project_c

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1464530758' post='3060108'] There are plenty of parcel forwarding services about though. I've used Shipito.com to forward on a pedal that was only available in the US before. [/quote] That sounds promising, I didn't know Fender was USA only, and I definitely didn't know about parcel forwarding.

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1464460454' post='3059655'] I cant speak for the CS stuff, but... When I got my Sadowsky I played it back to back against Elites, Mayones and Lakland Skylines. The Sadowsky was a step up in every regard, but it should be for at least £500 more. It was the only bass where everything was perfect. The only real thing with the Elite was that the neck pocket wasn't that clean. Otherwise, it was really well put together and just came down to personal preferences. The neck was too slim for me, the sound wasn't what I was after etc. The Mayones was very well built too. It was seriously heavy and had awful neck dive though, but with the Aguilar electronics sounded absolutely fantastic. Maybe it's a price point thing, there will always be compromises somewhere. [/quote] Just to balance this viewpoint, I had a beautiful Sadowsky PJ which I sold because I preferred the tone and feel of a '11 Fender AmDlx Jazz. The Sadowsky was very nice in every way, but I couldn't gel with the tone of that bass. In retrospect it was probably down to my technique, or the lack of mids, but either way it was a bass that didn't respond well to the way I played. The Fender has a mid cut/boost which hits the spot for me, but even in passive mode I prefer it to the Sadowsky. In terms of build quality, I couldnt tell much of a difference between the 2. They were both pretty much perfect. So it's just down to personal preference I think.

Yeah, it's a dilemma for sure. If the bass you want is there already, I'd just go for it now. But maybe they'll have more colours, more pickup options, who knows..

http://connect.fender.com/Portal/content/Fender1/2016/FenderENewsMay26ADE.aspx?uh=-8296244722312524092&siteNodeId=11955&b=92985

Just got an email from Fender saying they're upgrading this service, faster shipping and more options from June onwards apparently, and being renamed 'Fender Mod Shop'. Im hoping they won't hike prices too much, but if prices stay similar and more options are added, that's good news, right?

Hmm yeah, that price is a bit of wishful thinking on their part I think. Or they're doing it on purpose to increase the perceived value in the long run.

Just to clarify these guys are part of a couple of larger groups that I occasionally play with, it's not my regular band so I have no real authority there, the only thing I can really do is either find a way to get them to play better, but the discussion, attempted eye contact and obvious 8th note bass playing didn't work, so the only other suggestons I have left to try are the click track, or recording and subsequent discussion.. or I just walk away and don't play with them any more. I'm already walking away from another band because of other drummer-related issues, this is a jazz band with a drummer who plays very well, but like he's playing for Slayer in a Brazilian stadium. I don't mind a loud drummer in any other context but for jazz it drives me mental, pounding the living sh!te out of a drumkit in a room full of acoustic instruments trying to be subtle is just stupid. He's probably the most technically accomplished drummer I've played with, but I can't stand to listen to any more of his nonsense.. Tough to find a good drummer.

It's a difficult one with drummers because so much of how the band sounds depends on them, that they are going to be more susceptible to criticism. If the guitars balls up, it's really easy to just ride past that and carry on with the tune, but when drums go weird the whole thing goes weird. But yeah the overall suggestion seems to be to just walk away from it, I guess that's what I'll have to do.

yeah it makes sense! That sounds awful. Another weird thing with one of these drummers was that he could play complex poly-rhytmic latin parts and solos flawlessly, but when it came to straight ahead swing feel on a blues tune, BAM - all over the shop.

Recording is a great idea, I'm going to do this next time. The weird thing is they do know they're going out of time, but for some reason they go out of time despite of that. Like they can't help it. If I balls up a bassline or solo, I try to correct it the next time round, it's weird to just carry on and do the same thing again. Maybe just nerves on their part.

I play with various people but in the last 2 weeks I've had to play with 3 different drummers who have been really annoying with their timekeeping. Meaning that they either speed up constantly, or their timing is just really shaky. The standard advice I always read is that when the drummer is crap, it's up to the bassist to take charge and lead the way. BUT HOW?? Taking this advice, I tell them they're speeding up, they acknowledge this, I then turn up a bit, face them and keep time in a simple 8th note pattern, but regardless of that they just steam ahead, and eventually, everyone gives in and just goes at their pace, because they're pounding the living sh!t out of the drum kit, thereby steamrollering their authority all over the tune. (And then as far as the band is concerned, I end up being the one that's playing too slowly and out of time, and then my over-inflated alpha-male ego is also crushed in the process). So in a nutshell, if discussion and playing 'helpfully' doesn't work, how the hell do you bring drums under control? (Keep in mind these are all nice people, and my friends, so I can't be too nasty to them).

[quote name='AustinArto' timestamp='1463830483' post='3054378'] Why are you paying £400 for a body and ordering it from outside the EU? Dumb thing to do, I got an Ash P body for forty quid from a bloke in Norwich. Unless you're determined to pay Fender Tax on everything? I'm not convinced that a lump of Alder is worth paying a premium for just because it's been through one of their CNC machines, frankly. [/quote] I don't disagree with that at all, but that's a completely different discussion - its about whether there is a difference between a legit Fender and a copy, which isn't the point of this thread - I was trying to figure out a way to end up with a legit, genuine Fender made from genuine parts, which, if you want to go the 'legit' route, will end up costing you just as much if you build from parts, not to mention resale value. But the 'my bass sounds just as good as any Fender' is not the point here. You and I and everyone else here knows how nice it is to crack open a brand new Fender (or any) bass, if you're talking about treating yourself, it's a lot nicer than cobbling together random parts from Norwich. Now I'm not saying there's no beauty to cobbling stuff together from parts, my favorite P is a USA Fender with a dodgy knockoff body (not even a good one), and various other parts, and it's a great bass, I play it daily. Not a proper Fender though. Ultimately a USA Fender is the real deal, and everything else is just a knockoff, no matter how nice it is. Sadowsky, Marusczyk, that LaBella Olinto bass, they're all just knockoffs, even if they surpass the real thing in many ways.

