NJE

I am sure there are a few peeps out there who ship basses more than me but I have sent a few in the past and all have got there safe so i must be doing something right. I don't know anyone that will pack it for you but it's not too tricky to do it yourself. Firstly are you sending it in a hard case? if so this makes things a lot easier. If your not then I would suggest asking the buyer if he wants you to get one at a small extra cost for making sure it gets there in one piece (its a Wal I would) or what I have done in the past is first of all remove the neck but check with the buyer that he is happy for this. I always think sending neck of is easier, safer and it costs less usually. if you have a hard case then get some bubble wrap. Slacken the string on teh bass to relieve some tension and just wrap the bass in bubble wrap, body and neck, and if your being ultra fussy put bubble wrap between teh neck and strings so they dont rub on teh neck to much. Once wrapped up make sure the bass cant move side to side in the case with some polystyrene blocks or more bubble wrap. Close the case give it a small gentle shake and see if you can hear it moving in the case. Then i usually go to my local guitar shop and beg for old guitar boxes. you might hit the jackpot and get a fender bass box, or a bass hard case box so yours will probably fit straight in. Brown tape it up and then call a courier. I have used APC overnight who have a pretty good track record on here I think, and they are really good and not too expensive. Don't use parcel-force, they will send it to the wrong place or give it to a dodgy neighbour you dont know or break it in half, or all of the above. Anyway hope that helps

For me it would have to be an Overwater Progress. I just picked one up and its is unbelievable in every way, so I would love one like my new one below, but I would love a a buckeye burl top with a really stunning birdseye maple fretboard onmy next one. [attachment=35192:IMG_2483_1.JPG]

If this guy has the nerve to say he wont pay anymore for a proper repair or replacement than frankly he is no friend of yours! If any of my friends did anything to my basses the first thing they would do would be pay for it to be proffesionally repaired if it could be, and if not they would pay for a new one. They are all musicians so they completely understand. I say take what he has given you as SCC could be a lot of effort and time, chalk it down to experience and never speak to the pr*ck again. If he truly is your friend he will do what he needs to (buy you a new bass, or pay fro proper repair) to get back into your good books and mend the damage. If he doesn't well he's a tw*t and it's one less idiot you have in your life. Sorry got a bit wound up for you then, not usually that agressive but broken gear and irresponsible people make my blood boil.

I agree 300%. Michael has been a true Gent to deal with and I have a dream bass, all thanks to Basschat. Cheers all, Nathan

I thought I would just leave some feedback for The Shrek aka Michael after recently buying his Overwater. I could rabbit on for ages but simply put Michael is a true gentleman. It has been great chatting to him about basses etc throughout the whole process, he answered all my questions quickly and best of all he gave me a fantastic deal on an even more fantastic bass. Delivery was unbelievably fast and the bass was exactly as described. Simply a top man, a top instrument, and credit to basschat. This is why I love doing business here. Many thanks, Nathan

Now thats what you call a lovely pair of P's. Gotta say though, that some hardcore flightcase filth righ there, need to get me one of those. Congrats.

Fundamentally they are good basses, well put together good electonics but I couldn't get on with the neck at all, I much prefered the Joe Osbourne (probably has the same neck ha ha) it felt better to me and more comfortable, but that is just personal preference. If I had the choice of a 5 string right now it would probably be a Stingray 5 or a Yamaha TRB. The latter of course has 35" scale like the Laklands. Try a few fives out and see what takes you. In the past I have been hugely suprised by what I thought I would like and what I actually liked.

Buckeye and Maple necks are the best combo ever. Congratulations thats going to be a stunner.

[quote name='Doddy' post='625528' date='Oct 13 2009, 10:04 PM']So,you're going with the women analogy again then,eh? As far as basses go,buy whatever you want. What's most important is what you play on it. A good player will sound good on an 'off the shelf' bass,a bad player will still be bad on a 'custom' instrument.[/quote] Very true, I recently made a £2.5k Nordy 5 String sound completely aweful, cant blame the wood combination for that, it was all me! At the same time there was a very talented bass player making my Squier Deluxe V sound awesome, even with no EQ on the amp and and all controls bypassed on the internal pre. I think a huge proportion of a sound is in the hands.

Went through the jazz basses recently myself and here are my thoughts. Mexican Deluxe Active: Pretty good, EQ has not been great in the ones I have played and the construction quality varied. Mexican Reissue: If you are refurring to the new block inlay basses, I thought They were pretty good. Fit an finish on the two I played were good and the sound was pretty good as well, but I would have a new set of pickups put in for the small extra investment needed. I would say if you want a good Jazz hunt around secondhand and try the Japanese built basses. I settled on a 60s Reissue CIJ Jazz matching white headstock bound with no blocks etc, and it is superb in every way. I bought it blind without playing it after trying a Geddy Lee Jazz. Not the same bass obviously but I knew the quality would be there. Actually Might be selling my Jap Jazz soon but only as something extra extra special has come along.

