KevinJazzBass

Hi guys, a mate of mine brought round his camera the other day so I got him to take some snaps of my two basses. I have a 1983 JV Jazz in Olympic White. I bought this bass a few months ago and it really is the best bass I've played. It has a nice slim jazz neck and an awesome tone. It also quite light for a jazz. The bass is strung with heavy Labella flat wounds, the ones that Jamerson used to use. They sound fantastic for Reggae, Soul, Blues and Jazz The second is a Fender US 62 reissue body in Sunburst with a US standard Jazz bass neck with maple fretboard. The neck is from a US jazz I bought new in 2006 feels really nice. The body is from a 62 Reissue Precision bass I bought on here last year. The body is lightweight, sounds fantastic and is one of the best looking sunburst's I've seen. I didn't get a lot with the wider Precision neck and also the neck had truss rod issues. So I decided to try a neck I really liked and am super happy with the results. This bass is strung with Fender Roundwounds and has a great aggressive tone ala Bruce Foxton/Paul Siminon Hope you enjoy them. Kev [attachment=58867:49923681...3fa929_b.jpg] [attachment=58866:49923485...5ba0f2_b.jpg] [attachment=58864:49923129...75a102_b.jpg] [attachment=58865:49923467...d7c637_b.jpg] [attachment=58868:49929278...874fcb_b.jpg] [attachment=58869:49929533...242ef1_b.jpg] [attachment=58870:49929594...f79c6a_b.jpg] [attachment=58871:49930194...7d41a7_b.jpg] [attachment=58872:49929980...bc0226_b.jpg] [attachment=58873:49930055...b281aa_b.jpg] [attachment=58874:49929884...eea4bf_b.jpg] [attachment=58875:49924000...471d9f_b.jpg] [attachment=58876:49923949...95dcb4_b.jpg] [attachment=58878:49923351...7bb17f_b.jpg] [attachment=58879:49930194...7d41a7_b.jpg]

We never met but what a tragic loss, my condolences to all of his family and friends. He seemed like such a nice guy and a larger than life character. Kev

This thread is fantastic but has given me some serious vintage fender gas. Shame there are 101 things i need to buy before i can even think about a new bass . I will own one someday though. For now I guess my 1983 JV Jazz will keep me going.

Thanks beedster . Do you still have that maple board fretless neck? Kev

Hi guys, I have been gigging for 7 and a half years and today my main band Ali & The Beachcombers got confirmed for my biggest gig yet. As a big reggae/ska fan i'm chuffed with the opportunity to support Madness at the brand new open air theatre in Scarborough. Here is my band playing at The Tall Ships Festival in Hartlepool if any of you guys would like to check us out. If you go onto our channel there are 8 songs from the gig. 5 covers (Bob Marley, 10cc, Desmond Dekker, Gregory Isaacs..) and 3 originals. [url="http://www.youtube.com/user/AlintheBeachcombers"]Click here for youtube channel[/url] Kev

I really do respect Sting as a musician and a person. Being from the north east (born in Newcastle) adds to this also. I have loved The Police for many years, they're one of the bands names I remember from my dads record collection. As a big reggae fan I found my way back to The Police about 5 years ago and went out and bought the albums for myself. For me their finest moment has to be Reggatta de Blanc then Ghost in the Machine and Outlandos d'Amour in joint second place. I actually listen to their live album more than any of the studio albums though. My favourite Police bassline to play has to be Spirits in the Material World (although Sting did simplify the rhythm live when singing the verse). My old band done a cover of So Lonely too and that was fantastic to play, as is Walking on the Moon which I play with a band I dep for. I also have a strong memory from my childhood of driving home from a caravan holiday during a thunder and lightening storm and hearing Englishman in New York for the first time on the radio, the song has stuck with me ever since . I took my girlfriend to see The Police at Hyde Park a couple of years ago, it was a fantastic gig and apparently the bands last ever UK date. Best of all I actually shook hands with Sting when he started the Great North Run last year. I had to climb a fence to do so and it probably added a minute onto my race time but it was worth it hopefully some of his right hand's groove was transferred to mine .

Email sent

Has anyone seen Andy Lewis who has been playing with Paul Weller for the past couple of years. I had seen Weller in the past with Damon Minchella who was fantastic. Lately I've seen him twice with Andy Lewis and came away disappointed both times. I really dont enjoy his style and I just dont think he has any feel or groove. And to top it off his tone was shocking! So he gets my vote as an awful bassist.

