neepheid

HOW MUCH? Ha! What a waste of wood.

Finally! I had a right good moan about the protracted wait for this bass to arrive, but arrive it has. I haven't had a chance for war volume playing yet but from the time I've managed to spend with it I'm impressed. For those not familiar, this is Sire's take on the '51/'54 Precision. The horns are a little thinner/sharper than a regular '51/'54, kinda reminds me of a Cowpoke for some reason. Maybe a Cowpoke and a '51 Precision got up to no good... Really good fit and finish. Loves to be played with the thumb and palm muted - very responsive to that and there's a big difference in the sound versus fingerstyle. How wonderfully simple it is, just like a P should be. No noise whatsoever coming through either my USB interface or my Yamaha Sessioncake. The neck is lovely - the maple has been well roasted and doesn't even resemble maple any more. The front of the fingerboard is lacquered but the back of this neck feels almost unfinished and the rolled fingerboard edges feel very premium. Hardware is good - tuners turn smoothly and feel sturdy, the bridge is functional enough - it's a BBOT with brass saddles, what more can you say? Electronics seem fine, pots turn smoothly and the tone control sucks a good chunk of treble out at minimum. Bonus - setup was decent out of the box, intonation sounds like it's decent, if not perfect then certainly good enough. Weight - mine is 4.05kg - 8.9lbs. A good heft without feeling heavy, I'm happy with this. Balances no problem on the strap, no neck dive, for those who are annoyed by such things. It's just a simple, enjoyable, eminently playable bass. A successful modern twist on the OG Precision. I can see myself having a lot of fun with this one.

I get surprised every time I get referred to as a bass player...

I'll have the tempura squier, please...

Well, it has indeed arrived in one piece. No time to have a heap of time with it tonight but from the few minutes I've managed to spend with it I'm impressed. Really good fit and finish. Neck feels nice. Sounds good through headphones/USB interface. Loves to be played with the thumb and palm muted - big difference in the sound versus fingerstyle. Bonus - setup is decent out of the box, intonation sounds like it's decent, if not perfect then certainly good enough. I'll do a proper NBD thread, but it probably won't be until Friday - got another band rehearsal tomorrow night. But I can call this delivery saga finally complete, huzzah!

Well I'm afraid checking out the D5 will have to wait until later - got a band rehearsal tonight but before then Chico the cat needs meds administered and food doctored with other meds, plus reassurance/fusses afterwards. He's an old cat now and it looks like arthritis is setting in

Well I hope the outer packaging soaked up the worst of that! Find out later when I get home from work...

Curses, foiled!

Nailed it - utterly indistinguishable from the original...

Does it matter, as long as the one you've got in your hands is a good 'un?

I hear you, brother I have this bad boy in my office at work... Right, I'm off to make some Fender logos for the old passing off - no-one will suspect a thing, muhahahaha!

Bits and bobs bag? Eastpak Padded Double Backpack. Pockets everywhere. Fits all my stupid stuff and keeps it semi organised. Main compartment also has a pouch which is where flat things like spare strings and toolkit go.

It's a Christmas miracle! Thankfully, my package is out for delivery, so fingers crossed for an NBD today!

The plot thickens...

AWWWW YEAH

Fake news/photoshopped/deepfake hands

That's some quality toneplastic right there!

Butterscotch Sire D5 @ Thomann - £369 Butterscotch Sire D5 @ Andertons - £529 That's a bit more than my definition of "a few extra quid", so I'll be taking my chances with the international trade. And yes, it's been a monumental PITA so far as I have been documenting - but at least the muck ups thus far haven't been Thomann's fault. Honestly, apart from the ache of not having my shiny thing yet, it doesn't affect me in any other way - it's not like I don't have a bass to play in the meantime... Plus I'm Scottish... paying more than I strictly have to just doesn't compute!

Leave the door ajar and I'll come bounding through! You know how it works

Yes, I will go on a date with your Encore bass, I'm pretty general. Oh wait, that's generic. Oh well. In all seriousness though, the more important information would be - what currency is that? I would be amazed if anyone could tell you how old that bass is from that single photo, and to be honest I don't think it's that important. Regardless of when it was made, that particular bass will either be good or bad and the only way to tell is to get up close and personal with it. You won't be able to tell if it's good or bad based upon when it was made...

Hate you too, love...

Eh, don't over analyse it - I used to have a G&L Tribute L-2000 which I modified to give 27 different switch combinations (pickup select, series/single/parallel, passive/active/active with treble boost) plus 2 band passive EQ. Found one combo of settings I liked (both pickups, single (inner coils), passive) and left all the knobs at 10 for practically the whole time I owned it!

Turns out that CNC machines in China and Indonesia work in exactly the same way as CNC machines do in Mexico and the USA!