Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Obrienp

⭐Supporting Member⭐
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    999

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Obrienp

  1. Obrienp
    I have been having a really bad experience with Parcel Force, which is not quite over yet. I sold an amp and a bass just before year end. I sent one on the 30th and one on the 31st of December, both by Parcel Force Express 48 drop at Post Office. I knew they would not start moving until after the bank holiday but by the 5th they were still showing as collected and nothing more. I raised a case with them (not easy: hours online trying to get to chat with an agent). They did find them within 24 hours and they started to move. In the meantime one of my buyers had also started an enquiry and was told by Parcel Force that the parcel had not been dropped off yet and that he should contact the sender. This despite their own tracker showing it as “collected”. They had clearly been forgotten in my local depot. I don’t know what would have happened to them if I hadn’t kicked up a fuss: I even went to the Post Offices I dropped them at to get photos of their handover dockets. The parcels have now made their way to the buyers’ local depots but have not been delivered yet, despite expected delivery showing as the 6th on their tracker. I am just hoping they will be delivered tomorrow intact and not as a pile of pieces! I learnt a lot about Parcel Force, during this process, from the Post Office people I talked to. A lot of parcels go missing in their experience. Virtually none of them seem to be delivered on time. Parcel Force collections from nominated POs are very unreliable. One PO had an Express 24 package that wasn’t collected for 9 days! Now I appreciate that this might not apply to Parcel Force across the board but if you are in North Norfolk, I would recommend you avoid Parcel Force. I certainly won’t be using them again. I now need to try to get a refund out of them for delayed delivery and I hope I won’t be trying to get compensation for damaged goods! Update for the sake of fairness: the packages were eventually delivered on the 10th of January, so way outside the contracted time. Fortunately, both the amp and the bass were undamaged.
  2. Obrienp
    Thanks. That is reassuring.
  3. Obrienp
    Well this never happened. After the first rush of enthusiasm from me and taking into account the full order book of the luthier, I decided it was not a cost effective option. In fact the neck would have cost more than I just got from selling the SRH500, so it really wasn't worth it. That puts me in the market for a short or medium scale, fretless acoustic, or hybrid electro-acoustic of similar calibre to the SRH500 Aerium. I see that Warwick do various versions of their Alien acoustic bass in a 32". I quite like the look of the hybrid, slim bodied version with the Nanoflex pickup system (mag in the neck and piezo bridge). Does anybody have experience of these Warwick acoustic basses? On a similar theme: this is my first and probably last (given my age and state of arthritis) venture into fretless. Would the panel recommend going for a lined fretless, or just one with dot side markers? Also given arthritis in my left hand: do fretless basses require significantly more finger pressure to get a clean note, or is it marginal?
  4. Obrienp
    Nice looking bass that Les Paul DC. You got a bargain there! It’s a big slab of mahogany (I am guessing). How is it weight wise?
  5. Obrienp
    Ditto. I guess if you are on the Continent there is just too much hassle involved in buying from the UK now. I can’t see any way round that at the moment and I would be reluctant to ship abroad now as well. Shame!
  6. Obrienp
    For sale this compact, lightweight 12” cabinet with switchable tweeter and padded Hotcovers cover. This is the EVO II model rated at 300 watts (8 ohms). The full spec is here: https://ashdownmusic.com/products/rm-112t-evo-ii. The grab handle is placed really well and weighing only 12.2 Kg, it’s really easy to carry. I bought this 6 months ago and it has been gigged twice. I haven’t really used it apart from that. I have a Barefaced One10 which I tend to use for rehearsals, so this has been gathering dust. You will see from the photos that there are a few minor scuffs, mostly noticeably on the bottom: one that has gone through the tolex and some paint chipped off the metal corners, otherwise it’s in very good condition. They were a little economical with the tolex on the back, as you will see from the photo there is a bit of a gap in the seam. It doesn’t seem to be peeling to me and could be covered up with a felt tip. The cheapest I can find these cabinets online is £269. If you include the cost of the Hotcovers cover, you are getting this for a good price but I will consider offers, or a trade for a similar condition Orange OBC112, with cash adjustment. Try and buy in Fakenham, Norfolk. I will drive 50 miles or so to meet up and handover. I have the original shipping box, so can post it at buyer’s expense.
