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Another handover complete! The bass is now with @BreadBin and will be winging its way to the final destination very soon! Nice to meet you Brendan! Obligatory handover pic!!

Hi all, I thought you'd enjoy some pics of two basses that arrived to me from a very loving home :). I originally had my eye on the Squier Musicmaster as I'd never owned a short scale before. Apparently only produced for one year in 1997 but please correct me if I'm wrong. All I can say is that I now completely understand why people adore short scale basses. Even without the beautiful thump from the single coil, it's just fantastic to play. It's in good condition considering it's age and it's even got a bit of birdseye in the neck! The second bass is a Fender Modern Player Telecaster. They're fairly new (as far as Fenders go) but it's really quite nice. The pickups really standout and they're super versatile. The mudbucker by itself is my favoruite though. I may be tempted to sell them at some point but for now, enjoy the pics!

No excuses for me posting this graphite beauty again . Delivered 2 days ago .

My two Zon Sonus basses....

Spector fans, what's happening? I finally got the gold bridge for the 77 (after almost 7 months! I already got the gold tuners). I know from the "what puts you off" thread that several members don't like gold hardware; however, I think it fits this bass perfectly. It really goes very well with the brown of the walnut wings and the beige of the maple neck. Before: After:

I was thinking the same. This thread would have been locked and deleted days ago for breaching their rules. They literally have a "no insulting ugly bass" rule (which even includes artificial relicing).

No, no it doesn't. Don't listen to him @BreadBin

Very very decent indeed Basswood body - parts sourced from Korea - all QC at HQ so it never leaves without the same look over as the fully German range

Having owned a couple of mid-eighties XLs (one of them a lovely transitional) I would buy one if it was in the same realm quality wise. Any links to this info? I've owned a couple of Zons and they were just a bit light on the low end and had a glassiness to their tone that didn't really win me over. Steinberger XLs just sound incredibly good and have no problems in the trouser flapping department whatsoever Haven't played a status for many years but my experience with them was that they were super bright (and glassy) tone wise. At the time I wanted the crazy low action and zingy sound to accommodate major thumb abuse so they were definitely aimed at a particular era of bass fashion. I would love one though! Especially an all grey early model with the weave finish.

It's odd that, in these days of having pretty much every concievable instrument purchaseable at the touch of a button or two, that reading some of the comments here, how much we used to pine for the Bell catalogue, Beat Instrumental or as @58Bassman remarked, our noses stuck to the shop window perring in at the goodies inside. I remember going to the old Woolies in Egham High Street and getting excited about the deeply sunburst and chromed up guitars that were hanging up in there. Thing is, in general nobody was really that interested in Fenders or Gibsons when I was a kid; it was just about having guitars and amps, going to the local church (St Mary's, Staines) on a Saturday lunchtime, carrying the drums up from a few hundred yards down the road and just trying to play the rudiments and having a laugh. They were very happy times and I think we'd all agree that our weekends would be ruined if it didn't happen.

Rumble or Ashdown Rootmaster combos. The BIG advantage with Ashdown is the 5yr warranty and the fact that if there IS a problem, they can/will fix it. Probably the best customer support in the business.

Yeah, sorry about that. I've got to get out of the habit. There was a certain bass player of a certain up and coming artist that I was well into about 10 years ago (so much I used to go to as many gigs of theirs as I could). Every single gig, I would get peed off with the bass player looking so glum and miserable. I'd yell it out, "Cheer up <insert name>" Years later, he comes clean on a facebook post saying that they were the worst years of his life, he was going through a mentally abusive relationship, he was having a battle with alcoholism and was a manic depressive on the verge of suicide. Just goes to show... I'm not proud. I just thought he had resting b1tch face.

We had been offered a gig in Gateshead, the plan was that the band plays in one room with the performance video linked to the "crowd" in a separate room! We decided that Northampton to Gateshead to play in an empty room was not worth doing

No.

I think Moses made a graphite neck for them but the idea didn’t take off but there are a few floating around Here’s one! https://reverb.com/item/35148197-kubicki-nos-rare-moses-kubicki-ex-factor-neck-1998

how has this been decided I wonder? Announced just late enough to have not saved all the theatre and event tech' and front of house jobs that have been axed these last few weeks.

I know things like this happen with Yamaha ..!!

I know it doesn't appeal (or even make sense) to everybody, and I can see why, but there's something about these lay by/service station/dodgy car park meetings that many of us enjoy. I saw @Frank Blank today, very briefly, very socially distant, but it was lovely to put a face to the name. Basschatters become more real, more 3 dimensional once you've actually met them. So not only is this a bit of a giggle, it's also a great way to bring folk together.

Young @BreadBin letting go of a bass...now that’s worth a photo 😂 That BC kinda suits you Brendon. 😊

I have owned Super Twin serial number S001 from new - anyone interested in buying it will have to negotiate with my daughters when I've left this life. I must try it with my newly acquired TE Elf - truly a pimple of an amp on a cab like this, but I reckon it'll sound great.

