LeftyJ

I love the look of that chrome pickup cover and window on the LP Jr. Classic T-bird style! Much nicer than the stock black pickup cover.

Used to have this ATK300L with an Ibanez sticker on the front and a very tiny pentagram sticker on the tip of the headstock. Incidentally, the sticker worked best on a lefty: One of those basses I wish I had kept. I still have the ATK305, but that 4-string sounded so much better! Warmer, fatter. I had too many 4-strings while almost exclusively playing 5-strings, so I decided it had to go - I had another ATK300 too that didn't sound anywhere as good as the one is this pic.

I've always thought the Cort Curbow looks a bit misproportioned, with its tiny body and long neck. I bet they make for a great fretless bass with that ebonol fingerboard and just a bridge pickup though.

My "one that got away" was a Wal Mk 1 with shedua front and rear facings that I believe I attempted to buy on this very forum for 1700 GBP years ago. I had already transferred the money through PayPal, when the seller suddenly told me the deal was off. He had already packaged the bass and taken it to the post office, but had some issues there because of the size of his package (ha!). He told me he saw it as a sign that he shouldn't part with it, and decided to keep it. He transferred the money back to me (again through PayPal) minus almost 100 GBP in transfer costs, conversion rates from Euro to GBP and back and I then had to struggle to get that back. And there was a Status S2 Classic 4-string that I narrowly missed out on at first, but was still able to buy 11 years later (!) when it popped back up for sale on the very same website (leftybass.com).

Just make sure it's not a composite or graphite bass then

I just sold it last year because it didn't get enough use, but this was mine. I generally don't like pointy shapes but I have a weak spot for the Ibanez Iceman and this Esh Stinger is more or less a reversed Iceman. It was comfortable too, and sounded and played great. It derives its name from the piezo bridge, which adds attack and "stings" through any mix. It was one of the last German-made ones, before they moved production to the Czech republic and eventually disappeared entirely (again).

Depends on the gig for me. I generally prefer 18-19 mm, but in my previous metal band I used to play with a pick a lot and the narrower string spacing of my Warwick Streamer LX5 (16,5 mm) made this a lot easier for me. My Status S2 Classic 5-string has 17,5 mm spacing and feels very natural for both fingerstyle and pick.

Closest I've got is this G&L in Bel Air Green.

Take a good close look at some of the hardware, and make sure it's a "proper" German Warwick and not a Rockbass. If it has a maple neck and a one-piece bridge, it's a first generation Rockbass. Stay away, it's WAY overpriced in that case. If it has a maple neck and the two-piece Warwick bridge, it's a second generation Rockbass and more than decent but you could do better on the price. If it's a wenge neck, SCORE. If it's an ovangkol neck, there are some things to look out for: - the original brass Just-a-nut with individually adjustable saddles is brilliant. The JAN3 is also great, whether plastic or brass. The JAN2 was a POS: the height-adjustable piece is held in place by two plastic tabs on the outer ends which are very prone to breaking. When those are gone, it inevitably needs replacing because it won't stay in position when tuning and will mess up your intonation, so you'll be looking at some extra costs and work which could bring the price down; - the stock Warwick tuners are sub par quality, and the tuning posts can snap off without warning, as @grenadillabamaalso pointed out. I have two Streamers from 2001 and 2003 which still have the stock tuners without issues, but on the Warwick Facebook page I've seen many which broke right off. Original Warwick replacement tuners are cheap and can be ordered both in Warwick's excellent webshop or at Thomann, but there are drop-in Gotoh replacements which are a major upgrade; - truss rods from the late 90s and early 00s were less than great. Sharing pics would be appreciated!

I once received a Warwick Streamer LX by mail packaged in just its gigbag with a DHL label clung directly on the fabric, and with an old t-shirt around the tuners for extra "protection", and it came out fine. I recon an empty gigbag should be good with just the clingfilm recommended above

I'd love to try a current Rick 4003. I bought one new at Guitar Guitar in 2009 when the exchange rate of the Pound vs Euro was at an all-time low, but after the initial novelty wore off I loved the tone and looks, but hated almost everything else. I hear they have much more comfortable neck profiles these days, and the new bridge with individual saddle height is a huge upgrade. Mine had a wide, flat, D-shaped neck which felt almost square to my hands (flat back - they're rounder now), and the bridge only sat on the tailpiece on its two height adjustment screws and would rock forward and backward when tuning or adjusting the thing. The bound body edges also weren't for me, I would go for a 4003s now.

