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My very long-running band (40 years, on and off!) are about to release our second ep... The first one was just named after one of the tracks (Feed The Creature), but we feel that we could have something a bit more descriptive of all the tracks, or at least summat witty. Currently the holding title is "Glorious Times" (after one of the tracks - other tracks are "Penny Arcade", "Tall Buildings" and "(I bit my) Mother Tongue"). Any thoughts? We're sort of EDM Funk Rock - Spotty link below to first ep. Suggestions have been "It's All Bollocks, Never Mind" (!), "Best Enjoyed In Retrospect?", "Pot Holes Present Challenge" (?) and "The Deva Sessions" (songs were written especially for a gig (rare!) in Chester...

I always asummed that that Fodera type single cuts must be all about the ergonomics given that the aesthetics are so divisive.

Thanks for your reply Love your comments 👍 I did in fact touch base with Steve Wishnevsky a year or so ago when I enquired about him putting together a five string fretless for me. In the end I concluded that his basses were just a bit to quirky and bohemian for me, though I do still have one of the Chyla's on my wish list ☺️

my mate who knows a thing or too about electronics has recently replaced the battery in the transmitter of my Boss WL-20 (the receiver is ok), if anybody else wants it doing he says he'll do it for £25 including return postage. PM me

One of the luthiers I contacted said he would be okay with defretting it and to take it along so he could have a look and give me a quote. but in any case I will be leaving it as is, apart from the new strings. at least that is today’s answer 😁

The block inlays i think are fine. I saw someone playing fretless with similar inlays. They are no where near where you would fret a note in any case.

Thank you very much for your reply. You've raised some interesting points all of which I'll take on board (especially the advice on buying a strap. I like too your observation about 'feeling' the vibe through the uncut upper horn - that appeals to me too!). Oddly enough it is the BTB865SC (and the BTB845SC) I have in mind !😍

I will let you know, was going to do it today but both my wife and son are off sick. Honestly, I am the one on the chemo medication and told don’t be around sick people and I the only one who doesn’t catch these colds etc.

I got a Roland SP-404 MK2. It's a great bit of kit, you really get a lot more for your money with these things that sell to a wider audience than Guitar/Bass players. Economies of scale I guess. For live multi-fx type stuff it has instrument level input, and 'input fx' setting that includes guitar amp Sims (unfortunately no Bass specific amps) and stuff like the 'warm saturator' that I like for a bit of drive and EQ (even though the name 'warm saturator' seems to imply wetting yourself.... perhaps that says more about me though!), you then have the buttons by the screen for a single fx on/off 'filter and drive' etc (the effects can be re-assigned), and then 3x additional fx that can be put in series or parallel but are trickier to access so are good for always on stuff like compressor. It also has some interesting fx you don't usually find on multi fx, e.g. Vinyl and Cassette sim. It is not ideal as a traditional multi fx replacement (not stompable, no tuner/mute, input fx settings aren't changed via patch changes), but it could make do - especially for home use. What it wins on are some of the quite unique fx. .....and of course live multi fx isn't its main use, it is a bonus though. Mostly it is a decent sampler/trigger, sequencer/production tool, and can even be used as a DJ controller. Battery powered too, it should keep me entertained on my train commute. I could see myself using this placed up by my amp to have on for 'always on' bass fx and occasional fx on/off via the buttons, but that's only probably worthwhile if I also use it to trigger samples and loops -otherwise a cheap stompable multi fx would be more appropriate.

Without hijacking too much - is there a noticeable difference in quality between the US built and the Japanese EX models? The latter I’ve seen tend to be at least £200 cheaper.

Liking that a lot. Thanks for sharing @cetera Dave

I totally agree about the build quality from EBMM. Arguably the best on the market from that kind of production. I've had several EBMM basses, all bought new, and only one of them was slightly under-parr, and even that one was better than most upmarket USA Fenders. EBMM set themselves high standards. I meant more the consistency from string to string. The weak G on the some of the older Stingrays was a bugbear that took a long time to get sorted out. The Stingray Special doesn't have that problem.

Allparts do them but they're waiting for new stock. (Their Fender measurements are usually on point)

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There's been a few comments re 'regular' Stingrays not being as consistant as Specials; I have to say of all of the mainstream manufacturers (where you can buy an off the shelf bass) that I've played in the last 40+ years, I'd say that Musicman USA basses have been (arguably) the most consistant in terms of quality over pretty much every other brand and they've certainly not had peaks and troughs like some brands. Are they almost always consistantly heavy... yes. However, with consistancy I'm referring to hardware, electronics, fit and finish. You are always going to get the odd bass that came off the production line late on a Bank Holiday shift but by and large they are one of the few bass brands that I'd buy blind (even used).

I think it’s better