Paul S

No, that was the Spectrum DX or SX or something. 

13 more basses and 90 more guitars.  Why restrict yourself? 

Just popped up - all original '84 Westone Thunder Jet bass - even has the original knobs which are one of the first things to go.  These are cracking if kept stock but make excellent modding platforms.  Compared to the Thunder 1A these are passive, generally lighter in weight and have 2 extra frets.  Plus of course the stealth all black satin finish is as cool as.  Start price is low at £50.  Not for me as I am sticking exclusively to shorties now.

  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166773268879?itmmeta=01HYADZX6EM2JTMV22F23JYVGK&hash=item26d476218f%3Ag%3AUakAAOSwV4NmSeou&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwEAjKCuEYY7vI9wDv68k2hzVMH%2FwLH%2BTwm2c7cT3pqmxl1MVgwnKRQAESIdT5A04Q2QWKA6gQDbdJr%2BhiXEfnVTok4FNEV5f8aHmG1dN%2FNReEwHYA%2Bwe8BFNUpAQW4Q42sOqYhL7JcKQPlRfNa8UVs%2FzOXWcQM%2B%2BUBt61y3f%2FZRFxA%2BWi%2BultdfjYuJxlEfmzbThETF89FogPvEGYIo7KaDNdZe7BNEgFRH8Xm37kQ4yNEHjMaBM7wyAMwT%2FTxBHTA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6bT_83yYw&LH_ItemCondition=3000

One person's 'miserable and depressing' is another person's 'sad and emotive'.  Good job the folks at Hammersmith Odeon didn't rule out Bonnie Raitt singing 'I Can't Make You Love Me' otherwise I'd have missed the finest live performance of any song I've ever heard.

24 minutes ago, Marc S said:

 

I'm not sure there are many differences - but the main one for me, is that my Chinese model has the truss rod adjuster at the head of the neck. Which means you don't have to take the neck off to adjust it. That's a bonus IMHO

OK, so mine is defo a Korean one.  Not that it matters but it is nice to know  

18 minutes ago, Marc S said:

@Paul S - I had originally wanted to swap the strings for some flats - possibly TI's (as they're my fave strings on my long scale basses) but at the moment, I have the strings that came on the bass. They hadn't had much use, and I've grown quite fond of the sound. I must get around to trying flats - but I'm now wondering whether TI's would be too low tension on a shortie. What do you think?

I only play shorties now and only use TI flats.  I think the low tension is something I particularly like about them, along with the tone and feel under the fingertip.

3 minutes ago, msb said:

I’ve heard that a hair dryer and a little rubber cement will take care of the tape lift.

 

That looks like it might be an early Korean reissue. 

That's a great tip. thanks.

What distinguishes the older Korean ones from the more recent Chinese (?) ones?

On 07/05/2024 at 12:44, Paul S said:

 

i can't quite believe my luck.  One popped up on eBay, black, description said he was listing it cheap because it was tatty.  I made a low offer and to my astonishment it was accepted.  It arrived today and I would say it is no tattier than any others I've seen, but £200 cheaper!  Result.  I may take pics when I have cleaned and fettled it but, well, it is a black Longhorn.

 

Here it is.  All £230 of it [/smug]  managed to fit some TI Flats on it, too.  The worst issue is the side tape is bubbling up in a couple of places.  I can live with that.

Robert Ludlum's follow up series of books never really caught on. 

5 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Interesting fact but Mick Taylor from Sweet

Mick Tucker.

Having owned a 70s Musicmaster and, in total, 3 of these Vistas I would say the Vistas are better basses.  They put right the shortcomings and move it all forward a bit - stock pick up in these is ace, for example, and the bridge actually does something in addition to anchoring the strings.  One of the gems in the Squier back catalogue like the JV, SQ, Silver Series - get a good 'un and they are top quality.  If it weren't for my ageing hands and arthritis I'd still have this but I prefer the slimmer profile of the Mustang these days.  

Back when I had a need for a 5er and I played long scales I was pretty much a Precision or nothing sort of guy.  Trouble was that, off the peg, the Fenders were way too heavy.  I had a Maroooschick Jake 5 put together.  Weighed a ridiculous 8lbs and sounded fabulous - the best of the 5ers I went through looking for 5 string bass Nirvana.

Nothing very long.  It's just stuff.  The bass I've had for longest is a Gibson LP DC shorty that I've had about 5 years.  Got a Fender telecaster guitar I've had for longer but that mainly stays in the case.

10 minutes ago, casapete said:

Want to just save time and ship it straight up to me Paul? 🤣

 

Need pics as soon as it is cleaned and fettled please. 

I like these pointy ones, Pete  

2 hours ago, msb said:

You might have an early Korean version. Keep the wooden bridge , they sound better , there is a sweet spot for it. If the tuning pegs are stiff , clean them out and give them a dash of lube. They’re great little basses. With rounds they have some serious twang , with older flats they have an  authoritative old school thump. With the older ones you have to remove the neck to access the truss rod. They’re incredibly stable , in twenty five years I’ve adjusted mine only twice. But it’s a pain to have to remove the neck to adjust it.

