dave_bass5

Just a quick update. Ive spoken to the retailer (they called me) and they can see the problem and are collecting the bass on wed. The guy has said if they can sort it they will, but he assured me it wont be a bodged job. Im happy with that as the bass plays wella dn is set up to my liking. We spoke about getting it replaced and they do have one on order but they are also holding a Black/maple one for me until they know whats going to happen to mine. The sunburst could be a few weeks and i dont think i could wait that long. I know i had issues with black but im happy now that the issue is on all of them and not just the one i originally had. And while i did/do like the 3TSB i do love a Black bass with black PG (which i already have). Ive used this retailer a couple of times now and they really are outstanding as far as CS go.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='912802' date='Aug 2 2010, 02:04 PM']Strange... I would have expected the 64s to have more highs than the 84s...? Good on Andy, though. He's a great guy.[/quote] Yes, the 84's lacked too much whereas the 74s, being half way between the 2 had more high end but still with the thicker low end of the 84's.

After reading all about Wizards and emailing Andy i ordered a set of 84's for my Squier CV Jazz. Just after that i read OTPJ's review of a custom set he got. These sounded closer to wha ti wanted so i emailed Andy about these. Unfortunately he missed the email and sent the 84's. He did reply and asked me to give them a go, and if i didn't like them to send them back. While i did think they made an improvement in some areas i felt they were a bit too dark and moody, so i emailed him. We agreed i would send them back and he would custom wind a set mid way between the 84's and 64's, at no extra cost other than postage. They arrived two days after i sent the 84's back and im much happier with the tone, and very impressed with the service. They certainly have more low end and kick than the stocks, and there is still some nice high end that i missed with the 84's. Ive now got a MIA jazz that i really like the tone off, but at some point i will put the Wizards in and see who they sound on a decent bass ;-)

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='912651' date='Aug 2 2010, 11:51 AM']I'd be surprised if the pickguard is at fault, it sounds/looks like the body router was just badly aligned on that particular instrument, which will give problems down the road if you want to swap certain components around, or with re-sale value. At the price you've paid I'd be looking for a replacement unless the tone is unusually monstrous. EDIT: I've just realised that it's more likely the pickguard/neck is slightly mis-aligned, either of which would require redrilling. Again I'd just want one that was right first time.[/quote] Cheers. Yes, its going to have to be returned looking spot on if they are going to sort it out themselves. I dont want any extra space around the pups. I'm not sure if its noticeable in the pic (and sorry for not rotating it before posting it) but the two pups are not centered with each other. While the neck might be out a a bit (not that i can tell, the strings are in line with the edges) putting a straight edge along the top of both pups shows it goes up towards the neck. I would expect it to be going down as the neck pup is slightly shorter. Because the PG and neck pup do fit together fine it could well be the bridge pup. I just want them both in line as they should be.

I use a Korg GT4 at gigs (or a peterson istrobosoft on my ipod if im showing off) and GuitarRig, Amplitube or Korg Pandora at home. All give very slightly different readings, although the GT4 is the most out. All still get me in tune though.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='912531' date='Aug 2 2010, 09:47 AM']Hmm, are they planning on swapping it out? Exactly my thoughts. A lot of players have had great Laklands....which is why I thought I would have no problem getting one. [/quote] Im not sure what they plan to do although ive emailed them to ask. I expect the will want to look at it first (although i have sent the pics) I must admit i would be more upset if this had been a lakland for some reason. I guess with the smaller companies its less excusable. im now just worried i might be without the bass for a while. Im pretty sure they dont have the same model in stock as i got the last one. If they do try and fix it then it would need a new pick guard, as while it easy enough to file the original down, it would leave some pretty big gaps and thats not acceptable either. I'll keep you all posted.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='912518' date='Aug 2 2010, 09:32 AM']Believe it or not, yes! Incredibly bad luck, or im expecting more. At first I just thought I was being picky, then, for example, when I showed the last JO4 I tried to buy to the store, they could not believe the size of the neck pocket. It was HUGE. I have in fact spoken to John @ Lakland and he is shocked but agrees that every fault I found is not acceptable on an instrument between £900-£1200 (JO4-DJ5 price range). But, as Dave has found, there are new Fenders with similar problems. I expect good things when the hype around products is high, but now Im learning I need to just ignore it and try one first, (whether that be amp, cab or bass).[/quote] Yeah, you've had some pretty bad luck with the Laklands. I feel im starting down that path with the fenders. For what its worth my DJ5 was perfect, as were doth my DD's and 55-01. Ive had a email from the shop and they are picking it up tomorrow. I dont know what their plans are but for now they seem happy to try and sort it out. I hope its not going to drag on as ive only had it for just over a week. I guess it might be back to the Squier for a few gigs.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='912091' date='Aug 1 2010, 06:21 PM']Now that's more like it and similar to mine. Shocked it wasn't qc'd. Are Fender letting things slip again?[/quote] Yeah, happy with that. I just need to work on the pickguard now. At the moment it's back to how it was and I really can't hear a difference, but I still want to see what the shop says as well. If they can't help I'll get the file out. It won't look too elegant but I do want the black one on.

