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A few weeks ago I wanted to scratch an itch of wanting to try a Fender Custom Shop Precision. Having had a look online there was nothing local to me so went done the route of having to buy and making use of the 14 day return policy if I wasn’t happy. Good job I did as I wasn’t happy! I ordered 2, an Olympic White ‘63 Journeyman Relic and a Dakota Red ‘63 Light Relic Olympic White (£3200) Pros: Nice ageing of the body paint and neck, neck was lovely and worn and beautiful to play. Cons: Heavy (over 9lbs) Strings misaligned over the fretboard when aligned over the pickups. Pickups were tilted towards the neck as if the foam underneath hadn’t been placed properly. Tuners were so stiff you almost needed 2 hands to turn them! Dakota Red (£3500) Pros: Lighter than the Olympic. Nice ageing again and tuners actually turned! Cons: Electronics were completely dead! Plugged in and nothing at all!! So did I think either of these basses were worth over £3000 each? No! If I’d paid £1500 I still would of been miffed so obviously they were both returned post haste! I then managed to get one of these Fender Classic 50’s Lacquer (Nitro), about 12 years old so nicely aged neck, body and hardware (naturally) Neck is gorgeous and worn so silky smooth, nice low action and frets are impeccable. Pickups sound great and weighs under 9lbs. Cost? £700! This one isn’t going back! 😂

Not exactly a new bass day as I've had this for a couple of weeks now, but I recently acquired this lovely '79 Precision from Bass Bros, who were fantastic to deal with. I've wanted a vintage Fender for years now and this is a bit of a dream acquisition for me. While this may not necessarily fit everyone's definition of "vintage" it's about the extent of my budget (and also older than me!) and I'm extremely happy with the bass - it plays and sounds great and has really been inspiring me to play more. The neck has some lovely wear on and is super comfortable - I think perhaps it's a "B" neck (41mm at the nut) but I'm not well versed enough in the various neck profiles to be sure. It's mostly original but it's been stripped at some point and refinished in natural - looking in the cavities and neck pocket it originally had some sort of red or brownish finish. The guard is obviously a replacement as well and the original is long gone - when I got the bass it had a WD tort guard on which while nice wasn't exactly the style of tort I wanted, so I've just replaced it with this one. Years ago I saw a late '50s or early '60s Precision which had been stripped with a tort guard and rosewood board - it was well out of my budget but it stuck in my head and I've wanted a P with that look ever since. Being a late '70s its a bit on the heavy side (10.5lbs), but as I play at home sitting down 99.9% of the time it doesn't really bother me. The neck pocket is thankfully pretty tight so no issues there. Also came with an original black moulded Fender HSC. The ashtrays are gone but I've sourced some original '70s ones that I'm currently waiting to arrive. This is now my sole bass having part-ex'd my MIJ PB-62 for it, but I really couldn't be happier with it.

Assembled for the fun day out…

Played with The Towers last night @ Delapre Abbey Northampton...great fun

Here's my 76! I love the natural + RW look Mine's an Ash body and is 10lbs too. Nothing a big fat padded strap cant handle

That's Blank to you Brenda! Well, there you are, thats forty minutes of my life wasted. If I get lumbered on the door taking tickets because of this...

At this rate those of us getting there roughly on time will be accused of being tardy latecomers with no commitment. Especially by Frank and Stubbs, nasty pair when they get together and gang up on you. Good job they were never in the same year at school. Or the same school for that matter. Time to do an LF test then, assuming all is well, put some fuel in the car.

I've arrived. There was a small gathering of 'guests' at the reception, they would have made a convincing Hogarth print.

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE! As there seem to be number of new faces coming this year, I'll bring my 1972 Telecaster Bass too. It is it's Birthday this year so deserves an outing! I realise (as it is short notice), don't bother with presents or even cards....

Have a safe journey Doris🤣

Congrats on your incoming Gibson Gene Simmons Thunderbird, Chris 🤣

Just done an lf, as we've both had cold symptoms from Wednesday. Negative 🙂

Sorted! Thanks to all, released the string think it was twisted, pressed in the witness Mark as read, now it growls, sounds great for a cheep bass.

