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something to cheer us all up this morning

I think the technical term, given the smoky venues these basses will have been played in, is 'Fagnolia'... 😀

1972 all original Fender Jazz, with the original case, she’s aged beautifully with great looking wear and checking all over, she was Olympic white but is now a gorgeous buttermilk colour with the most beautiful piece of tort I’ve seen, I think my soul was a small price to pay.

Although the Festool is now firmly on my wish list (I have seen previous reviews and it is that halfway house that @Christine mentions that seems to be a pretty powerful USP), nevertheless it isn't in my present means so it's old-fashioned BF&I this time round. Got the sanding pretty much done (prob still got the final, final neck work to do) and THE FINISHING IS STARTED Here it is in its sanded form: Not sure if it really comes off, but the figuring just behind the fretboard end always reminded me of the swift shape, so I tried to emulate it with the fretboard end carve: And then the first tru-oil slurry and wipe coats. Unless I have a colour concern, I generally now use that for my base sealing and grain-filling process, whatever the final finish. In this case the final finish is going to be Osmo Polyx satin, but I'll still start with the tru-oil treatment. In a previous build, I proved to myself that you can slurry with Osmo just as well, but I wanted that touch of added amber hue that tru-oil tends to give: The bridge, by the way, is now flush with the leading edge of the body as planned: Finishing progress shots tend to get a bit boring so I won't post the Polyx progress, suffice to say that I will be wiping it on with micro-fibre cloth. All being well, the next shots - probably next week - should be the fully assembled bass It will still need a week or so for the finish to fully harden before I can pass it across to Neil but I think I'm now fully clear of disaster/BBQ wood potential tasks - I think it's actually going to turn into a playable bass! As always, many thanks for the encouraging feedback and pearls of wisdom along the way

always loved Bobby Vega

I have a full set of plans and instructions to build an Eagle 1 hovercraft from ply and fibreglass. Engine options include a lot of single cylinder ones and even a 2 cv. I made one myself about 15 years back and they comfortably take 2 but are more fun with one. Easy build for anyone with decent DIY skills. Free to collect or cover post and they are yours.

That looks the business, if they’ve sorted out the issues I might get another one! Good luck with the mods.

Arrived Monday but only got a chance to upack today. 1st thing... How the F**ck do they make these for so little money? Some things other people thinking of buying may want to know: No hole under the scratchplate like some others have reported. Can use without plate now. Bridge has changed from the large bulky one to one with Fender dimensions and screw placement. Volume and tone pots work as they should do. Gave It a quick set up and It plays superbly, love the tone with my old flats on too! Mods I'm gonna do: New tuners. (anyone know what are direct replacements?) Amber tint the neck with Nitro. Reshape the headstock. Add own decal. Repaint scratch plate aged cream. Must say I am blown away at the price. Cheers Geoff.

We had a somewhat different experience - we played together, off and on, for a year as a blues workshop at Band on the Wall in Mcr which ended with a friends and family gig at the BotW cafe. At the end of that gig we looked at each other and knew we couldn't let it end there. There was so much shared energy and potential, we just had to carry it on as A Real Band 🙂 Two people did drop out, one more joined, but by then we knew exactly how much commitment and ambition was shared. Played our first gigs outside Mcr last weekend, and we're all looking forward - realistically - to building on it.

Melodic and groovy too.

Now that’s a challenge to the profanity filter!!!!

Talking of Laura Kuensberg...

Grecos were excellent basses. Dont be confused with the likes of Columbus etc

This should be progressing according to the script. Fender are digging themselves out of the financial hole they are in. To do that they have to draw a line under the "old" Fender product lines and start anew. These basses are supposed to be "better" than the old ones. I assume that means they have taken notice what customers have been saying and addressed any QC and build issues and looked around and finally seen what the competition are doing and are incorporating the best and most useful bits into their basses. Of course this means they will be more expensive. The market place will decide if the extra cost is covered by the "improvements" being made to the instruments. Bass players moaning and thinking that cheaper instruments was the was to go was what got Fender into this mess in the first place. I'm hoping Fender makes it.

