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I think that Rob and Dawn are doing absolutely the right thing and should be very proud of their contribution to the music industry. I’d like to personally thank them for making my journey into custom builds very special and so pain free! I’d especially like to thank them for producing this magnificent instrument. Enjoy your retirement Rob & Dawn! 😃 Thank you Status.

I can put together a website which doesn't have "Click to enter" as the homepage.

I spoke with Dawn today about an unrelated matter but took the time to pass on my own personal gratitude as well as (I hope) that of the wider bass playing community. I'm sure others did too far more eloquently than I other could: a lovely gracious lady who represents her, Rob and the wider Status family. Dawn was quick to point out it was a "semi" retirement and I for one will be interested to see what the future holds. I'm glad I rediscovered Status when I did. Wishing them all the very best in what I hope will be a long fulfilling future

This has been a lot of work, but this is our promo video. This kinda started semi seriously to have fun playing hard music with my friends but I've decided to try and get out doing shows. I'm Scottish, so my accent is wrong for singing like Mark King so I just tried to sing in my voice. I am also not a singer! There's obviously some autotune at work, but we probably only spent about 10 hours in the studio recording the audio for this! My singing is...passable live. My sister (who is filling the role of Mike Lindup) is an outstanding singer, who fronts my other band called Danger Zone (wedding/events band). Level 42 splits people. Some people hate slap bass out of principle for some reason. For me, it's hugely enjoyable and highly expressive. So I'm aware I'm going to take flack for even attempting something like this! So be it. I'm well aware of the failings of this band (my vocals!). However, the guys in the band are top notch and I want to show off our hard work. This has been a very challenging project from start to finish. In truth, we don't sound much different live - thought obviously the singing is not a good. I can sing and play the parts no problem, the drummer is super humanly tight and our keyboard player is also a masterful sound engineer. We use a Soundcraft UI24 which is awesome. The bass was my JayDee through a Trace Elliot GP12 with what I think is the correct EQ setting. The only track with the Status was "Heathrow" I'm trying to get this band out doing shows, but my home town of Dundee is dismal for live music. I guess I need a promoter or an agent. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated!

So, with apologies if this has already been pointed out, I haven't read the whole thread, but Jack has basically had a new neck built for a body for which he already had a neck, and then decided to get a new body built for the spare neck? Genius, getting another bass into the house without actually ever buying another bass 👍

My Statii wish Rob well from the comfort of their sofa...

I'm looking at my FPPR Series 1 5 string hanging on my wall right now. I know Rob has built up an allergy to phenolic dust over the years so goodness knows what else he's been exposed to over that time with all the resins and epoxies he's worked with. However that commitment to quality is a hall mark of his work. His basses are superbly engineered and he makes some of the best necks in the business, a well dressed phenolic fingerboard will often allow action a gnat's nadger above the frets. That's a hell of an indicator of the precision to which their basses have been made to and I really hope any plans to license go to someone who has the drive and commitment to sustain that. I really wish Rob and Dawn all the best. They're good company and have certainly made a mark on British music in their own modest way.

3. Bluetooth functionality to create/edit patches using an app on your phone 4. Balanced XLR out

Well. Absolutely lost my head and binned the band off. If I’d been earning a wage from it I probably would’ve stuck it out. I can’t say I’m 100% happy with the idea of all that hard work going down the toilet. But life is too short to be unhappy in certain peoples company. Nothing specifically wrong with person in question, just a clash of personality. The drummer felt the same apparently and announced his departure 34 seconds after me. So - we go again. Apparently - singer and guitarist plan to continue. Judging by the speed the singer put the adverts on Join My Band…😂

After major surgery, I’ve spent a lot of time in my recliner. So I get up to go to the wee Chamber(lain) and come back to find my chair invaded. There’s definitely a WWII going to happen. This joke might have been funnier 70 years ago

No. The 602 is deffo dead. singer was in both. Drummer and I plan to move on together. Meeting some people next week.

I wholeheartedly agree Status offers incredible value, especially used. I have two fairly plain S2 Classics (both bolt-on, solid finish, no exotic woods) and I was able to get them for very fair prices. I traded a Stingray 5 for the 5-string, and bought the 4-string for €1300. I still need to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself that they're real and that I really own such amazing instruments. The 5-string is my main axe, and only gets less playtime at the moment because I'm having so much fun with my recently acquired shortscale. I wish Rob all the best, and really look forward to what the "semi" part in "semi-retirement" will bring. I'm also really curious if that new interpretation of the Barracuda is still going to see the light of day!

