bassbiscuits

That's about as Japanese as me.

True. I've played some dogs of basses, and some lovely ones, and it has nothing to do with the price point. I do think that CS instruments are certainly going to be made of better quality wood and components than cheap and cheerful Far Eastern ones, but that's not to say that a well-chosen (or in Beedster's case, well put-together) bass of any other heritage can't be just as good. Part of me would love a CS Fender bass - if the quality matched the price then I'd consider it money well spent. But its inevitable that just like every other instrument, made of natural materials with their own inherent variability and different humans assembling them, there are going to be good, less good and awful ones.

That does look stunning tho in fairness. Can almost feel how it sounds just looking at it!

Indeed - this wasn't a Fender, it was a Mike Lull.

That's the word I was after - soulless. It played ok, it looked great, but it was just sterile and stiff and... unremarkable? I sold two very good standard MIA Fenders to buy it, as they were too heavy after I knackered my shoulder at the time. But they were way better basses for what I wanted.

I do love the idea of CS instruments tho - aiming to have the vibe and hallowed quality of old instruments without any of the problems which can come with actual temperamental old kit. Maybe I would fall head over heels with the right one if it came along, who knows? I briefly owned a £2.5k Lull which I found very ordinary indeed. Maybe I've got weird tastes.

Personally I couldn't justify spending that sort of money on an instrument however good really. I'm a regular working bassist and sometime acoustic guitarist, and the stuff I've held on to the longest has been some fairly modest gear which has given me years worth of trouble-free gigs. I don't find price necessarily equals quality, and a well made, good instrument can exist at any price point.

That's true - but not being able to respond at all for four days of the week seems a bit OTT.

I've only played one CS Fender ever, so it's hardly an indication. But that particular one wasn't anything like as good as I'd expected. Then again my bro has had about 10 CS strats and teles over the years, and they've mostly been sublime. Luckily I don't have £3k to worry about such things!

No you're thinking of completely inflexible and hard to work with to get a satisfactory end result

I must admit that the bit about not being able to respond to any gig queries during the week doesn't bode well if you're meant to be in a gigging band. If i was a band leader and members repeatedly refused to confirm gig offers I'd start getting a reliable dep in instead, rather than risk my band getting a reputation for messing venues around. If you really can't do the gigs that's fair enough - life's demands do often get in the way - but you've got to let people know where they stand so they can plan around it.

I use one of these small electronic luggage scales which has the bonus that you can take it bass shopping with you. I got quite anal about weighing my basses a while back, but it did explain why some were so uncomfortable at gigs (tho it's a combination on weight and the balance of that weight). Top marks to Bass Direct and Andy Baxter Bass whose websites almost always list the weights of their basses.

I'd go for the same again please - a decent vintage spec P bass, a lightweight amp head of about 500w (currently a Little Mark III) and some sort of cab capable of handling it all, that won't break my back, probably a 2x12 or 4x10.

Is that the Rigger in Newcastle Under Lyme? My old singer dug out some photos of us playing there in 1992. Hair was bigger, shirts floweryier and headstocks definitely pointier back then.

I reckon I can do this challenge too. I'm not gassing for anything, and more importantly I've not got much money or surplus gear to sell to finance anything so it's about as gridlocked as the current Brexit strategy. I reckon I can last 12 months without acquiring anything new in the world of bass. Count me in.

My longest-lived P has been an original 1969/70 one, so not pre CBS, but still now getting on for 48 years old. It's lovely, its played in and its comfortable, and its only about 3.8kg. It's 7.25" but has been refretted with medium jumbo frets, which is a lovely combination (same as the Nate Mendel P). But for about 10 years I also used a mid 1990s MIA Precision for regular gigs, and while it was very cool, the RWs are probably way closer to how a vintage P sounds and plays. My MIJ Mustang has 7.25" and vintage frets and its actually dead easy to play, so maybe i'm overthinking it.

I wasn't crazy on the 7.25" radius, vintage frets and wide nut when I played one last, as my own P has none of those. But i think i need to revisit these things....

Damn you all - you're making me want one now!

That's that decided then!

Ok so you've established that you don't really want/need the '74. I guess it just depends on whether you're happy to hang on to it, in case the value continues to increase, or have your eye on something for which the '74 would be a ready source of money. No right/wrong answer to that one. It doesn't sound so much like you might miss playing it - more that you might regret what you sold it for in a couple of years.

Mine was one of those pub gigs where nobody claps or cheers whatsoever. And then as you're packing down afterwards everyone comes to say how much they enjoyed it.

Flog it man. Life's too short to have things you're not using clogging up your life, and locking up money that you could use for something you really want. You've already got '64 P, so I think you're covered for cool vintage Fenders eh?