tegs07

Does anyone own or tried a Lakland Skyline (particularly a 44-64)? I am beginning to struggle a bit with thicker necks and one of these may suit me perfectly?

My main instrument for a while now has been a Sterling Ray34. For the price band I think the build quality is superb. I also got to try an Indonesian made G&LTribute not long ago. It wasn’t a bass I would buy but only because it was a bit complex (L2000) but again fabulous instrument for the cash. This has got me thinking. Is this the golden age for Indonesian instruments much as late ‘70’s and ‘80s were for Japanese instruments and will they be future classics? The Indonesian economy is growing and over time costs will go up as labour and production costs rise so presumably the costs of the instruments made will either have to rise or the quality drop to keep pace? I have yet to try a Lakland but have to say they look amazing... maybe now is the time to get one as a keeper?

Yeah I am partly guilty of this.. a big appeal of my Hondo is it’s very aged sunburst, ridiculously large and industrial looking machine heads and the ashtray bridge cover ....

Is the “lawsuit” fallacy to blame for all this? Sure there was a lawsuit but not for Every Japanese maker. Has vintage MIJ been mythologised to equal better than 70’s Fender? Rather than Tokai, Greco and Burny\Fernandes made some really good instruments?

Sorry that’s what happens when you type on a small phone...

That’s OK I am currently trying to complete a project build that marries a Hondo2 neck to a Schecter Omen body but with Jazz. Pickups.. totally pointless ... The result of being unable to resist sub £40 items on eBay!

I had this discussion a short while back with someone who was going to pay £380ish for a (far from pristine) Squire Silver series MIJ jazz and wouldn’t have it that the MIM Squire classic vibe that was nearly the same price new was a decent buy. He was adamant that Squires now were all cheap junk and CV’s, Vintage modified etc all fit in that junk category. I had a MIJ silver series back in the day. Nothing wrong with it but nothing spectacular either....

To be fair there are some gems out there. My favourite bass is a late 70’s MIJ Hondo Professional (No sniggering at the back). It’s a 3 piece body with Dimarzio pickups bought for £28 ten years ago. Once I had stripped the lacquer off the neck ( it had been applied with a mop by the looks of it) and replaced the wiring, it is a joy to play and sounds great.

Fairly mediocre instruments from your youth are seen as desirable collectors items. Some of the prices on eBay and Gumtree for old no-brand MIJ and Korean guitars are madness. Particularly when companies like Harley Benton are nearly giving away some pretty decent instruments. For example my mate had one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174209968564 From memory it weighed a ton and the electrics sounded like trapped bees, but maybe he had a duff one?

It’s a cream colour but does vary with the light... it’s hard to photograph. P bass in Olympic White with a tort pick guard or black with a black pick guard were always my favourite. Drop in some Geezer Butlers or Custom Shop 62’s and even a ham fisted Baffoon like me can sound reasonable.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184622279614 Looks like a bargain for £900. Never understand why G&L are so under rated. If this was an ‘84 Ray!

Still not sure of the aesthetic appeal of the Bongo, but thanks for the link to Shobaleader one. Not come across them before and will definitely search for more of their stuff...

Agree with the Marmite analogy. I think they are a bit on the ugly side, but I have never played a MusicMan bass that I didn’t like. Build quality has always been excellent and I love the sound of them. The bongo is definitely iconic whether that is in a good way or not is definitely a personal thing. To add my tuppence worth on the basswood debate ... if your not going to see the grain of the wood then the lighter a tone wood can be the better it is for me.

I’ve been lurking for several years so time to show my face (sort of). Started playing again about a year ago and doing a few projects to make lockdown more palatable. Really like the build section. There are some talented folk on here who give some great advice which is appreciated by us bodgers out there! In the south-west and have always loved P and StingRay basses, but thanks to old age and a bit of RSI have started to really appreciate the slender Jazz neck having bought one recently!

I once had a Hermes parcel conveniently left inside a dustbin nestled on top of a fresh heap of used nappies (thankfully in bags). Nice ... I hope it wasn’t a luxury food hamper!

Have used Hermes several times and it’s only when things go wrong you realise how shocking they are. I will never send anything with them again and whenever I see stuff I have bought has been dispatched with them my heart sinks. Will it arrive.. will I be using the delivery photo to trawl the area looking for the right house? Will the instructions “leave in porch” be ignored and parcel left outside, in the rain, in full view of all? All the above have happened more than once...

Hi Really nice work. I did a similar project, natural finish with Tru-Oil using slurry method. This link may be useful for sourcing a bridge https://www.twojah.com/parts-and-accessories/bridges/musicman-sterling-bridge-4-string Indonesian based - I ordered a G&L one for my project. Postage is expensive at around $40 - Didn't know if site looked legit but came through and the guy (Eben) is really helpful. Good luck with the finish ... Oh and when it comes to contouring the body .. Shinto Saw Rasp ... amazing bit of kit.