thebrig

I did try one some time ago, but I think that I would prefer the Hofner Club if I did go down that route.

I owned one of these a long time ago and whilst it was a nice bass, I found the nut width (42mm) and neck a bit too wide and chunky for me.

I have to admit that the Warwick Rockbass Star Bass is ticking all the boxes so far.

Looks stunning, but I've just done some research and the reviews are not good, here's a couple of examples from "Talkbass": Those were an early experiment in combining piezo and magnetic pickups and are rare because they were a bad design that was pulled from the market quickly. They just didn't work very well. By modern standards the electronics were pretty terrible. It had a master volume, piezo/mag blend and a single EQ knob with a center stop. No separate battery door, at least 4 screws to remove to get to the battery. Inside, the battery was just sort of flopping in the cavity, wrapped in foam. No clip to hold it in place. And they're very difficult to intonate because of the acoustic-style saddle. Since it has just one saddle for all 4 strings, it makes intonating the instrument a game of compromises. Since the saddle is straight, where the length of the strings isn't, makes that some strings will be sharp, and others will be flat. And because it's an acoustic bridge (a piece of wood glued to the top), you can't make any adjustments in terms of intonation when you change for a different brand/gauge/material of strings. I played one, and while not terrible, it wasn't great either. Like mentioned before, the electronics are sub-par compared to contemporary standards, the sound is nothing spectacular (and downright cheap on the piezo), but it's built well, as can be expected from Fender Japan.

Scale length is not really important so long as it balances well on on a strap, but in an ideal world, I would prefer 32" medium scale.

Funny you should ask that question because I wasn't sure whether they are call semi-acoustic, or semi-hollow? But this is the sort of bass I'm looking for.

My gigging days are virtually over and I'm now in the process of selling a lot of my gear. Old age and back problems have finally caught up with me but I'm still able to play at home, so I'm looking for a semi-acoustic bass that is nice and light, but sounds and plays well. I've played mainly precisions over the years because they worked perfectly with the type of music I play (classic rock/pub rock), now I know I won't get that P sound from a semi-acoustic, but is there one that gets somewhere close? I would prefer the nut to be no more than 40mm, and scale length is not important so long as it balances well on on a strap. I have a budget of around £1000 and happy to buy second-hand.

I think the fact that it's a 20 fret neck and the fretboard overhangs the heel would mean that it takes it closer to the bridge, therefore measuring 16" from the bridge to the 12th fret. That's the only way I can think of it being able to work.

Thanks for the info, it's very useful.