Conan

[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1363252456' post='2010346'] Just from a sound point of view really Conan. I think flats make minor differences in pitch less obvious, helpful at my stage at times! also of course if "sliding" around . [/quote] Fair points! Some people talk about rounds being brighter in tone. I only really find that to be the case when playing open strings. Also, the damage to the fretboard varies very much from player to player, depending on how light your touch is. I think there is a point of overlap where the brightest flats sound more "rich" than the least bright rounds - which kind of negates any perceived advantages of using rounds IMO!

[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1363251250' post='2010331'] a fretless with flats on is a very different animal to a fretless with rounds on. [/quote] I'd be interested to hear why you think that? I've tried both and I don't find the difference to be all that great. On balance I think I prefer flats, but they need to be decent ones or they can certainly sound a bit dull and lifeless....

I'm surprised how sad I feel about this. Great drummer and early Maiden were a big part of my teenage years. Bloody shame. RIP Clive

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1363201228' post='2009771'] it seems virtuoso bass players are not welcomed in the way they were in the 80s/90s when Jaco 'had changed the world for ever' for bass players. Let's hope it's not disappearing into the background again. [/quote] Necessity is the mother of invention. And so is Frank Zappa, to a certain extent.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1363162477' post='2009299'] I've seen an ad or two saying you MUST have an ampeg stack and a MIA Fender P to audition for this band. [/quote] Really? Bloody hell.

Didn't Musicman20 buy one a while ago? I love the sound of them, and I appreciate the amount of design work that went into them - but I can't say that I'm a fan of the styling...

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1363117352' post='2008860'] I still keep a (rarely used) Fender J which I use when the occasional artist\band frown at anything other than Fender, just to keep the peace. (And secure me the gig! ) [/quote] That's just bizarre! It's bad enough that bass players have chips on their shoulders about Fenders, but why on earth would, for example, a keyboard player or vocalist have a strong opinion about the bass you turn up with? Where does that attitude come from I wonder? If somebody wants [i]me[/i] to play bass, or even audition for them to do so, then they have to accept [i]my[/i] taste in instruments - which may [i]include[/i] Fender, but certainly does not begin and end with them! I've had plenty of funny looks and "witty" comments about my Status, but to my knowledge have never had any responses along the lines of "sorry mate, you're a good player but we just don't think your bass would fit into this band...". Have other people experienced that? There are some strange people in this world...

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1363106855' post='2008624'] I can't agree with very limited variance of tone at all. [/quote] Me neither. That said, more tone variation comes from the player, the amp and any effects than it does from the bass. A P bass is clearly more limited due to only having the single pickup (well, you know what I mean!).... but a J bass is certainly not tonally restricted in any way (IMO). In fact, there are so many different sounds available from the typical J configuration that most players don't even bother to explore them, but stick with the "classic" bridge only or "both-on-full" settings.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363106048' post='2008602'] The way I read it is that by implication "Leo get it right" means that there was no need to even think about looking at improving the bass guitar after the release of the Jazz bass in 1959/60. [/quote] That's not how I read it, I must admit. I take it to mean that even if Leo had a crystal ball and could see how music would evolve over the next 60 years, he still couldn't have designed/made a range of instruments that were [i]more[/i] suitable for use than the ones he came up with. Just look how many guitarists use Strats, for example. They can't all just be Fender sycophants - there must be something about the Strat that makes it still appeal to the grandchildren of the guitarists that first had access to it...

[quote name='DorsetBlue' timestamp='1363105258' post='2008586'] Not convinced by the Squier Affinity [/quote] Some of them have very good parts! I had one with an excellent neck. In fact, the only modding it "needed" was a pickup upgrade, some new pots and a bit of a tweak to the wiring. Total cost of modding around £50 and the bass cost £65 used. I ended up with a very playable, good sounding P bass for the cost of three sets of DR strings!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363104353' post='2008563'] But don't go telling me that "Leo got it right" or other similar bollocks clichés when if you look at it objectively you'll see that actually all he did was get it slightly less wrong than his competitors of the time.[/quote] Nice use of tautology there. Right and wrong are relative terms, each defined by the other. If you are less wrong than everyone else, then you must be (by definition) more right. Right?

