I have had an 80s one from new - in all-original condish which I use for recording at home.
Problems are that the pickups are so microphonic (if that is the term) that you can hear the backing track coming through when soloed plus there is a lot of finger noise on the covers, the frets are horribly small and skinny and I am sceptical about the nut/bridge/intonation.
Should I attempt to pot the pickups (have some beeswax), replace the bridge and have it refretted? Or just look for a newer bass?
I recently used a new MIM Jazz (Fender Player? Maple f/b and metallic blue body) and felt and sounded great.
I am either going to minimise the spend or sell this to buy something else.
Thanks for any opinions.
Comments
Make sure you play the Fender you're going to buy first though - they vary enormously. A friend of mine bought a MIM Standard P-Bass some time ago and it was an absolute dog. Luckily he was able to return it, and then bought another one - identical model, even colour - which is one of the best P-Basses I've ever played.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
My solution to this would be to replace the pickups and controls with something professional.
The frets are what they are. It is impossible to comment on the nut/bridge/intonation issue without handling or, at the very least, seeing photographs of the instrument.
IMO, no, possibly and no (unless the frets are severely worn).
Things appear to be shaping up that way.
I concur. Less work for the OP. Quick cash to put towards something more appealing.
I will say, however, that the cost of a new MIM Fender might be enough to land a pre-owned USA model.
The Ibanez Soundgear SR series is usually very nice in the hands. The drawback is that the non-standard sized pickups in some models are difficult-to-impossible to upgrade, should the need arise.
It's the r/wood f/board w tort guard and slightly ill OW paint that you can see on t' web. Has reverse tuning heads w 4 screws and originally had the spaghetti logo with a T rather than the naughty Fender-like one. I was one of those who sanded off the logo years ago, but have since rectified it with nitro and a correct replacement transfer.
I bought it c. late 80s, though it may have been slightly NOS when I bought it. Can't remember.
I have just tried an Active Lead (remember them?) and it sounds better, plus I'm thinking another cheap option is some better strings. Mine are Picato rounds and quite possibly holding things back. Maybe flats would be an improvement? I'm a guitarist mainly, hence lack of bass knowledge.
Also, I have the wax so not averse to having a go, plus it doesn't cost money (unless the pickups get worse)... replacing the pots etc had been in my mind but will need to find out what is needed. Will that make a lot of difference?
I have read that the bridge is pretty much identical to a Fender type so perhaps best left alone.
The frets are not badly worn, just.... unpleasant to me ;-)
I have worked out what it was in the past but I cant remember now! Cheers
Tokai Jazz sound https://imgur.com/gallery/8fP540U
Nice looking bass!
With my limited knowledge, I'd say it is a 1984 JB40 in Olympic White.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The Fender I played felt and sounded great but when I went back to the Tokai it wasn't a million miles away, so after owning this thing for over 30 years I thought it must be worth a last go. If everything goes well I will prob refret one day.
I'll report in due course. Thanks for everyone's help!