Sean

[quote name='The Funk' post='31895' date='Jul 14 2007, 07:42 PM']for more space on his maxed-out pedalboard? [/quote] I nearly fell off my chair laughing! Thanks for that - It's cheered me up after having a gig cancelled due the rain today.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-DELUXE-PRECISION-BASS-ACTIVE-cash-only_W0QQitemZ200127669574QQihZ010QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViwItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-DELUXE-PRECIS...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] Look at this he's selling - what an attitude! He's put his phone numbers on there - ideal for the phonejacker!

Currently I've moved away from Elixirs and am trying other stuff to see how they perform. On my Peavey (P+J) I'm using Thomastik flats and I prefer them to Rotosound flats and D'Addario Chromes, they give me the sound I hear in my head. This fits in really well with the Duck Dunn lines that I play in the Blues Brothers tribute band. On my Lakland 44-02 I have a set of DR Black Beauties which I've had for ages and they are superb - the slap sound I get with these isn't too bright and the feel of them is more tactile. I'll definitely buy another set at some point. I've put a set of D'Addario halfrounds on my 55-02 just to see what they are like. They seem to me to be much more like rounds than they do like flats, I like the texture and the warm, mellow tone but in a swings and roundabouts way they are rubbish for slapping.

When I have to, which isn't very often, I use the Carol Kaye ones that she sells on her website. They are very thick and have a nice feel. Ideal for faking Jamerson lines apparently.

So there I am half-watching Just-like-Live-Aid-but-not-as-good-cos-St-Bob's-cooler-than-Al-Gore wondering what to do with the strings I've just taken off my Lakland 44-02 which should have come off weeks ago but I've been too lazy to take the time to do it. What are we supposed to do to be green when it comes to Strings? Can I just chuck them in the can recycler where they'll get turned into something else or are they the wrong metal or what?

[quote name='lukeward2004' post='24348' date='Jun 28 2007, 11:52 AM']There is a book by Joaquin Des Pres called 101 Disco/Funk basslines - wit tab and notation - that I bought from amazon. Ideal place to start methinks![/quote] I took that book on holiday with me a couple of years ago, certainly passed the the time.

It'll be the most listenable tuition music ever. Great stuff.

[quote name='lukeward2004' post='25976' date='Jul 2 2007, 12:58 PM']It is more of a brain screw when you start tossing in upper and lower chromatic approach notes and whatnot, and as said before, trying to keep it interesting is always difficult.[/quote] I'm glad it's not just me! I have been quite vociferous about Ed Friedland lately and called him some very unsavoury names but what he says really is sinking in now.

There's a nice Lakland 55-02 in the For Sale section from andyonbass. This fits in with your spec...

Groove is in the Heart.

I asked them to do a refund and they said they'd do it as soon as they got the strings back. I'll keep you all updated.

[quote name='markytbass' post='20855' date='Jun 20 2007, 04:50 PM']The A-D-G were not too bad but the E was awful like playin a piece of wool.[/quote] +1 What the hell is going on with these E strings? Absolute rubbish! Did you get a refund in the end?

I use a GK 700RB/210 combo for rehearsal and big gigs for monitoring - it's great for on stage monitoring and ideal for small and medium size venues as proper backline. It's fairly portable and I chose it over a similar powered MB mainly on price (£250 difference). If you can afford the extra the MB's are much lighter. Soundwise - as always try before you buy. MB has a superb reputation but some find that they colour the sound too much them. The GK suits my needs, pocket and sound and on balance won for me.

[quote name='bumnote' post='22721' date='Jun 24 2007, 07:23 PM']Not so, my US Jo is 8 1/2 lbs.[/quote] My 44-02 is 7.5 lbs and my 55-02 is 9 lbs. I've played a load of other laklands and none of them were heavy. Lakland only let them go if they are under 10 lb - so they claim.

[quote name='philbillbass' post='22743' date='Jun 24 2007, 09:00 PM']thanks for that link! how could it be posted to Merseyside for less money? and i will keep an eye out on that site but i am seriously considering that bass, the maple fretboard is just so sexy![/quote] Get a torty pick guard and it'll be the sexiest thing since Ursula Andress in Dr No!

