such

Yeah, it was 2014 I believe, and a collection only ebay deal. Sold it for twice that some time later when between jobs, and regreted ever since.

The BB1500A is probably the one I shouldn't have sold. Originally bought it for £160 too 😭

It's claimed there's science behind it, yet any skepticism is shot down, members insulted for not understanding basic physics, the "science" is not demonstrable because the Big Bass Bridge conspiracy stole all the funds, media access and means of manufacturing. Real science loves skepticism and loves being demonstrated. Loves being PUT TO THE TEST. What does "better vibration transmission" mean anyway? More? Less? More even across frequency spectrum? More focused in a certain part of it? Would my P bass sound more like a P bass with this bridge, or less so?

Of course! I absolutely love that quartersawn maple, one of the reasons I didn't return the bass (others' necks were not as pretty). But, what good does that beautiful material do in a bass where fretwork and even coupling the neck to the body are so botched that most people would either return the whole thing or consider replacing the neck. Hence, that other baas has a better neck, even if the maple looks less inspiring. That's what I meant

A chest of drawers handmade of solid cherry wood by a proper cabinet maker will fit as many socks and it's drawers may even slide with a slightly rougher action than a £80 cardboard/mdf/plastic IKEA piece. Same premise. My only sub-£200 (when new) bass, an SX jazz, sounds absolutely great, just as nice (although different, thicker) as my MIJ Fender Marcus with Pure Vintage 74 pickups and Sadowsky preamp. Its neck is made of one of the nicest pieces of dense, even, straight grained quartersawn maple I've seen in person, with an equally pretty piece of rosewood topping it. It also has the worst fretwork I've ever seen, there were at least three different sizes of fret wire on that board. I had to grind some of them down to the stage where they are a flat slab of metal to get the action below 6mm at the 12th fret. Strings do not line perfectly along the axis of the bass, much closer to the treble edge of the fretboard. It bothers me, so one day I'll probably move the bridge (neck pocket fits too well to try and butcher that). Many of the screws were driven in so sloppy, I had to use a drill to remove the pickguard. Still, it sounds good and is pretty, so not going anywhere. But is my £1k custom P (cheap for a custom, yet easy to compare as both Fender shaped objects) a case of diminishing returns? Definitely not. Easily plays not 5 but 500 times better, and every single part, down to each screw and fret is a higher quality thing and installed WAY more expertly. Except maybe for the neck material, which is not really relevant if the bloody thing is not playable.

Just a humorous jab at Peter Jackson's incapability to cut anything out. "The Hobbit" took me 2 hours to read, and a fortnight to watch 😅 Which is exactly what made him perfect for this job, and I'm loving it (as I did LOTR).

Excuse me, what?

Hey Joe?

I don't think the country of manufacture has anything to do with the instrument's quality itself, but from the perspective of logistics, carbon (and other stuff) footprint, customer service, local jobs etc, it's a wise and responsible move. The price increase is surprisingly low too.

Beautiful. Discoloured towards green a tiny bit more and that's one of the most perfect Ps. Or, just like it is now really.

Alder body, 21 frets on a 7.25" redius Richlite fretboard with very rolled edges, massive deep and wide roasted quartersawn maple neck, 2+2 headstock, Hipshot lollipop Tuners (the heavy ones) in nickel, with a d-tuner too, Hipshot vintage style bridge but with threaded saddles, reversed P pickup in middle position (E&A coil in classic spot, D&G moved towards neck), G&L humbucker at bridge (not too close), passive. Yamaha strap buttons.

I know it's gone now, but it would be Raspberry Red, I've had a 415 in this colour. Very much what other companies would call Dakota Red.

There's this session guy in Poland, who made playing these "commie-basses" his thing of sorts. Despite being often seen on stage with a Fender Am Dlx Jazz or an old MM Sabre, Jolana Diamant is his main recording bass. This tune from his recent (really good!) album however has a solo played on one of those Iris basses, with original strings apparently:

Then again, a few weeks ago...

Yeah, saw that. I believe it was "ono" too, and shipped/insured.

Yup, back when I bought my £100-ish HB fretless jazz, it had rather nice Wilkinson hardware and pickups, and an ash body. Show me that in a £100 second hand Squier.

Anyone care to demonstrate how the hardware on the baseline SBMM Ray 5 is any better than that on the HB? Or why buying a used HB is not being considered, so we're comparing the resale of one new to the other second hand. Surely, to anyone buying a brand new Ray 5 we could say "hey, but if you add another hundred or two, you could buy a used whatever and not lose money when you sell on" and go like that all the way up the ladder. Where did all those second hand basses start?

Depends if you intend to do any heavy riffage with the open low string really.

I absolutely love Hipshot D-Tuners. Have had them on most of my 4-strings over last 2 decades. Also, I haven't had (or needed) a 5-string for a few years, although I admit I miss it sometimes, because GAS. If you like doom etc, you may be familiar with the band DVNE. When I auditioned for them few years ago, my .105 E tuned down to Bb and sounded awesome via both an SVT and a Verellen Meatsmoke. On a bass that's comfortably well balanced it won't affect it much.

Oh I'm sure it will totally be worth the £3k they ask, what with the cheap arm and that. "Lifestyle brand" it is then. Robotuners at NAMM 2022. On topic, I do like a sunburst with nice smooth transitions. Especially if the sides stay translucent, a tobacco burst? Really dislike the German flag 🇩🇪 finish with distinct red and black lines sprayed on.

Yeah I always liked Ashdown, used their amps more than others, still have two (ABM+410 & a 15" combo) plus happily use more at rehearsal rooms. Got wonderful Customer Support from them too when I needed. Met Mark G. at the Goodwill Festival and had a super lovely chat. And I've never seen those basses with my own eyes, but honestly on the photos they look like a less refined and somewhat unfinished slab version of my Vintage V4 (which I love, btw).

Beautiful

I believe they had already used at least Power and Paramount.