simon1964

[quote name='recort2' timestamp='1326019342' post='1490979'] Hi - I recently bought an old headless B2A which unlike my B2ADB has two separate compartments at the back, one for a double battery compartment, and a second one to access the pots and jack as well as an XLR output. Tone is great but there wasn't any action when flicking the "active" switch. when I opened everything up and removed the pickups, I didn't find any signs of a preamp (on the other bass it sits in a larger combined compartment with the battery..) - I wonder if anyone has ever worked out where the circuit is hiding ? - does it maybe sit in the battery compartment? or am I missing something here? any help appreciated [/quote] From memory, yes, it sits in the battery compartment. Its pretty small, and is actually not much bigger than the 9 volt battery that drives it.

Guitar Guitar and PMT are both brilliant, but both a a long walk from New Street, and in opposite directions!Both have an excellent range of stock, and friendly staff. Fairdeal Music is only 5 minutes walk from New Street. The stock is decent, although the bass stuff is a bit limited.

[quote name='kyle3mh' timestamp='1325964750' post='1490566'] Would £600 be a decent price for it? Im looking for a work horse rather than a collectors item so I think this suits quite well. [/quote] I'd say that was a good price for it. As others have said, if it were original you're looking at over £1,000. But to be honest, with the mods, you're probably getting a better bass for less money!

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1325795268' post='1487973'] whether the Bad Ass is more than twice as good as the Gotoh. [/quote] No, its not, IMO. I've used both, and if you're looking mainly for increased stability then the Gotoh will do that just as well as the Badass

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1325777392' post='1487504'] A seismic moment in my bassplaying career was hearing this for the first time - I couldn't believe my ears. Just the best bass sound, ever. [/quote] Me too - in fact, I switched from guitar to bass largely because of JJ's playing!

I've tried several types of flats over the years. In a nutshell my thoughts are: Chromes are excellent, although a bit brighter than some. But they do mellow after a week or two. The Fender flats are surprisingly good given that they are cheaper than a lot of brands. I thought the Rotosounds were aweful. They had an inconsistent tone across the set, and just didn't feel right to me.

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1325765425' post='1487204'] I assume its a powerful picked bass on bright rounds a la Bruce Foxton, JJ Burnel or Phil Lynott. My personal syle of bass playing to be honest! [/quote] I'd go with this. Listen to Hanging Around by the Stranglers here: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3nXa4XtNm8[/media]. When the bass comes in at 13 seconds - that's what I would call an aggressive bass tone .

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1325660933' post='1485693'] im loving the flame maple fingerboard on the precision [/quote] That's too pretty for a Precision

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1325677598' post='1485895'] Why? Why would anyone want to do this? The reason for the Badass is the Fender standard bridge was poor, the reason for straplocks is the Fender standard strap button design was weak. The reason for Humbuckers is that single coil pickups err... hum. When Leo designed the MusicMan basses he sorted all of these things out so you wouldn't have to. [/quote] +1 to all of that!!

Interesting article. For me the most telling comment was that "People don't agree. They just like different things". Who would have guessed?! I've got four Precisions and they do sound and play very differently. But, to be honest, whether the '64 and '73 sound and play better than the two modern reissues is debatable.

[quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1325510528' post='1483718'] Have you tried PMT in Birmingham? They usually have several Sandbergs in stock. [/quote] In fact, PMT online have lots of Sandbergs listed here: [url="http://pmtbristol.co.uk/pmtonline/pmtbristol.php?cmd=%5BSTOCK%5D&submitbtn=1&mfn=SANDBERG&category=BASS+GUITAR"]http://pmtbristol.co...ory=BASS+GUITAR[/url] so definitely worth trying them.

Have you tried PMT in Birmingham? They usually have several Sandbergs in stock.

Great thread! Here's a few of my 1964 Precision. The neck is date stamped 5 Nov 1964, which just happens to be my date of birth, so fate told me I had to get it [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sim0n1964/6227766199/"][/url] [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sim0n1964/6228270994/"][/url] [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sim0n1964/6250874573/"][/url]

Gorgeous!

Old Fenders are, rightly or wrongly, considered more collectable and a potential investment - irrespective of whether they sound better than a Gibson or an Overwater! Arguably, if you've get a £2k to spare, you would be better spending it on a 70s Jazz than you would putting it into a pension scheme

Very nice - I've always loved the look of those!

[quote name='Paul_C' timestamp='1323093757' post='1459127'] another option might be to swap the original preamp for a John East one - My gigging bass has a Bongo pickup driven by a U-Retro and it does a great job. [/quote] +1 to this. I've got a John East pre-amp in my 'ray (the three band version of this: http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/East_Preamps_MMSR.html) and love the tone. It still sounds like a ray, but with much more versatility.

[quote name='73Jazz' timestamp='1324660838' post='1476842'] my new love..i think she belongs to here this dirty old biatch [/quote] Gorgeous! That's what an old Precision should look like

[quote name='SidVicious1978' timestamp='1324601437' post='1476258'] so it is a scam? he said i could pickup the bass [/quote] I would go and have a look at it then. If the serial number is MZ***, as he says it is, its not a 73 Jazz. End of! And an MZ number would be on the headstock. A 73 Jazz would have the serial number engraved on the neck plate. There are lots of other clues, but its difficult to say definitively without looking at it in the flesh.

The picture looks OK, but an "MZ..." serial number is wrong. MZ is, I think, a Mexican Fender number (my Mex tele is MN...). The serial number for a 73 Fender should be on the neckplate and should be just numbers (ie no letters in it)

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1324595459' post='1476205'] At that kind of price he only needs to sell one every few months to make a decent living. Question is, is he finding buyers? [/quote] New Kings Road Guitars are an established vintage dealer. Some of their stuff is much more mainstream than that Rickenbacker. They usually have 70s Fenders in the £1k to £2k bracket for example. Personally, I wouldn't dream of spending £12,500 on a bass, but their market is the investor/collector rather than the player, and that Ric is exceptionally rare. Edit - ficelles got in ahead of me!

I've got one on my tele, and find it perfectly comfortable. Mind you, I've had it for about 20 years and never really played anything else, so it may be me that's missing something!