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Showing content with the highest reputation on 30/05/20 in all areas

  1. The best deal I got was a good few years ago I got talking to an American woman online. She seemed nice enough but started getting a bit full on. I mentioned that I played bass and my dream bass was an American standard P bass. She only went and bought me one and sent it over. I was embarrassed as hell and offered to pay for it. She wouldn't hear of it. Then I got a message from her husband calling me for everything. I had no idea she was married! I cut off all contact after saying I will pay for the bass. Again she said not to. So now I have an American standard that was completely free and she most likely has a broken marriage 😕
    16 points
  2. BASS NOW SOLD For sale, my beautiful 1966 Fender Precision in fantastic condition, all original (as far as I am aware) with original finish and original Fender hard case (including Fender catalogue). This is a player’s bass, not a case queen, but has been extremely well cared for by previous owners as well as by me. It has light signs of wear and some dings as you’d expect a 54 year old to have. I’ve gigged the bass extensively in the time I’ve owned it and always kept/transported it in a Hiscox LiteFlite case, not the OHSC. Apart from some minor body chips and scratches there are a couple of small dents in the neck behind frets 1-3 but these aren’t noticeable under the hand. There’s also some lovely light checking to the lacquer on the headstock and rear of the body. I’ve tried to capture these as best I can with my phone camera. Pups, pots, wiring and solder joints all look all original. The pups are still bonded to the black foam and backing plate. No dating is evident and I didn’t want to risk separating them to try and find out. Pots are stamped 6618 which I believe is week 18 of 1966 (kindly correct me if I’m wrong). The date stamp on the neck is partially faded and obscured by red ink but this is how it was when I bought it. To my eyes it reads 5 MAY 66 C. The neck is classic P chunky, solid and straight with a fully functioning truss rod and reverse tuners on the headstock. Beautiful striping on the rosewood fingerboard and there’s plenty of life left in the slim frets. The bass is currently strung with LaBella flats. Comfortably light, on the digital bathroom scales it comes in at 8.6 lbs / 3.9 kg. The case has a few dings and a couple of smallish rips but inside is clean and plush and all catches and hinges function (I don’t have the keys though). It came to me with a 1967-68 Fender catalogue inside which is in lovely condition and a really nice piece of history. This is a beautiful example of a mid-60’s P bass with a classic full burpy sound that sits so well in the band mix. Now... I know there are some real vintage aficionados and experts on the forum so in the spirit of openness and honesty I want to mention 3 things; Control knobs. These are more than likely the originals but still look brand new. I have no way of knowing as these were the knobs it came to me with but I am just saying as someone pointed it out to me. Ashtrays. Both are in really good clean condition and I believe are the originals. They show light scratching close up which doesn’t come out in the photos. Inside the bridge cover there is no evidence left of any foam mutes but there is some surface roughness in that area. E string tuner. Fully operational and stable but a bit stiffer than the other 3. I’ve had it apart and lubricated it, can’t see anything wrong, so it’s a bit better but wanted to point this out to potential buyers. I’m offering this bass for sale only (no trades thank you) at a competitive price based on what I’ve seen similar condition basses advertised by reputable dealers. I’m happy to ship at the buyer’s expense or arrange personal socially-distanced collection within a reasonable radius (location KT18). David