As everyone seems to be arriving earlier than ever, I've laid out what I'm wearing ready for tomorrow to speed up my start in the morning:

Neither do I have time to print off a cool badge but it's not a problem as I am easily recognised I'll be the fat old guy with glasses, receding grey hair and a funny beard . Oops, just a thought there be be a few of us🙄

So , I’ve a gig tomorrow night with a 5 piece in a typical cosy Irish pub, (i.e . Not enough room to swing a cat and we’ll be falling over each other) I’ve decided I’m gonna try the elf with the 1x10 box . Wish me luck 🍀

Just packed up the car and now I'm ready for the off, albeit an hour and a half early! Now I have to print off a Frank Blank lanyard thing so no one calls me Doris.

I blame my irregular nursing shifts for my body clock being all over the place! (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) So I’ve an extra day to plan and pack and can arrive a bit earlier. when does it run from/to? S’manth x

Having read this thread, despite the awful puns and the distance I’m decided it sounds too good to miss and so I’m going to come along, so many folks I’m looking forward to meeting and learning from. So … shower and then loading up Ruby (my red mini) … hopefully arrive before noon (when does it run till?). S’manth xxx

The hive mind thinks that you WILL end up with a Precision… you won’t be able to help yourself. Just get one asap and save yourself further pain.

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” – Anonymous

They're not supposed to lean either way.

If by 'discipline' you mean sitting in a corner giggling at my own farts then you can count on it.

And Strangers is such a great album 👍 There some pretty stiff competition among live double albums in the mid-late '70s; Seconds Out, Live & Dangerous, Song Remains the Same, Kiss Alive, Babylon by Bus, Wings Over America, All The Worlds a Stage, Live Killers and The Last Waltz, but Strangers in the Night, from a band who at the time really weren't in the same league as any of the previous artists, is just such a powerful and well put together album, there's not a weak song on there, and the performances and production are outstanding. If you've not heard it, do yourself a favour, especially if you have a decent set of 'phones 👍

My fave guitar solo ever. Rockbottom off live album Strangers in the Night. Starts about 3.55. Michael Schenker was insanely good at such a young age

Those are my current LeFays I no longer own the Capone in the back

See my baby chives. Wizzard

...and has really been inspiring me to play more... Thats what matters most.

Not a huge crowd last night, but very appreciative. Three basses is a lot, but sound frombthe terror/AT212 was grest with new or nearly new strings on all three.

So here was the staging pile and now in Ruby (my back hurts! Lol) my sister helped me sort a Travelodge in Taunton so I’m driving down now, I’ll be able to arrive at the bash at the start 😊 S’manth x

Not sure it qualifies as a cover, but Lindisfarne's reimagining of 'Fog on the Tyne' with Paul Gascoigne surely rates as a crime against humanity.

I Don't Want To Grow Up - 'mones

Questions I didn't know I needed answered: "What's the best viola for metal?"

As long as no one calls you Dorito.

You'll be in the right place. Some proper bass braniacs will be there

It will be great to see you again too! Everything I can fit it in Ruby … which is a lot! Three different basses, each with a different signal chain and a different cab. I suspect some is gear folks may not have tried before so it’ll be nice to let them have a go. All but the TC you donated are battery powered. Im also going to bring the parts I’ve got for Phoenix as I am hoping to get some advice about her build and setup. S’manth x

I'm planning to come along but I'll just bring myself as looks like more than enough gear knocking about and not sure I have anything of much interest to offer! 🙂

Can you afford it? If yes, will you use it? If yes, do you care about brand names? If no, get a Squier (the more expensive models are amazing) If yes, get a fender player series or search out a Japanese Fender. (If rich, buy a vintage one you never play)

This was the original version I came up with, but it was a while ago now and I have plans to further modify the pedal before finishing it. If I remember correctly, the photo I took was at the same beach where Dobby (the House Elf) was buried.

Only been 6 months or so, but finally got round to putting the new scratchplate on this. Went with the Mike Mills look in the end, I think it looks rather well. Very pleased with how this bass feels, sounds, and now looks. 😁 Thanks for the suggestions.

It’s been some years since I’ve owned a Jazz Bass , but this has been described as a Jazz on steroids. They’re not common , but they’re out there. After some years of looking at them for sale everywhere but Canada , finally found one in Toronto for a good price.

Here's mine. Beautifully constructed by a very dear friend of mine. Can't remember what the signal path is but it's not the same as the layout. Much thanks to @NoirBass for the advice when it came to deciding what to put on the board and what order to put them in.