NJE

I am not usually a cynical person but is this a way to get more basschat members 'on side' with the magazine. I used to subscribe to BGM and have so many issues at home in a box, but I found that Basschat, Talkbass, No Treble and Ibass Magazine have rendered it obselete and out of date before it goes to print. It is no criticism of the magazine directly, they just cant compete with the speed in which news travels on the internet which is a bit unfortunate. Surely feeding information from basschat into the magazine is just going to be duplicating information only they will publish it a month later when we have all moved on to new topics? If anyone discovers basschat through the articles, surely they will read the forum and from then on, will also have read everything a month before the article is published?

That was bloody brilliant, I love seeing behind the scenes of instrument makers. Phenomenal looking instruments, really impressive and that is about as hand made as you can get. Right how much are they......

I had one and it was an incredibly good cab, very solid and a lovely clean tone to it. If you are doing anything other than small gigs with PA support I would advise getting 2 of them as a compact rig as one alone at high volume will not give you earth shattering low end. I used mine for rehearsing with a 10 piece soul band with no PA support but that only had to fill a studio space. I will say again though, great cabs and well worth the money, and if you add in the EBS Reidmar head I doubt you will need anything else. I have heard the Hartke 112 cabs are good and of course there is TKS cabs and Aguilar do some lovely 112 cabs ( I run a pair of DB112 cabs and they are fantastic) but they are a good wedge more than the EBS cabs.

[quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1425565707' post='2708665'] It's sat here, next to my desk... still lovely. [/quote] Amazing, glad you are still enjoying it. It was an amazing bass but my hands have never got used to J necks, especially after playing massive 5 string necks. I even struggle with a 50s P bass neck which is just crazy....

That is AMAZING! I had a MIJ jazz that was exactly the same, bound no blocks and that had lollipop tuners. Its a classy look! Just curious about the spec and ordering if you don't mind? I though anything out of the ordinary (binding no blocks, matching headstock) form the 'standard' custom shop models needed to be ordered through a master builder. If you can get small changes and additions made without going master built, I think I can safely say a Fender CS is my next aim!!

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1424957484' post='2702306'] I think I'm on the slippery slope! I "accidentally" popped into Wunjo's today and tried one of these. Very impressed. I then tried the USA P5. (Also Warwick and Ibanez fret leases in the £6xx price range, but that's another story.) The USA felt better, but did it feel ~£900 better? Very tempted to swap something less loved from the herd and jump on the Squier! [/quote] You hit the nail on the head for me, I LOVE my P5 but I am under no illusions like some folk on the American bass forum that it will be as good/solid as a Sadowsky/Lull/MIA P5, but its only £240. For me it is an amazing piece of kit and beats a lot of stuff in the £600+ bracket playability wise. It was also my first step into the world of 5 string Precisions and now I think it is the way forward for me (although I think I need a bridge pickup too). I do really fancy a Lull PJ5 now, and that might be the goal eventually but for now I am going to proudly play the hell out of the Squier

I like the concept, the lights and plexi glass is a fun look and I think there is a market that would jump on it. My comments are: [list] [*]From my knowledge Plexi is pretty heavy, how does it compare to say birch ply that comapnies like EBS use. Weight is a key factor for a lot of people [*]Whilst I personally like the lights and think it looks brilliant, I think you will exlude a lot of players and narrow your market. I would never get away with using one in my bands, I play in Soul/Funk bands and it just wouldnt look 'right' for the band. [*]Would you consider offering something like a smokey grey semi transparent plexi which would satisfy some of us more conservative folk? [*]The angles speaker idea is nice, I think it would work well. Will they all be angled or will you offer a 12" flat front and then one angled so you could stack them and have one facing forward and one angled on top which would be closer to ear height? [/list] Good luck, as I said its nice concept.