[quote name='Dolando' timestamp='1463823092' post='3054285'] You can have P bass with a jazz bass neck. It's in the neck options in the P bass. [/quote] exactly the point I'm making

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1463821050' post='3054262'] I'd get a good used American Standard (£500 ish) that plays well, level the frets and set up (£60 ish) and replace the pickups (£100 ish). IMO you'll have a much better bass and one you've put together yourself. [/quote] What if you wanted something that wasn't available as standard (p with j neck being the example in question)?

[quote name='AustinArto' timestamp='1463787567' post='3054155'] Tbh I think you have to go a long way wrong these days to end up with Fender-based instrument that sucks. I've built two from parts in the last two years, both very different (a graphite-necked Jazz and an Ash P), all with parts bought blind, both are lovely basses, I choose to play whichever one doesn't have knackered electronics at the time (I did all the soldering myself!) Really though, I don't think most players can spot a dog if it's set up properly, and most people's ideas of what makes the ideal bass are influenced massively by the bass they're playing now. I just did an hour's karting with my nephew, got into my car and nearly binned it at the first roundabout, then got flashed through the first speed camera. It's surprising how quickly humans adjust to stuff. [/quote] Just had a quick eBay search, and here's how it breaks down if you buy your own legit parts: body between 300 / 400 loaded neck c 340 bridge 30 pickups 70 electronics, guard etc 30 strings 40 case 75 So that's about a grand, plus import tax on the body and neck, all finished off with your not so perfect soldering, which does make the whole thing a little bit of a crapshoot, in terms of something being knackered and unplayable all the time. Times that cost by 2 to ensure you have a playable bass while the other is knackered, and you've spent loads more than by just ordering one that's legit straight from the factory. If you like tinkering with basses that's a different matter, fun for some but not for everyone..

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1463783534' post='3054127'] I think I'm not seeing somethings? When I select a jazz bass, all I see is the choice of four necks but they're all jazz necks? Maple and rosewood American standard and maple and rosewood American special necks. I can't see the p bass neck with a jazz bass body option? [/quote] True, less choice for a J body, I guess that's down to almost nobody ever wanting a P neck on a J. Is that what you'd be looking to buy?

..in fact if you go with the modern body as opposed to the vintage body (no idea what the difference is), there is a bigger choice of necks, and it comes out $100 cheaper at $1499. Here's a modern body sunburst with standard maple J neck. And with that - GAS has arrived at my house.

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1463756480' post='3053899'] That's the thing though, you can't select a P with J neck using this service. It's not that flexible. [/quote] Are you sure? It's right there, choice of 4 necks, both P and J, price $1599, that's just over a grand isnt it? Not even a bad price at all to be honest, similar ballpark to Marusczyk etc. If it wasn't for import taxes I'd buy one now.. *edit - just did a bit of adding up and even with shipping and taxes that's coming out at around £1500, that's relatively not so much more than a brand new USA P. Why are people hating on this so much? It seems about right to me.

If you want a legit USA Fender with non-standard options, like a P with a J neck, for example, I think this is still your best bet. I like USA Fenders so i like this, I don't mind the limitations. I'm going to be after a USA Fender with a J neck one of these days, and I will go down this route if there's nothing better available at the time. Building your own using parts from eBay may work out cheaper. (but it's also a crapshoot) It is probably a bit overpriced but so is everything with a bit of brand value, there are many cheaper alternatives out there if you're not bothered about the brand. If it's a keep-forever bass, why not?

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1463511833' post='3051999'] "All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments just that way we can look at a stretch of the Rocky Mountains, for instance. They can see how permanent all the moments are, and they can look at any moment that interests them. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever." - Kurt Vonnegut [/quote] Which one is that from? Slaughterhouse, or Titan? Or one of the others? Love Vonnegut, I'm very sad he is no longer here.

[quote name='anDy LAKIN' timestamp='1463604180' post='3052809'] i think Mr project c is suffering from room size envy as he does live in london where that room is normally used to house a small family [/quote] 100% correct, I own a whole house and it's smaller than that room Still I think cases do need a rethink, they look nice but what are they for?

This is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Bass cases eat every available bit of storage in my house, I can't get rid of them soon enough, I can't stand those cumbersome lumps of heavy plastic. I don't get why basses still come with cases, does anyone actually travel with one of these things? I know they look nice, and they're handy for shipping or possibly international travel, but I reckon there's something to be said for basses that ship with sturdy gig bags instead of cases. I would think about 95% of people who buy basses never travel abroad with them, and those that go on international tours use heavy duty cases instead of these things. So who are these actually for? I think companies need to rethink the whole plastic case thing and put some research into making better bags instead. For those of us who don't have a lovely room that size to store all our cr@p in anyway!

You don't actually need any plugins, you can record straight into a free editor like Audacity if you have an interface. Logic includes a huge array of plugins, you probably don't need any additional plugins other than those, they're excellent and more that capable of achieving all studio tasks. There is no need to store any of that stuff on an external drive unless your Mac is over 10 years old, and even then it's more effort than it's worth.

71 years to the day! pretty weird. Also 4 foot 11?? What size bass did she play? This totally defeats my excuse for not learning upright because of my height of 5 foot 6.