Marc S

Hello and good morning, from an even leafier South Wales An 8 year hiatus is nothing - I stopped playing for over 20 years Oddly enough, I enjoy the bass even more second time around Enjoy your playing, and welcome to BC

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1464681090' post='3061292'] £200 - £250 is the standard pub gig rate down South Wales area. Some places will try to pay less. Usually those gigs go to acoustic duos. We are lucky to be able to charge a little more as we are a 6 piece and don't often play pubs (maybe 10 a year), but £300 is pretty much tops. Standard set will be 2 X 1 hours [/quote] Another bassist from south Wales here, echoing what FuNkShUi has said. Although lately in Cardiff, pubs are now edging toward the trend of NOT paying in cash Instead, they want you to submit an invoice. This usually means one band member who has his own business submitting the invoice, and he ends up paying tax on it. Of course, we all should be paying tax -but that rather reduces the £200 fee between 4 or 5 band members.. And, given certain politicians' history on paying tax - one feels that £200, which was the going rate around 15 years ago seems rather paltry Especially as Cardiff city centre gigs usually mean you have to pay to park too Oddly enough, we seem to get paid more in the Valleys of South Wales, where you also get paid cash, often get a free drink or 2. And I have to say it, but they seem to prefer their live music

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1464544183' post='3060227'] A little bit of info, if your routing isnt deep enough for the long pole piece studs these use, just hacksaw the bottom off till theyre flush with the magnets, it makes no difference to the tone or output, ive done it. [/quote] Thanks for the tip

I recently ordered 2x P scratchplates and a J plate. The P's fitted perfectly (one on a Squier Classic Vibe, one on my Fender RW P) Both top quality, with shielding and were about 4 quid. The J plate doesn't quite fit perfectly - but then, the J is a Bitsa I can see that with a bit of tweaking, I should be able to get a decent fit from it The area around the neck pocket needs a very small amount of widening - so if I'm careful with a fine file and some wet & dry.... It's also pretty good quality, and again, was under a fiver including delivery Sorry to hear of your woes It's luck of the draw, I guess - but I ordered one plate, just to see how good they were, and got lucky

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1463905396' post='3054786'] The answer is simple - both! But if I was forced at gunpoint to choose one, it would be a PJ with a J neck.... [/quote] Definitely both, if you can afford it, or have the space If not, then get a P, and mod it to a PJ, With which ever neck you find most comfortable I prefer a J width neck, but that's just what suits my hands & style

I too went back to my roots with a P bass. Mine is a roadworn P, which I bought from this forum. Its had the neck slightly "shaved" / trimmed to be a little thinner. I had a J pickup added, as I like the flexibility of a PJ. Its wonderfully lightweight, and a joy to play. Sounds great, and it just "fits" for me I've also gone full circle, trying all sorts of other basses. I'd even completely gone off fenders for a long time. But now I'm back. I don't see it as time wasted, but its been a voyage of discovery, a trip on which I learned some valuable lessons. Not least that Leo did indeed get it right..... Yes Bobby is a great guy. Met him the other week - he kindly gave me a couple of tickets to see his band playing. Doesnt surprise me that he trusted you with a loan of a bass - such a decent bloke Glad you've found your ideal bass

Welcome Sparks Glad you're back into playing music. Keep it up, and keep the enthusiasm too I stopped playing for many years - but I've been playing again for 8 or 9 years, and am now more enthusiastic than ever Recently, I've spoken to quite a few musicians who gave up because of family commitments etc each of them said they're enjoying music much more the 2nd time around - I wonder how many of us experience this? Don't worry that you're "blagging" - I think many musicians feel this way You are learning sir - just learning, honestly. In fact, the best way to view it, is as a continuous learning curve As long as you're enjoying what you learn and play.... EDIT: Singing is not natural to me either I can do some singing whilst playing - but nothing too taxing

[quote name='Kex' timestamp='1462098674' post='3040199'] Just saw ColinB avatar and thought it was me for a second - anyhow, hello from Chepstow-ish [/quote] I thought you were one & the same too - twins separated at birth, maybe? Hope you guys can make Gelfin's bass bash - be good to meet up & chat

I must say, I prefer black definitely if with maple board, but still nice with rosewood. Tort looks superb on black too, esp with rosewood board So black or tort, but definitely not white

Again, this may not make that much difference. As I've said, mine didn't have neck dive I've since added a J pickup (well, luthier Dave Dearnaley did it for me) - mainly because I really like PJ's lately A pickup & wiring may not add much mass, but if you opt for lighter tuners too, and add a J pickup - might help a bit more? Really enjoying my RW P - the sound options now it's a P/J are great. The bridge pup is an Entwistle JBXN - about 19 quid posted too! Also Fred, maybe look at what strap you're using - perhaps something with a bit more grip may help? Again, worth a shot.....

Traded with Lee very recently. A P bass body & cash my way, and a US neck his way. Great guy to deal with. Paid really fast, posted my item really fast too Smooth transaction, had some good chat with him as well - thoroughly nice guy Trade in confidence fellow BC members Thanks again Lee

Also wanted to add; Not only does my RW P seem to have perfect balance (i.e. no neck dive) It's the lightest solid bodied bass I've ever owned - apologies for not backing this up with weight (I don't have a set of scales) Previously, my US P bass was the lightest, but this is a shade lighter again I wonder whether batch variations have produced big differences in weight? Although other RW P owners also say theirs is very light.

