neepheid

[quote name='basskit_case' post='1282100' date='Jun 25 2011, 01:22 PM']It is possible to get valid insurance if the bass is in a hard case though isn't it?[/quote] Not with ParcelForce it isn't.

[quote name='Jabba_the_gut' post='1281527' date='Jun 24 2011, 09:08 PM']Yet again a well known parcel company manages to let me down. Give them a parcel for a fellow basschatter yesterday morning first thing on a 24 hour service - check the tracker 36 hours later and the parcel is only just showing as having left my local depot. Useless. Last time they had anything of mine was a bass they managed to dent they wouldn't cough up even though it was fully insured (after a couple of months of contacting them). Aaagggghhh! Just needed to vent.......[/quote] They won't pay out even if you pay for the insurance - musical instruments are explicitly excluded from enhanced compensation. Do yourself a favour and boycott ParcelForce - they are absolutely no use to you, the insurance mis-selling gits.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1280945' date='Jun 24 2011, 01:23 PM']This isn't a recent thing.[/quote] I didn't say it was. I said that those basses in particular have been around long enough to have several distinct periods in time in which they were anecdotally regarded as "good" and "not so good".

It helps that none of my (older) basses were made for production runs long enough to debate the relative merits of different eras of manufacture Gibson G-3 : 1975-1985 (10 years, and last 5 years were sporadic production) Gibson Victory Artist : 1981-1986 (5 years) Gibson IV : 1987-1989 (2 years) Guild B401-A : 1980-1981 (2 years) "My 1980 B401-A is so much better than your 1981" - a ridiculous assertion! Is this just a Fender thing (and to a lesser degree Musicman) simply because of the length of time that the basses have been manufactured? Fender Precision : 1951-present (60 years) Fender Jazz : 1960-present (51 years) Musicman Stingray : 1976-present (35 years) These would be the main three longest serving war horses I guess?

That's looking great. I've said that there's only one place one can go after surf green, and that's shell pink I even did a wee shell pink mockup when I was deciding on the colour to refinish my Victory: Kinda glad I went with the gold in the end, shell pink looks great on Fenders, but not so much on things that were never shell pink in their lives.

Indeed - serial number BD100313 makes it 1981 according to [url="http://support.guildguitars.com/downloads/datingyourguild.pdf"]this[/url]. It was a 50/50 shot anyway, they were only made in 1980 and 1981 it would seem...

The vital question is - did you let the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke"]magic smoke[/url] out?

[quote name='Hutton' post='1278624' date='Jun 22 2011, 03:29 PM']Congratulations Matt that Guild looks superb. Also nice to see my old Gibson sneaking in to the side of one of your photos.[/quote] Thanks, yeah I've recently joined a band so the IV was taken to work for some lunchtime practising

[quote name='clauster' post='1278474' date='Jun 22 2011, 01:19 PM']That is beautiful. What's the story with the thing where the strap button would normally be?[/quote] Never seen one before, it's a doubled over leather strip which is firmly secured to the bass at one side with a strap button very firmly set into it on the other which the actual strap fits over then the remainder of the strip fits over the top of it like another strap? Perhaps some kind of early straplock? I guess it's a similar idea to the doubled over end of a Comfort Strapp. Seems to work OK, but if it doesn't work out then I'll revert to a regular button.

I have basses with 20 frets (G-3), 21 frets (L-2000), 22 frets (IV, Les Paul, B402-A) and 22-24 frets (Victory - 22 on E, 23 on A, 24 on D and G). I'm so rarely up there that frankly I haven't noticed. But I do think that 20 frets was a mistake (I reckon Leo thought so too, or else MMs and G&Ls would have been 20 fret too), it just makes logical sense to me to give you the octave note so the range of the (4 string) bass is E to E instead of Eb.

