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Gigged my Aguilar-equipped s-s Sandi Cali ll TM bass on Saturday. Relieved to report a big improvement on the OE pickups. Much enhanced presence in the mix thanks to extra heft compared to OE pups. So I'm well pleased with the mod but getting hold of the Aguilar AG 4M/J-HC set was a saga of marathon proportions. My starting point was the decision to get the Aguilars based on how good the J-J set is on my Vox Starstream. My online search proved fruitless as none of the UK or EU retailers were showing any stock. Next step was to call round to Taunton Audio Visual Services for a chat with Kevin, who would be doing the pup change-over. He found the set listed in his Barnes & Mullins catalogue at £285 and gave them a ring to place an order. All B&M could offer was that he had none in stock and delivery would be 'several months'. Plan B was to find a set in the USA, preferably before any UK government response to Trump's trade war doubled the price. Sweetwater were listing the set at USD259.99 but temporarily out of stock. With the weak Dollar that price converted to around £210 although I knew there'd be import taxes and charges to add on. Sweetwater assured me that Aguilar could ship to them 'within a week' so I placed my order after checking with my friend in California that she was happy to take delivery of my order and forward ship it to me. What could possibly go wrong? The first problem was the shipping quote she got from her local Post Office for a USPS delivery was a staggering USD150 for a fully insured 2 to 3-week delivery service. WTF?! So plan B was on pause. Thankfully I remembered someone on here (forgotten who) mentioned that lots of Talkbass members were recommending a service called Pirate Ship. Next stop the Pirate Ship website, where I discovered that they are effectively a shipping broker offering USPS deliveries at massively discounted rates. I won't extend my already lengthy post by going into too much detail. The bottom line is that I got the Aguilars in 3 weeks fully insured for a staggeringly low price of USD29.99. I did have to collect them from the Post Office sorting office in town and pay the £53 import charges though. The final all-in cost of the pups came to £280. Inly a fiver less than the UK RRP but I'm betting that, when/if they finally re-appear in the UK and Europe the price will have increased. Most important of all, I've got mine NOW 🙂 and this is how they sounded on a mobile phone recording at Saturday night's gig. Sandberg s-s Cali ll TM with AguilarAG 4M/J-HC set

I think that's unlikely as Pino isn't quite as driven as Jack Stratton/Joe Dart to shift the units and gain further exposure. I'm sure Musicman would welcome the sales - but I from what I've read, Stratton drove the idea more than EBMM. Not that I wouldn't love a £500 Pino style bass.

Funk fingers™? [Slips out quietly while everyone's tut tutting.}

Scarf - Papa Roach

I decided to order a pack of 3 acrylic Gravity Classic .60mm picks: And found that one of the round corners, which are a bit stiffer than the tip, is absolutely perfect for me. The tip got just about same amount of flexibility as the Dunlop Tortex .60mm pick, but being a different material it does feel somewhat different, and it produces less scratching and scraping noises too, as if it glides easier off the strings. Sounds less like plastic too. And they have a really nice grip, while still easy to swap around between corners and tips, in a controlled manner. Really effective grip, while not sticking to you fingers, and still being easy to manipulate and move around. I think they are worth the extra price. The .77mm of the same brand and model of pick is nice too, but I prefer the .60mm one, as I like my pick to be a bit flexible.

That's the one. Thanks

For anyone interested my SP1 -5 comes in at 8.83 Ibs. First impressions - it certainly doesn't feel like a P. The fanned frets and shallower neck carve make it feel more like a boutique bass. It's only when your eyes drift to the right and you see the pickups that you go 'ah yes, it's a P'. My Fender P5 is chunkier and has that 'I'm a P' vibe immediately. It's a very light one at 8.5 Ibs. Different vibes. One is a real P and the other is a 'nicer' bass approximating a P with a slinky, modern finger style in it's alternative settings. it's a good combination to have in a single bass. Acoustically it has more clarity. I notice that more on the E. The B is better too. The gigbag quality is reassuring. I'm just debating trying some flats on it.

I use the Dunlop purple ones.

Dunlop Tortex green triangle .88mm for me, gives a good balance between punch and warmth. I’ll swap to a yellow if I want more clack. It’s amazing how you get used to the different shapes, if I try a normal teardrop shape pick it feels odd now 😂

My local riff-raff ( rupūžės )would not appreciate the subtlety

I was 12. I saw a few sets on the TV, but wasn't particularly interested. There seems to be a lot of self congratulatory back slapping from those involved, very little about whether it achieved its aim or achieved anything.

Here’s to hoping they go the Joe Dart route and make it in a Ray24 version (fretless) under the Sterling brand.

Just learn Dona Lee.

Returning to bass and decided pick is for me ( again ) I was watching the Amazon doc about The Jam and I loved Bruce Foxtons tone and playing with a pick of course ! Most likely I will use Toretex Blue Triangle pics this time round on my PBass

Just wait until that first gig buzz kicks in. You'll not believe you're doing it. Good luck man, you'll crush it !

You Can Leave Your Hat On - Joe Cocker

You're lucky, Dave. I can't get away without doing one. They'd dock my wages if I didn't showboat at least a little. 😢

Unfortunately no exact match but some close...

Prodigy's Fire Starter in the style of a Military Waltz, perhaps..? 🤪 Joking, obvs! Anything you like that shows off the sound of the bass.