OutToPlayJazz

In addenum... I had to go to a local music store today to get some piano music for a pupil & got the chance to play & examine the 'Vibes... I played the 50's tele-style Precision in lake placid blue & the sonic blue [more familiar] 60's Precision. Wow! What amazing quality! These have "Crafted in China" on the back of the headstock, but the fit and finish is far superior to quite a lot of American made Fenders I've seen. The vintage gloss poly finish on the necks/fingerboard is just simply stunning & the neck fitment on both is excellent, too. The tele-style P had some light earth-hum when not touching the strings, but it is a traditional single coil! The sonic blue P had an amazing sound & excellent shielding. Quiet as a mouse! Anyone worried about the basswood construction on these basses should have no such concerns. These two sound absolutely huge, with the sonic blue P having a really appealing sound. And I don't usually like Precisions! Wow! Just wow! I'm looking forward to trying the 60's jazz model now! Rich.

One of John's Status Buzzards has cropped up on the for sale forum on Statii.com as well. Owner wants in excess of $20,000. Bargain!

[quote]I'm going to have to come around to yours Rich so you can 'educate' me in all things Statii. Thing is until the credit crunch goes away, us poor engineers are going to have to settle for '2nd best'.[/quote] You're welcome anytime, mate. Any day you're at Corus/Tata (or whatever they're called this week) & I'm around, come over after work.

I really liked these when they were out - As has already been mentioned, a very un-Fenderish Fender! As was the outlandish £2000 price tag at the time! Rich.

[quote]If we're using figures the engineer in me demands a break down of the 60% into quantifiable attributes/parameters. Accuracy to +/- 2 d.p. will be acceptable[/quote] LOL mate. Not asking much, are you?! I'm still right, though At the end of the day it all depends on people's personal tastes. As I've said in the past, I've been playing Status basses for getting on for twenty years. I know the people behind the company very well & love the personal buying experience. As for the instruments, the sound, feel & quality is second to none for me personally. Unfortunately, I've only ever played one MusicMan I liked. The others have all been dull sounding, unbalanced, lacking output & the necks have mostly felt half finished. (That's how satin finished wood feels after so many years with super slick graphite!)

The Jaguars are Japanese made, so build will be pretty good. The array of sounds it'll make with all those confusing switches are quite cool as well, but I'd say the weak point is the preamp, as usual in Fenders. Swap the pre out for something decent & it'd be great.

Hi Stuart, I really hope you get this little project off the ground. As others have said, it's a very risky time to be starting new ventures, but perhaps it's not so bad & the only way really is up?! In answer to a couple of your questions, I'd say that most existing musicians want a warm welcome, a coffee & a chat about gigs/gear. Quite often they'll buy an instrument. Sometimes they won't, but they'll always come back to see what you've got in stock at any given time. New musucians want decent quality gear at reasonable prices that won't break the bank. As for travel... I'd travel nationwide to see a mate & check out some cool basses - But only on school holidays! I'd have no time to get to Hereford during term time, as we know it's a 3.5 hour run from my visit the other week! In addenum, why won't people travel these days? What's all this "up to 20 miles" stuff all about? If you do decide to go ahead with it, best of luck & I'm sure you'll do well, mate! Rich.

*Looks around the group*... "Hi, my name's Richard & I have a Status addiction..." Nah, not really! I just know what I like. Simple as that! I don't see anything wrong with GAS, unless you're spending what you can't afford. In my case, all my instruments are working tools that earn me money, so I can justify my purchases. They all cover different kinds of job, too & I've definitely sold on everything that has fallen into disuse, including a barely played KingBass late last year. I think that in terms of a working musician like myself, there's nothing wrong with buying what you want if it can be justified and earns it's keep. On the other side of the coin, I visited the Moo (my mate Matt in London) the other day & he's purely a collector with 9 Status basses, an Alembic, a JayDee, etc, etc. Is there anything wrong with the magpie syndrome if you have the money? I liked WOT's little comment about, "What if..." That's happened to me too, but I usually end up selling the goods later. I think I'll just stick to what I know! Rich. [i]Now, about that Sadowsky...............[/i]

Yes, the Groove has the proper 10mm square graphite rods. Great basses - I've got one knocking round at the moment.

Haha, Bilbo! No, I don't want one. Was just curious as to what it was, that's all.

I haven't played the 'vibes yet, but every report on them seems to be positively glowing! Even my bro, doctor_of_the_bass has bought the 50's P in lake placid blue and says it's really nice. I've got the 50's p & the 60's jazz on order so I can choose between them. I think it's going to be the white jazz, to be honest. I have a feeling it's going to sound awesome through the Sadowsky outboard pre Rich.

Looks like a really cool bass. I downloaded the pdf brochure last night. They're probably all sold now, anyway. They're only making a production run of 125.

[quote]Just remember,every sale of a $$ requires a booking at a chiropractor!Heavy old things but a great sound[/quote] Both my $$s have been quite reasonable in the weight department. Anyone ever had a Marcus Miller Jazz? It's like being on stage with a millstone around your neck!

Aha! Found it! It's a Spellbinder II... [url="http://www.spellbindercorp.com/"]http://www.spellbindercorp.com/[/url]

So, that cool looking white bass on the SMV cover... Who made it? Was just curious, is all

I owned one of the last S1's with the nicer curved edge neck & wish I'd never have sold it. I've played one of the new ones & it's pretty much the same, but the S1 definitely gives it a different dimension.

Again, I have to agree with your point in some areas, Mart. But in my view, from the Rays I've played (apart from one), yes. A Status is worth 50-60% more even when it's a used model. Well, an S2, anyway.

They still are upper class basses Have a plunder through the options list & you're hitting £3k on some of them!

Those who have mentioned £450 are in the right ballpark. I just sold one for a similar amount. We're in a depressed market at the moment and both Warwicks & MusicMan basses are suffering value wise, amongst other mass produced items. We all like to think we can get the same high prices as before, but we all have to accept that things are worth what you can get for them.