redstriper

Dave, I din't know how much use this is to you; I use a small 1x15 Flite cab similar to the Compact, just a bit smaller and it's loaded with a similar Eminence driver as used in the Compact - mine is the lower frequency model of the 3015, so probably a bit quieter because it isn't quite as sensitive. It is loud enough for 90% of my gigs with my LM2, but I have another identical cab for those occasional gigs where I need more volume without PA support. My feeling is that you will be fine with one Compact and you will certainly appreciate the weight, the tone should be deeper than your 2x12 too. I think Clarky had one and he's down your way, but he might not still have it with the rate of gear turnover he has.

[quote name='alant' post='1300659' date='Jul 12 2011, 09:27 AM']Thanks guys for the replies so far. I was wondering if any of the Fender USA Jazz bass options are lighter generally than the Mex ones. Presumably different types of wood make a difference to the weight.[/quote] They are the same kind of weight at about 9 - 9.5 lbs IME. The aerodyne is a P/J hybrid with no Jazz neck pick up AFAIK. Have you thought about a G&L JB-2, they are more like 8 - 8.5 lbs.

Your choice of amp depends on the type of music you play and the tone you want - the choice is entirely subjective. I tried a lot of amps at home through my cab before buying the LM2, including buying a new Hartke LH1000 and returning it because I didn't like the tone. I would recommend this approach because it's the only way to know if an amp will suit you. I play reggae and soul music and I love my Markbass LM2 through a single 15" cab - I'm sure I'd be very happy to play it through your Peavy 18", but the tone might not suit you and the weight wouldn't suit me! A friend of mine uses an LM2 for funk and Jaco style fretless bass and he loves it too, although he keeps the eq flat, while I cut the mids. Good luck.

If you've never played a bass with thin vintage frets, they might surprise you. They make for smoother slides and faster runs - I love them.

They are thin vintage frets as fitted to the old Fenders which came with flats as standard and now also fitted on the American Vintage and Mex Classic series. Rounds will obviously wear them quicker and I suppose they won't last as long as jumbo frets but I wouldn't lose any sleep.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1296963' date='Jul 8 2011, 11:19 AM']If you can't work this one out by ear then maybe this music thing isn't for you.[/quote] My music teacher said the same thing to me 40 years ago and he also said I was tone deaf and kicked me out of the class. It just made me want to prove him wrong and I've been a musician ever since and I find tabs very useful.

My Alesis multimix is 5 years old and I've used it to record many multitrack sessions on my old laptop with no problems. I use the laptop for the internet and run lots of other applications too, but not usually while recording and I disabled all windows sounds. I always record to the internal 60 gig hard drive and then transfer to an external drive. I have never lost any data and find the system very stable compared to other systems I have used, including much more expensive ones. My multimix is firewire, but I imagine the newer usb2 models will perform as well. The multimix is more than just a mixer, it is a soundcard as well and mine is permanently connected to the laptop and my hi-fi so I play all my music through it and the quality is much better than the analogue output from the computer.

[quote name='lanark' post='1296251' date='Jul 7 2011, 06:25 PM']That's interesting. the laptop I'm writing this on was only bought last year (admittedly, pretty budget though) and its specs are ....... fiddles with programs to find all this bvumf out .... Processor: Celeron dual core 1.9ghz T3100 Ram: 4 gigs And yours can record 18 tracks at once? I'm always struggling with lag when putting together a midi file in cubase. I must clear the whole thing out one day.[/quote] I would expect your laptop to be up to the job and if you already use cubase, you're half way there - all you need is a sound card interface like the Alesis. Midi files can be a problem when using the internal computer synth (forget what it's called) - mine has a latency problem when using that, but not with plug in synths like the ones supplied with cubase.