It's currently here with me at my missus' place in Fairford. I'm back in the west tomorrow so should be with @stewblack before the weekend is out. That being said - it's really lovely, I'm kind of hoping he doesn't like it!

Every now and then a Basschatter goes above and beyond. Not easy to do in a market place dominated by excellent people, both buyers and sellers. Frank not only prices his sales incredibly reasonably, but offers to deliver to a half way point far from his Southend home. I can't tell you exactly how he went so far beyond the norm for me in this particular transaction. You will have to take my word for it. I will say this, those who I've found to be the most trusting in life are so often the same people who are the most deserving of our trust. You can trust and rely on Frank. I owe you one mate.

The little alleyway shop was Adam Music, the old bloke who ran it smoked cigars, every time I smell a cigar my head thinks it's Christmas (when my dad used to have one) or Adam Music. The Watkins place. I remember buying a big old 1x15 cabinet off a guy in Egham, but it was open fronted. My dad knew about the Watkins place...we bought some heavy plastic speaker grill stuff from there.

I played in a band many years ago who did a lot of show with a lot of energy. On a rare occasion where we failed to get an audience to react as we hoped, one of the lads commented saying, “What do we have to do, set fire to our heads?” From that day forth, the cry onstage if we had a difficult audience was, “Brrrrrring the petrol!”

I think you hit that note last year I am hearing

Just thought I’d post some pics for no reason. Other than love graphite. Wonderful stuff when used correctly and responsibly.

I've played with people that need an occasional reminder to put their teeth back in, but it hasn't come to glass eyes yet!

I always thought there were too many sliders anyway.

Nah ... it's a band thing. With the Junkyard Dogs, I sometimes call out "eyes and teeth" to the other guys between numbers.

So glad this thread has appeared as for ages I have asked after memories of ABC/BELLS and other shops local. My first guitar (AVON SG) came from ABC in Esher when the shop was right at the end of the High Street circa 1973. I remember my nose stuck to the window on a Sunday morning peering in at all the goodies and there for £45 was a shiny SG on the wall - see pic1. Paper round and Saturday jobs secured it. I had to wait another 4 months for an Amp which was an Audition from Woolworths in Kingston Market - £30 (pic3). A few months later, I got a Wah pedal from ABC in Addlestone in a New Year Sale for £7.50. The SG lasted until I sold it to put the money together for a New Old Stock '73 Fender Strat hardtail from Jon King Sounds in Kingston that was next to Riverside Organ Studios by the Station. I got the Strat in another Sale for £195. I have the Wah, Amp and Strat still. ABC Addlestone was a bit of a grim shop TBH, but chock full of stuff. (The original Andertons store in Hayden Place Guildford was on similar lines). I remember an older lad who lived next to me and who played a bit with some local bands told the story of a guy who needed a Bass at last minute notice for a late Sat night gig and casually went piissed and doped from the notorious Pub next to Addlestone station up to the shop and just put his fist through the window and liberated one out the display! Happy days!

Peavey bought the necks from MG. Modulus Graphite produced necks, also headless ones, but I have never seen other than BassStar (what a name!). There are pictures in the old advertisements of the selection, but I suppose they are very rare. Was Lane Poor Minima wooden? Phil Kubicki and Greg Curbow both used laminates in their instruments' necks. I think laminates is better from marketing perspective, than plywood... Bond was a revolutionary g-word but I think the fretboard was really different. Electronics were a bit like in Vigier's Nautilus. German Basslab has graphite instruments. The bow may be inspired from Jerry Auerswald's creations.

A few years back it would have been slim neck profile, now I can’t get enough of those boot-lace Jazz necks. Funny old game.

This is going to our 'Basschat's Famous Quotes' thread..!

This might seem like a silly question, but my point is seriously intended. If your supposed to play to a crowd who are seated in a separate room anyway - why not perform in a room in Northampton and just send the signal (including video feed) through to a room in Gateshead?

The extended B used to be an option on 5 string basses. I think the only model that came with it as standard (and not changeable) was the Lincoln Goines Signature. There's been loads of debate about whether it makes any difference whatsoever. The general view seems to be that it cannot affect either the direct tension or tone of a B string. Extending the string longer, either behind the headstock or through the body, makes no difference to tone (despite all the people who claim they can 'hear' a difference on through-body stringing). However, there is some physics that say the longer the string is, beyond the nut, the more likely it is that you might be able to 'feel' a slight looseness in flexibility of that string. To be honest I think this would only be the case if you were extending by way more than few centimeters on an Extended B bass though! Whenever questioned the guys at Fodera would always say that 'the customer is always right' - if someone requests something & it can be done they will build it for them. They will offer advice if they think something is really silly though. I did once have a conversation with Joey Lauricella and he said that in early days they received some strange requests and Vinny would say, this'll never sound good. They said that they only ever once built something that a customer absolutely insisted on that they knew wouldn't work. Customer refused to change his spec so they built it. As soon as he went to play it he said "this sounds really bad". The Fodera guys shrugged their shoulders and kinda said "we told you this". They then told the guy what needed to be changed and, if I remember correctly, they built him another that actually did sound right

I recently bought an Alesis Q25, and I'm already regretting getting one with so few keys. Its fine for sketching out ideas and programming, but if you want to play "live" it needs more range. I think as long as its velocity sensitive and USB powered you probably can't go wrong.

