neepheid

Now see, I quite like this but I would get an all-in-one pickguard made to replace all those chrome switch plates. I don't like too much pointless bling on a bass. It's maybe not so bad with the white guard.

A 4SSS is on my bass bucket list, but I do have a history of weird shapes and triple pickup basses

It was no bad - they had a wee raised area for the band and a not bad wee PA thing (one of those tall thin type speakers). We didn't have a huge amount of folk there but those who were there danced around twice as hard to make up for it They had a bit of a setback this year when there was a fire in the place (faulty fridge I think I read somewhere). I don't know how that has affected Zee's plans for world (or at least Stonehaven) domination Pay wasn't great for us either, but we're used to getting crap/non-existent/exposure pay being an originals band - we offered to do it for a nominal sum to help him get the ball rolling but he ended up giving us a bit extra than what we asked, so that was nice. Nice guy, enthusiastic, I hope putting on bands works out for him.

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1477028082' post='3159300'] Our guitar man couldn't do band practice yesterday. So with Bass, Keys, Sax, Drums and vox we sounded lovely - well i thought so. I could actually hear what Mr Keys was doing plus bass sounded great in a bit more space. Excellent, happy to do more without guitar. [/quote] We've been gigging and recording in a similar config (as above plus trombone) without guitar for years. We're not anti-guitar, that's just how it happened

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1476444304' post='3154349'] If you're unsure as to whether you need a Precision, I've made this handy flowchart to help. You're welcome. [/quote] I'm getting dizzy.

Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V

No, you don't /need/ a P bass. Contrary to common belief, it is feasible to be a bass player and not own a P bass If you /want/ one, go for it.

Already been discussed, and it looks like Strings and Things won't give you much trouble about it: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/291856-hercules-stands-with-sticky-grip/

I play originals so I just do what I do, there is no tone to replicate

Fenderbird type instruments aren't really my thing, but it's nice to see the old 'Bird's place in history being nodded to once again. Looks like a good deal for the money, some of the flavour of the NR Thunderbird of old has been captured (including the (IMHO) daft jack socket position between the pots ), top horns look right, pickguard looks good too (and I know what people are saying about the guard being shaped for a bridge pickup which isn't there - but Gibson did exactly this back in the day - they used the same guard regardless of whether or not it was going on a Thunderbird II (single pickup) or IV (dual pickup). What bugs me about it (and it took me a minute to work it out) is how cut across the bottom it is - it's almost a straight line, and it looks downright weird to me, like someone took a saw to it. It is probably the literal reversal of the Reverse design body, which makes logical sense but the bottom (bridge) end of the Non-Reverse body is much more rounded than that. Whether this is was intentional as a weight relief measure or just to give it its own distinctiveness (by becoming a hybrid of the top of an NR Thunderbird and the bottom of one of those Greco NRs (which was pretty much a Reverse body, reversed - or an upside down lefty with the right handed controls), or an error in communicating body shape/dimensions is not for me to say, but it spoils it a little for me, as a former owner of an actual NR Thunderbird (albeit the modern, this century reissue).

I'm with you on the lipstick pickup: It was a GFS strat bridge (8K) one. It was quite a few years ago, so I don't remember where I got it from or where I got the black pickguard, sorry. I also fitted full size tuners and the Squier Musicmaster 4 saddle bridge - if I remember correctly the mounting screws aren't in the same place as the 2 saddle bridge, needed filling and redrilling a couple of them. It's also designed for string through only, so first of all I drilled holes in the back of the plate to allow top loading strings and eventually modded the body to allow the through body stringing. Then I sold it, because I was even more fickle then than I am now

Being geographically challenged (here in the actual north, not flamin' Newcastle, call that "north"? ) I don't have a lot of choice other than courier basses and stuff to people, because that's where most of the people buying stuff are. Damn right you should all come up to Aberdeen and pick up stuff in person to make my life easier, but that just isn't going to happen The main bugger of it all is that it limits my choice of stuff sometimes because my willingness to post is not reciprocated by people who can't/won't post for whatever reason. Yeah, yeah, boo hoo, suck it up, I chose to live up here etc. etc. And if you think I'm wasting a day going to Glasgow/Edinburgh to maybe buy something - you're sorely mistaken. The £40 of fuel is just the start - what about time? I don't have the luxury of having fantastically stocked bass emporiums within a handy distance, so I deal at distance. If I don't like it, new stuff is covered by distance selling regs, second hand stuff just gets tossed back into the market. I have learned to set up basses to my liking by myself so I don't need any help or after care from the retailer unless the item is actually faulty.

I think one of mine has the sticky syndrome - nice to hear they're stepping up and not shirking it.

Have done it before with people I have decided are trustworthy. Randoms can do one.