[quote name='lanark' post='1296089' date='Jul 7 2011, 03:48 PM']I have a laptop, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for recording - I'd doubt that it was powerful enough.[/quote] It doesn't have to be very powerful, I use a basic 5 year old Toshiba Satellite with an Alesis Multimix 16. It's a Centrino Duo with 1 gig Ram and it records 18 tracks at once with broadcast quality results. The nice thing about using a computer is the large display compared to budget hardware systems and you can easily add plug ins and integrate different software to suit.

[url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/alesis-multimix-8-usb-2/651"]THIS[/url] will do it nicely.

Don't know if this counts - fwd. to 7.15 for bass solo from the wonderful Robbie Gordon:

Sounds great to me.

[quote name='muttley' post='1286561' date='Jun 29 2011, 03:57 PM']Sorry, I don't understand the point you are making here. I gave my opinion. Others are entitled to theirs, surely?[/quote] My point is that I disagree with your opinion and so do a lot of more informed people and please don't call me surely

[quote name='muttley' post='1286462' date='Jun 29 2011, 02:26 PM']Eminence speakers are crap.[/quote] Really? I've had them in my cabs for years and never even noticed the crapness, but thanks for the heads up. And all the Barefaced range are crap - better tell Alex Claber, I'm sure he'd like to know and Bill Fitz will be interested since he also recommends them.

Eminence 3015LF is great for low end and weighs almost nothing. The 3015 has more mids and top if you like that sort of thing.

What a great gig that must have been to play - some right nifty movers there. The 3rd vid is my favourite.

Apologies if this has been posted before. [url="http://www.guitarstop.com/tour/guitar.htm"]This link[/url] states that Mexican Fender bodies are made from five blocks of Alder which are laminated with an Alder veneer and the top is beveled direct from the lumber supplier, while the [quote]USA Ash bodies are usually made out of 2 pieces of wood, USA Alder bodies are usually made out of 3 pieces of wood.[/quote] The USA necks incorporate graphite rods and may be made from a higher quality timber, although this isn't made clear. [quote]All of the American and Mexican made Fender guitars start at the factory in Corona, CA. The lumber for the bodies and necks are shipped to the Corona factory where they are cut, fretted and inspected. At this time it is determined whether a guitar body will be painted a solid color or if the wood is nice enough to have a natural or transparent finish. Extremely nice pieces of wood are set aside for the Custom Shop.[/quote] [quote]The Corona factory manufactures pickups, pickguards, bridges, metal chassis for amplifiers, neck plates, metal bridge covers and metal pickup covers. The pickguards are stamped out by a machine and the bevel is added by hand with a router.[/quote] This is from a similar thread on Talkbass: [quote]The MIM's have their own "parts bin" so to speak that Fender uses, mostly of foreign (read Korea, and China) fabrication that they then send to Mexico to be assembled on to bodies and necks that are finished in Mexico, but originally come from Corona.. they use 5 piece grade A woods on their MIM body's that in the case of the clear finish models have a layer of veneer to give the appearance of a 2 piece body, and Grade A maple necks with no graphite. The are are numerous other differences, but that gives you the idea.. the only similarity between a MIA and and MIM is the name Fender on the head stock and the shape.[/quote]

