juliusmonk

I have tried two. Stunning looks, but they didn't feel too comfortable, the electronics were complex, and the sound was just like so many other high end luthier kinda stuff, perhaps even less 'zingy' than I would've thought. And they were powerful - too much for me. i don't need that thunder. It might have been the amp though. I have a problem with expectations in any case - for that cash, I expect the thing to play itself - and it was not the case. Of course, I want my bass to be my 'friend', not an object of adoration that I approach with care just in case I leave fingerprints on it... Some Ritters just look ridiculous to me. Then again, the same has happened to me with Foderas and Alembics, so clearly my problem. Mind, I am not a fan of budget basses either - I find 90% of them invariably worthless. And the relic Fender thing I still don't understand. In the end, a bass is just a bass - it must feel and play great in your hands, and sound good to you, the rest is purely decoration IMO. If it feels just ok, like most do, then price is an important factor, and all these are expensive for me. I am inclined to think that if you cannot find at least ONE really great bass for you for less than 1500£ (used), then you haven't looked enough. But one has to acknowledge the creativity of Jens Ritter and the will to do something different. That is always a good thing.

Almost traded a bass with Raj - my fault only that the deal fell through in the end. Just wanted to mention that he was a great person to deal with, patient, flexible and very understanding when the circumstances changed for me. Good communication, I wouldn't hesitate to deal with him in the future!

Both a fretless off Ryan, smooth transaction, no problem whatsoever, bass arrived as expected perfectly packaged. Great seller.

Mark King is awesome. Contrary to a previous poster, for me the Jaydee tone was a bit 'raw', and I prefer the Alembic and Kingbass tone. But I have been a fan since the early days anyway. He just blew my mind - as Marcus, Jaco, Victor and M. Manring did. And he sings too. His lines are inventive and groovy, and he managed to put the bass in the 'can-be-spectacular' instrument category for mainstream (white) audiences. If anything, I think that he reached the peak of his technique very early on (but this may be true of many virtuosos), and didn't evolve it much. With his natural talent, I'm sure he could have done so many things on fretless, tapping, harmonics, chords, you name it. For some reason, he put songs first, and their widespread success in the cheesy late 80s were not in his favour as a player's player. But he was always honest and this isn't detrimental of what a fantastic player he is, whether you like his music or not. 'Influences' should be a mandatory listen for any aspiring bassist - at least once. The recent 'Live in Soho' is pretty much a live rendition of that album. Slap is cool. I love it.

I apologise... The thread was too much fun... Never wrote a FS ad myself, so it was easy to criticise... Just to have a laugh. Never intended to be unfair with the majority of honest sellers, no offense :/

Only for the next 45 minutes! after that, it goes to ebay for good, whatever the offer - a matter of principle. If you're late, you're late. Here is my beloved original custom custom special Davinci 14-string Powerade. Maybe you haven't heard about this fantastic luthier, but he's well known in my building. Body made of AAAA quilted Astsulis, a blue-orangish wood, which can only be found in New Zealand forests, and is actually illegal. Custom paint job on the front with the face of my sister-in-law. Image uploader doesn 't work - just imagine it. Custom pre with a passive tone knob for eack PU pole. LEDs surrounding the bridge and tuners, useful to adjust intonation mid-gig. Neck is a dream, and works for pushing pizzas in the oven too. Will not bother to ship or even package. Actually you will have to get it yourself from my kitchen, it must be somewhere. And you'll have to see me cry when you leave - the 3000£ (cash in hand only, small bills with non-consecutive serial numbers please) will never replace it.

I don't like in-ear ones either... the other day in Amsterdam airport it was virtually impossible to find ones for the iphone that weren't! in the end I got the Apple in ear ones which are dreadful and expensive as hell!! I've had good experiences with Senheiser and AKG - decent enough. My advice would be avoid 'bass-reinforcing' ones, and try to get ones with foam pads, which help with noise reduction, and provide more comfort (at least for me)

For sale a mint Stingray bought two days ago. I still haven't received it, actually, but it looks good. Of course, a previous owner was wearing a torture belt all the time so the finish is completely destroyed on the back and repainted with yellow and purple watercolours. This I believe increases its value, so a firm 5000£. Might trade for a lollipop cash my way.

Fair enough - but there may be things such as action, nut width, string spacing, etc. that are fairly basic for me but are not posted regularly by sellers. Many of the items FS/FT are specialist items, one-offs, high end and custom things... And options are many! Like when people say 'XXX Custom' then don't explain what is custom exactly. If 'Custom' is not the model name, that is. Maybe it'd be good if there was some 'template' for ads as 'pinned' guidelines? You know like Model name Year 4/5/6 string Woods Neck shape Nut width String spacing Hardware Pickups Preamp Strings Condition Price Shipping? Photos Sound clips Etc. A bit detrimental to the freedom to post in any way, but may provide consistency and avoid basic questions... And may be useful for new sellers to know what they should mention Anyhow, just a thought - maybe there are already some guidelines? :/

Fully agree. It costs nothing to drop a note, either way. Then again, the seller has the power here, I think. Possibly the only thing worse than a hesitant buyer is a hesitant seller... I must admit that I never tried to sell though - maybe I'll be back bitching about buyers in due time...

For what it may be worth, I guess annoying people are a constant % of the population, be it buyers or sellers, waiters or customers. But if anything, I think the buyer has more right to be somewhat annoying. I've had quite a few sellers that understood my 'I'm interested' as 'I'll buy it', then felt so frustrated afterwards that didn't bother to respond. I've also noticed that the more questions you ask, the more inclined the seller is to (wrongly) assume that the deal is settled, and frustration escalates. But questions are just questions. The seller's attittude may well put me off. I think selling is hard sometimes, and once you've made the decision then you want to get it out asap. I can understand that. But I am the one paying. Many sellers change their mind. Many play the 'make the decision quickly or I'm selling to someone else' or '... Withdrawing soon' thing. What the... ? it's several thousand quid! Of course I'll think about it! Some point you to the manufacturer website for specs - not the best impression. If you are not prepared to take pictures, answer questions, etc. then you shouldn't be selling, maybe. That said, I always try to be transparent. There's many factors involved in a purchase decision, we all have our own obsessions - some are hard to explain. And, in the end, there will be a time when I've sent the money and I am completely in the hands of the seller - so easy to rip someone off. That leap of faith surely deserves some patience in exchange? It's all ok in the end, I guess we're only human after all, and most of my experiences in BC have been good. Some sellers have been fantastic. It's a delicate alternative marketplace that works quite well, honestly. But I think it is unfair to always criticize hesitating buyers. As mostly a buyer, being treated well (especially in shops, mind you) has been more the exception than the norm. Sadly. And I don't think I deserve it.

Yamaha all the way. Epiphone is cool but their QC is not consistent. Several Yamaha bargains on BC at the moment.

...ridiculously wide fingerboard for my small hands (I hate my iphone)

A high C is the perfect revenge for a guitarist with a baritone. That said, and although I found my transition to 5 strings practically painless (to my surprise), I can't help thinking that all of my bass heroes only needed 4 strings to change the landscape forever... 6-string I still handle with care. I don't know what to do with that range and ridicul

I bought a wonderful Xotic bass from Harry - top seller! Easy comms, absolutely trustworthy, reliable and friendly. Bass came well packaged, exactly as described. No issues at all. Dealing with Harry will restore your faith in the human race... I don't think you will find a better seller. Top marks, and well deserved! Harry, what else are you selling?