Bought a Jazz bass body from Rich He couldn't have been more helpful. Nice smooth transaction and quick delivery Deal in confidence BassChatters

I've got both a RW P and a RW J, and I don't experience any neck dive at all.... I'm amazed you do Both seem perfectly balanced to me.... One thing that can throw me occasionally though, is the reverse tuners. It's not a bother to me, but I could see that some folk might want to replace them. I would say in your case, they probably won't make much difference to the overall weight though Let us know how you get on - I'm intrigued

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1461265217' post='3033174'] these sound good! Are they good for getting a John Entwistle tone? I can get a similar tone with my new way of playing with a precision, but does this add extra growl like his? Or are the surnames a coincidence? haha [/quote] Yes, the surnames are just a coincidence - the pickups have nothing to do with John Entwistle

18th or 25th good for me Gelfin I look forward to it matey - been a long time since the last one

I also own a Roadworn Jazz, and it's an amazing bass. I did like the sound of the pickups in it, but at the time I wanted just a bit more output, and perhaps a little more "bite", without losing the vintage vibe of the stock pickups. I placed a wanted ad on a local facbook bass group, and got hold of an old pair of DiMarzio Jazz pickups They are absolutely brilliant! They still retain that vintage tone, but they have a huge output for passive pickups, and they're very punchy. So if you can get hold of some old DiMarzio's - give them a try. Or perhaps some pickups from an old 70's Japan built bass? You could also try a pair of Entwistle JBXN pickups. I have one in each of 2 P/J's I've got. I really like them. Alternatively, as Cosmo Valdemar says, the stock pickups are nice maybe you could think about pepping them up, with a bass preamp pedal? - Just a thought....

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1461841890' post='3038055'] An ex-Pino stack-knob Jazz from 1961: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EX-PINO-PALLADINO-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-STACK-KNOB-1961-VINTAGE-FENDER-BASS-WHO-/391434650065?hash=item5b2352c1d1:g:D2IAAOSw7KJXEO9d"]http://www.ebay.co.u...2IAAOSw7KJXEO9d[/url] I'll never sell this bass, mainly because I'll never buy it. [/quote]

What a great way to celebrate a big birthday! Good on you - looking forward to seeing this one progress and yes, nice piece of wood to start the project

Until very recently, it was my Fender Roadworn Jazz. It's an absolutely stunning bass in every way I just never felt so comfortable playing a bass, and one that just sounds so good too However, in a recent attack of GAS, I also bought a Fender Roadworn P bass The P had had some slight thinning work done on the neck (before I bought it) - superb finish to that work too. I just had it converted to PJ, with a Jazz pickup added by brilliant cardiff luthier Dave Dearnaley I have to say it was brilliant before, but now it is immense. I love the sound options the PJ arrangement gives me, but it's also quite a bit lighter weight than my Jazz (I don't have any scales, before anyone asks - but the RW P seems the lightest solid body long scale bass I've ever picked up) I would hate to part with either my RW Jazz or my RW P - but if I absolutely had to, I now admit I'd keep the P But parting with the Jazz would hurt (slightly) less

[quote name='Kex' timestamp='1461771605' post='3037515'] Quick update, spoke to [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]Dave Dearnaley, he could not have been more helpful, but he only works in Nitro so while his estimate was reasonable (very in fact) he wanted the bass for 8 weeks at least, so for now that not viable, may simply sell it and buy one in a colour i actually want. But Dave would be my first choice based on his thoughtfull advice should anything change. [/color][/font] [/quote] Yes, he really is a top notch luthier, but he's a smashing guy with it too Could you get a cheapish bass, or even borrow one, while yours was with him? Might be cheaper than changing such an expensive bass? You could also re-sell the cheapy when you've done with it.... worth a thought?

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1461771335' post='3037505'] There is a new type of paint been used on cars. It's made from liquid vinyl (DIP Wrap). Easy to apply and easier to remove. I can't explain with my english vocabulary so i'll leave you with a video: [url="https://youtu.be/dO1IteHIYiI"]https://youtu.be/dO1IteHIYiI[/url] You won't need to sand the bass and before you want to sell it you can remove the vivyl pulling it out. Atention: i don't know how well this paint works on a bass, with the constant contact with the bass player's body (its suposed to be very strong and hard wearing on cars). Somebody willing to try it please let us know how it worked out. Cheers [/quote] Someone mentioned this to me recently. First time I've seen that video though I'm guessing you'd need to separate the body, and remove the electrics first I'd also be tempted to mask the back edge of the body, and not spray that, as the paint itself looks like it could be scratched by belt buckles etc Might also cause a reaction with some peoples skin - so a word of caution there Very interesting though - thanks for posting

[quote name='Kex' timestamp='1461771138' post='3037501'] ......have decided not to go the DIY route and anyhow, [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Anaglypta is so 1970's [/font][/color] [/quote] No, you're thinking of woodchip

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1461765969' post='3037423'] Yup, definitely something on the horizon. Should we see how many potential numbers we would get? Can decide on the size of venue we would need then? I'm thinking the Motorpoint Arena should cut it... [/quote] ..... Or possibly the back room of Lower Machen community centre