Jonesy

Mark is great, all of his lessons are really clear and well put together. I can't help thinking if this sketch whenever I watch one of his vids though 😂 https://youtu.be/bwAioN2mtsA

Some great advice already and there isn't really anything better than going to a shop to try a few to see what you like, especially seeing as your new to it all and still figuring stuff out. As well as the brands already mentioned, I'd suggest looking at the G&L Tribute range. They're cracking basses and most of them have the same bridge and pickups as the full fat made in USA line. The SB2 is their PJ and sounds like a P on steroids, with the J pup adding some extra bite. The L2000 is worth checking out too, it's armed with a pair of mighty humbuckers and all sorts of tone shaping possibilities. It might help if you chuck us a couple of examples of other bassists tone you like, or take a look at what your favourite bassists play if your after their tone.

I played one of their 2nd gen J basses (can't remember which. Sunburst, maple neck with blocks. Maybe a V7?) and was really impressed with it. The neck was very slim front to back and felt great. I'm not usually a fan of active basses, but that preamp was pretty great too. Congrats on your new bass, I'm sure it'll be great. Just hope the wait doesn't kill you, not too long to go now!

Just want to chip in and say I bought a MIJ Hama Okamoto P bass from @fenderfever and the service was great. The bass is probably the one I play most and it I can't fault anything with the transaction, really happy with the whole process and I'd happily buy from there again. I played a few basses when down there and they were all really great, very nicely setup. In fact, I'd say the bass I bought was probably one of the best setup basses I've ever played and a couple of mates who have played it were really impressed with it 👍

I've never had a bass fail on me or broken a string (at a gig or otherwise) and have never seen that happen to anyone else, but if I was getting paid to do a longer set then I'd be a spare just in case. The closest I've ever come to something going wrong was at my last gig. I was playing along and digging in quite hard as usual when all of a sudden I just stopped hearing my bass. I had a couple of seconds of panicking and wondering what was causing the problem then noticed a screw in my bridge pickup had sprung, causing the pickup to make contact with the strings and deadening the notes. Had to play the rest of the song pushing the pickup down with my little finger so the strings could vibrate properly. Luckily I was playing with a metal pick and the tip had been fairly worn in, so I used it as a screwdriver and got the pup back in place.

Just the one, but I mostly play originals to an empty room. If I was getting paid to do a set of covers in a pub or something then I'd take 2 so I have a backup just in case. I saw a Pearl Jam tribute band a couple of years ago and they were great. The bassist must have played at least 5 different basses over the 1hr30m set. Jeff Ament played quite a wide range of basses over the course of their career so far and I really rated the bass player for going the extra mile to get it as spot on as possible. I was probably the only person in the venue who appreciated it though 😃

Andertons have them as arriving on July 4th........I'm looking forward to the NBD posts already 😃

I hope it gets released somewhere, it'll go nicely with the Shell Pink limelight I have on order! I know what you mean about the shading though, I've seen a custom shop road worn J that is just perfect, but the Flea J is too mild and some of the other models are a little too vibrant. Lobster has just posted a quick unboxing...... Have to say that it's not helping with the GAS and that green looks great too. Sounds like Squier are on to a winner with this one.

Ohhh, have you seen that Shell Pink one anywhere online? Can't seem to find it on the Squier site or any other retailers. GAK have the Sherwood green one for £380 and that's mighty tempting!

Sorry to hear about the arthritis, hope you find a combo of pain killers that make it manageable for you. If you're not sure if a short scale will help, then maybe it's worth picking up a cheap one to try out before trying to find 'the one' (well, one of many by the time GAS kicks in). You can pick up a Squier Bronco for less than £100 second hand. Take it home, play it for a few weeks and see if it does the trick, that way you're not losing out on anything. If it does the trick then I'd be looking out for...... JMJ Mustang - haven't played one, but have heard only good things. G&L Fallout. I've only played a Tribute, but I really liked it, the MFD pup sounded great. Gibson SG. Sounds pretty dark and pretty massive, loads of fun to play and is pretty light because the body is so thin. Guild Starfire 1. Am I right in saying you had/have a Jack Casady? Could be an option if you wanted a hollow body.

