Leaderboard

While I doubt I'm going to be able to retire off the royalties, current band has racked up 1,000 Spotify plays of just one song in the last two weeks. (Old band, hundreds of songs, six plays...which alludes that not even the band are listening.) I keep asking myself how? It seems to have been picked up in Mexico and that spread to Brazil; there's an even spread generally on a global basis. Weird.

Played a small acoustic gig at one of my favourite venues last night - The Lookout on the Pier in Scarborough. The bistro venue was fully booked, and it's one of those gigs where everything is great - audience, staff, small house PA etc etc. Looks like we have a monthly residency there in 2022 so happy days. (The second picture below is what I can see behind me when playing!)

The Luminlays come in stick form and - as long as you have an accurate brad-point drill - are very easy to fit. You drill the hole a few mm, check fit the stick, pop a drop of superglue at the end, wait a couple of minutes and then razor-saw it flush. At the neck pocket, the body would overlap the larger dots and so I will use the smaller size. The end fret will have to stay as a black dot as the overhang isn't deep enough to take a larger drill hole - but generally the end of the fretboard is easy to find even in the dark : And with a final sand, done: So just waiting for the stain to arrive and I can finish this one off

On Friday I did my first gig since the week before lockdown. Opening for the Wildhearts in Inverness as part of Monsterfest. Lovely venue and really enjoyable experience despite us having to do the gig as a four piece on two days notuice on account that our guitarist tested positive for the 'you know what' two days before. The band had a grand conversation with Danny from the Wildhearts as well who was a proper gentleman and it was good to see him in good health given his difficulties over the years. Here's a picture of us on stage. Myself and the guitarist look like small children on account that our singer is 6ft 4 and is training to be a strongman. Hopefully doing a small tour next year, work and everything else dependent.

I have owned a Fender USA Stu Hamm Urge bass from new(1993). Early last year I had the neck repaired by a local, so called, guitar repairer who sadly botched my lovely bass. The problems started when I ‘rounded’ the Allen key truss rod adjusting nut. The neck had too much relief and during the tightening of the truss rod the Allen nut rounded. A friend of mine recommended a local Guy who ‘claimed ‘he could replace the Allen headed adjusting nut on the truss rod without too much trouble. Believing, both my (ex) friend and the local (so called) guitar repairer I dropped the bass off and waited for its return. After about a week I got a call to say that the job proved a little more difficult and would I mind having part of the fret board removed to gain access to the offending truss rod end nut. I was told there maybe some small joint marks on the face of the fret board but ‘It would look fine’. Two weeks later my Stu Hamm Urge bass was returned:- · Neck nice and straight · Nice low action · Truss rod working fine · BUT A PIECE OF ROSEWOOD between the nut and the first fret!! I was absolutely livid. I completely ‘Lost it’ when it was explained to me that the Pau Ferro section of the fret board had “Accidentally disintegrated “when it had been removed. The guitar Butcher was very apologetic and offered to forego his fee for the mishap. So I ended up with the bodged truss rod nut that has over time broken through the fret board just south of the 1st Fret. The 1st Fret itself has lifted a crack runs almost to the 2nd Fret. So I contacted Jon Shuker in the hope that he would find some time to slot my neck repair in during time between new guitar builds. We agreed that the way forward is to Replace the fret board with a stronger, stiffer, thicker timber (5- 7mm perhaps?). Adds some strength to the neck construction. I understood that the finished neck profile maybe deeper (front to back) than it was present. Replace the Truss rod with a stronger, modern design, dual action. Replace the side fret dot markers. Accept the loss of some headstock paint colour where the replacement fret board would sit. So Jon planned to replace the rod with a 2 way, rout out the original channel glue a new strip of maple in, rout a new channel , etc, but it would make the neck far more adjustable. A slightly thicker board is was a good idea, and Jon had some very nice 50yr old rosewood that would do the trick. So last Monday I spent a very pleasant drive (5hrs) from wet West Wales to sunny Peak District to visit Jon and have him reassemble and setup my bass. What a fine craftsman Jon is , he has brought my beloved Stu Hamm back to life and I am indebted to him for providing such a quality service.

That'll teach him to buy the V.I.Pee experience...

