Dingus

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1371381446' post='2113103'] I've just been digging - it turns out he now works in (as they call it in the US) real estate. Still playing a bit with the same white P-bass. Except he's currently in prison for mortgage fraud! [/quote] I think the lesson in all of this is never trust a bass player who looks like a porn star to arrange your mortgage , no matter how well he can solo .

[quote name='Enzo' timestamp='1371356166' post='2112863'] Yes, take a look at this link : [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/nordstrand-pickups.htm#nordstrand4j"]http://www.bestbassg...tm#nordstrand4j[/url] and also this [url="http://www.nordstrandpickups.com/bass-pickups/index.shtml"]http://www.nordstran...ups/index.shtml[/url] They also offer the same pickups with the A and D poles raised to match better a 7.25" radius. As far as sound, I've read so many people describing them in a different way but at the end if you don't try you'll never know (just like a nice girl ) Until now though, I've never read anybody saying anything negative, so that's good. If I don't like them I can always sell them and they would sell in a heartbeat, believe me. As far as the neck goes, I can tell you that all the late '70s JB I've tried (and I've tried at least a dozen, although owned only 2) were significantly chunkier than the stock MM and all '75 RI. Makes no sense, I know, like makes no sense put reverse tuners as well, not period correct. But the neck profile on mine is more a personal choice than wanting to be as similar as possible to the original '77, I just love that profile, fits my hands better. [/quote] The choice of neck profile and tuners on those stock MM basses probably has a lot to do with economy of manufacture for Fender i.e using parts they already make for other models . I expect it would be more expensive if Fender had to tool up and make a special neck profile just for that model . Are you sourcing an old Fender neck from that era or having a new one made ? I will be really intrigued to hear what those pickups sound like with the ceramic wire - I expect that will make a pretty big difference . Let us know the results .

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1371327824' post='2112689'] Hold the bass above your head, also hold beer gut in (if you have one) this will help ensure all mass is acting through scales. Your brother might wish to revisit Newtownian equilibrium principles, or have NASA discovered something that they keep in Area 51. [/quote] It's unlikely my brother will revisit Newtonian equilibrium principles unless that is the name of an all you can eat restaraunt in Llandudno . Anyhow , I have hatched a cunning plan in which I will purchase both a luggage scale and bathroom scale . I will stand on the bathroom scale whilst weighing my bass with the luggage scale and the two will cancel each other out , this creating a bass that weighs nothing . Let's see your science explain that .

So it looks like I either need a decent digital bathroom scale or a luggage scale .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371307743' post='2112411'] From what I recall from O Level Physics (it was a long time ago and I wasn't very good at it although I did manage to get a passing grade), the whole point of the principal of moments was that the force bearing down would be the same no matter what angle you the item providing the force was at in relation to the point of contact. I just did some real world tests with a bass and my bathroom scales and there is no difference in the combined weight of me and bass with it held directly over the scales and with me holding it by the headstock at 90° to my body with the body of the bass as far from the scales as possible. And even if there was most sensible people would hold the bass with the body resting on their feet and the headstock at chest height directly over the platform of the scales when weighing both themselves and the bass, so the principle of moments would be having no bearing on the outcome anyway. [/quote] I've just phoned him and he says the reading will not be accurate in absolute terms because the process of holding the bass absorbs some of the momentum and therefore velocity and downward force , but it might not make enough significant difference to be important in this case . Don't ask me what the truth is in any of this science business is , I just do as I am told . But anyhow , if I get some accurate bathroom scales , why not just put the bass directly on the scales ?

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1371304016' post='2112359'] I hold the bass tight in to my body, and I think that works pretty well. The weight has always squared up to other folk's hanging scales I have used. But, who am I to argue with an astrowhatnot. [/quote] As I frequently tell him tell him , if he was that good an astrophysicist he would be up in space now , not living in Wales .

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1371303313' post='2112347'] Is that Mrs Dingus in your avatar? [/quote] No , but It's a timely reminder to her of what she should be aiming for and the standards she is expected to meet .

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1371300764' post='2112302'] Digital hand held luggage scales (only cost about a tenner) and hang the bass from a tuner. Bob's your uncle [/quote] Will it be safe to hang the bass off the tuner ? I don't want to break or bend the machine head .

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1371301373' post='2112318'] And my scales lie [/quote] Our bathroom scales were lying so maliciously that Mrs Dingus threw them out and refused to replace them .

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1371301173' post='2112309'] Weigh yourself holding bass on bathroom scales. Then weigh yourself on your own. (you+bass) - you = bass [/quote] A lot of folks on Talkbass use that method , but it's not going to be very accurate Because of the Principal of Moments , the act of holding the bass intoduces a measure of inertia which prevents the full weight of the bass bearing down upon the scale , according to my brother . He's an astrophysicist , but look at the bollocks up NASA made with that space shuttle , so I suppose he could be wrong .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371300877' post='2112304'] How accurate to you want/need to be? My "bathroom" scales are good to the nearest tenth of a kilogram which is good enough for me (and whatever delivery service I used when shipping instruments). [/quote] Tenth of a kilo would be fine . At the moment I have got about a half a pound area of error on any given attempt .

