NJE

Yeah probably! The world didn’t need another Fender clone with a fugly headstock, and lets not even start on the ‘Shark’ bass. They were well spec’d and did look like good solid basses, but some weird promotion/ambassador scheme he had going seemed to kill the bass off on Talkbass which was not the best business move.

I think they aimed this and his previous signature model at the wrong price point. I think the Mexican made signature models as well as the RoadWorn and classic series are incredibly well made instruments and at their price point, although expensive, I think more people would be willing to overlook the 'signature' aspect of the bass for the cool features. I am not a Roger Waters fan but his signature P ticks a lot of boxes for me as an example. I liked the spec of his green Jazz (I love the lollipop tuners and colour) but it was just too expensive and the one I played was a complete dog for the money. Lifeless sterile characterless instrument for 2k, no thank you. I payed a £300 squire PJ at the same time and it was a much more enjoyable bass. I think this a great customer colour option with some unique-ish features but why not do a Mexican like the Flea? Someone will buy them though so Fender don't give a monkeys...

In my opinion you will sell a standard Stingray faster than the other two if that is a big issue for you. The Dargie is great colour but a bit ‘marmite’ and might not be to everyone’s taste so you are limiting your market straight away. The reflex was supposed to be a great bass but there aren’t many around and is not a well known instrument. It’s also very distinctive looking and again not going to appeal to ad wider audience as a standard Ray. The Stingray is a classic design and almost up there with Fender so always in demand and always fairly easy to sell in my experience.

Really refreshing to realise I am not in the minority for playing music I don’t necessarily like. It’s a bit of a weird situation for me, I play about 99% music I would not listen to on a day to day basis and that had been the case since I was about 17, with the odd exception. The things is, just because I wouldn’t listen to, it doesn’t mean I can’t get some enjoyment from it. If the band and musicians are good and people enjoy it I would probably enjoy playing any music, that’s where my pleasure comes from. I play loads of disco/pop/90s dance music and soul with another band, I would never put anything like that on at home, but maybe that is because I get enough of that type of thing from the band. At home is lots of folky/electro/pop stuff that no one would want to listen to if I played it a band. It’s part of the reason I usually don’t like live music (ironic really) because most live bands play music I really can’t enjoy.

I have a mate who used to use Monster cables, he liked them but I think he made more of a fuss about them because he realised he paid a stupid amount for a cable and needed to justify it to himself. I have OBBM cables, superb in every way, for my instrument cables I have had the last two from Design-a-cable because they offer more coloured cables. They have lasted me about 6 years so far and still look good and work perfectly, which is more than I can say for friends who use planet waves cables! For my next cables I think i am going to give Bedford Audio - www.bedfordaudio.co a go, nice looking kit and they do lots of colour options too (I gave up on black cables years ago, get a bright colour and noone can accidentally walk off with your nice guitar leads)

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1509960791' post='3402808'] The amount of chat I've seen about this on social media has been astonishing. I think Noel's a very clever chap. [/quote] Exactly!! Noel has a new album and single out and pulls a clever little stunt to get people talking, the guy isn't stupid. Its exactly like Liam, as soon as he has a new project/band/album/single you start seeing him mouthing off about all kinds of people and subjects. He and Noel say a lot of stupid and hilarious things to get people talking, its all simple self promotion and a laugh to them. Whether you like the music or not is another thing, but I bet the whole band had a good laugh getting a scissor player on Jools.

Keep on the lookout for a secondhand Mexican Classic 50's precision. They are GREAT basses, such a big beefy tone and neck which I love. I have seen them go for £450 in good condition and they are well worth the money. I have never found aftermarket necks that match those big 50's necks so if you want to keep that level of authenticity I don't think you would be able to build a bass from parts for less.

I played one a few weeks ago and loved it, I have been searching g every day for a secondhand one. However the one I really want (apart from the capri orange) is this Sweetwater exclusive.... https://media.sweetwater.com/api/i/ha-e991394d1f89d327__q-85__hmac-fd9a7df0a984f82a017bd8630bdd283a02e67087/images/guitars/MustBaSESFG/MX17931118/MX17931118-body-xlarge.jpg

No concrete evidence but I think it’s the pickups that throw off the overall look. I thinks it’s amazing and want to get one, but a lot of mustang fans seems to dislike the pickup config. I can’t imagine fender going to any effort to make slight alterations to the shape, I would guess within a couple of millimetres it’s identical.

I am adamant that over a certain price point there is little to no difference in the sound of similar instruments with similar pickup arrangements. Maybe in a recording situation where you are under the microscope, but live I believe no one would be able to tell the difference. I have played £200 Squiers that sound as good as £1600 counterparts, beter even,but the difference for me comes in terms of feel and play-ability and how the instrument makes me feel. Is that worth the huge amount of extra money? That's for you as an individual to decide, but most of us do like some of the 'finer' things in life in one way or another. My cheap car will get me to work just as well as a top end Audi, its not as nice and doesn't feel as nice to drive but they do the same thing and the difference doesn't bother me, its just a 'thing'. I have played Fender CS guitars and for me they have a special 'something' I cant describe. The relic necks are out of this world, so effortless and comfortable like an old worn in pair of slippers. Nicer than my 16 year old Stingray but not to a level where I am going to sell all my belongings to get one. I rarely judge an instrument on how it sounds, in a shop I pick it up and play without amplification because feel is more important to me, most of basses even the cheap ones sound perfectly good.

