Dr.Dave

[quote name='bubinga5' post='793558' date='Apr 1 2010, 06:06 PM']This is what im after though your amazing knowledge!! i did like it, but there is stuff i dont know about vintage jazzers that you might be able to point out....thanks[/quote] Two things. Only you know whether or not you like this vintage bass enough to be interested in buying it - we know exactly zero about what you like the feel and sound of. If you want to know about vintage Fenders in terms of whether or not they're a good investment there are far wiser men round here than I but I'm inclined to endorse Beedsters earlier comment. The value of any used instrument remains as it has always been - it's worth exactly , to the penny , what someone else is prepared to pay for it.

[quote name='The inglourious bass turd' post='792789' date='Apr 1 2010, 12:30 AM']So, looking at a Jazz for my first 'proper' bass.MIA? Are they really that much better than the MIJ/MIM?[/quote] No/yes * Love your user name !!! * other opinions are available

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='793548' date='Apr 1 2010, 05:55 PM']Looks like something you'd buy from Woolies in 1971.[/quote] Yep - 'Audition' guitars. Remember them well. Re. this bass - why on earth would anyone want a mastercraftsman to make them something that looks like it cost ten quid? It's bloody hideous , a waste of good parts and if it finds an owner at that price they deserve each other.

Very nice indeed. I like the maple against that body colour and I should have shares in Badass the way I heap praise on them. Will it buy me a pint of Guiness in the White Horse , Wakefield like the real Steve Harris did??

Yes , it's more 'original' - but V and R are hardly known for bargains. If there's a shim down the side of the neck pocket on the Crane's bass it seems a reasonable enough deduction that someone thought there to be enough of an issue to have to deal with it. Frets wear down - name of the game if a bass is played anything like regularly. I'd be more concerned if they weren't. I'd just go check it out , mate. You'll know in 30 seconds whether you're interested or not and all you'll get from us here is opinion.

I think I can see a not particularly brilliant neck joint , but it might be the photo. Whether that would make it crap or not is in the eye/ear of the beholder but it would give some indication of poor quality control. The finish looks like that later 70's toffee apple to me too - again it might be the pic. Trying these things is the only way. If it sounds good and plays well my opinion is it's game on if that's what you're looking for and they'll talk on the price. As with trying out all late 70's Fenders for the first time - you should wear steel toe-capped footwear just in case.

Maybe it's the colour distacting me but it looks like a kids toy - one of those wii guitar hero things or something. Yuk.

Not sure which forum to post on so here I am. I called in Electro Music in Doncaster while my scooter was being serviced and played a lovely black 4 string fretless stingray. Good condition Ernie model - 2 band eq. Sounded fab - 'sings' well unplugged. It's £875 on the ticket , times are tough (nebbing on conversations) so I suspect there's plenty of give on that price. No connection to me whatsoever - just thought I'd let you know. Sort of thing folk often seem to be looking for. If I wasn't sorted with the fretless jap Jazz I'd have strapped it to my top box and come home with it!

[quote name='OldGit' post='787184' date='Mar 26 2010, 04:49 PM']I'm singing a lot more now and it took me a while to find my "real voice". However I struggle to remember the words .. Any tips? I [b]really [/b] don't want to use a music stand.[/quote] Again , it's the confidence thing. I sometimes forget so I sing the line from the verse before or make a weird nonsensical noise or do baa baa black sheep (not a gag , I did that once) ...but I do it with gusto and nobody ever knows. Our guitar player , Rod , does use a music stand - I hate the bloody thing and tease him mercilessly - usually on stage to shame him - but he's immune , sadly. He def. doesn't need it. I go over mid song and flip the pages over and he manages fine. I call it 'the great Marvo' because it looks like he's about to pull a rabbit out of it. You're right about the 'real' voice thing. Rod has developed a sort of Chris Rea 'talk sing' thing and I developed a fog horn. I can't sing well quietly and he can't belt it. I learned a lot from him - he's no natural singer but he figured out how to do it anyway by using what he had. The montoring's a joke - he has loads and I do without , we both sing better that way. He thinks I'm the better singer and I think he is. The way of things , probably. I'm not on a crusade here. I've been around the site forever and the 'our singer let us down' post is common. I'm telling you all a way to deal with it.

