leroydiamond

I know Paypal gets a bad rap from time to time, but when I am purchasing online I insist on using Paypal. The reason being is that when an Ebay purchase went belly up for me in the past, Paypal got stuck in straight away and the issue was resolved to my satisfaction. To the OP, really sorry for the mess you are in with that bass, but I reckon Paypal will sort it out. The thing is, that being based in Ireland, i would be really curious as to what shop sold this to you . There are not many quality guitar stores left over here, and those that I am familiar with are straight up to do business with and have to be in order to compete with Thoman etc IME.

Used to have a Jaydee Roadie 2 active and it was a very fine bass. Purchased it new in 1985 and it never let me down. The neck was solid and rarely needed adjustment. I preferred it to the Supernatural Mark King models. Beautifully finished, ebony neck, passive or active and reasonably versatile IMO. As the bass got older the bridge pickup developed a burpy tone, that was similar to a vintage jazz bass. Sold it last year as I was not using it as it was a tad heavy for my old shoulder. I miss it There is a long waiting list but the Roadie actve 2 just costs £1355, which IMO is fantastic value for a hand crafted instrument. In the flesh they are stunning to look at

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1446824379' post='2902701'] Surely Bob Daisley has to be fav as bassist. Don't think RB & Jimmy Bain saw eye to eye. [/quote] Probably a myth but the story goes that on the Morning Blacmore sacked Jimmy Bain, he went into Bain's hotel bedroom, set Bain's bed on fire whilst he was asleep and as Bain srambled out of bed Blackmore told him he was fired. Surely a myth..............then again? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQW_DFADO6I

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1446824125' post='2902697'] But that's more than 18kg! [/quote] And i am too old!. Now where is my Markbass amp

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1446811711' post='2902515'] He's never stopped playing electric guitar, I don't know where people get this idea from. I've seen him with Blackmore's Night & he's played electric guitar every time, and as well if not better than I've heard him play in the past. [/quote] Sure, but it is in a Rock context that Blackmore became a household name in terms of electric guitar, marshall stacks etc. For what ever reason, back in the 70's every kid on the street where I grew up had at least a couple of Deep Purple albums and even today when my mates and I get together over a beer or two, it has often been argued that Blackmore was the greatest rock guitarist ever (electric of course ). I saw Blackmore in '85 with 'Purple and he was terrific and although I have seen them a couple of times with Steve Morse, I am afraid IMO, no Blackmore no 'Purple. If, as you say he is playing better than ever, then that could be a game changer for me and I might just pull the trigger on a ticket, if only for old times sake.

I will pass, though back in the day Blackmore was a terrific guitarist IMO. Reckon there will be plenty of interest, if only to see Blackmore play electric guitar again after all this time

Was on a cruise several years ago and took this clip with my crappy mobile phone, so sound quality is not the best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTpNWaDAs-s These guys were using very basic gear and just a vocal P.A. No harmonising pedals or any sneaky stuff.

Agreed that a good quality stock bass will do a very fine job. About a year ago I was at a gig and the bass player was using a Squire bass and a Markbass combo and his tone was just fantastic. He was a very good player which made all the difference. I would have settled for his tone, but I doubt that I could get anywhere close to it using his gear, as I am not blessed with the same degree of talent. The problem I have found with Fender basses is consistency in terms of build, quality and weight. The last one I purchased was shipped from the U.S. and the fretwork was shocking. However there is no doubt that a good Fender jazz/precision will get the majority of bass players well over the line, me included. Weight has been the single most important issue for me due to a really dodgy shoulder and a few years back I bought a Sadowsky NYC in the U.S. for 2.5k Euro (The dollar was very weak at the time) weighing 7 lbs. I find the active onboard preamp is really useful in terms of playing covers enabling me to tweak my tone on the fly. The thing is a joy to play The Sadowsky NYC's are averaging 5k euro over on Thomann. Would I pay that money?....no way. I would be on the hunt for a quality Fender jazz (probably drop in sadowsky preamp) and now that I use the Gruvgear duo strap, a 9lbs bass would work very well. Having said that, I am very pleased with the Sadowsky. Top notch attention to detail and build quality with fantastic customer support. I reckon if I sold it tomorrow I would quite likely get pretty close to my money back, so no regrets.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1445704111' post='2893611'] No, but that story is as good as it ever gets on Yahoo 'News' -- compared to some of the sh*t they publish, this is Pulitzer-winning. [/quote] Well best leave them to it.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1445783859' post='2894126'] seems to be common thread... yeah lace pickups are probably nice... just they stuck them in some helix bass i couldnt wait to get rid off... [/quote] They used the Helix bass in an attempt to showcase these pickups, as you rarely see basses armed with lace pickups as stock. They seem to be more popular on 6 string guitars.

