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Been very content with my Squier 40th anniversary P and Warwick Corvette for quite a long time but had a sudden hankering for a Stingray that I just couldn't shake. Never tried one before and just loved that sound. This Ray34 came up at a good price on Reverb, just a shade over £500 after some negotiation, and had to pull the trigger. The colour is unbelievable. I love that blue sparkle, and the roasted maple neck is really smooth. Not totally au fait with active basses but put it through my pedalboard with a Solidgold Beta V preamp and a Jam Pedals Rat and I'll need to do some serious tweaking, sounds wildly different to the setting I use for my P bass. Now the conundrum of trying to justify having 3 basses around the house...

Absolutely second those sentiments... DONT get Jon to build you a bass... get your money back. He is not a skilled luthier. The bass he made for me was unplayable. The intonation was WAY off and because he built it with a fix, wholly unadjustable Bridge, (not what I ordered) there was no way to remedy the intonation and it had to go back to him and when he sent it back (uninsured to save himself a few quid) it was damage in transit due to the poor way he'd packaged it. DO NOT GET JON TO BUILD YOU A BASS. Get you money back and put a deposit down on a trusted, skilled luthier such as ACG, Shuker, Overwater, Zoot etc.

Eddie, you're obviously a far more patient man than I (and I do mean that as a compliment). All I can say is that I hope it works out for you. Given what you've just said, my instinct would be to close the thread for now and await further developments -- as I said, it can always be reopened if you wish.

For the past couple of years, I'd been looking for a lightweight 5 string bass. My current 5 string is a little on the heavy side for 3 hour gigs where I often dance about like a prat. I've been mostly just sticking to my 4 string 'P', weighing in at 4kg and tuning down when required. Overwhelmed by internet research, I popped in to Guitar Guitar on Saturday to actually try some and get an idea what I wanted to buy. I was expecting to find something like a Spector to my liking, and to make the purchase down the line a little. I've got a steady enough income that I don't need to scrimp on something substandard, but dropping four figures on a bass isn't my top priority at the moment. I browsed the bass department - which was a little less well stocked than my last visit - and nothing jumped out at me. I was on my way to the exit, when a sales guy offered assistance. I explained what I was after, and he convinced me to try a £370 Ibanez SR305. I seen it when browsing, but didn't even consider it - a 5 string costing so little couldn't be up to the job. I immediately noticed it was very light, and I was blown away with the quality of it. Active preamp, nice sounding dual humbuckers with a coil tap - very versatile. A really slim neck with no high or sharp frets. Well set up too - intonation bang on, just enough neck relief and action only a tiny bit higher than I'd have liked. (In contrast to the Fender Vintera I bought a couple of years ago, which wasn't set up at all and had to spend hours on it) Anyway, I left the shop with the bass. I had it at a rehearsal last night, and I was very happy with it. I'll need to tweak the pickup height a little to balance the volume across the strings, and maybe tweak the action - but other than that it's good to go. I've not weighed it yet, but it's a similar weight to my Strat - around 3.6kg. I've learned a valuable lesson! George

Just a quick update. I put the side tape on today. Normally a Danelectro would be painted and the the white side tape applied, and it usually ends up shrinking and pulling away in valleys and edges. As I did on my Longhorn, I've used a wide centre tape with two thinner outer lines to look like a binding, the whole body including tape will now be clear coated which will seal everything in a help prevent any lifting of the edges. I really like the wood effect centre tape and I've gone for a very creamy 'binding' tape. It gives it a kind of hollow body vibe, which it is anyway. Just clear coat and a quick rebuild now.

Also available as audio only from the usual places. An interesting listen.

Hey folks. Just to keep everyone in the loop, Jon Letts emailed this morning and agreed to accept and adhere to a proposal for a bass. Not a demand for a Stradivarius or anything over what I'm owed, but not a cheap option to get him off the hook either. Now, I know that a lot of folk will be hanging their heads and saying "he's f**kin' mad" , and the Stockholm Syndrome comment did make me laugh!🤣 All I can say out in the open just now is even though it may not look like it, there's a definite method to this madness, having weighed all the factors both past and present and knowing exactly how this could have ended up. And when this finally has ended, I will break things down in detail on these boards. I've no doubt most of you will agree with this action once it is all done and dusted. Just stick with me and trust me here, guys. No matter what happens, it's going to be worth it.😉 And thanks to you all for the support, between here and TB, it really has lifted my state of mind very much. It's easy to get caught in a loop of expecting the bad and being surprised at the good.