Tonight’s rig. Similar to before, but added a comp. Bass - tuner - SFX micro EQ - SFX micro Thumpinator - Effectrode LA1A - Sonic Farm 2DDI - Crest CA9 - 2x Bergantino HD212’s. Over the years I’ve said I’ve found ‘the tone’, but in true Bass Chat fashion, I’ll probably change around at some point

Another name for the list of people who still make graphite neck basses is Geoff Gould - original founder of Modulus. He has his own G.Gould brand now, and their stuff is very nice, if very much in the Modulus mould (no pun intended): https://www.ggould.com/home.html If anything, his website looks older than Status' one.

My mind is currently being boggled by this. Especially the bit at 2.15 when he picks up the bow, and the C7 (?) chord at 5.50.

Now...I'll readily admit that this is, perhaps, not the most elegant design I've ever come up with... ...but don't be too swayed by the fact that the headstock doesn't colour coordinate yet. Trust me - a coat of shell pink all over and I reckon @Happy Jack will be simply over the moon with it So - almost finished OK - conclusions The above represents a very heavy bridge at 1lb, battery placed at the back but basically all of the actual hardware weight accounted for in broadly the correct place. And the above (remember, the double thickness body blank means we have the full wood weight) is still within target at 6lbs 7oz And the balance point isn't crazily out of the norm - especially remembering that this is 35" scale On the strap - as suspected, it's going to be fine But, comparing the position of the lower waist apex to balance point of a bass I have here, I reckon I need to try to get that lower waist apex one further inch forward - if I can without spoiling the aesthetics. If the drawing just doesn't look right, then we have a decent fall back - and that is to keep the present design and actually ADD some ballast at the tail to end closer to 7lbs. I'm sure there are some challenges ahead, but I'm chuffed so far - it all looks pretty feasible.

Built up the Danish oil on the neck like varnish. You can do this but it takes an age to dry, sometimes months. Fortunately a week of 40C temps in the workshop have done the trick. Rubbed back with 0000 wire wool and T cut, then buffed and waxed. Lovely.

And so - next step is to cut out the double-the-final-thickness blanks and see if we are still in the weight target feasibility area. First the billet was cut in half and the broad areas pencilled in: And that gave me the thought for a cunning plan. Ref the final shape of the lower half in terms of the over the knee balance...well, I can physically simulate it. Leaving the lower blank uncut, I have cut the top half to shape - leaving a few areas over-size to give me the much-needed jiggle room: And so the cunning plan is, in terms of confirming the best position of the lower waist for over-the-knee playing: - the above half is double thickness and so is approximately the total weight (and approx weight distribution) of the full carved body, less the pickup and hardware. 2lbs 4 oz on the scale. - so I could strap the actual neck to this blank, complete with tuners, in the correct lengthways position - then I could tape some weights to the blank at the planned bridge and pickup positions - then see where the ACTUAL balance point is and judge if anything needs altering to the design of the lower blank before I cut it. What could possibly go wrong?

Probably because when it was done (I suspect in the 70s) it was just another run-of-the-mill, mass produced bass with no special value, and it's owner thought it might be improved by adding a P-pickup and switch. They may well have been right. Remember also that the sort of tools that anyone even thinking about dabbling in customising their guitar or bass would take for granted nowadays were both expensive and hard to come by. When I built my guitar in the late 70s almost everything was done using hand tools and a significant amount of my time was spent sharpening chisel and plane blades rather than shaping any wood. Also it's all hidden under the scratch plate so what's the problem? And finally no-one can tell how good an instrument is going to be simply from looking at some photos. Even without the very DIY modifications it might still be a dog to play and sound rubbish.

I suspect robs commitment to quality is going to be the main obstacle to him simply passing on the business to whoever wants to buy it,… to some people reputation is more valuable than cash and he might be unwilling to see the legacy of status tarnished in his absence ….I think wal did it right but there was some luck involved with having Paul willing and able to step up to the plate.

As a non technically inclined end user I have never really cared too much about the numbers. I understand their value to the marketing team but very early on in my career I discovered a Trace Elliot 130 watt combo was loud. Really loud and clear. Other amps with bigger numbers were not as loud. So I was lucky not to be seduced. I now gig with numbers varying from 50, 100, 200 and many in between up to 2000. The explanations above serve merely to muddy the waters even further for those like myself. That is not intended to deride the knowledge behind them, I simply can't grasp it.

I was fortunate enough to purchase my CW from Rob and Dawn in 2019. The service was great and the bass is sublime. I also owned a model from around 1990 which was again beautiful in every way. It’s sad to see the end of this particular era, but entirely understandable. I’d like to thank Rob for his wonderful instruments and wish him a speedy and complete recovery.

I built my own 2x12 and it is great! It weighs 18kg and has tiltback handle and recessed wheels as well as side handles. Drivers are Gallien Krueger Neo 12s @ 300w each. No crossover or horn (I always turn them off anyway). I made the outside dimensions the same as a Barefaced SuperTwin and the port size I just winged it. It handles a low B string perfectly, so I guess I lucked in. Material was 1/2" Oukume ply with Duratex coating. Since these pics I changed to Speakon connectors.