[quote name='The Burpster' post='22645' date='Jun 24 2007, 01:37 PM']In this day and age, the manufacturing methods are pretty similar, the materials will be similar and (now) the QC will be pretty closely scrutineered...... so apart from huge disparities in labour costs, (and no Custom shop in the other than the US), you will get a very good instrument (if its a genuine Fender) regardless of where it was made...... No if you want the orginal Mojo, or maybe some exotic non-sustainable selected woods or you are just need to have it MIA... then a US is the only option. If you want an excellent instrument but cannot afford to pay thru the nose, Genuine MIJ MIM will play just as well as a MIA. Or as Muppet states... Nail Head hit.......[/quote] I would say that the CIJ ones are better than the MIM ones when it comes to quality. The quality of the Jap instruments is extremely high - better in many cases than the MIA stuff. If I was buying a Fender unseen I would only go for a CIJ - I'd have to try the US or Mex ones first. The CIJ jazzes I've had were really top notch. I've never played a Mex that was anywhere as good as a Jap one. try them all and see for yourself.

Bought my Lakland 55-01 (CAR) - highly recommended punter!

Does anyone have a GK combo with the Lock & Roll handle and castors system? I find that the wheels on it are just not up to British surfaces. The rubber has stripped off and has left the wheels unuseable. I now know that these wheels are only good enough for indoor surfaces. Anyone managed to get replacements?

[quote name='Johngh' post='21646' date='Jun 21 2007, 11:14 PM']Neil Murray - Whitesnake etc[/quote] Neil Murray is currently appearing in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, London! remember when they used to announce things like that after TV shows in the 70s? Anyway my underrated bass player is... Mike Mills from REM - great all rounder. Great to see him on the telly last night too.

[quote name='slaphappygarry' post='7716' date='May 27 2007, 05:45 PM']Protech Sound & Light (1) Unit 1a, Sedbury Trading Estate, Grahamstown Rd, Sedbury, Chepstow, Gwent NP16 7AD Tel: 01291 630410[/quote] I can vouch for these guys, they've done 3 custom cases for me over the past few years and the attention to detail is superb as well as the service; they will go through your exact requirements and make suggestions that I've found invaluable. Ask for Justin...

I asked a similar question on BassWorld about the coatings but I've never had a tone issue with Elixirs and have just replaced a set that was a year old and found that remarkably the old set probably had more life yet so I've kept them as spares.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='22105' date='Jun 22 2007, 08:06 PM']I need to add something to the above - I do not own a P at all, but do own a USA Jazz 4 string and my Stingray 5 string. I take both to all gigs and practices, but the Stingray get the nod for a number of reasons: 1..it is a five string, whihc I need to some tunes, and can't be arsed changing basses 2..it plays like a dream, a bit better than the Jazz (although that is no slouch either) 3..being the SR5, it has a 3 position selector. In the centre position it does a reasonable J sound - not the same, but does the job. The Bridge position is classic Stingray 4, whihc is great, and the Neck position is a powerful rock sound. And the 3-band EQ gives a pretty wide variety of tones - enough for me, anyway. 4..the Ray has a tighter bottom end, whihc in the reality of most gigs, I find useful, since boominess can be tamed in the way that is not possible with the Jazz, I feel The only thing the Ray lacks is the classic passive tones of a P or J, and at home I usually love the sound of the J bass, but in a band my Ray is the one for me, at least. What do others reckon? C[/quote] I'd agree with the sentiment wholly here. I had a Stingray 5 which sounded great in the mix - it's very versatile and works superbly live. The only issue I found with it was that the string spacing was too narrow for me - just look around at the pros who use these for recommendation. The Lakland 55-02 does pretty much the same job with wider spacing and an extra pick up (compared to the standard S5).

While we're all talking Lakland - why not try the 44-02 or 55-02. You get all the versatility of a Jazz with a MM pick up at the back (splittable) which gives a array of sounds for covers. I use my 55-02 in a Blues Brothers tribute act (not very authentic, I know but as mentioned above, I can't find any rocking horse manure at the moment!) and it comes through big and fat and very suitable for that. There's not a lot they can't do. If it's J or P though - J everytime for me.