All Activity

Agreed, I did like the Lego look, but the black is cooler.

Personally I can’t stand clear scratch plates.

Nice! Is there any chance of a sound clip showing a very slow chromatic scale up the G-string, starting at 5th fret C, going up to about 12th fret, and the back down again? Preferably with a rather full and bassy tone dialed in. I'm quite intrigued by Kiwi's Aurok necks.

If you mean for a used Stingray then the best answer is "very variable", but if your patient and look round a while you can get a bargain. The resale on Stingrays can be pretty low compared to the price of a new one because they've been making them a long time, they're very popular, and there were always plenty available in the shops. Consequently, there's loads of them in circulation of various vintages. If you find someone selling one they bought used, you might even pick one up for under a grand. Probably not on Basschat at that price, though.

I’ve just bought the Nordy J sized 51P noiseless set from the classifieds. Bit different I thought and I’m curious!

Yup! I have tried this, which led me to wanting to mod the Freeze this way. Even a toggle switch to kill the dry when required would work too.

I'm a bloke in my 50's or 60's (can't remember which!) but I really don't fit the rest of the stereotype. You're quite right though, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yes, I'm sure Status have grown in reputation and desirability since their voluntary demise. Losing the brand has emphasised it's value. Put it another way, what else can you go out and buy for the equivalent of what a Status bass used to cost? If I remember rightly my Streamline cost about £1600 in late 2016. It was just after Brexit and the pound had crashed against the dollar so UK-made basses looked a good option at the time. That would be equivalent to £2225 today. That's a lot less than a Spector Euro or a USA MM Stingray retails for at the moment. Considering the esoteric designs using woven graphite and the overall quality, Status basses were very reasonably priced in comparison to a lot of other brands. If they relaunched and doubled the prices they still wouldn't be priced out of the market in comparison to their peers. Folks might grumble for a while but they'd get used to it. Luxury goods of all kinds have become more expensive across the board. Look at Wal basses. A MK1 Wal during their heyday in the late 1980's cost the equivalent to £2360 in today's money, and yet people now pay nearly four times that for one. In the '80's Status basses cost substantially more than a Wal Custom. It's all about how the brand is perceived in the eyes of the public.

The black is cool, but I have to admit I liked the red Lego look.

Why? To my mind it's a sensible upgrade that wouldn't change the sound or value of the instrument but would make it more usable. I assume you might have to chisel a bit if the original slot is not flat-bottomed? You have done lots of removal of fingerboard removals, Andy, and one of your threads has a really good step-by-step with photos which I would link to but I can't find it.

One of the joys of having a 3D printer is being able to change things quickly. One of the perils of photographing black is photos look crap. Changed all the corners and ports from red to black. From the back And the top. The corners re black but due to flash have come out gray And of course they can be run side by side. A nice modular system. How's it sound, no real idea as work, dog walking and other stuff have foiled any attempt to fire them up in anger I also now have two red ports and a black port now spare. They have a foam gasket for sealing purposes applied and use M3 bolts. Let me know if anybody wants them. Rob

I expect this is one of those done to death topics and that someone will be along shortly with some variation on the ‘don’t you know how to search?’ theme, accompanied by whatever degree of snippiness they feel is appropriate for a complete stranger asking an innocent question in a public place. But for the rest of us I figure a) you guys love sharing your knowledge and insights and I am keen to receive them, and b) surely one of the functions of an internet forum with a dedicated theme such as ‘bass guitars’ is to examine a finite number of questions from an infinite number of very slightly different angles. No? I am not a five-string bass player, but I was five-curious enough to pick up a Sandberg Bullet JM5 to explore the extra low end and, as it turns out, the pleasure of playing many previously energetic bass lines while barely moving your hand. Here it is (seller’s picture of my bass): It arrived with a fresh set of unidentified though I’m sure perfectly decent strings which included a tapered B, something I had never come across before. I couldn’t get my head around the physics of this at all - how does a string with such a skinny bit on the saddle and slightly beyond produce a decent low note? - but the sonic evidence was that it did. I just didn’t like it - it seemed to work, but it also seemed…wrong. So, activating tinker mode I went and bought some Ernie Ball Slinkies (the pink ones), put them on and thought no more about it (beyond aha! THAT’S how you do the run in Rhythm Stick without a ridiculous delay while you look at the fret you’re aiming for or don’t look and overshoot 70% of the time. I know - practice trumps technical workarounds, but it pleased me). Anyway, I now return to the question suggested at the top of this topic - regardless of my personal prejudices about how things should be, should I notice any difference between tapered and untapered strings, beyond what I would notice between any two manufacturers’ strings? Thank you, collective.

You think? I think they're only experiencing a hype because the order book has closed and the whole thing is winding down. It's a case of only wanting what you can't have. Add that to the fact that the typical Status customer is now a bloke in his 50's or 60's dreaming of watching Level 42 on 'the tube' and you can see why the sudden 'bubble' occurred. I say that as someone who is a lot younger, enjoys Level 42 and has owned a number of Status basses in the past.

This chap's work and reputation look to be worth at least a phone call and a chat about it: https://www.81guitarworks.co.uk/

Have you tried a squish of Servisol lubricating switch cleaner in your original pots? I've revived many an ageing & crackly potentiometer with it.

I don't think this should be marketed to those with a pace maker fitted, On a dinner dance gig the cutlery flying your way will keep the singer moving for sure. you can also save space in the van by sticking it to the outside.

Why not get a clear scratch plate?

My take on playing music is that the player is actually the instrument, the conduit for the music. A bass is simply a tool for the job. You have your favourite tool, it's ok to change it so it's up to the job at hand. Imho of course.

Like most basses, a lot more than I sold mine for….

If it makes you happy 😁

I’m sure you have seen this and others, I think you would be brave to try but clearly it’s possible.

Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads

The easy answer is to 3D print some sleeves for the pots, they can even have angled ends. OR: You could probably use two of these (audio taper on tone won't do any harm) https://northwestguitars.co.uk/products/cts-500k-long-split-shaft-potentiometer-audio-taper