BlueMoon

I’ve been very impressed by the Yamaha TRB5ii - both fretted and Fretless. Great value for money and Japanese quality. IMO, they are easily as good as the average modern Fender.

Don’t rule out a cheaper alternative. I’ve been well impressed with the overall dynamics of a pair of Sony MDR 7506 that you can get for around €100. I use them to listen to FLAC quality audio files.

Try flats! They last forever and the tone (if it’s for you) will not change much over the years.

I use a felt pick for my Höfner violin bass, much like that other guy who’s been around for a while.

It just goes to show that reputation and reality can sometimes be at odds! Good score on your £700 cracker!

Looks like a nice bass with character and mojo. Well done! Enjoy it

I was going to add a set to a Thomann order, since I’m a tight-wad. Still need to pull the trigger on the main item though.

Wow, that's some collection you have there. Impressed.

Also offers string-through body as well as the usual BBOT anchorage. I think this was not transferred to the Ultra, which is a shame imo.

Great job. Very nice grain hidden under that original paint job, which the Tru-Oil will reveal to the full.

Not for me.....but each to their own.

They are in the same ball-park - between 20 and 23mm on my two Limelight jazz basses.

All the very best for you!

That looks great! A classic.

I’d second this comment. Aside from weight issues on some, many that I’ve tried have been just as good as those made in the U.S. Especially the early ones made in Korea.

I’m currently going through my own sweet hell with BD. I won’t bore folks with the details, save to say that they have my money, I’m doing all the chasing, and I still don’t have my stuff. This is now six weeks since the PayPal transaction was accepted and the item was in stock. Go figure! This is not a good sign, and maybe indicative of pending issues down the road. I hope they can sort it out, since we bass players are a small, specialised community and I’d like to support small independents, wherever possible. I should say that I have purchased loads of stuff from them (all by mail order) over the years, and never once had a problem. So, come on BD………..digitum tuum evellere, or something similar!

Here you go: https://mistymist.wordpress.com/discography/metal-guru/steves-fender-slab-p-bass/

Maybe depends on whether music is a hobby or if it’s the job that puts food on the table. Most would go for option 2, given the choice I’d suppose. For me, it’s definitely option 2.

Totally agree with this ^^. It has “hot”, responsive pickups and the active/passive switch enables passive mode to be used even with a dead battery. This might seem trivial, but it’s a lifesaver in a gig situation if you forget to check the status of the battery before the set. I just don’t care for the bat-wing (bottle opener) headstock on standard current models.

Quite a talent, indeed!!