  7. Obrienp
    Thank you for the suggestions folks. I thought I should complete the story, for what it is worth. I decided that it would be more cost effective to sell the Aerium, much as I love it and look for a short scale acoustic bass to replace it. I am not optimistic that I will find anything that sounds and plays as well as the Aerium but who knows? Favourite at the moment is the Warwick Alien, which is a 32” but a real 30” would be better for my arthritic hand. Also the Warwick cost more than double what I raised by selling the Aerium.
  8. Obrienp
    Sorry if you were interested. This bass has now sold but if you like Ibanez’ innovative design, I am also selling a beautiful Affirma 5 string on this forum at a bargain price.
  9. Obrienp
    Now offering free p&p (48 hours) and price now £350.
  10. Obrienp
    Purely subjective view of my 4 string is that the neck feels shorter than my other short scale bass. It does take me a few minutes to get used to it when I switch to it from another bass. I find myself relying on the dot markers on the side of the neck more than with other basses. I think the body is the same size as the 34” scale version but I admit I haven’t compared the measurements. It sits well on the strap despite all of this.
  11. Obrienp
    See above for reduced price of £370 and UK p&p for free. Now £350 for quick sale. Would pair nicely with the Ashdown 12” cab I’m selling 😀.
  12. Obrienp
    Hi Folks, Festive greetings to you all. As a gesture of seasonal goodwill, I will post for free to those who can’t make it to North Norfolk; most of you I guess.
  13. Obrienp
    Hi Hi. It would be £5 to post 2nd class signed for, £7 first class signed for. Let me know if you are interested and we can PM for the details. Cheers, Pat
  14. Obrienp
    Hi. Thank you for your interest. I am away from home for a couple of days. Is OK if I get you a quote when I get back? I need to weigh and measure it to do that. I would guess it will be in the region of £10 but need to check. Kind regards, Patrick
  15. Obrienp
    I’m amazed that is heavier than the EB0! My EB0 was pretty hefty. You would expect a semi to be lighter. Nice bass though but weight would definitely be an issue for me. I think it might have just gone off my GAS list.
  16. Obrienp
    Folks. For those who might want to know how much postage would be: UK mainland by Parcel Force with insurance (doesn’t cover damage): 24 hours £27.50; 48 £24. Last posting date for Christmas according to Parcel Force is Wednesday for 48 and Thursday for 24. I don’t believe that. In my experience they start the clock when it gets to the depot, so really it is Tuesday for 48 and Wednesday 24.
  17. Obrienp
    Thanks for the endorsement. Yes, I priced it to sell quickly. It would make a nice Christmas present folks!
  18. Obrienp
    I think all the strings you mention there are good. In my experience there are intonation issues with Rotosound shorts, so I would avoid those. I am too mean to pay for Labellas but I have tried D’Addario and Dunlop. They were both pretty good and intonation was as good as you are going to get with short scale IMO. Loads of people swear by Labella, so maybe it is worth spending a bit more on them. All short scale strings are overpriced IMO but I guess they don’t make them in the same quantities as 34”, so there aren’t the same economies of scale (no pun intended!).
  19. Obrienp
    I tried turmeric on its own and it didn’t seem to make any difference. I might give it a try with the pepper, or even the copper bracelet as Ruari suggested. It’s the site of an old injury from a motorcycle accident I had 44 years ago, so I suspect something didn’t quite set right and now it’s come back to haunt me. Misspent youth catching up with me!
  20. Obrienp
    Well, enjoy it! At their price it’s a bargain.
  21. Obrienp
    Hi Ruari, Yes, I can post/courier to you. Message me if you want to pursue that further. Cheers, Pat
  22. Obrienp
    I am having a gear clear out. Somehow I have ended up with 4 bass heads, so I am selling off the ones I think people might buy. This is an Ashdown CTM 30 Little Stubby all valve head in very good condition. I have never gigged this but I am told that they are loud enough for small gigs with the right cabinet. It certainly makes a great studio or rehearsal amp and at 9kg, it’s a valve amp that won’t give you a hernia! I had this serviced by the Amp Guy in Norwich in November '21, so it’s nice and clean inside (no dust). All the pots have been cleaned and lubricated. Transformers, fan and valves all tested, and the output valves re-biased. Basically, it is good to go. The valves are all JJs by the way. The full spec can be found here on the Ashdown website: https://ashdownmusic.com/products/ctm-30-little-stubby. In summary it has proper controls, unlike the Little Bastard. Separate Gain control and predictable 3 band passive EQ. It also has the feedback control that really changes the character of the amp between modern and vintage, with multiple stops in between. Not pictured but you will, of course, get the kettle lead and I'll throw in a jack to speakon speaker cable. You are welcome to try and buy in Fakenham, Norfolk. I will drive around 50 miles to meet up, or deliver. I have the original box, so will post to UK for free for the right offer. These are selling at PMT for £778. Now £350 including p&p. No trades please.
