radiophonic

It does! But it's odd that they never repeated it. By 71, the CBS ownership was in full swing and the quality had got pretty variable and AFAIK, they didn't announce it as a new neck, it just came and then went (see also the bridge pickup position on 70s Jazz basses - they just did it, then stopped doing it). There was no driver at the wheel. I get to use it anger for the first time tonight...

....although according to Fender 'A' is 1.5" and B is 1.625", so 1.615 is really a one off. I wonder if they just bodged a batch of B necks in 1971?

It was listed as an 'A' profile / shallow C. I've played a few P-Basses and although they've varied quite a bit, this is definitely narrower at the nut (1.615" apparently). It's not noticeably shallower though, so it's a tad more baseball bat-like but still basically feels like a precision. I don't have big hands but even though I'm aware of the size, it's surprisingly easy to play. When I go back to the Stingray, it feels like a guitar by comparison though.

I just don't get why they don't offer the neck as an option on the other MIM basses (since they make it anyway) and why are they able to offer a rosewood board on this single MIM model. Fenders are basically modular after all. OTOH I suspect they are a bit embarrassed by the bridge being a significant mechanical upgrade on the usual sardine can. It even has a Fender logo on it! For the record it was a toss up between this and a 'Performer' P/J. They look like good basses, but this is waaay cooler.

I realise that, but several forum posts elsewhere made the comparison. I didn't pay much heed because the nut measurements were obviously way different. I do recall playing an early 70s Jazz that was surprisingly chunky, but I think it was also a bit wonky and had a very high action. I've never got on with Jazz necks anyway! It's chunky enough for me - certainly a noticeable increase on my Stingray - but still pretty easy to play. It's also extremely high output for a passive bass - louder than my Stingray for sure, although less extended obviously. I'm wondering how low I can get the action and I really must lose the stainless steel strings. They just feel all wrong these days.

I didn't fall out with my former band, but they were mighty whizzed off when I left. I think they understood my reasons though, A major issue was the seriously bad attitude of one particular band member, which in my view was holding back the music. In the end they fired her and changed musical direction, so I think I was on the right side of history. It was just a bit unfortunate that they had bad luck with the bass players that followed. I figured I'd be fairly replaceable in a big city, but there finding the right player does seem to be a problem for them. Hence the slight tension.

My first new bass in about 3 years. I'm not into relics and I don't like the Foo Fighters. Fender should just make a stock version of this bass. I wanted a P-bass with a rosewood board and this one is a nicer colour than the stock Mexican offerings and has a decent bridge and Seymour Duncans. The Nitro finish means that it doesn't feel like bass has been plastic coated and the fake road wear means that I won't care when the real thing happens. Definitely a stage bass. I've never owned a precision but this sounds exactly how I expected it to. Once I get some Nickel wound strings on it and lower the action a bit, it will be perfect. The 'A' neck is nowhere close to any Jazz that I've ever played (despite some internet review claims), but a bit chunkier than my Stingray, albeit sightly narrower at the nut. What's to say? It looks like a Fender, has a big 70s Fender logo and plays like a Fender. Big beefy precision tone and I'm looking forward to cranking it up at the next practice.

I'm not usually one to look back but I ended up catching my old band twice this weekend. We never used to hang out - we were just bandmates. This is the first time in 30 odd years of playing that I've been in this position. I think they've been through about 3 bass players since I left a year ago, and there had been other significant changes too, meaning that it wasn't simply like 'bumping into your ex'. Still an odd experience though and I did detect a little bit of, not tension exactly but definitely a vibe. It was the new bass players first and second gig too, so no pressure. FWIW, I thought the old songs from the EP we did, sounded less convincing but the new song fitted their new style really well. Hard to say that diplomatically though but I did find myself willing them on a bit. Any similar experiences. How did you feel about it?

Wow. Brendan looks a lot older. I wouldn't have spotted him at all. But Joe looks exactly the same. I miss Fugazi.

I saw Queens of The Stone age around the time of Rated R. Nick Oliveri was naked aside from his bass, then took his bass off. The best / worst though was David Yow (Jesus Lizard singist) who invaded the stage at a Melvins show I attended. Initially he was wearing a toga and cowboy boots. Then the toga came off. Then he stage-dived into the crowd. I'm not sure what's worse though - the being naked or stage diving in cowboy boots.

Cheers dude - and thanks for the use of the cab! It was very loud indeed. I clearly need to work on my power stance though....

