RhysP

[quote name='RussFM' post='523503' date='Jun 25 2009, 12:03 PM']I like Dan Andriano's bluey green one a lot more than the sunburst. [/quote] Seafoam Green! Now THAT'S a great colour for a bass!

[quote name='WinterMute' post='522981' date='Jun 24 2009, 09:27 PM']Sunburst isn't a finish a Geddy Lee Jazz should be available in...[/quote] Sunburst is a finish that NO guitar or bass should be available in, especially fenders with their atrocious colour blending. Someone once said to me "Fender sunbursts come in two types - Target or Sunstroke"

I clicked on this thread thinking "Please let it be ANYTHING but bloody sunburst". Oh well.....

I'd admit that a lot of the Level 42 lyrics are pretty woeful, but no more than 90% of lyrics in general IMO. Some of the very worst songs & lyrics I've ever heard are on the Stanley Clarke albums. He's a great player but most of his songs are bloody awful - I can't listen to them anymore because they just make me cringe.

[quote name='Captain Bassman' post='522140' date='Jun 23 2009, 10:33 PM'].....ember skies, seems so long ago... Next line anyone??[/quote] "You were standing on the quay, and you blew a kiss to me, I was sad to go....." :blush:

"Theme to Margaret" & "88" from "Early Tapes" are great, as is "Foundation & Empire" (12" B side I think). "World Machine" is a great album(their best IMO), as is the "Early Tapes". Some great stuff on "Level 42" & the "Pursuit of accidents" but there's some real dross on them too (let's not mention "Starchild", eh?). The 12" of "Hot water" is great for giving your Hi-fi a high volume work out. "Can't walk you home" is pretty good (B side of "The sun goes down" I think) (It's a LONG time since I sold the Jaydee & listened to any of this stuff).

[quote name='solo4652' post='521474' date='Jun 23 2009, 09:53 AM']Anyway, I was surprised just how much difference a small change in the height of the nut made to subsequent neck relief/saddle height etc.[/quote] A well adjusted nut makes an incredible difference to a bass or guitar setup, but it's one of the most difficult things to get right - you only get one chance & if you cut it too low it's back to square one. IMO it's worth paying someone who knows what they're doing (and has the proper nut files etc.) to install & cut a new nut.

[quote name='Musky' post='14441' date='Jun 9 2007, 12:25 AM']They do precision pickups at quite a good price, and I've read the odd comment on various boards about how great they sound but I'm slightly worried that if they really are so good why more people aren't shouting about them.[/quote] People don't shout about them because they haven't got the supposed kudos of a big US manufacturers name. I've no direct experience of their bass pickups but I've used various Armstrong guitar pickups and they've all been excellent, just as good as your Duncans, Dimarzios, Fralins etc.

Allparts have got Fender 13 hole tortoiseshell pickguards if that's any use: [url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/pickguards-backplates/pickguards-basses-fender-c-277_296_319_327_372.html"]http://www.allparts.uk.com/pickguards-back...19_327_372.html[/url]

The Geddy Lee Jazz is made in Japan (but it sounds Canadian ). I don't think the tone varies that much from a standard similarly priced Jazz bass but the reason why so many people are using them is that the quality is consistently high, the neck is absolutely superb & the Badass bridge as standard is a major improvement over the sh*tty standard Fender bridge. It's everything a good jazz bass should be without the inconvenience of having to try dozens of clunkers before you find an OK one, which is what you usually have to do with Fenders. I've said it a few times before but if you want a Fender Jazz bass the Geddy Lee model is the best one they make at any price point IMO.

[quote name='Zoe_BillySheehan' post='520601' date='Jun 22 2009, 11:20 AM']Girls can multitask Z x[/quote] Touché!

I used to use extra light Superwound 30 - 90s on my Jaydee back in my pathetic funky white boy days. The main reason I started using heavier strings was I found the extra lights a bit too bendy & floppy as I'd moved back toward playing heavier music with a pick & preferred the extra tension that 45 - 105s gave me. Soundwise I didn't really notice that much difference. So long as you adjust the neck to compensate for the light strings you'll have no problems. Geddy Lee & Mark King both used to use 30 - 90s. Jeff Berlin is an advocate of using very light strings too.

