80Hz

I think it's a matter for taste. Looking at the 60s Precisions on Andy Baxter (different to 70s guards?? I dunno), there seems to be a redder, more diffuse look to those guards - more presence of orange and yellow. It almost looks more "molten" whereas modern tort skews brown and more textured. Personally I'm not sure I would want a real celluloid guard - I'd prefer not to have a combustible material on my bass! Some of these look good to my eye: https://www.pickfordguards.co.uk/gallery Edit: just to add that there seem to be a bit of "drama" around this maker - I'll let you do your own Googling. I have no experience either way!

Absolutely. The market is flooded with "very good for the money" instruments and players like Sire, Jet etc are eager to gnaw away at Squier's market share. So whatever we used to call mid-range, maybe Fender Player, some of the Japanese and Korean made instruments, either have had to become higher end, or their price has to come down. I think we see that in evidence with the "new" Fender Standard series, and Japanese brands becoming more boutiquey. I would go as far as to say that "low end" is being redefined as <£200, with the "new" mid range being £300-400. Above this the market hasn't quite adjusted yet. I think this is where brands such as G&L are suffering - the Tributes used to be a keen competitor to upper end Squiers, but I'd question where something like this SB-2 [https://www.andertons.co.uk/g-l-tribute-sb-2-bass-black-frost-rosewood-fretboard/] fits into the new landscape at £499.

Interesting data. It's a little difficult to generalise from, but it does show neatly how most of listings are above the consensus on where used prices "should" be, and shocker, the one which did has sold. Date of build doesn't seem to make much difference, condition seems to be more important. Sounds logical enough. Your point on listing quality is a good one. Anything with an AI auto-generated description is a pass for me - it screams low effort. So price, condition, and listing quality may have to align for a successful sale, unless it's something unique.

Agree, that tone is off the hook.

Thanks everyone for weighing in. It's good to balance out YouTube unboxing hot takes with opinions after you've settled in for a while with a new bass. I find I can rarely form an opinion of something until I've lived with it for a while, so it's good to see that people are enjoying them a few months in.

Yep, was just watching this yesterday!

Yeah, I mean thinking of the Exotic, a grand for a hot-rodded precision with premium pickups etc is within boundaries of what I expect. But 2k for an undistinctive PJ, nope.

I think there's a general call here for Schecter owners to bring them to bass bashes! We need to put hands on them! I see Peach Guitars have a handful in stock. As do Rich Tone. The Exotics are pretty for sure.

Yeah this is a salient point. I think the "club" idea is also part of wider brand recognition irrespective of artist roster, which is always churning. And with apologies to Sean for the derail onto G&L, I'd say this applies to Schecter. Not being embedded in metal much these days, there's plenty of names I recognise on their artist page, but not so much that (currently) aligns with my tastes (which are always changing!), or more importantly what I like to play. It's interesting to put that in contrast with Sire's strategy of getting two widely recognised names on board right at the start. Well, not sure how well known Larry Carlton is to the kids, but you get my point - it brought them instant eyeballs from a wide range of players, even if they are really a copycat brand, albeit doing it well. Interesting thread though, perceptions are important because we seem to agree that the instruments themselves are technically excellent. I will now add Schecter back in to my "basses to check out if the opportunity presents" list!

Is that because of depreciation? Or there's just more exciting things out there?

They just don't seem to be that well known in the UK. Where would you go to put hands on one or get a sense for the range? I think you'd be on a bit of a mission. I played a 7 string Schecter guitar once which was really excellent, it gave any Ibanez or ESP/LTD a run for its money. I dig the FreeZesicle by the way. Am I the only one?

Thanks @neepheid - all sounds very positive and even more so at the price point. As you say pickup heights will no doubt be important. I would always expect to tweak these things out of the box. I think Philip McKnight is the only YouTuber I watch who is fair with this, most use it as a stick to beat affordable instruments. Good to hear about the side by side noise cancelling neck pickup too. Also appreciate the observation re: string length although I'm a happy top loader 😀 One observation I'll make is that the Z series apparently sells like hot cakes but you don't see too many coming up on the used market. Hopefully suggests that they're keepers for most people.

So how are you folks getting on with your Z7s? The tobacco sunburst one has caught my eye, and I'm on a gradual general mission to try bass styles I've never owned/played before (i.e. MM). I've never owned a Sire despite the hype. Regarding general criticisms of the model encountered on the YouTubes, I tend to always play with a strap even when sitting, so I'm not too worried about how it might sit on the leg. I enjoy a nice jazz bass neck tone, so I could see myself being okay with the neck/bridge output difference that some people have complained about - I'd probably use it as one or the other. Interestingly I see some people saying this has been solved on the 2025 update by the switch to a four pole neck pickup (I wonder if it still does a jazz neck tone though!) Mostly I like the sunburst finish - in the promo photos the alder grain looks particularly refined - so this would be the primary motivation for a Z7 over a Z3. Despite the janky detents, etc, is the preamp quiet? Did I read that the neck pickup noise cancelling? That might be totally wrong.

Great looking Precision - hope you enjoy it!

Lovely, and now I found your build thread.. and the need for photos is satisfied! I think it's Ibanez that use Panga Panga often, so interesting to see it in the guise of a more traditional instrument.

Yes what a handsome body.. is that a mahogany neck too? It might just be the light.

Oh wow, that neck is amazing. Same reaction that I had to @cocco's P!!

Just wanted to point out that seeing Kristian Toivainen play his vanilla sunburst jazz in Rotten Sound changed my opinion on them, while simultaneously giving me SPL induced heatstroke. Not sure if that makes them nerdy, but I think it makes them versatile!

Eeewww this gives me trypophobia. Its tail looks like scorpions were a design influence 🫣

Definitely weird alt reality 😆 and I think that goes for everything. But folks, here we are, ready to rehome your sad unloved <£450 mint condition Player I Mustangs!

There's a chap on Gumtree (gonna be careful here, he might be a member? 😉) who has like 20-30 basses listed for sale at any one time, some lovely stuff and all looks to have been well taken care of. I've thought seriously about quite a few of them, but they're all priced too high imo. Reason this came to mind is, like the OP, Mustangs have caught my eye. This guy has a nice player series Mustang which was probably, what, £600 ish new? He's looking for £519, which at that price I'd rather plonk down for a new Player II in that Aquatone blue. For me, as soon as I've decided to sell, it's priced to move. I'd rather make less and see an instrument being used and enjoyed rather than sitting around. And in the current market, it's either got to be special or cheap for me to buy.

Sold an EMG BQS system to Mike, great to deal with. Thanks!

Amaaazing! 😄 Apologies to the OP for the sort of derail, but I had to ask!

Wow, like, when they were a pub/club band?