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...that there is a list of kit that I need to have owned (or at least gigged) for at least some period of my life in order to feel psychologically complete. Currently something along the lines of the below, and actually it seems I am almost there! Fender P bass ❌ Rickenbacker ❌ Year of birth bass ✅ Fender J bass ✅ MM Stingray ✅ Fretless ✅ Five String ✅ 8x10 cab ✅ 4x10 cab ✅ 1x18 cab ✅ Trace Elliot amp ✅ GK amp ✅ Ampeg SVT ✅ Fender Bassman ✅ Fuzz pedal ✅ Octaver ✅ Envelope Filter ✅

@JJMotown, your explanations about the adjustment of the trus rod are bit ambiguous, because if I follow your instructions, I'll tighten it even more, which is the opposite of what has to be done. If the first frets are rattling, it very often means that the truss rod is too tightened, so release the tension by unscrewing it a tad bit is way more easy to understand, don't you think. 😉 So, to @lvrossem, first thing to do before going any further is to press the E string (as it's the easiest to see), with the bas on your thigh, at the first and last fret and check if there's any clearance (called relief) in the middle of these two points between the bottom of the strings and frets, and from there if there isn't, just slightly release the tension by unscrewing slightly the truss rod, retune and check again until there's a little clearance. If it's still rattling, your nut is certainly cut too deep, so you can raise it by removing it (a small knock laterally will break the glue), gluing a bit of veneer wood under it, shaping it to fit the slot that you'll clean free of any glue residue and regluing it, then use @RonC method to check the depth of the nut grooves and adjust in consequence by filing them. Otherwise, a fast, easy and reliable solution is to go to a luthier or a shop doing these adjustments and while you're at it change the poor quality strings and have a complete setup made. Watch what they are doing, ask questions and learn how to do it yourself.

That’s a great question actually! Are the 21/22 fret fretboards using an extension, thus they will bit a standard 20 fret design body rout? Also, do we have any indications of the exact headstock shape @Kiwi? And yes, I’d love one but I’ve 30 years of debt that says it ain’t gonna happen any time soon. Wanna buy a 7 string?

Honestly, I can’t tell the difference. Had I. It known it was basswood from the spec, I’d never have known.

My normal string of choice is the Rotosound 4000 set bumped ... But when I had the chance to try out a set of of unused Superior Bassworks Dirty Gut Deluxe strings (normally £75+) for nowt, I simply had to bite. So my normal style is pretty frantic rockabilly slapping bordering on psychobilly insanity. My Rotos are great for that amplified - they only need a light touch and they have quite a nice slap (using my Shadow Rockabilly pro preamp). You do have to be a bit careful however, as the very low string tension isn't brilliant for bridge stability - and you can easily hit them a bit hard in the heat of the moment and get a bit of unwanted farting 🙂 As a matter of fact one of the reasons I rebuilt the old Czech bass that became 'Frankie' the Freankenstein bass ... was because I had this set of Dirty Gut strings to go on it! The strings were in fact worth more than the original purchase price of the headless wreck that became this slick black beauty! I'd tried green Weedwhackers on my Stentor 3/4 back when I was starting out and they were atrocious. Or at least the E string was ... only capable of a tuneless bloop of indeterminate pitch below A. To me this was absolutely useless ... I might as well have a three string bass! Anyway, on to the Superior Bassworks strings. Like Weedwhackers they are nylon with a Kevlar core and to say they are chunky is a serious understatement I have to say these strings only just fit through my tuners ... and I do believe that it's pretty common to have to ream out your holes (oooer Missus) to take these chubbers. Naturally the whole string path has to be widened to accommodate the girth of these hawsers ... but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs (or as one famous Shakespearian theatre director once said to me 'you can't make a Hamlet without breaking legs'. Now purely on looks these are stunning. Proper old timey and they really set off the looks of a black bass ... though I believe they do them in blood red, which would look even cooler. You get six strings in the pack allowing you to bump the gauges a bit to find what you like. Now other folks milage may vary on this, but I found the thickest 4.3mm 'E' had good pitch all the way down ... even though it felt like a chunk of HMS Victory's rigging in diameter! However the 4mm used as the E was simply not under enough tension to produce low 'tuned' notes - succumbing to 'bloop' syndrome like Weedwhackers - so personally I wouldn't bother with bumping. The string tension is a la fair bit higher than with my bumped Rotos, leading to a little bit more physicality having to be thrown in to slapping - but the results tone wise are truly lovely to my ears. To my mind these sound about as close to old recordings of early rockabilly as I've heard. The main note is big and round and warm, while the slap has more of the 'wood blocks' than the 'metallic snare drum' about it. The surface 'texturing' of the string gives a very firm grip for triple slaps and drag triplets, and the acoustic volume is good enough to play with other acoustic instruments unamplified, unlike weedwhackers ... or indeed my bumped Rotos - I don't think I have quite the raw speed I do on those, but for more old time rockabilly ... and probably country too these are a keeper for me I think. To be fair I haven't tried them amplified yet, as it's a huge faff to swap over the Shadow kit to another bass. I may have to bite the bullet and just buy another Shadow rig though ... these really make me want to play ... what more can you ask?

