Beedster

[quote name='bassjamm' post='113901' date='Jan 5 2008, 02:50 AM']I've seen a '78 Precision that's in awesome condition, played it and it's sweet, but didn't know if the late 70's ones were any good or not? Ideally i'd like a Precision with a Jazz pickup in the bridge and a Jazz neck (block inlays)...but the P/J pickup thing is the most important!!![/quote]

If you've played it and it's sweet, it's sweet, simple as. Doesn't matter when it was built. Without doubt the best Precision I've played to date was a '79, weighed a ton but had the sweetest tone I've encountered. FYI, you won't get your requirements above in anything but a Frankenstein, and if you want to do that from authentic 70's Fender parts, you'd better be prepared for a long wait - certainly for the neck and possibly also for the PB body with J-PUP (I waited a year - lots of players installed J-PUPs in the 70's and they do come up occasionally, and usually slightly cheaper than a normal 70's P 'cos they're not original. However, I doubt such a body would come up for sale alone) - and a lot of expense. You can get original 70's Precisions with Jazz-profile necks although without inlays, my maple '75 is one. I'd keep an eye open 'cos there's a lot of cheap Precisions around at present. If you pick one up for around £500-600 it would be worth your while having the J-PUP installed as, at that kind of purchase price, the modifications probably wouldn't devalue the instrument a whole lot.
Chris

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='113400' date='Jan 4 2008, 10:21 AM']Hello
I remember one of the original threads on the bitsa jazz from bassbod and then luke (who I bought it off) said they would be interested in the plastic flats it was fitted with. According to the original thread, these are labella ones which should make them set 760N - .060, .070, .094, .115. They don't appear to have had much use, I've played the bass twice (about 2 and a half hours in total) since I got it on the 8th December and whilst they do sound nice, i find that they are quite low tension (probably because they're a bit heavier than normal - i use a 40/45 most of the time) and I would prefer something a bit tighter.

I would like to trade them for another set of something a bit tighter if anybody has a set to swap out and wants to try these - prefer to try another set of flats and preferably nickel - part worn is fine (no remoulds please!). These are still on the bass and I'd prefer not to have it without a set of strings on for any length of time. I have no idea what these cost as I can't find them in the UK - about €50 is the online price for one place I've seen or about $40 for all you lucky transatlantic brothers!

PM me if you want anymore info.
Ta
John[/quote]

Hi mate
How about an almost new set of TI flats in exchange? If not, I also have a set of D'Addario flats I could take off one of my basses?
Chris

Genius thread isn't it

You have a PM Lawrie
Chris

[quote name='Hutton' post='111347' date='Dec 31 2007, 10:37 AM']Nice one Homer. From your profile I see that you can give me a couple of years. BTW, do you think there is any significance in the fact that we both are using precisions. Old guy + Precision - an inevitable path![/quote]

I once went to a conference and a medical statistician suggested that, if we used the kind of stats models currently used in biomedicine, by the year 2024, almost 50% of the World's population will be Elvis impersonators!
On that basis, I confidently predict that everyone willl be playing Precisions by the year 2012!
Chris OAP (old age Precisioner)

I learned not to get carried away at an audition and pull the rig over
I also learned that a bass is a bass and whichever model you play you can still make a pretty good sound when you get to know it. Hence, after many a bass, I'm back where I started in the late 70's, a passive 4 string.
Well, four lovely Fender Precisions to be exact, but you get the point... .
Chris

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='112742' date='Jan 3 2008, 10:16 AM']Bass? What bass?

