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I’ve had an upright for over twenty years now although most gigs are electric. (and a good friend here has six uprights) Mine’s just an old German plywood job. Does the job. My friend works on them , and can’t help himself.

I’ve liked them a lot more than I thought I would. I’ve no idea how old they are but they sound deep and still have a little top end. I’m not in any panic to replace them, I don’t use that bass often. I usually put fresh stings on new basses , most have flats , l do have some with old rounds , and some I keep fresh rounds on. I buy a surprising amount of strings.

I’m up to twenty something basses , there’s only one I have any interest in selling , and the house I live in has too much stuff in it. I watch kijiji like a hawk and generally have a sock tucked away with some musical emergency cash. Last year was good , I only dragged three or four new strays home. Couple amps as well though … I’m not sure I can manage zero growth , but I’m going to try some restraint. Talked a friend into buying a Westone Rail several days back. Even spending their money…

I have read that there are many more burst LesPauls and early Fenders that have been “authenticated” by experts than we’re ever produced. They’re said to play better than the originals. And most American manufacturers now have their own cheaper offshore versions made. I have an Epi Flying V , I’d be reluctant to spring for the real Gibson model , and I enjoy the Epi. It’s very well made (Unsung Factory). I also have a couple of real Gibson basses. I have a Squier Bass VI , and was delighted to find the bass at a nice price point. Doubtful I’d spring for current vintage pricing or even a Custom Shop version. I like the Squier. I put a lot of time on it. Rickenbacker was a little different though , they remained small. And have never authorized offshore duplication of their designs. They threatened anyone they could find with legal action , I’m not aware of any actual cases. But in the eyes of the law zealously protected their copyrights and trademarks.

Recent visitor to the forum and a long time Ric player , although not in my main rotation at the moment , I love a nice Ric. Always have. And had no inkling of any kind or kerfuffle between Ric & BassChat. To be honest I’m not crazy about counterfeit instruments and cheap copies , whether the copies be of Fender , Gibson , Rickenbacker , MusicMan or whatever. I simply wish that offshore instruments were given their own unique identity. Perhaps they should examine the retro futurism evident in some Italian design of the early 60’s , and especially their use of switches , extra buttons , and mother of toilet seat flourishes. I’m weary of Fender shaped copies. And I wish the counterfeiters could be a little more funky. All of this would have been avoided if the American companies had zealously protected their copyrights and trademarks right from the beginning.

I had a Mesa Walkabout for a bit , but it was too much to carry around. Just using it for rehearsals , and parking there was difficult. I had blown up my GK MB150. It was off to repair , but took forever to get a replacement module for it. Liked the Mesa , but it was cumbersome and weighed a ton.

Ha … my friend got the rail ! And will have an in depth review in several days time. I almost feel like I got it myself , getting pretty good at spending his cash. Last month I got him to get a Riverhead Jupiter. edit In the past he sold me an Ashbory and a Riverhead Unicorn , so I’m getting even…

I came across some articles on Epi NYC pickups rooting around the net , but they were guitar pickups. There was surplus stock when Gibson purchased Epi , and Gibson apparently used the remaining Epi NYC pickups on some Gibson guitars after Gibson moved the Epi assets from NY to Kalamazoo. They were a mini humbucker. The Rumblekat uses a new design Epi NYC mini humbucker pickup. I gather Allen Woody was a fan of the original Epi NYC pickups and was involved in the creation of the new one.

My DC Jr has a single pickup in the “sweet spot” with a coil tap. I rarely use the tap , but that little thing is one of the best sounding basses I’ve used.

Leonard got into it as well.

His earlier covers of Little Richard songs just might be some of the worst covers ever recorded.

The heavier Fender set have a nice balance.

The Classic Vibe Series are upper end Squiers , they cost a bit more , but they are built to a higher standard.

