lowregisterhead

I'm happy to report (?) that I went to Edinburgh, managed to resist the temptation, and returned empty-handed... only 'cos I don't really do fretless!

I'm no expert, but they seem to have been slowly increasing in value over the last few years. For that money I would have liked it to be in better cosmetic condition, but they're getting rare, especially fretless examples. If you've got a bit of cash to burn, have a look at headlessusa.com - the have some beautifully refurbished L2s and XL2s, but they're not cheap, plus there's shipping and import duty on top...

You don't often see these for sale these days. As chance would have it, I'm going to Edinburgh on Friday, but I'm not going to... no, I'm not! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Steinberger-L2-XL2-Lined-Fretless-Transitional/323903175776

The seller doesn't call it one in the description, but it is in big letters on the front of the bass... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Headless-electric-bass-guitar-white-black-accessories-Bass-Beautifully-crafted/362765150382

Thanks folks, I stand corrected.

Ambiguous listing - it may be a Status neck, but the body, pickups and electronics could be... anything! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Status-Graphite-Bass-Carbon-Fiber-neck/113944583468 You live and you learn... well, you live, anyway.

Suzi Quatro and her leather jump suits on TOTP in the 70's. It's all her fault!!

Welcome. You really needn't worry about hitting 40, you just need a fascinating new interest to absorb you. Oh, look - you found one! 🙂

I'd be much more worried about the strings being pulled through the holes that must have been drilled through the bridge to accommodate the slightly Heath Robinson tuning system - they're at such an extreme angle, I'm sure they'd be very prone to snapping. Well, the way I play they would, anyway...

...or email [email protected].

I would suggest emailing EBS direct. I've found them very helpful in the past - the decal on my TD660 peeled off, and they sent me a new one free of charge. I expect you might have to pay for rack kit, but at least you can be sure you'll get the right one. Here's a link to the contact form on their website: https://ebssweden.com/content2/contact-ebs/

I've had three custom builds over the last 15 years or so, and I've moved them all on for various reasons. They rarely turn out quite as you might expect. That's not to say they've been disasters, far from it, but I'm not sure the dream bass is really attainable, perhaps only a good compromise at best. To compound the problem, a few bass makers I've had dealings with have had rather rigid ideas of what a bass should be like, right down to the type of strings you should use. Some appear to only be willing to entertain making an instrument the way they think it should be, as opposed to the way you might happen to want it! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a luthier, so I'm very much up for taking advice on what may or may not work, but I've found it can be a bit of a tussle to get what you want sometimes. The fact I no longer have any of the customs I had made may indicate that some of my ideas were flawed, or my expectations were unrealistic, of course. My fourth custom bass arrives later this week! If anyone's interested, I'll let you know how it turns out...

Likewise. I keep a list of all the basses I've owned over the 40+ years I've been playing (and there's been a good few - well over 100 at the last count) which I'm still adding to. I tend to have a pool of 5-6 basses at any one time, a couple of which I've had for a while, and probably wouldn't sell. Occasionally I make a modest profit, but I usually lose a little bit when I move them on. I just view it as the cost of having the pleasure of owning and experiencing some wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) instruments for a while. Like CamdenRob, I know what I like, but that doesn't stop me trying new things. Some people drink, some gamble, some chase women, so where's the harm?? :-)

I just bought a beautiful Status bass from Chris. The communications with him were prompt and very friendly, and the bass arrived incredibly quickly, very well packaged for the journey. Buy or sell with confidence. Thanks Chris!

1. Knowing full well the scale length and string spacing that suits me, yet still spending eye-watering amounts impulse-buying glittery baubles of basses that are nowhere near those specifications. 2. Knowing a bass is niche, bizarre, impractical and unsellable except at a massive loss, but buying it anyway because I convince myself it's 'rare'. 3. Using basses bought under 1. and 2. for a single rehearsal or one set at a gig, then never playing them again.

You're quite right, Dood. I discovered I had run out of the 'ear ease' gel for my ACS IEMs just as I was loading up to head off for a string of dates during the summer. In desperation, I grabbed a dispenser of, err, 'intimate lubricant' from the bedside cabinet. It works a treat, and my ears don't even get stiff! Sadly, not much apart from my joints does at my age... 😞

The ear canal and surrounding tissues can shrink/change shape over time, all part of the ageing process, unfortunately! If you've got 6 years out of them, I would have thought that's pretty good going. I had some ER15s that lasted about the same length of time before they started exhibiting similar symptoms. They also seemed to harden slightly over time, so when the ear canal changes shape when you sing or even open your mouth (well, mine do, anyway) they were less flexible and gaps tended to open up. Maybe time for a new pair.