waldemar

Hi all. Having umm'ed and ahh'ed about buying a Fender Jazz for some time, I came across this Fernandes early '80's PB bass yesterday and bought it today. Having read a couple of interesting and complementary things about 'The Revival' model (also known as 'The Lawsuit') and at a £100 I thought it was worth a punt. I've attached some hastily taken snaps of my own down below, but there's a bit more info [url="http://hank75.blogspot.com/2009/07/fernandes-revival-pbass.html"]here[/url] if anyone's interested. Apparently it's an RPB which came in '57 and '59 flavours, I don't know which one mine is, so if you can enlighten me I'd be most grateful! (Had a root around, and by the colour of the fretboard I'm guessing it's a '57...) Of course, it's far from perfect - the non-standard body colour's great, but the shifty finish lets it down the most - needs a good set-up, heavier gauge strings and new pups too, but the untouched and good condition neck feels great and I reckon with a bit of time and money put its way it could very easily become my 'main' bass. So here are my questions: I'd like to fit some genuine Fender hardware eventually - you know, machine heads, maybe a better (Badass) bridge etc. and since the Japanese were masters of imitation (subjectively, some might say improvement ) are these parts that will fit into place easily, or will the wood require re-drilling? Pup wise, I'm thinking of the [url="http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=207&Category_Code=pbass-pickups"]Lollar Split-coils.[/url] Of course, I've heard great things about the Lollar brand and fancy treating myself - any opinions? As far as the order in which I do things goes, I reckon first thing will be heavier strings and a proper set-up just to make sure it plays well enough to justify spending any more beans on it. Next come the new bits of hardware (or a couple of evenings with a toothbrush/cloth and polish) and finally some new pups - does this order seem alright to you guys? It may sound like a pretty dumb question, but this is the first time I'm doing something like this, so any tips greatly appreciated. Finally a new paint job. By now some of you are probably thinking that I should've just bought a J or a P fresh outta the shop, but for an outlay of £100 and putting on the bits I want I guess I'll have a piece of kit which is truly my own. That's the dream, anyways... Thanks for any/all advice.

[quote name='chris_b' post='626705' date='Oct 15 2009, 09:49 AM']+1. You can do so much better with (used?) seperates. Can you add an extension cab to your combo and save up for a better head later? I think you'll find that things have moved on a long way in the last 15 years!! An Aguilar 12" cab or small Neo cab would be a good starting point as an extension cab. In the future, after a seperate amp (Markbass?), you can get a pretty good rig by just adding a second cab.[/quote] Yeah, my combo will take an extra cab, but before we go too crazy - it's something smaller that I'm after! Adding cabs to the DP15010 is the last thing I want to do. Selling it and starting anew with gear half its size is what I'm really after. [quote]I think you'll find that things have moved on a long way in the last 15 years!![/quote] It certainly has - another reason to start afresh. The only thing going against that 180W Ashdown (provided I like the way it sounds when i test one) is the lack of an Aux/CD in - might not sound like too much of a big deal but if what I buy doubles up as a practice amp, then I'm well happy. Looks like it's going to be one of the compact 100's for now... w./

[quote name='phatbass787' post='626565' date='Oct 14 2009, 11:36 PM']If your planning on small gigs you mght be better off getting a bit more than 100 watts, id have a look at the Ashdown Electric Blue range, 180 watts, nice and warm and well inside the £300 mark, if you start playing bigger gigs its got a DI too [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/37171-ashdown-eb-15-180-evo-ii-180w-1-x-15-.html"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/3717...0w-1-x-15-.html[/url][/quote] Wow, just had a look at the 180W Ashdown and was pretty surprised by just how compact it is... Never expected that! Looks like an excellent alternative. Will trouble my local dealer for a go, I reckon. Cheers for the link phatbass. w./

[quote name='chris_b' post='626547' date='Oct 14 2009, 11:25 PM']What about a Gallien Krueger combo? Then again, what have we got in the For Sale section? You could keep your combo and warm up your tone with an out board pre amp, like a sansamp.[/quote] Hi Chris. Yeah, I like my Laney but I was also hoping to shrink the mass of what I'm having to lug about. If it doesn't sell I'll certainly have a look at the sansamp that you've suggested. Cheers. w./

Hi all. I'm currently looking into getting a new smallish combo for small gigs and/or practice. I had the opportunity of playing through a Fender Rumble 100 the other week and I must say I was very impressed by both the round sound and decent level of attack that it had. I've currently got a 20 year old Laney DP15010 (for sale at £120 in the relevant forum) and as much as I love the way it shakes the back of my trousers, the type of music I'm playing at the moment demands something that little bit warmer. Having played through the Fender and enjoying its sound immensely, it's the obvious choice at the moment. I've also had my eye on the Ashdown range (the Five Fifteen) and the Acoustic B 100, which seems unobtainable in the UK but gets great write-ups. So, my question is this: before I go for the Fender, is there anything else I should look at for around the £300 mark...? Thanks for your help and advice. w./

Hi all. A great find. Have really enjoyed leafing through some of the posts up here. Some great gear and good banter. Lovely. Have been playing for 19-odd (!) years. Yep. I'm still learning... Currently I own: 1. Fernandez 4 string (hmm, around 16 years old) - a great bass, fast and light. 2. Aria Pro 2 SLB2A 4 string. Currently in pieces, had it de-fretted years ago at the Bass Place (a fabulous store that used to be on Birmingham's Queensway - I think they merged with Exchanges down at Snow Hill eventually...) Now in need of a re-build/spray and new pups, but if i remember correctly this was a great bass to play. Can't wait to fix it. 3. Ibanez Soundgear GSR205 5 string - nice, but pretty much unused... That low D confuses the hell outa me! I'm hoping to sell this on, so will probably list it in the 'For Sale' section at some point. + 2 combos: 1. Laney Linebacker 30W practice. 2. Laney DP15010 150W 4x10" gigging combo. Nowadays I want something a bit rounder sounding, so this too will probably end up in the classifieds... After years (well over 10) of not being in a band/playing live I've recently started playing with a drummer I met through work and an amazing guitarist we bumped into in the Crescent. We're slowly getting it together and played our first gig at last Sundays 'Salford Salutes Dylan' - a superb event. There's a vid up [url="http://www.salfordonline.com/musicnews_page/15772-salford_salutes_dylan_live_from_the_kings_arms.html"]here[/url] of us playing our rendition of All Along the Watchtower - go easy on me, we only rehearsed it a couple of times and once 'the fear' set in I thought it prudent to stick to just the three notes...! Hehe. Anyway. Great to be here. Looking forward to seeking out some much needed advice on various bits and pieces. Cheers.