LoneFurrow

I'm doing some digging around because I'm looking for a sonic blue AVRI '63 P bass at the moment. It seems Fender has been "re-imagining" the American Vintage range, so will be announcing new models very soon (around NAMM in a couple of weeks, I guess). If you're interested in the current sunburst AVRI '63, you'd better be quick. There are still a few available to buy from various shops, but it doesn't sound like you can order one from Fender. Apparently the replacement will be a "60s P bass", no longer specific to a model year. I'm waiting for more details (and ideally pics) from one of the shops on Denmark St. All I know so far is one of the colour options will be Lake Placid Blue.

If it's still for sale, Gary Mac's 66 Precision looks fantastic. There's also a nice AVRI '62 that was for sale by Gareth, again not sure if it's still available.

I think I've combined at least two of the "never agains" above by buying a six string Warwick Corvette $$ fairly recently. On my list to avoid - anything by Gretsch.

Juha Ruokangas recently published a couple of videos to try to elaborate on why hand-made guitars cost as much as they do. Although he's more focused on guitars, he does offer the Steam bass as part of his range. The principles apply whether considering a guitar or bass, I'd assume. Part 1 - Guitar Prices Part 2 - Ethical Footprint

Thank you, kind sir. I'll do that. Not sure there's a cure for GAS, is there?

Gotcha! I just stick with London these days. Too complicated otherwise.

I grew up in Yorkshire if that helps. Well, "grew up" is perhaps too strong a term. Got slightly older might be more accurate.

Hi folks, I thought it was about time I introduced myself - I'm yet another recent-ish joiner who lives in London. I've been on Basschat for the last few months, occasionally chipping in where I can. I played bass for a while in the late 80s, stopped for many years, picked up guitar a few years ago, came to realise I'm happier as a rhythm player, and decided to switch back to bass again. I've already wasted hours browsing around BC, learnt loads and could have bought at least a dozen basses that have been advertised in the For Sale section, funds permitting. As it is, I've traded a couple of guitars for a lovely Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass, and ventured into the world of five string basses with a Musicman Stingray. I'm currently pondering what to do about amps, because I'm still relying on a little old Laney Linebacker 30 from ~ 1987. No great aspirations, other than to have fun, build my skills, and perhaps jam with a few friends at some point. I'm amazed at the range of topics covered on BC, the willingness to share information, and huge depth of expertise available to tap into. A great place to spend time. Hoping to meet a few folks at the London Bass Guitar show in March. Michael

Now that's a great call, HazBeen. I haven't listened to Time's Up or Vivid for years.

Good luck with the hunt, @Twanger A few thoughts: 1) There's an MTD ZX5 fretless in the For Sale section that might be of interest - here. 2) If it's not too much of a trek, you might want to head to Leamington Spa to visit the fine store there. At the very least, it's worth browsing their website to get some ideas. 3) There are at least a couple of stores in Camden I've found - one more generic guitar / bass store, the other dedicated to basses. I'd head to the latter if you haven't already.

I seem to have tumbled through a late 70s / early 80s wormhole recently. My current playlist includes: Boston - Don't Look Back - and I didn't realise just how much great bass playing there is on this album, courtesy of Tom Scholz Gary Moore - Run For Cover & Victims Of The Future Hughes / Thrall - Hughes Thrall Zebra - Zebra

How did you manage that? How Did We Get So Dark was only released in June 2017 :-) Or have I lost a year somewhere?

Excellent call, fantastic album. I'd add From The Fires by Greta Van Fleet, BCCIV by Black Country Communion, and Before Dark Clouds by Austin Gold.

Welcome to the diverse world of Basschat, Switch625. As others have said, you'll learn loads here. Interesting handle - Def Leppard fan, by any chance?

Guitar Classics in Battersea has a few basses in stock, typically more than shown on the website - http://www.guitar-classics.co.uk/pages/basses01.html Notom Guitars on Denmark St carries basses too - https://notomguitars.com/collections/basses Interestingly (to me, at least), Wunjo has a 1970 P bass that was previously at Notom - https://www.wunjoguitars.com/product/precision-1970-sunburst/ and https://notomguitars.com/collections/basses/products/1970-fender-precision-bass

That's a great-looking bass. There's a fairly similar, albeit new, Atelier Z M245 for sale at the local bass emporium in Camden at the moment. I assume a 5 string version would be a little more, new. Might give you a start point. Good luck!

From your comments, I'd go for a minimum of 14" - I think that would give you the sort of set up you need. Are you in the vicinity of one of the decent bass shops so you can try some different options? You might want to look at somebody like Mayones - the Jabba Custom (for example) has a 20" radius board. Interestingly, if you look at a very technical player like Billy Sheehan, you'll see his signature Yamaha Attitude bass still only has a 10" radius.

The new Fender Elite series (both P and J) has a 9.5-14" compound radius. Worth a try if you haven't already. Seems more common in the guitar world than bass world, at least in my (limited) experience. Personally, I think 12" is a happy compromise on a 4 string bass or 6 string guitar.

Seconded (or thirded?). Fingers crossed the bass can be set up as you need, and it turns out to be everything you hoped. Your experience seems to highlight the need to factor in a decent setup and, perhaps, new set of strings when buying from an unknown seller, almost regardless of where the bass lives.

Not wanting to derail your quest too much, but it might be worth looking at Bass Direct. They have three MIJ Jazz basses in stock at the moment, and at least they're somewhat more local than Spain. I appreciate their stock may not be in your preferred colours though. The white MIJ Jazz looks straight enough from the pics, at least as far as I can tell. Good luck whichever way you decide to go!

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1510010186' post='3403303'] I assume the deposit is forfeited if you don't buy? [/quote] I certainly hope not as they're the UK distributor. I didn't specifically ask, I'm afraid, so give them a call to check. I've done similar with Guitar Guitar though on several occasions - they might take a 10% deposit to move stock from one store to another, but they'll always refund the deposit. GAK has a fair range of Schecter basses in stock if you fancy a trip to the seaside, in November!

If you're considering a 5 string fretless, there's a nice MTD Kingston ZX5 for sale in this very forum. It's not mine, but looks rather smart: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/311684-mtd-zx5-fretlessprice-drop-700l/page__p__3400771__hl__zx5__fromsearch__1#entry3400771 As you're in London, it might be worth heading north to Camden to visit The Bass Gallery. They have a very nice Yamaha TRB5FII: http://thebassgallery.com/bass/fretless/trb5fii.html Personally, I found the neck a bit skinny for my tastes, but it's in great condition, and plays beautifully. There's also a magnificent Sadowsky NYC 5 string fretless, but that's a completely different proposition, and price bracket!!