    13 points
  3. P necks are thicker, so they need to use more wood. That stuff doesn't grow on trees y'know.
    10 points
  4. ......but to be fair, I have a good excuse. I almost died! I doubt anyone noticed, but I haven't been around much the past few weeks. About 5 weeks ago I went to the doctors in agony after being up all night with chest and stomach pains, he sent me to the the local hospital just around the corner, where after an examination and explaining my symptoms as best I could (I live in Bulgaria and I'm not exactly fluent with the language) the head doctor said I had to stay in for three days for observation and intravenous antibiotics. Not the worst thing in the world I thought, and sent my wife off for a few supplies. The next couple of days are a bit hazey as there was a fair bit of pain and a lot of drugs involved, but on the second night I was in agony. The Doctor came in late in the evening, gave me a quick examination and immediately bundled me into an ambulance to the main regional hospital about 45 minutes away. I remember I arrived there some time just after midnight, and within an hour or so, I'd had blood and urine tests, x-rays, an ultrasound, and an MRI. Then another Doctor came and examined me yet again and looking extremely concerned uttered the word "peritonitsia". Now, as I said, I'm not exactly fluent, but it didn't take much working out that I had peritonitis, which I'd heard of, but I didn't exactly know what it was. So I whipped out my phone and Googled it, and saw that it has a mortality rate of up to 40%. At which point I thought, oh poo, this is serious! They moved to to a ward and I got to bed about 4 a.m. Then a doctor came around at about 8 who luckily spoke a little English and happened to be the head surgeon. He explained that my gallbladder had burst, which had in turn given me peritonitis and appendicitis, and I would have to have my gallbladder and appendix removed. So at 2 o'clock that afternoon, one day before my 45th birthday, I was in the operating theatre and opened up like a duffle bag. I could go into a lot more detail, but suffice to say the following few days were rather uncomfortable, I couldn't move and had several tubes coming out of various places. Then, after 10 days, just when I thought I was finally going to get to go home, I had to stay in another week in quarantine and have a Covid test. So I eventually got home about 3 weeks after my initial doctors visit with a nice zipper from breasticles to testicles, and strict instructions not to lift anything heavy for six to twelve weeks. As my sixer weighs over 10lbs.....as far as excuses for not practicing go, I think it's a reasonable one. But I'm alive! I can't praise the Bulgarian healthcare system enough. They don't have much funding, the hospitals are run down and resemble Victorian asylums. The bedside manner could be better. But the actual healthcare was superb. I'm thankful that everyone was in the ball at every step of the way. From my GP, to the local hospital, the A and E department and my surgeon. I reckon another 24 hours and I'd have been a gonner. Not exactly how i'd planned to spend my 45th birthday. But at least I was surrounded by beautiful women in nurses outfits being given copious amounts of free drugs.
    8 points
  5. I once bought a near mint condition Hiwatt DR103 which I then sold for £1,500, which is the best real return I’ve ever made on a piece of music gear. In terms of the best deal, I got a 66 candy apple red jazz that I love with all my heart and have played for 17 years for £3,000. It was expensive at the time and took me years to save for and I still consider it my best musical friend. I used it record a few albums and gig all over Europe.
    7 points
  6. I am now part of the club Sandberg California II TM4 SL in Tobaccoburst.
    7 points
  7. I've had a fair few guitars/basses/amps go through my hands in the last 15 years, some bought to 'try' and then moved on when I'm bored, some bought to bring some life back into, then released back into the wild (and to practice repairs etc. on!) with only the ones I absolutely fall in love with staying with me. Through the course of that I've been lucky enough to have some particularly good deals! Curious to know what 'best ever' deals other have had over the years, which a picture or two if possible for us to perv (I mean muse) over! For me, my 'best deal ever' was definitely my Conklin 8 string USA. Bought for £300 with some definite condition issues and being told the truss rod was dead, the pre-amp was dead, the neck was warped, as well as a blown battery that contaminated the cavity as the bass had been left in a VERY damp case for a LONG time. After stripping the bass down and leaving it to air out for a week, (it stunk of damp!) I reassembled it, put in a new battery connector and was amazed to find it worked 100%. This bass will NEVER leave me as it is almost exactly what I would order if I had a spare $12,000 to order a Conklin of this spec. That's my deal of a lifetime, what's yours?
    6 points
  8. The essence of Basschat in two posts 👆
    6 points
  9. My current ACG family. A fourth has just been commissioned 😎 All these are 32” scale, but left to right we have: 2015 Finn 4, OPB pickup, passive volume and tone. P bass on steroids. Swamp ash body, maple neck and board. 2017 Skelf 5, two reverse OPB pickups, active P Retro, very versatile sweet sounding bass but can get the Spector growl nailed too. Limba body, Fractal Nero top, ash neck, rosewood board 2019 Finn 5, two FBs, active UniPre pickup, think modern super jazz. Swamp ash body, maple and bubinga neck and maple board
    6 points
  10. I think you'll find that the notes are in a slightly different order on the Jazz neck compared to the P, they're slightly more random as I understand it, hence the 'Jazz' name. Maybe ask at your local music shop about this, I'm no expert.