Something that @Silvia Bluejay and I have pondered many times over the years. In our experience, it's very rarely as 'straight line' as that. For example, where the pub is owned and/or managed by a brewery or PubCo, there will routinely be an annual subsidy in place to encourage entertainment and to market the pub to the local community. 10 years ago a mid-sized Fullers pub could expect to receive a subsidy of £15,000 p.a. from head office. Broadly speaking, that's £300 per week that the landlord/manager could allocate as they wished in order to attract punters. At the Fullers pubs that I played at the time, this translated into one band per week getting £250 and the other £50 being used to run a Quiz Night or a Poker Night or a Karaoke session. Reverting to your original question, this all meant that the pub didn't actually 'need' to sell a single drink in order to cover the cost of the band. The assumption was that the band would bring in extra revenue for the pub, which would show up in their sales figures. Obviously a pub that took the subsidy but then routinely turned in lousy sales figures would soon lose the subsidy. The other aspect to this system is that it made it easy for dishonest landlords (and yes, unbelievably some such folk really do exist) to simply pocket some or all of the band fee. This is essentially what led initially to pubs demanding invoices from bands, and then to 'direct payment' sytems whereby the band gets paid by head office and not by the pub.

Relatively straightforward pub gig, it was one of those that an agent who we are using for some gig had sorted out but it wasn't his area so we guess it was a fill in for another agent, they do this sort of stuff quite often. Looked at tripadvisor in advance as none of us had played there and it looked clear the playing area wouldnt be that big so I just took my TC electronics 1x12 250 watt combo and it did enough to get through. We couldnt use monitors (front row got to see my tap dancing skills on the 12 step) and had to put the main PA directly behind us so FOH tops were right behind the mic's. Had to be very careful not to get feedback but we are all fairly experienced and just didn't push the volumes too much and tried to keep our bodies between the mic and speaker at all times. Not a huge turnout (Local autumn fair in the village on same night) but had some nice comments and a few handshakes after the gig. Most importantly the LL was happy and would have passed that back to the agent.

I wonder if it's middle age that does it. I certainly find myself shying away from active electronics, and I do need a P more than I used to...

Compass Cafe in Blackpool on Saturday. It's a nice size for a cafe, but a very small venue for a full band. I was told I'd need to strip down the drum kit due to lack of space. I took my tiny bass drum and no toms. As it turned out, a floor tom would have fit, so that was frustrating but never mind. We did an all acoustic set which is unusual for us as the guitarist usually switches between electric and acoustic. Our bassist brought his very fancy 5 string acoustic bass. I can't remember the name of the maker but I think it's a small custom builder... should have taken a closer photo for Basschat, sorry. You can just about see it here Ace night anyway

I thought he got the live stream instead?

Update. Put a dowel in the hole, sanded back, it's lovely and smooth. New batch of Leather Dye arrived about half hour ago, so I've blacked it up and rubbed back any excess. Went on lovely. I'll let this dry up overnight, give it a light sand and reapply. The photo doesn't really do it justice, it's a nice body.

Found these....

Isn't it fun when the singer that picked the songs for Sunday and gave us the order of the songs, decides to go rogue as we finish the first song, forgets the order of the songs and announces song No.4. The sound guy then decides to put my guitar through my monitor slightly delayed to the sound coming from my combo, so I've now got a mad slap-back sound for the rest of the service, if you've ever wanted to hear `Beautiful Saviour' with a heavy Rockabilly flavour, I can tell you that it's quite painful.

When music sucks, you've got to find a way to attract the fools...

Si the OldGit played in a superb barn dance/ceilidh band called the Jellied Reels... I depped on bass with them one evening and Si played his saxes and didgeridu(!) all evening. Si knew perfectly well that I hate taking bass solos... so predictably, half way through one of the tunes he turned and pointed at me and with a massive grin yelled "BASS SOLO!!!". Git.

You can't learn to love a bass that's too heavy, doesn't balance, has a neck so big it causes hand cramps etc etc. Those things are only ever tolerated, and with hundreds of thousands of P basses made, why tolerate it at all? Several that suit will be out there.

What on Earth makes you think I'll ever get up that high? 😂

Contentment is never permanent, it is the human condition.

yes, to be fair the landlord was very apologetic

Funnily, I love all my "toys". Anyone who has seen my (hundreds of video) reviews knows that I cant wait to get my hands on new amps, effects, pedals and whatnot. One of my basses just laps it up and sounds amazing whatever you throw at it. However, I just can't fathom why my ole 76 P bass sounds so incredibly, mind-blowingly amazing plugged straight in to my favourite amp and cabinets. It just doesn't need anything else and the tone is to die for. I ❤️ it!