Every time I see these mentioned I need to do a double take as my mind wants to read this:

Can you elaborate? I have two Status S2 Classics, and one of them with an older (late 1990s) preamp board suffers from this a LOT (i.e. with the pan pot centered, the tone is dark and muffled and with either of the pickups soloed it's ear-piercingly bright) while the other, from 2012, is perfectly usable all across the spectrum. I've been in touch with Rob about this, and he was baffled and says both circuits are essentially the same save for a preamp gain trim pot on the newer one and some updated components - with similar values. Sorry for the hijack, @Niiranen

6 Miles Over The Limit - pop and rock covers, and we were TERRIBLE. The singer/guitarist only knew one strumming pattern, the bass player had never touched a bass (or any other musical instrument for that matter) prior to joining, and I took "lead guitarist" waaaay too literally and played leads wherever and whenever I saw fit and never bothered learning the chords so I could join in with rhythm guitars. And the drummer always brought his girlfriend to rehearsals, but she and the bass player HATED eachother. She sang backing on three songs when she was there, and thought that put her in a position to actually have a say in band affairs and dump our bass player. She was wrong. Band blew up. Plant (formerly Lokey) - originals, bluesy poprock. First band as a bass player. They had no ambition to get out of the rehearsal room anymore after their previous singer died. They were a bunch of sci-fi geeks, gamers and potheads. I was neither of those, but still fit in oddly well. Learned a ton, had a great time, but eventually I wanted to move on and actually get on a stage. 4 for Fun - awful name, but also kinda funny because there were actually 6 of us. Functions band, with two rather excellent female singers, but one was extremely unreliable and would often not show up for rehearsals or be totally unprepared. Gigged with them only twice in two years. Time to go. The Bullfight - pop noir and murder ballads à la Nick Cave. Way out of my comfort zone, but great fun and great guys. Gigged regularly, and recorded one and a half album with them. Eventually got "fired" because they wanted to have an upright bass, and I didn't have one nor did I have the ambition to learn to play one - or the room to keep one, or a car that it would fit in. Sorrow's Edge - metal with thick gothic influences and a female singer. Good fun. Annatar - gothic metal with a female singer. Named after the fair visage the dark lord Sauron put on when he distributed the rings of power. Yes, that type of band. I had known these guys for 7 years already, I knew the original guitarists (of whom one had left when I joined) from university. They asked me to join when their old bass player left. I quit Sorrow's Edge for them, and have been with them (and their reincarnation) for over 10 years. Eve's Fall - Annatar but without the keyboard player and with a different drummer. Oddly, the "eve" in the name references the evening, not the original spare rib. Had to explain that once in an interview with a christian radio show. They quickly ran out of questions afterwards. Other than 3 reworked songs, we took nothing from the original Annatar period with us. We aimed to be poppier, much more modern, and without the classical soprano vocals. Worked well, we had some great songs and released an album in 2013 that got us some cool support gigs for a couple cool bands in some of the major clubs in the Netherlands. Akelei - doom metal, named after a small flower. Not technically part of the band, it's a one-man show. When he needs a live band, he calls on what remains of Eve's Fall (guitarist, bass player and drummer).

Very cool bass, I like the Shergold / Hayman vibes it radiates. 500k is typically brighter than a 250k pot, but will not have a different taper. That's the difference between logarithmic and linear pots you're looking for. Typically, a logarithmic pot is used for volume because it gives a more even decrease and increase of volume across the sweep of the pot. Funny: you're describing a typical lefty problem . On affordable instruments we often get linear pots (or worse, logarithmic pots wired in reverse!) because manufacturers don't stock up on reverse logarithmic pots. Sometimes it happens on expensive instruments too. Two months ago I bought a used G&L USA ASAT Special guitar that has useless pots too!

So many of my instruments coming with a complimentary hardshell case. At home, I keep my basses in a rack stand rather than in their case, which to me makes it far more inviting to pick them up and play them. When I rehearse or gig I much prefer a sturdy gigbag or softcase. So I have a whole bunch of guitar and bass cases sitting around idly and taking up a ton of space. I don't want to sell them, because in some cases (ha!) they're specifically molded for one particular model of instrument, and some are even lefty-specific, and if I ever decide to sell an instrument the original hardshell case could be a selling point. So I put up with them

Better not leave your juice unattended.

