Owen

Nope. It actually enables you to raise the B string by a whole tone. This version has a series of levers. One end is attached to a strap button mounted through the neck plate the other end of that is attached to the ball end of the B string. By pressing the neck down I can get both Country AND Western.

The reality is, that as long as you buy wisely (2nd hand) then you will be able to get your money out again when the time (inevitably) comes to get the next thing.

Gruhns examined it, but it has never been taken apart. There is a fight going on in that sentence.

I am glad that does not come in 5 string format.

I will be happy to wobble about the inside of some chords. There will be no licking. It is also going to go into my "everyday" tele and then I will flog this one.

I have always fancied a B Bender. They are mind bendingly expensive. Then one came up on Gumtree. Those saved searches are handy. This is a UK made Shelton B Bender installed in a mid 90s Japanese Squier. Lots of fun

Or just turn the tone control down?

Ban this sick filth!!!!!!!!! He is not wrong though.

The long game. I can respect this.

The guitarist in the band I was playing with was John Parricelli. He was not there because I was there. But he is one of the 2 best musicians I have ever been anywhere near. Just astonishingly complete.

I played in a band at Brecon Jazz many years ago. There was an up and coming singer playing support. I could not be bothered to walk out of the green room to watch. It was Amy Winehouse. Duuuuuuur.

When I went bass shopping many decades ago I was astonished at the price differentials. They made absolutely no sense to me. It is such an incredibly niche market. There seemed to be no parameters which could be measured. I eventually had a new 5 string neck put on a bass I owned. I know that given the historical mishmash it is, it would not be considered "the real thing". And yet, I want for no other. I have not had a hint of DB GAS since I took delivery of it (apart from new machine heads!). And in the intervening years my front door has been spinning with the plank purchasing and selling. I am a bass guitar tart and will go with any of them. If you like it, then that is it. If it is cheaper than 80% of the rest of the shop, well happy days. This is before we even reach the value of a decent setup and a set of strings which complement the instrument - which are not necessarily what the bass will be wearing. And let us not even START about the price of bows. This has been a stream of consciousness posting.

Because you are so worth it.

You cannot buy new ears. Get proper ACS one. I would sell all my basses and buy a cheap one if I could buy new ears. I cannot. So now, realistically, I am not a gigging bassist and I get to listen to my tinnitus all day. Don't skimp. Do it right. It will never happen to you. Until it does. And then it is too late.

This is going to be a long thread.

What are the scale lengths?

This builder is going to be paying the OP commission.

The official word for not being able to hold a beat is Discolexic.