Mrbigstuff

Depends. You can either buy a Sire and enjoy it for years or buy another bass and over time trade/ sell/ buy your way up to a Sire.

The thinking was that if it was only the body and neck that were original they wouldn’t be worth £500 in the condition they were in. The pickups could have been anything and the rest of the bass wasn’t original (right down to the neckplate) so that was a concern. Would have been a lot of effort for a potentially problematic bitsa.

I had an opportunity of a ‘77 p bass in a shop for £500 not too long ago. The shop owner couldn’t tell me anything about what was original but from what I could tell it was just the neck and maybe the body (which weighed a tonne). The worst thing is there was no foam left under the pickups so they were miles from the strings. Amazingly it still sold.

If finances allowed, I would have to get a double fitted wardrobe for all the basses I would buy. And no I probably wouldn’t gig most of them - sacrilege I know

I saw that and it looks a cracking example. I preferred the sound of these to the 3EQ stingray I had instead.

Not sure that’s a good price. They were about that new and the newer ones are much improved. In fact, I’d say the Sire I had was better all round than that era of US Fender standards

Yeh I noticed that, think it was also posted on talkbass

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ken-Smith-BT5-Necktru-5-String-Bass-Guitar-/174739671348?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286 lovely pair of binoculars.

That will get a mid-naughties German made Warwick, which is what I would get if it was my money. Having said that I talked myself out of the Yamaha BB5000A that was for sale somewhere.

My mistake. Yes I would need a coated ebony and uncoated rosewood to match as well. Then all 4 in both 4 string and 5 string variants. I’m going to also need a bigger house 🤣

If I had the money I would get it on the grounds that my fretless doesn’t have a coated ebony board. Obviously you need both, right?

Perfect bass for a 40th. Very very special instruments

Get the names of the basschatters who have been on this thread this morning and I’m sure we can work it out

Love that fretless, what a bargain! Fortunately I’ve already got a Jaco like jazz from another superb English builder.

The fact it’s on gumtree will slow down a sale. Wait a little while, offer £1500 which I think is about right and have yourself a superb bass. Still much better value than Fender custom shops.

That looks a beaut

I thought the same. Lot of filler and not much conversation has made it into the article.

I only have 3 basses!

Don’t agree with that. Always though MIM Fenders were middle price wise and they are now £6-700. Sire V7s are available under £500. I think they’ve nailed it.

He’s played them in quite a few FB/ YT vids. Don’t think he’s gigged as prolifically which is probably why there’s fewer snaps and he’s had that Fender bass a lot longer than Sire has been about.

As an owner of a VM 4 string I wouldn’t recommend it, there’s better stuff out there.

Long post that. I think the first paragraph misses the point of location of wood. I imagine the trees used in the 50s and 60s were American and there was likely a large supply of old trees without protection that were not considered desirable. I would be surprised if the wood used by Fender now isn’t sourced from purpose grown forests in another continent. Absolutely agree that instruments such as electric basses are unlikely to have improved with age. Maybe people’s recollection of how they were at the time was dictated by taste and fashion? A labourer will never be as consistent as a machine no matter how experienced. You’ll get a few Friday afternoon or Monday morning results, whether that’s better or worse.

Yeh I think there’s quite a few that offer them now. Not better necessarily, but different from each other as a result on human error. Think I said it before in this thread but I’m yet to play a bass that isn’t a 60’s or 70’s Fender that sounds like a 60’s/ 70’s fender. I think it’s the full fat warmth on every note I like.

I personally think age of wood (before and after it is felled) and climate it grew and is stored in will make a difference. After all the wood vibrates, so acoustically at least there will difference between instruments. That’s part of why I prefer the instruments from builders who hand select woods for their wood store and let them age. Also weren’t the pickups hand wound in the 50’s- early 60s?

I think I could live happily ever after with just those two KS basses