bassbiscuits

I think there’s good and bad stuff at all price points. If you find a bass that does it for you, that’s what matters. It just feels even better when you know it didn’t break the bank.

Yup - secondhand Yamaha BB604 I got mainly as a backup about four years ago has turned out to be a hugely versatile and great sounding bit of kit. Its not as cool as my old Fender or whatever, but whenever I get it out I can’t put it down. Means I feel free to play the absolutely b@lls off it live without stressing too, which is just how it should be.

List prices seem unrealistically low too, especially for those amps and cabs. Some cool stuff tho.

Yes the stage is a good bit bigger now and the decor is all a lot nicer. It was lovely to get back out and play.

Correct answer! It was their Sunday afternoon regular slot.

I think the guy from The Feeling was using one of these when I saw them live in about 2013. Really nice, warm fat bass tone too. Nice to see something a bit different from the usual suspects too. Well done. Glad it’s a good un.

I had Labella Mustang strings on my Mustang, which were great. I swapped them to some heavier gauge D’addario medium scale nickel round wounds (50-110 I think) which are long enough to string thru the body. They sound great too!

I’m come to short scale basses (a MIJ Mustang) as I’ve got older and it’s a brilliant sounding bit of kit - like a smaller, lighter and more comfortable than a P bass. It does have a sound that’s distinct from a P tho - a tiny bit thinner and more midrangy perhaps, and a tighter low end? - but very comparable and very useful. Mine weighs something like 3.5kg and is nicely balanced so it’s a doddle for long gigs or even longer rehearsals. I’ve not recorded with it (other than some live YouTube things from gigs I’ve done) but I’m very happy that it lets me play and sound like me easily enough. Im not about to swap completely to short scales but they are useful and likeable basses I think.

I’ve had basses with and without thru body stringing. They all sounded good so I’ve got no way of knowing what the thru body stringing contributed. Makes using flatwounds a bit tricky tho as it increases the angle they have to bend.

I had tickets to see him just before lockdown hit but it got pulled.

The truss road adjustment is at the body end of the neck on these basses up until the mid/late 1970s. Not a great design as it involves removing the neck to do it, or at the very least taking off the scratchplate to get access. The action would be adjusted by the bridge saddles, and/or a shim if needed to raise the neck a little in the neck pocket.

Impossible to reach that conclusion without seeing it though, isn't it? We're just speculating.

I suspect that with the restorer not being a bass player, it would need to go straight for a decent set up after leaving Repair Shop....

Definitely - they look cool but are a pain to play with. But they're hardly invasive to install or difficult to remove either.

that was well weird wasn't it!

The neck shaving bit did make me wince, but it depends how badly that big dent on the back affected playing comfort. Apart from that it was a lot less bodged than I’d been led to believe - essentially a neck refin, refret, new logo (not sure why he bothered with that tho) and general clean up. The lad wanted it as a working instrument, rather than a museum piece.

Is that a good thing, or was it a botch job?

There are none that i really struggle without - a few that I miss, but not enough to replace them. I pined a bit for a lovely Sandberg TT4 that I'd sold too hastily, but when it came back up for sale on here a few years ago, I didn't buy it back. I miss my Epi Jack Casady, my PRS Se Bernie Marsden, my old 1980s Charvel Model 1B bass, but i'll live without them easily enough. The ride was fun at the time.

I remember lusting over the catalogues for these at the time - always fancied the red one in the middle, with the super slim body.

I'll include myself in this category - was once kicked out of my own band over some petty squabble I can't even recall entirely. I only found out I'd been sacked at a meeting to discuss my reinstatement some weeks later. I missed about half a dozen gigs while another mate got brought in to cover. World managed to keep on turning though luckily eh.

Did anyone notice?

Last weekend we did our first gig ever as a classic rock covers band which has formed during lockdown. None of the members have gigged since March so we’ve had to time to pull together a set, rattle off a quick rehearsal and pull off the gig! It was great to get out playing and make a noise, and the sold out audience seemed to feel the same way, despite the social distancing measures which meant limited numbers, table seating etc. Definitely got mileage for some more gigs and more songs. It’s a nice low-pressure way of us all having something creative to focus on without committing to stacks of gigs.