BillyBass

Peach Guitars near Colchester has possibly the best selection of Fenders in stock in England at the moment. Bit of a trek from Hereford though. https://www.peachguitars.com/guitars/bass-guitars/

I'm interested in these. I own a MarkBass head but don't own any of their cabs. My MarkBass head has a bit of a treble roll off, with all the EQ set flat, and can sound a bit dull playing with fingers and a neck pick up. Having three options for tweeters could make for some interesting choices. I'm guessing that all the different tweeter options will work well with their heads but individual options might be better or worse with fingers or a pick, P bass or Jazz etc? I doubt many retailers will be able to stock all three variants of a given cabinet though.

Now with real rat fur?

The Schallers arrived and I have put them ion a couple of basses. I'll keep the rubber washer things on three of my basses as they are red and I have a red leather strap for them. The three basses using the blue and black straps now have the Schallers fitted. So half and half; I'll see how I get on.

I'm going to see Pearl Jam and the Pixies in Hyde Park on the 8th July. Next gig would be 'The Silent Era' in Camden Town on the 23rd July

Sorry to read about your experience at Peach Guitars @dclaassen I visited peach guitars before the pandemic, to try a limited edition Fender. I was unimpressed with the bass and didn't buy it but I was impressed by their service and felt bad I had taken up their time for no reward. Since the Pandemic that have either been closed to the public or now, it appears, pre-arranged appointments only. Shame really because its a very large shop with a pretty decent selection of basses on the wall.

You may have got the blame that night but if the whole pub went then that means they have an RCD as the main switch on their fuseboard. Asking for trouble! RCDs are sensitive, consequently it is not advised to have one as the main switch of the board of somewhere like a pub or a house, there should be at least 2 RCDs, or, preferably, an individual RCD for each circuit (called RCBOs).

Electrician here... RCDs are very useful @Dad3353's explanantion was on the money. However, check to see if the circuit you are using already has an RCD built in to the fuseboard/consumer unit. Two RCDs in the same circuit can cause nuisance tripping so only use the plug in RCDs when there is no pre existing RCD or RCBO (google that) at the fuseboard The plug in socket testers are useful. I use them as a guide to inform me whether anything is wrong. Left and middle light glowing green and the 3rd/right hand light off means all is hunky dory (probably). Anything else and the circuit needs to be investigated.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I have ordered a couple of sets of chrome Schallers from Strings Direct (they didn't have Dunlops in chrome, or I would have got one of each).

I use those polo mint shaped bits of silicon/rubber to keep my straps on but the strap buttons on my latest bass are a bit too small and the silicon rings fall off too easily. So I thought I would invest in some proper strap locks. Ebay has the usual selection of no name Chinese stuff but the established shops seem to mainly stock Schaller and Dunlop strap locks. Does anyone have particular preferences for strap locks? And why? I don't really care about the price and I would rather spend a bit more to ensure my bass isn't going to drop to the floor all of a sudden, mid-song.

I've bought two basses from them in the last 4 years. The price is always up for negotiation. But someone would have already bought it

My local shop has one: http://www.thesoundgarden.co.uk/product.php?productid=20757&cat=21&page=1 Its been in their rack for a few years, your taste in bass colours is not shared by the good people of Barnet.

I'm a little envious reading about all of your better halves being cool with you buying new basses. Mrs BillyBass won't let me buy another one until I've slimmed down a little...which means exercise and eating less food, so I've got a problem. Still, I have bought three basses this year and only two have gone out.

500 years ago, in Spain, people like you were burnt at the stake.

Hold on a minute, OP. You are complaining about Fender headstocks but you own a G&L? One of these, er, beauties? I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I own a G&L, great bass with an eyesore at the end of the neck. I personally believe the Fender Telecaster has the most beautiful headstock ever created. But I'm a bassist so I don't have one.

I think a lot of this is subjective. I watch a YouTube clip of a bass video and the demo guy slags it off and so do loads of people in comments underneath, and I think...sounded ok to me, is there something wrong with my ears?

I got my 5 string from Andertons, it was their demo model so I'm sure someone had a good look at it before it was put up on the rack. It was fine and I've had no issues with it. The 4 string I ordered online from PMT. The first one I got had a faulty pre amp; it made a potentially cone damaging screech when the mids were pushed to about 50%. It also had a wonky volume pot and no centre détente on the bass. I sent it back and PMT sent out another, which was fine, no defects whatsoever. So, the quality control issues Mr 'Low end Lobster' flagged up in his videos have not gone away, but you can always send it back if you get a dodgy one. In my opinion, it's worth the risk. A German bloke gets a great Geddy Lee tone out of his 4 string PJ on Youtube:

I was of two minds about the 4 string; metallic blue or metallic lime green!? I went for blue but the green does look really nice. Even the darker metallic green of the 5 string goes really well with the roasted maple neck and gold hardware. They are just lovely looking basses. I'm not going anywhere and neither are the basses, so my invitation is an open one, just pm me if you want to come over.

34" It's my first fiver so I can't compare it to others but so far, the things I don't like are: There is some neck dive, I have a good strap so its not really problematic The B string lacks the definition of the other strings. I've replaced the stock 125 with a 135 and this has improved things but I can see why a longer scale would be of interest to people. Mine weighs about 4.5 kg. Not uncomfortable but lighter would be better. What I do like is: how it looks and plays; the neck with its rolled fretboard edge feels lovely in my hand, the black surrounded luminlay dots are perfect for roasted maple necks and I get some great tones out of it. Overall, I'm still very pleased with it; I believe I would have to spend considerably more to improve things. I live in Barnet; I'm not sure which side of Essex you live in but if you are nearer to Waltham Abbey than Southend, you can come over and try mine if you like.

No, it's not your standard P bass neck. More like a Jazz neck. The neck really is lovely to play, its slim, fast, has a lovely colour and the fretboard edges are rolled off so it really feels nice in your hand. The bass isn't a P bass with a J pup added, it is more of a hybrid: P body, J neck, Both P and J pups (though the P is reversed). With the active controls the J pup can do way more than just adding a bit of treble to the P pup. So far, for home practice, I like the P pup soloed in passive and the J pup soloed with a 50% boost to the mids. I don't think I'll use the pups blended. One of the bands I'm in does mainly punk stuff. I'm going to try the p pup soloed for pick stuff and the J pup soloed for fingers.

All you need is a Rickenbacker and you'll have the complete set. Nice looking basses those.

I think its worked out for me, I had about 30 minutes with it earlier today and so far all boxes seem ticked . I was after the 'perfect PJ'. My BB wasn't that and you and one or two others suggested getting an active PJ. You suggested this one in particular (in a thread in September 21). I couldn't stretch to Fender Ultra prices (and stay out of the dog house) so it was this or a Player Plus P bass. The Charvel has a few advantages, or things I preferred: It was £200 cheaper, it has luminlay side dots with a black surround, which is the most visible dot on a roasted maple neck, they are lighter, and the P pup is a reverse P, which I'm hoping means less woolly E string and less'pingy' G string. I love the look, and tomorrow, when I have a few hours to get to know it I'm hoping my first impressions will be confirmed.

they are DiMarzios, not sure of the vintage of the cream colour well here's a pic with the bass next to its big sister

That's not bad. The one I picked up must have weighed about 11lbs or something like that

I bought a 5 string version a few months ago and, impressed by the fiver, I Thought I would get the 4 string version. I've been after an active PJ, with a J pup at the bridge just as usable on its own as the P pup. @Old Horse Murphy suggested one of these Charvels and I've followed his advice