How Could I Leave This Behind?

At right is a black Jay Turser copy of the early Fender Precision bass. Isn't it pretty? InstrumentPro.com has them, in white, black, blonde and sunburst. A sunburst '51 is what Sting plays. I try not to get all obsessive about the exact styling of my favorite players and their instruments. My B-Bender will not be sunburst, my fretless Jazz bass will not be sunburst with no pickguard, my first Strat will not be black with a white pickguard. But really, that white up-the-top-horn pickguard screams 50s futurism to me, in white even more so, with the sunburst looking 30s old-school, it even more than the Strat hits that cool retro nostalgia for futures past.

It's about $170 pre-shipping. If you think you need to buy me a Christmas present, that's an early hint.

"But, Sans", you ask. "Why are you thinking about basses recently? Aren't you a Tele guy?"

I am. I am a Tele guy. I will continue to post Telecaster pics until you guys want to call me Teleblogster. But there's one truth that seems universal.

There's too many freakin' guitarists. Bass is cool, and there's always someone who wants one.

I've been jamming, with a friend's bass. Keys' bass (a black Epiphone he got cheap) and Guitar's ex-bassist's rig. Also, on occasion Guitar's other ex-bassists's bass, a MIM Fender Jazz that needs some work to make it sing. I'm picking it up. I'm also (see above) on the hunt for my own bass gear. Plus I'm wanting to learn how to make it work.

The bassist on Wednesdays, he's not the most technical guy, and he plugs direct into the DI box. And, nobody hears him. I volunteered to set up his bass some, and so I have it at home. It's a Squier P-Bass, and once I raised the pickup and lowered the action, it got a bit louder. I'm thinking that it needs a bit of truss rod work, but my tool can't get in there when the strings are in tune. I need a longer hex wrench! I'm looking at the Fender Bass Setup FAQ. That's a good source, and it should be much better and much louder.

I have a question. I've seen a setup a few times where the bass has a P-Bass pickup in the "neck" position (actually smack-dab in the center of the body) and a J-Bass pickup in the bass. Keys' black Batman bass has that. Is there a term for that kind of setup? I'm tempted to call it a PJ setup.