OutToPlayJazz

If memory serves, it's just over 1cm deep. The string tension is pretty high at that end anyway, so you don't end up bending that far.

Retail on these now is horrific - £1175, but I didn't pay that Go to Electro - Dave Ryan will strike you a deal, every day of the week. He's very fair on trade-ins as well. The 40-100 fatbeams fit perfectly. I like a low action.

Chris, they probably feel heavy to you because the bodies on your Sadowskys are chambered. Much lighter

Yes, the new Sterlings look nice, but the price is way higher, starting at over £600! Stoo, if I do bother I'll do the Status graphite neck & get Norstrand pickups/preamp for it as well. Or at the end of the day I may just leave it as it is - The bass only owes me £175 after all!

Same as my Sadowsky preamp... With the jazz on it's own it's fine - But the Sado turns it into something else completely. Sounds fantastic!

Hey BBC - It worked really well on the jazz. I suppose if they were deleting it from the Precision (where it was pretty useless) they had to do it for both. I'd imagine they're made on the same, if not parallel production lines or something like that.

Pics now added

Yes, there are some massive varitions, as there are with all mass produced instruments. The only two Rays I've really liked were a brand new 2eq model that I tried (but the neck was precision-thick!) and my OLP MM-22 active HH model. The same goes for Fender. You usually have to go through a few dogs in order to find a gem. The 'try before you buy' mantra definitely applies to all mass produced instruments. Rich.

I recently ended up buying the OLP I mentioned earlier in this thread. Just about the best Ray I've ever played & perhaps a candidate for a Status MM neck...

Hey Golchen, I was reading your thread! Yes, I was looking at Sadowskys for a long time & never found one I was completely happy with. Really happy with this Jazz, though. Just waiting for some DR Fatbeam strings in the post & we're there I think this is my 7th or 8th jazz bass & definitely the best - Every bass player should have a jazz of some shape or description in their setup.

One point that's come up a few times in this thread - A better instrument makes you raise your game. We all get to the point on instruments where we can physically out-play them.

[b]What made you the bassist you are today?[/b] Started off as a cellist at the age of 7, later progressed onto piano & double bass, then onto electric. So classically trained, learned to improvise and play by ear the hard way - Live! Got into jazz in my late 20's. So in short, a whole lotta playing! [b]Who do you think had the biggest influences on how you play now?[/b] An odd list of suspects - John 'Rhino' Edwards, Mark King, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, etc... [b]Where do you think you want to go from here?[/b] I think we all get better and better every day - Just siezing opportunities as they come along [b]Why do you think you want to go there?[/b] I want to be the best bass player I can be... [b]Do you believe you have a "personality" on the bass?[/b] Slightly quirky & non-conventional, but solid and reliable at the same time. [b]Specialist question: What is it you love about that 1971 P-Bass? [/b] A burpy '71 jazz bass would have been much better. I don't get along with P's.

Congrats, Chris - I was going to suggest one of the more premium PJ models like the Sadowsky or the top of range Sandberg California PM. Looking forward to seeing your bass...

I've always rated the Warwick Rockbags that come as standard with most of the W basses, but more recently I've been very impressed with the Ritter bags that come as standard with Status Streamlines.

I use a Roland Bass Cube 100 with my Triumph upright. Nice and light for the back & loud enough to cope with a big band. Nice demo here...

Fantastic jazz-esque collection you have there! Especially liking the Sadowskys & the GB. Top stuff!

There's a lot of self-depreciation here today. I hope you all realise how important your playing really is...

The one bass I really regret selling is my Fender S1 Jazz. I sold it on about a year ago to fund one of my Status basses, but was sorry as it was the only jazz bass I'd ever been happy with. Now after trying almost all of the 'super-jazz' basses, I've come back full circle and bought an '09 American Standard Jazz in the new reddish 3TS with maple board. I saw it in Electro on Saturday & was pushed for time, so ended up not trying it, but dropped in today to trade some other gear & after playing it through my Sadowsky preamp/di pedal, it was clearly the nicest sounding jazz I've heard in a long time. The through-body stringing definitely makes a difference, thickening the rich tone & the glossed fingerboard is just nice (and won't go grimy & green!) Pics to follow tomorrow when there's some daylight

Well, it sounds okay apart from the bad earthing due to insufficient shielding & the aforementioned fixtures and fittings. Yes, that's a very good question - Are you going to use it? I always ask that question when I look into buying a bass. Too often GAS takes over & we buy something we won't actually use. I've got to the point now where I sell off anything that isn't earning me money

There's some excellent advice on this thread - I'd just say stroke the strings with the fingers & let the amp do the work. After all, that's what it's there for Yes, there are times we dig in a bit, but it needs to be for the correct musical effect & not in order to create more volume. That's what the gain/volume controls are for.

I find I just don't like the pick sound. I can articulate and shape the sound much better with fingers.

As others have said, it's not usually down to gear. I run MarkBass gear usually & totally hifi sounding basses, but the room can make a massive difference. In some places I play, my rig sounds awesome! In others it sounds like a crock of s**t. You can never tell. Big hollow stages don't help, either - Too much boom. Wherever possible, make sure your cab/combo is making good contact with the floor, ie. not on an amp stand or on wheels. Like many of you, I love my small rig sound - Playing at low volumes is usually a great deal more satisfying. I love the sound of my Warwick Triumph upright through my little Roland bass cube when doing jazz trio/quartet jobs or with a big band.

Hmmm... One of my pupils has a Westfield pointy nightmare a bit like that. Again, it was very cheap & thankfully plays rather well. Sounds good too. Downsides to this sort of price range are that you get cheap hardware that's forever coming off or needing tightening up again. If you can, try before you buy. Another small yet relevant thought with V's... You can't play them sitting down. They slide off your leg!

Picked up a Yamaha BB714BS in as-new condition from Dave today. It was a long haul to Essex (about 190 miles), but worth it for such a lovely instrument. Thanks again, Dave - Top guy to deal with. Recommended! Rich.