Music is probably more diverse and open to people than it has ever been, and with that there will be huge areas and genres where the bass guitar is not needed or wanted. Equally there will always be genres that do not want to use synths or software and want to create a 'vintage' vibe with their music and will rely on traditional instruments. What I see more and more with pop bands especially, is a nice blend of both worlds, synths, triggers, electronic drums but with bass and guitar and even sometimes no guitar. I think there will always be bass guitars and bass players, the instrument is too ingrained in modern culture to be simply dismissed and forgotten.

I thought I would post my rambling thoughts on these strings. I was fortunate to have my players circle points made up enough to get a set of NYXL strings back in July, and rather than post first impressions, I thought a long term assessment might be a little more useful. Straight out of the packet (which is pretty amazing in itself) they were very bright and were maybe a tiny higher in tension than my normal Elixirs. the tension was marginal though and they were really nice to play. They are nice smooth strings, quite close to Ernie Ball slinky strings, which was a nice surprise as I have found some of D'Addario's strings a little rough for my liking. The strings went on my Stingray at the end of July and have been through 8 -10 practices and I think 5 hot and sweaty gigs as well as home practice. I have very corrosive sweat and normally deaden strings after a couple of practices and maybe 2 gigs at most. This is the main reason I switched to coated strings. Although the NYXL strings don't claim to be long lasting strings, these have done remarkably well. I have lost a little of the top end off them but easily counteracted that with the EQ on my stingray. In fact I found them overly bright when they went on and I really had to dial the treble down. Great for slap etc but not my kind of every day tone. They have outlasted Ernie Ball's which I love and I would say that they had a little more 'fullness' to them than EB's, I didn't just get lots of top end and low end out of them, there was a lot of midrange presence which was great. All in all these are really great strings, and to be brutally honest that is coming from someone who never really got on well with D'Addario in the past. They are still on the bass and will be doing at least another 2 gigs before I even think about taking them off. They have completely blown me away, I have never known un-coated strings last so long and maintain such a good core tone throughout. They aren't the cheapest of strings, but in this case I would definately say you get what you pay for.

I love P necks and the overall aesthetic but I always seem to shift them because I miss that tighter sound of a bridge pickup. Don't mod your original 70's bass, as that wise fellow said, try one of the Squier PJ basses and see how you get on. I was blown away by how good they were, and I still need to save a few quid from gigs to get one. If you get on with the sound then think about getting a higher quality one if you think you need it.

My personal approach years ago was to think of it exactly as a 4 string with more range not a new instrument that had to be conquered. (We all have different ways of approaching things) I sold and put away all 4 strings and only played the 5. I didn't go out of my way to use the B string all the time, it wasn't necessary, but I quickly learned that I didn't have to go down to the first few frets on the E string and could play across the neck. It came in incredibly useful for me in a soul band where we used to move keys around. I could stay low where we shifted down keys and a prime example was playing Superstition in Eb without any bother. So put the 4 away, just practice your normal sets with the 5 and just put a little thought into where the low notes would be useful and where you could go down a string instead of down the neck. Good luck!

I would be looking at Olinto by Labella, definitely consider Moollon, everyone raves about them and a lot of guys with the real deal 60s precisions. One of the nicest basses I have played in a long time was a Fender 63 precision reissue, stunning bass. Also for 2k you could look at secondhand Fender CS basses. I am no Fender fan, but every CS bass I have played and guitar for that matter, has been amazing, best necks I have played.

Someone would be able to make one for you if it didn't fit. I never knew Nordstrand made a mustang pickup, not helping the mustang GAS

Wow you guys must have a good ear, I watched/listened to Scotts Bass Lessons video where he compared a front pickup Jazz to a Precision and honestly found it a tough call. Both sounded very close, although I will admit that listening on a computer with headphones is not the same as feeling and hearing both live through and amp. I know a proper P pickup can be very full and thumpy, but for recording sake IMO there is very little in it. On a slight tangent, my oldest friend is a professional musician (movie scores, jingles and general studio work) and sent me a bass part he had just done. It sounded like a P bass with flats, amazing sound. It was in fact his 8 string Ibanez guitar and one of the best 'bass' tones I have heard.

I have wanted one of these since playing one in PMT, it's got worse now that they are releasing the Capri orange. 😬

It's on the heavy side, don't know exactly but no worse than my squier J or Stingray, definitely not a boat anchor by any means. Very much worth the £125 I got mine for.

I love my HB Fretless, it has one of the best sunburst finishes I have seen and the grain is stunning. Looking at mine I would say that the lines are probably some kind of wood or a wood filler/resin. Definitely not plastic on mine. I was tempted to mod mine, but to be honest I don't play fretless a lot and the quality is great so its seems a waste of money at the moment.

There are some theories that Raspberry Beret by prince is actually about bum coitus. Still a brilliant pop song.

I love my M80, it has been in constant use and had a battering over the years from gigging and it still looks good and no tears or broken zips anywhere. I cant comment on the comfort of wearing it for long walks, I use one strap on one shoulder like a golf club bag and its fine for my short walks. It is massively better quality than a lot of gig bags and similar type cases I have seen (and bought and returned) but you would expect that for the cost. It will sting a bit when I have to replace it, but it will be worth it, they are VERY good.