lozbass

I'll be there again - excellent last year - a much better venue than hitherto. Will uncle Bernie be playing very loudly again among the trade stands for 6-8 hours? An unexpected treat. There are some excellent and reasonably priced bars in the area - there's a particularly good Czech bar about 100 metres away (out of the main doors of RNCM, and walk down to your left).

It's good to see a Ripper on here - massively underrated in my opinion. I bought mine after hearing Patrick Djivas ('that how you spell it?) of PFM - it was incredibly well-played in for just a few years old in '79. I spent much of the '80s having it rodded - that's what we did back then. If I can find the camera...

I know the guy from whom you're buying this - one of the most friendly and honest people I've had the pleasure of dealing with. If he says its as new, I'd wager that it is. I saw the auction and was tempted - you have an incredible bargain.

[quote name='jamesf' post='290245' date='Sep 23 2008, 07:00 PM']I'd personally love a singlecut design, but would worry about the weight of it - anyone know if this is an issue?[/quote] I had a Sei Singlecut 6 (series 1) and weight was definitely not an issue - the bass weighs around 9lbs and is beautifully balanced for playing both stood and seated. I'm a big fan of singlecuts and for me, Sei (series 1s) are the most elegant and beautifully constructed (the sculpting of the heel and carving of the face into the neck and body is exquisite)

As with 4000, I'm a big fan of the Sei shapes (especially the Flamboyant) and some of the Alembic shapes (especially Series) - for me the Omega and Heart Omega are just gorgeous, particularly so with the extended stringer - very elegant

I have endless fun on a Danelectro Longhorn (re-issue) - fast, easy, low action and ultra-low string tension. I even string it with D'Addario baritone strings (e, a, g and c from the set)

I'd certainly try a Status S2 - they do have a characteristic Status sound but they're extremely versatile, incredibly fast and very well balanced. I have an old Series II that was my main gigging bass for years - I used it in everything from rock, soul/funk, pop through to functions bands - it really can do anything (with aplomb) and is extremely reliable.

That looks gorgeous...I'm just popping out for a couple of tee shirts love...

I've been thinking about scale length, string spacing, action, string tension and neck width and neck profile a lot recently (I'm playing mainly shortscale now). I'm of average height (5'9"), have long arms (I'm possibly not as evolved as many contemporaries), and reasonably long fingers. I find that I'm significantly more comfortable on short-scale instruments with very narrow and fairly to very shallow necks. The more I think about it and the more basses I play, the whole selection issue seems to be down to personal taste, technique and playing style. My advice would be to try a lot of basses and find the one (or some) that suit(s) your preferences and requirements with respect to comfort. I'd agree with other posters that string spacing (and other factors - tension, action, profile etc.) can be at least as important as scale length. Experimentation is probably the optimum solution - it's also fun, especially if you have access to a lot of music stores. If you don't have such access, it's probably a good idea to invest in a train ticket - investing a few quid in a ticket and time in finding something that you feel comfortable with could save you a lot of money in the medium to longer term.

"If it was a singlecut that's my Sei." I don't want to hijack the thread, but it was a 'melted' singlecut 33" scale - 4000 if that's yours, I'm really envious - it's absolutely gorgeous! I was very close to buying myself but was looking for something shorter. Back on track - as others have said, I think Andy (Wizzard) will wind to your spec. This isn't cheap but it's not too expensive either. The Wizzards in the Sei Jazz are a custom wind but I don't know what was specced when they were commissioned (the bass has had a few owners and I didn't fit the Wizzards). To me the pickups sound very even across the range (B-G), open and articulate - they're also very full and clean (the ciruit is a Bartolinin 9v - this obviously has a major impact but the pickups sound great with the bass in passive).

A Ripper was my first 'expensive' bass (around '79) - it had been well used since birth (about '74) thus was extensively rodded/re-finished (by Ted Lee) in the 80s and I still have it now. It is absolutely gorgeous - there's something about these that I find really cool. Mine lost its original sound (bo**ox) in the rodding process, but still sounds amazing (if different). I hope you enjoy this - they're massively underrated instruments in my opinion and most play amazingly well. Any idea what the bridge pickup is (it doesn't look original) - also, it appears that the four way chicken head selector switch is missing (does that explain the toggle switches)? Enjoy the Ripper - a forgotten (nearly) classic!

I haven't used Bare Knuckle pickups (other than in a Sei I tried at the Gallery...err, uplugged) but I have Wizards in a Sei Jazz - I've been extremely impressed: you may wish to consider them as an alternative to the BKs.

Thanks for the above BigRedX - very intriguing!

I've been involved in a number of deals with US sellers (and buyers) - I think Crazykiwi is right, expect to pay around 22% on top of the purchase price for musical equipment (17.5% VAT and around 4% import duty). There may also be a handling charge applied though this is usually fairly minor. The VAT will be applied to the total cost so will include the value of the item plus packing and carriage charges. I have experienced no problems whatsoever with some reasonably high value transactions. Be careful though - it's important to check-out a seller's record thoroughly when they're located in the UK (feedback, address, fixed-line number, google for web appearances etc.) and this applies even moreso for overseas sellers: if the seller is genuine, they shouldn't be too shy about passing-on identification details and will probably request some degree of reciprocation. So...I'd have no problem with buying or selling in Europe or the US, just proceed with caution and don't allow yourself to get carried away by an apparent bargain. [quote name='Stag' post='253170' date='Aug 2 2008, 10:09 AM']I assume everyone has had no problems with shipping from America... do I need to hear any horror stories first? (eek!)[/quote]