[quote name='Rayman' post='512986' date='Jun 13 2009, 08:49 PM'][/quote] Oooooh, Melissa! :wub:

But if the girl is playing the bass who's doing the washing up?

Pretentious name + arty farty promo film + no discernable talent = they'll go far.

[quote name='Bay Splayer' post='519540' date='Jun 20 2009, 08:02 PM']jesus christ feel like you lot are giving me a right bollocking s`pose i`ll give it a go though [/quote] You didn't mention what sort of music you play, which makes a difference. If you feel your current technique is limiting your ability to play what you want then changing it makes sense. If you can play the sort of stuff you want with no problem then why change?

[quote name='Monz' post='518154' date='Jun 19 2009, 10:27 AM']....Get on the phone to stringbusters and explain my problem. Without missing a beat they offer to replace them but the guy also tells me this is not uncommon for La Bella strings........[/quote] Did the guy from Stringbusters mean ALL LaBella strings or just the flatwounds? Just curious as I've used LaBella Slappers for a few years now & I've never had any problems at all.

As far as instruments are concerned my biggest regret is selling my Chapman Stick a few years ago. Somebody offered me twice what I paid for it, and in a moment of blind greed I accepted. I've owned a few basses that I wish I still had, not because they were great basses ( they weren't) but purely because of how much they change hands for now.

[quote name='iamapirate' post='512922' date='Jun 13 2009, 06:31 PM'] What bass is he using? Theres no mark on the headstock, and I know very little about different basses.[/quote] I can't be certain, but Pat Badger used to work for Mouradian Guitars, and actually built the basses he used to use before Extreme originally split up. The headstock on that bass in your picture certainly looks like a Mouradian to me, but the body of the bass is very different to his old ones. This picture is a Mouradian like Pats old ones (Chris Squire from Yes plays a green one that was also built by Pat) :

I'd be very surprised if I ever play in another band - I've always found it to be a 95% pain in the arse. I can't see why not gigging should mean giving up playing - if you enjoy playing just do it for fun, and if you find bass to be a boring instrument under those circumstances (which it is) then maybe do what I did & have a go at playing another instrument or two. I've had more fun over the last few years playing guitar & keyboards on my own than I ever did just playing bass with a band. I mess about trying to write & record stuff too - it's all crap but I really enjoy doing it, and that's the bottom line for me.

For anybody undecided, they're one of the best live bands I've ever seen - total showmen one & all. There's nothing more enjoyable than watching a band that are obviously having a great time on stage whilst simultaneously playing stuff that will have your jaw on the floor all night. Really looking forward to this - mucho thanks to Cetera for the heads up on the tickets.

Yehaah! I'll be there!

I once stuck a narrow, fine pointed woodworking gouge straight through my left thumb (side to side, through the fleshy bit). I was only about 10 & as well as the pain I got a serious bollocking from my dad for messing about with his woodworking tools. I worked as a craft bookbinder for 23 years and used to cut up the leather skins with surgical scalpels. I took the fleshy part of the right side of my left index finger off without knowing I'd done it - all I felt was a slight change in resistance to the blade. Somebody had started talking to me whilst I was cutting & instead of putting down the scalpel & finishing the conversation I tried to do both at once..... It was such a beautifully clean cut the bit of flesh went back on no problem (luckily I only worked about 10 minutes away from the hospital) and now you can't even really see it was cut off. The doctor complimented me on my skill with a scalpel!!

Personally I'd never pay the new prices for a USA Fender - they're just not worth it IMO & are just playing on the fact that lots of people just have to have that name on the headstock, regardless of how good their products actually are. Japanese Fenders are far & away the best & most consistent ones I've played & can be picked up for excellent prices. Check out this link to Guitar Emporiums Japanese fender bass list: [url="http://www.guitaremporium.co.uk/index.php?f=data_fender_japan_new_guitars&a=2"]http://www.guitaremporium.co.uk/index.php?...guitars&a=2[/url]

Looks vaguely like a Veilette Citron to me.