Old Horse Murphy

If I were independently wealthy I'd pay for someone to the setting up/packing up even if we're the local pub.

Out of interest @Hutton what was the answer? It's always useful to know these things just in case...

My wife would go nuclear....it's only hypothetical but I'm really already very scared

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.

And they're the days I miss most of all, going in to town with my band mates and dreaming and scheming about owning some of the gear on the walls.

I've read this thread avidly and am dismayed that people still get away with this sort of thing on a regular basis. My sympathies lie firmly with the people still owed money by this guy who has (IMHO) acted completely shockingly throughout. I must admit though, having seen the quality of the basses he's produced in the past, even from a purely aesthetic perspective he wouldn't have seen a penny of mine. Clearly my mileage varies from some of his customers (satisfied and unsatisfied) and I really am a missionary position with the lights off kinda guy when it comes to what floats my boat bass-wise, but some of them look GCSE Woodwork standard at best.

If Tony Stark made basses.... love it

For different reasons, but a 5 string has to be my weakness too. I only ever gigged with a 5 string a handful of times, so I've never really needed one as such and as much as I enjoyed owning them, I always moved them on. Still, it's doesn't stop the itch, does it!

I love that Kiwi Green 5 String but (cost aside) unless I could specify one that weighs under 8.5lbs and one where the G String isn't so bloody close to the edges of the fretboard with confidence, it's never going to happen.

After years of rugby and general wear and tear I have shoulder and lower back problems and struggle with anything over 8.5lbs. I’ve fallen in love with many a bass over 9lbs, taken it home and thought “this time it will be different”. It never is and after much soul-searching and disappointment they’ve been moved on because I just can’t manage them without causing issues.

I've only ordered online from them. The first time was disappointing as they weighed a bass for me and when it arrived it was 1lb+ heavier. To be fair, they couldn't have been more apologetic and when they received it back they had the courtesy to call me in person to apologise again. The second time they again weighed a bass for me and I ordered it with a future delivery date as I was away. They left a message to confirm the order had been received and they'd booked it for the delivery I wanted, so please don't worry. The bass arrived exactly on the day as promised and was absolutely spot on weight-wise and had been set up beautifully. I'd definitely use them again

I've had this a few times due to nut slots being too wide and the way I've always fixed it is with a mix of superglue and baking/bicarb of soda. It dries as hard as a rock once applied to the slot and can be filed to suit your requirements in terms of depth and width. It always worked a treat for me.

A great big knob by the looks of things

Just out of interest have you unscrewed all the screws on the saddles? From memory it's not just the screws at the front that adjusts the height. My first Sandberg had the same issue and once I'd bothered to read the adjustment instructions properly rather than dive in head first I got it just right for me. That and the truss rod of course for fear of sounding totally patronising.

Sneak peek of the Joe Dart IV