BlueMoon

No, it’s not you. The quality of recent stuff is poor. Another one here who drills pilot holes and uses candle wax……….but I’ve still wrung a few over in my time. It goes without saying that not all Phillips-head or Posidrive screwdrivers will correctly fit every time, thus creating yet more chance to foul it up for you. If they snap midway it can be a pain to restore cleanly.

I’ve played most of the range of Fender basses. For me, Fender Japan puts together the most consistent instruments and they represent the best value for money. Other opinions may vary, of course.

I like the Laney Digbeth pre. For me it provides just enough, especially with a passive P bass and Markbass head. I don’t care so much for what I get from it when using active basses though. I have a BDDI in the drawer, which comes out from time to time. I’ve not tried the Nux.

It’s your bass, so go ahead if that’s what you really want to do. Unfortunately, most of the audience and the rest of the band likely won’t give a fizz about it.

Yep. Sad to say I have it to varying degrees depending on the setting and background. When I think it’s no longer there I concentrate on it (like they all tell you you shouldn’t), and it pops right back into my consciousness. A real bugger at times.

Mine all get used. The selection comes down to the type of music being played as the usual reason for final selection. If unknown in advance, then a P bass comes along.

Nice groove and feel going on there. Thanks for sharing.

A pop up device might work under the circumstances…..and it goes without saying that the vapour levels will increase if not evacuated by some form of extraction. Best to wear an organic vapour filter mask if not being used already. Nitro vapours in high concentrations can be nasty.

Any areas that are shiny can be restored back to a matt finish by using very fine wet & dry paper (2000 grade). You wont see any scratches, especially if you use the paper dipped first in weak soapy water and keep the surface moist while working.

Is this the guy in Finland? If it is, then I have one of his creations in a Wal style. Very nice bass. He posted on the US bass site a good many times under the MPU name, I believe.

Just to clarify….you are looking for low profile over-the-ear headphones that receive a signal for use in monitoring and provide some attenuation. Not in ears ((iem’s) or over-the-ear noise defenders that cannot receive a signal.

If you do not have access to above solutions, an aluminium soda pop can is a possible substitute. Cut some strips and use in an emergency.

This would be the most important thing on my list........being the totally shallow creature that I am.

I had a Fender American Professional I 5 string P bass for a while. Not a bad bass. The string spacing suits a switch from 4 string to 5 string and the neck feels very comfortable. I added a string retainer to the B string, which seemed to tighten the sound. The pickups as supplied were a bit "meh", so I switched to a 5 string Quarter Pounder.

Absolutely stunning!

Great score and a great bass. Enjoy!

Mods……….you might want to move this to the “Wanted” section.

Normal inspection as per any stringed instrument. The state of the fingerboard (surface condition, radius etc), neck (truss rod) and nut would be my number 1 comment. This is especially important if the neck has been de-fretted. Look for any ridges on the fret-lines and/or excessive gouging along under where the strings lie. The nut height is important if you want the lower action typical of a fretless bass. When trying the bass, first play it without amplification. This will help you discern if the notes sustain well, which helps a fretless bass sparkle. Personally, rolled edges to the fingerboard are a “nice to have”. Remember that a lot of the fretless sound comes from player skill and articulation. Good luck in your search.

Has anybody with Facebook access contacted Thomann themselves? I’m sure if they are made aware of it they would move to protect their legitimate commercial business interests. You guessed it……………I don’t have an FB account.

All the best in whatever comes next………and thanks for all the ongoing contributions to the low end community!

I’m biased and would recommend a Moon 😊. Early 90’s will likely have the Fender-style headstock and may be on the heavy side if ash bodied. The Moon Blackbird pre is simple and hi-fi quality, if that is your thing. It does 70s jazz sound in spades! Either way, an enviable situation and choice.

Danny Stewart runs Bass Direct Japan from Tokyo. He runs a search service for basses. Not sure if he does the same for parts. Maybe worth a punt. www.bassdirectjapan.com

They are a bit finicky to set up initially but I’ve found Ric necks to be very stable over time. Glad you got it sorted.