BigRedX

I bought the Eastwood 6-string because it looked as though it was going to have the right string spacing for me, and I was correct. The alternative would have been to wait for an original Shergold to turn up second hand. Other than it being based on a model that Yamaha were no longer making, is there anything different about the Peter Hook sig?

No. Rick Wakeman in a wizards cloak was one of the few good things about prog rock. At least he didn't look as dull as the average Math Rock band.

My band Hurtsfall have a track "Revelator" on the cover CD of this month's Sonic Seducer magazine:

Those joins are nasty, and not what you want to see on a £1k instrument. At least Eastwood did a solid finish on their 6-string signature.

Thinking laterally, Boss do a single momentary footswitch - the FS5U - which comes in modular format so you can slot two together to make a dual footswitch. You will need to make up a custom lead if it's just a TRS jack socket on the amp.

I don't like it. If it looked like the "turquoise" one in the last photo from the OP I might be interested.

Our "German Friend"... Maybe all of his items should be added to the list of stuff not to post.

Doesn't sound that different to any other "Post Rock" band to me.

That's nasty IMO.

So the two "blue" ones are supposed to be the same colour? Which is closest to the real thing? I like the second version and would be mightily disappointed if it turned up looking more like the first.

A guitarist I have worked with had the "silverface" amp only version which he used in conjunction with a variety of 4x12 guitar cabs. BTW I was under the impression that up to the mid 70s most "bass" amps were simply re-badged guitar amps.

The original Fender Bassman amp turned out to be far more popular with guitarists than it was with bassists.

If the build quality is the same as the Edifier version, I wouldn't bother with then, no matter how wonderful they supposedly sound. Simply not robust enough for the average musician's use.

As the others have said, a complete pain to sort out - especially the first time when it all can appear very daunting. When I was registering my first release I made extensive use of the telephone help line to work out which bits definitely need to be filled in (and how) and which bits I could sadly ignore. If it's for a self-released record/CD make sure that you register both as a record label and as a musician. Luckily you only need to fill in the information once in your record label capacity.

Plenty of info here about Les Paul's input into the Signature Bass.

I wonder if the whole bridge/tailpiece/neck have been moved forward for some reason? The photos of the original examples do appear to have the tailpiece closer to the end of the body. Is there any evidence of extra screw holes under the finish? Regarding the tuners, do the buttons come off? If so you could make/get some more visually suitable replacements for them.

Probably worth it just for that "vintage" capacitor.

IIRC the original Sims pickups had to be paired with their own pre-amp that worked in conjunction with the coil switching to prevent noticeable changes in level when selecting the different coil modes. Has the revised version got around this problem?

I buy Herco Flex 75s, a hundred at a time. I make sure that there is always at least one in every bag or guitar case that I am likely to be taking to rehearsal and/or gigs, plus one tucked between the strings of every guitar or bass that I am currently using. When the box of a hundred starts to look a bit empty I order another one. I started this practice in the early 90s and I am currently on my 4th box. If I start gigging again next year I'll probably be thinking about placing another order in 12 months time.

Yes, Simply lopped off the Euro plug and fitted a good quality UK 13A one.

I think that lack of snugness combined with the weight of the transformer in the plug and the fact that it was plugged into a horizontally mounted mains distribution board, all contributed to the failure. Normal 13A plugs on the end of IEC leads have all been fine. The worrying thing was that the 1-Spot only had to work itself a little way out of the socket before it no longer received any power. A quick feel inside the back of the rack, mid-gig didn't reveal anything amiss, but once I'd got everything home and checked it over the following day, it was obvious what had happened. Mine now provides power for the drummer's headphone amplifier. Now that it's no longer hidden away inside a rack case it's been fine. I think if I was going to use it in a rack system again, it would be glued/cable-tied into place to make sure there was no way it could move. BTW I replaced the one in my rack with one of these which IIRC was actually cheaper, and for my needs much more reliable.

Also they don't fit as snugly in UK mains sockets as they should. Mine, which was inside a rack case attached to a high quality mains distributor, worked it's way just loose enough for it to stop working randomly mid-performance, despite the fact it looked/felt as though it was still plugged in. Caused the rig I was using at the time to to go silent (including the PA feed) for no obvious reason having taken out both the wireless system and the Thumpinator - devices at either end of the signal chain. It was replaced with something more reliable before the next gig. For home use it will be fine but I wouldn't use one at gigs unless it was fitted in an easily accessible place.

Surely the most important things are that the gear sounds and looks right for the band and won't break down when used.

Yes, done the same way as the Gus guitars and basses which have a 2mm carbon fibre skin over a wood core.

I haven't played one since they debuted the original models, but the 4-string had a very V-shaped neck profile. Things like that don't normally bother me, so it must have been quite prominent. The 5-string neck wasn't as bad as the extra width had the effect of smoothing out the V-ness. IIRC the carbon-fibre necks are made by Simon Farmer of Gus Guitars.