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There shouldn't be any issue with using a BEAD tuning on a 4 string unless you plan on using monster thick B string. I know Stuart Zender tunes his precision this way, I quite fancy a Mexican 50s (big fat strong maple neck) to do this with. As another option, the Squier PV is a great bass.

Had anyone tried strings and things? I have just pinged them an email to see, I want one so much for my ray.

In 2002 I was in a pawn shop in Cardiff and there were two early seventies precisions on the wall, fretted and fretless. They were marked as sold but were originally £450 and £500 I think. I asked the guy running the shop what situation was and he told me that someone was coming in and paying about £5 a week for them. I offered him £1000 cash for both if he called the guy up and said they weren't for sale and refunded him. He said he couldn't do it with a very gutted look on his face.

That looks great but I am not surprised by the comments. Last year I needed a fretless for a gig and knew it wouldn't get a lot of use so I bought the fretless jazz they make. It is incredibly good and the body wood has an amazing grain and one of the best sunburst spray jobs I have ever seen. I make every guitarist/bass playing friend of mine check it out and their jaws it the floor when I tell them it was £120 delivered from Germany. Enjoy the bass, I enjoy mine that much more because I know how little it costs and it just makes me smile.

love the green one and actually really like the whole aesthetic with the headstock and off white pick guard. I am really keen to see the prices, I really want/need a PJ bass.

My wife encourages what I do but has little interest in coming out to hear It. To be honest if I am out or at a wedding I usually walk out of the room when a band starts up so I can't blame her. She does come to the big gigs if she has friends to come with her or other band member partners are there. In honesty I like it that way, music is something I do to socialise with pals and earn some money, and as I work from home it is my 'out of the house time'. Each to their own but I never understood musician friends of mine who's wives/girlfriends sat at a table in a pub at every gig. It might be the trust issue that was mentioned earlier.

I play in three bands at the moment with approx 30 songs for each band. I can honestly say I wouldn't listen to more than 6 of the songs in total if I didn't play in those bands. Most of the material is in genres I don't particularly like but nearly all of it is well known. Playing it at home and at rehearsals is mostly a bore but sometimes fun to work out the trickier tunes. However those songs take on a whole new life when I play them at busy venues with people who don't leave the dancefloor for 2 hours and go particularly nuts for the big tunes like the dreaded sex on fire. If I played songs I liked, I wouldn't ever play a gig, no one would want to listen to the random nonsense I like.

I have Aguilar kit, I really like it and it has been good for me but the new prices are ridiculously high. One part of it could also be that (as far as I know) all of it is still made in the US, New York I think? That has to make productions costs high to start with. Look out for a secondhand head on here, they always pop up as do the cabs. When I looked at getting a TH500 secondhand they were very good value, but in the end I really didn't need anything that the TH350 didn't have, its plenty powerful for me but I always use it at 4ohm.

Yeah Ed as well as many others, does co-writing sessions with people, one of the big writers at the moment is Ryan Tedder? Who also fronts One Republic. Apparently Ed wrote 12 songs with him, one got used in the album. I used to have a bit of an issue with these pop stars 'not writing their own material' but in reality they do most of the time, and I don't see how it's any different to having two members in a band write songs together. For the record I'm not a fan of Ed, I think from what I have seen of him in interviews and read about him that he's a decent chap, but I have never listened to one of his albums.

Just found out Pino played bass on Eds new song Castle on the hill, I knew I liked something about that song. Ed also put Pino in his fantasy band for an article for the Independant a few years ago. He's got good taste, well done Ed.

PMT still have these 'cheaper' Stingrays in stock, I tried one recently and it was 100% USA Stingray. As others have mentioned, a few years ago they got the cost down on USA Stingrays by only offering Blue, Black and Red I believe, with a gig bag and 2 band EQ. I have never read anything about a different body wood being used but that is not to say that that information is not correct. When I looked online only PMT and Mansons still had theses in stock at that price. I was tempted but found mint condition used ones with hard cases and 3 band EQ for similar money. Oh and I am sure the chap i spoke to in PMT said they had maple necked versions not just rosewood if that's what you are after.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1488188467' post='3246523'] [url="http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/paul_510/media/WirebrushDettol_zpsca6bc862.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] There is an old Billy Connoly joke there.....

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Muddy and boomy, I thought that was the main reason for buying a P bass. Im kidding.....[/font][/color] [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]I used to have one of these and I have to say I found it very similar tone wise to every other P bass I have had. As mentioned new wiring will probably help, but I did a huge amount of reading on Talkbass about these and the upgrades people have done and the consensus seemed to be that a pickup change made little difference.[/color][/font] [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]One chap had some Nordstrands made in casings to fit the Squier and said they made very little difference, the Nordstrand wasn't worth the upgrade cost. I put Elixirs on mine over the stock ones and that helped me loads but then I realised for the third time that I just don't like the sound of P-Basses.[/color][/font]

I have had two, bought both for around £900 in immaculate condition, can't remember what I sold the first one for but the second I sold on here for I think £850 after a very long time waiting for any interest. I see them come up for sale with people asking well over 1k for them because they are 'rare', but to be honest I wouldn't pay over a thousand for one even in perfect condition with all the case a trimmings. They are good basses, I loved the neck and B string but both eventually sold because I just found the sound too mellow for my tastes and was forever switching things trying to get a decent sound.

