Matt P

I found the cheap Harley Benton Junior very reliable, i got round the (fixed) euro plug issue by cutting it off and fitting an IEC C14 plug to it instead to fit a standard "kettle" power cable, something i always have a spare or tow of in my gig bag, as a bonus it also extends the power cable making for easier pedalboard placement on stage. the only reason i stopped using mine is that i needed more current than it could provide. I've also used the Palmer version which is near identical but has a removeable power cable. I'm now using a Fame dc junior psu which has so far been excellent and offers 5x500mA isolated outputs. Matt

Cog effects are UK based, - https://www.cogeffects.co.uk/ I have a dual Knightfall on my pedalboard and it's a great pedal. I'll be following as i quite fancy a new fuzz pedal for my board, it would need to be pretty small though to squeeze it in Matt

i'd suggest a bit of a trawl through the classifieds on here, there are always pickups for sale (usually at great prices too) it would be worth double checking exactly which pickups you have (and which preamp) that will make it easier to get some comparisons with other options. swapping out the preamp (or converting to passive) might also be worth trying as it might not be the pickups you don't like. as it is a lefty which gives you a smaller range of available basses i'd suggest that different pickups might be the answer, and if you go for secondhand ones then you shouldn't lose much money if you don't get it right first time. Matt

I bought a Di box from Patrick, it was delivered very quickly and very safely packaged, great communication too. Deal with confidence. Thank you Matt

Well it seems that I didn't manage to get exactly the same pot, these have shorter legs than the ones fitted, nothing a pair of cutters, some flux and some solder can't fix though. I'm really liking the new knobs as well, different colours for input, tone and output.

I generally opt for Hiscox as a first choice, currently have 11 of them for various guitars and basses. Hiscox are having supply issues at the moment as there is a shortage of the raw materials they use to make the cases but they are fairly easy to find secondhand for about 50 to 60 quid (i have bought them for as little as 30 quid in the past) most bass cases are fairly generic inside so will fit a wide range of basses, some companies supply movable pads to adjust the fit, I believe that hiscox will if you ask. Matt

I'm not sure how much use this is going to be for people as these Di boxes are no longer listed on studiospares website (and no sign of an alternative either) I bought @jezzaboy's Di box (as seen above) for the cost of postage alone and i thought i'd show the internals in case anyone was interested. the internals are actually pretty good, it's all through hole components, the few chips used are all Texas instruments branded and it looks like replacing the broken pot should be a 10 minute job (a replacement pot is about £1.50) to me it looks like it was designed to be easy to repair. There might be space on the rear panel to add in another power jack with centre negative polarity, it would need to be isolated but that's easy enough to do. i'll probably swap out the knobs as well as the replacement pot is solid shaft so the current knobs won't fit. I would have been nice if this was a smaller unit but that would make it considerably harder to repair if anything went wrong. matt

just bought a Di pedal from @jezzaboy and the whole deal was a pleasure, great communication, incredibly fast posting and it was very safely packaged. thank you Matt

LIne6 G50 user here, i had a G30 previously but upgraded a couple of years ago, never had an issue with either system, I quite like that it used AA batteries, i much prefer using separate rechargeable batteries rather than a built in rechargeable one (i use Panasonic rechargeable batteries and always keep a set of Good quality Alkalines as a last resort backup) Matt

I bought a Nordstrand Pickup form Adam, a perfect transaction in all respects, great communication and it arrived siuper quick and carefully packaged Thankyou @Dolando

I use a different rule, S-1 is the correct number, where S is the number that would impact my lifestyle in an adverse way (serious trouble with my wife/ not being able to move from room to room or missing a bill or mortgage payment.) i think at the moment i'm well under that amount but as i'm not gigging that works for me. Matt

is this Newcastle upon tyne? if so then Paging @wateroftyne @warwickhunt @cd_david Not that any play in this kind of band but they are local and have lots of connections so might be able to suggest a suitable band. actually one has popped into my head, The Baldy Holly Band, i've not heard them myself but a friend of mine has depped with them a few times and he is a very discerning musician so they must be pretty good. Matt

60/40 for me too, i have a reel of 1.2mm and a reel of 0.7mm for finer work. i have some of the silver stuff too but don't use it often. Matt

following! is the nut really 38mm? that seems super narrow for a 5 string, (guessing that's a typo and it's really 48mm?) Matt

I used a line 6 G30 for a few years and never had any issues with it, I briefly tried a Smooth hound on loan from a friend and just didn't get on with it, I'm now running a G50 and would happily buy another. the extra channels and metal body of the transmitter are a worthwhile step up from the G30, the only tiny gripe is the use of a tiny xlr for the input as they are very fiddly to solder (i make my own cables) I run mine with rechargeable Panasonic batteries and just swap in a fresh pair before the gig. Matt

I can't help you on the price but the colour of the logo seems to be a good starting point, if it is black then the body is ply. Squier Guitars Serial Number Decoder - GuitarInsite I've played a few of these and generally they've been pretty good, the guitarist in my band uses a Korean telecaster and it sounds and plays as well as my Mexican Tele. Matt

seems like a strange combination of parts, i think the fact that the fret slots are way out of line with the actual notes would throw me, but i'm now wondering what i could build with the neck of my Stagg EUB and a cheap bass drum! Did anyone look at the youtube link? it doesn't actually sound bad! Matt

the Retrovibe 30" necks that they sell to make short scale basses from guitar bodies (mostly telecaster but a few strats as well) are set up to use a 18mm spaced bridge , so that might be a possibility for a 24.75 scale as well, they don't require modification of the neck pocket so that is encouraging. Retrovibe sell a modified Wilkinson bridge that is set to 18mm as well, if you want a cheaper 18mm spaced bridge then i might have one in my drawer that i'm not going to use. Retrovibe 18mm spacing bass bridge For strings i'd look at either the ones they sell for the ibanez mikro or possibly investigate some of the strings made for other short scales like the shortbass one or some of the bass uke metal string options, failing that just have a word with Newtone and have some made to suit. Matt

i'm pretty sure that the B on my new 5 string is tapered, I believe they're La bella flats, I will double check this evening. the only caveat is that it is a short scale so the long scale strings may be different. Matt

if it's just to make it more saleable then i'd go for the D'addario (i'm guessing these are the cheapest option?), any buyer that has preferences will be looking to change the strings anyway to their preferred ones and for those that don't have any preference all they'll see is that it has fresh strings. To me it sounds like Mr Shopman is just trying to upsell you some expensive strings that you'll never get to enjoy yourself, if it were my bass i'd probably fit some cheap stainless strings to it myself (most likely would have done this before taking it to the shop so i could keep the flats for another bass). i did use DR's for quite a few years back on my first bass ( Yamaha RBX765) always the Fat beams, they really worked with that bass. Matt