£999 for a Jap Jazz They are seriously worth it (IMHO) but never knew they were that much now. I could sell you a white Jap Jazz with matching headstock and all the gubbins for less than that.

Just my bored office worker thoughts on it. I have been very very happy with off the peg Fenders/warwicks/MusicMan guitars for nearly ten years. Recently I have wanted a custom built bass because I cannot find a single manufacturer that will give me all of the aesthetics I want without heavily moddifying that bass and potentially killing any future sale price (sometimes in life you even have to sell the things you love). I do not think it will make me play better, and I am not really bothered about wood combinations, fancy tops or special finishes. I just want a bass that has the look I want. It is vain which is why I have a hard time justifying it at the moment but, lets be honest most of us are vain. I doubt many would buy a ugly car just because it drives well, or buy ugly shirts just because the fit is nice. Anyway enough now, time to go home.

Forgot to say, sent you a PM regarding the bass. Thanks, Nathan

So I went to bass direct today and it was amazing. Mark was great and spent loads of time chatting and humouring me and my stupid questions and poor bass playing. He is a wealth of knowlege and let me play some amazing basses. It is a great shop, great environment and going and playing these top notch basses really does give you the opportunity to find the right bass for you. I am completely in love with the 5 string maple necked Nordy he has in at the moment, but also was hugely impressed with both the Esh and Skjold basses, oh and the Roscoe and Dingwall (so all of the basses really) He gave me a lot to think about gear wise and along with his guitar tech is going to try and sort out the preamp on my squier jazz V. Just to top it all off I got a great man bag (gig skinz) for my eden head. All I can say is, top shop run by a top chap, thanks Mark.

Just had a good look through the site as im on a break and there are some seriously awesome looking basses. The red Nordy, Dingwall Jazz and W&T basses have caught my eye (why cant i have cheap taste). saying that there is a secondhand Warwick Fortress 5 there too!!!!! oh dear lord. I only need a bag for my Eden, I only need a bag for my Eden (if I keep saying it, it might work) i am actually incredibly excited now, bet something happens and we cant go after all, just my luck.

[quote name='poptart' post='618203' date='Oct 6 2009, 09:24 AM']NJE I am in the shop Monday - Friday 9.30 - 5.30, I open on Saturdays by appointment as I want to give customers the space and time to try gear out which can be difficult in music shops on a Saturday with too many customers hanging around. It is always worth calling or emailing me before so I can make the time for you. I am also thinking of doing a deal with Warwick castle so you can have a family bass and joust day ;-). PS - No pressure to buy, you are more than welcome to just pop in for a look, and basschatters are always welcome. Regards Mark[/quote] Hello, Thanks very much for the reply, I didnt realise you were a member otherwise I would have sent you a PM. I will most definately be taking you up on the offer to pop in, in that case. I cant afford a Nordy or W&T just yet but always need bits and bobs. Castle and Basses it is this friday then (weather permitting). Many thanks Mark. Nathan

[quote name='woodyratm' post='618197' date='Oct 6 2009, 09:12 AM']If it makes you feel better my girlfriend is the same. "Do you REALLY need that?" "Yes!" "No you dont. Now lets go." "B....b...but i doooo!" "No." Walks out shop with my car keys and more than likely my wallet. Defeated! [/quote] That's really funny, it must be some training course all women go on 'Male GAS negotiations 101' because that sounds like most of our conversations.

[quote name='Raggy' post='618195' date='Oct 6 2009, 09:03 AM']You only need to make an appointment for a saturday, he is usually there all week. Always worth an email or phone call tho. Heed our words....................You'll end up with a severe case of GAS!!!!![/quote] Ha ha everyone has got me really worried now, I am terrified I might walk out with something I don't need........but want! Actually I will have my girlfriend with me and she is usually the best GAS buster there is. Saying that she did actively encourage the new EBS cab and even gave me some towards it, so I cant rely on her. Just seen teh really cheap secondhand warwick fortress, dear lord!

Cheers, Will probably give a call later but cant while I am at work and just wanted to see if it was an option for friday. I am planning it today and It was either bass direct and warwick castle or west midlands safari park, I think we have a winner and its bass related!

Hello, Just a real simple question about Bass Direct. I am thinking about going to Warwick on Friday and thought I would pop in and have a look around because so many folk say wonderful things about the place. I wasn't sure if it was by appointment or whether you can just go in at any time? The thing is I might pick up some strings and I am tempted by a GigSkinz bag for my Eden head, but I didnt want to book an appointment and go in and not buy anything, would feel a bit guilty. Also do they mind youplaying basses even if you cant afford them? Many thanks, Nathan

This is amazing news. I was hoping they would be about 1k cheaper (I never knew how much they were originally) but still amazing. The pictures look amazing and I think I even saw a maple fretboard on there somewhere. A Wal Mach I with a maple fretboard and buckeye top would be my dream bass. Anyway great to see them back regardless of price.