Soledad

I'd quite fancy one, love the sound of my 6B Neo but a smaller cab would be a handy alternative sometimes. I do think the 5" drivers sound amazing. Wonder if you might do a mini review once you've lived with it a bit?

Bit late to this but from years of experience I would strongly advise second-hand. I've been through around 5 bandsaws over the years, 3 planer/thicknessers, various cheapo pillar drills etc. It's a really expensive journey!! SO, pillar drill go British (eBay's a good place to look). I have a Startrite Mercury - green body means made in Gillingham (prob in the 70s). It is a lifetime machine. Just check for wear in the quill (the sliding pillar) but they are super-precise, compact, 3 speed... Fobco really good but maybe a bit big/heavy for purpose. Bandsaw... you guessed it > Startrite 502 (Green paint = Gillingham build). Almost bomb-proof, I deep-rip 10" hardwood boards into bookmatched panels with it - a handy talent for basses etc. After years of pratting about with various blades I only use Tuffsaws, usually his fastcut 3tpi. Ian there will make almost any blade you can think of including super-thin kerf custom blades. I promise you there are a lot of junk blades out there, and a good blade, well set-up, transforms any bandsaw. Planer thicknesser - been through Axminster (truly awful); Scheppach (acceptable but really a pain to go from planing to thicknessing) and finally found a single phase Sedgwick (Sheffield 'brick' makers of many years standing). It's a 10" and again a lifetime machine. I concede it cost me around 1100 second-hand which was actually a bargain for what was an unused ex-school machine). I really believe, and have learned the long and expensive way - buy quality second-hand once. And surprisingly in the field of machine tools, Britain (well, England tbh) has made amongst the very best ever, anywhere.

I know about this. It's like clearing the loft. Getting shot of the first one is the hard bit, after that you're off. Recently sold 2 Fender Jazz - a fretted and a fretless - don't miss either. Kept my P Special (which is a gem) and the Mayones fretless. Logic and my experience tells me having more basses doesn't make me play or sound better - and actually after the initial thrill of acquisition, the extra bass doesn't make me happier either. doubt much of that helps mind😀

I have a PJB (maybe a C6? - it has 6 x 5" front ported) - you don't need that size (me neither!) but I'd say the C2 is well worth having a listen to. The main thing is the sweet tops and a feeling of unity across the spectrum, I mean the top is a musical extension of the high mids. This is not my experience with horn / tweeter loaded cabs where the top sounds a bit divorced from the lows and mids. It was @Dan Dare who got me into the PJBs, I'm certain he's right about chasing the headphone sound, but if you want a quite hi-fi clarity in what is also a very musical cab, I do recommend the PJBs, certainly my favourite small cabs by a long way. and btw, obviously choice of head will matter - I've been told the PJB heads are very clinical, my preferred is a Genz Benz with valve pre so I can dial in a little warmth if I want it.

OK, so what is the point? I totally accept that a proper Fender has dots (or blocks) on the board - even though they are utterly pointless. But it's a kind of homage to Leo so it's OK. Side markers good, board markers useless clutter. Although the side markers need to be in the right place, so at the 'fret' position on a fretless. My Mayones fretless has no board markers, I know Warwick tend not to use them but some makers go bloody silly. I have a side interest in acoustic guitars and was looking at a Larrivee acoustic (quite a high end one). I mean, how do you get a tune out of that. Actually it's kind of OK cos the player can't see it. Total mess mind. Basically I like blank boards, bit of a minimalist... moan over.

If Adam Clayton is so bad, I've spent many years just not getting what a good bass player is. Go back to New Years Day - AC drives that song - with precision, authority and above all good taste in note and phrase selection. Then take a look at City of blinding lights, live Chicago (on the tube). He so completely fits into the sound of that 4-piece and does what really good players in great bands do - locks into drums and builds a rock-solid foundation for the track, with added good taste and groove. His control of power and dynamics is a key part of how he drives a U2 tune along. We may not love the music, but a very lot do (including me) and he does an excellent job in that band... IMO.