I have an Eastwood Classic IV in white , it’s kind of like a fake Gretsch Falcon at a fraction of the price. I used to have a Rivoli hollow body , sold it , and missed it. So I jumped when I saw the Eastwood at a great price. Kijiji deal! The Eastwood sounds better than the Rivoli did , and seems to be well built . The previous owner had it strung with flats , I’m perfectly ok with that . Most of my basses are strung with flats. Played it last week for the first time in a while and was shocked at how the time had somehow gone without picking it up. It’s a big chunky feeling thing but I quite like it.

I like Ernie Ball basses too. They just might be the finest production basses made in the US.

The Squiers ship with the old set that has an 85 E , many complained the they needed a heavier string. Fender actually listened and now you can buy the Fender VI set with a 100 E . The heavier strings make a huge difference. The HBs ship with an 84 E.

I picked up Squier last year , I had just missed one that popped up on kijiji and then decided I needed to get one. It was bought as a guilty pleasure , no plans to gig with it , I just planned to have fun with it at home. I saw a used one at L&M , rented it for a month and realized it was not going to return to the store. And discovered I put a lot of time simply goofing around on it. Still do , spent so much time on it I picked up a Gretsch baritone as well. So be careful … they’re habit forming. Congratulations!

I have used sealed and ported cabs over the years , today all but one cab are ported. So I guess I prefer ported cabs. Mine are modern cabs , best sounding cabs I’ve ever owned , lightweight too. Bergantinos.

They say the first hundred watts work the hardest. I remember having to crank up older amps , and getting a more distorted sound. Sometimes the distortion was good , but often it was not , and I would have given anything at the time to have a clean signal at volume. I get that clean sound , with some serious slam , using modern gear. And have tons of headroom.

I found reasonable deals on the two I have , a 4000 and 4001 . I spent years (pre internet days) looking for a 4001 , they were not all that common around Halifax , although there’s many , many more around now. Eventually found one in Toronto. At first my 4001 felt different , I was an old Pbass guy , but the thin neck with little taper quickly became very comfortable , the binding didn’t bother me , and once I set the neck and everything to my set up preferences I found the bass incredibly stable. It quickly became my go to bass , and was for a good number of years. These days I mostly play short scales , when I do pick up a Ric I immediately remember why I used them so much. I love the feel.

Asking $400 Cdn at the moment , OBO … so it seems like a fair starting price. I have a friend that has a taste for older , unusual things , and this would be right up his alley. There is a bit of a drive to pick it up. I’ve managed to quit buying stuff because it’s a deal , or rare and unusual. Too much stuff… but I enjoyed looking this up and learning a bit about them.

I love a nice Ric. I have a couple of older ones. If you spend the time on one they can become wonderful. They feel like home. Would have bought that XC model in a minute if I had more disposable income. I thought it was gorgeous , and I know why they didn’t use the R tailpiece. And when you look at the price vintage 4005 basses sell at the price isn’t bad , it’s around what most US companies charge for limited custom runs. People once complained that Rickenbacker never made anything new. And people complain if they do. I’d lose it if they make a short scale bass based on Lennon’s 325 using a 350 body. Rics are not copies of Fender style instruments. Some love them for exactly what they are.

In the last twenty years there’s been some pretty remarkable advances in amp and cab design. I like lightweight , modern , cabs and Class D amps and I’ve never been happier. I have a GenzBenz Streamliner , it has a three tube preamp , and 900 watts at 4 ohms , you can easily dial in whatever warmth you’re looking for , but my primary gig amp is just a simple , clean straightforward Bergantino Forte. 700 watts at 4 ohms . Two very different amps , I’m often just using an 8 ohm cab and usually run things between 3&4. Tons of headroom. Never run out of volume. Easily the best sound I’ve had. I could run a gain pedal with the Forte , but I’ve never felt the need. I like that one simple.

The previous owner of the Unicorn used a pick , you can see where the black finish has flaked off over the bridge pickup. I’ve come to like the look so I’ll probably get some Black Beauties if I restring it.