If it was me I wouldn’t want a bass from him now, I’d just want my money back and move on to an alternative builder , if there’s something wrong with it you’re back to square one, I’d buy another bass

Two stories from the stables of AgedHorse come to mind that bury class distinction. When he was a more junior engineer he got fired for fooling all the audiophiles that they were blind auditioning a bunch of amps when it was the same amp the whole time. Later he was involved in developing the GenzBenz class D lined up to replace the class A/B. Iirc it was the same old preamp with both amp sections. Nobody could tell which was which no matter how hard they tried. Some amps have more heft than others but it's not the class of the amp doing the hefting.

21 basses and three amps in just over 1 square meter. It's all about height! They are normally in their cases, but still in the rack.

Played a 'blues and brews' night at the John Peel Centre in Stowmarket. Lovely venue - we've played there before - easy load in/out, big stage, lights, great sound system with a team of sound guys. 3 bands, we were on last or 'headlining' as like to call it, a selection of local beers on offer. I wasn't confident anyone would turn on a chilly thursday in February up but apparently 60 souls made it - far more than I imagined. Bands were Red Sky High, Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective - who were especially good, great set of originals delivered in some style. Their bass player had a bitsa short scale Bronco/Mustang/Jazz hybrid that sounded awesome. Good player, too. Having been nicely warmed up and lubricated the crowd appreciated us and we went down very well, despite some left of field errors on a few songs we have played faultlessly for months (why does that happen?). We played a longer set, just over an hour, and it was all round a damned fine evening. No traffic there or back, in bed by 1am. My gear was my SG > new Trace Elliot Transit B pedal > desk which sounded pretty fab from where I was standing. Guitarist Alan's pic, taken from the mezzanine 'green room' where the performers hang out - Jamie Williams et al on their last song.

I've just submitted video reviews for the V7 Vintage, V5-25, P5 and P5R (Bass Gear Magazine) and have already asked that Sire let me know when the new models hit these shores so I can review some of those too. So, keep an eye out for some decent in-depth footage!

One of each

100% this. I'd look for a way to move on. I struggled for about a year to recover a debt I was owed. Did everything I could, and in the end, it never came to anything. I've had to write the debt off and move on. I'm concerned, like the rest of the guys here, that you're exposing yourself to more heartbreak, upset, and disappointment. I think we all hope that isn't the case.

I'm in agreement with my esteemed colleagues. Once bitten twice shy and all that.... I can't help feeling you're setting yourself up for a long road of pain, frustration and anger. I appreciate everything you've done so far and I admire your doggedness and determination. I think you've conducted yourself admirably but please don't forget to look after your own sanity and mental health too.

Glutton for punishment springs to minds. The Ball has been in Jons court for 10 years and now you are prolonging your own agony. You seem to have ignored all that has been said here and on TB warning you away from Jon - not just as someone who is untrustworthy, but also someone who has questionable skills to build a fully functioning bass, nevermind what would happen if you need after sales support. As for following your specs, you have chastised Jon previously for his inability to follow your specs. Now you expect that to suddenly change? SMH

This is a lovely bass and I'm thrilled to own it 🙂 While nowhere near as pretty it's this £80 Harley Benton which gets played. The Benton neck is far more comfortable than the Fender's and it sounds better too, thanks to that brilliant (discontinued) Wilkinson single coil 🙂 Apart from changing the strings for TI flats this PB-50 remains as it was when Thomann shipped it, April 2014 😎

What a great place Basschat is. A goldmine of information, support, conversation and of course GAS. I’ve been on here a long time, like many of you have. Some of you may be new, if you are, you’re welcome. I’ve had a lot of help here, parts, advice, insights, opinions and all given with a real sense of a community, even if we don’t always agree with each other, which is often part of the fun, as long as it’s healthy disagreement and not nasty, which it rarely is here. There is no better resource on the internet for all things bass. Ask for help, you will get it, ask for advice, you will get it. No questions are stupid, all answers are welcomed. No opinions are ignored, all views are observed. Thanks to everyone who run the site, long may it continue.

here ya go....

