] The post-2008 Am St models have a [u]much[/u] thinner laquer coat , and seem fairly lightweight ( mine is about 8.8 pounds , and I've seen them even lighter . There are loads of other P-style basses on the market with a 1.625 width, too , if that is what you crave . Fender Custom Shop is worth saving for in so much as if you get a good Fender they are a lifetime investment , but also consider that for the same money or less there are lots of other Fender-style options that will potentially satisfy you .

Jimmy Webb is indeed a genius songwriter, and I will have to have a listen on the BBC iplayer , so thanks for letting me know about this . I loved Rumer's version of his song P.F Sloan that came out last year. To be honest with you , I have seen Jimmy trying to perform his own songs in the past and he isn't much of a singer, but I suppose that's not really the point.

I grunt all the time . Mrs Dingus adores it . I am her love piglet.

I opened this thread so I could say what a great actor Idris Elba is and how much I enjoyed the most recent series . .. I'll get my coat.

I used to have a JV Series Jazz Bass and subsequently a JV Series '62 Precision back when they were current , which must be thirty years ago now . Looking back , they were terriffic affordable basses at the time , but if I take off the rose tinted spectacles, I can remember them well enough and knew them intimately enough to say that they could easily be substituted with new instruments made in the present , and I would not even remotely consider buying one of these basses at the prices they go for today . They were nice budget basses, but that's all they were . The Holy Grail status they have taken on in the interim period is disproportionate to their true worth as instruments , and in all honesty , I would recommend that you take a look at the current American Standard range for a much better use of your funds if you want a solid and reliable bass that will give you years of good service . I would also question the worth of a JV Series Squier as a long term investment . It's only a matter of time until the bubble bursts and people start realising that the Emporer has got no clothes on in terms of the market value of these basses. Mental health care has probably changed a lot in the interim period , but if you had suggested paying the equivalent sum as they are going for today for one of the Squiers thirty years ago , you would have probably been Sectioned. I got my Squier Precision secondhand for thirty quid and it was in mint condition , ( but in those days you could always find hippies in need of cash). I think my Jazz cost £185 brand new. The Roadworn Fender remind me a lot of the old JV Series Squiers , and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they become sought adfter in a similar way after they are discontinued . The only drawback to the Roadworn Precision is the 1.75 nut width , whereas the Squiers had a 1.625 nut that lots of folks , including myself, prefer . That's the width on the current Am St bases , and they are superb basses . To give you some indication of how good I think they are , I went out a few years ago to buy a proper vintage Fender with enough funds at my disposal to buy anything that took my fancy , and came home with a new 2009 American Standard and most of my money intact .

I liked a Stingray when I played one iin a shop , but as soon as I bought one and brought it home I didn't like it much at all . It had a weird, spread out sound with no mids that I found difficult to hear in the mix compared to the Wal basses I was also playing at that time . That peculiar Stingray sound has grown on me over the years to the extent that I now love it for what it is , even though I use something other than a Stingray to get it nowadays when I want that sound.

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1383403932' post='2264122'] I've been through the whole buying basses GAS thing and now am happy with a couple, ironically favouring a Squier. I think ultimately it's whatever works for you. If you want a £2k bass, go for it. I had a lot of fun buying kit (unnecessarily?) but am thankfully more settled now. [/quote] Seeing as you mention Squiers, where do Fenders ( and JV Series Squiers , for that matter) figure in the expensive bass debate ? The were conceived and initially manufactures as a mass -produced affordable but decent quality bass , but those modest basses are now considered "vintage" and have price tags to match that status . Are they a waste of money , considering that a good Fender-style bass still sounds good as anything to a lot of folks , including myself? And what about the fact that you can buy a Fender style bass that sounds authentic for relatively modest prices ? Is that the biggest reason why people think expensive basses are a waste? If you want something that sounds like a Wal or an Alembic you will struggle on a modest budget , but a current Squier or similar well-chosen Fender copy sounds highly reminiscent of a proper Fender . Even if high-end basses aren't neccesarilly waste of money , but that is not to say for one moment that less expensive or more straightforward basses are not neccesarilly worthwhile . The two things do not exclude each other.