Hi guys, sorry if this is this the second time you have seen this but i wasnt sure which section to post in. I really want to put a pick up cover on my JV Jazz bass over the neck pick up. However I am aware that drilling a couple of holes in the body for the screws could affect the value if I come to sell it on. When i got the bass it came with a black scratchplate and I replaced it with a tortoiseshell fender 62 reissue plate. This new plates has holes for the pick up cover which i think would look fantastic on the bass but does anyone know of a good way to fix it to the bass without using screws? If i was to drill a couple of holes then putting on the original black scratchplate would actually cover them up. Any help would be really appreciated guys. Thanks Kevin

Hi guys, I really want to put a pick up cover on my JV Jazz bass over the neck pick up. However I am aware that drilling a couple of holes in the body for the screws could affect the value if I come to sell it on. When i got the bass it came with a black scratchplate and I replaced it with a tortoiseshell fender 62 reissue plate. This new plates has holes for the pick up cover which i think would look fantastic on the bass but does anyone know of a good way to fix it to the bass without using screws? If i was to drill a couple of holes then putting on the original black scratchplate would actually cover them up. Any help would be really appreciated guys. Thanks Kevin

I play alot of Reggae in my band Ali & The Beachcombers, I used to have an ampeg stack (2x10 + 15 + SVT 3) which was awesome but a pain to move around. I now have a Markbass 2x10 combo and it is amazing. I was skeptical about the bottom end but when I tried it i was blown away, it competes with the ampeg no problem. Its a great amp and best of all I can lift it with one hand! Kev

I was there too! It was a great gig and I really enjoyed all of the bands. The weather was fantastic too! Nathan Watts was amazing, solid as anything... I dont even think he broke a sweat!

I had lessons with Geoff between September 2008 and January 2009. I first met Geoff at Scarborough Jazz Club in the summer of 2008, he was playing with he Julia Wray Quartet and I was playing in a Jazz/Funk band who opened the gig. Speaking to Geoff I quickly realised how much of a nice guy he is and as soon as I saw him play I was blown away. He played the first half of the gig on double bass and the second on a 5 string electric and was superb on both instruments. After the gig we chatted more and I asked about the possibility of getting some lessons and Geoff immediately pointed out things that we could work on from watching me play earlier in the night. At the time I was living in Scarborough and Geoff in Leeds (140 mile round trip, which once took me almost 5 hours in the snow!) so I would drive to him every other week for an hour and a half lesson (1 hour electric bass and 30 minutes double bass). I really enjoyed the lessons and they were a lot of fun, there was no shortage of Yorkshire Tea and Geoff certainly wasn't clock watching, Geoff would make sure I got the most out of our time together and lessons would often run over if abit of extra time was needed to ensure we covered what we needed to and I understood what I had to practice before the next lesson. When learning with Geoff I felt seriously motivated to practice and work on my playing. The lessons were tailored to what I felt I wanted to work on and Geoff would also have his expert input on this. I was especially interested playing jazz (walking and soloing as well as jazz harmony), sight reading, improving my left and right hand technique and general musicianship. I also wanted to take up double bass and try and get myself to basic standard. In the short period of time I got lesson from Geoff I seen massive improvements in my playing and I don't feel that it would have been possible without Geoff's expert guidance. Sadly I had to stop lessons with Geoff when he moved from Leeds to Manchester but if I was ever within a commutable distance from him in future I'd certainly be in touch for more lessons. I would wholeheartedly recommend Geoff to anyone wanting to take their bass playing to the next step. I have had some bass lessons since moving back to Teesside and although they were with really great players I didn't feel that their ability to teach was as high, certainly not when compared to what I was used to with Geoff. Good luck with your new lessons Geoff. Kev

Thanks for the great advice guys, I guess ill have to just go with my gut when i play it. Kev

Thanks for some great advice guys. Kev

Hi guys, I have posted this in the general discussion but then I realised it might be better here. I'm really interested in getting myself a JV Jazz bass because I love jazz basses and I've heard about how great these basses are to play. I think that alot of sellers set their prices way too way high based upon reputation, condition and how rare these instruments are becoming, up to £1200 if you want one from our German ebay friend or generally between £600 and £950 from private sellers on ebay and on here. However I have been looking around in the internet I and I cant seem to find much evidence of buyers ever paying much more than around £550 and most basses not selling because of the seller wanting too much. Am I missing something?? I guess the real question is, is the bass really worth it once you have played it. Im going to try a JV jazz tomorrow. It is a 1983 in real nice condition and I have managed to knock the seller down to £750, however I cant help feeling i still might be getting ripped off. Am I really be able to sell this bass on without losing alot of £££ or will it even go up in value? What do you guys think? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks Kev