Conan

[quote name='Scott S' timestamp='1389215180' post='2331569'] I'm still uncertain as how to progress with the Spector sale. [/quote] It would cost you £7 for a one-off advert on here, or £20 if you want to place unlimited ads for a year. Surely it's worth a few quid to get it "out there" as it were - in the vision of thousands of bass players from the UK, Europe and even further afield? Even if it sits there for a few months you might well get some interest. But have a look at some of the other Spector for sale threads first to get an idea of what is already available and what prices people are asking...

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1389210511' post='2331481'] I would stick it under the bed for a rainy day no point in losing so much money on it......keep it until the market picks up unless you really need the cash [/quote] Good advice! Unless you really don't get on with a bass but really want something else - in which case it can be better to sell/trade at a lower value to get something that works for you and that you will use. Put the loss of cash down to experience if you can take the hit... I personally hate keeping basses that I don't play. I would rather I sold them to someone who will use them! But maybe that's just me

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1389215430' post='2331576'] Recession . Things are gonna move sloooowly for some time yet . Maybe best trading it for something you may see on here . [/quote] Yes. I had quite a few trade enquiries for mine (which was exactly the same spec as the OP's, but 34" scale). It would seem that there are more people who would like to try a Spector than are prepared to pay top dollar for one. Worth putting a thread up on here asking for trades rather than a sale?

I had one almost exactly the same as that! I bought it used for around £700, and after a few months decided (like you) that it just didn't "fit" me. The ergonomics just didn't work, even though the sound and the playability were outstanding. I tried for ages to sell it on here, and interestingly there were a few similar EuroLX 4s and 5s for sale at the same time. Here's the thread - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/215635-traded-spector-euro-4lx/page__hl__spector"]http://basschat.co.u...ge__hl__spector[/url] As well as the usual time-waters and tyre-kickers, I had quite a few low-ball offers - from people who assured me that the "current market value" was only around £550-600!! In the end I traded it for a very lovely Marcus Miller J bass. But the situation with Spectors is really interesting. There are quite a few for sale on here at the moment, but few are selling. No idea why, as they are great basses. I would probably value yours at around £750 - but whether you will get anything like that seems to be a bit of a lottery! There are similar basses on here at the moment for a lot more than that! I would say that £1100 was well over the odds, but it depends on how new it was and what the spec is I guess. Out of interest, which pre-amp does it have in? There seems to be more interest in the ones featuring Aguilar or EMG circuits rather than the in-house "Tone Pump" - which I actually really liked!

For "modern sounding" J pickups, I would recommend EMGs... they come up second-hand fairly often too, as they are a bit pricey when bought new... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFSPXbyA8go"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFSPXbyA8go[/url]

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1389177275' post='2330831'] The seller has stated what isn't original so he appears to be upfront about the bass. [/quote] Yeah. Normally you get a gut feeling whether a seller is a bit dodgy or not. This one [i]appears[/i] to be straight-up. He is also selling a Trace Elliot "prototype" bass. I'm sure I've seen that one advertised before....

[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.