Thanks again for the responses! @Hellzero - thought about one of those EA cabs, but was looking for a more compact 12 (if I got down the 12 route). Interesting that you had a good solo experience of the Glock but not in a band context - a lot of what I do tends to be just me or me with a small acoustic ensemble (no drummer) so that could still be worth a look (and I get 30day returns through Thomann) in this YT fretless shootout it was the clear winner https://youtu.be/gb4JImgc45M?si=AMYDCsid9nyt5bUm. I'm incline to agree with you on the BF tone for my needs. @Pea Turgh suggestion of LFSys could well be worth a look (Monza looks a possibility) , but I'd need to hear some demos (same for Eich). Cheers All!

Tidey comment KMW.

I've only used mine at home so far, still use the MiPro 58 live. Sounds just fine to me, comparable to the Lekato MS-1, which is only marginally worse than the MiPros if I listen side by side. Nothing that would matter live. I like your compact solution.

Where do you advertise these for sale? I'd like to point a couple of friends to your site as the designs would suit their band.

How does the basswood body compare sound-wise to the American Vintage/Original alder bodies? I ask, as I'm just in the middle of having a set of Fender Pure Vintage 66 pickups put into silky999's prototype nitro bass, which has the okoume body.

Not sure about that. Neither look nor specs look similar (inc.latency, about twice). Not saying the t.bone isn't a good unit, I just would not make that comparison.

Stick me down for a Jazz, I’m wondering if the extra fret would be on a fingerboard extension? If so, count me in for a 21 fret if possible. (If not 20’s ok) Please let me know where to send the deposit. I have a Status MM neck on a sterling body (poor man’s Cutlass) and it’s a great instrument.

Most definitely Electro Music on Doncaster, great shop, great staff. I recall the veritable joy of discovering a whole floor of basses & bass gear, loads of variety, not just the obligatory FSO's. Bought my first 4003 from there (as well as many guitars, amps and other music related stuff).

And also, which I'd REALLY love:

For the last few years these 'Stairville' LED lamps from Thomann have been hanging from the ceiling of our practice space. But with a house move coming up, they're on a T-bar now, and ready for our next gig. We abandoned using a DMX controller and went with built-in automatic programmes. Two lamps are running sound-to-light, with slightly different settings. DMX cables let the 3rd and 4th lamps duplicating the 1st & 2nd. https://www.thomann.co.uk/stairville_mini_stage_par_7x4w_rgb_ww.htm

Oops. Sorry! 🫣 🤣

I'm thinking about the white version and you post one whist I'm writing!

I'm not much into lights either but do realise they are important for a performance. Life got much easier when things moved to low wattage LEDs as before that I had to spend more time thinking about power than anything else! I've got a handful of these that we keep on a fairly static/slowly changing colour to light the band https://www.thomannmusic.com/stairville_led_flood_panel_150_40.htm ...and then a couple of these set to sense/change with the beat, albeit they've had more use in my daughters bedroom for disco lighting! https://www.thomannmusic.com/stairville_stage_tri_led_bundle_complete.htm Cheap, cheerful, but fine for small gigs especially as powered off a couple standard extension leads and pack down pretty small.

I sea what you did there.

Mine also had a 3 bolt neck, but I don't think it had the 70's bridge pickup spacing. I saw one around the same age (2008) with a white body and matching headstock, which looked fabulous contrasting with rosewood, blocks and binding. If I'd won the lottery last night, I'd fly to Tokyo and try a few out to see which one spoke to me. I considered importing one but, buying one blind, I'd be concerned it might end up being another perfectly good instrument that I just didn't 'bond' with. But if you decide to move this one on, I'd certainly like to give it an audition. 😉 I think I'm probably quite local to you these days. Great looking bass.

A last minute booking that came in yesterday morning from the Parasite, er I mean the Agent. Just a trio job ten minutes up the road at the Village Club, Spondon. A lovely crowd, but got a very interesting comment from an 'audient' - he said that he was really pleased to be able to hear all the individual bass notes, as usually with bands the bass is an undefined mess and too boomy - Must be the wooden stage and how people EQ. I blame the flat wound or long dead strings, personally. 🫣

The best strap I own in terms of looks and weight distribution is made by Marusczcyk. I have none of their basses but my Warwick that I bought it for hasn't said anything yet 🤭 You might want to look away at this point but I transported my Fender Jazz to rehearsal yesterday in a Warwick gig bag 🤫 Joking aside the M strap is a game-changer for heavy basses in my experience followed closely by my 4inch wide Levy's strap.

There's an ocean of difference.