S.F.Sorrow

I'm not a huge fan of relic basses in general but I understand why people like them. However, the one thing that REALLY puts me off is a poor/inconsistent relic job. When it looks fake rather than naturally worn. I also don't understand the concept of a heavily reliced body with a pristine neck. Or a battery compartment on a bass that has been reliced to look like it's from the 1950s. But it's a fine line. If someone takes a chisel to their bass to deliberately make it look ugly rather than going for the "authentic relic" look I'm ok with it.

A drummer who LISTENS? Do they actually exist? 😁 Not quite my kind of music but I enjoyed watching that. The playing was pretty standard stuff but his musical memory is very impressive.

The older Chinese CVs are amazing. The current Indonesian ones seem to get more mixed reviews. Have any of you compared the ones made by Cort and the ones made by Samick? I believe the first Indonesian CVs were Cort (and still are) but the later additions to the series (like the "walnut" P-bass) are Samick? Which means that some finish options are Cort and some are Samick. The serial number should be ICS for Cort and ISS for Samick. I've only briefly played one of the Cort CVs in a store and it seemed ok but not nearly as impressive as the old Chinese CVs. It felt more comparable to the old Vintage Modified series. Which to be fair isn't bad at all for the price.

Sound like you've played some great amps in your playing career! Maybe one of them is currently located in my studio. 😁 Yes, I really like the vibe on this forum. Believe it or not, there's not a single bass related piece of gear I'm currently drooling over (except possibly an early 60s Sonic Blue Precision but if I could even find one in good condition it would be so far out of my budget that it's really just a fantasy). My current wish list is actually more about studio gear and analog synths. Which is why I can never join a synth forum. Those guys are utterly insane and take gear lust to a whole new level! But bass has always been my passion and my main instrument so this might change after a while around here of course. 😁 And when Fender brings out whatever they've got lined up for the P-bass anniversary I'm probably doomed. I've got a turbulent love/hate relationship with Fender but whenever they bring out a cool looking P-bass I just can't resist. But when I said my favorites are "passive P-basses" that doesn't necessarily mean Fender. My current favorite P-basses are a passive Sandberg and a Yamaha BBP34. Amazing instruments! I'm in Norway btw.

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I love this forum and I look forward to be a more active part of it.

Like others have already suggested Fender Japan is a good option for lightweight P or J-basses as long as you don't mind basswood bodies. Personally I have no problems at all with basswood and my MIJ Traditional 60s Precision is one of my favorite P-basses. It's also the lightest P-bass I've ever played. Two things to be aware of though: 1) Not all MIJ Fenders are basswood. The alder ones are probably no lighter than any other Fender alder bodies. 2) The pickups are often (but not always) the weak point with MIJ Fenders. But the general craftsmanship is usually as good as it gets with a Fender logo on the headstock. If you're prepared to replace the pickups you can get a REALLY good bass for a reasonable price. Current MIJs have much better QC/craftsmanship than current MIA Fenders in my experience.

Hello everyone! Long time lurker. Love the forum. About time I joined the conversation. I've been playing bass for about 30 years. Mostly electric but I can do some half-decent double bass in a pinch. My taste in music has always been centered around 60s/70s rock/psych/prog. Bands like The Pretty Things, Genesis, Pink Floyd, King Crimson plus a lot of more obscure stuff. I also love classical music. Particularly the late renaissance/early baroque period, like Monteverdi. I started out playing metal but I've spent most of my time in a psych/prog band. Nothing particularly successful but we did a couple of small tours around Europe. Mostly clubs and some festivals. We had a small, dedicated fan base but the music was just a little too weird for any mainstream success. And even if we had been more mainstream we probably didn't have the level of commitment required for success in the music industry. I own far too many basses and amps. I get embarrassed just thinking about it.... Lets just say my favorites are passive P-basses and quirky vintage short scale basses. But I own all kinds of basses. My favorite amps are Hiwatt DR201, Carlsbro 100TC, Marshall Super Bass and my absolute favorite amp for recording: the 50w Selmer Treble'n'Bass MkI (the croc skin version with a tube rectifier). I've pretty much given up on touring and being in a band. Life got in the way and bills needed to be paid. I'm really more of a hobby engineer/producer than a bass player these days but I'm still VERY interested in anything to do with bass and I still do some occasional bass session work. Mostly just stuff with friends though. I've got a pretty decent recording studio but it has never been by main source of income. More of a hobby that I occasionally make some extra money from. Or in some cases a swap of personal favors: I produce your album, you paint my apartment. It just feels better that way. I didn't get into this for the money but for the love of music. I could never be a pro musician. I simply don't have that drive and ambition. To cover some of the rent for my studio I share it with friends who use it mostly as a rehearsal space for their bands. I currently also have a sort of part time apprenticeship with an experienced luthier. I love tinkering with basses/guitars so maybe this will be my regular job at some point. Who knows? But I won't quit my regular job anytime soon. Anyway, I look forward to chatting about bass with you all!