Mokl

This is great, really good job Huw 👏

Colour coordinates with your cats nicely too.

I believe he's saying he bought it from a shop, not from Overwater. If they had nothing to do with the transaction that sounds good service to me. The retailer perhaps less so! Lovely bass

Great pic and trousers! What's the black rectangular thing on top of the portable tele?

Re. the Jaco comments, I'm guessing he stuck with the Jazz Bass as he had so many thousands of hours of play in it that he was totally dialled in to it. I'm not sure that people were exactly throwing money or endorsements at him, particularly in the latter part of his career, which may have had something to do with it too. I'm sure I heard a story about him turning up to sessions and having to borrow a bass as he didn't have his own (maybe someone more informed can elaborate if this is true). Re. Ownership anxiety and being scared to ding it or play the local Dog n Duck, I can understand this if you're planning to sell the bass on. For me, I'm so sure I'm not going to part with my Fodera and had it long enough that I'm way past caring if it gets dinged, lives on a stand by my desk, gathers a bit of dust etc. The only ownership anxiety I have is around not getting good use of it or replacement if it were stolen(I couldn't ) but that applies to all my basses.

This assumes that enough people in the audience would know the value of your £5k bass and associate knobbery with it? 😉 Surely amongst the general populace ( not the insular and, let's be honest, niche world of basschat) a Fender would be the most identifiable bass? Hmmm I wonder what the audience think of me when I put on my Jazz Bass?! Probably "what a knob", but to be fair I get that whatever I'm playing 😉

Haha, sorry, I should have been arsed to read it properly then 😶

I can't be arsed to read through all this, but I've had a Fodera Monarch for about 14 years now. When I bought it (used) it was the most I'd put into a bass, flipped a Sei and a Modulus plus added some cash in to get it. I guess it owes me about 3 grand, but I reckon it's saved me a fortune as it's the bass that pretty much killed gas for me, and I had a serious churn of high end basses before getting it. Nothing else I've played feels as good, or frankly does such a great range of tones in a band context. I've no idea whether I'm good enough for it, and for all the times I've taken it out to gig (dozens and dozens), only one person ever has spoken to me about it cos they clocked what it was. Could I afford it now, no! And especially not for what they command these days. I'm not sure why they get so much stick for what they cost really, value is so subjective, and there are more than a couple high end makers charging close to Fodera money for what are in essence Fender variants. As I said in a thread a few month's ago, if you're offended that Foderas seem expensive, have you seen the price of bassoons?!!

I was an enormous fan back in the day and will always have a soft spot for them, but I'm one of the ones who doesn't like anything they've put out since One Hot Minute (and I didn't think that was great). In fact the quality of their output has always been variable imo, even on the earlier albums I love. They got away with it for me because when it all came together the results were a spectacular explosion of energy and creativity and a punk rocking, funky sound unlike any other band. But I suppose they couldn't keep doing the same old thing over and over, and age will inevitably affect their musical outlooks etc. I listened to this in the hope that there would be something in there that would give me a little spark of the band I used to love, but sadly no. I've been going through this process with every new release this band put out for the last 2 decades, at some point I'll just have to accept it's not going to happen! 😄

Yes, I do it all myself, initially because I'm so picky about how I like my action that I'd probably not be able to afford to keep playing if I paid someone else to maintain it on my various basses and guitars!. I also think that it's very hard for someone else to get the setup exactly to your preference and playing style - unless you're a famous/ wealthy person with your own tech who works on your gear regularly. I worked as a guitar tech in a previous life and used to hand instruments back with setups way different to my personal preference, apart from on the very odd occasion someone would be very clear about what they wanted and any acceptable compromises. Fret buzz was usually the issue. Person A might play a standard setup, experience no fret buzz and want the action lowered, person B would play the same setup but experience buzzing all over the place and need it raising etc etc So long as the fundamentals are there (and this is where techs can be really helpful if you're not sure imo) i.e decent fretwork, nut height correct, truss rod working, saddles not bottoming etc, then I'd encourage anybody to try their own setups but seek advice (on somewhere like here for example) if unsure.

