wateroftyne

I don't quite understand a couple of these recent comments. I don't mind admitting my frame is on the large side, and for quite a few years now, when doing a gig with a 9lb bass, I start to struggle during the second set. If I use a 7lb bass, I have no problems at all. It's not complicated...

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1443280523' post='2873576'] Yep.... if you are fat and you have back problems, you might want to start closer to home to hep your back problems. 2st in the wrong place is REALLY not going to help....IMO [/quote] Of course, but if having a lighter bass helps, where's the harm?

...and Maruszczyk make fantastically [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]well balanced basses that still weigh less than a bag of crisps, for a reasonable price. As you suggest, people just need to ask around and do their research.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]A typically dodgy Rush live album mix, but... damn. I wish Geddy had played a P more often.[/font][/color] https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=4&v=2nlbd1mxt8c

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1443174808' post='2872779'] except they can't do regular finishes... only relics [/quote] The afore-mentioned Maruszczyk?

La Bellas are lovely - GHS flats are a bit cheaper (I get mine from Lakland over t'pond. It works out pretty cheap.)

Give 'em a good rub with a cotton t-shirt to banish the grippyness.

Here's a classic from John Prine: Woke up this morning, put on my slippers / Walked in the kitchen, and died...

[quote name='jimwin' timestamp='1443086024' post='2872012'] Great gig at Albert Hall last night - Guy was on form as always - played double bass on a couple of tracks. Betsy was sounding great as usual..... [/quote] Oh, man. Not the J. I hope he was playing a P on the songs where it mattered :-)

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1443085278' post='2871998'] Do Fender offer the 'American Design Experience' over here? That seems the way to go if you want a new [b]Fender [/b]P with a J neck. [url="http://www2.fender.com/american-design/instruments/"]http://www2.fender.c...gn/instruments/[/url] [/quote] I was quite interested in this when it was first announced - I thought it was a great move for them. But the reality turned out to be completely half-baked (IMO, of course).

My back grumbles if a bass is anything above medium weight. My main squeeze now is far under that weight, and as a result I don't even think about back pain any more. Who knows? Maybe if I'd considered weight earlier, rather than years jumping around with a 10lb precision over my shoulder, my back might be a bit more tolerant at this stage. Look after it, folks. It's the only one you've got.

MK's a genius - people will realise one day.

The bits I've heard sound dreadful. I'll reserve final judgement until I've heard the whole thing...

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1442774147' post='2869387'] I'm sure there are a few about, I have a 1970 like so as well..¨in the hands here of a certain fella. [url="https://flic.kr/p/jjP3nq"][/url] [/quote] That, my friends, is a tort PG. If only you could still get 'em like that.

This is why I went down the Maruszczyk route. Fender CS / US Lakland quality, and bespoke, for MIM money.

Oh, how could I forget this one? My favourite recent example: 'I keep a weather eye on the horizon, and my back to the wall / I like to know who's coming though the door, that's all.' Mark Knopfler - Cleaning My Gun.

'Well she was just seventeen / and you know what I mean.' Welcome to a new era, youth of post-war Britain!

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1442988508' post='2871083'] Well since my baby left me I've found a new place to [s]go[/s] dwell. [/quote] Fixed :-)

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1442962454' post='2871045'] Rush , for me. Time , stand still - I'm not looking back but I want to look around me now. [/quote] Disqualified - it's not the first line :-) My suggestion would be: 'I went home with a waitress, the way I always do - how was I to know she was with the Russians too?'

I'm still all over mine like a rash. Here's a some snippets of a few songs from a gig with my fun covers band at the weekend. SHOCK: I'm using rounds. And BIGGER SHOCK: Sometimes a pick. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGjGeQkVvOc[/media]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1442836940' post='2869825'] Anyway here's the youtube trailer for the tour, with ample cringe moments. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfYGQGkhiJs[/media] [/quote] I've probably written 'LOL' a handful of moments in my life. And now will be one of them. LOL Oh, Nad Sylvan. How could I forget him? That's another classic example of Hackett's absent taste filter in action. Useless.

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1442835285' post='2869797'] late to the party but heres my 2pence worth......... played just about every thing in the past but only when i got a fender did i see that this was what i was looking for all along sound wise. they really come into their own in a band situation as all ready mentioned here. are they overpriced? i can only go by the american deluxe range as i think these are up against the higher priced basses. even here they are a bargain. ie: 2 grand plus vrs approx £1500.00 i think: fender can afford to invest in hanging woods out to dry. they have exactly the right machinery so they consistently get it right. sure there will be some duff ones but these will be less so. every one is ever so slightly different and will need tweaking till its good for you. but thats how they work i think. you get one and get to know it. suss out for your self wjhat needd a tweak and adjust here and there. pick up heights, intonation,string height, neck tension ect. the thing that this range does so well above a lot of other brands is .....WORK. actually work. you want a straight neck? you got it. you want good intonation? you got it. all the parts look basic yet they all work. really well. playable? very very playable.a lot of higher priced instruments often fall short here. i cant of been that unlucky to have owned at least 7-8 high end basses that were all lacking somewhere in the "available adjustments" department. and then of course theres the sound. it is correct and is always correct to the ears of musicians and punters alike. ok you might want something else sound wise or feel wise but get one of these and it will be your bass for life. even if its not needed right now there will always be somewhere down the line you need one. IMO [/quote] What I'm getting at is that the likes of Maruszczyk do all of the above, and far more, for far less money. Fender are lucky they have such a strong brand to rely on, 'cos if all builders had to start again from anonymity, they'd be left in the dust.

He seems to be immune to external influences, which I like - he just does what his thing. However, it means he has no taste filter, so sometimes it's extremely good and sometimes it's laughable. I mean.. he signed this artwork off for a start. But he co-wrote 'Blood On the Rooftops', so his place in my own personal heaven is guaranteed.

Re: resale - I think any bass you buy used - provided you pay the going rate - will hold its value. That's not specific to Fender. Of course when it becomes vintage, the game changes entirely.

Yep - great stuff everywhere. Happy days!