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Yes, you weirdo

Looks like there are a few of us then!

Strictly not last night, but Thursday night (yes, a school night). Our acoustic trio were invited back to the Speakeasy at the Harbour View in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. This was our third appearance, and probably our best, even if I say so myself. The Speakeasy is a mixture of an open mic night and a gig. For the first hour, it’s an open mic, although due to its popularity, performers have to book their slots weeks in advance. The second half is a 45 minute set from a featured artist or band. This week, that was us. Bear in mind that the Harbour View pub is perhaps unsurprisingly sited overlooking Sunderland port. As a result its on an exposed hill top, and on Thursday evening a brisk south easterly was whipping the rain into a face stinging frenzy and making the 6c feel a whole lot colder, and yet the pub was still full of enthusiastic music lovers. Gear-wise, I was using my Boosey & Hawkes Excelsior laminate double bass equipped with a Realist copperhead pickup straight into the EBS Stanley Clarke acoustic preamp. From there, straight into the desk (a Behringer X-Air 12), and out to a pair of RCF HD 10’s and a small DB monitor that was almost at my feet, which sounded great on the videos I have seen 😎

I'll take the 5th!

Exactly Gazz, the main thing with what anyone purchases is if they are pleased with it.

? It went into production, you gimboids! I ain't a pox on bass production, how very dare you, sir! https://www.thomann.co.uk/harley_benton_hb_50_vintage_orange.htm

Classic look for a Jazz, congrats

I bought this lovely self build Jazz from @briansbrew recently. It has a genuine Fender Jazz neck and 70s style Fender tuners. The neck has a lovely played in feel. The tuners are great, they really hold. A lot of my other basses I've owned I've always wondered how it could be flat and sharp at the same time when tuning...cheap tuners. The body, an alder jazz body from North West Guitars. I love 3 tone burst with tort. Seymour Duncan pickups, a push pull switch on the neck pickup volume to go between series and parallel. And a great Schaller bridge. It's a lot of bass. It's only the 2nd bass I've bought where when I've played it I've thought, yes this is my bass. I took it to practice on Wednesday. I find the neck really easy to play, and I just love the tone in combination with my amp and cab. So yes, result!

And there’s four!

https://ashdownmusic.com/blogs/news/introducing-the-uk-sbm-series

There's at least three of us!

I suspect that too.

There's at least two of us!

no, I don't

I think it's a curse.

I must admit to liking Ian Martin Allison’s online content, and it was on his recommendation that I bought the Jad Freer Capo. So naturally, when Ian started posting about this I was interested. However, having watched a couple of videos, I don’t see me adding this to my roster of preamps. It’s not the price, I’m the wrong side of 60 years young so disposable income alleviates that restriction, but I just think it’s too subtle. As others have said, the eq is clever, but as a user of HPF’s, I like a separate controls for this and for the bottom end. I do, however, like the styling - it looks very Cold War military hardware and therefore cool in my books.

So if Neeps buys it, they decide they won't make it?

I really enjoyed the write-up and the gig sounded great. Am I the only person on Basschatt who doesn't do Spotify though?

Packing my gear to head off from the NE to Grimsby for a double header!

I'm sure we have members who are knowledgeable about that era of Fernandes (et al) but until they reply this is what AI has to tell us... --- If you’re trying to figure out what this Fernandes P‑bass actually is, here’s a breakdown based on the features you’ve described. The serial number **5021593** on the neck plate unfortunately won’t tell you much by itself. Fernandes didn’t use a consistent or date‑coded serial system during this era, and neck‑plate numbers in particular are basically production or batch numbers rather than true date markers. The real clues are on the **headstock**. The combination of: - **“Fernandes Limited Edition”** - **“Electric Sound Research Group”** - A classic **P‑Bass layout** with a single split‑coil pickup …points very strongly to a **mid‑1980s Made‑in‑Japan Fernandes**, most likely from around **1984–1987**. This was the period when Fernandes was producing high‑quality Fender‑style instruments through Japanese OEM factories, and the Limited Edition line fits right into that timeframe. Your bass lines up closely with models like the **PJR‑45** and other Limited Edition Precision‑style variants from that era. Typical specs for these include an alder body, maple neck with rosewood board, 34" scale, and standard P‑Bass electronics. Regarding the **snakeskin covering**: Fernandes did *not* offer factory snakeskin finishes on P‑bass models in the mid‑80s. They did experiment with snakeskin‑style finishes on some later guitars (mostly Revolver and Vertigo models), but not on Precision‑style basses from this period. In the 1980s, snakeskin wraps and coverings were a very popular **aftermarket mod**, especially during the glam‑metal era. Many players or retailers applied vinyl snakeskin, faux leather, or patterned wraps to otherwise standard instruments. It was common enough that a lot of Japanese‑market Fernandes basses from this era show up today with custom coverings that were added either by the original shop or a previous owner. If you want to check whether yours is a wrap or a full refinish, look for seams along the body edges, or check inside the neck pocket or pickup cavity—if you see the original paint underneath, it’s definitely an aftermarket wrap. If you want to pin down the exact year, the most reliable method is to **remove the neck**. Fernandes often stamped dates or model codes on the **neck heel** or inside the **neck pocket**, and those markings will give you a much clearer answer than the neck‑plate serial ever will.

Please share.

Great choice, I love an unmarked fretboard