pineweasel

Very interesting post... my deko bass uke is languishing in the attic as I never got on with the strings. I’ll have to give them a go. It’s this set, is it? https://www.thomann.de/gb/pyramid_509.200_bass_ukulele_set.htm

Just a badly matched 3 piece body, common for Fenders of that era. Tidy bass otherwise and rare to find with the original case and bits and pieces.

The latest Fender American Pros have reverse audio pots, at last.

Ah, of course. That’s what I get for copying the caption.

Came across this picture of Onnie McIntyre and Alan Gorrie of AWB both on bass: I’m only really familiar with their hits. Does anyone know what track they might be playing?

New Fender left handers are fairly easy to find nowadays, especially if you are happy to mail order. If you want a Jazz there are Squier, Mexican or USA models depending on your budget. There’s only a USA Precision though. For a used one, you just need to keep an eye on this place, eBay, Gumtree etc. And go into all the music stores you come across on your travels just in case there’s a neglected lefty that you can make an offer on.

I find the fan noise of my TH500 too irritating for low volume practise.

Jim Stinnett’s Real Bass Lessons are worth a look

A MIDI keyboard like this just tells your software which notes you pressed, how hard, and when you released them. What happens then is up to the software. In GarageBand, you can select a Software Instrument for a track. Most, such as the pianos, organs etc. will simply produce all the notes you pressed, so to play a chord you play all the notes in the chord. But some of them - typically synth pads - will play a chord from a single keypress. Some play an arpeggiated chord. Some will play a repeating pattern. They're usually named descriptively. You can easily explore the different instruments without an external keyboard. In GarageBand, open the Window menu - Musical Typing, which maps your Mac keyboard onto a piano-like arrangement.

This baffled me for a while, and Sandberg don't really explain themselves with that statement, but I think their intention is that the vertical and lateral adjustments of the string are separated; the zero fret governs the height while the nut maintains string spacing. One could argue that it makes the setup simpler for the builder, but I can't see any benefit for the player.

Yes, that’s correct. That’s a tidy looking example of a rare and desirable bass.

Nice Sandberg California: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sandberg-California-TT-Left-handed-Bass/253514666309

I used to buy in bulk. A decent TDK C90 was about a quid, at a time when albums were a fiver, and you’d get an album on each side.

To be fair, flush-fret is a term used to describe fretless banjos, so that probably why he’s used it. I quite like these old Kramers, but they do weigh a ton.

That is poor. Have you tried searching by the part number (0075116000 I believe)? There seems to be one on Amazon at least.

Have you tried contacting Fender? They've replied promptly and helpfully on the occasions I've asked them something technical.

I assumed the input on pedals was on the RHS because the cable from your instrument is on your right.

Agreed, I use one in our rehearsal room and it always sounds good.

"Chromes" is the brand name for D'Addario's range of flatwound strings: http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=18&sid=bb654faa-90e8-4174-87c0-e84ba40ab08b

Ibanez Mikro is another option.

If you like the D’Addario EXL170 set then maybe the balanced tension set would work better? EXL170BT, 45-107. I like them on my Precision.

Keen starting price for this Stingray: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Musicman-Stingray-3EQ-Left-Handed-Active-Bass/263445003575

I use a Mono Bass Sleeve to carry my bass. The front pocket is cavernous and easily holds a few pedals, leads, strap and everything else I need.

Having had a nose around it seems you're right; ply body, mediocre hardware and pickups. Certainly overpriced.