I wholeheartedly agree Status offers incredible value, especially used. I have two fairly plain S2 Classics (both bolt-on, solid finish, no exotic woods) and I was able to get them for very fair prices. I traded a Stingray 5 for the 5-string, and bought the 4-string for €1300. I still need to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself that they're real and that I really own such amazing instruments. The 5-string is my main axe, and only gets less playtime at the moment because I'm having so much fun with my recently acquired shortscale. I wish Rob all the best, and really look forward to what the "semi" part in "semi-retirement" will bring. I'm also really curious if that new interpretation of the Barracuda is still going to see the light of day!

I haven't played any of their basses, but I own an ES-60 guitar of theirs and it's lovely. It's an ES-335 copy in a cherry red finish. I guess it's about 15 years old and made in Korea. I got it used for a mere €250, and it had some cool mods that I like a lot (even though I can't tell if they were necessary, because it didn't come with the original parts): Schaller vintage style tuners, bone nut, custom low-output Four Seasons pickups and a GFS Surf 90 neck pickup - that unfortunately didn't work well with the bridge humbucker, and gave a huge ground hum when combining the two. I have a set of Gibson Burstbuckers #1 and #2 in it now with CTS pots, and it nails all the classic Gibson ES tones. I love it!

I can't find pics anywhere (probably have some on my Photobucket, but it's been locked since they changed their terms and conditions and became a paid service), but my first bass was a 1970s Condor Jazz Bass that I bought around 20-25 years ago. It was incredibly heavy, had a laminated body with ash veneer finished in 3-colour sunburst and a lovely maple neck with bound maple fingerboard and block inlays. It was decent, and looked, played and sounded like a Jazz Bass should. I sold it when I got my first 5-string (a brand new Yamaha TRB5II) but have always regretted that decision. Years later I tried reaching out to the buyer to see if I could buy it back, but he was much too happy with it to part with it. I found a cheap identical one, but it had a twisted neck and was unplayable with everything but the flatwounds it came with. I hated it, and sold it within two weeks. I've given up my search since, and in 2009 found a lovely Fender MIJ 1975 Jazz Bass reissue that has cured me of any desire for another Condor 😎

I missed the word "comedy" in that top line there for a second 😆 Thank heavens I then came across this bit and I could stop fuming:

Epiphone was able to do this because they used multi-piece bodies with a korina veneer on the top and back. So while the bodies may look like a single piece from the front and back, they can be made up of up to 10 narrower pieces glued together which will be visible from the sides. Gibson would not get away with that on a USA-made guitar, but Epiphone can. There's been a lot of speculation on the web whether the Epiphones are actually made of genuine korina (African limba), and several people who sanded their bodies down to refinish them claim they look more like basswood or poplar underneath the finish. But Gibson has made it very clear in response to these discussions they should indeed be genuine korina. There are some rare exceptions: there was once a Czech-made series of Epiphones (mostly Flying V's) with 2-piece korina bodies!

I quite like this guy, but when asked for a video showcasing his playing, this was his response:

Not sure if feeding the trolls here... The 102p is only a speaker cabinet, and needs to be powered by an external amplifier. The dial on the side is a (passive) volume control for the high frequency tweeter which enables you to cut the highest frequencies a bit.

I bought a used Carvin DC727 7-string guitar on Gumtree a few years back. I got talking to the seller through Whatsapp to seal the deal and exchange formalities, and thought the name (Joaquin Ardiles) rang a bell. Turned out to be the guitarist of Good Tiger and formerly (and more familiar to me) The Safety Fire. I had seen them live a few years prior opening for Between The Buried and Me and Periphery in the Netherlands. It doesn't add any value to the guitar for me, especially since he stated he had bought it for a project which in the end didn't happen, so it's not used in any recorded music of his bands, but I still think it's pretty cool. I bought a used MM Stingray 5 from an eBay seller, who then contacted me outside of eBay saying "Instead of shipping it, how about I get you some guest list tickets to one of our shows in the Netherlands?". He was Phil Barker of IONA, a Christian progressive and folk rock band, and they would be playing a venue very close to me shortly. After the show we met in the bar of the venue where we had a nice chat and exchanged the merchandise (quite literally: I got a live DVD with the bass in which it is prominently featured). Cool guy, and a cool memory.