My one actual visit to the shop was let down by the attitude of one of the (I believe former) employees. Mark wasn't about that day, so is not a reflection on him. In spite of the less than positive shop experience, and a moderate issue with a second hand bass, I can't fault the email response times or speedy delivery of any of the items I've ordered. Commission sale of a couple of basses a few years back was very straightforward and efficiently dealt with, so I'm sorry to hear of the incident with a bass going missing - what a 'mare The Gallery is miles from me, but I made a couple of trips down to get some repair work done on a bass. I thought it was great, and the vibe was super friendly. The place had a laid back and somewhat homespun vibe that reminded me of my music shop days. I think we're lucky to have both. Let's be honest, you'd have to be very brave/ mad/ to open a specialist bass shop.

Yep, that's how mine is setup. Tbh I actually dislike the tone and feel otherwise - it's a thin line for me between "meh" and sonic nirvana, but with the setup right and the tone controls in the right spot... *chef's kiss

I should add - and I know this can be a controversial point of view- that the Wal is schdua over mahogany which I believe makes a difference. Previous Wal was mahogany with poly finish, it sounded very similar, but the very present low mids I get from the aforementioned were not as in your face. So I say the wood spec has some bearing with the Wal. My profuse apologies if I now trigger a tonewood debate.

I've been fortunate to own all 3 too, and still have a Stingray and Wal. I loved the thumb but the strap ergonomics meant it had to go in the end. The Wal is by far the most aggressive sounding in my opinion, if by aggressive you mean punch and "growling" mids. I do think my setup and playing style probably contribute, but all things being equal, deffo the Wal with Stingray and Thumb roughly tied.

Thanks, will try both suggestions!

I don't have much clue when it comes to effects but seem to have amassed a small collection over the years. I thought it was time I actually sorted my pedal board and got some use from them again (not really touched them for a couple of years...). I want to find the optimum layout, although it's not very likely I'll have them all engaged at the same time, apart from the compressor which I just leave on. I'd be really grateful if those of you who know about these things could see picture of my humble board and recommend the ideal order for the chain. Fx are : BossBoss TU2 tuner, DOD FX25B envelope filter, Rodenberg twin boost and drive thingy, EBS multicomp and Mooer Octaver. Thanking you in advance!

Amazing!!

Lovely 👍

In: De Gier Bebop 70s (used) - needed unexpected work when I got it (if you were the previous owner, what the heck were you up to, it was barely playable?!!) including dodgy pickup, serious setup and an area of body damage being much more significant than described, which took the initial shine off things. I could have returned it but persevered and am glad I did. Possibly my favourite neck profile ever and plays and sounds truly superb now. Thunderfunk TFB550. Was half looking for an amp, and am quite happy to live with the size for the sound this thing puts out- superb. Out: G&L SB1 - tough decision as Id had it and gigged it on/off for the best part of 10 years, but chopped it in for the De Gier, which is ultimately more "me" ergonomically. The new owner should be delighted, it sounded truly exceptional with a band.

That's jazz, man.

For anybody interested, or may stumble across this post in the future, I sent the pickup to Armstrong Pickups for repair. Was returned in just over 1 week working perfectly. The repair cost was extremely reasonable too - highly recommended!

To be fair, you'd be doing well to get a new Sei with that spec commissioned for £2k these days. They have always been great value for what they though. You could make the investment comment about the Wal. My first one (used) cost me £900 in the noughties. Shortly after I bought a used Sei for £200 more. I lost money on the Sei...

Don't even get me started on the price of bassoons.

I think the law of diminishing returns definitely applies, but can't you apply that to pretty much anything? Having worked in music retail for nearly a decade, I can say that the cheaper basses are better than they've ever been, representing amazing value and choice. Have I ever played a £400 bass that sounded or played as good to me as one of my personal basses - no, not even close, if I'm being honest. Whether that's some internal justification going on I couldn't say, but my main basses despite being in the "high end" category have been in my possession for long enough as not to owe me anything, so I'd like to think not. In fact if I could find a £400 bass that sounded and played as well, and I knew would be reliable and consistent year after year, gig after gig, I'd get it and recoup some of my original investment in current no. 1 for what I suspect would be a small capital gain! Regardless of if it cost £100 or many times more, I'll take any bass that will allow me to indulge in my passion; it's just given my personal set of priorities, the value I place on the pleasure I get from music, and to be frank - without wishing to sound like a tosser - my reasonable competence on the instrument, the ones that work for me best simply happened to cost much more. "Value" is so subjective that it feels completely aimless trying to define it on a bass forum! I guess it's fun to try.

Thanks, yes I'm wondering if this might be an option. Any links/recommendations gratefully received