Doctor J

Criteria? Which 65 basses do we get money to advertise on a regular basis?

The Godin Shifter is a fairly tasteful looking instrument, it must be said.

[quote name='watchman' post='1182069' date='Mar 30 2011, 12:30 PM']Not a Spector expert, but in most active basses there either is or is not a switch to bypass the preamp and go passive. Without such a switch, there's not a hope that you'll get anything if the battery is dead. Even with a switch, I would hesitate to guarantee that it'll route the signal passively - the bass would need to be wird for what in effects pedal terms would be called true bypass. Carry a spare battery [/quote] The fool proof test is to engage the bypass switch (if there is one) with the battery removed. If it will truly run in passive mode, you will still get output. If there isn't a bypass switch at all, then forget it.

You'd find big differences even if you were to compare just Fenders throughout the years. I've had an ESP J4, a couple of Fender J4s and a Sadowsky J4 over the years. While they all were J basses in theory they didn't really feel or sound anything like each other in practice and I sold all but the ESP. By the same token, I've got a Bacchus J5 and a Hotwire J5 and, again, while they're unmistakably rooted in the classic Jazz template, they feel and sound remarkably different. It takes more than just a basic body shape and two J pickups for the instrument to feel the same.

I thank fussy people like you who leave the mildly blemished bargains for people like me

[quote name='ern500evo' post='1180959' date='Mar 29 2011, 04:04 PM']Cool, so if i went for actives would i nedd another battery in the bass?[/quote] No, you should be able to power them both off a single 9v.

Search for Badass II rather than Badass 11

You can keep the tonepump, you just need to make sure the EMGs are linked to the battery too.

The truss rod system on the 4001 is archaic - you're supposed to manually set the neck into the position you want and you use the truss rods to lock it into place. The 4003 has a redesigned truss rod system which works in the contemporary way you'd expect. As mentioned, the neck of the 4001 wasn't designed to handle roundwounds. I used to own a 1991 4003 and, above everything, it was the tone I loved - aggressive, growly and fat, almost too punchy, a wonderful experience. I had a guy with a 4001 in the studio a few years back and it was heartbreaking- thin, weedy, lifeless tone out of the thing was such a disappointment.

I put an Aria MB dual coil pickup into the neck position of a fretless Aria PJ wired it as 3 Vols & 1 Tone. It was fun, never noticed any problem with magnetic pull, but I don't put my pickups too close to the strings anyway. There was lots of different tone on tap, it was definitely worth doing at the time. However, I just installed an ACG filter pre last night and can honestly say there's inifinitely more tonal variety in that than a passive 3 pickup system.

Any bassist picking up a guitar for the first time is going to be just as shambolic as a guitarist first picking up the bass. Given time, either can adapt to the physics and technique of playing the other. The main difference, in my experience, is the mindset. More often than not, a guitarist playing bass will look to fill up the sound, to avoid leaving spaces, whereas experienced bassists tend to see the value in leaving space for other instruments and rhythmic effect and, of course, the ability to instinctively tune into what the bass drum is doing.

Just bought an ACG EQ-02 off Pete, very sound fella and a hassle free transaction. Thumbs up from me!

That natural one is stunning. The SR neck really is a joy to behold. Do you have any details on the new pre-amp in them?

Tune up one note to C.

You're more likely to have to pay someone to take it away, they're utter junk.

Do it. Deeper lows but greater highs, all part of the originals path.

Can I ask a question of the no-debt campaigners? Do any of you have mortgages?

Spend now, as one day we'll all be dead

It's all about covering what is practical. Does your drummer bring a spare kit or spare skins for every drum? What if he puts the bass drum pedal through the skin during the first song, are you covered? Do you bring a spare PA?

Nope, always do a thorough pre-gig check (no crackly electronics, no loose strap button, etc), never needed a spare.

Elixir do a .135 which I've used as low as A. Going beyond that, I think you'd need at least a .145 to get something which wouldn't go wildly out of pitch if you hit it hard in G.

When I bought my old SR3006 I was quoted €1800 by a shop in Dublin and I'd have to pay for it first in order for them to get it in so I could check it out. I ended up buying it from the US for €1024 all in Joking aside, though, the build quality was as good as anything else I've owned. I picked up a SR1300 a few months ago, just replaced the AFR pickups with EMGs (cheers Howard ) and, really, it's a far better bass than the money I've put into it. I'd like to see the Grooveline be a success for them, really they're a lot better than the starter/metaller bass manufacturer they're often percieved as.

[quote name='eude' post='1171753' date='Mar 22 2011, 08:56 AM']Sorry, I'm not saying that they can't dude, just that they're not commonly associated at that price range, so releasing something so different at such a high price point will scare some folks off. For me, for my needs, if I had £1800 to spend on a bass, I would definitely go the custom route, but that's because I'm a bit of a pervert. I personally really like Ibanez gear, it's some of the most easy playing and versatile kit out there, and like Lfalex, I'm glad that they keep trying new things. Eude[/quote] My bad. Some of their higher end guitars (J-Custom range especially) sell at well over the price of the Grooveline, it's only natural they were going to start putting basses in that range eventually. It's interesting, Yamaha and now Ibanez have recently put out ranges of very expensive and very high quality basses and there seems to be ripples of discontent or unease you just don't see with similarly priced American instruments.

[quote name='jonnpip' post='1171469' date='Mar 21 2011, 10:43 PM']well i love mine !![/quote] That's a nice instrument alright. What are the pickups in it?

[quote name='eude' post='1153675' date='Mar 8 2011, 12:27 PM']I know Ibanez do make some fairly expensive high end kit, but people do not associate them with high end prices, for the same money you could have a MM Big Al, a very high end Fender, a nice Warwick, or a custom from many of the UK's based luthiers...[/quote] Are you saying that Ibanez can't make a bass to the same standard? If not, why should they charge less?