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I will state that my first hand experience of these only goes to 1993 - Wal, 1998 - Alembic but I don't think that much has changed with the philosophies of either company in the meantime. Both are top quality instruments built to the highest standards and use mostly unique, purpose built hardware and electronics. to my mind, Alembic set the ball rolling with filter based preamps but Wal developed the concept to its optimum regarding variety of tones versus simplicity of use. ACG/ John East has since developed the Wal concept even further albeit the complexity is increasing again. A couple of things not mentioned in the original thread you referred to in my mind influence the sounds of these instruments as much as the pre amps - Construction and pickups. The Alembic sound is without doubt partially due to its complex, multi-laminate, through-neck construction, just as the Wal is similarly shaped by its bolt-on construction. That is partly I think, why the Epic basses seem to slightly fall short - they are set-neck construction, not through-neck. Apologies to all Epic owners - they are fine basses but that basic construction setup in a way changes the character of the sound. And again- pickups. The Alembic pickups are voiced to enhance the Alembic sound and as such are probably integral to the sound of those basses. Likewise, the Wal Multi Coil pickups are a huge part of the Wal sound. Do Alembic and Wal ( and Fodera, Sadowski etc. etc. ad infinitum) justify their high price tag? Well, factually they do - they're still in business after all these years and customers are still ordering new instruments from them so the price is justified in that respect certainly. But in relationship to general cost of living price indices, some of these makers have been able to push their prices far beyond inflation levels. According to an inflation calculator I looked at, the Alembic Essence 6 bass I ordered in 1998 at a cost of £2k should now cost about £3.5k But if I look at the Alembic price list, it starts at $8000. Only the individual can decide if anything is worth that sort of premium to them. I love my Wal. I love my Alembic. I love my ACG. I love my Antoria fretless Precision Copy! I just like basses and I like the little differences between different ones. Whilst the prices of the boutique builders can sometimes be hard to swallow, there is no doubt that at the mass market end of the bass spectrum, it has never been easier to afford a quality instrument.

Another lost cause saved from landfill. Roland PK5 Bass pedals, bought for £200 locally, non functioning. No battery pack, burn marks on battery leads. No PSU. Someone obviously tried plugging in the wrong one via the wrong input... Roland and Boss historically were a bit weird on their power delivery methods for pedals back in the day but a former owner has been even weirder. Proper 9V PSU obtained, new battery pack fitted, some minor track cleaning and repair, D1 diode replacement, fried (cracked) npn (Q3) to replace, hopefully nothing else downstream, caps all ok. can’t get a service manual (http://servicerepairmanuals.netlook like they are not functioning) so I am flying cautiously. And yes, the inductor tests ok. The (D3) 5v6 zener Is untroubled, I even read 9v up to the npn so I was cautiously hopeful the custom chip is ok. Parts arrived. Cleaned the board, made me a broken trace with clippings from the diode. Fitted a battery pack as well. worked first time Discovered to my great joy I can have multiple synths running, so a few classic old synth VSTs have all been chained to MIDI channel 2, (Taurus Plug-in seems to be fixed on 2) so tap into poly mode and *MASSIVE* sounds ensue... mellotron VST next...

Here is my latest build. The Brooks Telebird. It is my take on the legendary Fenderbird that was built by Peter Cook for John Entwistle. However I decided to combine the characteristics the Thunderbird body with a 51 P (aka Telecaster bass). The specs are as follows - Two piece Swamp Ash body - Allparts Maple 51 P neck. Bolt on - Vintage blonde finish - Jess Loureiro 51 P split coil pickup - 34" scale - Tusq nut - Wide travel Thunderbird bridge plus tailstop. Nickel - Matte black single ply pickguard - Gotoh GB528 lightweight tuners. Nickel - Allparts push/pull Volume pot - CTS Tone pot - Silver reflector cap knobs - Telecaster jack cup. Nickel - GHS Brite Flats 49-108 I'll post pics of the build process in several answers below.

Yeah, I have - thank god. Bought in 2011 as a treat to myself for a messy breakup. Sold in 2013 to get married to childhood sweetheart. Who bought it back for me in 2017. A very special CS 1 of 1 (weird neck profile) 64 jazz bass relic.

We've reached the ten cabs target. 🤩 Anyone who wants one now will have to go on the waiting list - if we do any more in the future. Thanks to those ten early adopters!

A harmonica mounting clip

One.

Yeah, realistically it was bound to happen. There’s only about 4mm of plastic left over when making the rebate for the pickup. it snapped on the last cut. Serendipitously, within a gnats chuff of where the original basses pickguard is snapped. so...I’m going to leave it as is. And maybe I will age things up a bit more.

No, but I've sold two back to their previous owners Nothing expensive, mind.

I acquired my first Spector last week (courtesy of our own Psycoandy) - a very fine NS200/4. I'm very impressed, especially with the lovely narrow string spacing at the bridge which is very much my bag. Very comfortable to play, if a tad weightier than I'm used to, but a wider strap is helping that somewhat.

If you like the Stingray sound and feel then a USA built SUB would be a great budget option. This model was made on the same production line as the "real" Stingray but some economies were made. The most noticeable ones being a painted neck (many owners sand this off and use oil to refinish), no body shaping, and different paint finish on the body. Oh yes, and an ugly scratchguard which is an easy change if you don't like it. It has the same hardware and electrics as the Stingray. They were made from 2003 to 2005. (I stand to be corrected here.) They change hands for under your budget and they deliver far more than the cost. I've owned mine for a long time and gig it occasionally and I'm always impressed. Frank.