The Guild B series basses have intrigued me for some time, I love the quirky shape and the traditional touches like set necks and 2+2 headstocks. However, having only been familiar with the B301/B302 (in mahogany or ash), I let it slide on the basis that I didn't really need another 20 fret passive bass with single coil pickups. Got that covered with the G-3. That was fine until I found out about the B400 series. 22 fret, active/passive anyone? Oh damn, that's the reason not to get one blown apart and that's the sound of GAS escaping. I decided I had to have one of these. One wee problem - only 335 ever made, and that's total output of B401 (single pickup) and B402 (two pickups). I think I had only seen one online years ago, and I didn't know what it was so I didn't find out anything about them at that time. What do you know? Pretty soon after I embark on this mission - one dutifully appears on eBay in the States. I hum and haw for a day or so ("Do I really need this?" - the usual moment of doubt before pulling the trigger) then I say sod it, click! Well, it's here and I think it's bloody nice! I haven't had a chance to do nice photos, so here's a mix of photos from the auction and a couple of crappy phone camera ones: I've only played it through my Tascam bass trainer into a computer subwoofer, but even then it sounds really nice - bright, but substantial, decent amount of adjustment in the EQ, series/parallel switch and emergency passive mode (no EQ unfortunately) Better photos soon (it still needs a bit of a clean up and a set up), but suffice to say that I'm really pleased with it. Another one to add to the collection of under-appreciated American basses of the 70s and 80s

All three should be fine basses (probably the top three in this price bracket) and I don't think you'll be disappointed with any of them. I am not ashamed to express my slight bias towards the G&L (I have a Tribute L-2000). Stingrays are fine instruments whatever their country of origin and well screwed together, well respected pieces of kit (I've had a shottie of a couple). I haven't had a go of the Lakland so I can't help you there. +1 for looking at the second hand market - you'll find a lot of options at that budget and pick up stuff that would be beyond you at new prices.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1277877' date='Jun 21 2011, 10:51 PM'] I believe the Gibby chokes are to kill the "pop" when swicthing modes though.[/quote] Have to quibble with you there my man - the choke is connected to a particular position on the varitone on an EB-3 (either 1 or 4 depending on the age). It is connected to the mid range control of a Ripper. It is connected to the (passive) bass control on a Victory Artist/Custom. It is not there as a buffer, it is a tone shaping device. [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/EB3_schematic.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/EB3_schematic.php[/url] [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/ripperSchematic.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/ripperSchematic.php[/url] [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Victory_customschematic.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Vict...omschematic.php[/url] [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Victory_artistschematic.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Vict...stschematic.php[/url]

[quote name='icastle' post='1277743' date='Jun 21 2011, 09:00 PM']If adding a cheap little component like a choke was going to make such a huge difference then everyone and their dog would have done this years ago.[/quote] Gibson fitted chokes to basses for years. That's probably why no-one else did it then

Why, you need a flux capacitor, of course Sorry, couldn't resist it.

So, did we come to the conclusion that a Les Paul bass is a single cut? I like the Les Paul, but I'm not keen on the "boutique" single cuts out there. Even the curviest ones look bloated and top heavy (visually). They may be the most balanced thing on a strap, but they look totally out of step visually. If you like 'em then good for you and if you're lucky enough to own one then play the hell out of it wherever and however you like. They're just not for me.

[quote name='YouMa' post='1273951' date='Jun 18 2011, 05:52 PM']Thinking about getting one of these seem a great deal of bang for your buck,anyone know if i can get a decent stingray tone out of them,cheers [/quote] Yes, they represent a lot of bang for your buck, especially second hand. Mine's definitely a keeper. No, they do not sound like a Stingray. They sound like a G&L. It's been said before, but I guess I'll keep saying it whenever the question is raised.

I'm usually too nervous/focussed to remember to pee, too busy trying to remember the songs

I feel quite lucky reading some of this. We're in the end of a terrace, so no-one to one side. We have a converted roofspace so the only thing directly below the bedroom/music playing area is ... us. To the other side there is a wall, a stairwell and another wall before hitting neighbours. As long as we keep the door shut, we've had no complaints. We've asked neighbours before if they get annoyed by my wife giving singing lessons, me receiving bass lessons or occasional acoustic get-togethers with the piano but no-one has said it's been a problem. Or put more simply: We're the one in blue. X marks the spot