BigRedX

I occasionally have nostalgia for the synths I used in the 80s and find myself searching for plug-in versions of them until I remember that none of them were bought out of choice, but instead because they were (relatively) affordable whilst what I really wanted (Roland Jupiter 8, Roland System 700, Oberheim Xpander, OSC OSCar) were all way beyond my reach financially. It wasn't until I bought a Nord Lead along with a second-hand Roland JP6 and Ensoniq ESQ1 and in the mid 90s that I had synths that I actually wanted. These days I'm perfectly happy with a controller keyboard and the plug-ins that come free with Logic.

My synth band in the 80s had one of first DX7s in the country. The person who actually owned it got very good at programming, but I found it impenetrable mostly due to the terrible user interface and partly down to the fact that it was nothing like an analogue synth. However silly noises was about the last thing it we'd get out of it. If you wanted tuneful sounds with a percussive attack then it was great (so long as you didn't mind having similar sounds to the ones everyone else with a DX7 had most of the time), but weird synth noises? - forget it.

So what makes these different from every other P-Bass?

Are you sure that's an actual collection and not the Backlund guitars showroom?

That looks great. Unless the neck is severely warped and the truss rod inoperative, all the problems should be fixable. OtOH at over $500 it's seriously over-priced even before you consider shipping and VAT/duty for the UK.

There's a point at which "mojo" just looks like a damaged/neglected instrument, and one which comes sooner if the wear has been caused by someone other than yourself. On the other hand the story of doing the refinishing or getting someone good to do it is just as valid.

Anyone with a spare 5 minutes can create a profile for a website like JMB and post an ad. Previous the effort required was considerably more. Before, you actually had to make the ad, either on your computer or before that hand draw/write it and then photocopy all the copies you needed. Then you had to actually leave your house to go and pin in up on the noticeboards of the local musically orientated establishments. You would also have to visit them ever other week to ensure that your ad hadn't been covered up or taken down. On the other hand once your ad had gone up any time-waster who frequented the places where they were visible could still mess you about. I've dealt with more than a few in the days before everything went on line. Also the proportion of weirdos (not in a good way) and time wasters definitely went up the more impressive your ad looked, and more so if you actually decided to place one in one of the weekly music "inkys". Looking back I wish I'd kept all the demo tapes and photos my band received when we advertised for a singer in NME and MM; some were beyond hilarious! Out of about 30 responses we got 2 sensible ones - one was the daughter of a very famous rock star who ultimately decided that we weren't good enough, and the other was the singer who actually joined the band.

It's done by the PA.

I've used JMB once. I was quite specific in my ad about what I wanted musically and the level of commitment I would put in and expect my bandmates to also put in. I didn't bother searching through the ads for a band myself, as at the time I was in no hurry and prepared to wait for the right band to come looking for me. I got one reply, about 3 months after I placed the ad, from exactly the sort of band I was looking for. I'm still playing with the current iteration of the band now.

Mostly on the B string, but if I'm playing that then either on the neck pickup or the edge of the neck depending on the tone I'm after.

Is there a reason you've chosen eBay over Discogs to sell your vinyl? Regarding fees are you talking listing fees or final sales fees? If your talking listing fees then you must be doing something wrong, as I've sold thousands of items on eBay over the last 15 years and I have never paid any listing fees. Ever. As for final sales fees, you need to consider the alternatives; you could take your records to a store that sells second hand vinyl, where if you are are really lucky you'll get about a third of what the shop hopes to sell them for. Otherwise where else is there? I suppose you could do a car boot... (shudders)

If you want to tune down an octave from standard guitar tuning you will need a set of Bass VI strings and with the shortened scale length probably one of the heavier versions. If you want flats AFAIK only LaBella do a set - 26 to 95 highest to lowest. Picato are also supposed to do a set but I can't find any details so assume that these are no longer available. If you want round wound string you have more choice: LaBella: 26-95 Newtone Axion: 24-100 GHS Eastwood Hooky: 30-105 I'd start with the Newtones as they are the cheapest and see how you get on. However you might need to replace the machine heads with a set designed for a Fender or Squier Bass VI which have guitar-sized gears and buttons but a slotted string post wide enough for a typical Bass VI string. Ultimately you might be better off selling the guitar and buying a Squier Bass VI instead. Edit: The set of guitar strings you posted won't be anything like heavy enough. I use a 56 "E" for drop D tuning on one of my guitars. Tuned any lower and it would be flopping about all over the place.