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1383397372' post='2264021'] Some of the most beautiful basses I've ever seen are Alembics. FWIW I think anyone who thinks all basses sound the same has cloth ears. Of course whether it matters what they sound like is a different issue, but it matters to me. To answer the OP, experience is seldom a waste of time. I've had loads of basses at all price points and haven't regretted any of them because I've learnt something from all of them. [/quote] +1 on these points. I don't think all basses sound the same , but in certain uncritical environments , i.e playing them through fairly rudimentary equipment at a local pub gig with the typical sound mix for such a performance , they can sound pretty similar. But , crucially, the revelation that ,played in a band context, most bass guitars sound like a bass guitar is not really much of a revelation at all, to be frank with you . Considering the role and situation of the bass as an instrument in most music , it's hardly that surprising really is it ? . In that context, if all you want to do is participate in playing the songs then a cheaper bass will do . But so what? To draw the ultimate conclusion from that that all expensive basses are a waste is very silly and completely untrue for most players. If you seek the ultimate satisfaction of playing as well as you can with the best possible tone , as m serious musicians playing any instrument tend to do in all genres of music , then it is entirely consistant with that to seek out the best instruments to do that with . The sonic qualities of texture and timbre are absolutely central to the experience of creating , performing and listening to music , and which instrument the performer uses contributes hugely to those elements of sound . Even back in the most ancient of times , the first primative men who tried to fashion music from animal bones and bits of wood will have experimented to see which designs and which materials sounded best . Are we to suppose that the same process of creative sonic experimentation should now be abandoned after all these thousands of years ? Just because a cheaper bass sounds similar to a more expensive one when you play it down the pub ? What about when you play your bass at home when you practise , or if you are in a situation where you are recording music in a critical environment with a crystalline sound balance ? What if your a good player who has the skill to make an expensive bass sound better than a cheap one, even played ay a pub gig ? The sound might be in the player more than the bass , but that is because the player has the experience , touch and innate ability to bring it out of the instrument, and many better quality basses ultimately have a much more fulfilling sound that can be brought out of them by the right player. For those reasons alone ,and also many more besides, expensive basses are not a waste of money.

The marks will be the remnants of the date stamp. There are often other stamps in the neck pocket on the body and on ther underside of the neck with the quality controllers and builder's name or initials on them .

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1383320181' post='2263164'] You must have meant me then, I dont remember, it was a heavy evening...... [/quote] [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1383320581' post='2263173'] No, I am Spartacus. [/quote] Brighton.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1383320893' post='2263178'] Don't be a dick, alright? [/quote] O.K ,I'll try really hard from now on . Thanks for putting me in my place.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1383318371' post='2263121'] Steady on! I live in Brighton. [/quote] It's alright , I didn't mean you . Or at least statistically speaking, it's very unlikely, anyway . But probably less unlikely than if you lived in Middlesborough.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1383314560' post='2263054'] This is not ugly..? (and I'm an Alembic fan, but still...) [attachment=147370:Alem_Ugly.jpg] [/quote] If Lowender bought an Alembic that looked like that then he only has himself to blame . And I would be even more interested to see his taste in women .

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1383313629' post='2263036'] Think Audrey Hepburn [/quote] I'm more an Audrey from Coronation Street man myself , but I can see where you are coming from on that one , Marvin.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1383313470' post='2263031'] At one point I HAD to have an Alembic. The sound was so unique. Then suddenly, that sound got on my nerves. And all I was looking at was a really ugly bass. [/quote] If you think an Alembic is ugly then I would be very interested to see your taste in women ( or men)( or whatever) .

