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And after vowing not to buy any more basses from the US , I found one I could not pass up. There’s several originals around town , but none are about to come up for sale. I’ve had my eye out for one for some years now. This reissue came up on a forum I frequent , and I had to get it. On the way , should arrive Tuesday. I’m excited. https://i.postimg.cc/YCV5ccHq/IMG_2377.jpg Harmony H-22 reissue

I’m going to be out , just waiting to get the shipping costs and final bill. These have been on my radar for quite some time. This is the Korean reissue , improved tuners and set neck. Thumpy as all heck. I have too much stuff , but I’ve been looking at these for years. Finally will be getting one.

… I was about to suggest the One 10.

Why not , I’m utterly shameless at this point …

My Phase 2 HiFlier , was quite surprised by this one.

They have dual truss rods , and the older bridges are tricky to adjust , but that said the older ones are incredibly stable. Mine do not do the usual seasonal shifts. I’ve only had to adjust the truss rods on my 4001 twice in close to thirty years. My 4000 has only been set once.since I got it. Mine have required minimal maintenance. They are very different than a Fender style instrument. I did once have to adjust the output jack on my stereo 4001. A quick tweak with some needle nosed pliers fixed that.

It was about fifteen years ago , in a local vintage shop. The owner felt a used Ric should go for about $1200. Didn’t realize that that 4002 was worth considerably more. A couple of friends passed too , we laugh about our stupidity today …

And after I got that 4001 I thought that was the only Ric I would need. I had an opportunity to buy a 4002 for $1200 Cdn and passed on it. That one hurts now.

And feel is such an odd thing. I was a Pbass guy for years , and missed many opportunities to buy other classic basses at a time they would sell for next to nothing. Back when used meant cheap. I thought that a Pbass was all I’d ever need. I was an idiot. Today , I’ve acquired a wack of other basses that are very different from Fender styled basses. I prefer short scales today. Some have binding or sharp edges , thin necks , thick necks , light , heavy , good looking and ugly. And although something may feel very different or weird when I pick it up , I’ve found that with a little time I can get accustomed to just about anything. And regret passing on some great opportunities simply because they felt different.

I spent some years before the internet looking for a later Fireglo 4001 , and eventually found one in Toronto. There were never any for sale here in Halifax. It was just exactly what I hoped it would be , and for some years I was a Ric guy. I’ve had it now for close to thirty years. I just play it at home today , but any time I pick it up it feels perfect. Incredibly stable neck , I’ve only adjusted the truss rods twice in that time. Also managed to find an old burgundyglo set necked 4000. I thought I’d miss the neck pickup and knobs. I was wrong. They are beauties. And despite owning and playing Rics for some years , I still get excited when I see a nice one. They simply do that to me. Still.

Heh ... I’m in that not buying gear this year thread. And have made it to July. The cable would pass , but the splitter box would not.

Don’t quite understand why , but every time I see a nice Ric I get a little weak in the knees.

Sunday jam in the old dive , not me playing bass.

Sunday night jam was a good , but slightly unusual one. There was a lot going on around the downtown core and the waterfront. Lots of people out. We just had a couple of guitar players , usually there’s too many. The house band is just harmonica , bass & drums. Some great horn players in , lots of drummers and bass players. Finding a parking spot can be a misery when the downtown fills up. Good crowd , just a shortage of guitarists.

Load of misery , that place.

I’ve been doing a blues jam in my favourite downtown dive for close to 28 years now. We have a good number of regulars but one never knows who or what might come in the door. It’s been said a good Sunday will have both extremes , some misery , and some magic too. Last week was no exception. Part of my Monday is always looking up songs I might not have been familiar with the night before. The harp player runs the night and is good at changing up grooves and things on the fly. If things get loud he’s quick to bring things down. Volume is rarely an issue except when full bands are sitting in. Funny how quickly that can happen.

https://i.postimg.cc/X7csXNqt/IMG-6095.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/k5KDB2LF/IMG-6042.jpg

First , I should confess , I’m an old Pbass guy. For years I felt my old 72 Pbass was all I’d ever need. And then I found a nice Ric , and then I started buying some others. It seems these days I mostly use short or medium scale basses. And they are not FSOs. https://i.postimg.cc/wMT9Sz37/IMG-9754.jpg edit … UniVox HiFlier , Phase 2 , late 60’s , Epi V , I had no idea that they were not that common when I picked it up , Shinko Factory Dano Longhorn ( still has factory strings) (it thumps)

The Anagram is one interesting piece of gear!

Over the years I’ve managed to find some interesting stuff , and after making the purchase will often continue looking … just to see how prices might be changing. Just to convince myself I might have found a deal. When I picked up an Epi Flying V bass I did not realize that they had been fairly small runs. I did realize my set neck Ric 4000 was fairly rare. I spent some years trying to hunt down a Yamaha Flying Samurai , and then wound up finding a second one I couldn’t pass on. I wasn’t surprised when Gibson stopped producing those lovely little DC Jr basses , they’re wonderful little things. (I have heard rumours that they might be soon doing another batch). I did find a Unicorn on our local kijiji. Last year I went looking for a Gretsch 5123B hollow body. Managed to instantly find one near Boston , the exchange and duty were brutal. I’ve only seen a couple come up since. That made me want a 6128B Thunderjet. No longer in production , and not common. Found one in Kentucky , and once more brutalized by the exchange , duty and shipping. I’ve only seen one come up for sale since. I still look at TB Classifieds , but I’m not jumping into anything in the US these days.

I live in Nova Scotia and watch local classifieds like a hawk , have not bought a thing this year. I’ve found sellers are optimistic , and many things are simply not selling. Items priced to quickly move can sit for weeks. Buyers are scarce. I’ve pretty much given up on importing from the US because of the exchange , duties and shipping.

This is a Chinese copy , stock bridge. I’m used to the wooden Dano style bridge , there is a sweet spot for it.

Test … one … two … check … … it’s a miracle! I can post pictures again!