Lw.

Anyone played the Harley Benton kind of faux F-basses? Specifically the JP-45? I have a strange urging for a cheap bass, I generally don't really like the F bass designs but these are calling to me for some reason! Am I mad or do these look alright for £185? https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jp_45op_white.htm

Same here - I keep looking at the walnut Squier's tempted, but I just don't like binding or blocks (nothing about being period correct, just personal preference). Then I look at the below & get sad, so close yet so far. https://www.andybaxterbass.com/collections/fender-precision-bass/products/1975-fender-precision-bass-walnut-1 Still, I think they look better on the black version, maybe matches it better. And Squier CV basses are difficult to beat in the sub-1k new bracket.

Interesting. Seems I have expensive ears, ironic given the battering they've taken at gigs over the years! I'm sure headphones vs speakers makes a big difference with things like this too.

Fun - I thought both sounded alright actually but I've voted for the one I thought sounded better (I won't say now). Hopefully I like the stock Squier stuff & I can save myself some £££!

Out of curiosity; have you got any examples of the very good guitars? For example, what do you think is the best quality bass you can buy that was made in China? I'm all for the "it doesn't matter where the machines are located" argument, I just can't really think of an example in this case.

Given the type of music you said you're into, it's got to be flats hasn't it? That way you can keep the Squire for the rounds sound.

That looks seriously nice, great work!

Thanks - sounds like it's probably not for me. Maybe I'll just get one of those hotone mini amps for quiet home practice in my office & keep the Eden for gig backup.

Thanks for confirming

Do these Gnome amps have an always-on fan? I've currently got an Eden WTX-264 as my quiet practice/back-up amp and whilst the tone is great and it can actually pull through in an emergency at gigs, the fan is driving me mad during quiet home noodling sessions. I've always had a soft spot for Warwick amps having done countless gigs with an old "Sonic III" and spending years lusting after the big "W" cabs from back in the day, so thought a Gnome could be a good replacement for the Eden but it'll be a waste of time if it can't do quiet practicing without a fan whirring away.

If you've always wanted an American Fender then other options just won't scratch that itch. So long as you try before you buy you should be able to find a good one that'll really make you happy. Buying brand new does get you that feeling of it being your baby, vintage can be great but can also be an expensive dog.

Thanks! The colour matching was an accident really - I was playing other basses when I got the cabs, wasn't in the market for a green bass but this one was so nice I couldn't say no!

Well, it looks like that really! The necks are lovely but seriously chunky, makes you work for it but is worth it for me!

This could very well be my bass (it is at least the same spec)! The soft-V neck profiles are great!

Quite tempted by the 50's style one - seem like a great spec for the price & I've been fancying having a go on that style of P for a while now.

Nice basses! Given pick guards have an element of flex to them, it may be worth checking the screws holding it in place are tightened correctly.

I suppose it depends on the situation of the player in general & whether you're buying them as a musician or as a collector. In the OP there is a lot of duplication in that collection, for the majority of musical applications that collection could probably be trimmed down to just one of the jazzes & the P (realistically just the P). Unless you're playing in wildly varying bands, the rest are all because you like acquiring new stuff.

Oof - I'd play that!

Here's mine - Vintera. They're great these little basses!

That metallic paint? Looks good!

Unless cash is seriously tight, I would be wary about selling any nice gear to go straight into an expensive P. I think they're a bass everyone needs one of but I'd say it's better to go in at the lower end of the market to test them out then splash the cash later. The great thing about P's is that often moderately priced ones can sound great as they're so simple! It really is worth getting one though, I wish I had years ago.

Looks good - quite a sympathetic relic too! Has it got the smooth, nicely broken in neck too?

Was a couple of years age now. We were called Versus Ursus - once we played in some dive-pub in addlestone (can't remember the name), then I'm pretty sure we played another gig together but not sure where, probably either purple turtle in reading or maybe one of the music pubs in amazingstoke?

Yes - I work very close to Denmark Street & have been based here for c8 years, so have seen the way the prices have been going. Can't say whether they represent value or not (all personal opinion) but things are certainly costing more!

Just FYI - Wunjo Bass have got a '74 jazz bass in the window at the moment, with plenty of wear on it. I've had to restrain myself several times from going in for a noodle on my lunch break so can't comment on if it's any good but it certainly looks decent. On Fender Custom Shops; a few years ago I decided I HAD to have a P bass (having hated them for the whole earlier part of my life), I had two months where I knew I had a decent chunk of cash coming my way and that it was going to be spent on the nicest P I could find. Whilst the budget wasn't unlimited, it was sizable enough for a bass search that I justified myself trying most P's available in London at the time; I tried every model of Squire, all the mex & US Fenders plus every used/vintage P basses in the shops (I didn't go for to see private sales as I didn't want to waste people's time while I was still trying everything). The vintage ones were nice but all the available ones at the time had issues & were really a step out of my budget range. The nicest one was a mid-60's P for an eye watering sum (probably the third nicest bass I tried). The best to play was a CS P in trans white at Guitar Guitar, I had to go away & think about it as it was top of my budget. I had a wobble & thought maybe spending 4k on a bass is a bit silly so consigned myself to going to look at a mexican roadworn thinking maybe they were close enough. To be fair it wasn't bad but then out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a challenger - a used CS with a maple neck (which wasn't my preference) and a Sherwood green metallic paint job (not something I was looking for), but damn it played nice! Not quite as good as the new white one but incredible nonetheless! I bought it, couldn't say no with it in my hands! Fender's factory are always going to have good & bad days, but so long as you play the basses before you buy - you can certainly get some brilliant workhorse basses out of them! Sandberg make some decent basses, no question about that, but they're different to FCS - probably higher build standards but don't feel as special in your hands in my opinion. On gear snobbery; amps I've seen snobbery at loads of gigs but basses I think hardly ever? Realistically 90% of people don't care, we spend all the cash for ourselves not other people. I've played the above CS at gigs with @NancyJohnson & you probably didn't even notice it, just another P bass in the sea of gigging P basses! Good luck with the viewing!