prowla

There's a saying: You make your money when you buy. You might be able to get a shop to sell it on commission

I played Greg Lake's 8-string a couple of times: once when he played at our uni and once in a bass shop in Romford. I don't remember what it was like (in fact I didn't remember it at all until the above comment!).

She was good in Moloko.

It is, but it's nicked from a Santana song!

The prices are in flux...

One of my favourite artistes.

Coincidentally, I listened to a couple of Billy Squier albums at lunchtime today.

eBay don't care about fakes anymore; I received the following response when I reported some counterfeit items: I had a back-and-forth conversation with them last week to try and pursue the matter, but they just shrugged their shoulders and the items are still up for sale. Ironically, they are just about to bring in their buyer assurance charges at the start of Feb; there seems to be a bit of a disconnect there. I've decided to step away from eBay, as I just don't trust their artificial integrity. The problem with an automated learning system is if you don't correct its mistakes then it will tend to reinforce its erroneous behaviour.

De-fretting it might alter it from what you liked about playing it. I've got a Mighty Mite fretless neck and it is mighty fine.

If it's a Rockinbetter bass, it's supposed to be a copy of a Rickenbacker. On a real Ric bass with two outputs: one is stereo (Rick-O-Sound) and the other mono (Standard). You only plug into one output at a time: either a mono (TS) jack into the mono output or a stereo (TRS) jack into the stereo one so you can run the pickups to separate amps. The selector chooses either or both pickups. If you plug a mono jack into the stereo output you'll only get the Treble pickup (so if you set the selector to the Bass pickup you'll get no sound). If you plug in two jacks you may get no output at all. If it's a Rockinbetter guitar, I don't have a clue!

Is it screening paint? (Albeit only part-done!)

I've just bought one of those - thanks! (On offer at £11.99.)

Incidentally, if you ever need a third hand soldering two wires together, I bought one of these; expensive, but saves a load of frustration... https://www.amazon.co.uk/iFixit-Soldering-Splint-Wire-Holder/dp/B0D5ZKWR8T/ref=sr_1_42

FYI, I have a really nice Hakko temperature controlled one... ...it's great for precision work but no good for guitars, as it won't do the blobs of solder on pot casings.

Careful or you might get your fingers burned...

RIC did that mod for a short time (though the screws were further towards the edges). The new V2 unit is a different thing; it has a separate string anchor block which screws to the body and the chromed end of the tailpiece is just a hollow cover which sits over it. However, I've got one on a Ric and am going to revert it, as the saddles won't adjust low enough to get the action where it should be. So far, every alternative bridge I've tried on a Ric has had its own issues (Badass, Hipshot, Allparts, V2), so I've gone back to the original one.

I've had several pedal power supplies. The CIOKS DC7 is the one I'd buy again.

I haven't clicked on the link, but is it the Cologne clickbaiter?

Which jack socket are you plugging into?

When buying a bass, I would suggest getting a decent one used; it'll hold its value so if you decide to sell it you'll recoup your money and so it'll be a zero-cost item. Of course, you'll get recommendation for a variety of instruments; I'd suggest looking at what your favourite musicians play and letting that steer your choice. As far as playing goes, if you've done a bit of guitar, then you'll implicitly know where the notes are (ie. a 4-string bass is like the botton 4 strings of a guitar an octave lower). A small clip-on tuner is a handy thing to have around (I have a Rotosound one, but there are plenty of brands about).

I'm not a fan of the Hipshot bridge, but each to their own.

I've got a few real ones and none of them sound quite the same!