EssentialTension

Malekko B:Assmaster

[quote name='fraff' post='1084701' date='Jan 10 2011, 07:31 PM']Dave you're a star! Will have a good root round all those links. Thanks a million. Ian[/quote] You're welcome. These are in my view great basses but they are also idiosyncratic basses with their own character. Although my go to bass is almost always a Fender P, I'd find it hard to part with the Decade. You'll want to check out the [url="http://www.lakland.com/ac_decade.htm"]sound samples at Lakland[/url] too.

And here's Dan Lakin talking about and playing the Decade: [url="http://www.gearwire.com/lakland-decade-walkthrough.html"]http://www.gearwire.com/lakland-decade-walkthrough.html[/url]

There is an ergonomic issue which some people on TB complained about. The top horn is short and finishes at the 13th fret rather than about 11th fret on a Precision. So the Decade hangs further to the left on the strap and the first fret then feels further away than you would be used to. With a good thick strap you can hang it to the right and, in my experience this is not a problem. The Jazz style necks on these (and owners of the one that sold this week on BC will I'm sure agree) are fabulous - very true, very fast, excellent binding and fret work. The Chisonic pickups are unusual I feel. They were influnced by Hammon Engineering's Dark Star pickups which were themselves a reverse engineering of the Hagstrom Bisonics (hence Chisonics) found in the Guild basses of the late 60s. The early Decades were fitted with Dark Stars as standard. I don't myself think that the preamp version is necessary. The pickups have a high output and a wide frequency response and are sensitive to where you play the strings and how hard you dig in.

[quote name='fraff' post='1084185' date='Jan 10 2011, 01:36 PM']Cheers! Not sure I need an active for what I do - hardly ever use the active circuit on my Sandberg TBH. Have seen a new passive one for £900 which is a nicer looking sum! 8lb 14oz from what I can see. I could live with that I reckon, doesn't sound too bad. Thanks both.[/quote] Mine is 9lbs and maybe 1oz.

[quote name='fraff' post='1083975' date='Jan 10 2011, 10:17 AM']A recent F/S thread has has reignited my GAS for one of these beasts. Anyone have experience of them within a fairly 'heavy' psych/rock band set up? I guess my main question is how 'vintage' do they sound? I love me Sandberg as my main gigging bass and I can get a good P sound out of it which works live (perhaps less so in the studio), but obviously it doesn't have that late 60s vibe that I'm thinking about. So, I'm hankering after something that gets me that late 60s birth-of-rock edge. Anyone with experience of the Decade think it will cut it? Or indeed any other recommendations? Remembering of course that don't have the funds for a late 60s J or P! Thanks everyone Ian[/quote] Well, it would depend on what you mean by 'vintage' and ''heavy' psych/rock'. First, although you can [i]approximate[/i] P and J sounds on the Decade, it is definitely not a Fender. It does an excellent reggae/dub sound on the neck pickup and on that pickup with some bridge pickup added does approach a psych/rock sound - it could be compared with the sound Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane was getting with his Guild Starfire with the Hagstrom Bisonic pickups, although bear in mind here that Casady is, I think, overloading a Versatone valve combo as well as a pair of Fender Dual Showmans - bass solo at 2.26: You can get a smoother non-overdriven sound too of course which has some characteristics of a Gibson bass without the mud. Here are some interesting links: I suspect that the white Decade (which will be a US model not a Skyline) may have a swamp ash body rather than the mahogany body of the Skylines. I think the mahogany possibly gives a darker sound. This is a dark sounding bass, especially on the neck pickup.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1082865' date='Jan 9 2011, 02:02 AM']erm..no they aint..But Fender had a habit of calling them the same.... do you work for Dulux? [/quote] No, but I did used to be a painter and decorator.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1082833' date='Jan 9 2011, 12:41 AM']4Strings.... keep in mind that Fender used to call the same colour different names..[/quote] That may be true but I think arctic white and olympic white are not the same colour.

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1081724' date='Jan 8 2011, 12:57 AM']Yes, I've now got a 'phone no., but, to be honest, I wasn't going to bother if it clearly isn't a made in US. This will be the second, another owner stated clearly in an ad that it was US made, then when it came to it it was Mexican. Some people get a little odd when challenged about where their guitar was made. (And, to be frank, I feel a little anal about it, but the price difference is marked) My little Google session seemed to show Arctic White being a Mexican colour and Olympic White being American (Olympic being a little more creamy than Arctic) Is that Olympic or Arctic in your little signature pic?[/quote] I believe Elvis's P bass was olympic white and that is definitely a US colour and is creamier. My AV62 is that colour and looks even creamier than in the avatar of Elvis. I suspect you are correct to think that arctic white is a Mexican colour. I'd say that if a seller gets a little odd when asked about where their guitar was made then it's best not to buy from them.

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1081689' date='Jan 8 2011, 12:12 AM']I'm interested in a Fender Jazz for a bargain price, Arctic White, owner says US made. However, a Google search came up with loads of Mexican Jazzes that colour but not MIA. Is there anyone who knows about colours etc can let me know if Arcti White is a US made colour? All else I know i a rosewood fingerboard. Its a bit of a journey to find an MZ serial no. (Nothing against Mexican basses, a blind test in a shop resulted in one being favoured, but this one wouldn't be a bargain if Mexican) thanks[/quote] Can't you ask for the serial number?

[quote name='arthurhenry' post='1081485' date='Jan 7 2011, 08:20 PM'](Bass) "is a supplementary instrument." "As a bass player, you can't play when the drummer hits the snare, you have to stop." ???[/quote] No more walking lines then.

[quote name='PaulE' post='1080362' date='Jan 6 2011, 08:09 PM']Someone please answer me something Ive always heard mixed answers of? The quality of squier? Ive got a few mexican fender jazz basses, Ive seen so many squiers I like however Im constantly put off by people telling me of cheap materials, and poor sound, any views?[/quote] If people are telling you not to buy a Squier because of the name on the headstock they need to think again. Several of the Squiers are extremely good value for money and play fine straight out of the box - in particular the Classic Vibe series. Although that's not to say that they can't be improved with pickup/tuner/electronics upgrades. Get down to your local store and try one.

Not for me too. They make me feel slightly nauseous. Or that could be the 7.5% IPA I've been drinking. Now, where's my Fender Precision.

[quote name='Truckstop' post='1080015' date='Jan 6 2011, 04:00 PM']I love checking out this thread occasionally for the music posted. Still raving over that Pat Methany stuff pasted on page 16. Loving it! Truckstop[/quote] This thread has cost me a small fortune.

The only thing '51 about it seems to be the pickguard and control plate.

If it had a single coil (and preferably a 51 headstock) I would be very tempted but as it stands - no thanks.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1077219' date='Jan 4 2011, 12:48 PM']... There is no waiting for someone to answer the phone by someone who may be busy dealing with someone who could actually get into the shop. Pet peev of mine from doing counter sales where the boss wants you to ignore the person who has actually bothered to come in for someone on the phone to me it's akin to queue jumping and extremely ignorant t the person standing there waiting or maybe already being served and I hate doing it.[/quote] If I'm talking to someone in a shop and they ignore me to take a phone call I often walk out.

Nice work.