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@Dood I was more being practical rather than trying to be the "fun police". Back in the early days of plug-ins (around 2000) I was gifted the complete set of Waves effects along with their authorisation dongle from a friend who worked in studio equipment sales and had an install that was surplus to their requirements. This was back when none of the main DAWs came without any plug-ins included. I had bought ES2 and ESX24 for Logic and a complete suite of effects plug-ins for free was indeed a bargain. I used a selection of those plug-ins on just about everything I was working on for the next 3 or 4 years and they were great. Then I needed to upgrade my Mac (it's used first and foremost for my day job and the music use is a nice bonus) and unsurprisingly the plug-ins no longer worked. I had a look at the cost of upgrading to the latest versions of the few I thought I absolutely couldn't live without but they were scattered throughout the various bundles and IIRC the cost was more than the full version of Logic and that was just for upgrades. I ended up with a load of projects that I no longer sounded the same as they did on the old Mac. I also encountered a similar problem a few years later when I wanted to do a quick remix of a later band's studio session that had been recorded using Logic. The files used a multitude of 3rd party plug-ins and unfortunately many of them had been discontinued by their developer and those that were still available were prohibitively expensive. All I had wanted to do with open the existing project make a few level and EQ changes and bounce down the new mixes. In the end it was quicker and cheaper to pay someone to remix the tracks from scratch using the original stems and the current mixes as a reference point. Since then I have mostly stuck with the plug-ins that come with Logic. I have a Simmons SDS V emulator that replaces the woefully inadequate set of samples I made when I used to own the real thing, but I'm sure I could recreate all the sounds I wanted using Retro Synth or ES2 if I really had to, and Helix Native which give me a bit more flexibility when recording my Bass VI parts, but again it's not an essential item. Whether the 3rd party plug-ins are actually better is entirely subjective. IME what many people are buying when they purchase 3rd party plus-ins is not a "superior" sound manipulation algorithm but access to a few hundred new presets. Free or cheap 3rd party plug-ins might sound great but, they basically work in the same way as your neighbourhood drug dealer. Give you something for free or cheap and get you hooked so that when you need to upgrade you are hit with the full price. After my Waves experience I'm not so sure I want to go down this route again. If I was making a living from my musical activities it would probably be worth it, but I don't, and can't justify the cost when there are plug-ins that I already have that will never go out of date or be discontinued that will do the same job, and if I take the time, I can learn how to get the best out of them and not need to spend any money chasing something elusive. The free Spitfire Strings might be better than those in Logic, but 15 years ago I was able to orchestrate the backing for a selection of Carols to use on an interactive Christmas website for a very well-known insurance company using just the plug-ins that came with Logic which were more than adequate for the job, and TBH I could have probably done that job in GarageBand. And, because of the sort of music I compose for my band, I'm not interested in realism but textures and atmospheres. This is why I also don't care about how realistic sounding amp models are, because what I'm really interested in is being able to make sounds that will work in the context of the music I am creating. For this I already have everything I need within the Logic install. In the end it's up to each individual user. I'm just offering a potentially more cost effective long-term route.

And any decent shop will be happy to help as, if you have a positive experience and don’t feel ripped off, you’ll be back again & again & again… A trip to Bass Direct (no, it’s not all high priced exotica, there are a decent bunch of sub £400 basses, albeit not MM types) or Guitar Guitar in Birmingham will be well worth it.

That's totally possible. I don't think much of the pitch shifter or octaver though... Both are very warbly/chorusy and not really useable. The low end of these modellers all seem to have the same issue with pitch based effects. Maybe a decent one is too DSP intensive?

^ this - some people prefer chunky baseball bat necks, others like something far slimmer. Does the bass sit comfortably on you (will you sit or stand to play?), and do you look at it and think “I want to play that!” You don’t need to be a virtuoso player in the shop, just try fretting up and down the neck, all the strings, and see if it feels good. Once you’ve narrowed it down you can always ask someone in the shop to play it for you so you can hear what it will sound like once you’ve got the hang of it.