Was it one like this by any chance? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Levys-Electric-Guitar-Gig-EM7PA/dp/B07W8SGVGF Now that you mention it, the gig bag that came with the Gibson LP DC JNR was a similar sort of design and was a bit too big for the short scale of the LP, but might be good for the Ric. Thanks!

Does anyone use a soft case for their Rics? If so, whatcha got? I've seen over on TB that someone uses a Serek bag for theirs and it looks like a nice fit. Buying direct from them makes shipping almost as much as the bag itself though, so I'm hoping there's another answer?

Whatever you end up doing, just don't follow it in the set with Magic Bus by The Who.......that's another 8 minutes of A. Entwistle hated playing it and it'd likely finish you off 😁

Glad to see your friend came through on their promise to let you have the bass 😁 This reissue line from Fender Japan is just great and I haven't played a bad one, the necks are sublime and just feel great to me. Great choice on those mods too, bet it sounds killer. Enjoy your new bass!

Yup, I don't think anyone has said otherwise about the plastic cover. It should have been removed prior to shooting or in post.

Trust Gibson to be the exception not the rule. Do you know where in the video? Couldn't spot it myself.

Just looking again and I think the headstock marks are just reflections. That teal model (what a finish btw!) has tortoise shell binding around the body and it looks to have it around the headstock too. Those 'chips' are just reflections from the yellowy part of the tort. To my eyes anyway, I can't imagine a manufacturer would use a model with a chipped headstock in their promo photos. Did I mention that teal finish? Phwoar!

What if the imaginary gig just happened to be part of Stew's European tour in Burgebrach and, because Stew is a loyal customer, they let him pick one up?

I really like it. I'm a fan of double cut designs and it looks the business. It'd be cool if you could select different pup combos and chuck some humbuckers in there instead of the pj set.

Shake your money maker - Fleetwood Mac Yer blues - Dirty Mac Holiday in Cambodia - Dead Kennedys Waiting room - Fugazi Monkey trick - Jesus Lizard Detroit rock city - KISS Pretty much anything by Clutch

It'd do the same to the Player series too! All day long, I'm looking at either a LB100 or Kiloton...... https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/g-l-tribute-lb-100-bass-olympic-maple-fretboardic-white-maple-fretboard https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/b-stock-:-npr-g-l-tribute-kiloton-bass-candy-apple-red-maple-fretboard-surface-scracthes-on-front-back-of-body

I'm looking forward to your friends NBD thread! 😅 The Bass Japan Direct YT channel is worth a watch when you fancy going down a rabbit hole....... https://youtube.com/@BassJapanDirect He throws in loads of tidbits about Fender Japan and reckons it's not so clear cut on who does what in some cases. I think he mentioned Tokai made the Jazz Bass Specials even though FujiGen had the fender contract at the time, but they couldn't keep up with demand so outsourced to Tokai.

The 57 and 62 reissues are both 42mm. They're fantastic basses, your friend would be happy with their new toy 😊

I was in a similar position a few months ago, my thoughts were....... Vintera - loved it. I'm not usually a fan of wider necks, but it was thin front to back and not too much of a struggle to get around. The pups had a really lovely growl to them. MIJ PB57 - nut width was a little smaller at around 42mm (I think), but was rounder in the hand. Not a baseball bat and still very comfy. I love MIJ basses, especially their reissue range and think they're great basses. Workmanship is 2nd to none. Didn't sound as growly as the Vintera, but had a lovely smooth tone. Both of the above have gloss necks and thin frets which, for me, is why I thought they played so well. I don't find gloss necks sticky, but it's something to bear in mind as some people don't get on with them. They both have a radius of 7.25 ( I think), so have a nice curve to them. Might not be for you if you venture down the dusty end and like like bending.........but who does that on a precision anyway?!? Player - lovely neck, felt thinner than a traditional P, but I thought the pups were a bit hi-fi sounding to me. Also played a US pro 2, but I preferred the Vintera and MIJ. Personally I'd go for a MIJ reissue. Which one really depends on if you have any preference on maple or rosewood for a board. Haven't seen the sienna burst models, but I don't think it's a reissue? BassBros have a lovely Candy Apple Red PB57 US in stock that was very tempting. In the end I went for a limelight and now just have to wait for it to be ready. 20 weeks is killing me!!