JimBobTTD

warwickhunt - I thought that it was 12lb excluding too. The seller's first response was unclear: "This is a 12lb weight in package without case". But now I know better! Thanks too for your calculations. I'm starting to think that it will be fine. The only worry is that pickups, electronics, 9v battery and bridge will start to add up to a heavy bass...not to mention the fact that the seller is seemingly reluctant to reveal the true weight of the bass.

Yeah, they are both [b]nice[/b]. I think white looks great. I have three white guitars and two white basses, with a third possibly being added soon. I'd choose white over some poncey flame maple any day of the week (and twice on Sundays).

waynepunkdude - I can't see anything special about the strap in the picture. Or do you mean he now uses one of those "twin" strap thingies for the guitar he has on him in the picture?

On the topic of the original bass which prompted this thread: I've found out that it weighs 12lb [b]including [/b]packaging. But like most people I know (except Swedes), I have no real understanding of weights. How much would the packaging weigh? I have some spare guitar bodies and they are not heavy. But pop them on the scales and they weigh 1.75kg each! If 1kg = 2.2lb, then I could see the packaging weighing that much or even more, which means this bass could weigh as little as 8lb. I've asked the seller a couple of times for the weight of the bass itself, but I keep getting "it weighs 12lbs packed up". I think that she thinks I'm questioning her postage rate. Either that or she is being intentionally stupid.

I'm babbling a bit here, and I apologise. I asked how heavy you folks think is too heavy because I don't understand this stuff! Hand me a bass, and I couldn't tell you its weight.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='252120' date='Jul 31 2008, 04:51 PM']Got any pics to share??[/quote]

Yeah, but not of your back. Just pictures of your leg. (ho ho ho)

Bermp.

Any offers? It'll be put back up on Ebay soon.

I was looking for a backup bass, and thought about making one from parts. I found a great Japanese BC Rich copy which needed everything but body, neck and tuners. Well, it was great until, in discussions about postage, I found out it weighs 12lbs (5.5kg). I don't know how much two P pickups, a bridge and the electronics weigh, but they won't make the thing lighter!

I can't help but think that 12lbs+ is crushingly heavy...or am I mistaken?

Bump

Unless I can persuade my incredibly busy, lazy & mean-spirited brother to post it for me, yes.

Hello

Sometimes we all make mistakes. I know I did. I bid on this wireless system on Ebay UK without considering that it might not work in the country where I will be using it most (Sweden), and not in the other country I could end up using it (Norway). An email from A-T themselves tells me that:

[i]Sweden VHF is not available to use
Norway VHF is not available to use
Denmark All the VHF is available to use
Germany the VHF is available but for certain frequencies[/i]

Ho hum. No to worry. The original link to the Ebay auction is here: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140250770496&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=004[/url]

As you can see, I coughed up £50 for the system. The seller says that he only used it twice, and he told me he went out and bought a new fresh battery for it before posting it out to my UK address. I am going to be in the UK from 5th August for a week, so if you want to collect it, then would be a good time! I'll "test" it for you too (I want to play with it for a few minutes!!!). Postage cost me £8, so I assume it will be the same for me to post to you. And, so you don't make the same mistake I did, this is UK ONLY!!!

Price: somewhere close to £50 seems fair. They go for twice that on GAK etc. Feel free to make an offer!

Edit to add: I would be willing to swap this for some more mainstream pedals, like wah or distortion, or anything cool.

Further edit: make me an offer!

Here's another positive for APC. I called them up on a Thursday to arrange pickup on Monday, and the guy said that I'd be better off calling Monday morning AFTER I called the guy to make sure he had it with him - that's great customer service!

Bass plus hard case - "one stone 8" said the seller, which APC Cambridge calculated (correctly, it seems) to be 10kg.

All in all, Cambridge to London (just inside M25) - £14.10 plus 5% credit card booking fee, so not quite £15 then. It was picked up on Monday 21/7 and delivered Tuesday 22/7 in perfect condition. Thanks to Basschat for the recommendation, and thanks to APC for not a) screwing me over and b) smashing the bass.

"Chemical Warfare" by Slayer.

[quote name='solo4652' post='242533' date='Jul 18 2008, 12:27 PM']Has anybody out there dealt directly with Ishibashi recently? How do the customs charges get paid - by Ishibashi, or me? How does this work?[/quote]

I have. Customs charges are your responsibility - Royal Mail/Parecelforce/etc will kindly help you out with them, taking your money and handing it to C&E for you.

I ordered a Les Paul copy a couple of years ago, and it arrived very swiftly (3-5 days) and wrapped up in about 100 yards of bubblewrap. Seriously - I have a business of my own, and I am still using their bubblewrap for my own shipments. The guitar was in a box, which was in a box padded with bubblewrap, which was in a box padded with bubblewrap which was coated with bubblewrap 3 inches thick. It took me 35 minutes to unpack it all.

Not only did it arrive in totally perfect condition, it was perfectly intonated, set up and...get this...IN TUNE!

The first (and last) wedding party I played at was a few years ago. It was guitar (me) and bass (a mate) - no drums or vocals. The bride's idea was that we would play, the lyrics would be up on an overhead projector, and everyone would sing. Er, ok. She requested "Satisfaction" and "Personal Jesus". Yes, that old cheery tune which everyone loves. We rounded out our four tune small set with a blues jam and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)".

1. She left the lyric sheets behind.
2. Nobody sang, not even during "Satisfaction".
3. Almost everyone stood stone still.

