neepheid

Is that you signing up with some fighting talk?

Not really, the pickup was moved back for every EB bass post 1971 until its discontinuation in 1979. The OP's one will be late '71 - early '73 due to the two point bridge - the dreaded, much maligned three pointer was introduced in 1973.

Oh, sorry, NE Scotland colloquialism/dialect. A "rake" means a "rummage" or "look around for something". "Can I borrow your compressor pedal?" "Ach, I'm nae sure far I pit it, I'll hae a rake and let you know"

Well, I managed to get off my butt and spray a couple of coats of clear lacquer on it today. Also ordered some low profile rubber feet. I contemplated going to have a rake at B&Q but found exactly what I was wanting (18mm diameter, 5mm high, screw in rubber feet) on eBay so I just pounced on them. Pics later when the lacquer's touch dry.

That's of utterly no consequence. The only important opinion is yours, and what your ears tell you. Honestly, the amount of "tales round the campfire" "lore" that gets thrown around like fact and dogma annoys the waste water out of me. Make up your own mind when it comes to subjective matters of taste. And if I may offer advice, I'd say don't even think about modding a damn thing on a bass until you've at least played it at "war volume" in the context you intend to use it most in, be that playing live with bands or recording stuff at home on your own.

I don't think the UK has that robust a tipping culture to support a bucket pass around. We barely tolerate tipping waiting staff, taxi drivers and hairdressers BECAUSE we're paying for something at the time anyway - to cold call people who have no direct business relationship with you, who believe that all music is basically free, magically happens and you're having fun so why should you be getting paid - I can see why the bucket comes back empty sometimes.

That's a hardware store sundry household item. I'm making a pedalboard and I'll need some form of anti-slip material for the bottom. I'm not recusing myself for that, so I don't see why you should either.

Eh, paint isn't gear in my book. Crack on

Sell away, it's all about the lack of gear coming in rather than what's going out the door. Selling to someone participating in the thread would be a super wicked way of knocking out the competition

I've had a great, super grown up idea! Every time I'm tempted to buy some gear, I'll take the money I was going to spend on gear and chuck it into my mortgage as an overpayment instead. Then I can't use that cash to buy gear and it stops burning a hole in my pocket and does something actually useful...

Ahh, I see what you're driving at now. Services aren't gear as far as I'm concerned - it's a pass from me.

Did you buy it today?

Have you already bought the bridge? If no, are you replacing a defective (and that doesn't mean "I don't like it") bridge?

I think it's when money first changes hands dictates whether or not it counts as this year's intake. If you have to put a deposit down to secure it then I'd say that's an out - people use the same argument to justify things ordered the previous year but won't arrive until the current year... If you can pre-order it for free then I don't think it counts.

According to the Radio Times, it's December - https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/jools-holland-annual-hootenanny-2023-line-up/

Ah well in that case I reckon you'd be out. You can sell as many basses as you like but the acquisition of any gear coming back in I fear adds up to disqualification.

Have you already paid for the custom bass? Or, was it ordered last year and you have paid a deposit with a balance to pay on completion?

That's OK - multiple years is a hell of an ask. I made it to the end of 2022, but last year the gear came back with a vengeance - sometimes utter whim, sometimes necessary (amp failure) but I didn't replace like for like so I'd have been out. Back on the wagon this year though, fingers crossed. It's the quality of low priced gear I find tough to ignore - last year I picked up two basses which cost £200-250 and they were both surprisingly good for the money. If this trend continues then I might fall off the wagon with a weak "what the hell?" moment!

I wouldn't class that as gear, so I'd say fill your boots.

Well, I'm happy to swim against the tide. I enjoyed it. I suppose that makes me a cloth-eared music hater. The appearance of the yearly "how crap was the Hootananny (sic)?" thread/moanfest is as predictable as gravity.

Unsolicited gifts are fine, you're all good!

Yeah, those sound OK to me, sundry items. I'm building a pedalboard, got most things but will need to get rubber feet of some kind to stop it sliding around on hard floors. I'm not going to recuse myself because I bought some rubber feet, even though they are going on a sorta gear related thing.

Depends what it is. My thinking is if it's bass specific (bridge, pickups, tuners, neck, body, pickguard) then it's gear and you're out. If it's not bass specific - wire, solder, pots, jack socket etc. then it's OK? Eh, ultimately it's all a bit of fun so don't get too hung up on it.

A shoe-in for the win then