Lw.

Gosh they're cheap. I feel like even if the electrics aren't great, if you've got the tools you should be able to sort them as the fundamental build seems decent. Really don't need another bass though, hmmm.

I think you'd be mad to sell the '71 but swapping out the Sandberg for the Custom Shop would probably be a good move. GAS is like the ocean waves; you can't stop them, you just have to ride them.

It does take some mental gymnastics, sure. Fortunately I'm not a trading block negotiating deals so it's not too big a problem, though generally I take it as wherever it says it was made, that's where it was made. If the electronics are originally made in china, the tree grew in India, the metal dug up in Africa but the label says it was Made in USA, then that's good enough for me. Don't ask me what nationality I'm classing my Limelight as! My buying habits very clearly show I have no brand loyalty!

I quite like it - like natural basses, prefer passive, looks quite smart. Never really played an MM bass but in the back of my mind always thought I needed one to complete the holy trinity. At c£100 a month for nine months it seems almost rude not to but I made a rule with myself a few years ago that I'd only buy basses from the brands country of origin (can probably blame Fender for that). One to consider...

Pedals that just add fuzz do tend to strip the bass out. I used to use a Dave Hall Amps pedal that was good, have also used a Big Muff Deluxe (this model has something it it to keep the bass frequencies in, I can't remember what it's called) to similar results. Depending on the type of metal, it's not a bad idea to just leave the bass clean & let the guitarists do the distortion.

Nice looking and sounding bass! I wouldn't worry too much about the price: a) That's not how much it will sell for b) Yes there is a rarity - there can't be that many of them left & we must lose one or two a year to fire/floods/car crashes/being stolen & dumped etc... c) You have to learn to disassociate cost & quality once you get past the threshold of £800-1000. Everything above that price is purely people treating themselves to something they deem as being a treat. If 26k isn't within your price range there's no point worrying because you can buy a perfectly usable bass from a musical perspective for vastly less so you're not missing out. For some people it will be within range and they'll probably buy it for noodling around at home.

They do make some very handsome basses, huge variety in finishes too. Would love to try one one day.

They're a box shifter, if they checked everything they sent out the prices would have to be higher - if you want set-up checks done you need to go to a brick & mortar shop (pref a good one as the rubbish ones probably still wouldn't check) & pay the extra for the privilege.

I never had a particularly big collection but I did fritter money away on a variety of mid-range basses over the years, then I decided I needed a P bass (having spent most of my earlier years hating them) and it pretty much killed the gas. Over night I switched to focusing on just having a few really nice basses/things rather than lots of ok stuff. Now I have a really good P, an almost as good J and an active 5er that I never play but for sentimental reasons need to keep (we've been through a lot) and it's actually a very good bass in its own right I just never play 5s anymore. Realistically now the only basses I think I'd look at buying despite knowing they would get way less play time than the P & J would be a Ric and maybe some form of Gibson. Honestly though, I reckon just the P would do. Younger me was wrong on many things but this was the worst mistake, so many missed opportunities for P bargains in years gone by!

Well, from a pretty negative start (the fake roadworn) this has turned into a decent result! Congratulations!

Certainly worth giving Mark at Limelight a call. Building & giving a slight relic does sound fun & probably quite doable but by the time you've bought the extra fettling tools, messed a few things up then eventually still not got exactly what you wanted you'd may as well just pay someone that knows what they're doing to do it for you. That's what I did, Limelight made exactly what I wanted - not the same specs as what you've posted but not a million miles away either, here's mine:

Mad bargain. I've got the collection down to all I need right now (3) so am going to pass but it's tempting to get one of the P's and leave it in the box just in case I'm in a band that needs a P with rounds again!

Good score. Are you talking about threaded saddles? They're the best (on a bbot)! The Vintera basses took over from the "Classic" range when Fender changed all the names & they've kept up the quality. I had a Vintera Mustang & it was great.

That's the kind of thing you dream of rescuing & bringing home from the tip but would be mad to part with cash for.

Not really for me I don't think but they certainly look like nice things to have. I'm not normally an inlays guy but the ones on the rosewood board look pretty good too!

What changes are you actually trying to make? An easy solution would be to leave the bass stock & buy a nice EQ pedal to go in front of your amp, that'll give you a load of tonal options & if you don't like it you can sell the EQ on and get something else.

Are you left or right handed? I'd probably spend a few quid more & get a brand new Harley Benton from Thomann if I were you.

It's a shame musical instrument companies don't seem able to follow basic FX rules, they seem to forget so it'll either be £1k or they'll get it backwards and it'll be £1.2k!

I like the look of the JJ405 - giving me F-bass vibes. The JB-62 is very much just a Fender copy. They probably sound quite similar given the pup locations so probably more worth thinking about what you want to look like.

Funny this one is still rumbling on. Given all new fender shaped basses are at best licensed copies of what Fender used to make, is it any wonder the different licensees make their copies to different quality levels? Even if you look at US Fenders, Leo isn't there, the level of management that learnt from him are no longer there, the machines are different. There's not a whole lot that remains of what was & even back when he was there with his team & machines, they still kicked out some duffers. Not really surprising the far Eastern factories who are directly competing with each other for Fender based trade are upping their game & making some nice basses (looking at you 40th anniversary crowd). Neither is it surprising that that competition is pushing them towards or even beyond what is essentially the American continent B-team. I think you should just keep the ones you do like and sell the ones you don't, it doesn't matter what logo the licensee has printed onto the headstock. I've got two Fender type basses - one bolted together in America & one bolted together on the south coast of England, listening to a recording of my playing, no one would be able to tell which is which!

Another Harley Benton vote from me - the kings of cheap gear. Thomann are shifting huge volume so the price is helped by their economies of scale, brands selling less units are having to cut corners in order to compete on price. They can be quite heavy though so spend some of that saving on a nice wide strap.

Tele-bass looks seriously cool, price is a bit punchy though. Is this them trying to put a bigger price step between the Mexican ranges (player to vintera, positioning the vintera as more premium rather than just more vintage specced) or are the prices just being pushed up across the board some more do we think?

Sales person in making a sale shocker. That blue one would look good with a tort guard. Actually maybe the pink one would too 🤔

Cool bass! Hard to tell from the pic quality but is that a natural patina or has it been relic'ed? Looks to be some nice flaming on the neck too.