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='787140' date='Mar 26 2010, 04:21 PM']dont want to derail this thread but singing is something I would like to do as most people seem to expect a basisst to do BV. Do you follow a course either book or online or just sing along to what your listening to at the time ?[/quote] I've never had a lesson but I think they would be a great idea. I started because I was in a band with 2 singing guitarists , one left and we had 2 gigs at the weekend. I thought about Jack Kennedy and figured 'ask not what your band can do for you , ask what you can do for your band'. I learned his songs and (crapping myself) just did it. The first line I sang - you'd think the mic was connected to the mains , the speed I backed off it. Not now - I put on the actors clothes and pretended to be a confident singer until one day I became one. I knew I was dedicated to our band , who else could I be that sure of?? It was the same thinking with our remaining singer/guitarist - what's he gonna do , lay down and die?? No way - he figured out how to play all the parts himself and sod the other bloke. We have gigs to play , audiences to please , landlords to keep our word to. Blinkers on - onward. We should think of ourselves as musicians , not bass players per se , and do what we need to do to make our projects work. I actually think , in a way , it's good when musicians say they can't sing. That means they've learned skills that tell them the sound isn't good , the pitching is off etc etc. It only takes one further bit of thinking - ie. singing is a skill , I've proved I can learn skills , I can learn to sing. I trust me to (part) front our band more than I would anyone else. You should too.

[quote name='skampino' post='787081' date='Mar 26 2010, 03:50 PM']You obviously haven't heard me sing! LOL[/quote] Neither have you. Try it for 15 mins a day for the next month then tell me I'm talking sh*te. BTW I've been playing bass for 35 years but I was nearly 40 before I sung a note. I'm not 'gifted' at it , my voice is a bit boring and I don't pitch well naturally BUT , I practised , I learned , I got confident and I'd get on a stage with anybody and not feel second best - more to the point I'd get the job done.

Ahhhhhhhhhh - how many more times ??!!!! We're all singers - everyone of us , we just don't do it. There is not one forum member who can't sing - just many who don't or won't. I assure everyone that if you put one tenth of the effort into practising singing as you do playing bass there will never be a stand alone singer in your band again. No more problems with wannabes taking a ride with us. I guarantee that after a bit of practise and a couple of rehearsals your confidence will soar up a learning curve we couldn't have dreamed about when learning bass. And - trust me - you will love it. You'll fight to get to the mic. The lead melody line AND the bass line at the same time??!! What else better is there with your clothes on?!!! Agreed - a) some of us may have found really talented , dedicated musicians as vocalists and we might simply not want to sing but my point stands. We can sing if we try AND , what's more , we can play bass while we do it. End of sermon.

That's the best bass ever and I want one. I can't imagine why anyone would remark on such sensible trousering ,though , if I were wearing them , I reckon a comedy wig would be in order!! Welcome Nic - you look like a character and I like characters. World's full of bass player's hiding by the drums but there are a few of us that know that the more we entertain the punters the more we entertain ourselves!

I reckon basses with more than 4 strings are a great idea - bloody useful tools in my opinion , esp 5's - but I do think you have a point. Many 4 string players get one and they either don't get on with it or can't find a use for it so it ends up on here. I've noticed too that a fair number of 5's for sale were taken in trade and are being sold on. I've had a couple of fives but my solutions for bit of extra lowness has been to stick a de-tuner on my Shuker and keep my Status 4 tuned down to D. An even better one would be a Kubicki ex-factor which I keep meaning to pick up. The idea of my plucking hand finding a string in the middle doesn't seem to work for me , as I sing I have to play naturally without thinking too much. A 6.... no use to a plumber like me at all though I can see the logic in a bass version of the guitar family having six strings. I suppose being able to play across the neck rather than up and down it is a blessing to many musicians but I'm not much more than a bloody show off and I like folk seeing my hand whizzing up and down. Makes it look like I know what I'm doing!

