three

I’m not bad at set ups, though beyond that, pretty useless. I have decent hand tools to use in setting up the basses that I own (some with unusual fittings and highly specific sizes). Probably the most important tool for me is an extremely accurate and reliable tuner. I use a Peterson Strobostomp HD and have been very pleased with the results. Not the cheapest tuner (!) but a very good one.

I was fortunate to play plenty of these back in the day as Barrett's in Manchester had the distribution deal (I think). The shop was full of Wals. They had so many that one weekend, they were offering a Sunn bass amp with every Wal. I was penniless. The re-furb looks stunning - what a fabulous instrument. I genuinely prefer these to the customs (I've owned of few) in pretty much every way. Brilliant job and brilliant that Paul was able to undertake the work - and so quickly

Resolved (I hope) with the help of kind BC members - thank you. There was just sufficient of the original wire available to remove the plastic shielding then solder an extension. All seems to be working fine, though if the fix fails, the Supertone has a fortuitous gap for insertion of a copper strip! Thanks again to all!

Apologies, yes, I did mean the plastic coating

Apologies - images later tomorrow

Oh dear! The Wilcock I owned was just incredibly good fun to play - extremely quick if that’s your kind of thing. I only sold it as I didn’t get on with the tone - I only really use actives. I absolutely love the pink finish on the 5 and I’m pretty sure it’s a Bow job. Assurance of incredible paintwork. Active too. I could have a problem… well I do. I don’t have £3200

Thanks and this was my first thought. Unfortunately, the wire is old (the bass is a '75) and the snap appears pretty clean. There's a little bit of protrusion from the exit hole into the cavity but not really enough for me to be able to remove the shielding. I'll take a couple of images and post this evening. Maybe somebody with high level soldering skills and a lot of patience and the right knowledge/tools would be able to effect a solder-based repair. My soldering skills aren't bad but getting to the original wire may be beyond me. The lack of natural light in Manchester isn't really helping either. I'll attempt to get some good shots later today and post in the hope that somebody can suggest a technique/approach that might aid in circumnavigating any more extreme options. Thanks again to all, the advice is much appreciated!

Eek! Thanks very much - I didn't realise this - that changes the game further. I'd no idea that the grounding wire was connected via the mounting bush. The search for alternatives just became more urgent!

Thanks both and what a lovely Ripper! This might offer a solution - it is a very small gap - though as noted, I'd still need to lift the bridge slightly to ensure good contact. I'll drop Bow Finishing a note too to get a view on the hardness of the finish and likelihood of removing a chunk of it.

I have a bit of a problem and hope that some of the technically gifted on here may be able to help. I'm currently( re-) refurbishing my old Gibson Ripper - a long story. It was recently re-finished very beautifully by Bow Finishing. During the process, a Supertone bridge was fitted. The new scratchplate with a new Ripper bespoke circuit arrived from Armstrong last week (pickups tested and updated etc.) and I'm now re-assembling. However, as I tried to re-connect the grounding wire from the bridge (original and pretty fragile) to the pot, the wire snapped at the edge of the hole as it enters the cavity. As one might imagine, the language was dreadful. As the finish is new (poly), I'm pretty concerned about trying to remove the bridge to insert a new earthing wire. The language yesterday when the wire snapped would be as nothing to what might ensue if a piece of finish came away with the bridge. So, a question: is there an alternative means of ensuring good string grounding without a wire from the bridge to the pot? I'm hoping that there's an ingenious way of achieving the same bridge-wire-pot outcome without risk. If not, I suspect that the re-wiring job is one best left to the professionals (my cack-handed amateurism is potentially dangerous). Thanks in advance

I hadn't noticed. Thanks for that...

A bit like standing in a station watching the departures board - supply times in the UK seem to be slipping back. I think GG has shifted from 02/02 to 13/02 and now end of the month. Probably not too surprising given global demand but I look foward to seeing real-world reports and reviews from UK users

The Agi DB680 doesn't break up - it's surprisingly clean, and surprisingly tame (IMO) in comparison with the pre in a DB750. Great for fine sculpting but not for grit or break-up in my experience. The Millennia TD-1 (half rack I think) doesn't break-up either.

I had one with a 36" scale - an absolute monster that came with its own flightcase (virtually unliftable). It might be worth trying a Hiscox Large Bass Case (you could check the dimensions at least)

I’ve used tinytone and the results were quite good but not perfect – really quite expensive too. Tinytone and Jack’s instrument repair services (two branches of the same organisation I think) have been unresponsive in the recent past. I’m just waiting for two guards from Earl Pilanz now. I’ll be back with more when they arrive. Very easy process and all facilitated with enthusiasm by Brian - he seems very good to work with for custom guards and turnaround is very reasonable

Bow are incredible - flawless work. Brilliant choice of finish - bold but fab

Thanks all for the responses and suggestions. The 5.8 is attractive so the Xvive and NUX make sense. I'll try to order both (Amazon) and can then work out which is the better performer for my needs. Latency times (official versions) are very similar at 5 and 5.5ms - important for me as I'd prefer to use wireless for recording if feasible. I'll get back with comments asap. Thanks again - much appreciated

Hi, I've been using a Lekato WS100 system (quite infrequently) for a couple of years. I bought it for fun really (less than £40) and didn't expect much. That was fortunate, as I didn't get much. Whilst the Lekato has had little use, reliability is a problem and the folding jack on the transmitter is starting to fail (a poor connection I'd assume). That said, I do enjoy the freedom and convenience of a bug type system - more convenient for me than the belt-pack or pocket type units. One of the plus points of the Lekato is that the bug is light, though other than this it doesn't really feel or behave like much more than a toy. Can anybody recommend a reliable, robust, possibly higher-end bug system? Thanks!