DirkThrust

[quote name='JackLeRipper' post='430511' date='Mar 10 2009, 02:12 PM']It was quite dissapointing, as when you purchase a brand like Ampeg you expect better service & quality! I know they make the new heads out in Vietnam now, whether that has anything to do with it, or whether I just had a cursed head I dont know, but its put me off Ampeg, which is a shame...[/quote] A pity because Ampeg's reputation used to be built on bulletproof reliability and good customer service. Try a search on Talkbass for plenty of stories of how it's all gone to crap since the company was bought out by LOUD. There's no reason why a Vietnamese or Chinese made product should be poorer quality than a European or USA made one but sadly I think it reflects the philosophy of the parent company that Ampeg have fallen so far.

Fender should sort this out without question. I had a Precision with a neck problem so they replaced the neck. When that didn't cure it they gave me a brand new replacement bass even though I'd had the old one in my sweaty mitts for 8 months.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='426020' date='Mar 5 2009, 12:12 PM']I'm presuming they were exaggerating slightly. I'm in four bands now and I'm turning down offers all the time... because apparently, my missus would like to see me in the evenings and have coversations and stuff. [/quote] I've got no reason to believe they were, although the process would have happened over several months. THe guy they settled on was the best player they tried but after a couple of months started turning up with a sixer and doing noodlie stuff and critisising the drummer so they started looking for a new bassist, which was when I met them. They're a female fronted indie/rock band with a full diary for a year in advance doing interesting and fun to play material. THey could pretty much take their pick of available musicians. I've been to auditions where I was one of 4 or 5 auditionees. There's a lot of bass players around although they are not necesarily any good.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='425806' date='Mar 5 2009, 09:28 AM']Bass players that do the job really properly are hard to find.[/quote] THis is also true. I had an audition recently with a covers band and they told me I was the 25th bassist they had auditioned.

Sold for AU$4300. Oh dear Seems it's not the first time he's listed this piece of firewood [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511081"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511081[/url]

What sort of sound do these strings give? I've always found roundwounds to be too bright but flats to be too dead sounding. Are the half rounds a good compromise?

[quote name='Telebass' post='413936' date='Feb 19 2009, 10:04 AM']But Fender (and only Precisions, at that...) are my comfort zone. I don't have to think about the instrument, but about the music. That's where you should be aiming at, playing something you're so happy with that you can get on with the making of the music.[/quote] [quote name='Mickeyboro' post='413942' date='Feb 19 2009, 10:11 AM']I think you've hit the nail on the head there Den. One pickup, one tone, four strings, the music and you. Simple![/quote] Absolutely right, but who needs a tone control?

Thanks

I'm sure it will. Thanks. Does that play on a PC? I'm not all that familiar with midi files

[quote name='bumfrog' post='411536' date='Feb 16 2009, 10:00 PM']Depends on if you prefer feel over playability. Personally i'd play a no name peace of plywood if it played better then a named instrument, but that's just me. Regardless of if you fall in to the category or not, people buy because of brand all the time, not based on what they are actually getting in physical reality. To be honest, if a shop was trying to sell me anything and it wasn't set up properly, especially at a high price, I'd walk. It's a buyers market and you can afford to be choosy. If I'm spending good money on something, I want it to behave exactly as it should straight from word go. Other manufacturers can manage it, so why can't fender, especially if you are serious when you say that "very USA standard Precision I've played, whether there or elsewhere has been an unplayable woofer".[/quote] Feel and playability aren't mutually exclusive. I'd rather have both, which I now do. I like Precisions in particular rather than Fenders in general and I've got one I like set up exactly the way I like and I got it locally and at the going price. I'm sure you would play a piece of no name plywood over a known brand. So would I, but as yet I haven't found one and I doubt you have either. Maybe people do buy because of brand. That subject has been discussed ad nauseum on various forums. I like what I like. To be honest, no one has tried to sell me anything. I could have got a refund if I had pushed for it but that would have left me back at square one. The shop have always been helpful and the process has been moving in the right direction, if somewhat slowly.

I know it's a bit of a long shot but does anyone have the music or tab for this song. I've got to learn it by tomorrow.