  23. Obrienp
    I am having a bit of a gear clear out. Somehow I have ended up with 4 bass heads, so I am selling off the ones I think people might want to buy. This is the TC Electronic BH550 lightweight head. The full spec is here: https://www.tcelectronic.com/product.html?modelCode=P0CIN. It has some nice features for gigging including built in tuner and two of their TonePrint slots for effects. You can change the loaded effects using their free app. It also has mute switch, plus balanced DI out with pre and post switch. The mute and effects can be controlled by a three button foot switch. Pretty well any switch can be used, so you don’t have to buy their quite expensive switch. I used a Digitech switch that came with a Trio+ but I am selling that with the Trio I am afraid. I have gigged the amp once (thanks Covid!) and I think it is in close to immaculate condition. You are welcome to try and buy in Fakenham, Norfolk. I will travel around 50 miles or so to meet up, or deliver. I have the original box, so can post at buyer’s expense. No trades please.
  24. Obrienp
    This is the last of my big boy basses to be put up for sale. Unfortunately, arthritis in my left hand is forcing me to go short scale, otherwise I would definitely be holding on to this beautiful instrument. The full spec can be found here on the Ibanez site, although they are no longer selling the walnut version, so bear in mind that the body wood is Walnut and the fretboard is ebony.https://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/model/afr/ To summarise it is a boutique design bass by the late Rolf Spuler. Mine is the recent reissue, rather than the 90s version. It must have one of the most ergonomically designed bodies on the market. It is super comfortable to play either standing or sitting and lightweight, so you can do really long sets with it. The neck is super comfortable to play despite its width, being a really great shallow shape. It has a US Bartolini jazz pickup and the amazing AeroSilk piezo bridge, with individual saddles. There is a two band active preamp for the jazz pickup (stacked eq) and a single tone and volume preamp for the AeroSilk system. It has a set half neck through design, with two carbon reinforcement rods in addition to the truss rod. The machine heads are arranged to give pretty well straight string pull. You can get an impressive variety of sounds out of the two pickups by blending or soloing them. The piezo puts out a pretty convincing acoustic sound and can be made to sound pretty double bass like with the right eq. Through an acoustic preamp like the Zoom AC-2, or TCE Bodyrez it gets very close to an upright. I have used the +6 db boost trick on the preamp, whereby you drop the jazz pickup down away from the strings and move its connector to the connector labelled +6db. This gives a fatter more mellow sound than the original setup that is more appropriate for slap playing. It is easy to reverse this: just raise the pickup and reconnect to the +0db connector. Together the pickups can give you quite an aggressive growl, or a really mellow woody sound. No modifications at all, apart from Schaller strap lock buttons and I have restrung it with 50-135 standard medium gauge D’Addarios, as opposed to the hybrid light top/medium bottom it comes with. Condition wise I would say it is close to excellent. There are a few light scratches that I have tried to photograph. One of these is by the neck joint. At first I thought it might be a small crack but if it is, it is very minor. However I have reflected this in the price. The bass is in Ibanez’ Premium range, so comes with a fitted, plush lined case and an amazing multi-tool that I will, of course, include. You are very welcome to try and buy in Fakenham, Norfolk. I will drive around 50 miles, or so to meet/deliver. I have the original box and p&p is now included in the price. I paid the best part of £1,400 for this, so get yourself a boutique bass for the price of a MIM Fender. Surely a bargain at my asking price: now £750. It is priced to sell quickly but of course, I will listen to close offers. I would consider a trade for a short scale bass 4, or 5 string from Sandberg, or Maruszczyk, with cash adjustment as appropriate. This is no longer on fleaBay: just seem to be a bunch of tyre kickers and chancers on there. Also they now automatically realist your item 7 times, which might be fine if it is a basic auction but I had a reserve that was costing me £30 a pop and they don’t ask you if you want to repost. The only way you can stop it seems to be to end the auction early. Anyway, it is still on Reverb https://reverb.com/uk/item/49873881-ibanez-afr5-wap-affirma-2018-natural-walnut. I would obviously prefer not to have to pay their fees, hence the lower price on this forum.
  25. Obrienp
    That passes up one of the advantages of short scale basses! Shame! I understand the Reverend Watt Plower is a hefty brute as well.
×
×
  • Create New...