Shaggy

When I see an elephant fly - Cliff Edwards (from “Dumbo” movie)

That’s horrible. I love it.

Good thread. For me, making bitsa basses has been one of the most rewarding things about taking up bass, and maybe it was inevitable given my nerdish predilection for putting together Airfix models when I was a kid (I still have a boxed HMS Victory kit in the garage waiting for an idle weekend; bought close on 40 years ago......) I certainly haven’t made any money on it but usually recoup costs when selling on, and doubt I’ve ever built the “holy grail” of basses, but it’s immensely satisfying - no element of it is particularly hard - and you can put together that dream bass that’s always been in your head. For me, it inevitably starts around a single part that I acquire often for no particular reason (usually on BC) - for the most recent P bass build (pictured) it was the Oly White body, so the plan became a ‘70’s type Dee Dee Ramone / Paul Simonon type bass, fitted with the very nifty Stellartone Tonestyler. Current build started with a pair of Celinder Jazz p/ups acquired for a mere tenner, so it’ll be a more boutique type J bass (I’m French polishing the body at the moment, whilst watching the rugby.....) Once you’ve got the bitsa bug you’re hooked...... edit: meant to say that apart from Chris’s 3 basses FS that I’d commented on; this one was the most impressive I’ve seen in recent years, you’d be pushed to find a kosher Fender this nice:

Heart of the sunrise - Yes

Not called Helga, by any chance? But fully agreed that it’s a much flatter playing field for electric instruments than acoustic. These days I generally play a mid-range Warwick Streamer in preference to some of my higher end instruments (eg an Alembic S1 and a pair of Wals) as it sounds fine, and sits so comfortably in my hands that I don’t have to think about it. But when it comes to flamenco guitars (which I’ve played for almost as long as bass) my 50 year old Contreras is like a living, breathing thing compared to almost anything else I’ve played. You couldn’t buy a cheap one.

There was a fabulous looking Enfield Cannon FS on this forum a couple of years back that I was seriously contemplating pulling the trigger on, but I sounded out a BC-er who I knew had owned one, and whose opinion I’ve come to value. He said they were beautifully engineered and finished basses, but the pickup switching options were almost too OTT - as with most basses one ends up using only one or two settings - and also battery drain was relatively high. He’d moved his on. Just opinion mind, and they seem to have found a solid niche in the market.

My camera never lies - Bucks Fizz

Crazy horses - The Osmonds

Funky Gibbon - The Goodies

Rooms on fire - Stevie Nicks

Riot in cell block no 9 - Dr Feelgood

Barefootin’ - Robert Parker

Walking in the perfumed garden of Gulliver Smith - Marc Bolan

Pennies from heaven - ‘ol blue eyes

Night boat to Cairo - Madness

Neon angels on the road to ruin - Runaways

Sweet Gene Vincent - Ian Dury

It was a reasonably popular option on Kramer basses back in the day, eg: https://reverb.com/item/3560547-kramer-dmz-4000-bass-guitar-metal-neck-half-fretted-half-fretless-from-1979-added-photos Never appealed to me; IMO the Ibanez Ashula is a much better design if you really had to have a single necked fretted / fretless bass.

Silver machine - Hawkwind

A bomb in Wardour Street - The Jam

You’re as cold as ice - Foreigner

Gone fishin’ - Chris Rea