I thought Fender did have an issue at the start and that's why they added the Limelight Logo and serial number on the back of the headstock. I was sure i read that somewhere and Fender were ok with that. Dave

The fact that it has been withdrawn is really good news and it sounds like we might soon get an update that this is back in the hands of its rightful owner. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻

Just bought a lovely bass from Frank. My second purchase from him, and an absolute pleasure again. He held the bass until we could arrange a meet up which was very much appreciated, given the 200+ miles between us! Thoroughly recommended , buy with confidence etc. Cheers Frank!

I bought my polar white VM4 from Mark and no issues with delivery but i remember thinking at the time it was a bit too far for me to drive down from Glasgow area. Can't remember exactly where they're based and can't find on their website. I did however drive down to Bass Direct once for a look at 5 stringers and came away with a Dingwall NG2 5er. Dave

Bird dog-Everley Brothers

If you're worried about the police getting involved, don't be 🤭

Oh absolutely. Most stores tend to protect themselves by not covering return postage or not refunding postage paid, which is fairly standard unless its faulty goods, but its interesting the likes of Bax (I think?) make a big deal of offering a free "trial" period and cover all postage costs. I feel there must be a hidden fair usage policy, as otherwise people could run riot with it.

You have a point from a technical point of view but to suggest vinyl lovers are in denial is inaccurate. I have a budget/mid level system with a Rega RP3 turntable for vinyl, Rega Apollo CD player and a Rega Brio R amp. I'm even beckoning in the 21st century with streaming using a Wiim Ultra. Now I have some albums on both Vinyl and CD and despite my aging ears I can hear distinct difference between the media; I'm not going to advocate one medium over the other but there are times when I prefer the vinyl and others the CD. It's hard to put into words but vinyl can sometimes give a more immediate delivery and a warmer more involving experience. There are times when the vinyl seems flat and less dynamic compared to the CD. These differences are probably more apparent when you go to a true high end system. Now you may ascribe what I've just said to lack of objectivity but the enjoyment of music is quite often a subjective experience and opinions differ........much like the insistence that amps based on valves are superior to transistors.

I don't think its about not wanting people to enjoy their basses, and more about insurance issues that may arise, should they go missing and potentially be viewed as counterfeit. A healthy discussion, I think? Literally wasn't something that occurred to me until reading this thread, and I'm wondering this this is why the many and several Ric copies and similar often ship with a blank TRC with a fake TRC in the case, to avoid counterfeit accusations? The risk here is the bass being confiscated if the Police need to get involved, rather than returned to Mark, but given insurance isn't involved here I think its unlikely there would be any opportunity for any complaint to be raised, and hopefully Parcelforce will just sort it out with a dash of compensation for the ridiculousness of it all.

AI slop. The backlash has started. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wx2dz2v44o

Tube is easy to mistype as tibe as U and I are next to each other. Tibe autocorrects to time.

Her documentary is really interesting. I think from memory. she started out as a backing singer and has been ill with cancer. I think she is quite a talent.

I've been reading the manual for the GP5 and it looks like it can do what I want, but I thought I'd double check just to be safe. If I put it in the song list mode (a-z) can I use the foot switch to cycle between 3 presets? Basic amp emulation, amp with -2 pitch shift, amp with +1 pitch shift, back to the beginning? And then I can long press to use the tuner? And it can do all of that whilst running on usb power?

It doesn’t really matter that you can’t play much right now, you know what feels comfy and is aesthetically appealing. These 2 things are the most important for your first bass, you’ve got to want to pick it up and if it doesn’t appeal to your eye and feels ‘wrong’, you won’t play it and that defeats the point. Set your budget, go to a retailer, play a bunch of basses in your price range and go home with the one that feels and looks right. Will this be your forever bass? Unlikely, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

Complete with an invisible amplifier. And yet 5 people have added it to their watchlist. Allegedly.

It's just to make sure it fits... and so they can prevent anyone installing it in their BMW...

The P2 has Stereo XLR and stereo Jack input. What are you connecting it to? I use a single XLR to 1/4 jack for my IEM's in stereo.