Bridgehouse

What a busy day! Conference calls all the way there and back for work, but I managed to get half an hour in Jon Shuker's workshop tucked away near Hope in the Peak District. It's such a beautiful setting.. Big thanks to @MOXYBASS for the brilliant comms and for selling this one 😁 Jon is an absolute gentleman. So knowledgable, so open and a really great conversation. I can see myself ordering a build from him... And the bass? It's a Shuker Uberhorn Fretless 4. It has piezo bridges with a ghost preamp, and a magnetic pickup under the fretboard in the P position. He couldn't remember exactly what it was - but I tried it in the workshop and it's a fascinating solution to a balance issue. The Ghost piezo system gives a really really rich and lovely sound - it's basically like a rich P sound, with strong upper bass and some nice highs, but with the upper mids rolled off. The magnetic pickup is voiced for mids - on it's own, it's like a mid-heavy P, but with the piezo as well it's like a foghorn! Huge, deep, rich and loads of harmonics all over the shop!! There controls are logical - a switch for magnetic, both, piezo, then volume for magnetic, volume for piezo with a push pull "bright" control, and then a 3 band EQ for the magnetic (cut/boost) and a 3 way frequency switch for the mids control. Really flexible. Really good. The neck was a total surprise. It feels about 42mm at the nut but might be less, but it has this brilliant slim carve which is really similar to the pre-CBS Precision neck - it feels great! More on this when I get to play it! I'll give it a go later tonight and report back on my ham-fisted efforts (!) Check me out - I'm a fretless owner. Ooer.

I tried both. The QSC sounded better in a side by side comparison - just more responsive and a more natural bass sound to my ear (YMMV)

I kept mine simple. Pedaltrain nano with cioks DC5 - smoothhound wireless - tuner - Preamp. Currently have a Dave hall valve on there but I swap out for a variety (not necessary of course) XLR out to QSC K10.2 and DI to FOH

It’s in the boot. It’s like an exquisite work of art. NBD thread incoming

Octave filter mulch. That’s the next band name sorted.

Some people are so plectrumy

I’ve never had any of those - are they active or passive?

But is it squier or squire?

Not squier or squire then? Disappointing

Squier Duck?!

Or lack of given my work schedule at the moment!!

NBD is Thursday..

I’ll have to take the boxing gloves off first

I bet it's the heat/weather that's knocked it out a bit if anything..

Careful - don't get hoodwinked into thinking playing guitar is "cool" - it ain't 😁

Lol or me 😁

What’s the problem with the neck?

^ That bass looks properly ace!

I’ll be sweating alright!

Exactly why I’m doing it! Even if I never gig with it, it will be brilliant for my own personal musical development

To be honest through a pair of super compacts I’d give the 20 a go with my band (not heavy - Americana, but drums, guitar, keys and lead vocals/acoustic)

That’s awful news.

I'm proper nervous now! I have to learn to play the damned thing!