such

yeah, those Yamahas have very subtle fretlines. Really good basses all round, too. When it comes to new stuff, make sure to check out LTD Vintage-214 in fretless version. PJ, very Tony Franklin style, unlined fretless, has just been introduced at this year's NAMM. GAK have them for odd 300 pounds. I'm getting one for my birthday

I'll be doing this: to my Yamaha when weather gets warm enough to do paintwork. The pickup won't exactly be reversed though, the D-G coils stays where it is, while the B-E-A moves by almost two inches towards the bridge.

this particular bass was for sale a couple of months ago, the owner/seller was Gregor Fris of the website basstheworld.com - he also manages FB fanpages for that website and for Sandberg basses. He wanted 750 euros for this bass, you may give him a shout to see if it sold.

thanks!

are the tickets for performances paid separately? Or do they just hand them out due to limited seating? I'm not sure if I understand...

yeah, looks good so far. I was kind of hoping for that Lull review that was missing from the last issue though.

thanks Sean - I was a bit worried about the amount of space between the B-string tuner and the curved part of the headstock surface near the nut. Seems fine Danny - flipping the thing round will do the job in a worst case scenario - but it wouldn't be perfect as the edges would be sharpish and the screws protruding out a bit more than they do when that frame is in "current" position.

some Spectors, Custom Shop option in bolt-on Warwicks. In lower price bracket, Peaveys Cirrus BXP and Grind.

wow, that's impressive. Gives me extra motivation to get on with modding my 415

so, I've decided what I want to do with the bass. Bridge swap, string retainers, possibly lightweight tuners (although I do like the stock ones, they feel nice and are pretty), refinish - still haven't made up my mind with the colour, Burgundy Mist or Surf Green seem possible. And a big job: I want to reverse the P pickup. I want to keep the "treble" coil where it is, and move the "bass" coil towards the bridge. I want more tightness on lower strings, especially when that pickup is soloed, but with both on as well. The J is nice as it is, I wasn't fond of it at all, but it grew on me. Something like this: [IMG]http://i48.tinypic.com/2ihp3jq.jpg[/IMG] I can do the routing, I've done it before (adding J pickups to Precision basses etc). The problem is, that metal frame thing. I would need one in reverse. Anybody knows anyone who could make one? Also, Sean, do you think you could find a pic of the headstock of your 415 with the retainers on?

[quote name='omikin' timestamp='1360021414' post='1963818'] How long do these signature models usually stay in circulation for? I'm really tempted by this. [/quote] well, Marcus, Geddy, Steve Harris seem to be doing fine, so do Reggie Hamilton, Sting, Dirnt etc. Hopefully this one stays a bit, I kind of want one...

I'd say Yamaha BB414 most users agree that those particular pickups do sound better in a traditional passive setup. Although you won't go wrong with a 614. Just a more modern, a bit generic-sounding, versatile instrument.

yeah, it says “lacquer”, which is a wide term...

that looks cool. Luckily, it seems that there won't be any significant price increase for the 214 comparing to 204. I wonder about the Stinson signature though... the LTD Frank Bello is rather expensive, but Stinson has both the LTD and the ESP versions, so I hope the ESP is pricey and the LTD just slightly more than the Vintage-214... Not a fan of current G'n'R, but that bass looks lovely in that distressed creamy white with painted headstock and tortoise pickguard.

Congrats! someone will have a surprisingly lightweight box delivered when they receive what's supposed to be their Nate Mendel bass Anyways - I read somewhere that the body of this bass is made of ash and finished with nitro. Is that the case?

I'm coming too, most probably on both days.

supposedly, it is.

Warwick Streamer Standard wasn't entirely identical - it had the typical German Warwicks' ovangkol neck with wenge fretboard and bell brass frets. But that's not the point here... There are some Bartolinis that use the same footprint and can be used as an replacement. I don't know which model exactly, but I'm positive I recollect at least a couple of people doing that operation at Warwick forums. Mind you, it's not the output that was the issue with them, it was the tone - they wanted something brighter and more biting.

rounds will give you more "mwah", especially on a hardened surface. More bite in high mids. I haven't got a fretless at the moment, but I used to play one even exclusively for a couple of years of gigging in jazz clubs. Some flats might be nice too, I don't have any first-hand experience with them, but probably if you were going for an uprighty sort of tone, flats on an unfinished board might be a closer approximation.

is it the one from ebay for 135 squids BIN? I was waiting for my payday.... :[ very good basses, especially with those pickups. Jazz on steroids. I would coat the fingerboard with something hard and rock roundwounds on it

if you like the sound, I wouldn't change the pickups. You can add the outboard preamp, or even a pedal like Boss Bass EQ for example, to gain some volume. What model is it? The pickups should be the same as in German Warwicks, although the soapbars from the cheapest Rockbass Streamers weren't used in Warwicks too often... If they are the P and/or J pickups, silver logo indicates the passive "Dynamic Correction" pickups. Gold logo is on the active pickups.

ok, that looks seriously promising price-wise

haven't seen a word about it, they advice to ask "your local dealer" about prices and availability. My local dealers usually learn from me about existence and prices of most basses :/

thanks :/ GAS attack. I only wanted the fretless (only knew about it), now I want all of them. The Elite and the signature one will be expensive though (I guess). The LTD Frank Bello is something like 800 quid, and it's also based on the same PJ format.

I'm wondering if there are any Basschatters having any valuable experience with, or owning these basses? They seem rather nice for about the Squier CV price bracket, a PJ config that I like, 21 frets, choice of rosewood and maple fretboards etc. How's the build/assembly quality? Finish is disputable of course... Apparently, there's also an unlined fretless coming this year, and THAT is seriously interesting at this price. As long as they actually are good instruments, which is what I'm asking about. Anyone?