My '92 stingray has pretty square neck edges but the frets are nicely rolled off. It is without exception the nicest neck I've ever played. I've never been 100% sold on the scoopy sound, but the neck is so good, it's remained my only or main bass for 27 years.

We bagged a mid-table main stage slot at what has turned out to be the final Macmillan Fest in Nottingham on Sat. It's been running for 10 years and if you play original rock or post-rock music in Notts, it's been the one to aim for. Six stages, 12 hours of music. It was a pressure gig, because not only were we aware that we were being given a shot (i.e. a better billing than we'd earned), but it was our first live outing in 4 months, following our singer's having a baby. I don't think we could have got it any better in tehe practice room without playing out for a while before this gig. The Rescue Rooms is a bigger stage than we're used to but I think we adapted pretty fast. A few lessons learned - drums are quieter on a big stage and on a riser for starters - and I did have to go walkabout at one point to compensate for a particularly inaudible picked clean guitar intro (lousy monitor mix). And bang it was over. Appreciative crowd. We held the audience ( and they had 5 other stages to check out) and got a lot of positive feedback. Another band who'd seen us before commented that they hadn't 'got it' previously, but in a much bigger room, the huge reverb soaked sound and classical singing suddenly made sense. Did some press (a first for me - but I missed Eyre Llew's set). Had a nice Japanese meal, caught Nordic Giants in all their costumed splendour and was still in bed before 11. Pro shot of me doing the volume pedal / delay thing in the intro .

It worked! However, due to the 'on the floor' placement of the cab and the biggish stage, I have never been simultaneously so loud and yet had to dig in so hard to get any definition. I'm sure the backs of my knees enjoyed the workout.

Except I'm at work and have a school run to do and so won't have the luxury of free time between now and load in. PMT Nottingham don't have them listed anyway. Online order only.

Cheers. I've spoken to the guy who's cab it is and he has some cable options anyway. They are loading out after our set so they'll be around anyway.

They seem to on other cabs they make - but I can't find a ref for this cab specifically. It's a really important gig for us, so I'm trying to be 100% sure, so I can worry about other things!

Just a quickie - I'm playing tomorrow and the supplied cab is a Barefaced 4 x 10, I can't work out from their website if the inputs are Speakon only or hybrid Speakon / 1/4". Can anyone advise?

OC2 sounds pretty close. Maybe not quite as resonant but a decent facsimile. Definitely on my list once it's actually available in shops.

I'm not really adding anything here, but I had one of the 150W heads with the GP11 pre, running into a 1048 cab, back in the early 90s and it was just stupid loud. I never really thought about it at the time since all gear was BIG, but both of the guitar players were running valve heads into 4 x 12 cabs - one had a Fender Dual Showman FFS. Nothing went through the PA. I never struggled to be heard and I never went past about 2 O'Clock on the big red knob. In retrospect I think we're talking about proper engineering. Big output transformers and conservative measurement. At the time I just wanted an AH350 cos it had the UV blacklight. I don't miss lugging that cab about though!

Aside from pedals, I've never gone too nuts with bass gear and I've generally only had one or two basses at a time. My wife may disagree with this assessment of course. Modern PAs have largely killed my amp GAS too. I mean, I would like an old SVT obviously, but I doubt I'll go there in practice. I did go through a major HiFi phase though and do occasionally wonder how many pairs of loudspeakers a person really needs. Children killed the cash flow unfortunately. The other thing that killed GAS was the realities of playing in commercial practice rooms and and on split bills. I'm usually using a borrowed amp and 'that perfect sound' that I spent ages dialling in at home immediately evaporates when confronted with a Peavy TNT. I often have to prioritise making myself audible rather than obsessing about the fine detail of tone.

I haven't got one yet. I'm waiting for all the excitement to die down and some longer term view to emerge. They still seem to be tweaking firmware too.

Has anyone compared the octave down sound to an OC2 yet? I'm very interested in this being able to replace several pedals (PS6, MF101, Manta possibly - depending on the peak filter options and maybe even the OC2). I use MIDI a lot playing live and a loop switcher, so there could really be a lot of scope provided I can get the signature sounds I need.

What's the board?

Although I agree 100%, this did massively backfire on me on one occasion. The guy before me, who sucked it up and used the DI box, set it to -20dB for his modern active bass. I rock up with an amp, DI it for FOH and with no soundcheck, proceed to obliterate the mix for the entire opening number.