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1363095327' post='2008315'] .......... things have moved on. There are far better ways of building most things now than there was then & the bass guitar is just one among that very long list.[/quote] Hmmmm, maybe there are better ways of building them, but that doesn't mean that the end result is necessarily better. For example, my two main basses are a reasonable new (2009 I think) Fender J bass and a 1986 Status series II. Both are very well put together (despite being made from very different materials and using very different methods). Is one better than the other? Yes and no (IMO). The Status is undeniably a "better quality" instrument, and certainly took a lot more man-hours to design and assemble. It is a neck-thru rather than the BO Fender. It balances beautifully. It sustains for ever. It has no dead spots or inconsistencies on the neck. The pickups are silent. The preamp is powerful but usable (although 3 band would be better!). All in all, it is just a "better" bass than the Geddy Lee jazz. So why do I end up playing the J more, or even at all? Because, despite the dated design and production methods, Fender quite simply "got it right" with this bass (IMO). There may be different ways to get there, but the ultimate destination is the same - a bass that feels good, looks good and sounds good. New is not always better... Just look at architecture!

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1363094015' post='2008265'] tommyrot. [/quote] Oh? And why is that? I ask purely for info...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1363092873' post='2008235'] Mostly the post before mine, [/quote] Ah. Yes. I understand now. And agree.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363092709' post='2008229'] My initial suggestion was partially based on what the OP had listed in his signature. [/quote] Good point. The neck-thru thing appears to be the problem. Not that it is all that important really IMO... there are good basses with and good basses without. But if the OP wants something in the "J bass" style, then anything but a bolt-on neck is going to seriously increase the price and reduce the choice available...

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1363092459' post='2008223']Just let me clarify one more time though, I am talking about consensus in the bass making and bass playing world at large at the present time , as illustrated by market trends in basses and which type of instruments high profile players are using[/quote] I thought you made that point very clearly. Several times now... Some people don't listen.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363088277' post='2008113'] Unfortunately the OPs budget IMO is totally unrealistic. [/quote] Or maybe some of the suggestions are unrealistic? Not all of us have a spare £2500 to spend on "another" bass...

Bear in mind that Vegemite is MIA*, so surely it must be better than Marmite? But what about "vintage" Marmite? [size=1]*Made In Australia[/size]

[quote name='alembic1989' timestamp='1363079972' post='2007892'] That's great..and no the thru neck is not necessarily a deal breaker..thanks for that. [/quote] They look fantastic, but get very mixed reviews... [url="http://www.talkbass.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/761/title/jazz-bass-24/cat/761"]http://www.talkbass.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/761/title/jazz-bass-24/cat/761[/url]

Well, if the thru-neck wasn't a deal-breaker, these are very nice... [url="http://www.musicradar.com/gear/guitars/electric/bass-guitars/4-string-electric/deluxe-series-jazz-bass-24-19710"]http://www.musicradar.com/gear/guitars/electric/bass-guitars/4-string-electric/deluxe-series-jazz-bass-24-19710[/url]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1362860084' post='2005535'] God I miss my Homer jack bass. [/quote]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1362758059' post='2004396'] So this is aimed at people who don't even play ? It doesn't even look like any of Geddy's basses [/quote] I have no idea [i]who[/i] it is aimed at. And would any non-bass players know the difference between a MIM/CIJ Fender Geddy, this bass or a handmade custom shop version specced for and used by the man himself? I suspect not. I wonder how many they have sold?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1362755745' post='2004342'] Is there no limits to the depths some people will stoop to in order to pretend they are Geddy Lee ? [/quote] I agree to an extent.... but then again Rush have a lot of older (and presumably more wealthy) fans who might not fancy a T-shirt, but want to demonstrate how much of a fan they are by buying a bass guitar that looks a bit (in their eyes) like Geddy's. Or maybe they think that it brings them closer to one of their idols? It's all a bit odd really.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1362756037' post='2004348'] They are such beautiful basses that you need to ask yourself "....are they pieces of art"....or pieces of entertainment"[/quote] Only an entertainer would ask such a question. An artist would just [i]know[/i].