Lessons learned:
1. Trust nobody.
2. No drums or vocals? What were you thinking?
3. Don't play "Personal Jesus".
4. People love "Voodoo Chile".

That's what I want to hear! Thanks, bassmasta. I'm keeping an eye out for that model, too.

Voilà.

[attachment=10705:Copy_of_..._Rig_004.jpg]

Interesting...I'll keep my eyes open for some of the higher numbered models on the bay (the 700s have posher pickups). Thanks for the replies!

I get it now. Nice, thanks. I'll look into getting one when I'm over. Thanks again!

The first bass I played was a Marlin P copy in pink which my guitar teacher had. Later on that year (1992), I bought my first bass - a 1977 Ibanez PJ in aluminium bacofoil, but through a couple of scratches you could see that it was creamy white. The young chap who had it before had written/impressed the names of his favourite bands on the bacofoil. A couple of years ago, I took off the bacofoil. I kept the M/F on the tuners, though, out of respect. I had to upgrade the pots and output jack. I still have and still play the bass.

[attachment=10684:Pics_060425b_017.jpg]

What I'd like to see is "Guitar Buyer" for bass, and perhaps "Guitar and Bass" with more than an afterthought of bass stuff in. But "Bass Buyer" would be the ultimate for me.

I would love to subscribe to a bass mag, but I'm yet to find one which isn't 80-85% boring. "Bass Guitar Magazine" was, I found in my trial subsciption, quite good but too thin, too dry and simply not good enough to continue buying.

Nice - thanks for the replies. CPC look good - and at a reasonably priced 69p a pop too.

Hello

I've hit a small snag while building my rack. I'm looking for those IEC male-female power cables, so I can use the power conditioner I have. The only ones I can find on Ebay are 2m, 5m etc...the rack is only going to be 6 or 8u...even at 2m, that's still about 1.5m of cable too much, times three or four...everything is heavy enough as it is. No need to lug around 6m of unused cable.

I know that Thomann sell them, but they look like they might be a bit short, and I wince at the idea of coughing up €10 for postage on three or four cables.

Do any of you know where I could go? I could make my own, but I see that as a last resort, to be honest, even though I'm quite handy with this kind of stuff. Any help appreciated!

Thanks for the reply, metalmickey. When you say that the pickups are MM equivalents, do you mean that MM pickups would fit without any need for surgery?

This is all probably moot...I'm quite taken with the idea of one, and at 200 quid I could pick one up when I'm in London next month, take it back here and sell it second hand for the same price if I don't like it. They cost twice as much new here, but I haven't had a chance to find one yet.

"The 350 I tried had such a growl to it" - that is [b][u]precisely [/u][/b]the sound I'm looking for!

Hi

I'm looking for a good quality inexpensive bass which I don't need to worry about as much as my older Ibanez or my Fender JB Special. I tried an older Ibanez SRX400 bass - I liked the feel, but I couldn't get on with the scratchplate and colour. The [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page2008.php?area_id=3&data_id=632&color=CL01&year=2008&cat_id=2&series_id=34"]SRX350[/url] has an ash body and at a hair over £200 looks VERY tempting. But I'm worried about the pickups - some online research tells me they are good for heavy metal (which is what I'm playing right now), but I am worried about being able to replace them if I tire of their reported one-dimensional sound. Are these a unique design? I don't see any possible replacements in Seymour Duncan's line, nor (horror!) EMG. The ridge on the Ibby pickups really is perfect for resting your thumb on - surely some other pickup maker has realised this and makes a replacement?

Any other thoughts about them? I'm giving some serious consideration to picking one up when I'm over in London next month, so if you have any reservations about them, let me know!

I have one. I only got it the other day with a 1x15 cab. I haven't been able to crank it up yet (nor will I for a month or two) but it sounds quite reasonable at low volumes. The guy in the shop tells me that the cabs sound fantastic, and as we have a good relationship, I know he isn't pulling a fast one.

They are heavy, but solid. They are too large physically for one person to carry, but get a mate to help and then the weight isn't such a problem either. They are still a pain to carry up stairs, though. When the time comes to take them to the reheasal space, I'll certainly enlist the help of the guitarist.

Here's a nice bit of info for you: I've only ever played through Trace Elliot cabs. I've always thought that they sounded great!

[quote name='kneal6' post='79736' date='Oct 26 2007, 12:32 PM']Are you sure it doesn't just need setting up? Most cheap basses come from the factory with very high action, the important thing is if it's [i]capable[/i] of playing better. If it's just the height of the strings that's a problem then you need to tighten the truss rod and probably adjust the bridge as well.

Here's an easy way to test it: fret the E string on the first and last frets, then look at the gap between the string and the fret at about the 9th fret. It should be no more than the thickness of a credit card. If it is, you could benefit greatly from a proper setup.

Let us know how you get on...[/quote]

Sorry for the late response...

Thanks, Kneal, but the frets have been put in incorrectly. It's a manufacturing defect, nothing to do with setup. The gaps I mentioned above are not string to fret, but [i]fret [/i]to fret.

Anyway, communications between the seller and myself have broken down, and I have been forced to open a dispute. I'll end up with a refund and the bass, which is no bad thing. I'll take out the frets, cut the slots correctly and refret with a larger wire. I might even put in a Jazz pickup by the bridge too, and, cavity spacing permitting, have it on a separate volume/tone circuit. I'm even tempted to take off the fingerboard and replace with ebony. Hooray!