neepheid

I'm surprised you even know what a string tree is...

I've got one lying around, I'm sure. Standard round Fender style like, nothing fancy.

Hmm, I'd be inclined to let you off with a warning in that case. You made a good effort to get everything else bought before the cutoff if the string tree is the only thing missing. And if I had a quid for every time I've come back from the shops and said "aw bollox, I forgot <item>!". Any objections, court of dubious opinion?

Hee hee, some fun from Saturday night: 20250118 Nine Lives Wilsons Holiday.mp4

I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, I have sympathy and can understand the frustration of being thwarted by the omission of such a tiny, yet crucial part. On the other hand, I am also in the waiting room for a bitsa (I'm actually waiting for the cheapo donor bass to arrive - been on backorder since September last year!) and I took the time to make sure I had all the parts I needed ordered before the end of the year, so why did I bother? Is this your first bitsa? No spares box? Nothing you can pinch from some other poor unfortunate project?

Err, it's someone's actual name.

I had my amp crap out on me once at a gig, thankfully it was right at the end of the last song. Sorry folks, no encore! I do bring a small spare amp with me now so I can limp on with a single cab if the need ever arises again. I also once had my wireless bugs run out of juice because I forgot to charge them but that was self inflicted rather than an equipment failure per se. Quick switch to a cable and back up and running, but no wandering off for me

I'd go so far as to say a blanket statement about any manufacturer or line of basses isn't worth listening to. Usually it's just a bunch of hearsay campfire scare stories about "QC" - do one!

"Almost"? It's 100% sad.

Heh, had a bunch of D'addario strings to register and turns out I had nearly 5000 points. Wanted a couple of straps (I like each bass to have a strap, I CBA swapping straps around). So I used my points to get em for "free". All within the rules and above board (being both an allowed accessory and use of music vendor loyalty points), but a nice little frisson of officially sanctioned "stuff coming through the letterbox" activity nonetheless.

Ordered and paid for last year - no problem Strings - no problem

I still think you should buy a new bass which is fretless from the get-go. That way it's a lot easier to get rid of if your fretless adventure doesn't work out, and you won't have compromised an instrument you like.

I'd give Thomann a polite prod, they're usually pretty quick to respond. I'm guessing DHL haven't bothered their backsides to pick it up yet. Weekend doesn't help.

It'll tell you that if you go to your order status in Thomann's site, you won't get that status from DHL.

It's DHL being idiots. There's a black hole in their tracking. You won't get anything out of the tracking until it reaches the UK. It can take a week, maybe more. It's not Thomann's fault, except for them continuing to use these clowns. I hate the tracking black hole too, it's like your package is going round the back of the moon in Apollo 13.

FIrst gig of 2025 last night and it was a cracker! Played with Nine Lives at Wilsons in Aberdeen. Was a little worried that it wouldn't be busy, being the middle of January and right enough when we first arrived to load in it didn't look great. But part way through the first set a big group of ladies came into the bar and they were well up for a dance. Plus a few regulars came along to support us, which was lovely. Not wishing to disappoint (and fearing that our enthusiastic dancers would naff off if we stopped) we decided against taking a break and just plowed on through the entire three hours. Plenty of songs in "the box" to plug in. Played some new stuff too which went well. I was a wireless pest as usual. Great to get back in the saddle. Because we didn't take a break, the second bass didn't make it out of its bag! Got a few weeks off, but we'll be back with a double header at the start of February. Gear was the Reverend Triad into the usual Markbass tone cubes. Footwear was a pair of Vans classic slip on in a teatowel/picnic basket cloth type pattern. Got complimented on them as well - bonus!

This borrowing gear business is playing with fire! And I thought a casual trip to the guitar shop was dangerous...

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You're allowed, it's not against the rules or anything, pretty sure I've linked to TB before (assuming that's what you mean by "the other side"?)

Been there, done that. The G&L bridge has a single locking screw on the side which pushes all the saddles together and yes I have forgotten to loosen it before attempting to make changes to the setup. Which makes it quite a difficult time until you realise, yes

Official page up: https://intl.sterlingbymusicman.com/collections/basses/products/bongo?variant=42779479769203

As I alluded to above, it might help it sell better with simpler electronics.

This is very exciting. If it had been a Big Al SSS, I fear this year's gear abstinence would have been out the window! I'm safe for now, but I applaud them making this much maligned weirdo in a more affordable package. It might even appeal to those who found a 4 band EQ a bit off-putting.

Are you gonna cite some sources evidencing a systemic problem, or did you just get a bad one and extrapolate out from there?

I've got one waiting to go in a bass which is on back order. Glad to hear positive things about the sound, and for the warnings about potential pitfalls (which sound like they're not dealbreakers).