Burns-bass

Just played to 400 or so Swedish Bluegrass fanatics at a festival by a lake. I’m taking the photo, not in it!

I would loved to have seen this!

Can also put the bass in upside down (so the neck is in the footwell of the car). Can get one in a mini this way:

I’ve had this before. You can prop up the bass using removal blankets. It does mean you can’t look at a passenger (maybe a good thing!). Safe driving.

If it’s a specialist musical instrument insurance policy then definitely. Insurance valuations are based on an agreed value which can be much higher than the used market price. Some of my instruments are covered on my home policy with an agreed value. You don’t technically need to specify instruments if they’re worth less than £1000 as they should be covered by possessions outside the home, but it’s worth doing so to avoid the insurance company trying to wriggle out of paying you, which they’ll inevitably do.

Man that’s the definition of being a bit bonkers.

I have. I’ve been shown collections of guitars that blew my mind. One guy I met had 15 Martin guitars. Madness.

I swapped half a car full of gear for it and not looked back. I think @Hellzero offered some advice and it’s been a trusty bass ever since.

Absolutely agree! In terms of this one, I don’t know why you wouldn’t buy a genuine late 70s Stingray? I have one and it’s a beast.

Quite possibly. The reason they’re expensive is because of artificially imposed scarcity and that appeals to people. I can own this and you can’t, etc. The purpose of owning this, in most cases, isn’t intrinsic it’s performative. As I get older extreme displays of wealth and rich people’s playthings like this make me feel queezy.

On the flip side, when dealing with premium products the cost of manufacturing is just part of the overall calculation. The price isn’t set as a percentage over manufacturing and marketing (as it would be on a production run instrument) but simply what they believe the market will bear. Everyone knows that these short run instruments aren’t going to be gigged night after night but to boost the ego of the buyer and as speculative investment pieces. Whats mad is that the limited edition price isn’t twice that of a genuine late 70s Stingray. Madness.

I don’t think he was personally trying to offer you. If you’re happy with what you have, then who else cares? I used to think all ply basses sounded the same but I know now that they don’t. These basses are highly prized on the Bluegrass scene where people want authentic instruments played on those classic recordings. That authenticity has a clear value. (I’m at a Bluegrass festival in Sweden now and a bass like this would be a huge hit!) What else are we going to spend our money on?

I have one bass I actually use and an endless procession of others that attempt to topple the king!

About £1000 maybe? The Musima bass I use cost me £500 and needed a new bridge, endpin and nut and is now a wonderful instrument. It’s not a complex sound and you’d not want to bow it, but for amplified work, travelling in a van and playing 50 odd gigs a year inside and out and in all weathers, it’s ideal.

These are two great records. Chuck Rainey is the sound I want and the notes I wish I could play. Just a super player.