My favourite of the year so far - local place called The Hop. Enthusiastic , diverse bunch of (pint offering) williams plus a few of my mates from work as a rent a crowd to get the rest worked up. Our mate - bass player Eddie Wah - died suddenly 2 years ago and out of the blue we decided to wing 'road to hell' for him. It was his sort of signature song in his band as he sang it. Not really Doc Blue material but so what. Just as we got it going - totally unexpected - his widow walked in. Fantastic moment. Quite a party gig , the Hop. Good for winging stuff. We turfed out a Roadhouse Blues/Blockbuster/Jean Genie sandwich late on off the cuff , maybe we'll keep it in - went down a storm. And it stays open forever so after we packed up I hit the bar, at the expense of the aforementioned grateful williams , as I live close enough to stagger home ! There's a Hop opening in Leeds about now. Good pair of gigs for any Yorkshire bands who care to give them a call. Try googling The Hop Wakefield Myspace and the contact is Ian Fisher.

Cheers Clarky - onto my desktop goes the top pic , as WOT's did a while back. Just as well I'm not your neighbour - you'd be sick of the sight of me.

I couldn't walk past that mongrel fretless without picking it up - it'd seem rude. I'm liking the Ampeg rig too - something I haven't seen before.

If you seek a title like that you fail before you begin!

I have a GK head and a tuner in a 3u shallow rack bag. Ventilation is an issue the sensible should consider but it hasn't been a problem to me. I like rack bags because I can lay my bass on the soft top BUT ...like anything with a zip , that's the weak point. Bloody things - they get so stuck that sometimes I can't open them. Fpr that reason I'm going with hard shell next time even though it means unpacking a stand every gig. I mounted a 4 gang mains socket inside - obviously that's 2 spare plug sockets in my case - I put baby nightlights in them so I can see in from the back (I painted the inside white too) . The nightlights are a couple of quid from Wilkinson. Just a couple of tips I find useful.

[quote name='silddx' post='752014' date='Feb 20 2010, 06:20 PM']If you have money to burn, no problem.[/quote] Maybe not a problem in a financial sense but there's still an issue for me. I hope if my 6 numbers ever come up I'll still find a better use for 3 and a half grand. I'm happy to say I have a couple of 'high end' basses but I can't ever see myself spending in excess of 12 or 1500 for a bass guitar unless it was a vintage Fender made on my birthday and then it would be for it's investment value rather than as an instrument. But - if you've access to 5 grand plus and you want one - no problem - have it . The only person you (should) have to 'justify' that to is yourself.

[quote name='merello' post='747780' date='Feb 16 2010, 09:55 PM']Tell the singer that in his case, his face needs an aggressive sound![/quote] And I'm for an even more aggressive approach............. !!! Fair play - it's good for band members to discuss each others sound. The whole point of a band is for it to sound good as a unit BUT it's your sound and you seem happy with it. You also have the Status and mention it's versatility. Should you get a Jazz?? Yes , because you've liked the ones you've had - Yes , if you fancy one - Yes , if you think , on reflection , it would make a real contribution to your band's sound that your other instruments can't - Yes for a thousand reasons ...... But if it's just because the singer thinks you should...... NO !!!!

[quote name='deaver' post='751684' date='Feb 20 2010, 11:56 AM']Uh oh, I can feel myself getting drawn to light, powerless to resist, again...[/quote] oops - sorry mate....er.... if you're a died in the wool Precision lover you'll f****g hate a Stingray !!! (Hope that helps)

In my mind I like to imagine that M M went up to Leo Fender and said 'OK - if you could design the Precision again what changes would you make?' and he said 'Let's have rid of the lightweight bridge , let's go a step further than the split pup , let's have a bit more tone control and let's make the truss rod adjustable without needing a trained ferret'. I love Stingrays even though I don't currently have one. It's a cliche but if you're a died in the wool Precision lover it's the obvious next step. I read somewhere that a guitarist can make any noise/do any job he wants with 4 guitars - a tele , a strat , a les paul and a 335. I reckon we can do it in 3 - a Precision , a Jazz and a Stingray (in fretted 4 terms anyway)