I can understand some of the issues especially if there are children involved. If you are out a lot of nights and missing time at home because of a hobby then perhaps she has a point. In my case, my better half and I share a similar simple point of view when it comes to gigging and playing. If the jobs around the house get done and I either break even or make money playing which goes towards us as a couple normally, then there isn't a problem. The minute I don't make money playing is when I will probably pack it in anyway. I have no interest in going out to practice every week and doing crappy gigs for £20 down the local and sacrificing quality time with the missus. I bet if you put your gig money tone side and it paid towards a big chunk of a holiday for you and the kids, she might take a better view of you being out with the band.

I am still on the stock string until I get paid, they are ok and the B string is pretty good. Its not super defined and doesn't have bell like clarity, but then again I have never found P basses to have that kind of clarity anyway. Hopefully a set of Dunlop Super Brights will work their magic and make the B better but its perfectly ok for me. The feel of the neck is just superb, yes I could be picky and pick out some finishing flaws in the lacquer, but its only aesthetics, doesn't affect the playability.

The last I remember reading on Talkbass, Nino was using subcontractors to CNC his bodies and necks. This is not rare, Sadowsky use contractors to CNC necks and bodies, and as far as I know so do Lakland, and Mike Lull. I have read in the past that USA Custom Guitars make parts for a lot of people [url="http://www.usacustomguitars.com/"]http://www.usacustomguitars.com/[/url] There is a statement from Roger Sadowsky about the subcontractor 'issue' some people have. He chose not to invest in hand making bodies and a CNC machine was a big outlay, so he and I guess builders like Mike Lull concentrate on the high quality hand finishing, set-up and quality control. No bad thing in my opinion, as long as the woods are good who cares what monkey pushes the 'go' button on the CNC machine when you have someone like Valenti, Sadowsky or Lull doing the final detailing.

I wanted to be in a band when I was 15 because I thought I would get more attention from girls. I also thought that bass would be so easy after a very lame attempt at playing guitar. Turns out I was wrong on both counts.....

[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1424189564' post='2693638'] Just ordered a squire vm p5 in white hope i like it [/quote] Good call, mine is white and it looks fantastic! We had some pics taken at the gig on Saturday night and it looked great under lights. The car looked good too, but white and tort is my favourite combo. I like mine so much I have been looking at the Jazz equivalent.

I have had several J basses in the past and LOVE the sound when practicing, usually both pickups on full so you get that lovely scooped sound which sound big and smooth when you have headphones on. Playing in the band, that sound gets eaten up and lost, and I usually end up boosting the mids and then depending on the song I lean heavily towards neck or bridge pickups. I have had a P bass for a coupe of weeks now and when I practice the sound is pretty awkward and clanky and I don't really like it because there is a lot of mids. like other folks have said, those mids are amazing when your in a band and just sound superb. I don't know why my ears like the scooped sound so much but live it never works for me, bring on the P bass.

[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1423827439' post='2689420'] Are these p bass vm 5ers really good enough to gig with? Im so tempted.at the price its hard to believe.not many vid reviews either.thanx jay [/quote] Yes they really are, I cant express how much fun mine is to play and how good the playability is. Obviously it sounds great too and I am now a massive convert to P basses. I play in three bands and rehearse twice a week and gig on average 2-3 times a month and I havent put this down since it arrived. The bridge and tuners are solid, the pots are nice and firm when you turn them, the only things that need changing are the strings!! A very close friend of mine does a lot of studio work and owns a Lakland 55-02 Deluxe. Whilst the Lakland is a great bass and a 'swiss army knife' for his kind of work, he actually prefers playing my Squiers and was blown away with the new VMP 5. I have to say that for some very bizzare reason I enjoy playing it more than most of £1000 plus basses I have owned. For the cost, i would suggest just getting one online, you always have plenty of time to return it no quibbles with most stores.

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1423387924' post='2684102'] I have a Providence Dual Bass Station, which I run with two basses, and it is a terrific piece of kit. It's 24 volt operation, so there's tons of headroom, 3 band eq with sweepable mids, mute, and tuner out. I much prefer it to the Tonebone I used to have, which I felt always sucked some tone out of the bass. They are £300 in the UK, but I lucked into a new one from the US for £150 via eBay [/quote] Sorry to derail the thread, but I have been trying to find someone with one of these in the uk. Did you have to pay and duty or anything extra to get it from the US? also do you remember which store you bought it from? Oh also do you need anything special to convert current? Many thanks.

