Conan

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1345381047' post='1776832'] Sort of sounded like Rush without the personality. [/quote] Exactly. Too many notes Maestro. Impressive, but ultimately unfulfilling. But what would I know?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1344416406' post='1764015'] This is why it is important to record your tracks and listen and make sure everything is ok before you go into the studio. [/quote] Agree 100%. The studio is not the place to be changing things. Nail it beforehand then concentrate on playing it accurately.

I use a kind of "pinching" motion using my finger and thumb.... works for me. Thumb plays downwards on the lower string (the E in this case) and finger upwards on the D. Give it a try!

Another vote for Grolsch!

[quote name='XylemBassGuitar' timestamp='1345046703' post='1772839']DRs (I've been told that their quality is a little inconsistent, but all the sets I've used have been very good). [/quote] I've heard that too - but all my experiences have been positive!

In response to the OP.... What are you missing? I'd say that's impossible to quantify! The genuine article? The Industry Standard? Perhaps both. However, the one thing that does my head in about Fender is the variability. Play ten Fenders and you will get ten different experiences. Find a good one and they really can be the best thing you will play. Get a poor or even mediocre one and you will be left wondering what all the fuss is about. And what is a good one for me might not be a good one for you!! Fender basses are, to me, like steak and chips. Cheap supermarket "frying" steak and oven chips - awful. Don't bother. Horrible and a waste of everyone's time. Four-week aged ribeye from a rare-breed (Welsh Black, Longhorn or Belted Galloway), grass-fed steer; seared on a red-hot cast iron grill pan? Hand-cut chips from Arran Victory potatoes, twice-cooked in fresh oil (or even better - goose fat or beef dripping)?? No comparison. It is the same simple meal with the same two basic ingredients. One will fill a hole but leave you unsatisfied. The other will give you an out-of-body experience that will stay with you for ever. OK - I like my food... But the analogy works for me

Are all of the Jap ones sold?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1345024463' post='1772374']I really don't need my '71 J any more, but I can't sell it. [/quote] You could always loan it to me Michael! I just loves Jazz basses at the moment

Brilliant player and a nice guy to boot! It's not just his pick playing that is awesome- he really can do it all.

Plenty of gigs up here if you want to play R 'n' B or blues covers. Done that. It's dull. Function bands getting plenty of work too - but it's much harder for anything that's original or slightly left of centre...

[quote name='ken_white' timestamp='1344897875' post='1770955']So how often do you restring your bass? or is that down to personal preference too? lol [/quote] Pretty much! Some (like me) want a zingy, clangy sound that you can only really get from new strings. If that is your preference and you gig/rehearse regularly, sweat lots and use cheaper strings, that could mean changing them every week!! Other people hate changing strings and only start to like the sound they make when they have been on a few months! Totally down to personal preference. Brand-wise, there are so many to try.... I like DRs at the moment. HiBeams for clang, Fatbeams for a bit more mid.... I haven't tried Sunbeams but they are reckoned to be more mellow and middy. Different strings sound different on different basses too... and don't even get me started on gauges!!

Shouldn't be too difficult to spot!!

Right. I'm off to listen to it now!!

[quote name='vsmith1' timestamp='1344887552' post='1770726'] I was wondering whether they'd have to cover Fender on the headstock of the Strats. [/quote] They did!!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1344893631' post='1770883']It just hasn't clicked with me. Squashed dynamics, fussy arrangements, weak melodies. [/quote] Me too, sadly. I [i]like[/i] it, in the way that I like all Rush material... But I LOVE a lot of their stuff. I still find it a tiring listen. It shouts rather than speaks. Some great moments and some good ideas, but mostly buried beneath bombastic arrangements. It's flat-out all the time. I love these guys. I really do. But I do wonder whether their creative pot is now nearly empty.... IMO of course!

Nice house Bilbo!

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1344761261' post='1768748'] The guy in the second vid is really annoying !! [/quote] Understatement of the century!

I like them all! But that slap sound on that Jazz is fantastic to my ears - pure Marcus Miller! In fact I like the J best in all pickup combinations. The 'Ray is nice too. Exactly what I expect when I think of "that" sound! The Alembic sounds a bit distorted to me. The Jazzman is nice on the bridge and both pickups, but not the neck IMO. The Star bass is a new one on me.Can't say I was massively impressed by the sounds, but it sure looks nice!

[quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1344675142' post='1767782'] Get your recording done it doesn,t matter who plays what-a lot of bands do this. Drummer can learn tracks after or get a replacement.the other thing is you can rejig who does what for the best sound. [/quote] Good plan. Sounds like you and "Steve" have got most of the vocals and instrumentation covered between you! Once you have recorded your material the way you want it, you can set clear goals and targets to your current drummer to get up to speed. If he can't or won't, then you can audition replacements much more easily by giving them copies of your recordings to learn and play - same with other bassists/guitarists/vocalists or whomsoever you decide you want to include at a later date. You seem to have a very mature outlook and attitude, so I am sure you will make the right decisions and do well. But good luck anyway!

That's not the typical pickup/switch arrangement for a Jag is it? It's certainly a nice looker...!

After years and years of using Elites on my Status (the range of DBE strings is very limited) and D'Addarios on everything else, I am now experimenting a bit more. Of the brands I have tried thus far, I would have to say that DR fatbeams and hibeams are my favourites. They have the clank and zing that I like (although they are not the zingiest) but also seem to have much more mid-range than the likes of Elites and D'Addarios. I tried a set of Newtone Diamonds too - good for the price, but again sounded a bit scooped to my ears on my bass. With all the positive comments about Roto Swings on here, I might well give them a try. Haven't used them since the eighties, when I also used their funkmaster sets!!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1344736283' post='1768673'] The difference between playing hard or soft is pretty important to playing music for me. [/quote] Yep. Horses f*** horses.... Good players do both!

[quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1344733179' post='1768649']Expect the Jap ones to be a great investment from here on [/quote] Good news for me then!