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1475430021' post='3145849'] I keep on coming back to these. They're not that bad you know - I'd have one. [/quote] Maybe they're doing something right - they don't need has-beens like me who still wish it was the 70s or 80s and hanker after RDs and Rippers, as we're clearly in the minority anyway and have been so for some time now. I am as obsolete as the basses I own and desire

[quote name='BassApprentice' timestamp='1475272056' post='3144712'] How long ago was this? Also which guitar shop? I'm in the market for a 5 string G&L and would be great to try one before hand! Didn't think many places in Scotland would carry G&L [/quote] Wal not for sale in the window? Sounds like Ayr Guitar to me. Kenny's in Glasgow has been known to have Tributes (I got my Tribute SB-2 there).

I thought I'd preempt the barrage of abuse Gibson appear to be trying again to make basses. Once again, they have not seen fit to come up with anything resembling a model name, it's the 2017 New EB bass. Available in 4 and 5 string varieties (and lefties, I read somewhere), in the oh-so-exciting choice of natural or vintage sunburst. Set neck, swamp ash/maple/rosewood, EB humbuckers, blah blah blah Here are some pics before you die of boredom: Me personally, I'm finding it difficult to get excited about it. They look to me like most other generic "modern" styled basses (save for the headstock, which appears to be carried across from the NR Thunderbird) and they appear not to have implemented the coil split this time which was one of the things that made the EB (2013-14) interesting. Keen pricing for a USA made bass, I guess (with caveats - unfilled ash "satin" finish (which I can't say I'm a fan of) and gig bag, not hard case), but I think I'd rather set fire to £400 than buy one of these new - it'll be more spectacular and have a similar monetary effect. So I'm still looking for that post 1973 basket-case EB-3L to restore then (or another G-3, I miss mine), because I just don't care enough about this one to bother, it just doesn't grab me. It's just not very Gibson-y. Yes it has a set neck and a Gibson-y headstock but from the head down, it's just ... OK. Just OK is never a word I would use to describe the Gibson basses of the past - there's always been something distinctive, noteworthy or downright bonkers about them - from the Moog electronics in an RD Artist to the three layer body sandwich of a Money/latter Les Paul Double Cut to the sidewinder pickups and passive mid control of a Ripper to the distinctive body shape of any Thunderbird. I suppose I'm expected to be grateful they're making any basses at all. Trouble is it's starting to feel like giving them a medal for remembering to breathe. OK Basschat, I'm done, I just remembered to breathe in time, go me! Over to you. Send medals.

Not had the pleasure of trying one of these high end BBs, but I have owned a BB300, BB350F, BB450 and BB614. Still got the 350F. All great basses, all had a good sound and ergonomics. At some point I'd like to get an older neck thru BB. The one I fancy is the BB1200s - don't really care about bridge pickups that much

Funny G&L story - was sound checking at a gig recently with my Tribute SB-2. Sound guy asks for bass and bloomin well gets it - "is that an active bass?" he asks in a slightly confused voice. That made me smile as I told him it wasn't Not always unknown either. Was setting up for a gig a while back (again it was the SB-2) and the sound guy was on stage too wrestling with cables. He sees my bass and says to me "Ahh, a G&L - the thinking man's Fender" - made me chuckle!

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1474705158' post='3139919'] I don't think Ed Roman's famous rant about G&L build quality helped their reputation much. "I hereby rescind any positive recommendations I have made regarding G&L instruments. I hereby will no longer recommend the G&L product to my customers. And I will buy back any G&L guitar that was purchased from me within a two year period for full price paid" He was always something of a maverick but was one of the biggest names in US guitar retailing and offering to buy back any G&L he'd sold was a pretty big knock. I must admit that we tried stocking them for a while at BassGear and they were very slow moving so we delisted them. [/quote] Sounds like a blowhard with a chip on his shoulder to me. The truth usually lies somewhere between the extremes of this guy on one side and slavish fanbois who will stomp on you (in the Internet words sense) if you dare say anything negative about the motherbrand on the other - EBMM forum springs to mind

Hmm, nearly always had a G&L in the stable. First a Tribute L-2000, then at various times a Tribute M-2000, an El Toro, and currently have a Tribute SB-2. Trips to Glasgow can be expensive sometimes when you discover that the Tribute SB-2 is available in white and that the neck isn't as super skinny as you suspected They're our secret. The Fight Club of basses, sorry for breaking the first two rules there!

That really is bad, especially from someone who charges money for such things. I'm a complete amateur and I managed to fit a battery box to my Yamaha SBV500 without butchering the thing. My battery box screwed into the bottom of the hole though - maybe one like I used might rectify the situation?

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1473848738' post='3133517'] Yet you have posted TWICE in the thread! That's a new level of apathy... [/quote] Have a third post - I may not have any strong feelings about the question in the poll, but I've always got time for you

Can we have an "I don't care" option instead?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1473799610' post='3133290'] My introduction to bass was via an Avon SG copy bass of some sort, it was awful (imo ) ok it was a copy but I've found the things I disliked the most about it were all present on the real ones, I bought a Peavey Foundation in 1993 and it was a revelation and my playing improved hugely,I've never looked back. [/quote] Sounds grim to be sure. I think we're lucky in this day and age that all but the most comically inexpensive basses are more often than not, well built, reliable and playable instruments.