I think you'd be missing a trick if you didn't at least try out a Status, I'm sure there's a BC'er near you that would help you out. Status has a diverse range of basses and I guess the Streamline is the one that polarises opinion most. Having owned one I also know that Rob Green is more than helpful if there are any issues, even on older 2nd hand basses to the point of offering full refurb services, which would be more problematic on basses where the manufacturer is no longer in business.

It would not have made a difference. With social distance measures in place, a lot of the places wont be able to break even let alone turn a profit. For example, a theatre in the West End for example, needs 80% occupancy to break even. You aren't going to get 80% occupancy with social distancing in place (I think most theatres could only get 20% occupancy with social distancing in place) - and if you put the prices up to cover the short fall, then nobody would be willing to pay over the odds to go anyway. It's a woeful situation. From what I understand, only specific music venues are in scope (with social distancing measures in place). I suspect people will start ignoring that soon enough anyway. I know of a jazz jam (surprisingly, it was well supported before c19) that is going on not too far from me - they are currently performing outside (and looking on facebook, not social distancing anyway) - and are already talking about moving inside because the inside is big enough anyway. Err... thats going against the guidelines somewhat. And thats the thing, I suspect where people can, they'll start chancing it. I'm aware of a band that "dont care about the guidelines" and have performed at a wedding - inside, with more than 30 guests. The venue are fibbing through their teeth, the band are... and nobody will dob anybody in anyway - because that's not a culture that people want to participate in because it's people's livelihoods. Until the social distancing thing is lifted (and who's to say if thats sensible or not), I can't see gigging being anywhere near viable... or if it is, enjoyable, for either the band, the staff, or the punter.

You remember correctly! It is 37 laminates, so the neck is a very high resin/glue content. That, coupled to the orientation of said laminates yields a very stiff neck. Which sounds reminiscent of.. you guessed it, carbon fibre.

not weird. to misquote Eddie Van H , if it sounds right, it is right.

What an interesting thread! Where do I start? The thing to remember about the Steinberger L/XL basses is that they were not really trying to sound warm or mellow like a traditional wooden bass. That's a big part of what was so great about them. Inadvertently, perhaps, Ned Steinberger created a bass with a tone that was ideal for how people were using the bass guitar in popular music at the beginning of the 1980's. The zeitgeist of the time was that more was more, and more was usually better. Bass players wanted to stand out. A Steinberger would give you that . What I still value about the L/XL basses is that they sounded modern and aggressive , whereas a lot ( most) of hifi, hi-tech basses have a tendency to sound way too refined and polite for my taste. A Steinberger sounds just as hefty as a Fender or Rickenbacker or any other old -school bass, if you want it to. The L in particular could sound downright nasty. I've got a Status Streamline 4 string that I bought new about four years ago and it is a great bass. It definitely sounds different to a Steinberger,- a bit warmer , I would say- but it is still the unapologetic sound of an all-graphite bass, and that's what I wanted. The quality of the manufacturing on mine is equal to anything I have ever seen, absolutely flawless. I must admit I don't use it very often, but I am sure I will get round to it. The ergonomics are a bit unusual if you are going to it from a Fender-style bass ect, but with the right strap and a bit of experimentation it is much easier to adjust to than the Steinberger for most folks . I note LFalex v1.1's gripes with interest , but a lot of them like getting pricked by strings( you can still get most regular gauges double ball end) and the custom -ordered series/parallel switching business are not going to affect me or most other players in all likelihood. And I think they sound pretty hefty, maybe not as aggressive and brittle as a Steinberger but not weak or wimpy by any means. Regarding graphite- necked Vigier basses , I remember going to the Bass Centre in the 1980's and early 1990s and playing a few and they were fantastic instruments, lightweight and punchy with a great sound to them. The only reason I didn't walk out of the shop with one was that the Bendetti pickups were very microphonic. You could heat the thump of your fingers tapping on them as you played them through the amp . Also, the nut was cut so the strings were very close to the edge of the fingerboard, a pet peev of mine. And Ped, you might be mildly interested that the beautiful white Passion Bass you have ( or had if you have sold it on ) might well be the one featured for review in Guitarist magazine back in 1985. I had the copy with it in .

If we’re talking carbon fibre composite necks, then we can’t leave out the company that started it: Modulus Graphite. The founder (Geoff Gould) had an aerospace background, and did some experiments and concluded that sustain was a function of stiffness (Young’s modulus) than weight. One of their neck-through instruments has been on my “ship came in” list for decades now.

Looks at all the fenders out there.. the world has turned since 1950s? Are you sure?

You make me look rational and, for that, I thank you 😁