tony_m

Don't know whether it could be described as the "Best [b]Beginners[/b] Book", but I've just acquired a copy of "The Bass Handbook" by Adrian Ashton, in an attempt to kick my butt into getting a bit more serious. [i][b]Product Description[/b] This indispensable handbook helps players of all levels produce better, more creative, and more varied bass lines. Divided into two sections - Playing Your Bass and Knowing Your Bass - it covers everything from tuning, reading music, scales and chords, and advanced techniques to tips on buying and upgrading a budget bass and troubleshooting. Along with a list of suggested listening and reference guide, this book provides an unrivaled digest of bass information that might otherwise take an entire career to amass. It begins with a 'Basics' section that assumes nothing about your ability. 'Scales and Chords' shows you how to add other notes to your bass lines and includes exercises to extend musical knowledge and train your ear. It develops your understanding of the links between chords and scales, helping you to play from a chord chart or to improvise when required. Most of the ideas and techniques can be achieved without reading music at all, although the information is there for those who can. The 'Reading music' section develops an intuitive approach using pattern recognition rather than the usual mechanical (counting) method, and introduces a skill that may eventually become important to your professional career. Advanced techniques includes harmonics and fretless bass. [/i] It includes a CD of exercises and examples, and, most usefully of all, it's a spiral-bound hardback, so it actually stays open at the right page without the use of pegs, bulldog clips, half-bricks etc. Link to Amazon [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bass-Handbook-Complete-Mastering-Guitar/dp/0879308729/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253824098&sr=1-1"]The Bass Handbook[/url]

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be playing bass with... Crazy Horse (and Mr Young, of course, in full-on [i]Weld [/i]mode) The Georgia Satellites (1985-1989 model) REM (but forget the backing vocals...)

I've got one of each, and the VMJ has always struck me as being heavier than the CV. However, I've just weighed them (the sort of thing you find yourself doing of an evening... ) and they're actually both about the same weight, 9.5lbs-ish according to my shonky old bathroom scales - can't get any more accurate than that I'm afraid!!! This is about a pound heavier than my 1997/98 CIJ '60s Reissue (yep, I weighed that as well... ). The headstock on the CV is as you say a couple of mm thinnner than the VMJ, while the VMJ is the same thickness as the CIJ. The sustain seems about the same on both, although I have just replaced the bridge on the VMJ with a Wilkinson which has brass saddles rather than the nondescript shiny silver things which come as standard, so I suppose this might make a difference? As an aside, I had the "bonnet" up on them both the other day following a thread on another bass-related forum, and found that the CV has 250k pots while those on the VMJ are 500k - somebody else out there can probably explain what difference this might make if any. Ditto the different pickups, body woods and fingerboard woods - if push came to shove, I'd have to say the VMJ sounds punchier than the CV, while the CV seems a tad smoother, more refined. Love 'em both, though... :blush:

[quote name='Linus27' post='592087' date='Sep 7 2009, 01:43 PM']Oh I wish. In fact, I really think this thread needs a picture of Sarah and I am sure you would agree [/quote]

[quote name='Linus27' post='592016' date='Sep 7 2009, 12:14 PM']HAHAHAHA thats ok, Morgan will make an excuse for me If you look at the other picture I posted, I am wearing my Chuck shirt and tie. So, Sarah and Casey will look after me, [color="#FF0000"]especially Sarah [/color] [/quote] Hah, chance'd be a fine thing!!!

[quote name='Linus27' post='591605' date='Sep 6 2009, 07:36 PM']One from last weekend. Found an excuse to use my Stingray. First time I have used it and not sure when I will get to use her again. [/quote] What's Big Mike going to say when he sees you're not in the store?!!!

Welcome bassix! Glad to see it's not just me who felt compelled to acquire a CV Jazz after hanging around the Marketplace!!!

No, doesn't work at all with the chequered pickguard. However, if you'd like to send it my way, I'm sure it'd be just perfect with a black 'un... or a torty 'un...