The Saga continues - having posted the wooden contraption video to our guitarist, saying I have him sorted for Christmas. He replied saying he has one in the roof he bought back in the late 50's. Today he proved it. Just to show there isn't much that is new in the world these days.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Popped into this thread to see Kev B's picture feat. my old TC Electronics combo what he bought off of me. Which reminds me, perhaps I should write up my own gig which occurred at Jo Jo Jim's in Cotton Hacket on 7 Nov. I am now playing with a quirky blues/jazz/soul covers and originals band called SAM. We were invited to do a half hour 'showcase' spot at an Open Mic night. The object of the exercise being that if Joe liked us he may book as for an actual paid gig in future We seem to have succeeded, in that he did come up afterwards and say he'd be interested, so that's promising. I played competently, but didn't really get in the zone and rock out. Some of the bass lines are quite tricky and I was just trying not to make any mistakes. Lead guitarist decided his guitar was out of tune right at the beginning of a guitar solo and just nodded to me to keep playing while he changed instruments! So suddenly I had a bass solo. Didn't try to do anything fancy...just kept the groove going for an eternity until he came back in!!

I've tried so many pedals in the last couple of years I think I'm finally at the point of not being fussed about trying new ones as I'm fairly sure they'll only be marginally different to what I've already got/used.....trouble is, now I'm eying up different Bass guitars - which is a whole other level of cost and hassle to buy and sell. In a few years I might have tried enough of them to learn they are only marginally different and there's not much point!

