hooky_lowdown

Me too. GHS Precision flats sound similar to La Bella's, a little lower in tension than the FLs, and as tension doesn't seem to be an issue as you're using LTFs, maybe use GHS instead?

I know some older eb0s are longer than the 30" scale they are these days. I think some where 31.5", so will obviously need a longer case than a modern 30" one. Measure the total length of your '73 and someone may be able to help.

The same may apply to fixed or buy it now as well, I don't know since eBay changed their rules!

Yup, the item was ended early at £148, and eBay charged me £19. Had the bids been higher I or anyone else would have to pay even more I guess, and there's been no sale at all. No money changed hands, other than eBay taking direct from my bank account now!!!

This is true. eBay holds payment for 3-4 days, then you receive a message saying payment will go into your account in 0-4 days. Potentially eBay will hold your money for a full week. By then the buyer will probably already have received the item, and you are still awaiting payment. Seems a dumb a** way of doing things!

It means eBay have the money in their bank account and make additional money via the interest over the duration they have people's money. How much hassle is it to transfer money from PayPal to your bank - takes two clicks, 2 mins tops. So not really a hassle. I had a surprise message from eBay today after I ended a sale early (yesterday) as it was getting little interest. They sent me a bill for £19 for the item I ended early, no sale, I received no money. Another hidden eBay charge. This seems to be new as I've done this before on a couple of occasions, and was never changed, the last being fairly recently too. Naughty eBay!

Buzz will probably be one of three things. A loose tuner head/ear. The string is loose in the nut i.e. not seated properly. Or the strings ball end isn't seated properly, just need to loosen the string slightly and turn the ball end a little bit.

Grow a mullet, you're 98% there! 🤣

For cheap basses I'd use (and I have used with success) a thin strip of sandpaper wrapped around a finger, applying even pressure. Start with 400 grit to level, then use 1200 and finally 0000 wire wool to crown. You need to mask up each fret with tape, as not to damaged the fretboard. For a straight neck, if you hold your bass up to one eye with the bridge closest to you, so you look from the bridge down the neck to the headstock. You'll be able to see if the neck is straight or needs any adjustment. Remember, the neck should have a tiny amount of relief i.e slight upward bow near the nut.

Because flats are higher tension than rounds. Roto flats are the highest tension strings of all flats. Tension and guage can affect string height. However, your action (string height) is a personal preference. There is no right or wrong string height. The higher the tension, the lower the string height can go without fret buzz.

It's not a first bass thread. It's a bass for a child.

When does a child need versatility? Something they like the look of, and is easy, and fun to play is all that's required.

We had one rule in these situations, you damage or break it - YOU pay for it! 😎

That reminds me of the start of Back to the Future! 🤣

Roto flats are the highest tension of all flatwounds, anything else will feel lower tension. Going from the Rotos to LaBella low tension flats will feel like rubber bands. The Deep Talking are still relatively high tension, depending on model.

Another to add to the mix, and often overlooked (wrongfully!) is the Vintage (brand name) Reissue, better pickups and hardware than Sire, Squire and alike. They come in lots of colours, even have a roadworn range if you like that look. They also have an "Advanced" range, which are also fantastic bang for buck, especially second hand.

There's a few threads about lightweight basses on here, do a search, plenty of options available.