Machines

On 01/01/2022 at 18:31, Machines said:

I managed to order a new bass just before the cut off yesterday. 

I lasted 3 months until I saw a Yamaha RBX6JM I'd wanted years. It was downhill from there.

I'm not even bothering for signing up for 2023 I'm an addict and I don't care.

Total for 2022 was 16 basses 🥲.

3 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

Maybe - @Machineshas a spare P pickup from a mexi standard - he’s hopefully offering it up.

 

If the general sound Is working - I will invest.

I am. 

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Also if your playing your own songs, I've found that audience members who've enjoyed your band also like to have a set list after you have finished playing.

Yeah we had this last week, asked us to sign it too ! It was most unexpected and I had to quickly invent a 'signature' that isn't the same one I use for official documents 🤣.

In terms of setlist software, we use Excel for planning setlists in terms of timings and avoiding repeating keys etc, but on the day the print off is always there as well as annotated guitar changes, audience engagement slots etc.

I think i've done every method there is, except buying from abroad - far too much risk for me there. I will happily buy online from a shop as I know I can send it back if there's an issue (something i've only done once in 60+ purchases).

For Facebook/Gumtree etc I have checked the instruments out in person and been happy to proceed, except once when a BC Rich neck was shaped like a Viking longboat. Probably rarest for me is buying from a shop in person.

I have a B3n and bought a B6 to try, not enough added features for the cost so returned the B6. If this comes out at a decent price (£200ish) it's possible i'd upgrade.

BassDirect only I believe. I've played a few of them though - they are fantastic.

Buy one here if you fancy it and are flush.

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Fender_V_1970.html

To date, £1600. In the future I will want something 'expensive' be it a custom Dingwall and/or possibly vintage Fender, but that's on the assumption my financial situation allows such in a few years.

Saturday's gig, all good.

Saturday night at a pub in Staffordshire, upstairs dedicated to live music. We'd sold 75 tickets in advance so that was decent. Tight stage but big enough, took the full rig and needed it as monitor sound was devoid of any bottom end through DI so needed something to flap my trousers.

Note the wall near to my headstock, managed to whack my headstock off it and detune the A string just before I needed it, had to just go silent for a couple of bars and quickly sort 🙄.

Quick demo as promised: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvQrR1rUDVs

1 hour ago, FDC484950 said:

Having spent decades in pursuit of a low B that sounds and feels like a good E string, a tapered string, bigger diameter and/or longer scale length are what really make the difference across the whole string length - assuming a decent break angle at nut and bridge, good strings and no twisting of the string)

Or to summarise, Dingwall.

Newly acquired matching Aqua NG3, with optional white pg. Gigged it Saturday and it was 👌. The D-Roc is taking a slight back seat, but they're different enough that having both is totally reasonable and i'm sure they'll rotate evenly.

(Orange NG2 sold to pay for this)

I'm a long time Ashdown amp fan, but these basses don't make sense to me - I just can't see their USP. I'm very likely not the target market, however.

3 hours ago, Ralf1e said:

The cash converters post on here has had a strange effect on me. Never thought to look in there before can't think why. What a lovely way to use up some time.

It's about out the only place left where you might get a real bargain as the staff there generally don't research things that well and collection only means a smaller market. This is especially anything produced pre-internet they can't easily find a price for. Exceptions to this are obvious well known brands (Fender etc) where their prices can be a little optimistic, but they always get discounted eventually.

4 minutes ago, SH73 said:

Well, surely there are some experts here that have done. Wouldn't that lead to bankruptcy ?

In time, yes. It'd be like a pyramid scheme for basses. 

EDIT: If anyone is up for that let me know it sounds like a blast.

1 hour ago, SH73 said:

Well, I've got a confession to make. I put two guitars up for sale and pre emptively bought a guitar from the profit I have yet to make. 

But have you bought something from the profit of a guitar you haven't even bought yet ? That's the next level.

2 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

I think this is lightly different. Restroirng instruments isn’t collecting, that’s putting something positive back into the world!

I feel like the bass equivalent of a someone that saves wounded animals from death, heals them and releases them back into the wild.

Christmas shopping in a local market town this week I popped into the Cash Converters. Ended up leaving with not one, but two basses 🤣.

Both were well priced and desperately looked like they needed some saving, struck a deal and within 6 hours both instruments are now 100% and setup like a dream (Ibanez RS900 and Yamaha BB425X). The Ibanez was definitely just to faff with it for a bit and then move on (I think I have someone lined up already !) but the BB might get some use, don't need it but it was cheap enough to not feel guilty about it (unlike the 2 Dingwalls cough cough)

2 hours ago, AndyTheBassBison said:

Glad to hear it was bought by a basschatter! Enjoy it 

I'd already seen it on cc website before this post, also grabbed the Yamaha BB425X they had.

I grabbed this as it was only 20 min away from me and looked like a fun project for a few days. Needed a full stripdown, clean and setup and strings, but i've got it singing now. Interestingly I found this exact bass was in the US a couple of years ago, I've messaged the previous owner to try and find out how it got here but they haven't logged into talkbass for a while.

The tuners were unusable when I got it (no movement then massive jumps), but they were just overtightened, I stripped them down and reattached, they're fine now. Is it heavy ? Yes, but not quite Peavey T-40 territory. It's a solid instrument and the single pickup with 2 band EQ gets a very close Musicman vibe, albeit a little different due to a lack of humbucker. Very usable though, I'll try and stick a demo up.

10 hours ago, NickA said:

Had to leave the dolphin at home and take the 5-string Wal ☹️.

I've had 70+ basses in 20 years, and the 'hunt' for something exciting or rare is part of the fun for me, especially if I get it for a bargain price. That said, I have a fixed number I can accommodate at once, and as time has passed by I've narrowed them down to what works for me and there's now only 1 of 6 i'd not care if it moved on. I hope I will calm down in 2023 as 2022 has seen 13 basses come through the door 🙄.

On 05/12/2022 at 09:46, Rich said:

Yamaha RBX? 

RBX has been around in a few different forms. That's a late 90s model most likely, they revamped it in the 2000s to be more like this, of which I still have mine from 2004 (defretted and refinished in that time though).