Info here may help: Overview: As the decade of the yuppy, Boy George, questionable fashion styles and many other cliches associated with the 1980s was coming to a close, Trace Elliot were riding on the wave of their success of their (then) highly sophisticated and high powered range of bass amplifiers. Noted for their unique sound and unmistakable aesthetics which included a large graphic EQ, green facia paint and a glowing UV strip, Trace amps were seen behind many of the great players of the time. The then current 'Series 6' range introduced in around '88 was still hip, modern and built on the reputation of the previous 'Mark V' series with a notable extension of the 11-band range now up to twelve which were coupled to improved and more powerful (up to 600w) solid state output stages. There was also a range of valve amplifiers with brushed steel panels which had modified versions of the GP7 and GP12 pre-amplifiers and multi-tube output stages up to 380w which were known as the 'Twin Valve', 'Quattra Valve' and 'Hexa Valve' models. These were developed from the equally sought after VA models - high times, indeed. As an ever innovative company, Trace Elliot had not stood still and continued developing their latest range of bass rigs which appeared on the market in around '93. Both 7 and 12-band models had additional features (such as EQ balance, compression and valve stages) and improvements over the previous Series 6 versions. The new range designed by Clive Button was to be known as the 'Sound Management' series with the pre-amp stages now known as the GP7-SM and GP12-SMX respectively. The SM models had an update in '97 (around the time of the Gibson purchase) to become the SMC range now with a simplified dual band compressor whilst SMX models would almost last until the end of the millennium virtually unchanged and to many, represent the very pinnacle of Trace Elliot amplification. Sadly, after 2000, production was being wound off by the bosses at Gibson and the replacement GP12X never saw the same success as its predecessor. Problems in terms of reliability and build quality also became apparent which did little aid the reputation of theses models and by 2002, production had stopped. Fast forward to 2005 and the brand was now owned by Peavey who had developed new 'Trace Elliot' amplifiers built at Peavey UK in Corby and later in the US. These only saw moderate success due to their own reliability problems, the rather steep price tags and weight - the dawn of the lightweight amp was upon us. Today, the Trace Elliot brand still exists and the ELF is one of the smallest, lightest amplifiers on the market and according to many online reviews is solid, reliable and capable of holding it's own at gigs although the question of whether it truly sounds like the amps of old is still somewhat divisive. I can't comment as I've not tried one yet - I've only ever seen one example in the real world. Smx art biyang by VTypeV4, on Flickr Features: The SMX has an array of knobs, sliders and buttons across the front panel which on initial inspection seem a little cluttered and complex. A closer second look will make more sense of things with each stage having it's own section. Initial input on the far left has a single jack socket with an active / passive switch plus there's the usual input gain knob although the input level is metered by a 'traffic light' system for optimum gain. Allied to this, there's a blend control for both transistor and valve stages, each giving a different 'flavour' or a balance of both. Next are the tonal adjustments with two switchable pre-shapes and the switchable 12-band graphic EQ with an independent level control - the status of both are indicated with LEDs next to each switch. Towards the right, there's the 'Sound management' section which, at it's centre has the EQ balance and this acts as a highpass / lowpass filter when turned clockwise / anti clockwise respectively. Flanked either side of the balance control are separate controls for the low band (left) and high band (right) compressors each of which has a different envelope suited for each frequency band. The knobs act as a threshold (and possibly a subtle increase in ratio - difficult to say) control with maximum compression obtained with the controls fully clockwise. Finally, on the far left, an output level adjusts playing volume and unbalanced line out connection levels, a standy switch works as a handy mute / tune plus there's an effects level blend for the FX loop. As a bonus on the non-rackmount 400w and 600w models, a UV strip light illuminates the control panel so even on effectively black stages, the status of all controls are easily seen. The rear panel is different on each version. AH300-SMX: 250 / 300w model is a compact 2u chassis and only has a single DI out (XLR) and a single, mono FX loop. Early 250 models came with a convection-cooled output stage but later 280w 'Bi-Polar Bear' stages were fan cooled. Very late models were fitted with the 320w Clive Button output board after reliability problems became an issue. AH400-SMX: 350 / 400w model is a larger 3u chassis, has two FX loops (one parallel, stereo and high passed; the other series, mono and full range), 3 DI out (two post EQ, one pre) plus a dual mono line out. I can't find any reference regarding differences between the 350w and 400w versions other than their cosmetics. AH600-SMX: 300w + 300w with the rest as above but with additional switching for mono full range, stereo full range or bi-amp operation plus an adjustable crossover with level controls on each power amplifier section. These were unchanged other than cosmetically. Stand alone SMX pre-amp: As AH400-SMX but in smaller 2u chassis with adjustable crossover and high pass / low pass line outputs. Specification: AH400-SMX Hybrid pre-amp & SS output stage 400w at 4 ohm, 300w at 8 ohm Traditional class A/B topology - heavy iron and big capacitors 12-band graphic equalizer Switchable pre-shaped EQ curves Active & passive input Master volume Dual band compressor Series and parallel effects loops Pre and post EQ direct outputs (XLR) Post master volume line outs (Jack) All references forward from here will be specific to the 400SMX. Smx art biyang by VTypeV4, on Flickr Sound Quality: The baked in Trace Elliot sound isn't suited to all tastes, generes and sonic spaces - pre-shape one (general scoop centered at 400hz with slight boosts at 50hz and 2K5) is very '80s and quite harsh - number two is similar but less