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I always equate boutique bass to people that have to have that bass because cheaper basses dont offer everything they 'need', but they also play much cheaper basses most of the time because they dont want to take the expensive one out, even though these offer so much less as far as playability goes 😎

Don't worry, I'm maybe too sharp for a 60 years old guy and I've always had an excellent memory despite a very bad car crash that crippled me in 2009.

The original plan for the 50th Anniversary Zenith was just five, but as soon as Jon announced them they were gone. I think he had to get the nod from JJ for another 5, as he was ultimately going to have to sign them all. As I had already enquired prior to extra five being agreed, I had my name on one should JJ agree. You may be talking about the carbonlite which @Dood referred to above. I think there were an edition of 25 and sold out before I knew they were a thing. Regarding the balance, it's a weird thing. Obviously the body is chambered, which is how it's so light overall. Sitting on my Levy's strap, it doesn't move, although you can tell that there is weight at the neck end. However, because it's so light overall, as soon and you hold the neck, that sensation disappears completely. I have a lot of basses and I've had an awful lot more, but I'm completely won over by Jon's work. #3 is in the works. As soon as I get some photos of the top wood, I'll start a build thread.

Yeah that's a fair point

Very nice job, really. Congratulations!

Yes!! It's looking good - glad it's playing nicely.

Iron Maiden in concert on BBC2. My goodness those guys earn their money. 1000 MPH and yrs Dickinson’s vocals are far from perfect but you’ve to sing, while doing the 110 metres hurdles. I honestly don’t think the fingers of my right hand could move that fast without havi g to play the bass, let alone playing while jumping. Respect 🤘

No I haven't ever used my Ashdown octaver. The chorus isn't easy to control either. It's easy to play with all the other nice sound options when I'm home, but when I'm at a band prac, and can actually hear how they sound in a live context a 3 or 4 band EQ is all I can really have time to fiddle with, and maybe a bit of gain. I'm not saying all those options are bad, I don't think they are, I'm just not clever enough to cope with them all.

That seems rather extensive, a business card seems much more like it, should be a fraction of a millimeter.

Totally feel your stress with the wet sanding thing - I had a hand painted design underneath my clearcoat - no pressure then! Glad it went well, it's looking boss!

Righty, I'm back from a week's holiday on the Devon coast (lovely) and ready to put the finishing touches on this project. In my time away, the lacquer has had time to fully cure. So the first thing to do was the both tedious and nerve-wracking process of wet-dry sanding the bass to get rid of all the brush marks and runs. This is always a fairly scary process, as you just have to keep sanding (constantly checking things) and trust that you applied the finish thickly enough to be able to smooth out all the imperfections before you go all the way through the clearcoat somwhere. If you blow through it, particularly if its in a very visible spot, you essentially have to just throw up your hands, do a lot of swearing and start the whole process again, which can take a week or two to cure. It's maddening, but I've gotten pretty good now. No issues with this job. Here's what the bass looks like now – I've sanded and polished and polished and polished and polished and polished. I then applied the shielding foil to the control cavity and added the ground wire before attaching the bridge (with thurst bearings fitted now, thanks for @PaulThePlug for the recommendation). I boiled the strings and gave it a rough set-up for intonation and action. No electronics yet. One of the great advantages of headless basses (especially double-ball end ones) is that you can string them up and de-string them over and over again without any problems. I've just spent the last half an hour or so playing it unamplified and it seems pretty damn good. No fret buzzes, and it's really surprisingly loud even with just the wood for resonance. One thing that has thrown me a little is just how chunky the neck is – I'd taken measurements and so I knew in theory that it was a big boy, but I was still a little taken aback when I got it in my hands. It feels more like my dad's 70's EB3 than the jazz and stingray style necks on my custom basses. I'm assuming I'll get used to it in time. Even with the chunky frets, the action could probably go lower than its current position (with the saddles decked on the G and D strings decked) with no fret buzz. Not that it isn't playable now, probably low enough for most players, but I'm picky. I think I can file the bridge saddles down a smidge without problems. Tomorrow I'll prep the 3D printed components from @Jackroadkill and put the electronics together. My plan is to put a basic vol-blend-tone circuit in it for now, and then replace it with something esoteric, filter-based and active down the line if I like the general sound and playability.

Just bought a pedalboard from Daniel. It is in great condition, was well packaged and dispatched very quickly Thanks Daniel

If we are on trousers length, then the daft fashion for deliberately short trousers. It seems to be on the wane, thankfully. I like a jazzy sock as much as the next man and a small viewing window is fine but these things that look like they shrank in the wash make me unnecessarily irritated.

I realised that I never use a volume on the bass so didn't bother!

Great stuff Thanks

Yeah, I agree - I'm reshaping the pickguard and will probably have to rout the cavity a wee bit so I think I can fit three pots while keeping the input jack where it is. I'm just not convinced about the VVT approach. I'd like to have some blend so I'm exploring my options now.

These are Jazz bass alternatives rather than P bass ones?

Starting now on BBC2 - Iron Maiden Live in Concert, followed at 10pm by Iron Maiden Flight 666.

V7 isn’t - Theres a green one in marketplace take a look