[quote name='bumfrog' post='410761' date='Feb 16 2009, 09:33 AM']to be honest, I'd be more baffled why you didn't chose a bass that played better, rather then go for what it said on the headstock. If the american fenders you've played have all been as bad as you say, why bother getting one at all???[/quote] Why does anyone buy a Fender? I buy them because I like them. The sound, the look and the playability when they are set up right. I still preferred the feel of a poorly set up Fender over a well set up Lakland. Are you suggesting that the only criteria for buying a bass should be how it's set up in the shop? Why do you assume the only reason I would choose Fender is because it says Fender on the headstock?

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='410383' date='Feb 15 2009, 08:08 PM']has anyone ever found a jap fender with a bad neck?[/quote] I've owned a couple of Jap Fenders. One of them was a Squier silver series, the other was a 60s re-issue and they both had great necks. If it was possible to get Japs by any other way but grey import, that's all I'd own.

So I've finally resolved this. I took the bass back to the shop and the tech agreed that it was faulty so he sent it back to Fender. About a week later it was returned with a new neck fitted. I had a quick noodle on it and it seemed Ok but the action was still on the high side. As I was going away on holiday the next day I was a bit pre-occupied and didn't really think too much about it. When I got back at the beginning of Jan I tried dropping the action a bit but with the same result. The bridge saddles were bottomed out and with the action still high and fretting anywhere above the twelth fret just produced lots of rattle and not much else. So back to the shop again. The tech took a quick look at it and said "Ok, I'll get it replaced". Apparently the Fender rep was in the next day. When I phoned they told me that the rep had agreed it was faulty and that Fender would replace it. Unfortunately I was going abroad again the next day for work so it wasn't sorted out before I left. When I got back I stopped at the shop on the way back from Heathrow expecting the new one to be waiting for me only to be told "sorry they haven't got one in that colour". So now I'm getting pretty annoyed, and my response was something along the lines of " I don't give a f*** what colour it is, I just want a replacement" They did offer to replace it with anything else they had in the shop, so I tried a Lakland, which I found very underwhelming, and another USA standard Precision, which also had an action you could fly a small aircraft under, so I went for the replacement from Fender on the understanding that it would be decently set up before I came in to get it. The new one is great. Not as playable as the Lakland I tried, but the fret ends don't rip my fingers to shreds. It's fairly lightweight, Olympic white, which I actually prefer to sunburst and with a really nice dark, close grained fretboard. So I'm pretty pleased. What baffles me is that every other Fender in the shop, and they had Squier standards, classic vibe, VM, Mexican standards and re-issues and roadworn 50s reissues, was set up beautifully, but every USA standard Precision I've played, whether there or elsewhere has been an unplayable woofer. You'd think they'd take more care.

[quote name='johnnylager' post='409683' date='Feb 14 2009, 08:22 PM']Okay, used the Big One & LH-1000 in anger last night & I can safely say that it is the best bass sound I've ever had, better even then the Peavey Mark IV & Sunn 2x15 I had 20 years ago . Everything was there in spades - bass, middle, treble and VOLUME. I had to roll off a bit of bass to stop the stage vibrating too much, but me sound cut through 2 guits & the drums like a very hot knife through some very soft butter. For the first time in Lord knows how long, the drummist was unable to complain about playing the fastest songs because he couldn't hear the bass. Hehe. I also couldn't believe how light the cab is - far lighter than the LH-1000 and fits perfectly in the boot of a Focus with room for the amp & rackbag. The one downside is the sensitivity of the cab when paired with such a powerful amp - I bridged it [so 750w into 8 ohms] and struggled to get it above 1 and a bit with PA support. Next time, I might just use one side of the dual-parallel amps [225w into 8 ohms]. It will go louder than I can stand and was shaking too many things loose to get above 5 for long, suffice to say, one would never be short of volume with one of these. Unless the PA broke at Wembley. Recommended. And for all you 4 ohm purists out there - 8 is probably fine.[/quote] Thanks for the review. I've put my name down for one of Alex's cabs so I'm looking forward to receiving it with great anticipation.