It don't exist until there's pics! [/quote]

I wil of course provide evidence at the weekend
Beautiful maple board though mate, you'll be very jealous!
Chris

Chris parted with a beautiful '79 Precision fretless last night. Lovely bloke to deal with, knows his stuff, makes a good cup of tea and owns the World's most athletic and enthusiastic Lurcher ("Do you mind dogs" Chris asked as said Lurcher hit me like a hurricane at chest height). I could have spent all night debating carbon/graphite versus titanium/wood! Cheers Chris, perhaps see you in the Alps in the summer
Chris

Well, I played my new '79 maple fretless last night...
Very interesting, and not what I expected at all (having said this, I haven't A-B'd it on another bass yet so some of my observations might be specific to the bass as opposed to the neck). There is certainly a whole lot of mwah, but there's also a whole lot of bass, even with what appear to be fairly light and newish roundwounds. I was getting the sort of sound on the E and A strings that I associate with my old rosewood P strung with La Bella Deep Talkers, an almost subsonic thump, even at low volume. I'm going to put the maple-boarded neck onto my other fretless P tonight and run a direct comparison of the two necks on the same bass. I want to put a set of Tru Bass on one of them, and had assumed it would be the rosewood. I'm starting to think it might just be on the maple
Chris

Cheers BeLow. It's certainly not a unit I'd come across before, but I really like the sounds I can get from it. The compression/gate provides some awesome funk tones and the chorus/reverb is sweet. The sub-octave is a little dodgy but then I think they always are I'll take some pics soon and see if I can jog your memory further!
Chris

[quote name='BassBod' post='112239' date='Jan 2 2008, 12:49 PM']A small selection of good quality used Pbass bits, as follows..

Tort scratchplate, 3 ply,no make other than "made in Japan". Its a generic or standard fit, with holes for p/up cover but not thumbrest. Lightly scratched, but would polish up nicely, if you wanted.

Fender style bridge, chrome (allen key adjusters) slight rust on back, but good condition, with screws.

Chrome neck plate, with screws

Two chrome barrel knobs, brass with set screw

Two chrome Fender style strap buttons with screws

£25 for the lot, posted in UK

I'll get some photo's up when the camera's charged

BB[/quote]

Hello mate
I'll have all those please. Can you PM me payment details?
Chris

Just picked up one of the above. I'd never heard of 'em but love it do death. Anyone got one/used one? Opinions? Manual?
Chris

Sparky, what can I say? It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and to do business with you. Moreover, it was a huge relief that the BSB Mk 1 was to your liking
Stay in touch mate, and I'll let you know when I've had some custom neck plates made!
Chris

Sold
Chris

No payment forthcoming so available again
Chris

[quote name='owen3371' post='107243' date='Dec 20 2007, 05:54 PM']didn't know you sold yours chris, I was off basschat for a few weeks,I'm really intrested in a flea,I have an early rumour only thing I'm worried about is would the flea live up to the reputation of the rumour?[/quote]

Hi mate
Yep. sold mine, but not because it wasn't a great bass, but because I wasn't playing it. It was without question the most playable and sweet sounding of all the basses I've owned. As I've said many times before, there's stuff I could play on that bass I've never been able to play on another. I don't really know why I prefer my Precisions, I just do, and if I'm picking up a bass to rehearse or gig it will always be a Precision. I had the chance to buy a lovely old '73 so listed the Flea on ebay and it went within the first hour. I must admit, once it had sold, I immediately started to think I should keep it
I play mostly Motown/Blues/Soul so there was no point in using a Flea, it would be overkill. I used to play in a funk/rock chilis-inspired combo and were I still doing that, the Flea wqould have been indespensible. Horses for courses really. I know that one day I'll get a new gig and probably buy another, I just don't like having basses kicking around not being used, makes me feel like a collector and not a player
Owen, buy one mate, I've yet to hear anyone who has owned one say anything but positive things about them
Chris

[quote name='Waldo' post='107257' date='Dec 20 2007, 06:36 PM']I've already tried and it didn't sell. First I tried it with a BIN of £1000 and got nothing. Then I put the price down to 99p with a reserve and it still didn't sell.

Bah.[/quote]

Did you offer to send to Europe? Flea's seem to be rarer than octupus trousers over there

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='106995' date='Dec 20 2007, 12:04 PM']He was offered an amount in settlement, but nowhere near enough. He decided to stick to his principles, then it went way beyond goodwill.

He's decided to continually snap at the seller's heels instead.

Good on him, IMO. Taking the money and keeping schtum helps no-one.