Today is my birthday and I just had the dispatch note to say the book will be delivered today! Thank you Geddy for pulling whatever strings you did for me

The gerlitz stuff is fantastic! They do "smudge off" which is great for hardware and guitar honey for the fingerboard. I've used it for years 😁

Don't suppose anybody could clean my car? I mean, I could do it myself.... but why should I?

Did some shielding for the pickup cavity and the control cavity. And I stringed the bass to check if everything was in place ;-) Oh yeah, this was the sketch that I drew before I started the build

I do, but not in the way you're asking. The shame never entirely fades...not really - you just learn to live with it. 😢

About 40 if it's Napalm Death

Just had this video come up on YouTube. Looks like fun!

One of my favourite heads of all time, not in the best condition, but a decent price... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acoustic-370-bass-amp-head-vintage/254204770984?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D41e0d75aa9f541af8c3fcd5d2c1b27e7%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D254204770984%26itm%3D254204770984&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A770ea5d4-62b2-11e9-a052-74dbd18025a6|parentrq%3A3613c04a16a0a9e3ae844cfdffe90d4e|iid%3A1

You mean checking with your tongue isn’t an appropriate method?

Well. Now I know how it happened at least. debating just leaving it like it is. semi replica.

You spoke too soon.

Of course I'm going to blame the bottle of Rioja that I'm getting well stuck into atm.

-

Love the fact that the seller says "never moved from the house" since he got it. Not surprising, really.

I fitted the round handle on mine a few months ago and it is great, really easy to carry. Of course Stevie has the lighter Faital Pro driver in his but even with the heavier Beyma in mine is quite light and easy to carry.

I saw one in the flesh last Saturday in Andertons and it really caught my eye. It looked stunning and I wanted to buy it there and then. Tempted to buy one and stick a Status fretless neck on it with a black pickguard. Beautiful colour and even better in the flesh.

D'addario, Dunlop and Rotosound are each used by me. But no lemon oil when I had a maple neck or two. Currently using the Rotosound Guitar polish on my Dingwall but only on the body. Clean duster for the back of the neck with a fret board cleaner only used when I change strings.

Frank Black is to blame, had he not brought his Rob Allen Mouse to the SE Bass Bash, it would not have led to my being able to show the attached pictures.

I'll give him a call after the weekend - anyone who wears tie-dye is Dead friendly!

That is the mutt’s nuts!

You see, there are many ways of getting over the Basschat system automatic filth-catcher! . Pink torpedoles? History, mate

Love it!

Amazingly, I’ve just had the dispatch email from Amazon. Should be arriving tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

especially with a brass band

I read that the ,pure full strength lemon oils , are not good for your fretboard because they are too intense , and can dry them out but the Dunlop oil only has a tiny amount of lemon which helps to clean , the rest is mineral oil.

Just put down a deposit on one of these bad boys to keep my 4LE 1977 company..

Sounds like a cuíca to me too - probably played by Carl "Butch" Small or Larry Fratangelo… Not the very best of Parliament, though still better(*) than the very very best that most other bands can come up with! * I mean that in a completely subjective way!

Variations on a theme? Cracking rig you have there Cat, I went with the 112x 2

The other school of thought is that Eastwood are overpriced dodgy knock-off merchants.

That is a great shame as I would love to see exactly that video on YouTube. I do hope you manage to find a way round it and, of course, I would be very interested in subscribing to any YT channel you do manage to put up, as I imagine many bass players my age who grew up with your playing would.

Have you considered the elf and safety implications?😁

Nothing wrong with an old bass that's got itself worn after years of gigging. What I don't like about "relicing" is that it falsely conveys the impression that the player has worn it out themselves via years of gigging, and that it's a much-loved but slightly abused instrument being played by a similarly seasoned "road warrior". What other possible reason is there for chiselling away at a perfectly good bass to make it look "road-worn"? It's fake news, is what it is.

Chuck my tuppence in... I've been running blues jams for many, many years, and there are as many ways to run a jam as there are stars in the sky. Most of the basics have been covered, but a few things to bear in mind from the hosts point of view: We are there to attract punters; musicians and non-musicians into the venue to spend money on alcoholic beverages (and crisps). If alcoholic beverages (and crisps) are not purchased then the chances are the Jam won't be there for long. This is a careful balancing act Musicians want to play. Punters want to be entertained Get the balance wrong and you end up with a room of musos nursing a pint all night, or the house band playing a 3-hour gig for thruppence. What may look like a clique to you, looks to me like my reliables. They turn up every month without fail and without them there probably wouldn't be a jam. If you are new come and say hello Tell me what you like to play Be honest about your ability, if you're a bit unsure say so, I'll get you up with some experienced musos to help you along. Put your name on the list of jam and you WILL get called up Everyone WIll get at least 3 numbers, I can't guarantee when (see the balancing act), see above if you need to leave early, again let me know, I'll accommodate you in the grand scheme of things if I can I run Jams because I love playing with friends I don't get to gig with. I love watching something come together from nothing, from musos that may have never met let alone played with each other. I most certainly don't do it for the kudos or the money. So if you attend a Jam and it seems a bit cliquey, consider the internal political bollocks that may be in play to ensure that the Jam is there the next time you fancy a little no pressure play. Of course, some Jams can be really cliquey, I don't go to them either :-)