Also does the problem happen in both directions or just page forward?

How old is this device? I would suspect mechanical failure somewhere in the pedal mechanism either in the part you press or the electrical contacts beneath, which is causing it to send out multiple messages. I believe you can connect this via USB as well as Bluetooth. It might be worth trying this so we can narrow down the problem.

Is this controlled by a foot pedal? If so that's where I would be looking first. Does anyone know if there is a utility that can capture and display Bluetooth messages? That would be a good tool to help troubleshoot the problem.

I've not seen many tribute bands (they're not really my thing), but the ones I have seen were while being suitably competent musically, were visually and from a performance PoV a very poor substitute for the real thing; which for me is the whole point of going to SEE a band.

As BFM said in your other thread on this subject, when you get the cab you need to take some photos of the existing drivers and measure the internal dimensions of the cab. The the knowledgeable people on here can point you in the direction of some replacement drivers that are suitable for this cab.

My standard method of dealing with people looking for money off due to completely insignificant or imaginary problems is to offer them a full refund if they return the item and no alternatives. I'll be very polite and apologetic, but I won't enter into any dialogue with them over discounts or partial refunds; they are obviously not 100% happy so they should return the item and get their money back. In every case I have never heard anything more from the buyer.

The aesthetically uncomfortable shape looks like a product of the piece wood used, rather than any conscious design decision on the part of the maker.

Unsurprising really, it's a bass designed for a short scale neck fitted with a long scale one.

Get in touch with Newtone and they should be able to make you what you want.

I would confirm the fact that scale length has little impact on how easy or not a bass is to play. I'm fairly small for a bloke (just under 5' 6") and for all of the 80s I played a short scale bass, not because it was easier or more comfortable, but because it was the most interesting looking one in the shop when I bought it. In the 90s it was replaced by an Overwater 36" scale 5-string. I knew this bass was a longer scale than the one I'd used before, but I wasn't aware of how much until I bought a set of standard 34" strings and they didn't fit. These days I swap between 34" scale 5-strings and 30" scale Bass VI (6-string bass tuned an octave lower than a guitar) depending on which of my two bands I'm playing with and don't notice any real difference in playability.

As someone who has built solid electric instruments (in the late 70s and from scratch when there was virtually no information available on the subject) I would offer the following observations: If you are intending to use it as a first step in a bass building "career" then then I think it makes an interesting and useful starting point. However from my experience of building and modifying instruments it seems to me that thesis are kits very much of two parts. The basic assembly appears to offer no more challenge than assembling a simple piece of Ikea flat-pack furniture. (I know people joke about how hard that is, but in reality it's easy if you work carefully and follow the instructions, and if that is beyond your capabilities then I despair.) You don't even need to be able to solder, as the main wiring loom is pre-assembled and the pickup has a plug-in connection. However if you want to do something interesting with the paddle-shaped headstock, you will need the appropriate tools, some degree of skill in using them and somewhere appropriate to do it. It's going to be the same with the finishing of the neck and body if you want to do anything more ambitious than a simple oil finish. I know from personal experience that even a simple solid colour finish requires significant expertise and skill to even get close to the standard of a budget Chinese instrument, as well as a well ventilated and temperature controllable space to do it in. And I also know from my experience that anything less than near perfection is going to seriously bug you. Also as other have said it appears that most of the hardware is pretty poor, and if you do end up making a decent job of the build, you'll most likely want to look at replacing all of it. So you may well be better off just buying a basic neck and body and sourcing decent hardware yourself. Overall this would be a more challenging experience and you'll learn a lot more about building instruments in the process and you can create something to your own spec. On the other hand if you just want a cheap bass, there are plenty of ready made ones to chose from.

Cheesy Guitars is what you are looking for

There was a whole discussion about this at various levels of quality and expense on the Sound On Sound forums. I'll see if I can remember which forum it was in...