extreme. This is the usual association with these amps however, they are far more than a one-trick pony - the graphic EQ can be switched in to make some far more useful and real world sounds. Personally I use a combination of shape one and further adjust the sound with graphic for a smooth, more modern sound. With such an array of options and combination, I expect pretty much any sound could be coaxed from punk and rock through to jazz and funk - I've never struggled to get a sound I like. The only potential downfall that could be leveled at the SMX is the lack of overdrive facility but that's not what these amps are about - powerful, clean and loud is where it's at - much like the SWR range albeit a different character. I'm sure a Sansamp before the amp could easily dirt things up if that was your thing. Now to the jewel in the crown of the SMX; that dual band compressor. In studios, multi-band compression is common place and can be very useful in shaping a sound whether that be individual channels as part of a mix or a piece in the puzzle of mastering but is rarely seen on instrument amplification. Trace Elliot saw it fit do adorn the SMX with a dual band compressor so frequencies below 250hz will be treated differently than those above. Judging by ear (so this might be less than absolute fact) the low band has a slow (ish) attack and release and a soft knee which adds a 'solid' feel to each note. Note definition is helped and it gives you something to 'lean' against when digging in. The high-band feels to be a much faster envelope so personally, I use only a little of this as too much seems to kill the note and it starts feel like the dynamics have been all but ironed out. Whilst I'm used to comprehensive compressors, the simple two-knob design of the SMX works just as well in both live and studio situations - I feel like a lot of adjustments and tweaking were done at the design stage to get it right. Given how flexible and tweakable the pre-amp is, it's very difficult to define but in terms of quality, it sounds great . I feel the Trace Elliot with it's extensive options will either help you shine and get you exactly where you want to go or it will hang you out to dry. To get the best out of it, knowing your frequencies and how they sonically 'fit' on the graphic EQ is a massive help plus listening and feeling for the appropriate levels of compression is also key - I always compare EQ and compression to booze; some can be good so more might be better unless it becomes too much - it can be a tricky balance sometimes. Taking the time and really getting to know it is the solution as they aren't really a 'plug and play' amplifier. The single 400 watt output stage is very capable and definitely worthy of it's rating - at the time of writing, amplifiers of three times the claimed power are common place - many which weigh half (or less!) than the old Trace. Personally, I've never needed it 'full tilt' and at rehearsal it barely sits above idle. Despite it's 'modest' rating, make no mistake, this thing is 'proper', capable of rolling with the loudest of situations and finding the limits of most speaker enclosures! Smx art biyang by VTypeV4, on Flickr Build quality and reliability: In terms of build, I can't really criticize it on any level. On the outside, the green 'rat furr' (as many call it?) is bobble free and accurately upholstered, the riveted stainless steel corners are precisely fitted and the flip handles are highly over-spec'd. Looking to the front control panel, the black and bright green contrast each other very well with the writing having a very clean and defined edge - even with the UV light off. All the sliders, control knobs, switches and sockets have a 'solid feel' with just the right amount of damping to feel neither cheap or stiff. On the inside, the story is much the same, most notably the power supply and caps. The transformer is a huge torroidal type which is no doubt where a good percentage of the amplifiers' weight lies - I've seen smaller in higher rated pro spec power amplifiers. Nestled between the transformer and the output board are the two equally over specified filter capacitors. A large (not too noisy, thankfully) fan is mounted on the left side in the centre to cool the internals. It's fair to say Trace Elliot went 'belt and braces' with the supply and output stage of these amps as they're far more impressive looking than their smaller 280w stable mates despite only a moderate claimed power difference. Looking elsewhere inside sees thick, good quality PCBs with a few smaller individual boards accompanying the main three, reasonably tidy wiring all housed in a thick steel chassis. No complaints here. To be clear, this is the second 400SMX I've owned - I foolishly sold the last one in 2006. I've never had an ounce of bother with either example (or indeed the 600 I owned for a while) not even so much as a fuse. 100% trouble free. Unlike the all-valve amplifiers that I own, the SMX doesn't have any quirks or oddities (they all do that, sir!) and whilst this arguably strips it of a degree character, it goes hand in hand with it's truly professional design. This particular example was made in 1998 and have little doubt saying it works just as well today as it did when it came out of the factory. Other observations: It's very difficult for me to accept that production of these things ceased more than twenty years ago - they were the pinnacle of design and something that 15 year old me aspired to one day own along with a Spector bass. As mentioned on this forum - often at great length, many times over - the world has since moved on and modern amplifiers are now smaller, weigh less; are more capable than ever plus their accompanying speaker cabinets are made from lighter woods plus the drivers contained within can play louder and lower with less distortion than those of even 10 years ago. Hauling 120 Kg worth of heavyweights is now optional! Whilst we're talking of weight, the big SMX weighs something in the region of 24 Kg (we're into valve amp territory here) which is just out of the question for those suffering with frailty or other physical ailments - a modern day ELF weighs less than one kilogram and even something like a Genz Benz Streamliner 900 weighs less than 4 Kilos. Despite of all that weight and physical bulk, the performance is unquestionable and is still more than capable of holding it's own against anything modern (once you've EQ'd the '80s out!) - irrespective of claimed power.

