Conan

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1389177674' post='2330839'] I think this can be explained by there being an inordinate number of Fenders out there. [/quote] True - but why are so many for sale?

Some of those old Tokai "jazz sound"s are great basses - easily as good as many Fenders of the time! Get some cheap pickups on[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/226205-fender-jazz-custom-shop-60s-pickups-set/"] here [/url]or from somewhere like [url="http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-JB-Pro-Jazz-Bass-Style-Alnico-Pickups_p_318.html"]GFS[/url] or [url="http://www.jhs.co.uk/wilkinson.html"]Wilkinson[/url] and you will have a great bass that might even be worth a few bob!

If it is a genuine 1978 J, it could go for a lot of money. It also looks pretty knackered for its age, so I certainly wouldn't want to risk it without having a look at it in the flesh. Is that a possibility for you? If it goes for anything less than around a grand, it may be a good buy - but obviously only if it is genuine! It has already been modified a bit, and I am not sure the knobs are period-correct? But if it plays well and sounds good, and you can get it for £300 or less - what the hell!

Lots of whisky.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1389169528' post='2330744']IMHO there seems to be a widespread religious-cult style patriotism love out there for Fenders. My guess is it's a following that has infectiously come over from the USA after it's been born out of their patriotism for a home grown manufacturer with some history to it.[/quote] Not sure about this. Yes, there are a few dyed-in-the-wool Fender fans, but I think that for most people a Fender is a known quantity. They know what to expect from the sound, look and playability (or at least they [i]think[/i] they do!). In tough times when money is short, maybe buyers are less likely to take a punt on a lesser-known instrument? That said, there do seem to be an inordinate number of Fenders in the basses for sale section...

It's definitely a bad time to sell, but a great time to buy! Unless you really need to sell your Schecter, hang on to it. The market will pick up eventually.... but as others have said, there will always be a safe market for Fenders. I don't know why, but there just is! Even so, some Fenders are going for silly prices now. MIMs for £200?!?! Crazy.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1389091961' post='2329694'] Surely one signature bass that should exist would have to be a Lakland Geezer Butler [/quote] Good call!

Pmed

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1389099772' post='2329838'] Awesome tone.[/quote] Isn't it? What was he playing in the early seventies? I've seen him with T-birds and Rics, but this track sounds like a P bass to my ears...

Listen to it over and over again. Play along with it until I get the part right. If I'm really stuck I might try youtube, as there are some decent versions of some songs out there... Obviously it takes longer if you don't know the track in the first place! Mine is not a scientific method... Then again, if guitarists are not bothering to learn the tracks properly, do you? Would a rough approximation suffice?

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1389048780' post='2329428'] One of my all-time favourite play-along albums (when I used to do such things). [/quote] I still do on occasion...

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1389024644' post='2328938'] Guitarists who insist on regular axe changes boil my piss and if he/she insisted on doing it I'd tell them to go start their own ego trip project and stop spoiling mine. [/quote] That's a bit unfair (unless it is meant in jest...). My point from earlier is that the running order of the set can be changed to accommodate instrument changes - so instead of regularly swapping back and forth between guitars (or basses), all the songs that feature those particular instruments can be put together (to an extent). But yes, with all the effects available to guitarists (and to bassists to a lesser degree), changing instruments is less important than it used to be...

What they said! This is why it is best to hang fire before stating that an item is sold. If it is just "pending" and the sale falls through, the thread will need opening up again...

But what a nice, interesting bass part this track has! Gets going at around 2:35: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myLNa0dFMPo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myLNa0dFMPo[/url]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1389024081' post='2328927'] It's a great thing, however, that Fender do make such a bass with a skinny neck for players that want that kind of a profile for whatever reason, and conversely there are other Jazz Basses in the Fender catalogue that have unusually fat necks , as well as plenty of profiles in between , so there should be something to suit every taste . [/quote] Exactly. If Fender marketted the Geddy J as simply an "early seventies model with extra shallow neck profile", maybe some people who hate the idea of signature basses would embrace it for the great bass it is? (IMO)

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1388757333' post='2325667'] i dnt really get the sig fenders, as they are all pretty much stock, but based around a certain year, and with some money added![/quote] Some, maybe - but certainly not the Geddy Lee or Marcus Miller. IMO.

[quote name='jazzmanb' timestamp='1389019613' post='2328833'] The Marcus miller and the Jaco are the stand out ones for me with distinctive features.The Geddy bass is nice but do the original 70s basses not have the bridge pick up positioned different? [/quote] I have a Marcus J and used to own a Geddy J. What makes the Geddy for me (and many others who own them) is the neck. You won't find that same neck spec on any other Fender J. It was apparently shaved down to his personal taste and the sig instruments replicate this. Although I am a big Geddy fan, that is not why I got one of his sig basses. I did a lot of research and playing basses, and the Geddy ticked all the boxes for me. Not sure the Badass II makes much of a difference mind... As Geddy Lee's original is a '72 bass, the bridge pickup is in the correct position on the sig model (about 1/4" nearer the bridge than the "standard" or 60s positioning). The defining feature of the Marcus sig is the scratchplate and what is under it. Sadly, this seems to be where Fender shot themselves in the foot as the stock pickups and preamp do not have a good reputation. Mine now has Wizard Hammers and a John East Marcus Retro preamp and it sounds great, adding to a bass that (although heavy - like many Fender Js of circa 1977) plays very nicely. Not sure what they were thinking of when they put reverse tuners on though (unless Marcus' own bass has them on, which I doubt!). They are not period-correct (and are bloody irritating when you are used to the standard ones!). Other than the electronics and tuners, it is pretty much a standard late seventies J with MOP blocks and white binding. Nice! I like both of these sig basses because they are excellent examples of Jazz basses. The names on the headstock are irrelevant to me, in fact I would happily remove them! People who label these basses and their owners as fanboys are missing the point and denying themselves to opportunity of playing some great basses.

I've taken the plate off my Marcus Miller Jazz. I think it looks much better without... but yes, the screw holes can be an issue. The audience won't be able to see the holes though. Let's face it, most audiences don't even notice the bass [i]player[/i], never mind their instrument! If you fill them, and then decide to put the plate back on.... Just seems silly.

I actually left my last band mainly for this reason! We always had used setlists (in fact it was me that used to do them), but the singer decided that he wanted the spontaneity of being able to call the songs to "suit the atmosphere and the audience" Bizarrely, he had less imagination than empathy and often used to call the same songs in a similar order anyway... Other songs he would simply forget about for several gigs in a row... Composing a setlist is a very complex job (as well as being a thankless task!). Not only do you have to think about the keys and the tempos that the songs are in, but also things like whether any of the musicians need to change tunings, settings or even instruments. It is very difficult swapping your fretted bass for a fretless one, re-EQing, re-tuning and then actually playing the effing song when the rest of the band have actually started! The singer genuinely seemed to think that "keeping the band on their toes" was a good thing. In fact, at times, we would deliberately not tell us which song was coming next until we were about to start it!! What the hell is that about?

How much do you want to spend? How long is a piece of string? I got great results with an overwound GFS pickup... very inexpensive too - [url="http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-PB-Pro-PLUS-OVERWOUND-Alnico-P-Bass-style-VERY-hot_p_334.html"]http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-PB-Pro-PLUS-OVERWOUND-Alnico-P-Bass-style-VERY-hot_p_334.html[/url]