Don’t think they’re delicate because of the light weight. They really are tough little buggers.

 

Enjoy! They really are lovely little things.
 

Indeed.  This will be my third one!  😍

On 31/01/2024 at 11:12, Paul S said:

This thread has got my GAS stoked.  I've had a couple of these longhorns in the past, plus a '56 single cut shorty and a DC long scale.  Tone-wise all the same meat but with different gravy.  But, damnation Marc, I fancy a longhorn now (ooh matron etc)  

i can't quite believe my luck.  One popped up on eBay, black, description said he was listing it cheap because it was tatty.  I made a low offer and to my astonishment it was accepted.  It arrived today and I would say it is no tattier than any others I've seen, but £200 cheaper!  Result.  I may take pics when I have cleaned and fettled it but, well, it is a black Longhorn.

The Toby.  Looks out of place in that line-up  

My best buy was a Yamaha SB-35 for £250.  The most fabulous little 32" scale thing ever with a tone to die for.  I sold it when I 'moved to 5 string basses permanently' which lasted around 3 months before I was scouring the classifieds for 4 stringers again🥴.  Unlikely to find another one, certainly not at that price.  I stopped contacting the guy who bought it for fear of a restraining order.

Worst buy - where to start? 😄  I have a knack of buying basses at top dollar then selling when the prices are at a low ebb.  My short-lived 'exclusively playing 5 string' period was a particularly rich vein of money loss.  Financially the worst hit was a rare and elusive Yamaha BB-5000 that I imported from Japan only to discover, when it arrived, that I didn't like it.  When I sold it an inherent issue with the neck I was unaware of meant in total I lost about £800.  Ouch.   

Policy decision now is to steer away from Yamahas. 😂

Thomastik Infeld Jazz flats JF324 are a perfect fit for a Mustang with through body stringing.  Whether you would like those strings or not is another thing  

Could be argued that it is the repetition that makes it funnier. 

Really, folks, get some perspective.  To claim that Douglas's gentle joke highlighting a punctuation error is bullying is beyond ridiculous.  

Jeez, it is Douglas having a bit of fun.  Lighten the flip up, guys.

I can't speak highly enough about David.  I've had a couple of basses, lots of bits.  Importantly he is as pleasant and fair to deal with when things don't go quite right as he is with straightforward sales.  One of the good guys who makes some lovely kit that is exceptionally reasonably priced.

I love them.  I've aways had a couple kicking around but recently, as I have aged, increasing decrepitude makes the shorties more appealing as I find them easier to play.  I have now sold off all the long scales and seem to have accumulated a selection of various shorties.   'Suitable for children or people with small hands' is often touted as beng the only possible reason anyone might consider buying one - that makes me laugh, I have to say  

10 hours ago, cetera said:

 

Well done Pete! I've so enjoyed reading your tour venue diaries on here and I've been living my dream vicariously through you.

 

Congrats on a fantastic run of years/shows and all the best for the future mate

 

3 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Never seemed like showboating to me Pete, your gig reviews have always been great imo, especially when including things like the long hours on the road afterwards, something that can often be forgotten about, details like these made the reviews nicely balanced.

Yeah, what they said.  But, of course, there will still be tales from Scarborough and 'ull to look forward to  Onwards and, erm, sideways?

Strange weekend for my lot, Tore Down - unusually back to back gigs Friday night and Saturday daytime.

Friday night we resumed our residency at The Shamrock in Ipswich.  Drummer is a farmer and had a lamb problem so we started late at 9.45pm.  Hardly anyone there, even fewer listening to us, didn't bother with an encore.  This was the place at 8.45.

Opps, didn't mean to post yet.  Late start meant late finish - less than convenient because next day we had a gig in Newmarket at the Harley Davidson dealerhsip there.  We played 2x 1 hr sets, starting at 11am, needed to get there for 9.30am-ish.  I'd booked a Travelodge locally to save going all the way home then all the way back, which kind of worked out OK - managed to get about 6hrs sleep.

We'd played a gig at the Harley place before - odd.  On the face of it there was no reaction at all - the band seem to be completely ancillary to the event, with nobody watching, virtually no applause or reaction after the songs.  But afterwards loads of people came up to say how much they enjoyed it - especially the manager there, Mick who, true to his word, booked us for their 28th birthday bash this year.   Which proved to be exactly the same Saturday.  Dull drizzly day although we were outside under cover - dry but cold.  Good turn out but very little reaction.  Every now and then whatever we were playing was drowned out by someone starting up a bike and revving it - particualrly one of our lovely slow blues tunes 'Blue Jean Blues'.  Nice food available - either a free BBQ although I opted to buy a stone baked pizza.  At half time someone who runs a Harley club asked us to play at their summer bash next year.  Mike and the crew at Newmarket loved it and are going to ask us back again.  Loads of good feedback from punters, too.  Strange.  Good pay, though.