ossyrocks

This is definitely worth a try, thanks.

Ok, a few days in now. It’s a really great bass. It’s tight and punchy, plays superbly well, it’s well balanced on a strap, not too heavy, I really like it. Apart from one thing……… the side dot markers on the neck. It has them, but they are very indistinct, so playing in low light requires more concentration over my left hand positioning. I’ve googled it, and it’s an issue with these AV reissues, lots of people are having the same issue. The question is, what to do about it? I love the bass and I want to keep it. I’ve been in touch with a luthier and sent him pictures. Right now I’m contemplating have the side dots replaced. What do you think? Rob

Finally got this in my hands yesterday. The sale was agreed a week ago, but we needed to arrange a meet up. 2016 American Vintage ‘63 Reissue in faded sonic blue. The tort guard is a Fender guard but not the original, however the original is included. 8lbs 15 oz. It had La Bellas on it, but really heavy ones, so I’ve swapped those for some La Bella 760FLs. It needed a truss rod tweak to reduce the relief even after fitting lighter strings, some saddle adjustments and the pickup height. It’s now playing really well, very low action with no fret buzz, and sounding great. It has a piano like clarity unplugged which is really noticeable compared with my other basses, very resonant. I’m get used to the wider nut width and I think it will be fine. I’m really looking forward to taking it to rehearsal next week. Cheers, Rob

ok. I've had some time with this little amp now. Whilst I love the sound of it, and its compact size, the fan noise is a bit too intrusive. How loud is your fan? I've had search on the net and it seems some are quieter than other according to various comments I've seen. I've also had a look at the fan itself, and it appears to be a standard thing used mostly in cooling 3D printers. There are various replacement fans available, some of which claim to be almost silent. Has anyone replaced theirs? Cheers, Rob

Similar. I play a lot of blues in practice, and I’d love to find a blues band, but this band is contemporary jazz with a sax and trumpet. I want a really clean, smooth, rounded tone. I play with my fingers and try to play lightly. I use a P bass with the tone rolled all the way off. I think I need the LMB-3 to iron out some of my inconsistencies on faster stuff like The Chicken by Jaco. (I sound nothing like Jaco btw!)

Thanks for that. This is pretty near where I’m ending up being. Rehearsals are starting up again next week, so I’ll see how I get on with it in a band setting.

My first board. Compared with all yours mine seems very “old school”. It’s functional though, I don’t need much. Rob

My better half bought me a Christmas Elf. Not had much time with it today for obvious reasons, but what time I did have was very interesting. How can such a tiny thing be sooo loud? It’s not just that, it has great tone too. It’s going to be my main amp, with the One10, for the jazz band I’m rehearsing with. Rob

I just have been a good boy this year because Santa (MrsRocks) has been very generous with me.

There’s a pic of mine up there^^

That’s the way I justify it to my better half. I think my 73 has gone up quite a bit since I bought it in February.

Mojo right there. Love it.

This is a tough one for me to answer as I’m relatively new to bass. This time last year I possessed a Squier Affinity P Bass and a Fender Rumble 15. My gear has gone from zero to hero in 12 months, with a Fender Roadworn series Jazz, a Markbass rig, a vintage Fender Bassman and a few pedals. But the greatest thing I bought this year, and has had the most impact on me personally must be my vintage 1973 P bass. It’s light, plays wonderfully, sounds immense, and inspires me to play every day. Rob

I play guitar in a community music group. All ages and abilities, and I do it just to help people out, people who otherwise wouldn’t get to play with other musicians and do gigs, or even get out of the house sometimes. The “set list” is about 60 tunes, with different people singing and playing on portions of it, although I generally help out on all of them. We’ve settled on Songbook Pro. It handles all kinds of formats, from Ultimate Guitar downloads to scanned PDFs of handwritten sheets. Set lists can be created, rearranged and shared with everyone to load on their own cheap android tablets, so we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet. With so many tunes, it’s impossible to get everyone to learn everything by heart, so it really makes life easier to have all the chords and lyrics in order and just swipe left for the next tune. Rob

That’s just what I’ve done. I’ve bought the 2016 AV ‘63 this morning over on The Fretboard Forum. I can see you’ve been looking at it and commenting, so I hope you’re not too miffed with me for buying it! Rob

I'd probably buy an AVRI too if one cropped up. I just think these MV basses are interesting, but I don't want to buy without trying first. With an AVRI, I probably would buy without holding it in my hands first, because I kind of know what to expect.

What's the nut width on the 70's one, there's no info on the MV website? Bass Direct list the '62 at 43mm, I just wondered if the '72 was narrower? My '73 P bass is 41mm. I think I can cope with the extra 2mm though. Lots of reasons ^here to just jump on one. The Fiesta Red P is under 9lbs and has £100 off because of a ding on the back of the body, which I'm sure I can live with! I rarely buy new guitars. The last ones were some Custom Shop Gibsons which were being sold off at discount prices in 2018, and I bought them because they were so cheap. I sold all three for a profit later. I doubt this would be the case for this bass though. Thanks for the help chaps. Rob

Now I feel rather foolish, I don’t know how I missed that. There are only two in stock, and they are a six hour round trip away. Are they the only dealer?

I’m looking around for something precisiony, and I’m quite intrigued with the Modern Vintage MVP4-62. However, no amount of googling is getting me any closer to finding anything in the UK. What am I doing wrong? Who has them, who’s tried one, who’s got one? Cheers, Rob

Thanks for all the advice on the LMB-3, and sorry to have hijacked the thread a bit. I've received the one I bought on ebay this week and have just tried it out. It doesn't work! Either on battery or 9v power, only the Level control functions, the rest of the controls have no effect on the sound whatsoever, in any position. I've requested a return via Ebay. A bit disappointed! I'll put an ad in the Wanted Section. Rob

I bought a TU-2 from Chris this week. He’d posted it even before I’d paid! Great to deal with. Rob

That’s great, thanks! I’m looking forward to getting used to it. Rob

I’ve just bought a secondhand LMB-3 to put together an old style Boss BCB-30 board. TU-2, LMB-3 and SYB-5. This is only my second compressor ever. I’m using a vintage P bass through a Mark Bass LM3 and a Barefaced One10 at the moment. I have a TE Elf head on the way though. It’s a low volume contemporary jazz band I’m doing. For those that have experience of the LMB-3, can you give me some pointers on where to start with it? I just want it to even out my inconsistencies, give me a little punch (but not top end), but still allow a bit of dynamic in my playing when I need it. Cheers, Rob PS. The SYB-5 is just for one tune at the moment, Chameleon by Herbie Hancock. I’m right in thinking this should be last in the chain aren’t I?