Clarky

Arrived yesterday after tortuous Brexit journey from France (6 weeks ...). Thanks to the patience and assistance of excellent seller @Hooch aka Yannick. Sounds wonderful and the J width neck suits my knackered left hand nicely.

Yannick could not have been more accommodating. Lovely vintage P bass and the month or so it took to navigate customs (thanks Brexit) saw him making regular contact to try to move things along. Top seller!

Here's a nice one but at just short of £3k a bit overpriced in my view http://www.motomusic.co/musical-instruments/fender-mustang-bass-competition-1974-candy-apple-red

Hi there, early 70s Mustangs these days go for £2000+. See Reverb https://reverb.com/uk/p/fender-mustang-bass-1971-1981 Amazing examples can reach as much as £3000 but most will be in the £2000 sort of range

Somewhere in the bowels of my Mum's vinyl collection are my Def Leppard's 'Get Your Rocks Off/Riding into the Sun' EP and Paul DiAnno-era Iron Maiden's 'Sanctuary/Prowler' double A side ... erm as well Fist 'Name Rank and Serial Number'! Must try and retrieve them next time I visit as I bet they are worth a pretty penny today

Loved Schenker-period UFO but unfortunately my first gig seeing them was with Paul Chapman on guitar and it was so weak and disappointing. Anyhow it gives me an excuse to post my fave ever guitar solo - Schenker on Rockbottom. Starts at around 3.45 if you can't be @rsed to listen to opening!

I saw the same tour but at Hammersmith Odeon. I won front row tickets as there was a competition form in the "Unleashed in the East" album. Touched Rob Halford's leather biker boots. As you do

I was the person that bought 'Name, Rank and Serial Number' by Fist

Thats correct. From an interview on indigogo: "I learned everything there is to know about the bass at Lakland"

Beautifully put together, easiest bass I ever played due to superb roasted neck and fretwork. But the limited tonal options and my lack of need for a fuzz sound meant I preferred the "meat and potatoes" Midwestern. Hence I kept the latter

I still have a Serek Midwestern 1 but sold my Serek 'The Grand'. Serek do make undeniably lovely short scale basses

I have owned a '71 competition stripe, a couple of CIJ reissues from late 90s/early 00s, and a newer US P/J Mustang Of the three model types, the new US one somehow felt sterile and lacking in character and I sold it on quickly. In all truth there was not much between the '71 and the CIJ reissues, either in sound or playability. The '71 had bag loads of character from the ageing/mojo and a lovely deep thump. I sold it on as I bought a shiny new toy (a Serek short scale) but regret having done so (and have since asked the buyer unsuccessfully if he would sell it back to me ...) Comes down to budget. If I had a spare £2k I would buy a pre-72 Mustang (thinner neck, lighter weight than mid-70s Mustangs) but if I were more budget constrained I would be more than happy to buy a good condition second hand CIJ reissue Mustang.

Afraid if there was a poll, I would be another vote for "demotivated, can barely be bothered to play my instrument" On the upside I have raised a whole bunch of cash flogging basses on BC and am down to two that are gathering dust instead of 5 or 6