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I've rejoined the gang. A friend invited me to join a new band, going back to my metal roots. It's in drop C, and I've never played a bass more suited to heavy drop tuning than a Spector. Step 1 of my plan - I sold my NS2000/4 to a mate years ago and instantly regretted it. Soon after I managed to get hold of another one... and sold it to another mate. More regret. Despite years of pestering he always refused - until now! So here it is, in spotless condition:

Finally found a black pickguard at a reasonable price and a huge improvement too!

Thought it might be a bit of fun.... having been the owner of quite a few basses and acquired a couple of bucket listers ... I thought it would be nice to hear which of your collection you would keep and why. You simply love it? Your first bass? It’s an investment? Rules are simple. You must have owned it or currently own it (sellers regret welcome). I would keep my Status. It’s a 2019 S2, headed 4 string. It plays like a dream. Sounds awesome with some fat lows on a 4 string! It’s just great as an all rounder. It’s light and it’s purple

Step 2: Convince myself I need another Spector - easy! I noticed @Dov65 selling his limited edition Euro on here and after a quick phone call it was mine! These truly are wonderful basses. Impeccable craftsmanship and an aggressive growl like no other bass. I'm having to readjust to active basses but it's worth it for the incredible tone this thing puts out. Drop C on this thing is a brutal experience. So here it is - Eddie Jackson!

For me, it has to be my Spector Euro Mike Starr LE with the Haz 9V. All my other basses can go (for the right price) or have to go (to make space in the living room (for more basses :- ) or to pay for other basses, bills or other stuff).

I am going to go against the flow here. This is in two parts. 1. For years at work I used Wellers and they are great. However the magnetic temperature control was not as reliable as I would have liked. I also dis not find the handle comfortable. One day we employed a new wireman and he only used Antex irons and I have used them ever since. Antex is a British company and their technique for heating the iron is very efficient , the bit surrounds the element meaning my 18 watt* has never let me down and my 15W** can do most jobs. The 15W outpeforms most cheap 30W irons. Seems like wattage is no indicator of performance. Now where have I heard that before. I just ordered a new handle to the 15W. It is 40 years old and although the new handle has been redesigned, it fits the old element. For a brginner, *https://www.esr.co.uk/shop/contents/en-uk/p32302_Antex_CS_18W_230V_Soldering_iron_PVC_cable___plug.html I would resist temperature controlled irons (although I have one) as I tend to spend more time playing with them than actually soldering. 2. Some tips for soldering: Use as big an iron as you need. My 18 watt with a 3mm tip has never let me down. Make sure the tip is suitable for the job, the bigger the tip the more heat is can transfer quickly. A 50 watt iron with a 1mm tip will not solder onto the case of a big pot. Incidently, I never solder to pots, I know the guitar industry has since the 50's but it is still bad practice. Always clean the tip before every use. Tip cleaners are OK but a good wet sponge is still the best way in my opinion. Atfer cleaning, "tin" the tip by applying a little solder to it. Not a blob. Move both the iron and the solder to the work towards the work. The solder should only touch the iron/work as they come together. Take the solder and iron away as soon as the solder liquifies. If you are doing several joints in quick succession and not putting the iron into its holder, there is no need to tin the tip every time. Some people will tell you not to blow the hot joint (no puns please) as it causes a dry joint (cold joint in the USA). I don't believe this and blowing does push the fumes away if you have no fume extraction. Before putting the iron into the holder (did I say that a holder is a must), wipe the tip again with the sponge. Any questions please ask.

Not the best photos but you will get the idea. Very impressed so far sounds great in passive mode but when you click the active switch it’s otherworldly! I know it looks black, but it’s actually a very dark brown with a tiny gold speckle in it, hence the gold pick guard.

I love the Ramones -saw them live a dozen times -but that's crazy. And there shouldn't be any fretboard wear except for 1cm-deep divots at E3, A3, D2 ;)

The WD-800 is quite different as it was modeled after the Walkabout. The Subway channel on the TT-800 has more or less the tone of the D-800/D-800+ but with some added texture (like the WD-800) due to the tube driven nature. That's the best I can do with a description, I'm sure there will be more posted about this when players start receiving them and posting their experiences.

If you’re offended by relics, don’t read any further and don’t post any negative comments. if you wouldn’t have one, or don’t think they look good; you’re entitled to your opinion and I won’t try and change your mind. if you have one, or are planning one, post your ideas and pictures here. here’s mine I used the back of a kitchen knife to roll the fretboard edges, a bradle to do the rsndom dinks and the same knife back to do the edges. I was careful to think about end grain. Bare wood was sponged with tea. I used a green dish sponge to take the gloss off the paint. I thought about the strap rub points. I did nothing with metal parts. No belt sanders were harmed

And although @dave_bass5has pointed out on another thread that black basses matter, white basses are pretty darned tasty too and a Spector to boot!

