anzoid

Just two - a Westone Spectrum Series II which was my first bass in 1990 (or there abouts...) and a Yamaha RBX800AF in pearl white that I bought in '92 whilst at Uni. I sold both to buy a five string Westfield which was OK but never really fit. Now, after 25 years of playing I have moved from a series of small amps to a GK MB500 + 2x10 cab and I wonder what those two basses would sound like. They both played well, as far as I can remember, but never sounded great through the amps I had. I started out with a Laney 65W with a 15" cone which generally just sounded like mud and after I got rid of that I've only ever had small 35 to 50W amps - until the GK. Would love to get my hands on the (or a) Yamaha RBX800AF fretless in particular but very very rarely see them come up - anyone got one?

Bought a set of the licensed copies (3 + 1 in black) after reading this thread. Shipped very quickly from the US but got somewhat stung on the import duty though still cheaper than buying in the UK. The bass they're for is still in pieces but just fixing them up on the headstock could tell they're better than I've got on any other bass that has passed through my hands recently (apart from the headlesses )

Just bought a Steinberger Spirit XZ-2 from Mike. He delivered it on his way to somewhere else in the area and we had a good chat - learnt a bunch of stuff too! Bass is in superb condition and plays like a dream. Mike is a great guy to deal with. No hesitation in recommending him.

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I picked up a secondhand Vintage Icon fretless yesterday and gigged it today. Overall: nice bass, well made and very good for what I paid (only £100 )

The good stuff: the neck is really nice - slim and fast, not shiny but not quite satin either. Variety of sounds available - roll off the tone and turn down the bridge pickup and there is tons of thud though maybe a bit hollow sounding. The bridge pickup is quite bright and complements the neck pickup nicely. Both on together with tone up has some nice bite. Bridge on its own is OK, bit lacking a little... something.
Hardware is all Wilkinson and seems up to the job. Bridge has brass saddles.

The OK stuff: the finish - it's"roadworn" and it's not the best job - looks like someone wiped it over with some sandpaper and a blunt knife. It's pretty much love it or loathe it but you're not kidding anyone that this bass has any real miles on it. The one I've got came with flatwounds and the seller said that's how he bought it. They're pretty dead and I'm going to get some roundwounds tomorrow which should liven things up. The fretboard is rosewood and there doesn't appear to be much of any kind of finish on it, so it's going to get a bit chewed up. It's a lined board and the fretlines stand just slightly proud of the board - you can feel very slight bumps all the way down but it's not off-putting.

The bad: only got two complaints. This thing neck dives if you're strap isn't a bit grippy. The body is light weight and the head ain't with the chunky open back tuners. Sticking a leather strap on it helps some but there is still a tendancy to droop. The pickups, for all they sound great are microphonic like nothing I've ever had before. Tap 'em and the sound rings, if the strings hit them when you dig in you'll know all about it.

Conclusion: it's a keeper though a string change is in order. Feels good and plays nicely with a good range of tones. It's passive too so no battery to worry about. Might be worth dropping in some other pickups at some point and I think would be worth the money in what is a well put together bass.