I want to get an accurate idea of what my basses weigh and my little kitchen scale is wholly insufficient , not least of all because it gives a different weight every time depending on where I put the bass on the tray . What weighing equipment can anyone recommend to get a more consistant and accurate result ?

Funny you have posted this track - I have been trying to play this bassline and getting it wrong for nearly thirty years now . It's harder than it first appears . Great line from as very capable player . I once heard Trevor Horn say that Mark O'Toole was a clever player , and this track really shows that .

Takes me right back to my school days . All the girls were indeed obsessed with Duran Duran , particulaly John Taylor , when they should have been obsessed with me . Two of them got hold of John Taylor's mum's phone number from somewhere and used to ring her and ask if John was there and she always used to say no , he's away on tour in America . I bet they are sorry now - they didn't get to marry John Taylor and they missed out on me too . John Taylor is a superb bass player , and this footage shows him in his prime . Great sound , great feel and some impressive chops . A tasty player all round . I would , of course , never admitted to appreciating Duran Duran's talents in those days - to serious music folks such as myself they were a byword for commercial lightweight crap - but compared to the teen bands of today they are like Emerson , Lake and Palmer .

[quote name='Enzo' timestamp='1371265144' post='2111941'] You're right, he can sound the same on many different basses, even a non Fender! I'm in the process of changing/upgrading my MM to make it as close as possible to the original '77, but just for fun, not because I think it's not good enough. I was able to find the same preamp that Sadowsky installed in early '80s, a Bartolini TCT, I will replace the stock p/ups with the Nordstrand single coils 70s wind and swap the neck with a same look but chunkier profile one, just like the old 70s were, I had 2 '78 and I loved them. Even the stock reverse tuners will go and period correct Fender logo Schaller will be mounted. I have no idea why they put reverse tuners on what it suppose to be a late '70s type of reissue. As today I just had the Bart installed and it already sounds much better, much more clear, more musical, it really makes it sing. It's also more silent, the classic hum of the single coils went down 50%, which I didn't expect. Let's see what happens with the next step, pickups will come in about 3-4 weeks, they make them by order. [/quote] Hi Enzo , those 1970's wind Nordstrand pickups sound like a real find . I have never heard of them before , and I expect a lot of folks would go for them if they knew Nordstrand offered them as a custom option . Presumably they have got a slightly more up front and agressive sound than a vintage -style Jazz pickup ? Getting a new neck sounds like a lot of work - have you checked that Marcus has in fact got a chunkier profile on his main bass ? I know Fender changed to a slightly fatter shape in 1974 but , as you probably know , Fender basses from this era had a lot of variation from one example to the next , and in reality some will feel more chunky than others . Are you sure the neck on the MM signature model isn't faithful to Marcus's bass already ?

It's because of what is known as the dispersal pattern . Generally speaking , the bigger the speakers you use in your cabs , the further away you need to be to hear the full impact of the sound . If you have cabinets with 18 inch speakers , they won't sound that loud or that good up close , but at the back of the hall they may well sound fine and be shaking the windows . One of the reasons the Ampeg SVT rig was so revolutionary when it came out in 1969 was that the speaker cabinet used multiple (eight ) smaller ( ten inch ) speakers to achieve high volume levels , and each set of two speakers was isolated by a baffle inside the cab , in effect to create four 2x10 cabinets . By doing so , the Ampeg cab had a completely different dispersal pattern and as a result gave an amazingly loud and clear and defined sound on stage that was revolutionary in its day and which still sounds fantastic now . So how far away you have to be to hear the best bass sound depends to a certain extent on what gear you are using , but the laws of physics come into the equation , and low frequency sound has it's own peculiarities that only someone much more scientific than me ( grade 3 CSE in Physics ) would be able to explain .

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1371227747' post='2111490'] I think thats a fake one to be honest. Her tits aint that big and even if they were, shes not gonna go on daytime telly flashing them like that, mores the pity [/quote] They had me fooled . If that is the case then I am withdrawing my offer to her and she can buy her own Vaseline from now on .

