Doctor J

[quote name='BigRedX' post='347171' date='Dec 6 2008, 12:19 PM']But now the 'bass of doom' has had so much repair work done on it since Jaco last played it, it's the instrumental equivalent of one of those 60s bands on the cabaret circuit with only one member (usually the least significant) from the original 'famous' line up. That's not saying it's not a great bass, but it's by no means the same bass that is on all the recordings Jaco is famous for.[/quote] The repairs were completed over a year before Jaco died, IIRC, it's pretty much the same now as the last time he played it

[quote name='Stickman' post='337601' date='Nov 26 2008, 07:28 PM']Thanks Doctor J! I know that the promoter of that show is very keen to get Cynic back for their own show at some point so keep your fingers crossed.[/quote] He's keen as mustard. I believe they're touring the US with Meshuggah early next year and he's been talking to their agent about some time after that. Don't make any plans for April or May

[quote name='Stickman' post='335845' date='Nov 24 2008, 09:37 PM']I was actually supposed to be playing Chapman Stick with Cynic on this tour, however when their set got reduced to just 30 minutes the tracks I was to appear on got pretty much cut from the set. Still got to play the Dublin show but by the time we got to London it became apparent that they couldn't guarantee which, if any, other shows I'd get to play so I stepped down from the tour.[/quote] I saw you in Dublin, Stickman, great stuff, fair play to you! Shame the set list was so short, I'd gladly have sacrificed some of the tedium that Opeth surprisingly were for some more Cynic.

It's nice to find another believer, ESP aren't exactly a trendy name in the world of bass

Yes, the business card will change the angle between the neck and the body very slightly, but over the length of the neck a little angle means a big change.

Mine is fairly traditionally sized, I've a Sadowsky which is a lot thinner but the ESP just feels like home. The rosewood is a thin laminate rather than a slab. Back in the day I used to continually swap out parts on instruments but the ESP was the only one I ever left completely stock. I love the sound out of it, the feel of it, everything about it. I've no idea what they're worth, I could never sell mine. I've never played another passive Jazz which even comes close. They're never valued to the actual quality of the bass, that's for sure. For example, there was also a 800 Series bass, there used to be one in one of the shops over here in the late 80's, it was ash bodied with a transparent purple finish with gold hardware. Beautiful, really amazing looking but fundamentally the same as the 400 underneath it all, it also had the Fender style headstock but it was the deluxe model really. Here's one for €500 which, unless it's broken, is just a crazy price given that €500 won't even get you a MIM standard over here. [url="http://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm/a_esp-800-series-jazz-bass-4-corde-passivo_id1062732.html"]http://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm/a_esp-..._id1062732.html[/url] And the purple one, man I love this bass [url="http://www3.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=6437101"]http://www3.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=6437101[/url]

As Michael Jackson sang to Bubbles, you are not alone I asked ESP about it, they dated the Fender headstock ones between 86 and 88, a fire destroyed their records sometime in the 90s. Your one is very nice, very nice indeed. Are they Barts? It's not quite the same as a Fender headstock though, it's contoured slightly differently than every Fender I've checked it against and I'd say is a couple of mm thicker than a Fender headstock too.

I wouldn't worry about stringing through body, if there's one thing my RV4 doesn't lack it's a fat sound. A Sadowsky is the sum of the parts, not just a nice sound, you can see every aspect of it has been examined and refined. It's lots and lots of little things which make the Sadosky's so good. I don't think you'll get the same experience running a stock Fender through a Sadowsky preamp.

