neepheid

If Thomann lop as decent a chunk off the price as DHL have lopped off the bass, I'll keep it and fix it up. We're not exactly talking megabucks here. Honestly, glueing a few pieces of finish onto a bass is a lot less hassle (to me at least) than going through the arseache of packaging it up again (effin' properly this time so I don't get any blowback) and getting it to wherever DHL can lay their hands on it again.

Boxes were structurally fine (if a little grubby). I think this is a case of insufficent internal packaging - the bass was able to move around inside the box, so I think the box got dropped and the bass bashed against the inside of the box. This was all that was keeping it "tight" inside the inner box: Note the nick of the third cardboard retainer, looks bashed in to me. Foam bag was ripped too. Finish chip was rattling around inside the box.

Well, let's see what they say about it first. I doubt they'd want it back anyway - it was B-stock to start with, so they've already had it back once (or maybe it was ex-display?) and I don't think they'll be able to sell it again anyway if it was returned to them. Let's see if logic and common sense prevail, 'cos I'm doing them a favour by offering to keep it. I don't feel obliged to keep it - I just think because I've accounted for all the finish pieces that I can glue it back together and it's at the back so it wouldn't be too bothersome.

Aw man! I thought I was in luck - I snagged a B-stock Squier Jaguar H from Thomann. And then DHL got involved What a shame! The good news is that the damage is at the back, and I found the finish chip inside the box. So I've told Thomann that I'm willing to keep the bass if they lop some money off. Waiting to see what they have to say, having sent them all the many photos of bass and packaging that they asked for. Unfortunately, it's kinda in limbo land right now - I don't want to do anything until I hear back from Thomann about what they want to do. Had a quick play around with it and it seems nice and well put together. Pickup is a bit meh, so if I'm keeping it then this will probably get changed. I guess I'll update when I get their reply. Until then, here's a quick shot of the front, and my Sire D5 keeping it company while we wait.

This is shady AF. Most other vendors make it clear that you're buying a refurbed/B-stock/ex-display etc. item.

So, anyone want to tell us about a gig they have recently performed at?

I'm in. That weekend is clear for me and I have blocked it off in the band calendar.

Top to bottom: Volume/passive tone stack Blend High Mid/mid sweep stack Bass (pull for passive)

Lace Aluma P - punchy, sorta sounds "active" without being active, if you catch my drift.

A few months back, I bought a Gear4Music LA Select bass, mostly because I wanted to see how bad a £150 bass is these days, but also it had some interesting specs for a P bass: Bound body Roasted maple neck 21 frets instead of 20 Block markers. Mmm, blocks. So it arrived and honestly it wasn't utterly awful - on the whole it was pretty well screwed together. It fell down in three main areas - some ratty fret ends, comically bad tuners, iffy pickup. So I got to work with the remedial work - ground back the ratty, pokey fret ends. Fitted a set of Grover Minis that had been languishing in a spares box for years, waiting for this exact situation! Straight swap with the old ones, so a piece of cake. So, to the pickup. Now there's a tsunami of split P pickups out there. Conventional wisdom would have dictated that I stick a Tonerider or Warman in here and be done with it - great pickups at a price commensurate with its surroundings. But not me! I wanted to try something different/odd/unusual. After some research, I decided to give the Lace Aluma P a go. Because I'm quite, quite mad. Insert really boring story about how the pickup in this cheapy is not standard size, neither is the depth of the pickup route, lots of p!ssing about with different length screws (because the Lace Aluma P has low profile mounting lugs) and having to paint inside the route with matt black paint to hide/disguise the fact that it's bigger than the pickup. While I was mucking about, I added a Sire style 3 string retainer to replace the standard round style 2 string one. Anyway, I'm done now. I have a very giggable bass that sounds great for around £300.

John East knobs on a Sire Z7 (because I think the stock knobs are poop)

In fact, if anything, I'd be tempted to get an even simpler compressor, because it's all my low effort approach deserves. One of those optical compressors with a single knob - "right then guv, how much of what I call "compression" do you want?" I can live with that.

Sounds like some FOMO was creeping into your thought processes, and I'm glad it sounds like you've managed to rationalise it out. If it sounds good, then it is good, and you're the judge of that. Getting another compressor with more controls in order to learn compression better sounds like a noble endeavour though. I have a very simple 2 control ancient Yamaha compressor on my board which I just randomly acquired and it does the simple "smoothing things out" job well enough. Like you, I have thought about replacing it with something more fully featured (like say a Joyo Scylla because I'm a tightwad) but honestly I enjoy the lack of bother. I'm not entirely sure I want to know in full blown HD superdeluxe technicolor detail how it works - it's a "makes things betterer" pedal and I'm happy enough to black box it like that and move on. Each to their own though!

I thought it was just a one day thing yesterday, so I chucked my Epiphone Explorer up there. Sold (for the asking price) within hours, and only had one lowballer to kick into touch. We'll see if there are any shenanigans when it comes to getting the money out.

(presuming we're talking covers bands here, not originals) We play for 3 hours with a 10-15 mins break at half time. It works out at roughly 75 then 90 (in that the second set tends to be longer than the first, but there's a degree of wiggle room, could be 80/85)

It's quite a big chip - as long as you don't overdo the glue (as in not having glue squeezing out the sides - a small amount will do), and use tweezers or similar to put the chip back in place then it'll look ok - you'll still see the edges of the chip, of course. Practice dry fitting it first.

If it came off in a whole chip then I'd say yeah, superglue that bad boy back on. Then maybe eke out a bit more room in the pocket with some sandpaper perhaps...

I wouldn't fit long scale strings to a shortscale, especially flats or half rounds. You will end up having to bend the fattest part of the string round the tuner. I did this once with some flatwounds and the E string took great exception to this and delaminated itself, quickly and violently.

Almost the same - bridge, tailpiece and knobs have changed a little since the prototype, and I made some modifications to mine that made sense to me (the rotary series/single/parallel switch)

For science!

Bit of a severe reaction to an incorrectly wired output jack...

The more I think about this, the angrier I get. If Epiphone was a mate, you'd take them aside and try to talk some sense into them. £929, what the hell are they thinking? How much does it cost to produce a bolt on, single pickup bass these days? Different body shape - big whoop, it's CNC, just get 'em made - it's absolutely no different to any of your other models. I'd go so far as to say the different shaped headstock is the same deal - change the CNC program, how effing hard is that? They have seriously misread the room and are attempting to take people for mugs IMO. When you have market disruptors like Sire going about, producing instruments which I'm quite sure would kick this Grabber's arris in terms of fit, finish and features, at half the price - it's absolutely suicidal pricing. People aren't stupid - they're going to compare and contrast and if they've got half a brain will realise they're being taken for a ride. The Gibsonification of Epiphone is in full swing - I had hoped it wouldn't happen, but it looks like an unwise, premature, and very ham fisted attempt to move Epiphone "upmarket" is happening. It makes me sad. Angry, but ultimately, sad. There's no way in hell I'm buying this Grabber at £929, and because it's a signature bass, the G-3 will be more like £1200. I was so excited by this development when news first broke but Epiphone, you've broken me instead. I'm out.

Talk to us, plenty of old farts here to sympathise with you

Bit worrying that your tech can't figure this out.

You would have thought Gibson would insert wholly sensible course of action. Should be their motto.