Right, clear your desk out now and get your coat. I'll have security escort you from the building.😂

Thanks Douglas, but as the audition is scheduled on the 11th of September, I will be careful with knockin' em dead. 😉

Last post on this I don't want to derail Andy's thread. If you can't justify one that's fine, they are very expensive but they are exceptional at what they do which is smoothing wood either flat or curved but in the way you want to not the way the wood wants. Previosly I had bought Bosch and Elu sanders which didn't last 3 months in my workshop and spent more time back at the service centre either being replaced or repaired. Then the finished surface was at best a little wavy on flat surfaces, the Festool has the Rotex setting which is a halfway house between a random orbital and a disc sander. It cuts cleanly across the surface not following it removing high spots but in an almost scratch free way. I use that to 180 grit then switch to the random orbital mode for finishing with 240 or 320 on a bad day. And the best bit was it did it for over 20 years, only just recently did the switch give out and need to go back for repair, along with some new gears that I didn't know about, I think it has another 20 years in it now. I would recommend one for the standard of finish alone even if they only lasted one year, they are honestly that good

So have I. £433 was the cheapest on a quick search and that was an RO125. Christine's RO150 is £508! I've not looked at the specs to see what the differences between the two are because I can't justify the expense of the entry level one let alone what Christine recommends. I might have to consider it however as I am getting a bit of interest locally for restored cast iron garden furniture. Shameless thread diversion concealed below:

I think of vocalist as the catch-all term for someone who uses their voice as part of a musical performance. Not all vocalists are singers, but all singers are vocalists

I’ve always had a soft spot for Billy Gould’s effort on ‘Kindergarten’ by Faith No More: https://g.co/kgs/DQQKMa

Tonight I depped for a functions-ish band in St. Albans. I have now played Le Freak and Blame It On The Boogie, Dancing Queen and Waterloo, even Uptown Funk, and I was gutted when we ran out of time before I could play Disco Inferno. Never played ANY of those songs before in front of an audience. Years of pop/rock and blues/rock and Dadrock but never disco. Don't know where you all rate that lot for coolness or otherwise, but some bloody good fun to be had! Just thought you'd like to know. 😁

Most of my favourite pro players have played 5 string basses from time to time - they would probably have been more commonly seen in the late 80s up to the mid 2000s. As an example, take Nick Fyffe of Jamiroquy - live he usually played Yamaha 5 and 4 string basses, switching dependent on the song. As has been said, people often use what they consider the best tool for the job. I bought a 5 string for the particular reason of learning Stevie Wonder songs, many of which are played on keyboard bass or in keys lower than E - note the Nate Watts plays a 5 string also (though this is not the reason I got into playing one). I basically alternate my basses for gigs dependent on what takes my fancy on the day but I go through periods of playing 5 or 4 strings - I never take two basses with me these days. 5 strings seem to be used in some theatre orchestras also.

Yes, it's a swamp ash routed body with a swamp ash cap. I could have gone with any wood combo, but decided that to stick with the thin line feel would require swamp ash top and back. There's two large routes either side of a block running down the middle - very much like a thin line telecaster. It is, however, quite a bit lighter than the solid 51P bass partscaster I did earlier.

I messaged him too and told him to be careful about selling fakes, and he's just told me he's relisted it. I also said it may or not be a Columbus, but dont quote me since we dont really know - so what does he do ?

Possibly, but not usually while thinking about Roger Whittaker at the same time. Eurgh! Thp! Pah! Ugh!

That's a welcome NBD Geoff. The bigger bridge and wiring hole were a balls up and kind of spoiled things. Glad to hear Thomann sorted it out 😎 The question isn't so much How can Thomann do it so cheap, It's more how can the rest get away with charging so much 😁

Tongues and Tails, Sophie B Hawkins. Very tasteful playing from Mark Egan.

I don’t really play chordal stuff high up the, well very rarely, and I’ll still have other basses to use. I’m starting to think that @dood is a bad influence! His review was the reason I bought my EBS Sheehan dive pedal, and now since watching his Combustion v NG-2 vid I’m constantly looking at Dingwall basses! Hardest decision is which colour to choose!

I've got the Festool ETS 125, which is an eccentric sander. I'm not quite sure what the difference is between that range and the Rotex range that Christine has mentioned, but they are (a bit) cheaper and mine will very happily sand wood and polish finish up to 2000 grit (Andy my blue tele was finish-sanded with it). I don't think it's really designed for taking off lots of material, but for normal sanding and finishing it works great. Give it a go next time you are up?

That bridge is a really nice touch.

Eek. Best of luck.

I see you know not of what you speak.