Ross bought my Darkglass comp - fast payment, excellent comms - a really good guy to deal with. Trade with absolute confidence, and thanks Ross for a very smooth transaction.

Just heard (accidentally, in car) Bowie Space Oddity - and I need to offload this. Had to check for a bass credit - Herbie Flowers indeed. Talk about over-playing. What a complete effin' mess of pointless notes. Utterly horrific, a thick lumpy soup of sound. Personally, I'd be really embarrassed about that. So my point would be, knowing when NOT to play a note. Space, dynamics and all that, the art of silence. I mean, Jamerson played a lot of notes a lot of the time, but the fit into the track was bloody perfect. There's saints, and there's sinners.

Wil bought my Jazz fretless - a really top man to deal with. Quick decision, good communications and paid in advance of shipping (I do appreciate the way all the BCers I come across are honourable and trust each other - an important part of the community). Trade with Wil with absolute confidence.

My first experiences with a Faith guitar.... Went to PMT Romford yesterday to A/B compare the Faith Venus Bloodmoon with the Hi-Gloss variant. Followers of what's going on in electro-acoustics recently may notice that the Bloodmoon is a fairly hot ticket - PMT reckon it's a best seller (with a list over a grand and their price 719 maybe no surprise). I was keen to compare the two because the 'Hi-Gloss' is right up my personal street, on paper at least. So, the Bloodmoon is a real looker - a warm honey burst over Javanese trembesi (never heard of it either, apparently a member of the mahogany family, quite streaky grain pattern). The Hi-Gloss is altogether more polite, classier and much more traditional in build - Engelmann spruce top, rosewood back and sides... my cup of tea. Both have ebony board, bridge & bridgepins, ebony faced headstock, even ebony knobs on the Grover tuners. Build quality is really superb - stunning detail, precision everywhere, tasteful (like the fingerboard has side dots but just a Faith 'F' at the 12. It's all you need and looks fab. SO, I expected to be taken with the Bloodmoon looks, but realised immediately it isn't my kind of thing. Visually it's a bit shouty for me. They had got one Hi Gloss in for me to compare, and luckily it was a cracker. The rosewood backs often have a central flare of sapwood (lighter) which people seem to like the look of, but acoustically it's not good being a lot softer. And after all, the back is a key contributor to the bass sound. The sample they got in was excellent, consistent density rosewood, bookmatched back (in 2 halves), bookmatched rosewood sides (all solid of course), and a very close and straight grain bookmatched spruce top. Ebony board is lovely, again a dense (closed grain) near solid black. High quality wood and it will wear in and age very nicely. So, how do they sound? The problem with trying acoustic instruments is the projected sound is out front, so I got Matthew there to do some chord and single note stuff for me. I'd already wanted to like the Hi-Gloss more, and was pleased to hear a significant difference. The Bloodmoon is more forward, kind of dramatic but with some blurring between the notes on a chord. The Hi Gloss is more subtle, better mids I reckon, better bass definition, crisp tops... just more articulate I felt. I also think it will play in well as the woods are excellent samples of long-proven tonewoods. So that was it, the Hi Gloss. Got it home - it is a really stunningly nice guitar to look at, examine closely and pick up. The bass side isn't big but the sound is great - and I'm sure a good playing in will improve things. Summary (one day in mind) - how on earth do they make this guitar in these materials for this price (£740 at PMT, with a very good hardcase)? It sounds fab (to me) - clear, precise, excellent sustain, intonation really perfect all the way up, set up lovely out of the box, amazing detailing in the build. Right up my personal street. It's a thing of real beauty and that matters because if you love it you'll pick it up more and that's what they are for, right?

Yes, sounds sensible. Interesting emailed Rob Allen the other day (just maybe an MB2) - he has a batch of 40 MB2's on the way, only 2 of which will be unlined. So it's really just a 'me' thing then !

Very good indeed (IMHO) to see a maker doing UNLINED necks. Personally I don't see the point at all, from a normal playing position I can't see the lines... and they do look a bit naff anyway. Love a nice unlined board, with dots at the main fret positions of course. Looks really good, maybe could do with a logo on headstock just to fill the space a bit👍