TBH, it auctions don't bother me at all. He can do what he likes.[/quote]

Fair points
Chris

[quote name='gusto' post='106924' date='Dec 20 2007, 10:18 AM']I Don't know the back story on this, did he buy that bass and find out it was a fake or somthing? and now spends all his life trying to shift it on to some other mug?[/quote]

Reputable USA dealer sold him an apparently original early '70s CAR Jazz that turned out to be a refin. The ebay listing is the buyer's attempt to name and shame the seller. Despite having made is clear who the sellers was, it doesn't seem to have shamed him at all. USA legal system means buyer has no chance and I guess he has to rely on the goodwill of the seller. Not sure he's doing his best to nurture that particular comodity
Chris

[quote name='umcoo' post='106901' date='Dec 20 2007, 09:41 AM']Not sure if this is the right place, apologies if not. I recently bought something off the basschat forums (i won't say what or who off), and it still hasn't arrived. I sent the cheque on december 3rd and the money came out on the 9th. I was told once the cheque had gone through the item would be sent special delivery, but still heard nothing. I PM'ed the seller on the 18th and got no reply when I asked if he had any idea of a delivery date.

What would you do.....[/quote]

Not unusual, BC isn't ebay and rightly so. I rate myself as a highly disorganised person, but having dealt with a few guys on here I think I'm one of the more organised BCers I really wouldn't worry too much, the Xmas post won't be helping things either (my local posty reckons it's not unusual for post to simply sit at the sorting office for several days, even weeks, this time of year 'cos they simply don't have the manpower. Having said this, he said this during a half-hour chat during his round.... ). Don't name and shame because in nearly every situation in which someone on here has done so, there was a simple explanation.
Chris

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='106726' date='Dec 19 2007, 09:27 PM']Maybe someone needs to tell him that life isn't always fair and that there are times that nothing can be done and you need to move on.[/quote]

+ 1000 on that. Every time he presses 'Relist' on ebay it must allow the anger and frustration to resurface. So many threads on here in the past about it (it's been going on well over a year I think). So he lost a few (hundred? thousand?) quid on a bass. sh*t, we've all done it, but most of us act like grown ups and either deal with it or let it go. When you buy an expensive antique - which is what this bass is - you take a risk, especially if you buy it unseen, and even more especially if you buy it unseen from a country with a rather eccentric legal system like the USA. The wise buyer either takes steps to minimise that risk or accepts it on the understanding that he might lose out. IMHO, this guy did neither and is now simply crying over spilt milk
If the buyer is reading this (as I know he has in the past), aplogies for being harsh above, but I doubt you're doing your mental health much good pursuing it as you are. If you eventually win out, good for you. I doubt however that you will
Chris

Don't understand why this isn't selling. I'd put it back on the bay - mine sold BIN within an hour of my listing it. If you offer to send to Europe - where they're clearly in short supply - it'll go real quick
Chris

I have a maple board fretless Precision incoming . Any of you guys play fretless on maple? If so, what strings do you recommend? How do rounds and flats respectively sound on maple compared to on rosewood or ebony? Have any of you had a finish applied to maple to protect it and if so what difference did it make to the sound?
I know it's a bit daft to ask as no doubt I'll be finding out for myself in a few days, but I'm keen to hear what people think really
Chris

Flea solved the same problem by moving from MMs with wooden necks to Modulii with graphite. I don't think you're wrong to try and get your action so low, but I think you might be expecting too much of the materials used in the construction of your bass to keep it that low all of the time. Wood responds to the atmosphere, simple as that. I suggest that you try a graphite neck and see if you can, by using a combination of strings and EQ, get the same tone you have now. If it doesn't work, I'm sure you'll sell the neck for close to what you paid for it.
Chris

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='106505' date='Dec 19 2007, 02:44 PM']Put one of those anti static sheets for tumble driers in the control cavity (seriously, try it).[/quote]

Cheers, that's a new one but well worth a try. Re the above, no, as I said, this happens wherever and whenever. I just seem to generate a lot of static and need some way to download it before it goes to the PUPs.
Chris