pete.young

I have a BB800 from probably 1978, bought S/H in 1979, love it dearly and intend to be buried with it. The BB1200 is even better - neck-through construction, Ebony board, usual Yamaha attention to detail. I don't think you can beat neck-through MIJ Yamahas. Precisions from the same era aren't even close, ironic when you consider they fetch a lot more money. Famous users include McCartney, Peter Hook, Chris Cross, at least one of those is likely to resonate :-)

I have been doing some research into Duesenberg myself of late, as I now own a Star bass from 2007. The first thing to bear in mind is that 'rare' doesn't necessarily mean 'more valuable'. There might be a reason nobody bought them. If this is the single pickup model that someone has been trying to sell on Ebay recently I think the valuation there is a bit optimistic. As far as I can tell, the Violin bass is about the same cost as the Starplayer, around £1400 new at current prices. Also as far as I can tell, the single pickup Violin bass was in the catalogue for 2002 but had disappeared by 2005. I'd be thinking that £450 - £650 was more reasonable. So the valuation is probably around the same as for a re-issue Hofner Violin, which reduces the market somewhat since most people in that situation will probably opt for the Hofner. Which is a shame, because if it's anything like my Star bass, the build quality is absolutely excellent wherever the instrument was made, and the sound is absolutely fine and authentic.

Your best bet in the UK is Eagle Music in Huddersfield: [url="http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/banjo-thumb-picks/norec"]http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/banjo-thumb-picks/norec[/url] I buy all my strings and picks from them, except for bass strings.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1380538466' post='2226646'] Just a word to the wise ... don't take a DB/EUB to a jam session unless you're ready to play [i]Superstition [/i]on it. [/quote] Could be worse. Could have been Sir Duke!

Is there anyone here who has an Epi Les Paul bass and the case that goes with it - I believe the model number is 940-ELPBCS ? I'm hoping to find someone who can take some measurements of the case. I have a similar-shaped bass and I'm hoping it will fit the Epi case, which is a lot cheaper than the alternative.

The current crop of Bass Collections are nothing to do with the SGC Nanyo basses - it's the Bass Centre using the brand, that's all. I think the new stuff is made in China. The original SGC Nanyo operation, based in Japan, stopped making basses around '95 - 96. I've not seen or played one of the new ones so cannot comment on the quality.

Not sure what this is, maybe Yamato/National ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Guitar-/290983559659?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43bff8c1eb My LP-shaped GAS is now firmly in check, so I'm not going to bid.

Any suggestions for things to try on my newly acquired Duesenberg ? It's a short-scale bass requiring medium-length strings, which cuts the options down a bit. I'm thinking that it'll need at least 45-105 , looking for something to bring out the acoustic qualities whilst retaining some of the dark sound that it seems to have at the moment (has what look like 50-110 stainless rounds on at the moment).

Matt bought my Diago Showman board - he turned up exactly when he said he would, paid cash. He's an extremely pleasant chap and a pleasure to deal with. Recommended.

Roland Cube will be worth a look, as will the Yamaha THR10X (the one with the bass model) . If you can stretch to 300 you should be able to pick up a second-hand PJB briefcase.

I'd just like to add my thanks to Nik, Colin, Sarah and everyone who contributed to making this hugely enjoyable day happen.

Blimey, if I were you I'd go a buy a lottery ticket before your luck changes!

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1379802297' post='2217002'] There is a cracking little book called Basic Live Sound by Paul White that is cheap and is a great read for anyone starting off. Highly recommended. Have fun with it. [/quote] +1 for this, I found it a really good read and very helpful.

Based on the ebony board and the natural ash body i'd say this is an SB325 . The year is 1991 - that's from the first two digits of the serial number. I reckon you got a really good deal there, it's cleaned up beautifully.