    6 points
  11. 5 points
  12. Hey all, Today is a great day. I've always wanted a year of birth instrument and let's be honest, the late 80s were not a good time for Fender. However things were going pretty well in West Germany. Here is my new 1987 Warwick Thumb. I'm it's second owner, the first bought it from Warwick direct. I spotted it on ebay with less than 2 hours remaining and knew I had to have it. The owner delivered it today because couriers are a nightmare at the moment. It's been played, loved and looked after. Here are some photos. I really couldn't be happier with it. I've done the obligatorty send some photos to Warwick in the hopes of getting any more info on its history. It sounds like a thumb should too. It's taking a bit of getting used to. I'm always 3 frets higher up than I think I am. Here are the photos. I've never seen the edges of a pickup wear in this way before. It's in incredible condition I think. Enjoy!
    5 points
  13. I woke up early one Sunday and started trawling through eBay for basses, saw a Hamer FBIV on sale for £350 as a Buy-It-Now thing. Did a little panic; aside from Nikki Sixx, I'd never seen one in the flesh and as they're so rare, there was nothing online to compare it to. Eventually found a photo of Mr Sixx somewhere; configuration was a little different, more knobs on the eBay one, headstock a bit different, stadium logo. Went back to the computer and bought it. Unbeknownst to me, the Hamer Fan Club forum had a thread going on it already. It arrived a few days later; no case, heavily wrapped in about six inches of bubblewrap. I was offered around £3,500 for it from someone on the Hamer Fan Club group. Porno shot:
    5 points
  14. Two in two weeks for me, many years ago I was at a car boot sale and a chap was selling what looked like a good condition 4x12 Hiwatt guitar cab and an unnamed 1x15 bass cab, I only wanted the bass cab but the guy said you can have both for £20.00! I sold the Hiwatt cab for £800.00 a couple of weeks later, it turned out it was a mint and totally original late 60s cab! Two weeks later at another car boot sale I spotted an interesting looking record deck, it was an elderly gentleman selling it, he apologised for asking £15.00 for it but that was what he had just spent getting it serviced, I brought it because it looked cool, it wasn't until the advent of eBay many years later that I found out it was a Rega turntable but mine was nothing like the ones on sale on eBay, I contacted Rega and quoted the serial number and what I had brought for £15.00 was a prototype Rega Planet record deck, still not sure, or really bothered what it is worth to this day as it will never be for sale whilst I am still breathing but I would expect it would fetch a wee bit more than the £15.00 I gave for it!
    5 points
  15. I am done. After an interesting quest to find rare Japanese tuner buttons and bridges, I reassembled this last week. The headstock crack has been stabilised, glued and is now solid as a rock. The bridge abomination has been cast into the murky past with the arrival of a replacement part sourced from Deviser. The pearloid tuner button required a custom order from Gotoh via an agent in Canada. I stripped and stained the body, more in sympathy with the blocks and binding, I feel - though the sooner the whiteness akin to a contemporary twentysomething’s bleached teeth has faded, the better. i also added series/parallel switching which I am quite delighted with. The bass was originally hardwired in serial and I am enjoying the flexibility, much preferring the parallel sound with the set of Chromes I strung it with. I also added a Hipshot string tree which adds a level of consistency to the break angle across all four strings. Overall, I am delighted. It sounds and plays wonderfully, so very playable. Perfect.
    4 points
  16. Nice family shot taken last weekend 😁
    4 points
  17. My main bass, my Fireglo ‘72 Rick. Sometime in ‘92 I went with my then girlfriend to Manchester, and as usual We went in A1 Music for a browse. They had an old-looking Rick in, crushed pearl inlays, chequered binding, neck toaster, walnut headstock wings, no skunk stripe etc. At the time I knew a lot less about them than I do now - pre-internet! - and I thought it was maybe a late ‘60s one (it’s actually Feb ‘72). Obviously I love Rics; my first bass was a Ric, and the bass I was playing at the time was an Azure ‘76. So I picked it up and plugged it in and my head exploded. I loved the neck, which felt wider and flatter than all the others I’d owned/played, and the sound was unreal, everything I’d heard in my head. It was, by a vast margin, my favourite bass that I’d ever played. It was on the wall for £680. Unfortunately I didn’t have any money at the time so went away thinking “well that was the best bass I’m ever likely to play, what a shame I’ll never own it”. A year later I’d been saving up for a new amp and took a trip to A1 with a friend, this time bringing my ‘76 along for testing the amps. I walked in and the ‘72 was still on the wall, rather incredibly on sale for £490. I plugged it in next to my ‘76, expecting my previous experience to have all been in my head. Nope. It was absolute night and day, so I put the deposit on it there and then and went back a week later to pick it up. I still have it, it’s still my favourite bass that I’ve ever played (many thousands of basses later), and it’s worth a rather large amount more than I paid. But I wouldn’t swap it for a genuine ‘59 Les Paul. It’s more like one of my limbs than a bass guitar. I later sold my ‘76 and subsequently spent 17 or so years tracking down a ‘72 in Azure, the other bass in the picture.
