neepheid

Good info, thanks. I guess they come under the umbrella of "generally unavailable" though - unless Ishibashi get them in sometimes? EDIT - lool, they've got one, and it has been reduced - snap it up and cure your GAS... - https://intl.ishibashi.co.jp/products/12-2800003033887

I don't have to use mine, but I like to...

Well, I'm just a local weekend warrior, so I think our use cases differ somewhat. What are these "Air Miles" you speak of? EDIT - LOL, use "cases". I'm here all week, etc.

Fair enough - I'm a little far away to benefit from the 1:1 service and the cuppa though! Maybe he's pricing it high because although he tentatively offers postage, he doesn't really want the hassle? I can understand that - packing basses (in a courierproof way) for transit is a right royal PITA, but living as I do in the remote outpost of civilisation that is Aberdeen I generally don't have a choice - local market is very small.

Shame about the prices though...

An unpopular opinion. I 85% agree. On the first part (and by extension, presumably the second too), you do occasionally get other bass players in the audience of which some actually come up and talk to you about gear and stuff. I had a lass come up to me at my last gig and ask me about my Reverend Triad as it had caught her eye. She clearly cared (or at least had some interest in what I was playing). It does happen, rarely. -5% agree on those two. In my bands, the rest of them do notice when I get a new bass (it is a source of mirth, generally) and at least one fellow band member has expressed the fact that they have favourites amongst my basses. Another -5% agree. The last one is bob on though (in a live band context at least). I get slaughtered when I say "all basses sound bassy" because it's so reductive, but I do believe it. I favour ones which I don't have to work hard with the EQ to be heard in a live band context, that's about as picky as I get.

You would hope he eventually gets haggled down? Unless he's playing the long game waiting for gullible people who are too lazy to do any research to wander into his orbit?

Dunno, I haven't applied for mining rights yet.

That's a matter of opinion and I think a habit or automatic assumption based upon relative quality available about 10 years ago. Well, maybe because I only gig 30-40 times a year then I don't wear them out as quickly as you Also, I think hard cases suck. I don't use 'em. There, I said it. I am my own roadie. Gig bags are fine.

Dreamers, amirite? I suppose eventually inflation will make it true...

I've got a moon on a stick, but it's the plain model, not the special "sprinkles" edition, sorry

How much is looking cool worth to you? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1647852875808764

I can't recommend a specific source - I trust you've searched online for "one hole truss rod cover" already?

OP doesn't like wide straps. You're wasting your keyboard's MTBF.

Things have changed a lot in the past 10 years. I firmly believe that the quality at the cheaper end of the market has improved dramatically, whereas the quality at the higher end hasn't as much - not having a dig, in the sense that it had less room to move up in the first place. But I have detected a noticeable squeezing of the top end in this regard which makes the question you're asking now even more pertinent. It's a gut shot to be honest, and sometimes you have no choice - for example if you've got your heart set on something like a G&L L-1000, ASAT or SB-1, your only option is to buy G&L USA because they don't make Tribute versions of those models. But these days I'd have no qualms about taking a Squier over a Fender and trousering the difference, confident in not feeling like I'm missing out on anything. The current Epiphone Thunderbirds are the best T-birds Gibson have never made. It really depends upon the bass you're talking about and what the options are but most of the time, I'd be happy to go with the cheaper option. But if a £1500 bass calls to you and you connect with it, you're not wrong!

Yup, VVV.

Well, turns out I have a little more work to do - I think the bridge pickup volume pot is dodgy because I can still kinda hear the bass through the amp when all the volumes are turned down. Tapping the pickups with a screwdriver revealed that it was the bridge pickup still making noise. Also, touching the pickup casings causes buzz, so they'll need grounded (noise goes away if you touch the pickup casing and the bridge at the same time). So I've ordered some pots. I'm going to completely rewire it - might as well replace all the pots at the same time. Gonna copper shield the cavities and ground the pickups casings as well. Not doing any wiring mods at this time, just rewiring it as per stock configuration.

He's been trying to shift some of this stuff for months. He's asking too much, at least for the one I was keeping my eye on. A slightly rarer finish on a bass which normally can be picked up for around £150 second hand doesn't make it worth nearly £100 more. A shame.

You cannae change the laws of physics...

When it comes to spreading the load, it's go wide or go home really. Also, no-one even notices that we're playing bass (or even there, frankly!) - no-one's going to give a monkey's what strap you're wearing, if that's what's fuelling your dislike of wide straps.

How wide is that strap? How padded is it? From my days of playing 12lbs+ Gibson behemoths I can heartily recommend a Neotech Mega Strap - it has memory foam in the padded part and spreads the weight well. I would advise against making non reversible changes to an old bass from a resale value point of view. Better to move it on than attack it with power tools imo...

LOL! That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. Genuine WTF. So they expect every bass they buy to be set up perfectly for them? They're going to be returning a lot of basses then.

I grudged having to fix it and it made me sad, so I moved mine on.

Don't bother - one of the most disappointing (sounding) basses I've ever owned. For all the cool look, cancelled out by very weak pickups, no oomph.

I wasn't bothered about it until my current rig. It's a bit of a cheat because one is a combo (but what is a combo but a cab which happens to have an amp built into it?) but Markbass Mini CMD 121P IV Markbass New York 121 The matching size and appearance does please me, ngl.