[quote name='BaggyMan' timestamp='1487258373' post='3238445'] So here the deal. Why exactly would one buy a new bass that has been deliberately road worn? Why not gig the **** out of one and remember why the divots were there?? Seen a few around and quite honestly I would want them pristine. Cant say I think any bass player is cooler for having a bass that looks like it survived hurricane katrina (posible exception 'might' be Billy Sheehans 'wife' bass, but respect that because it has seen 1000's of shows). Thoughts and opinions?? [/quote] I don't own a Road Worn or Relic, but I can give you my reason for liking them. I don't like new instruments. I just don't get on with clean brand new basses, they feel sterile to me and I struggle to become attached to them which is probably why I have ended up selling every 'new' bass I have owned. I have only ever played Fender Relic and Road Worn instruments and every one was exceptionally comfortable to play. The necks have been stunning to play with a beautiful stripped but smooth feel and heavily rounded fingerboards which I love. With the exception of my old Stingray and a GB Spitfire, I have never played necks as nice, but thats all personal preference. I am terribly fussy, verging on OCD about certain things including instruments. I love secondhand basses, but don't like them to have many marks or damage. To me there is no excuse for a knackered bass, I have friends who have 30+ year old instruments that are gigged heavily that look like new, its just neglect and lack or care in my opinion. I am very paranoid about expensive basses which is why I have never held onto the ones I have owned very long. I get paranoid that I will drop it or damage it and that will effect its eventual resale value (I won't kid myself that I will hold onto basses for a lifetime or even more than a few years). So for me a roadworn/relic solves the issue and that is why my friends have them. Superb quality 'custom' built instruments with a super playable neck that feels like it has been played for decades without having to worry about where you put it or whether you knock it occasionally. As an example, my guitarist has a few relics and a few new guitars. He had a very nice PRS that was mint and he hated gigging it in small tight venues because he was so paranoid. He doesn't have a single worry about leaving a battered old Tele or Strat on stage that cost the same as the PRS. We are all different, and I personally think the Relic thing is a bit like Marmite, you love it or hate it, or you 'get it' or you don't.

Do the new NYXL's last longer than normal strings? I have been a long term Elixir user and huge advocate of their bass strings, but D'Addario as a company really interest me, they seem really innovative and these new NYXL strings sound really interesting. The only issue is I am slightly reluctant to spend £37 on a set if they go dead in a couple of weeks like 'normal' strings. I love Ernie Ball but gave up using them as I can kill a set in 3 weeks.

I don't think its a prototype, he has about four of them in different colours (two are relic shell pink like his current signature) and all made by the custom shop. I don't think it hurt MusicMans business at all, he is still well known for using that bass even among non bass players and they are doing considerably better and selling more basses that poor old Modulus. Being the cynic that I am, I think it was all part of his endorsement deal. Fender could easily and cheaply replicate his vintage pink Fender with whatever old parts and tools are in the factory, but his tech says the sound of the that Jazz isn't right live. So he basically has to be seen using a Fender live so they make him a few that are as close to a Stingray and his old signature modulus as possible, they even added an extra fret! Interestingly his tech on a YouTube vid cannot say enough good things about his modulus basses, but says little about these custom shop fenders. In my opinion these are the basses Fender should have released as nice as his signature is. However it seems Fender don't like putting other manufacturers parts on their basses (apart from the odd Duncan quarter pounder) and I cant see them using Aguilar pickups and preamps any time soon. Shame its a superb looking bass.

I am in the process of hunting down a second hand MusicMan stingray at the moment purely because I want something with loads of punch for a pop/dance band I play in. I would say it is a good choice and I don't think I have ever seen a MusicMan with the kind of issues I have seen on fenders. Saying that the Road Worn basses I have seen have all been superb in every way, but I can't comment directly on the Flea (although a careful read through the thread on them would be advisable). Classic Vibes are great, I am so gutted I had to let my Precision go, I just don't like P basses. It was amazingly well built and worth every penny, to be fair, so are the vintage modified basses I have played as well. I have had a quick go on the subs and thought they were not at the level of the better squiers IMO. My suggestion.... Get a Stingray ( I have seen them at £700 used) or a Sterling if you like Jazz type necks (again seen one recently at £750) and then hunt around for a nice Classic Vibe Jazz or vintage modified.

I think the next 5 string might well be a Sire, but I cant get over those stocked knobs sticking out so far. This P looks great but much like the jazzes, i would love to see a passive version despite being a fan of active basses.....its just those controls!!!

I have this morning just replaced the diaphragm in my Aguilar cab. I feared it was something worse but for £10 I just bought a new diaphragm to see if that was the issue. Good news it was! I would guess you haven't bust the tweeter but blown the diaphragm and I would also guess you cab has the same Fostex type horn my GS cab has. If so go to bluearan website and look up replacement diaphragms, there are a few videos on YouTube on how to replace them too.

hmmm, yes your probably right, I just clocked the weight. I just saw solid state and thought it would be the same as the old AG. So it's probably a more powerful different EQ'd version of Tonehammer, oh well.....Still looks really nice.

Looks good, as much as I love my Tonehammer head I do like the idea of a solid state head and a lo-mid and hi-mid knob would be better for my poor brain than teh seeping mid control on the Tonehammer. Lets see what the price is like, probably very expensive....

I bought a fretless Jaco style jazz from HB and I can honestly say that it is brilliant. Every guitarist friend of mine I show it to think it's some expensive boutique bass and laugh like mad when I tell them it was £120 delivered from Germany. The neck pocket is incredibly well machined and the sunburst is one of the best I have ever seen. Ok there are some minor cosmetic things on the back of the neck but certainly nothing worth complaining about or sending it back over. Stupidly good basses for the money but maybe I got lucky and got a belter.

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1484518464' post='3216101'] Im quite impressed with my fan fret HB admittedly its not perfect but hey it was cheap and not nasty. [/quote] Is that the singlecut bass? Looks really good!!

Brilliant, of hanks for that, I will see if I can borrow a multimeter, in the meantime I have bought a new diaphragm as it was cheap to see if that fixes it.