    4 points
  18. The 'P' has two pick-ups, too, but they're wired together and placed in close proximity. One could also ask why a Morgan three-wheeler costs more than a Fiat Punto, as it has a wheel less.
    4 points
  19. It should be ok if you are using the rehearsal to test your eyesight.
    4 points
  20. Now Sold Bass is in very good condition. I’ve had the pots and capacitor upgraded to Fender US Standard spec, also had the nut changed to a Graphtec one for improved tuning stability and added a Hipshot 3-way string retainer. Comes in a fairly standard black gig bag, nothing special but protects the bass. Collection/meet only.
    3 points
  21. Up for sale is my mint condition 2015 Sadowsky Metro Will Lee. I've owned this one from new (purchased from GuitarGuitar) It's a light, versatile bass with a very smooth, slim neck and low action. I've attached a video demonstration and Sadowosky's own printed guide to the tone controls to give a quick overview of some of the tonal possibilities (it also has a factory installed d-tuner). The bass has a fantastic high quality nitro-cellulose finish that really allows the Ash grain to show through the wood - reminiscent of the mid/late 50's Fender Blonde finishes. Spec from Sadowsky: MODEL Metroline MV4-WL BODY Solid swamp ash NECK Maple with thin matte nitro finish FINGERBOARD Maple, 12″ radius, 1.45″ nut width HARDWARE Chrome PICKUPS Sadowsky humcancelling PREAMP Sadowsky preamp with vintage tone control and mid boost circuit No trades sorry. Collection preferred. My feedback:
    3 points
  22. Anyone in Newington area practicing in their flat...please stop, or get some headphones.
    3 points
  23. Precision past and present! Only ever had four. 1- 2003 CIJ 62 precision in Fiesta Red -w chromes 2- Squier CV 5 string in sunburst w Labella LTF 3- 2013 Nate Mendel sig CAR with Aguilar 60s pickup and hipshot vintage bridge - W TI's 4 - current 2009 Highway one in classy black ,with a limelight tort guard - W EB cobalt flats
    3 points
  24. My best deal ever was a Fender Stratocaster L series from 1965 and a Fender Precision Bass from 1972 for ... 600 Euros. Yes, for the both of them as I had to buy both or there was no deal. No they weren't stolen instruments, simply a guy who was getting married and needed some cash very quickly. He didn't play anymore for years and both instruments needed some TLC as they had been painted in white with ... a brush over the original paint.
    3 points
  25. My latest offering....
    3 points
  26. Haven't had access to the garage so can't get in the shed. I'll get to it ASAP. Apologies for the delay, to those of you enjoying the thread.
    3 points
  27. For that price you'd want the name in green felt tip on the headstock.
    3 points
  28. Budget plate change courtesy of Fablon
    3 points
  29. It's hard to believe a can of contact cleaner can actually cost more than a new KiOgon wiring loom 😍 😎 For all other jobs - Servisol for many years, a can, ( borrowed from Vox when I worked there), lasted me about 20 years! The cheap pots used in many guitars these days simply ain't worth trying to save IMHO. They weren't any good when they were new - so what's the chances of 'making them better with a squirt of something'? 🤣
    3 points
  30. Hi, Here we have a nice Warwick Corvette Rockbass $$ 5 string in natural translucent satin, it's in great condition and a nice player but it isn't getting the use it deserves. I had it as a backup to my German $$5 but as I have just sold that I am concentrating on my Rays and this is now surplus. It is a lot of bass for the money, everything works as it should, nice solid Warwick hardware and electrics. Cheers Stuart
    2 points
  31. Where does the aircon come from/ go to? This is crazy at the moment. What a lot of folks don't seem to get is that the guidelines are just that- chaos systems like the world don't work in absolutes. 2 metres is a guideline distance that is achievable generally outside. 1 metre wouldn't be as good, 3 metres would be better. Could the virus transfer at 2 metres? Yes- it's unlikely but not impossible. 2 metres apart for several hours in a small enclosed space would count as a close contact for the purposes of contact tracing. If there is singing or horn blowing involved the risk becomes much higher. I don't honestly expect to be in a rehearsal room or at a gig this year.