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1371221370' post='2111402'] Ah thats a shame... Its kind of why I asked the question though. I've been down the road of "wow that looks amazing I must have it" only to feel slightly let down once the shiney new bass feeling wears off. I have seen quite a few options for pickups / preamps in other peoples threads, seems to be no end to the modification options with Jazz basses. Rob [/quote] If you are in London then see if you can get to try one of these yourself and see what you think . Don't let me put you off , but listen to how much the bass gives of an electronic hum through the amp . Apparently , some examples are better shielded better than others , so it can be a bit hit and miss . For around what these basses cost there are[i] a lot [/i]of options when it comes to active Jazz Basses , especially if you consider used basses . Something like a Sadowsky Metro would most likely be a better bass all round than one of these and that is where my money would go if I was after that active Jazz Bass sound . They often have them in stock at The Gallery in Camden if you want to try one and compare it to the Fender I am a sucker for blocks and binding on a Jazz Bass myself , but cosmetics are no substitute for sound and playability in my experience .

Hi Rob , I don't own one of these , but I have played a four string one . They are indeed nice looking basses , but I wasn't that impressed with certain aspects of them . They have got all the conventional Jazz Bass sounds you would expect and you can swith the bass into passive mode for that , and the preamp helps give you the characteristic active Jazz Bass sounds that are a bit more modern - sounding and very fashionable nowadays . However , I wasn't that impressed overall particulaly with the electronics in this particular model . The preamp isn't at all impressive - sounding compared to some of the better ones I have heard and the electronic shielding doesn't seem to to be very good or effective either . The pickups are also not particulaly inspiring . My own personal opinion would be that you would get a much better final result for similar money by buying a post 2012 American Standard bass with the excellent Custom Shop pickups and using an external preamp such as the ones available from Aguilar , Sadowsky or MXR , or adding something like an onboard East J Retro preamp .

[quote name='Ruiner' timestamp='1371218145' post='2111342'] Feel sorry for whoever is given the task of filling those boots if they decide to carry on [url="http://www.spin.com/articles/kim-deal-leaves-pixies-breeders/"]http://www.spin.com/...ixies-breeders/[/url] [/quote] I wouldn't want to put my feet in anything that Kim Deal had had hers in . A verruca or athletes foot or even gonorrhea would be the least you could expect . Now the Pixies will have to find another bass player who can't play very well but who talks a lot . I'm available .

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1371215044' post='2111289'] What an awesome rack. She has always been a hottie too, as much for her mental prowess as those great chebs! [/quote] I have very serious doubts about Ms Vordermans credentials as a genius - she scraped a third class degree in engineering at Cambridge , which supposely makes her the Einstein of daytime t.v - but of other assets I am truly in awe . As I previously mentioned , I met her a couple of times back in the 1980's when she had short hair and she was fairly attractive but I would never have thought she would go on to become a sex symbol , but she has undoubtedly improved with age . . Maybe that's why I feel such an affinity with her - we have both got more and more beautiful as we have gotten older

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1371216549' post='2111311'] Hmm, I don't know about that. The current mrs discreet's arse includes at least three postcodes and has its own weather system. [/quote] Perhaps if they both read this you and I could rent both rent somewhere together until the divorce settlements are finalised .

Resembling a porn star is major asset for any bass player . Great sound and a superb example of Seventies - style bass playing . Doug Rauch was a difficult act to follow for any bass player and was surely one of the very best bassists of his era , but this chap has got a different style and some great skills of his own .

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1371206237' post='2111139'] Yes i saw that on Andy Baxters website. I noticed it because like mine it has black block inlays where most natural ones with white pickguard the inlays are also white. I agree that mine was a good buy but i did buy well over 20 years ago and i bought it because i'd always wanted a Jazz Bass not as an inverstment. There were some nice new basses on the market at that time (there seemed to be more guitar shops than ever back then) in the £400-£500 price range so no one was busting down doors to buy an old Jazz with a bit of buckle rash and a few dings. I sold my nearly new Bass Collection SB301(?) for £225 to buy the Jazz, so half what i paid for the Jazz. My only regret was that in the same shop standing next to it was a Shergold Marathon 6 for £195 which i didn't buy! No way could i have laid out another couple of hundred quid after just spend £450 on the Jazz! [/quote] I think the black block inlays were used on all the maple boards on Jazz Basses between 1970 when Fender introduced the option of a maple board on the Jazz to the very end of 1973 when they changed the overall design of that bass and introduced the pearloid markers for the 1974 NAMM show . I too can remember when Seventies Fenders were reasonably priced , but twenty odd years and a surge in demand can do wonders for the price . I'm not sure the price of the Shergold would have fared quite so well , but no doubt some indie band Peter Hook wannabe would take it off your hands nowadays for a lot more than you could have paid for it back then .

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1371173353' post='2110919'] Didn't she win ass of the year recently? And I always thought it was the opposite but then again I never really compared the two. [/quote] For once I have a legitimate question about basses that I want to find an answer to and very quickly the whole degenerates into tits and arses . I suppose I only have myself to blame . Carol did indeed win Rear Of The Year , but I have long suspected that competition is rigged . If they were judging based purely on size and overall mass then Mrs Dingus would be in with a shout of winning it every year , but she has yet to be nominated .