Haven't tried the Vintage series but I have owned an old ESP 400 Series since the early 90's and it's still the best Jazz bass I've ever played. I wouldn't have any concerns about the tone, playability or build quality or anything like that. Real ESP's, as opposed to LTD, are consistently excellent in my experience. A lot of the Japanese builders are doing the relic thing and most of them do give the relic'd instrument a fresh coat of laquer when they're through. It's more of a designer relic than a proper battering, if you know what I mean, like ripped knees in a new pair of jeans... and we all wore them at some point

Ahhh that's not too bad, it's kinda like if Prince were to melt a Danelectro Longhorn. It's far from good, don't get me wrong, but it's not [i]that[/i] bad. The Bongo is like the Joe Calzaghe of bass ugliness, many have had a shot at the title but it remains undefeated. [url="http://cgi.ebay.ca/2009-PRESTIGE-Wylde-Thing-Active-Bass-Guitar-NEW_W0QQitemZ350120708120QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item350120708120&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1309"]For those too lazy to search[/url]

I'd say it depends on who wins the election. If Obama wins I can see the dollar strengthening. If it's another 4 years of the Republicans, good times to buy from the US, bad times in every other aspect.

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318852' date='Oct 31 2008, 10:22 AM']I just want a decent well made jazz bass type 4 string. Hmm a Sadowsky is almost double the cost of an American Fender, not including shipping & tax. From the research I've done & all your contributions it does seem a very nice piece of kit, but yeah I'm asking myself if it's that many leagues ahead of a Fender or similar.[/quote] You should check out the likes of Bacchus, Lakland, Lull, Sandberg... etc there are loads of companies making superb quality J basses, it's not just Sadowsky and Fender. There is a huge amount of choice between the Fender and Sadowsky price tags.

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318301' date='Oct 30 2008, 01:36 PM']1. Are they all they are cracked up to be? Because they seem to have 1 hell of a reputation. 2. How is the neck? Is it smooth & glossy? 3. I've been looking at a Fender American jazz. If you have played 1 of these how would you say it compares to a Sadowsky?[/quote] 1. It depends on what you're expecting. You have some sweet basses. It will be of that standard. You're not going to think "Why have I been wasting my time with MM?", you're not going to experience any mega revelations, it's just a jazz bass after all, but one where clearly a lot of time and effort has gone into pretty much every aspect. You'll think "this is a great bass" every time you pick it up, but it won't be like a hidden door to a new bass world. 2. The neck is really comfortable. It's not as deep as a regular jazz, but not Ibanez skinny either. It's a very quick feeling neck, the sides are nicely rounded, a very pleasant playing experience. 3 No competition, seriously. It's based on the Fender but every aspect has been examined and refined. [quote name='joe_bass' post='318411' date='Oct 30 2008, 03:58 PM']Do you reckon these instruments will hold value? As in my other thread the plan was to get an American Fender, get it around the time of my 21rst in Dec (good excuse eh! ) & then hold on to it. Ohh & one thing, do you know what a Metro looks like under the scratch plate?[/quote]Yes, I believe they will, they don't make a lot of them so it's unlikely the market will be flooded. Under the scratch plate they don't have the cheapo routing of modern Fenders. The pickup cavities are both snug, no ugly rectangular route, there's no gash leading towards the control plate either. You can take the scratchplate off in confidence. They're great basses, no doubt, but in my opinion a little overpriced compared to what you'd get from the likes of Bacchus for little over half the money.

That's an amazing looking Warwick. Very nice collection!

[quote name='lukeward2004' post='294634' date='Sep 29 2008, 04:13 PM']Good to see my old Stingray in safe hands![/quote] [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='294912' date='Sep 29 2008, 09:33 PM']+1 (I'm the original owner from new BTW)[/quote] I like it a lot, I have to say, a lot more than I was expecting to (damn Flea). I've rounded the edges of the fretboard a bit, it was a fairly sharp edge on a wide neck and was a bit uncomfortable for my J neck lovin hands. I also smoothed out the back of the neck with some fine steel wool and that little bit of woodwork has really done the trick, it's really changed the feel so it's a lot more comfortable, I really dig the feel of it now. I've lowered the pickup a bit too which has taken a bit of the sharpness out of the tone and swapped in a single ply black scratchplate (the white ring was annoying me). I'm beginning to think this one is a keeper How's the Venus working out for you, Luke?