Thanks all for your welcomes, encouragement, and inspiration.

After hanging around here for over a year now, I figured it was probably about time to introduce myself, so... [cheesy grin] Hi folks, my name's Tony, and I'm a Bedroom Bassist. [/cheesy grin] After umpteen years of listening to the bassline rather than the song, I got my first bass (a Tanglewood P-copy) in 1994, and started messing up REM and Neil Young songs with a mate from work who played guitar. Unfortunately, changes of job and working patterns brought an end to our weekly sessions a year or so later, and I retired to my room to carry on messing up songs on my own. By this time, the Tanglewood had gone, replaced by a '78 Fender Musicmaster which I rescued from the clutches of a local music shop (they had the poor wee thing tuned to guitar pitch, then wondered why the neck was like a banana!!! ), an MIJ '51 Precision Reissue (my first serious attack of GAS prompted by a review in [i]Bassist [/i]mag), and a CIJ '60s Reissue Jazz. A combination of work and domestic circumstances soon reduced my activities to virtually nil, although I've always found it impossible to walk past the '51 P without picking her up and giving her a quick twang. Fast-forward to March 2008 when a mate asked my opinion about a Squier Strat for his lad. I've always fancied a "maple 'n' black blocks" Jazz a la Les Pattinson, so after investigating the Squier website I suppose it was inevitable that a '70s VMJ would be added to the collection almost immediately. Suitably inspired, I'm now playing (er, OK, messing about...) more than I have in ages, but still have no intention of demonstrating my lack of talent and ability in public. There again, never say never, eh? And after being pretty much GAS-free for more than a year (yes, really!!!), a recent visit to the BC Classifieds triggered a desperate desire for an Oly White Jazz. Oh well, the Squier CV '60s has been getting good reviews, and they aren't that expensive, so what's a boy to do... Now I suppose some might say all these fine instruments are wasted on me (and TBH they're probably right), but they've helped keep me sane and cheerful through various events over the past 18 months, as have my bicycles. But that's another story... Anyway, enough of my wittering, here's a shot of the family. Amp-wise I've got a Trace BLX-80 and an old Laney Linebacker 30, but usually just play through a headphone amp or a Tascam BT-2. [attachment=31917:IMGP7345adj.jpg] I can't really offer much to the Forum other than enthusiasm, but I will say it strikes me as a decent place to be - I also hang out on various cycling and mtb forums, and the attitudes and behaviour on there sometimes seems to be worse than a primary school playground!

+1 for TI JF324 flats (on a Musicmaster).

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='553254' date='Jul 27 2009, 09:53 PM']Indeed! I have a set of TI JF324 on my mustang. Absolutely wonderful combination. Shame they don't fit my musicmasters or dano longhorn as well [/quote] Another Musicmaster fan here! Being small of hand and stubby of finger, I was delighted to find this wee beauty about 15 years ago. She's nowt fancy, just the standard slightly grubby white / black pickguard model, but I did replace the stock pup with an SD Hot Rails Strat Neck jobbie as recommended in [i]Bassist [/i]mag. I'm just getting back into playing after a break of a few years, and every time I pick her up I can't help but smile. I've just fitted a set of TI JF324's - while they don't really fit properly, all seems to be well so far. Of course, having said that, I'll no doubt now die in a bizarre bass-string-related incident... I'm also now on the lookout for a Mustang. I'm sure my (also small of hand and stubby of finger) friend who last played bass when she was at college *cough* years ago would love one for her birthday, but even if she doesn't, well, I'm sure I could find a home for it...

Dunno if you've seen this? It's a comparison of the Squier CV '50s P, '60s P and '60s J with their Fender equivalents (if you can call a Custom Shop Jazz the equivalent of a Squier... ). [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U[/url] FWIW, I've got an MIJ '51 Reissue P, but hearing me play it would tell you absolutely nowt.