I recently bought a Boss wireless and I needed a larger board so it doesn`t get damaged hanging off the small board so got this one off of Amazon for £36. The cool thing is it has a cover on the bottom to store the power supply. Exc value for the money. Anyway I usually use the Sadowsky plugged into the ART tube amp into my RCF, I had the space for the Sansamp so stuck it on there if I fancy a change. The Beringher was cheap as chips and I was gonna spend a few bob on a better one but it does the job and I might not notice the difference anyway! Sorry for the dust.

You might get a few volunteers to help store some bits for you...

My gigging bass for one of my bands is a G&L Tribute JB and I love it. I've replaced the pups with Fender Pure Vintage 74s and guts with a Ki0gon loom. Was it a good bass and entirely giggable before the mods? Yup. Did I do any sort of test before and after to hear the difference? Nope. Do I think it's a better bass now? Yup. Am I slightly deluding myself to justify tinkering? Probably 😂

RE: Snobs - ignore - they are annoyed because you are achieving with pennies what they shelled pounds out for and are looking for a way to make themselves feel better by trying to bring you down. Don't let them, pity them instead and the crushing insecurity they live with on a daily basis.

I was behind you all the way until I just read this. Are you mad? After all he’s put you through you’re going down the ‘finish the instrument’ route? Even if he does complete something similar to what you’ve specced, it won’t be 100% and it’ll just sit there as a reminder of all the crap you went through and that you still didn’t get what you want. Plus, you’ll never be able to sell if you need to. Might not even be able to give it away at this rate. I’d rather wave goodbye to the money forever.

It’s as if you want to keep it all going another 10 years?

Good luck with that

Home On The Range ～ Gene Autry

if I ever get better at playing than my Squiers are at being basses then I might consider something more expensive. 😁

Come on, we all know that the most important thing about a bass is the logo on the headstock.

All true. One of my favourite gigging bases is my Harley Benton short-scale P bass. £79, brand new. Any snide comments from band members about whether I could afford a ‘better’ instrument is met with “it would have been a waste of money playing with you.”

I just took delivery of my Masterbuilt Alusonic J-Supreme. These are outstanding basses and definitely worth checking out! It has a great modern hifi sound and doesn’t need lots of tweaking with the 3 band eq. You guys have the luxury of going to Bass Direct to check them out, but I took a chance and totally relied on many discussions with Polly the owner of Alusonic to get the custom spec I needed. I’m going to sell my Sadowskys to finance another!

Damn.

This is a must listen to for any Matumbi fans like me

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352854911044

That Paisley Precision is lovely, is it the Fender MIJ RI? I've wanted one of those for a while. I recently spent big bucks on a Vintera Telecaster Bass and I love it, but I find myself playing a Squier CV 50s Precision more at the moment. Possibly because I've only had it a week and a half, but there's something about it that I find much more enjoyable to play than any of the basses I've spent much more on.

Basswitch is a really clean pre and two bands of semi para mids two fx loops, a boost, two inputs for two bass or you can A/B the preamp on/off transformer in the DI and just a wonderful clean sound. The lows are set low but it’s never muddy or undefined. I’ve had one for about 10yrs and wouldn’t sell it even though it’s not on my board just now it’s a keeper for me! I think there was one for sale on the forum quite recently.

I would say that the sooner Thomann can relieve D!ck Heads Limited (DHL) of their duties the better - they "lost" one of my basses on the way here. How the f do you lose a bass, it's not as if it's a set of car keys, is it? To give Thomann their due they pretty quickly gave it up after some investigation and sent another which thankfully made it through that time. Also I have absolutely no expectation that a bass will arrive set up for me. Setup being such a personal thing, I have no idea why people think they can expect to grab a bass out of a box and just start playing it. I learned to setup my basses early doors in my career and it doesn't faze me one jot if one arrives not to my liking. Box shifters aren't going to open each and every bass and set it up before sealing it again - can you imagine how much that would add to costs? You want cheap prices AND you want individual attention paid to each bass? Come on - that equation just doesn't solve.