    2 points
  32. I can’t play that good when I’m not on a bike 😄
    2 points
  33. Thanks Meterman, it’s a veneer but looks really good Here’s a couple of pics of one I made earlier
    2 points
  34. No - get it done ASAP, godammit!
    2 points
  35. I have added a little Bluetooth receiver into the headphones socket so one less cable, makes it much easier to play music from my phone. Oh, and an app called Musepic which opens any YouTube video and allows you to select and loop any part. Really useful when learning .
    2 points
  36. The cab on the left is a Mesa Boogie 2x18 Road Ready cab. Got it on eBay for £62.
    2 points
  37. If I reveal my best deal here, then some years later it comes time to sell, this is still searchable and reveals what I bought it for, right?
    2 points
  38. My, oh my, that is sooo pretty! I’m just glad that the nut width is too narrow for my paws (I get on best with a P/‘Ray type width), otherwise the price and proximity would have Lady Ez scolding the living 💩 out of me. GLWTS, I really can’t this hanging around long.
    2 points
  39. Have you got her phone number? (asking for a friend)
    2 points
  40. Original Roland TR-808 in fully working condition for £75
    2 points
  41. Typical Fife overspill...savages the lot o them 😋
    2 points
  42. Well, once I had negated the non issues I was having... I was blown away! The bass only weighs 6lbs 7ozs so is really easy on the back and shoulders. This teamed with my Neotech strap makes playing standing up a doddle. The Black Label pickups are fantastic. Modern and punchy but they have a warmth that seems to be missing from a lot of pickups nowadays. The active preamp again is extremely versatile and a lot of different tones can be dialled in. Even on passive mode, the bass still feels alive and will have no problems cutting through in a live situation. The neck is a joy to move around. The Sandberg tuners and bridge do a very good job of keeping everything stable - it takes a lot to make this bass go out of tune. I know it's still early days but I can see this being one of the last basses I'll ever need. The EQ options on tap, the sound of the pickups, the feel of the neck, the quality of the hardware and the super light weight adds up to a fantastic bass. Not to mention the build quality which is top notch!
    2 points
  43. Cool stuff. Found it on youtube! Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio.... Well, it made my wife dance in the living room 😉 I found the bass quite shiny, almost like a mirror. Well, my wife saw it and loved it. Got now permission to get one. So, all good and thank you, 2elliot 😎
    2 points
  44. Something completely different, this popped up on YouTube, i might have to get the acoustic out 🙂
    2 points
  45. Well, what can I say? Happy birthday mate. What a terrifying ordeal. I hope you have learned the obvious lesson here. You need to buy another bass. Something light weight.
    2 points
  46. Long Beggs-related story. Feel free to scroll on by. Back in late '86, when I had hair and a discernible waistline, my rock-pop band were making our desperate bid for stardom. We lived in Reading, so it was dead easy to jump in the car and head into London to play gigs. We played quite a bit at the Red Lion in Brentford (RIP) -- our first few gigs there were as support to a guy called Philip Jap (the old farts among you might remember him) and his then band 'Secret Society'. I think he missed a trick by not calling them 'Jap's Eye'. Anyway, he asked us to play support at a party in London and we accepted. Being the mid 80s, slap was still acceptable -- almost mandatory in fact -- and our songs featured a lot of it. A lot. So there I was, thumbing the blazes out of my poor Wal, and it gets to the song with my showoff solo bit... I take a deep breath and go thwack-thwacka-ding wickety-wackety-wockity-dang, and having given it my best I look out at the crowd... straight into the eyes of Nick Beggs. Apparently an ex-label mate and friend of Mr Jap. I had a brief moment of wanting the ground to open up, I mean here's this bass god looking at me and I've just tried to impress this audience with something he could probably have done with one arm tied behind his back. But then his face broke into a big genuine smile, and with a nod he raised his glass towards me. I was walking on air for a month after that. I've bumped into him a couple of times since then, obviously he doesn't remember me but he's always been really friendly and happy to chat. Definitely one of our instrument's Nice Guys.
    2 points
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