I loved the ad Dunlop produced for these

1. Increased processing power. 2. Bigger & touch screen.

I think the comments are well intentioned and orientated towards keeping his legacy going. I hope he feels some pride that people would like to see the brand continue.

Let the man be and give him some time to decide. Speculation mere minutes after the announcement is just tasteless. I would take Rob back at full health any day over a thousand more Status basses.

Here y'go

Ready for its first outing

I tried one... Complete disaster! Avoid! (IMO) If you want the best, fit a Yamahiko pickup. They've been around for +25yrs,completely bomb proof, superior tone, great arco sound and if you buy the one sensor version its only just a little more expensive than the Realist and Full Circle (that is based on the much better yamahiko)

I have Mustang PJ basses I like .I was pleased with the Squier Mustang bass I tried. Not only did it play well (at the store) but it sounded GOOD ! I am saving for a special run with a racing stripe at Chicago Music Exchange. It is a good store .

OK - I've managed to eke another inch forward without impacting on the visuals....I've judged best to stop here and cut the bottom blank out: So next steps are to glue up the two pieces and then the routing and carving can begin

Are there any professional counsellors on hand? I need help to recover from this mindscrew.

What a coincidence. I've been listening to, and trying to play, a ToeToe track (Rosanna...) on drums. Jeff Pocaro himself, so I'm very far from even a pale imitation, but it's fascinating to see just how splendidly talented that fellow was. I've a couple of decades before me to get some semblance of the hi-hat interplay with the snare ghost notes, after which I may try the bass drum, and maybe the snare rim shots. Wow..! What a player..! Respect; mucho mucho respect.

I'm in. Band jam on Wednesday & decided to try something to fit the pic. Drummer on drums, Guitarist on guitar, Pianist on clarinet & me on the Roli (intro sound) & bass. It was fun. I give you Hippo toe to toe at the hippodrome - Toe Toe Just updated, so it may not show until later. In the meantime, here's the link... https://soundcloud.com/feintmotions/hippo-toe-to-toe-at-the-hippodrome-toe-toe

There are a few things to think about when changing the strings, unlike a guitar, you cannot just remove all the strings as you risk the sound post falling over (same as with a violin). So you have to change one at a time. The new strings are coiled. You have to be careful handling them - you have to avoid putting a kink in the string as it will just snap at that point either as soon as you tune it up, or at some point later. Even if it doesn't snap, it will make the string sound 'false', i.e. it will not be in tune with itself - intonation will be off. I started the re-stringing at the bottom with string #6, the low G. This is a metal wound string with a gut core. The metal wounds strings have a loop, which simplifies matters. I used a pair of pliers to put a bend in the last few cm of the string to make it easier to get it into the tailpiece. You then carefully pull the string through then pass the end through the loop and tighten. It's not an issue with wire wound string, but with the plain gut ones, you have to be careful not to abrade the string on the hole in the tailpiece. Before going further, I use a soft 2B pencil to lubricate the bridge and nut string slots. The graphite in the pencil works quite well as a lubricant to stop the string catching. I can then pull the string through the loop and move onto the pain of winding it onto the peg...

Thanks @Paolo85, looks like I'm in the mood for German Power Metal this morning! 😆

As the billionaire said, when their spouse asked for a divorce for their birthday... "Heck, I wasn't thinking of spending that much money!"

After @Paolo85posted in another thread...

they did that though ....

It's only a one-watt fan, but it's a Trace Elliot Watt.

This just arrived... ...and some of these to go on it: The shipping box was pretty warm to the touch (it’s 37c here, it must have been scorchio in the back of the UPS truck) and the bass was noticeably warm once unpacked. First impressions? It’s light, well finished and it seems to be set up pretty well, the intonation is almost spot on. I’ll let it settle tonight and put the La Bellas on tomorrow before mucking around with string heights or anything. This will be maybe the sixth Mustang bass I’ve had, I just keep coming back to them. It’s unlikely I’ll gig with it (rarely play live nowadays) but I’m totally looking forward to recording with it, and noodling away to old ska records at home and all that.

How did I never hear of this great forum? I only joined this morning and I'm in the process of buying a bass I've been after for yonks. Result.

My new purchase, Jake 4P Custom “Jeff Ament” 😀 Superlight chambered mahogany body (3.27kg) Custom matt orange finish Reverse matching headstock Hard rock maple neck with carbon reinforcing rods for supreme stability Satin finished neck 42mm nut width Haeussel Bassbar 'Thunderbird-style' pickups Hipshot Ultralite machineheads Passive electronics (volume, volume, tone)