I've had an ABZ for years, and the fanned frets aren't an issue at all: as others have said, 30 seconds the first time you pick one up and they're a natural thing, and I switch between my ABZ and 'normal' Shukers at gigs without even thinking about it. The string tensions are great, and although mine's a 4, I'd imagine the benefits for a 5 are even more pronounced...If you are a 20th fret chorder, then you may have more of an adjustment to make, but that's not me... As Chris says, try and try one first, though: there's more to them than just the fanned frets - they're light, they have compound radius boards, banjo frets, they're tonally very versatile and feel like the hand-finished quality they are. All good things, IMO... 😍

Very nice!

As Simon at GUS has been working on some 'Prince' G1 guitars he hasn't managed to get going as quickly on the Zenith as he would like, but here is the latest news. Almost there Hi John, Just a little update for you...I’m creeping forward! Have the body all wired up now and the neck sprayed. I managed to blend the heel area and then applied some ‘rosewood’ stain in the lacquer...has approximated the colour of the top pretty well?! Needs a final set of lacquer coats and then polishing.

Very good luck, but why should the fact you are 53 be of any significance?

Thats a great case for the 5 string. Blue

You’re right. Just had a look - they’re not cheap!!!

Oh that's right , manipulating the thread again 😁

This. Rappers are vocalists but not singers (usually).

I like all the usual (and unusual) Bass solos from over the decades; Jaco, Patitucci and the rest of them etc. Slow/fast there is usually something to keep me interested. Just too many to list really.

Luckily I have a two-gig weekend that's going to keep me occupied. Otherwise, like a poorly-trained spaniel, I'd be chewing up the furniture. Seriously though, when I asked Andy to make me the bass the idea was always 'when it's done, it's done'. No time constraints.

[u][b]Instrument and Speaker cables[/b][/u] [url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com[/url] David Polgaze, also known as our very own 'OBBM' really is no stranger to the pages of BassChat. Indeed I first chatted to Dave back in the days of BassWorld V.1 - The days before internet mutiny and this superb community made it's home at BassChat.co.uk. I think Dave was making cables back then too - actually, yes, I bought my first 'proper' heavy weight Speakon cables from Dave and they are still going today! Well, I've got a little review of Dave's latest - and they are as good as ever. First up a 'high flexibility' Instrument cable and then a suitably chunky Speakon to Speakon short cable, just the right length for amp to cabinet hook up. Rock-Wire is hand made, which also means that it can be to your custom specifications too. Using top notch Klotz, Sommer and Vandamme cable, Neutrik Pro, Hicon or Rean connectors. Indeed, I recall a BassChatter requiring a one-off signal / effects / power cable snake back and forth from his effects board and amplifier backline. It was an impressive beast of a cable with several signal paths catered for in one flexible sheath! I suppose to get an idea of what Bassic-Bits are capable of, then a look at the website address above. [u][b]Features[/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] High quality connectors and cables: I can't really add more to that. The soldering work on the cables I have here is professional and tidy, exactly as you'd expect. Rock-Wire also manufacture cables with those more unusual connectors for wireless systems, effects patch cables and power supply cables too. [u][b]Sound Quality[/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] I have no reason to doubt the sonic integrity of these cables. No noise when you shake the instrument cable under high gain situations and the connectors feel solid attached to my guitars. Looking at the Speaker cable specifically - it's a 4mm2 conductor type. It is a BIG FAT CABLE capable of transferring lots of current with minimal resistance. You can also tie up your ogre-sized drummer with this stuff too if they won't stop practicing between songs [b][u]Value For Money[/u][/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] Sure, you can buy really cheap cables off eBay - and you may think they will do, but trust me on this. They will break and always at the wrong time. Cheap connectors appear to be made from cheap tin (ha) and always seem to bend out of shape inside, or the cable conductors strands are weak and will just fray away. The brands mentioned above I believe have a huge reputation for quality. [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828] Throw in to the mix the completely customisable aspect, local manufacture, support from the technician himself, then it's a no brainer.[/color][/font] [u][b]Customer Support[/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] Dave is an active member of BassChat. When I have needed to chat with him, I've always had a fast reply. [b][u]Overall Rating[/u][/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (9/10)[/font][/color] In the interests of offering a balanced view of these cables, there's just one thing I can think of that will score these cables down, but it's barely worth the mention as it is obvious. You will need to [i]order[/i] these cables and in the case of something specific you may be subject to a lead time whilst they are made. You could of course pop in to any shop and find high quality 'off the shelf' cables same day, same visit. If you are on tour in Europe then you're unlikely to find a local Rock-Wire distributor for example, but if you are taking a huge touring rig with you then that's a different set of needs anyway. If smaller (high quality) orders, one-offs, unusual requests and 'buying local' is what you are looking for, then I reckon OBBM is your man