Beedster

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1298485329' post='1138965'] Shoot me for this, but it also seems vastly more musical, in that moving between keys is so much more natural. My teacher is unlikely to wear anything but Simandl, so no doubt I'll carry on with that, but I'm tempted to be sneaky and privately work on combining Simandl (lowest positions) with Rabbath for the rest. Problem is, it may screw up my progress with reading. [/quote] Just came to this thread. The above comment re your teacher seems odd; should this be something you negotiate and agree as opposed to something s/he dictates, especially given your positivity re the new method?

Anyone got a little bastard near Glasgow is yet another classic Glasgow-esque thread title http://basschat.co.uk/topic/176491-hard-case-glasgow-area/page__p__1654803__hl__glasgow__fromsearch__1#entry1654803 Sorry my post wasn't much help Matthew, hope that old Jazz is doing OK? Chris

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1338617521' post='1677196'] Gradually, over 30 - 60 years, you will see an incremental improvement in the quality of your lines. [/quote] Sorted then

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1338551764' post='1676183'] Maybe I didn't give it enough time... [/quote] Took me about a month of tweaking (and a few emails to John), but it was well worth it. It's not unlike a new girlfriend, give it a while and all those idiosyncrasies and become quite simple to understand and predict. I understand that it didn't work for you on the Squier, but that's a different bass (I assumed fretted?) and probably a different problem - bear in mind I chose the P-Retro to use on exactly the same instrument you're talking about, maple fretless 70's Precision, and for exactly the the very same reason

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1338547525' post='1676069'] Why was this more effective than using the controls on your amp? [/quote] Good question; It probably wouldn't be more effective if my amp had the frequency sweep options that the P-Retro has. That's why the P-Retro's such a powerful unit, previous P-Bass circuits I'd used simply replicated what the pre-amp stage of my amp did.

And a true bypass

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1338546810' post='1676052'] Very interesting Chris. Could you say what benefits in sound/tone you got from fitting the P-Retro? [/quote] Almost unlimited control over tone from a unit that requires no mods to go into a standard design Precision. I could do anything from SERIOUS dub through to in yer face clank with a few tweaks. It's an extremely elegant solution to the P-Bass circuit problem, which has usually required either mods (for the battery) or has been unsatisfactory tone/versatility-wise (e.g., the SD actives). My main question to John - as I was in similar position to the OP - was 'will it give me something close to a Jazz tone?'. He's a very straight-up guy and was not prepared to say yes but said 'try it and see'. I did and it was close enough for me. C

Stick in a P-Retro and only if you still can't get the sound you want install a J-PUP. I had the same dilemma with an early 70's maple fretless Precision and John East solved it for me. Chris

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1338297504' post='1672289'] It's like putting Dolly Parton's boobs on Kylie. [/quote] Which in itself is crying out for a photoshop project

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1338152771' post='1670227'] Seafoam green is my favourite colour (I don't own one), I love Precisions (I don't own one), I love black blocks on maple (don't own one), I love the P/J config too but this just doesn't work for me. [/quote] A truly classic post though mate You're right though, it's a horrible mutant that looks like it's been put together for a primary school photoshop project titled "My favourite bits of Fender in one bass". It's like putting Dolly Parton's boobs on Kylie.