[quote name='stevie' post='911214' date='Jul 31 2010, 01:47 PM']It would do my head in every time I picked it up :-) Anyway, if I'd paid a grand I wouldn't accept sloppy workmanship, even if it did sound OK.[/quote] Yeah, its starting to get like that. Just a quick update. I've got the pup in a better position. I just took the screws out, re positioned the pup and re screwed, letting the screws make the new holes. And they were far enough away from the originals that they didn't need filling. The only issue is that while my black pickguard fits, the cut outs where the screws go need a fit of filing down because as soon as I rest my thumb on the pup it pushes it down but the tight fit stops it from springing back up evenly. A bit of a pain but I can probably sort it out. Im still waiting on the shop to get back to me so im going to leave it all as it came for now. This is how it looked before i put the original PG back on. I much prefer the black PG anyway. [attachment=55447:IMG_2128.JPG]

Cheers guys. First off, this has more to do with me having a cheap spare bass. Its not something i want to spend any money on but realise i would have to if i get it de fretted. Thats why the VMJ trade option was mentioned. I do think im better off keeping this as i like the colour etc, and i really do love the neck so while buying another neck is an option, it would have to be for around the cost of a de fret. Its a good option though. Im not thinking about gigging it but who knows, maybe one day.

Yeah, its not good is it. Even my HW1 didnt have any of that and looked good without a pickguard.

Thats the thing, if they were all like it i might not worry too much but as its definitely wrong i would like, well, piece of mind i guess. Ill see what the shop says first. It its going to be too much hassle i might see if i can do it myself at Ill just need to fill the original holes in and re drill some new ones. Im sure i can handle that. This hasn't tainted my love of this bass, i just know its something that will bug me for a while. I also think it might effect resale value but thats way down the line (yeah yeah, we all say that).

[quote name='Musicman20' post='911049' date='Jul 31 2010, 11:08 AM']I just checked your other photo. Am I correct in thinking if you move the strings on the saddles it will take the string positioning on the other (bridge) pup quite far out? I have seen it on a Warwick this bad before....hmm. I would ring them Dave and see where you stand.[/quote] Yeah. At the moment the string to string spacing is ideal. I would rather not have to change it. As you can see, its fine over the bridge pup. I can understnad that you cant always get the strings dead centre, and i wouldnt expect it but the neck pup should be centred with the bridge pup. As its slightly shorter, both ends should be inside the length of the bridge pup but the top end of the neck pup is higher. Poor workmandship no doubt but its a hard one, especially if it doenst seem to affect the tone.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='911046' date='Jul 31 2010, 11:04 AM']If its quite far out, then yep, contact the shop and send the photos. I checked my Jazz and it seems pretty much 99% spot on. What seems odd on your photos is the fact the a string is in line..?![/quote] Ill wait and see what the shop says. I sent the photo last night but not sure if they are open over the weekend so it might be a few days. If they can sort it by moving the pup then im happy for them to do that. I can live without it for a week. Im not sure im seeing the A string in line though. It seems to go over opposite pole pieces.

