CamdenRob

A question for Fender experts... I'm looking at a Jazz bass with a serial number beginning with an E and then only 5 digits? all the numbers on the Fender website have an E and then 6 digits? There seems to be a couple of threads on TB and also the Fender forum about these maybe being instruments designated for the export market? Anyone else got a jazz from the early 80's with an E and 5 digit serial number? I notice the 82 Jazz Andy Baxter just sold also has this serial number format. I emailed Fender and they were unable to confirm this was a genuine fender instrument? They were insistent that all jazzes from this period had the E followed by 6 digits format... Any insight would be appreciated. Cheers Rob

Entry level stuff has really improved over the last few years... Even the absolute cheapest of the cheap basses are playable these days. I played someones encore P the other day and yeah it wasn't great but it was playable.

I had a squire P.... absolutely awful.... nothing else to add really.

My basses are covered under the house insurance when out and about but not if I'm using them for "professional use".... Guess I'm OK if I'm not getting paid for the gig... bit of a grey area though. They also asked me on the phone for my house insurance if I lived within 1500 meters of water.... Who doesn't live within 1500 meters of water? My folks house was flood damaged a few years back and apparently there is a separate pot of money from the government which insurers can draw against for this. When the bloke came to assess the claim he insisted that we needed every door frame and every bit of work custom made by a relevant craftsman to its exact condition before the flood, bespoke carpets and everything... didn't use a single off the shelf part...presumably they were getting us to spend as much as possible then putting their bit on top to draw from the government pot.... dishonest bas***ds. Rob

Do what you've got to do to pay the rent..... I don't see how anyone could criticize you for that.

[quote name='borisbrain' timestamp='1380794079' post='2230557'] And another in New Oscott, near Sutton Coldfield. Three people admired our soundcheck, and then offered to sell us cocaine. 10 people watched the first set. Three people watched the second set. We thought we'd ham it up by dancing around an on the tables using our wireless systems. Until I fell off one of them... BB [/quote] Cocaine affects your balance like that...

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1380793360' post='2230540'] We used to look forward to playing The Standard in the late 80s / early 90s, it was a cut above our usual gigs! But then we were a bit rubbish. [/quote] We were rubbish as well... Played there a few times around 97/98. Strange looking bloke called Grey used to run it, nice chap actually.

Tom is building me a preamp / compressor / DI at the moment. He's been a pleasure to deal with, couldn't have done any more to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. Can't wait to get hold of the finished product... Rob

I was in a dodgy metal band when I was 14 and we played some real dives and inappropriate sized venues. The Standard in Walthamstow springs to mind.. All black painted walls with an enormous ramp the went out into the "crowd". It had the smallest back stage room I've ever seen with the grottiest sofa in all existence... Think the smallest we ever played was the Red Eye in Islington, the stage was literally about six foot square. Played quite a few needlessly large venues as well, played once at the Oval in Norwich with the same dodgy metal band. Had a massive stage and one of those floor to ceiling metal grilles at the front, presumably to protect us from the raucous crowd made up solely of the other bands and their girlfriends... Rob

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1380721440' post='2229509'] Didn't know Matthew Kelly played. [/quote] YouBet he did.... ...sorry

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1380725910' post='2229607'] Sounds like you have been Alex'd ... [/quote] No it wasn't him or Martin, it was some bloke I've never seen before.... maybe he was a customer

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1380725622' post='2229601'] Yep, it's pronounced "Wol" [/quote] In which case it would appear I am incorrect.... Excellent basses in any case

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1380725464' post='2229598'] I think some people rhyme WAL with Wally because the founder's name was Ian Waller, and I believe that's how he pronounced his own name. I tend to rhyme WAL with valley, because it works for me and (unfortunately) I never got to meet Ian Waller. [/quote] The "Val" in "Valley" is how I've been saying it.. well with a "W" obviously... I couldn't think of a word that describes it but valley is good Glad it isn't just me, the bloke in the gallery looked at me like I was a right wally... or wolly even... In fact the "Gal" in Gallery sums it up pretty well too. Rob

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1380724864' post='2229587'] I can only assume that someone had an inadvertent 'finger failure'. [/quote] This happens quite a lot in my bass playing....

How do you pronounce Wal? The bloke in the Gallery the other day said "Wol" as in "wally"... The fact that I can't think of another word that demonstrates how I've been saying it would tend to suggest he is right... Rob

This looks fun... I'm off to buy a steel drum...

Ah we seem to be back up and running....

When I was at collage several years ago on a joke music course that was designed to keep kids off the streets, we had a bass tutor for a while called Jack something... Jack Monk I think. No idea who he was or what he did but he did have a Wal... That sound... we all plugged straight into a desk (10 basses...) There were Warwicks, Fenders and a number of no name cheapies and they all sounded crap... but that Wal, what a sound... clear, rich, beautiful... The guy was a cracking player though and we were all teenagers which probably had something to do with it... I'll never forget that bass... It was a lefty and still looked cool! Rob

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1380705421' post='2229112'] An explanation would be nice. [/quote] +1

[quote name='Lorne' timestamp='1380704436' post='2229087'] Why is the luthier thread gone? [/quote] I would be interested to know where its gone, I am in a similar situation and would like to have found out what happened. Was there some kind of explanation as to why it went?

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1380703724' post='2229064'] Much as I like Paul Herman's work, with a build time that enormous surely it makes more sense to put some effort into locating a pre-owned original Wal which ticks your boxes? [/quote] Yeah that's the position I'm currently in.... I'd snap up the right one if it came up. Mind you, what are the chances I'm still looking in 17 months time wishing I'd just ordered one...

That's a good build time... I was quoted 17 months last week

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1380611054' post='2227661'] mine is an Indonesian model, very well built to my eyes. Rob [/quote] errmm no it isn't it's Korean.... I'm not even drunk yet....

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1380626997' post='2227981'] I have been looking at a Rebop 5 in that blue colour, its very nice to look at [/quote] I've been looking at those as well... I'd go for the four if one came up for a reasonable price. Trouble is they seem to be going second hand for almost the cost of a new one....