So Stu's back home with a lovely new dual action Truss Rod, a 50 year old rosewood fret board, satin finish neck and huge chunk love bestowed on it by probably one of the best Luthiers in the UK Jon Shuker himself. The whole horror story is on the Repair thread I'm just so grateful to Jon Shuker for the fantastic standard of craftsmanship he delivered in bringing by US Stu Hamm back to life. Top man!!

Old news, she's probably never heard of Rockbitch.

As Rich says, with powerful pups like this if the pole pieces are too close to the strings you can get strange 'wolf tones'. I've got to do an adjustment on my MM Sterling 4H for the same reason.

...

I'll start by saying that I love pedals / effects on bass. Probably to unhealthy levels! But, adding a bit of drive or chorus and playing the same part rarely does anything worthwhile as a 'behind the solo' thickener. If you listen to the great 3 piece bands in the vast majority there is no change in bass sound behind solos, but the bass part changes. Sometimes it stays on root notes, sometimes Root and 5th, maybe on the kick drum and snare to lock in, sometimes the bass part is completely different than before while still following the same chord structure. Walking bass part or a full blown JS Bach contra-part or even a bass solo of sorts intertwined with the guitar part. And if it's Jack Bruce he fit all of those options into a song so the bass part built to a crescendo as much as the solo did. The guitar part itself will often use a lower register than a 2 guitar band and use more double stops rather than a widdle fest for the whole solo (ZZ Top). But in a 3 piece you also have to enjoy the space. It's not "empty" it's just more dynamic space! A nice rest from the wall of sound. You won't need to change anything in the tone if the arrangement is right.

cheers Phil, well it would seem Thomann either reads this forum or something magical occured as I just got an update that my order has shipped, inclusive of the compression driver today! looking forward to building it now...

I'm hopefully going to have my new workshop up and running by the end of next week so I thought I'd print off the template for the new body I'm going to be using this neck as a reference but make the new one out of Mahogany, I'm trying to be more sustainable with my builds so I might use some Oak I've got for the fretboard? The body is going to have a Mahogany back but I'm not sure of the top as yet I'm going to have to see what I've got/can get? Possibly Black stained Oak with the grain filled White?? Its still going to have a MM style pickup in a ramp style cover, not sure of the hardware colour as yet more than likely will be black?

Just completed my first pickup and active preamp install. Pretty chuffed with myself

Refreshing to see someone post on ebay who doesn't BS and explains the reasons for the pros, cons and mods. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144290817987?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m43.l3160&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=4d953bc3d0f84da18fbf35db7666bb4a&bu=43124886098&ut=RU&exe=99323&ext=234175&osub=-1~1&crd=20211115014416&segname=11021&sojTags=ch%3Dch%2Cbu%3Dbu%2Cut%3Dut%2Cnqt%3Dnqt%2Cnqc%3Dnqc%2Cmdbreftime%3Dmdbreftime%2Ces%3Des%2Cec%3Dec%2Cexe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext%2Cexe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext%2Cosub%3Dosub%2Ccrd%3Dcrd%2Csegname%3Dsegname%2Cchnl%3Dmkcid

I think what you're describing is the JB75-US/FC, which was a Japanese domestic market only-model and a bit of a limited edition based on the regular JB75-US. Rather than an ash body, the FC has an alder body. The colour is Old Lake Placid Blue (OLB) and is unique to the Japanese models. They come stock with Fender USA 70's RI pickups and excellent hardware. My only complaint was with the stock potentiometers, they were a rather on/off-job on my lefty (but that may have been due to reverse-wiring standard righty logarithmic pots instead of mounting reverse-log pots. I have since sorted this on mine). I have a regular JB75-US from this era (I think it's a 2003) and I love it. It's heavy (mine is ash) and the neck has the appropriate 70's style U-shape so it's fairly thick but narrow at the nut. I love mine! I did add a few modifications though: Badass II bridge; Hipshot X-tender, and while I was at it I changed the other 3 tuners to the same model Hipshot; MEC reverse log pots and a De Gier / VanderKley FatBoost. I had a battery box routed in the back, originally to mount an Audere JZ3D preamp, but I hated the Audere and never quite got it to sound the way I wanted. So back to passive it went, but with a switchable 6dB bass boost. Here's mine, before the preamp was added:

I would imagine in terms of the mathematics of setting the right scale length it wouldn't matter one jot. As long as there is room to move the bridge if your choice was a short scale. There is a theoretical issue of neck dive if you put a medium scale neck onto a short scale body but it wouldn't necessarily happen. For example I have a medium scale neck from a Hondo II H1015 (great neck!) grafted into the very small a lightweight double cutaway Encore bass to make the rather gorgeous bass below It does dive but only a fraction to just above horizontal and I'd say the Hondo neck is particuarly heavy and the Encore body particualrly light. Although for complete disclosure the neck pocket in this case was routed out a bit more so that the neck was set slightly further back and the bridge set quite a way back. So beyond that, it would just come down to aesthetics - what appeals to you and what doesn't.

Thanks, it’s an originals band, sort of rockabilly punk. I want to be as near to their album (of which I’ve had to learn it all) as possible. I really like the music and the whole way the band is set up really works with my ways of thinking so I really hope I get it.

The church on the other hand.......

Reminds me of old Les Dawson joke, paraphrased below: Bass Player 1: At our last gig three blokes from the audience jumped on stage and beat up our lead singer. Bass Player 2: Didn't you help? Bass Player 1: No, I thought three would be enough!