hiram.k.hackenbacker

I think I would pass on that one. I like unique designs, but that hasn't been done well at all.

Save a bit of room and bin the acoustic 😎

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.

Call me what you like, but I have absolutely zero sympathy with the ‘builder’. @EddieG has been far more accommodating than I would have over this debt. Letts can give all the excuses he likes, but nothing excuses the fact that he has not started any sort of repayment plan. Even a couple of £’s a week/month would be a start and that’s if you buy into the fact that he is a skint as he says he is. I don’t. He’s in business selling and shipping basses on Reverb as well as posting videos on You Tube. Some videos have thousands of watch numbers on them. Given they are original content, is this enough that the videos are monetised? I’d imagine that would be the only reason he does it, because some of the content is just awful.

Very nice. If the right Dingwall Sklar came along, I would be in serious trouble. The nearest one I can find is Belgium, so I think I’m quite safe at the moment 😎

I think we need to know what that is 😎

Longhorn/Shortscale. Kind of doesn't make sense does it, but I definitely do see the attraction. I've not played one, but I think they look great. One of my favourite Doris Day films, Pillow Talk, has a scene in a bar where the wonderful Perry Blackwell sings 'Roly Poly'. The bass player is holding a Danelectro Longhorn in a lovely finish. I would saying he's playing it, but he's clearly not 😎. Perry Blackwell is still going strong at 98 years of age! Anyhow, I made it through January without so much as a near miss. February is always a danger month as it's my month of birth. Not a significant one this year, so feeling confident.

Sax player in my 80’s band has one. Wicked piece of kit. So many sounds available.

Admittedly I know nothing of Letts or his basses, but one would assume there must be some happy customers/owners out there somewhere? I watched one of his build videos on YT and there’s some huge red flags throughout. Not quite MDP standard, but still worrying. Are they old videos reloaded or are they new to his channel?

I wish I could help you out mate, but I don't possess such a bass. I'm sure there will be an offer here soon enough.

The odds were stacked against last night even going ahead. Our keyboard player had to pull out due to illness leaving us within a week of the gig with no option other than to cancel. Keyboard players (decent ones) seem to be like rocking horse poo around these parts. We decided to enlist the help of a guitarist to fill the hole which meant binning about 50% of our set for guitar orientated tunes. One midweek rehearsal behind us and we got away with it. Went down very well. Same again next week as a two guitar band.

Try The Swan in Hatfield Peverel. It’s not a huge pub and not usually over busy. We’re playing there next week. I don’t know how far in advance they get booked tho.

So are you looking at hiring the space in a pub exclusively for your band/guests or getting your band a gig in a pub at the same time as your 30 guests turning up?

My Ric came with a sticker on it and I removed. Instantly devalued it by 50% 😎

My SLO was £1900 new in March 2017. Likewise, my Special was £2.2k new in Oct 2018. It will be interesting to see how much they are charging in 2024.

I’m just trying to remember whether the SLO neck was a costed option when I ordered mine. I don’t remember having to pay extra, but I may have misremembered that over time. Although I welcome the availability of options, it will come at a hefty price. I remember trying to order a white Stingray with different coloured hardware. They absolutely point blank refused to do it.

Mmm. SLO’s, but no HS configuration? That Brûlée finish looks 🤢. Talking of which; white pick-up covers on the Candyman also 🤢. In fact, the only one that looks remotely interesting (to me) is the BFR Moonbeam, but it’s not available as a 4 string. I dread to think what the RRP’s will be.

I accept everyone is different, but for me, at that weight, I’d be OK with it as long as the balance was OK. One thing my back will not tolerate is a weighty bass that is also unbalanced. I know you can offset some basses with a decent strap, but I’d rather have a bass that doesn’t have a balance issue. For that reason, I think I’d have to try it in person. Hope it turns out positive for you.

Well, they’ve reached Dingwall HQ. Shipping imminently.

What do you think? I really like mine.

A Dingwall Lee Sklar Mk2 would be perfect. Had a Mk1, but it needed (for me) that third super fatty to move the playing position slightly forward.

Fantastic basses, although fairly hefty. The case with mine weighed considerably more than the bass itself and that’s saying something.

Am I the only one who came here expecting Alembic content? 😎