molan

[quote name='Wooks79' timestamp='1418471974' post='2630444'] Definitely less than that. It's be cheaper to get a 70's P and get it refinished purple [/quote] But I bet it wouldn't play as well, sound as good or be a reasonable weight!

I have to admit that my daughter wanted 1D tickets and I got them really easily. They went on sale at 09:00, I waited half an hour logged in and picked up 3 seats 20 rows from the stage and had paid for them in under 10 minutes. I think these type of gigs get loads of people claiming tickets as soon as they go on sale and then not being able to buy or screwing up the purchase so they get released again. The whole 'legalised' tout thing does drive me crazy though. I can totally understand bands, venues and promoters trying to earn as much as they can via simple supply and demand mechanisms but I don't get the large bulk purchasing deals they allow to the ticket agencies (unless the band/promoter are actually earning extra margins by selling to these guys at a big premium).

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1418405736' post='2630012'] When will the CN210's be arriving? [/quote] We don't have a delivery date yet Chris. All the pricing and order forms came through yesterday so we'll be placing our opening order on Monday. We have to order in relatively large quantities because they are shipped on pallets by sea. Weight is about 15% lighter than the AE210 which sounds great to me. It's only about 6-7lbs but my dodgy back finds the the AE right on the cusp of what I can easily manage

[quote name='kennyrodgers' timestamp='1417649935' post='2622793'] Any idea on pricing yet Barrie. [/quote] Looks like about £775 - will depend on the currency exchange at time of order but it'll be around there. There's a 410 coming too Reckon that will be circa £1,150

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1418398964' post='2629929'] Ah well, made in Germany/Sweden/UK carries more weight with me so I stand corrected. [/quote] It never ceases to amaze me the lure of a 'Made in USA' tag to a lot of players. Germany & Sweden rate fairly highly but UK can be very patchy in terms of demand. Czech Rep does OK & there's an appreciation of Poland as well amongst some people. But we never get anyone in specifically asking for any country other than USA - even Canada falls a long way behind USA in terms of desirability.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1418386438' post='2629762'] It's also a shame that Mesa Boogie can't arrange for parts to be shipped direct from supplier to an existing European builder and have them assembled under contract...its not like 'made in USA' carries the same significance here anyway. [/quote] It does at the 'sharp end' of retail - anything 'made in USA' is easier to sell in the shop than anywhere else in the world, and by quite a significant margin too. This holds true for amps & cabs just as much as guitars. Some European countries have a good rep but they fall a long way behind good ol' USA in desirability amongst 'everyday' customers.

The one that got me interested recently was seeing Lee Sklar live from a distance of about 3 metres. His Star Bass into a little Hartke head and a simple Ampeg 1x15 was simply one of the very best live bass sounds I've ever heard. I'd never have even considered a Star Bass until this but his was stunning!

It'll end up on a restaurant wall. . .

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1418237320' post='2628353'] Does anyone (molan) know if the new pro series will be dark wood necks German style or maple like the Korean ones? I might have to raid my savings if the bring out an affordable one with an ovankol (SP?) Neck... [/quote] As far as I know they will all have Ovangkol necks with Wenge boards (apart from fretless which are Tigerstripe ebony) except for the Star Bass which will be Maple with Ekanga veneer stripes. Is is just for the launch models. May change after that.

Andy Baxter is most definitely the man when it comes to vintage Fenders. His prices tend to start higher than others but his average quality count is a lot higher than anyone else out there. 70's Fenders vary in quality from tone to weight to fit & finish to paint flaws, trusted issues etc. etc. However, there are definitely some great ones out there. We sold a '78P recently that was just great, nice balance, not heavy, fantastic tone and superb playability. We also had a '73 that was one of the nicest we've ever had in and it went for a really low price. Both went to BassChatters which was nice to see A good 4-bolt neck J (which I prefer by a big margin over the 3 bolt models) is not going to be cheap though. It's one of the Fenders that seems to have risen in value a bit more than others recently as the '60's ones have been creeping up again. Any sort of cool custom colour can add a fair bit to price as well.

[quote name='Bo0tsy' timestamp='1418228533' post='2628201'] That's useful info - thanks Molan. Warwick also advertise a (Chinese made) Artist Line range, so am assuming these will slot somewhere in between the Rockbass' and 'New Pro-Series' ranges? [/quote] Ah, I always forget the Chinese Artist instruments! There's currently five of these available: Bootsy Trujillo P-Nut Bailey Bruce Some of these are quite a bit more than the 'everyday' Rockbass models - especially the Steve Bailey 6. I see you have a Warwick & a Washburn Bootsy bass. I used to have the Traben version, great fun but a bit unwieldy!

[quote name='40hz' timestamp='1418228679' post='2628204'] That's good to hear that the Pro models are being German made! Any reasoning why the range was so shortlived (in being made in Korea?) And also are they likely to be easy to find? [/quote] I don't know why they were discontinued I'm afraid. Having seen customer reactions in-store to anything made in the far east vs European made instruments my guess would be that having a 'made in Germany' badge will make them easier to sell and they won't depreciate as fast - this is purely personal supposition though! It does still surprise sometimes when people play a few instruments in the shop and say how much they like a particular one but then buy something different because of the name on the headstock or the country of manufacture. I can understand some of the reasons though - having spent most of my life working in big ad agencies I know a fair bit about the power of brands The new ones have quite a limited run to begin with but I'm hoping there will be some new retail outlets stocking them at launch next year

The Warwick brand will have three core variants in 2015. At the lower end is the Rockbass range made in China. The Pro Series was made in Korea but has been discontinued. Thomann are knocking out the remains of them at very cheap prices. The new Pro Series will be essentially made in Germany (over 90% German I believe and certainly enough to pass EU regs as being "made in Germany") and will be available in the UK from around April next year. At the higher end there's the Handcrafted in Germany range: Warwick series LTD Editions Signature series Also sitting in this bracket is the Custom Shop. Almost all of the Handcrafted, and Custom, range is built to order with a wait time of circa 8 weeks but can be as short as 4 weeks (damned efficient these Germans!). Any info on pricing or models feel free to PM me

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1418070271' post='2626576'] Not according to ebay. Not hitting £600 anymore. [/quote] I know someone who paid a fair bit more than £600 for an immaculate boxed one recently!

Carvin will send you one if it's the same as a current production model XB75

Had a bass in for repair because of 'major problems' recently. Strange popping noises and really didn't sound right. Owner had taken it to another dealer repair who'd taken it apart but were unable to fix it because they couldn't get a copy of the wiring diagram. Thought he'd see if we could uncover what was wrong. I put a new battery in - it's now 'fixed'

I saw George Duke live a few times, twice with Stanley Clarke and also twice with Anita Baker. Great live performer and always seems to just love being up on stage and playing!

Still in development but could be cool if they can get close to the classic sound. Prices of originals continue to rise and rise. . .

I quite enjoyed it. Didn't really learn anything new but it was a perfect Sunday afternoon diversion. The highlight for me was watching the Genius of Funk from the BBC vaults with my little 1 year old grandson. His side of the family are all into whiter than white pop music with the odd bit of modern American rock thrown in. Ever since he was born I've been joking that I was going to bring him up on soul, disco and funk and teach him all about The One from an early age. He sat watching the programme intently and was dancing away when George Clinton came on, really liked Kool & The Gang and seemed to love Stevie Wonder. Kept with it right up until the acid jazz came on and then went back to playing with his toy bus

The Osmonds have just been over - one of our very own BassChatters was on bass with them