Old Horse Murphy

Pah! I use one of these for the fiddly but in Alright Now I nailed it.

Oops!

I decided to take a few days off and went in to Cardiff with my wife today and called in to PMT. They never have best selection of basses, but the newly arrived Fender JMJ Mustang in roadworn black caught my eye. After trying it (beautifully built, sounds amazing, plays easily and comes with a spare black pickguard) and with a bit of negotiation, it was mine.

I met Simon today to swap his Marcus Miller Jazz for some of my freshly printed money. All absolutely hassle-free and pleasant. The only uncomfortable moment was when the police car drove slowly past us in the car park as Simon was counting a fistful of money. Nothing to see here officer.... Highly recommended

I've heard that Brian Pern is touring with them.

Or neither. Try the cello. They're addictive

At least Hugh went on to bigger things. Gotta love Family Guy....

Well after my disappointment with hand problems after playing my recently acquired 4003, I decided to move it on and invest in something a little more familiar.... I tried out a new Fender Original Series P Bass finished in a lovely Aztec Gold today and decided that I'd pony up for it. I wasn't massively sure about the colour when I first saw them online but in the flesh it's beautiful. I already own a couple of P Basses including the Original Series 60's model, but this one is different enough for me to justify owning it too (honest!!) A bit of a tweak and adjustment at the bridge and it's good to go.

It's a real shame. I never got on with the 4003S sadly, so I'm afraid this one has gone the the big auction site in the sky. Don't worry though: in two years I'll buy another Ric and go through the same routine ad Infinitum....

Well, as lovely as it is as as great sounding as it is, it's a hmmm from me. Ergonomically it's aggravating some nerve damage in my forearm, so I think we'll have to part ways sadly

Me too. I’d be interested in a 4 stringer please

Thank you. Our builder hates it as the previous owners used cement as opposed to lime mortar (very bad) and apparently "snail trails" are a Worcestershire/Shropshire thing, not a Monmouth thing! Who would've known? It's on a long list of things to do at some point...

Hmmm, that just looks like I tried to iron it. You should see my shirts if you like that type of thing...

I must admit, this story had a much happier ending than I though it would from the title and the way it started. I thought it was going to end along the lines of "sadly my brother was killed a day later when accidentally wandered in to a blind cannibal orgy and to make matters worse, when I got home I realised I'd actually bought a Marlin Jazz Bass, not a Fender". Firstly, congratulations on you both surviving(!!) and secondly on owning such an amazing bass with a great story of how you "won" it

Thanks chaps. I must admit this isn't my first (or second!) 4003. I've had a few 4003S' in between the 4003 model and despite the uncomfortable bezel, I do actually prefer them for some reason and find they sound more "fizzy" which is the sound I like. This one is around 9.5 lbs, so not massively light, but very comfortable. The neck is a good handful too and I'm really enjoying it

The plan was to visit Mark and the boys at Bass Direct to try and buy a US Lakland Jazz they have advertised. That was the plan. What happened was, well, basically my head got turned by a spotless 2011 4003 in my favourite colour scheme and once I plugged it in and heard that Ric "fizz" it was only ever going to finish up one way. The Lakland was lovely but left me feeling completely underwhelmed. It was a gorgeous piece of work and the build quality was superb, but I just didn't feel anything from it. It was (as they say) me, not the Lakland. I need to change the strings but it's a real beauty and fills a gap I didn't know needed filling in my collection. All in all, a worthwhile trip.

You have to play left handed. I guess that might, for some, be Bad News