[quote name='GrammeFriday' timestamp='1423310496' post='2683343'] Glad to hear you're enjoying it! I've heard from quite a few sources that these are light basses, but also that they tend to have a bit of neck dive as a result. Is this something you've noticed with yours? [/quote] They are a mixed bag reading on talkbass, some have come in over 9lbs apparently but I would say mine is just over 8lbs. When i am sitting down there is some neck dive but I come to expect that with a lot of light fender instruments, even my old american standard Jazz 4 had some dive when on my knee. With the squier it is minimal and on the strap it isnt an issue, I use a nice wide Mono strap and it doesnt move unless I want it to.

I got the white one as I am a sucker for white and tort, I was almost swayed by the red one as well though. I bought mine from Gear4Music, they were superb and it was free shipping I think. I know Thomas are super cheap but I presume they add a chunk for uk delivery.

[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1423226357' post='2682433'] I don't really need one but so tempted to get one [/quote] I have had one just over 2 weeks now, and I have to say it is one of the most enjoyable and playable basses I have ever owned. I wont even say it is good for the money, it is just a great bass. I would say it is easily as good as my old classic vibe precision and it cost a lot less. In fact it is better than my old 2013 American standard Jazz. I just cant believe they can make good basses for so little money, I enjoy playing it more than any of the more expensive basses I have owned, plus it is very light.

I just bought the same bass and was considering fitting a Nordstrand P5 pickup. I read a lot on talkbass and people there are reporting much of the same when changing the pickup on this bass, its slightly better/different but certainly not the massive change people expected. I still might go for a Nordy and a new wiring harness when I have some more cash.

I searched and couldn't find any feedback for Miracle (Julien) and couldnt find anything, so time to start a feedback thread. Julien bought my Roscoe Beck V, he was a superb buyer, great communication and he speaks superb english. I would glady do business with him again and can reccomend him as another trustworthy member fo this forum. All the best, Nathan

Thanks everyone, I am really thrilled and it has been a really positive start to the year. Even selling my main bass didn't cause me too much heartache. I was going to quote replies, a lot of them made me chuckle, but there are too many Some mixed experiences with the playing, I guess a lot will depend on technique and style, I must admit I do have a general issue with anything being around my hands when playing, I don't even like long sleeves, but I am sure I will get used to it. I got an evil look when I suggested not having a wedding ring so perhaps something thin and light might be in order. Its good to know that you get used to it quite quickly, it feels rather alien to me at the moment having never worn rings before. I thought if there were a lot of people saying it caused damage to bass necks, I might have tiny excuse to get a pre-relic'd bass. I don't think I can use that excuse now though.

I got engaged a couple of weeks ago and today I have been sorting my fiance's engagement ring out. While we were in the shop the subject of wedding bands came up and it got me thinking whether an engagement ring will get in the way when playing. So, to all the married ladies and gentlemen out there, does you wedding band get in the way when you play and has it caused any damage to the neck of your bass?

For some reason (probably lack of money) I have GAS for some pretty cheap basses at the moment, number 1 is this: [attachment=181359:Squier_by_Fender_Vintage_Modified_Precision_Bass_V_MN_OW.jpg]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1421323321' post='2659795'] I have a friend who is a VERY busy London 'session' bassist with some big pop acts, he often can be seen out with his Squier.......yes it's a JV, and its a backup to his '63......but still, no-one tells him not to use it because of the name on the headstock Si [/quote] I think Andrew McKinney who plays with the James Taylor Quartet uses a JV a lot as well.

I should have put my comments in context with my situation which is basically a 'hobby' bass player. In the bands and venues I play in it won't matter. I know that professional players have a different set of expectations put upon them, my very best friend does session work and writing and there are certain instruments he 'must have' for certain jobs and a lot of the time they do need to have the right logo on them to be taken seriously.