Nice find! This... this is an ugly strat...

The Jazz is simply a classic design which works in almost every situation you'll ever find yourself in, musically. It's comfy and looks good too, so I can understand why it's so universally copied. Of the non-Leo Fender designs, I think Ibanez's SR body shape is a winner, though why they insist on the 5's having such skinny string spacing is a mystery to me. Aris's SB shape is excellent - function and comfy but maybe too tied to the 80's. I had a Ric 4003, loved the look, loved the tone, couldn't stand playing it though, stupid pickup mount in the way and that right angled edge embedded in my forearm just didn't work out for me. Lakland's 44-55 shape is comfy but the lower horn is just wrong and not the comfiest sitting down. Streamer is comfy but where they attach the strap up high above the bridge means it gets in the way it you play it above the waist. Singlecuts and Bongos just don't do it for me, an instrument has got to delight you visually too and they're just... wrong. Abominations is too strong a word but you know what I mean. In the end, Leo Fender got it right with the Jazz, why would you want to mess about with it? Let it lie, man, let it lie.

You can pick up a Stingray, Sterling, Bongo, etc for about $800 on talkbass, add maybe $200 or so for shipping (though you can do it cheaper with USPS), maybe the guy might mark it down so you don't get hit too hard by the taxman. Either way, it makes paying £700 for one seem absurd. It's a global market now, it's as easy for me to buy a bass from the other side of the world as it is to buy a bass from the UK. If you're selling a bass in Bolton you're competing with sellers in Boston these days and, I dunno about you fellas, but I try to pay the lowest price. I don't think it's a trend exclusive to EBMM, Warwicks, Fenders, G&L eetc are all cheaper to buy from abroad and the second hand market is reflecting that. It's a crap time to sell anything, but a great time to buy, tis just the way it goes.

Just picked up an old Aria Pro II SB-R80 Controls include a pair of stacked Vol-tone for each pickup, plus a three way pickup selector... I'm thinking there's a bit of overlapping there, it's not all entirely necessary. I was thinking about replaing the second volume and tone with a stacked bass-treble boost instead. I've got a Bart NTCT on a Bacchus 5 which is very nice indeed, anyone else got any other suggestions worth thinking about?

Thanks for all the replies, some interesting stuff there. Well, I've got Elixirs on a couple of basses and a couple of sets of D'Addario coated have arrived in the post which I'll put on a couple of different basses and let ye know what how they compare.

Ooh, very nice. It's going to be a looooooooong few days for you

I asked ESP. They said their records were destroyed in a fire for that era but dated it between 86 and 88, so I go with 87. I bought it in 93. It's an outstanding bass, it really is. I've never played another J that outdoes it... and that includes the Sadowsky. Just picked this one up last night for a song, I couldn't resist

Cheers gents. Looks like I might be able to lay my hands on an Aria Pro II SB-R80 for an extremely low price, so maybe a new pic next week

I've swapped two basses in my short time here, both times with absolute gents. I believe both of the basses I've received have been owned by other basschat users prior to the folks I swapped with too. It's been handy, on some of the forums in Ireland you'd sometimes get offered several cheap instruments for one good instrument, whereas here everybody seems to play ball and offer like for like or near enough, which is a very refreshing change. Long may it continue.

Since I've done a hefty amount of selling and a bit of trading this year, I figured it was time to get the 4's together for a group shot. Every one of these basses is different, both in feel and especially in tone. Lovely stuff. My trusty old ESP, the greatest Jazz I've ever played in every aspect, ever. The Bacchus P. Probably my favourite bass right now. This thing just rocks my balls. The Sadowsky. This is a [i]very[/i] nice bass indeed. The Streamer. Think Newsted's black album tone and you've got the idea. The Stingray. I avoided these for years after the dreaded bad-white-funk craze of the early 90's but this is a great instrument with a unique tone. I like it.