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1445773996' post='2893986'] And by describing a bass neck thus you mean... [/quote] Really wide neck, string spacing was all wrong and fretwork not the best. I discovered that Lace use the exact same neck on their 4 and 5 string basses ( mine was a 4).Fantastic

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1445673958' post='2893224'] I have no idea what this means... And I'm a bit afraid to ask! [/quote] Well lets just say its the Donkeys Mr Winky

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1445543085' post='2892345'] good shout to check the depth! how would you describe the sound?(based on the Helix obviously) [/quote] The output was on the hot side and the tone was punchy with a touch of grit. Nice

A couple of years back I got a Lace Helix bass at the right price with these pickups on board. A very good sounding bass indeed but it had a neck like the flute of a donkey so it had to go. I was rather taken by the sound, so I purchased 2 alumitone pickups for my '62 RI jazz bass directly from lace as drop in replacements. However the routing for the pickups was too shallow to take the pickups as they were slightly deeper than the standard jazz pickups. i was not prepared to adjust the routing to accommodate the pickups. I then got back to lace and after some protracted discussion, I got a refund.

Is this as good as it gets round here?

Looks just like my brothers Sire. The best bang for buck that I have seen in a bass guitar by a distance. Enjoy

[quote name='hairychris' timestamp='1445249472' post='2889856'] Tinnitus & lack of sensitivity in both ears due to the 90s, basically. For rehearsals/gigs/going out/etc I'm currently using Moldex 35db industrial disposables. Yeah, not hi fi, but they do the job! [/quote] Other than offering excellent protection ACS have a really flat response and this is what you pay for. Using them In a gig situation, i can hear everything as I need to, which to me is crucial. Its as if the volume has been turned down without any frequency suffering, allowing for a very musical attenuation. The Moldex 35db plugs may well offer protection, but in fairness they are for industrial applications. Without the flat response that I have grown used to with the ACS custom, I would struggle and certainly not enjoy gigging, They would not do the job for me

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1445241688' post='2889756'] I'm in the same boat. And that's the main point. . . . you don't get insurance [i]after[/i] your house has burnt down, so the sensible thing is to start using them when you don't have a problem. [/quote] +1 though my audiologist maintains that in the case of the vast majority musicians presenting for custom plugs, the damage is already done and it is not unusual that those presenting would have used generic plugs, in the belief that they were protecting their hearing. It appears that many musicians are happy to extend themselves in the pursuit of gear, but when it comes to their health, a comparatively small investment in custom plugs is a step too far. In fairness, prior to my onset of tinnitus, I belonged in that category. You never miss the water till the well runs dry

Used a Beautiful Jaydee bass for many years weighing in at 10 + lbs. Developed shoulder problems and pulled the trigger on a 7.5 lbs Sadowsky but the shoulder issues continued. I now use a gruvgear duo strap, which distributes the weight across both shoulders. Problem solved.

Used generic plugs for years and was happy in the belief that I was protecting my hearing. However the onset of tinnitus and a visit to an audiologist proved that I had been fooling myself. Ear canal dimensiond vary from person to person and ear to ear, so if one is seious about hearing protection, the custom plug route is the way to go IME. If not, then the cheap and cheerful 'christmas trees' etc are an alternative, but not a safe one IME I use custom ACS plugs now and they have kept me in the game. Very comfortable and effective and are the best 'gear' investment I have made. I only wish I had invested in them before my hearing difficulties materialised and feel a bit cheeted by the cheaper alrernative, but have only myself to blame.

Played through one if those ampeg cabs for rhe first time on a gig recently and was blown away. Terrific

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1444491838' post='2883666'] It uses the new ICE700 ASC module I believe so it has auto voltage sensing [/quote] Nice. The Cousin coming back from the U.S at xmas might be able to do me a favour