[quote name='aj5string' timestamp='1383280501' post='2262525'] Im Head of Music at a secondary school so we are fairly well kitted out bass wise :-) Only started in September but we have 4 Ibanez GSR's, and 6 no name Jazz copies that sound OK. Ampeg BA108 amp, Peavey Tour 400 amp... also, 5 JamHub setups, loads of squire strats and steel string acoustics, Fender Mustang modelling guitar amps... Yamaha electric kits, Sonor acoustic kits.... Behringer PAs in each room. All new too! Kids are loving it! [/quote] What's the point in teaching kids how to play modern electric instruments when you can't leave school and go on the dole anymore? Back in the 1980's you could leave school and then spend years watching daytime T.V and practising your instrument in preparation for your big time music career that was just around the corner . Nowadays IDS wants to get them stacking shelves in supermarkets for minimum wage as soon as they leave the school gates . If they had tried than on my generation there would have been a revolution . I cannot help but notice the direct correlation between the declining quality of British popular music and the changes in emphasis in schools and society at large designed to make young people more useful to employers. Back in the late '70's/1980's you had mass youth unemployment and The Smiths , the Cure, the Specials ect. Now we have all these work schemes and sanctions and the cumulative result is Coldplay. What cruel trick are we playing on these kids by giving them basses and pretending they will ever get time to play them ?

The problem with Warwicks is they are often great basses with a remarkable sound, but at just about every level , it seems that you can do so much better for the money you would have to spend . A custom shop Warwick could easily set you back as much as a Fodera/ F Bass/ Wal/Spector,ect, all of which are much better basses of a comparable style , and much better investments of that kind of cash.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1383300744' post='2262741'] I dunno. Stick Nigel in a dress and he might look half-way decent after a few pints. [/quote] Erotic image.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1383297365' post='2262646'] Perhaps you need to go on one of those 'Tell the Difference' courses. [/quote] They have courses for that now? My generation had to learn the hard way on a big night out in Brighton .

Even if you did only play them at home , that doesn't mean the expensive basses were a waste of money. Did you get pleasure out of playing and owning them on any level ? If not then you have learnt that lesson from the experience, but if you liked them but were reticent to risk damaging them because you would have struggled to replace them , that is entirely understandable and perfectly rational . Human beings are psychologically complex creatures , and the need to find perfection in some way or another and then protect and nurture it is a relatively common compulsion . The idea that you have to justify owning an expensive high-end bass bass taking it out and gigging it to satisfy someone else's muso code of conduct is complete rubbish , but one which no doubt plenty of people try and propogate. You were inquisative about what top quality basses had to offer , you wanted them , you bought them , you used them, you don't want them anymore. In other words, you had to buy them and go through that process to get to the stage you are now where you are happy to play a relatively modest instrument . That process was worthwhile.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1383245669' post='2262142'] Where does your sister live? Yup, I'm in a very rural area. Remarkably, nearly exactly 8 miles from all of the nearest towns. I wouldn't mind travelling to any of those towns for band practice (I did that before in my old band anyway), but there just doesn't seem to be the people for it. In fact, what might be the problem is that a lot of local musicians just don't post ads or anything like that, so unless you know them personally (or through a friend) it's difficult. I know of local musicians but besides Facebook, have never seen them post an ad on Gumtree or the local music forum. Edit - If you put my location into Google Maps, you'll see the area I live in. [/quote] My sister lives just outside of Antrim in the middle of nowhere . Beautiful countryside and superb farmland , but quiet . Apparently , even at the height of the troubles nothing happened there .

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1383246470' post='2262160'] Wow, she be very cool. [/quote] She seems very cheerful , bobbing away like that .

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1383229813' post='2261855'] I was of the view that it's the other way around. Fender changed to (not from) D'Addario. [/quote] I have a long history of getting confused.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1383242078' post='2262081'] I have tried to many times. I can never find local people who want to start a band. I even took the stance of "genre preference doesn't matter" for a while, and that still didn't get any results. Oh well [/quote] I am surprised by that, Milty. Are you in a very rural area? My sister lives in a little village in Northern Ireland and says it is [u][i]very [/i][/u]quiet there . She says all the young people move to Belfast or the mainland as soon as they can . I can imagine it would be hard to get anything going somewhere like that.