Chris2112

In fairness, no-one is perfect. I've known a few QC issues with Status and there are plenty of customers out there who have had a similar experience with Status as you've had here (just ask disappointed Streamline owners). I say that as someone who has loved Status basses since I was a lad. No-one is perfect but you'd have an easier time sorting out issues with Status. Whatever has gone on with the yellow Bogart, it's plainly not good enough and needs out back to Stefan ASAP. It sounds like he needs a rocket up him if it's been bodged and then shipped out. I don't know if Stefan does all the work himself although he is the face of the company and so should be responsible for at least checking every aspect of an instrument before it leaves his shop. I'd be asking for a refund but I'll leave it to you to seek recourse. Please keep us updated of any future developments here as I'd be interested to know how this is handled. If ever there were proof of cause and effect, I was sat playing my Blackstone 5 this afternoon and it sounded glorious. So comfortable and easy to play. I had that feeling of being totally unimpeded by the instrument, free to play as I wanted. I went on google and started looking at other Bogart basses, wondering what I might spec if I were to order another. I don't think I'll bother now.

Always good for a laugh. You can't beat a proper bassist. Years ago I went to a 'Shadows club's with my brother and our teacher. This was a certain thing in the North of England where old blokes would rent a room at a pub or social club and play covers of Shadows tunes on their pristine Strats whilst having a few pints. They won't be around much longer as their membership will all be ancient now. You would turn up and tell the DJ which tunes you wanted to play and your name would go down in the ledger for your backing track to be queued up later. On a busy night you might only get two or three tunes. Anyway, there was one bloke there with a silver P bass up on stage during the opening performance playing the worst walking bass I had ever heard over some old 60's rock tune. I never play walking bass but I know the format. I was fixated on watching this guy as he continually bobbed along out of time and hitting loads of bum notes. The next performance came as a guitarist stepped up from the crowd. He played 'I never promised you a rose garden' whilst the guy with the P bass farted around behind him. My guitar teacher went up next and as he was getting his strat out of the case (a really nice tobacco burst model with a triple ply mint green scratchplate) the guy with the P bass stood up and stepped towards the stage saying "I'll sit in for this". Doug, my guitar teacher, waved him back and told him not to bother so the bloke sat down, dejected. I asked Doug after he had played what that interaction was all about. He said that the bass player was actually a guitarist, but realised he could spend more time on stage if he came with a bass and offered to 'sit in' on each performance. He would try and play anything but rarely knew the chords so he'd try and 'busk' his way through the music which is what give his playing that odd 'uncertain' quality as he hunted around looking for notes or the beat. Most blokes at the club knew him well enough to say hello but perhaps not well enough to tell him to sod off when he wanted to sit in. Apparently the luckiest spot was when he had just got a fresh pint in as he would be busy with that and wouldn't try to join you on stage! The incident struck me as amusing rather than being an outright cringe as I don't think the guy really ever made any claim to be amazing even if his competence was in doubt. He maybe should have bought a small drum like a dejembe to play instead of a bass if it was his desire to get more stage time.

'Cringe' is one of the foremost artforms in the modern world. Culture has now evolved to the point where cringe is rightly regarded as the most divine sustenance and I would invite you share your best bass and music related cringe stories here. In my own recollection of bass related cringe, my mind is often drawn back to an amusing incident in a small bass guitar shop about 15 years ago. I will be sparing with the details to protect the identities of those involved. A friend of mine had recently moved to my part of the country, saying he was looking for a more active jazz scene as that was what he was into. He couldn't afford London prices, I guess, as that would have been the place to go for a jazz scene in the UK. Anyway, he was quite a player and we would often meet at a certain bass guitar shop and try out a few instruments. It was at a time when we both had basses coming and going so it was nice to have a bit of a gas on whilst playing different basses. My pal was quite into Jaco at the time and was showing me a few pieces he had worked on. There was a guy standing at the counter next to us. He had a gig bag with him, he was quite a lot older than both of us and obviously knew the shopkeeper, who seemed to be tolerating whatever conversation he was making. My friend casually asked the shopkeeper if he knew of any good teachers in the area as, having just moved, he didn't have any contacts. The bloke at the counter said he had a few numbers in his book and my mate could take them down if he wanted. At that point, the bloke casually decided to mention to the shopkeeper that he was a teacher; a ploy quite obviously for our attention but presented in such a way as to appear part of the natural flow of conversation with the now-bored shopkeeper. The bloke said "I've probably had enough of teaching. I mean, if I found a guy who I thought was going to be the next Jaco I would, you know, teach him everything I know...", his voice trailing off as if to invite some response from my friend. The phrase seemed intended to generate an aura of gravitas but neither my friend nor I knew who the guy was at the time. The bloke sat down and opened his case, pulling out a very nice fretless bass. I could tell you the make and model, because you won't see many on these shores. However, I won't because this guy may well be identified by that particular bass even all these years later. He plugged in and started 'performing' in his strange sales pitch across the room from us. I found the whole thing quite toe-curling because the intent was so clear. There is also something about a poorly played fretless that causes me some amusement and the odd sharp and flat found their way in which just added to the silliness of the whole thing. I mentioned this incident to my friend years later and he remembered it, though we hadn't discussed it since. He even went as far as to say that if the bloke had just introduced himself and had a conversation about his services, he probably would have had a few lessons for want of a better option at the time. However, his enduring impression was that the ego of the guy was such that he expected this prospective student to audition for him right there in the shop, as if to show he was worthy of being taught by this master. Looking back, it sounds like something out of a cheesy 1980's movie but remembering it still brings me a nostalgic, cringe-inducing glow. I await your own entertaining tales.

