project_c

I have the TF fretted and I’ve also tried to put together another pj based on it, kind of. Here are the potential difficulties you may run into: - build quality is exceptionally good on these, I think they’re pretty much Fender CS quality. - both pickups are unique, the P was too bright for me so I replaced it but the J pickup is magic, it’s the snappiest most aggressive j pickup ever - nitro on neck and body, doesn’t matter so much on the body but the neck feels amazing - generally the whole bass is really reliable and well put together, it can be set up with very low action without much effort, and it doesn’t need regular maintenance. None of this is impossible to duplicate of course but for some reason the TF is an exceptionally nice Fender, I recommend saving up for one or grabbing a second hand one if you can.

I’ve put a single J in one of my USA Precisions, a 90s model I think but it was already modded anyway. I find the PJ configuration can be funny sometimes, I end up either just using the P or the J, but I don’t like them blended together quite as much. I did have a bass a while ago with a double jazz pickup at the bridge, it sounded amazing so unless it’s a vintage bass I say go for it.

Same here, and that’s the tone I usually go for too. It took me about 8 years before I got a decent passive Fender Jazz, I wish I had got there sooner. I like Fenders in general, I have P’s and PJ’s, all great but the passive J is winning at the moment.

Yeah as stated above, no DI needed, plug straight into the audio interface. You can EQ and add effects from any DAW but for general everyday practice a clean signal works really well. (depending on genre).

You could argue there’s no genuine need for any bass other than a Precision. (Or any bass at all). I don’t think they intend to change the world with this, I see it more as a gesture and an indication that they are aware of issues surrounding manufacturing. If every company involved in manufacturing products of any kind made a relatively small change like this, it would have genuine impact. Saying that I think doing it like this is a little half-àssed and could be perceived as not much more than a token gesture. If they changed the whole product line to be less plastic reliant, it would really be impressive. Warwick have made a much more significant effort to minimize their environmental impact, but that’s a whole different business model.

It all helps. The less plastic crap the better. Remains to be seen if this is a token gesture or part of a bigger move, but anything that slows down the endless flow of plastic can only be a good thing, even small gestures like this. I agree D’Addario are also pretty good, as are Warwick.

HiBeams are a little less stiff than the Sadowsky strings, I used to put them both on my Sadowsky pj (which I sold a while ago). Ultimately there’s not a huge difference in tension between them, the Sadowsky strings are really nice, as are the DRs, but you could always lower your action if you want more snap. Those Sadowsky necks are perfect, they’ll give you all the snap you need if you straighten them and drop the string height a bit.

Haven't given much attention to Hofner in the past but I think this is great, they've released a bass which is 100% recyclable and has no plastic parts. Looks pretty nice to me, and it sounds good too.

4 USA Fenders and 1 MIJ here, was worried about the heat but no movement whatsoever from any of them. The neck on my 83 Precision hasn’t moved since I first got it in 2010, I think it might be made of stone. (which would explain the immense weight)

How about linking that to a bigger discussion about GAS and tone chasing in general? GAS is a common ailment round these parts.

I was looking at the Noble preamp videos, and check out the tone here (3.05 onwards), it's pretty amazing. But I think these videos are a little misleading - a big chunk of what you hear there is down to the Apollo Twin, specifically the processing plugins it comes with. The players and their instruments are of course brilliant, goes without saying but I'm talking about the richness of the tone here in particular - this stuff is all recorded through the Apollo Twin Mk2, with what sounds like compression, amp and cab sims and some EQ. It does sound really good, but is it that much better than using any decent interface, a bit of compression, a bass amp plugin and a touch of EQ? It's an expensive interface for sure, wondering if anyone here is using it, and using all the bundled stuff it comes with to record bass, and how it compares with the rest.

Yep, no problem. I think a rough & ready pilot is a good way to go, it can be refined as it evolves.

I’m happy to help with audio editing, graphics if it needs any, maybe recording audio interviews over Skype. How about a ‘My favourite bass’ section? You can start a thread here, people post pics of their favourites, and then they get interviewed about it on the podcast. I’m sure most people here can talk about their current favourite for hours on end. It’s a chance to stop boring our partners / girlfriends etc to death! Could also have optional audio samples of the bass if they feel like playing it.

I like this idea, you could interview members, showcase their music, talk about the most interesting basses in the For Sale section, pick out the month’s most popular ‘off topic’ thread (like that one about the disposable butt-wipes for example) and chat about it. Doesn’t have to be too serious.

Age doesn’t matter, what really matters is having the time and energy to practice every day, and having the balls to get up and play in front of people. I only started in my mid 30s, around 10 yrs ago, and I’m in a gigging jazz trio, regular gigs, jams etc, I’m doing ok. I practice a lot though. It’s worth mentioning that for most of those 10 years I’ve been self employed so I’ve been able to put time aside to play and practice whenever I want. I think the number one enemy of learning anything when you’re older is lack of time and energy.

New music by Coltrane, sounds great too. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/arts/music/john-coltrane-lost-album-both-directions-at-once.html

Wow I love that, looks like it belongs in a Jean Pierre Jeunet movie. Especially the body which looks like a bed-pan from a Communist-era hospital. Is that a maple neck?? “Needs some maintenance to play”.. I’ll bet.

The Future Beats Radio Show. Every single episode is a gem. As is every one of his nights at Lightbox in Vauxhall. https://m.soundcloud.com/docscott31/sets/future-beats-radio-show

I do, all the time. I easily spend more time there than down low. Wasn’t a conscious decision, just ended up liking that area more as time went on, maybe because it’s more comfortable. Also I have to take solos and doing that in the lower register is super hard. I’m always impressed by players who can take speedy solos down there.

Yeah never leave anything in a car, it’s a recipe for disaster. My girlfriend left a scruffy old bag in my car last summer, couple of hours later, window smashed, wallet gone, other contents scattered all over the local park. British towns are absolutely teeming with opportunistic smackheads, and supporting a £200 a day habit is no laughing matter. Anything that looks like it can be traded for heroin will get snapped up in no time.

I can recommend the Motown DI, works beautifully for me but I think I might be the only person in the UK who bought one, not sure how popular it is. It’s expensive as fük for what you get, but I fell in love with the sound. Some reviews say it’s transparent, others say it affects the sound drastically. It ultimately depends on how hot your pickups are, but it works wonders on a good old single coil, if you like a warm old school tone.

‘Fraid so. https://youtu.be/ot0TKg_C7EQ But at least he gets called ‘sir’ there.

Dammit if i’d seen this a week ago I would have jumped on it. Just what I was after. I’ve since bought a no-name jazz neck, which looks great but instantly needed a fretstone straight out of the box. Wonder how the frets are on this one.

Premises or Joint, both good. Although I once left a tuner at the Joint and whoever was working there that day stole it. That would never happen at the Premises. Plus the cafe at the Premises does a very good fry up.

What was the name of your band? Probably saw you play at some point. I saw Carter / Gay Bikers etc quite a lot back then, that late 80s / early 90s London gig scene was the best. Remember the 'Camden Lurch'?