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Can’t be any worse than PF deciding to grant me 1 day to pay the customs duties on a parcel from Germany (this is online only, tracking mentions customs duties but no amount or reference with which to pay) before deciding to return the parcel to the sender. Customs duties letter arrived in the post this morning, 11 days after the parcel cleared customs. Phoning them 11 days ago they told me not to pay the charges until the parcel reached the local depot. It never did - just went into the hub, into and out of customs twice and back to the hub. Phoning them today, the parcel is in the (shadowy) “international hub” on its way back to Germany and they’ve put in a request to stop it being returned but a) the hub takes a minimum of 14 days to respond and b) it probably won’t make any difference (PF lady’s words). I expressed my dissatisfaction and she said “there’s nothing I can do “ and put the phone down. The customs letter states they will “hold the parcel for 20 days before returning to the sender”. I’ve had this experience as a recipient before with PF, unfortunately I wasn’t aware they would be the courier until it was too late. Utter sh1te, rude, incompetent and useless organisation.

…or just learn how to mute properly on a 5. It’s not rocket science, just muting. And you don’t need a fret wrap either.

I was ironing whilst watching “More Than Words” on the telly. Extreme ironing

There’s an Atelier Z Beta 5-32 in Bass Direct at the moment. I tried it at the weekend and nearly bought it, but it overlaps too much with a bass I already own. Very very nice, lovely neck and feel, and a rock solid B that would embarrass many 34” and 35” basses. I didn’t even realise it was 32” scale until it was pointed out.

Curiously, I never noticed this feature with the Stingray Special 5 I’ve just sold. I very much did however with both USA Sterling 5s I’ve owned (supposedly identical neck dimensions) and earlier SR5s too. Looking at specs online the only difference I can see is that a SR5 nut is 44.5mm and a Ray35 is 45mm.

Kyle bought some pickups from me. I couldn’t have wished for a smoother transaction. Highly recommended!

Brendon bought some strings from me. Very easy transaction and highly recommended.

Just turn up an hour late to the gig.

Ooh crikey they’re cheap. I was also looking at the Bantam - Ian Alison’s YT demo made it sound very nice and I’m a sucker for EMG humbuckers… thanks!

I’m off shopping this weekend with the intention of returning with a Spector. Not sure quite which one (looking at NS XL USA, RST, Dimension, Euro LX/LT etc.) but it’s a long time since my last (Euro XL6 and previously a Far Eastern 5 that I can’t quite remember). Opinions on your favourite 5 are welcome!

The 6 string version of this bass is the lightest production 6 I’ve ever seen and they must work some sorcery to get it to balance as most light 6s are terribly headstock heavy. However whenever one turns up at Bass Direct it’s gone within a couple of days. This bass looks nice!

I meant compared to a regular Sadowsky Bass… the Will Lee is the same width nut as a regular MM SR5, which I would class as reasonably tightly spaced.

I had a look at this model. It has 22 frets, so not much different to what you have now? One key point to consider is that it comes with regular single coils, not the humcancelling versions. The mid switch is also controlled from dip switches on the back of the control cavity, which I’m not sure is as useful as having the adjustment to hand with th controls. It also has a significantly narrower nut than a regular bass (a regular one is 47.5mm, which I find very comfortable; the Will Lee is 44.5mm, which is pretty tight for a 5). Finally, whilst the weight for these models is typically very good (<4Kg) they have a decently large headstock and a chambered body, so can suffer from a bit of neck dive seated. In terms of build quality the German Metrolines as as good as NYC models and as good as anything I’ve owned.

Sold my SR5 to Chris - instant payment and great comms. Highly recommended. Enjoy the new bass!

Sadly I think I’ve owned both of these in the past! I’d love one with a maple board again…