Well it is easy. But there is a story to tell even if it isn’t very exciting. And as English is not my first language at least I get some practice time:-) I love Spectors. Started out with an Ibanez SR and quite liked the sleek body and neck. My first mid category bass was a Czech made Spector which was an unbelievable upgrade for me both in terms of sound and ergonomics. A couple of Czech Spectors later I quit playing for a short while and in the process I sold much of my stuff, Spectors included. When I started again a year later I made it a point to try as many different basses as possible to gain experience about what is out there and what fits me sound and ergonomy-wise. Long story short a couple of dozens basses lates I got another Spector, a Czech one again and I came to the conclusion that there are so much great basses on the market that it’s unbelievable but Spector is where I feel at home. Around that time I have seen a picture of a US made Spector NS-5XL with an marvelous and exquisite buckeye burl top and while I have seen some great combination of these specs this was the best for me ever. Having a pro photographer taking the pics didn’t help the case either. I felt there is a forbidden yet very real love affair taking off so guess what was the locking screen photo on my phone for a year or two? Some time passed after this and much to my surprise and utter disbelief this very bass came up for sale. Let’s just say that I have never before and after paid this much for a bass nor for any bass have I driven a roundtrip of over 2000kms. But I had it in my possession after all. This Spector NS-5XL turned out not only as much beautiful in person as it was on the pic but it proved itself to be my best sounding one, too. For all my recordings in the last three years this is the one that ended up getting used because it has a great combination of clarity, sound and dinamics all over the board and in lower tunings, too. It just works really well for the music I play. I am fortunate to have tried and currently own a selection of instruments from some of the best makers in the industry and I have basses that are close to me for the history we have shared on and off stage but if I were to keep only one this would be it. Spector NS-5XL buckeye/walnut with EMG X series DC pu’s and Hazlab preamp. Now enough of my ramblings let’s get to the best part! Thanks for reading this far🙂

They don't get a lot of love on here but mine would have to be my Variax. I love the neck on it and the versatility of tones wins over any others if I can only keep one.

Simple as I only have one!

My 64 Precision. Everything else is replaceable. Well, except my 60 P... but if I had to choose one it would be the 64.

To be fair I personally think the reason to buy quality cables is because they are robust rather than infinitesimal differences in sound quality.

one thing is clear: we have a LOT of time in our hands and we enjoy overthinking things

Uncanny, I was noodling along to that only this week! Tried to emulate the D synth note by fretting the note and not plucking it (so ‘bouncing/pulsing’ the note on/off the fretboard?!) - the hours flew by! I remember hearing Boston Tea Party on the radio when it came out and the bass line really came through on the mono radio. Such a good band, and the real deal in terms of offering something totally different. Both the band and Zal Cleminson as a guitarist are so often overlooked.

I'd have thought that bass players would appreciate Brian May's talent, as it's based on musicality and inventiveness rather than how many notes you can play in a second. There will always be somebody who can play faster than you, but crafting the kind of solos that Brian May produced is much more worthy of respect, IMO.

Think they possibly missed a golden opportunity with a Flea sig many many years ago...

@Chewiethat red is beautiful isn't it? I really like mine (sunburst) but that is lovely. I think it's a high quality instrument, but I don't search for faults in a bass. If something leaps out at me that's different, otherwise does it sound, look, feel and play nicely? Those are the only questions that matter to me. I have basses that cost £1200 and basses that cost £137 and have zero difference in sound, looks and playability.

Cant be as awful as Watneys Red Barrel. That was as rough as a badgers arrse!!

The BBOT bridges are rubbish, which is why hardly any classic basslines have been recorded using one.

Hohoho

I had a gold sparkle Lull P it was great, but I’m not a P man... however a PJ 👍🏻

No, I had little fiddle with it. 😁 There is a build thread but all the pictures disappeared in change of server. Basically reshaped headstock and scratchplate, added f hole, binding and bridge cover, and refinished in vintage white. 🙂

Bass cover of the week: this time it's the turn of a hit of the Madonna famous among the bassists for the beautiful bass line in slap ... good listening!

In the mid to late '70s punk and reggae became the most unlikely bedfellows. I don't think that any reggae groups covered any punk songs... but there were some notable reggae covers by punk groups. Here is one of them.

Yep, I would agree. As someone else said though, in 40 years I’ve never had a single bass where I needed more sustain.....

Black Pickguards Matter. Oops, I'll get my coat🤐

In 1968 the band I played 'rhythm guitar' with (using a Watkins Rapier 33) packed up after its first disastrous gig at a local yoof club, and I then decided to change to bass. My first bass I bought was this Danelectro Longhorn, from a local secondhand shop for £45. By the way, the white toggle switches were made of wood. I bet the later reissues were plastic.

Apparently expensive isn't always best

Assuming a real badger's derriere is as rough as a stuffed one's we are talking 60-grit.

Messaged Tim a few times about his set up and he did take the the time to reply 👍 endorsed by Tech 21 & recently started working for them. His other bands called Funpipe mostly covers but damned good...cracking bass player

Enjoy the fretless ride, Chewie! If you're chasing a more DB tonality, then flatwound strings, or even better black nylon tapewounds, get you that bit closer. If you're *really* after that DB tonality, then get a double bass! My only regret with such things is that I waited probably 15 years longer than I might have done, thus denying myself an extra 15 years of fun. Mind you, that was 15 years of getting better on fretless, so nothing actually lost..

Yep, both ways. Costs a fortune. You'll have to pay for the VAT, customs duties out of Switzerland, customs duties in the incoming country and extra fee for the courier : that makes a lot of money. Better asking if the seller can send from Germany, France, or Italy. Don't worry, they are used to this (if they really want to sell abroad).

And someone who's famous for shouting 1-2-3-4, hardly J S Bach was he!

I usually change my strings on 29 February.

McIntyre in Edinburgh makes cool basses

Would be nice if it was occasionally _somebody's_ cup of tea, though.

gonna nail my support for Bernie Goodfellow's basses to the mast... GB Guitars

@Cosmicrain built me the black beauty in this pic

Today and pre lock down