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='910849' date='Jul 31 2010, 12:30 AM']If it doesn't sound 'WRONG', i don't really see the problem? Go and look at another 10 Fender Jazzes, and see what you find.[/quote] Well the only other Fender ive got is a Squier and thats perfect. As was my HW1 and My Lakland DJ5. Ive had a look through the Jazz bass megathread on TB and none seem to be as bad as this. I know what your getting though. It does indeed sound fine at the moment and maybe i should leave it, but at £960 i shouldn't really have to I did email the shop last night to see what they say. Getting it changed is going to be a gamble and i could end up with a bass that has a major issue.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='910949' date='Jul 31 2010, 09:00 AM']Given the above, you just need to ask yourself if a minor cosmetic issue bothers you enough to take it back. And that will be your answer![/quote] Thanks. If it is just that then I guess I can live with it. As long as it's not going to effect the tone then I guess it's not a big deal.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm just a liitle bit annoyed tha at this price point they couldn't even get this right. The strings seem fine on the neck. It's the neck pup itself that sitting a bit too far up on the body. I checked my CVJ and that's perfect. Now there is a gap in the pickguard at the bottom of the pup so if I was to move it there wouldn't be a need to alter the pickguard at all. But yes, it sounds fine. I'm not sure if not having the strings over the pole pieces will effect the volume or tone as I've not had this problem before.

So, tonight i noticed a large gap at the end of the neck pup on my new MIA Jazz. I figured it was the cheap pickguard as its a slightly different shape to the stock one. So i put the stock one back on and its better but then i noticed the pole pieces on the neck pup dont seem to be in the right place. The bass sounds good and its not something that ive noticed when playing so im not sure if i should try and move the pup, leave it as it is or try and send it back. It kind of defeats the idea of having adjustable string spacing if i cant really use it, although im happy with the way its set up at the moment. It seems like a simple job of moving the pup down by a few mm. There is ample space to get it in the new position without any routing, and there is a big enough gap in the pickguard to not have to get that cut out. Pretty poor QC though, combined with the fret gaps ive already posted about this bass has more issues than my Squier, albeit minor ones. Comments? [attachment=55375:IMG_2114.JPG] [attachment=55376:Fri_23_J...010_2089.jpg]

[quote name='mashup' post='910670' date='Jul 30 2010, 08:48 PM']Is a purpose built fretless, like the VMJ, always going to sound better, because it's built for the job?[/quote] This is the reason i started this thread as i also wasnt sure but it seems that this price point there is no advantage other than i guess its cheaper to buy the bass already de fretted.

Cheers guys. Sounds like i should keep the CVJ. Michael, Thanks for the offer but my mind is made up to go fretless and I'm not too good at waiting. I might see if there are any necks for sale on here over the coming week, for less than what its going to cost for a re fret but if nothing turns up by Friday I might pop over to the gallery with the CVJ.

Ive got the double one of those and i hate it. I always just use one shoulder strap but the way the Fender is designed the exposed metal clasp sits right on my shoulder bone and its bloody painful, even with just one bass. Its a nice bag but i dont use it to carry my bass around in. The Ritter ones are much nicer and more comfortable IME.

I like JD's bass lines but im not a huge fan of Queen. I can listen to them but never really do these days. So, not knowing too much Queen history i'd like to ask how much of JD's baselines were his own? By that i mean how much influence did the other members have over what he did? Im just wondering if maybe his simple, but of course very effective bass lines were a result of Brian and Freddie wanting him more in the back ground. Just asking and no disrespect to JD at all.

I look forward to it.

[quote name='Rayman' post='910330' date='Jul 30 2010, 03:11 PM']Yup, it's more Precision than Jazz.[/quote] Definitely wider than a Jazz. This was the only thing stopping me from getting one a while ago.

Hey Michael. Great song and very nice playing. I get the M Karn references, although i would add your playing sounds in tune so different from Karns ;-) Actually it reminds me more of the Ultravox/Gary Numan with Pino sound, although the bass is less prominent. I dont think it needs proper vocals, it perfect the way it is.