Definitely a single room air conditioner. Control the temperature from the off rather than fighting to cool off later.

The market has been undercut by musicians accepting unpaid gigs. There is now an expectation in the pub and events world that someone will play for free, it's just a case of asking around. Add to that the fact that the organiser would usually put cost before quality and you end up where we are now. Let's face it, no one wants to be playing top 40 or pub rock for nothing. It should be paid. However, organisers tend to see it as hobby and act like they're the ones doing you a favour by offering you a venue. The problem is further compounded by the fact that many 'professional' bands are utter crap and you have organisers wondering what they're paying for.

Best: Seeing Steve Vai live with Billy Sheehan and Tony MacAlpine must surely top it. Steve Vai again on the Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary tour was also amazing. Notable mentions also go to Rush on the Snakes and Arrows tour and Rammstein on the Reise Reise tour. Worst by a long shot was Big Country at the O2 Academy in Newcastle with Mike Peters of The Alarm on vocals. The main issue was the sound, it was just an utter mess of mud and uncontrolled bass frequencies. Mike Peters was never a great vocalist anyway but he really struggled in this setting, it was obvious he was struggling to find the notes as he was constantly coming in high or low and then having to adjust to pitch mid-lyric. When he tried to add a bit more power or passion to his vocals he just ended up blaring out something out of tune. It wouldn't have been so bad if the rest of the band had been better. Mark Brzezicki was on fire on the kit and played well but Tony Butler looked utterly bored and seemed like he couldn't wait to get out of there. As it happened, he packed in soon afterwards. My wife had got us tickets as she knew I loved the band so I felt worse for her having to stand through that shite.

Jesus wept, what a botch job. That bridge looks ridiculous. Glad you were able to get some sort of result in the end.

@mastodon2 is still a Spector owner, he now has a Euro 4. I know this because I have it on loan for a week and it's sat in my front room.

I thought he had only just got that one with the Sims pickups?

Probably more due to lack of choice than anything. It's not like there were loads of top name rock and metal bands available in the UK to choose from.

Quite disappointing to read this. Whilst everyone can dream beyond their wildest imagination, one does well to remember that not everyone is minted and for some, an Ibanez is a very nice prospect. When you get your head out of the bass world, you realise that we do pay a lot of cash for blocks of wood with some wires strung about them. For a lot of players, an Ibanez is a realistic and attainable dream. For some players, it's even further away. FWIW, my first proper bass was an Ibanez BTB405QM that I bought when I was 14 with a little help from some savings and family giving me an early birthday present. It was a massive step up from the starter bass I had; it was an entirely usable instrument that would have been suited to any setting. It was £400-odd quid even back then, not exactly highly priced but not cheap.

Useless trivia, but the woman from Prefab Sprout lived on my in-laws street for years. I still often see her son around the village.

An interesting analysis! Thanks for sharing.

Back when I started reading about bass guitars on the internet, Nu Metal was just about to start winding down, Warwick had enjoyed a big success off the back of being seen as the aspirational bass of that genre and had expanded their operations in the US through Dana B. Goods. They were still without a proper UK distributor at the time though some Sound Control stores carried them. It seemed like the entire internet was going wild for them and they were definitely the bass to have.

I believe it would be a Chieftain model though I'm not certain. There are other Chieftain models with that same body shape albeit different pickup placements.

I was going to say use it as a door stop but you've covered it. It would make for a novel paperweight.

It's an absolute load of crap that should be left in the dustbin of history and that's about it.

Yes, Shawn Lane is my favourite.

I hope they're going to give Steve a lesson on intonation 😂

I thought the Zombie-Simpsons could do nothing right. It has been dreadfully unfunny, naff woke-preaching nonsense for a long time. Morrissey, however, is a nasty and talentless buffoon who needs to be sent up whenever the opportunity presents, so hats off to them getting something right. What really surprises me is that these days, The Simpsons seems to deify people like Morrissey rather than lampoon them, so I'm surprised they went for this angle.

Yes, it is absolutely dreadful and genuine too. You can see the bongo player and the bassist looking at each other in the first minute with the bassist apparently about to break out laughing. I guess it goes to show that not everyone who takes part in these dreadful performances earnestly believes in them.