kwmlondon

Yummy!

I am going to put it up for sale. Bass Gallery said £1500. I’d only get £1200 of that so I’m thinking £1350 is a fair basschat price.

I have thought about getting a second Dingle… the Neve preamp has a bit of a crackle. It’s happened to a couple of them apparently, Dingwall will send a replacement and Bass Direct will swap it out. May take a few weeks though.

My Dingwall is away for repair! I’m a bass down! But yes. The Stingray is gonna be going.

Will aim to do one!

Yeah. I asked for a pic with a note with today’s date on and it came straight away. I will film the opening in case it’s an empty box scam. Will keep you posted!

Or I could be straight and say they have no feedback and the postage is too low - can I have a photo of the bass with a hand-written note so I know you have it. I'm tempted.

So the risk is you get an empty box delivered but cant prove it? Unfortunately, it's the other side of the country from me...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/167755787665?mkevt=1&mkpid=2&emsid=e90001.m161799.l174484&plmtId=700008&mesgId=3015&mkcid=8&ch=osgood&bu=43159798607&trkId=1f2b853f-e21d-30c5-9897-0597a2265912&cnvId=700003&recoId=167755787665&recoPos=1

That’s jaw-dropping

This is a good point. I honestly think the best solution at the moment would be a long-term swap with someone who wanted to try out a Stingray for a few months and left another bass with me in the meantime. That would be just about perfect.

I have a rule though. I have to spend more time practising and playing than I do looking at gear online!

I think I paid the same back in 1993 for my beaten-up trans red maple 4h 2EQ! I got it in a store in Cardiff, if I remember right, along with a Peavy 160w combo. Honestly though, I am very much starting to feel that I want to move it on. At last.

I needed to hear this.

UPDATE: This has focused my mind a bit. I had to call into the nice people at Bass Direct today to sort out an issue with the Dingwall (it's a minor problem but it had Mark properly stumped). While I was there I showed them my Stingray and asked how much they'd put it on for and how much comission to sell it. They said £1500 and 20%. No criticism of the team in Bass Direc, but I don't think it'd be worth my selling if £1,200 is all I'd get for it.

Thanks. That's very interesting and great to know.

You see, I don't have that. When I get my 'ray out it's a bass. It's a nice bass but it's a bass. It's a MusicMan Stingray like hundreds, thousands of others and while it's a very fine instrument it doesn't feel irreplacable in any way, I just look at all the wear it's had and think "some of that is from me onstage!" and that's the nice thing, but I do think maybe I'm not as attached to it as I thought I was.

I have never ever seen one of these in the flesh and I can't imagine you'd get one for less than £2k... but wow. I mean... WOW! I have drooled over these for years https://reverb.com/p/ernie-ball-music-man-caprice-bass

No. I can relate. This would have me shaking my fist at the clouds too.

Well, you see, the lovely thing about the Fender USA high-mass bridge is the saddles are cut with grooves so you can change the spacing. I KNOW!!! I've never seen the like before or since. Well. Maybe on something I don't know but I remember being very impressed indeed.

I put a bitsa together a few years ago and bought a MIM roasted maple Jazz neck from Fender and it was sublime. Everyone who has played it has commented on how slick and comfy it is. The fretwork was top-notch and it looked gorgous too. Going by that I'd have no worries getting a MIM bass in the future, but the USA hardware is very nice - the tuners and bridge on the USA Pro range feels lovely in the hand.

This is very wise indeed. I shall give this suggestion a very big think. The great thing is I'd see how I felt when the bass isn't with me any longer. If I don't actually miss it then we will have an answer. Good call.

Thanks for your interest. I will let you know when I make a decision but I’m not in a hurry. It’s a good question, why don’t I play 4 strings any more? I just feel like an extended range suits me. I like being able to play a D below E without having to bend my brain around drop tuning. I like being able to play in F without pivoting so much. When I play a 4 string it’s like getting into a car that has 4 gears or watching a film on an old 4:3 screen. It’s very personal but it just feels more me.