Did you sell it on ebay? If so ebay can refund the buyer if the bass arrives damaged no matter what personal arrangement you have made with him. Just a thought.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' post='1283561' date='Jun 27 2011, 12:20 AM']I agree on this. Its very difficult to say why (IMO) the old ones sound better, as every post on this thread has merit. "We've forgotten nothing, but learnt lots about making guitars, so they should be better now", is a great point someone made, and difficult to argue against, unless you've played a good (and there are some bad 'uns) early Fender Bass. I think its a combination of everything, the woods, the pickups, the windings, the wires, and of course, the age. Whenever i pick up a 'new' bass, i find they all sound the same, the strings feel very tight, like they are going to snap at any moment. The controls are very responsive, but its all too 'metal-ly, too trebly, regardless of amp settings etc. The old ones [i]are[/i] different, its a fact, i've played plenty, and own a few. They are soft, and warm, and playing one is like eating hot buttery toast in your favourite old slippers, it just feels sooo comfortable, and its as if it knows, instinctively what you are playing and how its supposed to sound, and it works every time. The best playing, and sounding bass i ever had was a '60 Jazz, just incredible, but here's the thing, which will argue about the components being the difference, the closest i've come to that feel/sound, is my '58 P-bass, which feels and sounds very, very similar to that jazz. One has slab rosewood board, twin pickups, stack controls, the other has maple neck, split coil, single volume and tone knobs. Explain that? Plug it in, and you just melt into it, thin, worn neck, with such tone. I have a Custom Shop Relic '58, that looks the same in every way, how does it sound?, it couldnt be further from the real '58. Is it a great sounding bass? Yes, just different. Are the old ones better (I'm comparing a [i]good[/i] old one with a [i]good[/i] new one here)?, in my opinion, and that of most players i know, yes they are, way better! Can i explain why?, as you've seen here....No, sorry! What i will say, is you're ever in a vintage shop, and theres an 'old' bass in (I'm talking at least pre-'64), just have a play, if you havent already, and see, its all a matter of personal taste at the end of the day i guess.[/quote] Now that's what I'm talking about.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1283006' date='Jun 26 2011, 02:24 PM']The question is this - has it always sounded good? You've had it for 30 years, has it improved noticably between now and when you first got it?[/quote] It's always sounded the same and it's a sound that suits me, but not everyone else since I play mostly reggae. Am I the only member of this forum still playing the same bass after 30 odd years?

I like modern life and I don't want to live in the past, I don't venerate old things like cars or anything else. I would simply love to find a modern bass that sounds as good to my ears as my old one. And it's not just my ears - my old one sounds better to everyone who has heard the comparison with newer models in blind tests. I don't know if it sounds better because it's old or for other reasons, but I'm interested to know of others who may have experienced the same phenomenon.

It's odd that Fender don't supply these basses with period correct strings because they are integral to that early 60s sound. I have only ever used flats and much prefer the feel and tone, but one man's meat etc...... My favourites are GHS precisions and I also like DRs and Fenders. Here's a review of the GHSs:

Hi Jack, Thanks for the info on your bass, it sounds right up my street and I will be sure to try one when I get the chance. Did it come with period correct flat wound strings? As for amps, only you will know what suits you - I tried lots after deciding to go lightweight. It took a while for me to settle with the LM2 after my old Trace amp and it doesn't sound the same - it is more controlled and precise, almost compressed sounding, but I've grown to love it because it seems to work in any situation, has plenty of power and tone and it fits in a laptop bag. I'm not keen on the CMD102p but a lot of people are - I found it too middy and aggressive sounding for my taste, but it's certainly loud, although not exactly lightweight. I prefer a separate head, so I can choose cabs to suit the gig and I have 2 ultra lightweight 15s made by Flite in the states. The nearest UK equivalent is probably the barefaced compact afaik. I would recommend you get the amp first and try it with your existing cabs to give a comparison with your old amp and don't sell your old rig until you are happy with it's replacement. Steve.

Hi Jack, Did you play the Custom Shop NOS '64 Limited Edition black Fender Jazz before buying it and did you compare it to new standard Fenders? I'm interested to know the difference in quality for the extra dough, but don't know anywhere to try one. I've also been playing a long time and still got the 'customised' '63 Fender Jazz that I bought in 1979. I changed from a heavy Trace rig to Markbass a few years ago and never looked back. I use the LM2 head with 2 lightweight 15s and it makes gigging a lot more enjoyable. Oh - and welcome to the forum. Steve.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1281325' date='Jun 24 2011, 06:07 PM']There are 5 pages of personal opinions here![/quote] But none from anyone who thinks old Fenders sound better than new ones and I am surprised by the strength of that opinion.