My main instrument of choice, a lowly, but very much beloved, Ibanez Mikro Bass : Though admittedly with the stock pickups, which I wasn't exactly a big fan of, pulled out and replaced with an EMG Geezer Butler P pickup, which took the bass from decent to amazing sounding (had a DiMarzio Model P pickup installed at some point too, but while that actually also sounded pretty amazing, I just personally prefer the more open, less compressed, tone of the Geezer, and I think it compliments the natural inherent sound of the bass better). The neck is extremely stable, and had as good as perfect fretwork from factory, with no fret buzz whatsoever, even with low action and minimal neck relief. Also I do ponder installing the J pickup, from the EMG Geezer P/J set that the P pickup is from, to a separate jack output socket, utilizing one of the redundant pot holes, as the current P pickup is wired directly to the output jack socket, as well as I also ponder on installing mono rail bridge pieces, milled from solid brass, and doing so reducing the string spacing from the current standard 19mm to 17mm too.

Treated myself to this American Vintage ll 1954 Precision. Well, you cant take it with you when you go. 😅

...Tone Hammer DI in the FS... + £5 for Jack Socket Nuts of the bay to fix the Jack... Dunno why the seller wouldn't of done this... https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/487472-aguilar-tone-hammer-preampdi-price-drop/?do=findComment&comment=5106332

@Richard R If only that was the case, you missed out annoying git, pedant, bore and person who nobody wants to talk to at a party.... ...and incompetent bass player and poor guitar player.

Yep, sounds cracking. At rehearsals Guitarists in band have mentioned it has better oomph and sounds better than my Genz Benz amp. That’s plugged in to effects return on provided amp.

i cant believe their are people actually defending letts on TB

We played at The Sugarmill in Hanley (Stoke) on Saturday night. It's our first headline gig here and the local venue so it felt like there was a bit more pressure than usual, that plus the lack of gigs since November, and it would be my first time on BVs, all gave me some nerves When I arrived, I greeted the soundguy. We're on first name terms and I thought we were pretty friendly, but the first thing he said is "what ridiculous gear have you brought this time then?". I explained it's just my usual stuff but he seemed really annoyed for some reason. I set up the kit and the whole band were ready to go in 10 minutes as usual. Then the soundguy spent 30 minutes plugging everything in. While he was mic'ing the kit I showed him my nice new cymbal. He's a drummer so I thought he'd be interested. He said "oh, so that'll be dominating the whole room then!". I said "not really mate, it's the way you play them" to which he replied "Yeh, which is F&*KING LOUD!!!". I asked if he'd ever done the sound for us before, and he confirmed he hadn't, so he'd have absolutely no idea how loud I'm going to play my cymbals. I just let it go. So, all mic'd up, he tried to get sound. He had the main outs from his mixer routed to the centre vocal wedges. I explained that it all sounded weird and that my drums shouldn't be feeding back but he just cracked on, sweeping EQ on the drum mics for a solid 15 minutes. Bass was checked just fine, but guitars (just DI'd) sounded weird and kept feeding back. I asked him to turn the stage monitors off just to check there wasn't an issue, and this is when he finally figured out the mains were routed to the two centre wedges. Half an hour to who knows on the phone and he reckoned it was sorted, so we went back on to sound check. All fine except the lead singer can't hear himself. There's sound out of the centre wedges, but it's quiet and muffled. The soundguy told me I needed to play the drums quieter. I explained that it's never an issue and we play similar sized venues all the time. He finally came up to hear the vocal in the wedges and agreed it sounded wrong, and so after another long phone call figured out that he should have used a different cable for these wedges. FINALLY everything worked and we did our check in less than 10 minutes, but from setting up to completing sound check was pretty much 2 hours. After this check the soundguy approaches me to tell me that my bass drum is a nightmare. "oh, what's the problem?" I ask and he complains it has "no top end". I screwed up my face and said "we're not playing metal mate". Then I went home to change and try to forget the sound check The actual gig was awesome, loads of people in, loads of people singing along, an encore... just an awesome gig all round. A couple of my mates were there, and they said it sounded OK but that my vocal mic was muted! All that practise and all those nerves for nothing!