hooky_lowdown

Aesthetically looks like Salvador Dali created it. Bonkers.

He is, I used to do the local scene with Colin's son, who is a really decent drummer. Colin would rarely watch him play gigs or rehearsals.

Pickup height will only increase or decrease output, magnets and how the pickup is wound will determine clarity and tone.

Nice. I've owned several of these over the years. The funny thing about the Squier Special's are the weight of them varies, I've had one's which weigh over 10lbs, and another which was only 6.6lbs. The necks on all of them are brilliant, super easy to play, and the last one I had I set up with the lowest action of any bass I've ever owned, played like butter. On all the one's I've owned the pickups and electrics have been utter rubbish, dull and lifeless. Drop in some Wilkinson pickups (decent and cheap) and a better loom and you'll have a bass as good if not better than most pre-2014 MIM Fenders.

D'Addario, Fender flats and EB Colbalt's are all 'brighter' sounding flats. However, a simple way to increase top end is to change the pots and capacitor. I once had a generic set of flats, they sounded a little muddy, so I changed the cap from 0.047 to a guitar 0.022, and pots from 250k to 500k and suddenly there was a lot more articulation and top end, but still retained low end thump.

Easy fella, I was only enquiring. Like you I've worked in computing since the mid 90s, my background being in motion graphics including rendering 3d, live footage and video editing. For the OP's budget they're not going to get a laptop with a super fast processor, so they're best bet is to buy a used laptop with the fastest processor they can, and max out the ram.

As you dismissed the usage of ram, I'd be interested to know your background in computing?

Looks really nice. Drop in some Wilkinson alnico pups and it'll sound retro/vintage as well as look it. 😎

What you need to do is max out the RAM, it's this which will speed up processing power. Most laptops come with basic RAM, but look for a laptop with allows you the most RAM, something 12gb and over will be more than suitable. Upgrading RAM is pretty easy to do yourself as well, lots of tutorials online. £350 will only get an old MacBook, with minimal RAM, and some MacBooks don't even allow RAM upgrades. So this won't suit your requirements.

Looks like Shaftsbury to me. Made in Italy I believe.

0.1 is vintage (as used in the original single coil P basses), 0.047 is standard, which I believe were introduced in late 60s and especially the 70s. 0.022 is guitar standard, so very bright!

Are these basses new? I learnt a neat trick recently regarding unlevel frets. Sometimes the fret is not seated correctly, if you use the bottom of a screwdriver handle, the ones with a rubber handle, not hard plastic etc, and press down on the unlevel fret(s) it can seat the fret, and become level. 😁

When I started I used an ibanez, I found it too "metal" sounding, didn't like the sound at all. Skip several years and many, many basses I finally learnt that it's not the bass that was the issue, it was the strings. The strings on my ibanez were steel roundwounds (very bright, zingy), and it wasn't making the bass tone I liked. So my advice is find out what strings the bass players you like use, and try them or some similar. Try a set a nickel roundwound strings, they have a clean and natural tone. Also, it's really good to learn how to set up your bass properly, there are lots of tutorials on YouTube etc, it sounds like you have fret buzz because either your saddles on the bridge are too low, or the relief in your neck is not right, adjusting these and you should be able to correct the fret buzz. 😀

A Steve Harris bass without Steve Harris pickups?

They should fit. There are two types of "ears" on pup covers, narrow and wide. Generally (but not always) cheap pups have wide ears and better one's have narrow ears.

Yup, a seriously good head for absolute peanuts.

I'm sure starving people around the would appreciate £600, or some other charity!

No, valves will always colour the sound, when compared to a clean ss amp.

I guess the high end gear has a limited market, therefore will be floating about for some time, and if a few are listed over time they'd build to where we are today. Not all gear loses value, some increases with age and rarity.

Does anyone know where I can buy a new or used Peavey milestone 4 pickguard in white?

Too many bassists are overly precious about their sound. Unless you are a professional bass soloist, your sound doesn't matter, at the end of the day you make a "boom, boom" sound as someone once told me. 😋

Cheaper gear may sound/play ok or even good, but the cheap materials will lead to issues down-the-line. I've played many MIM and MIJ jazzes, never got on with any of them or more specifically the sound, have always enjoyed the P sound. I've just picked up a cheap Peavey milestone 3 recently, and I have to say I really like it. The balance, neck and sound from the stock pup's are all to my liking.

You don't like flats and you want to know why others do. Probably the same reason you prefer other strings to flats, because they like the sound. 😉 There are two types of flats (traditional and hybrid), and many threads about them on this forum.

Who knew Fender necks were made in China... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Jazz-Bass-Neck/303236904138?hash=item469a53f4ca%3Ag%3AfLAAAOSwUGxdPEzB&LH_ItemCondition=3000