uk_lefty

I think there was an electric similar on ebay a while back being sold out of China. It would be a nice challenge for a luthier, "can you make this?" in a kind of Scrapheap challenge sort of way, but of absolutely zero use to man or beast. If you have time to flip the instrument over, you have time to pick up a dedicated single instrument, surely?

When i was 15 I used to fire up a 100 watt amp feeding a 150 watt 80s Peavey amp and thrash through every song I knew over and over. It was fun!

Yes, ambitious but I'm not looking for top end kit right away...

Hmmm all valve or hybrid, maybe that's the question?

Wowzers. I know they're good but that's a lot of money. I'm thinking more along the lines of a Marshall Bass State or DBS, second hand for a few hundred or less. 90s technology but that's when I started playing and I drooled over these. Even had the Bass State B150 but there was something wrong with it and even if there hadn't been I didn't have the experience to get the best out of it, sadly.

Obviously the answer is No. However, boredom, lockdown and being in here daily is making me want a tube amp or some kind of hybrid tube/ solid state. I currently run an RM500 in to 1x15 and 2x10 RM cabs. I also have a Line 6 Helix Stomp with all its amp sims. I like the simplicity of the RM500 and it has never let me down. I play in a rock covers band that does everything from pubs to festivals to weddings and dinner dances, and I've got an 80s covers band starting up because the rock covers band won't do enough 80s tunes for my liking! I feel I'm missing something by not having a valve powered amp. I realise I'm probably not. But. What would a tube amp give me that I don't already have? More weight? One more thing to go wrong? More maintenance costs? A natural gritty drive tone that cannot be emulated by either the RM or the Helix? A warmth akin to a hot ovaltine while wrapped in a tartan rug atop a Scottish lighthouse in the bleakest of winters? If you had a few quid spare and an addiction to ebay, what would you go for? Ashdown ABM, Marshall Bass State or DBS? Mark bass tube hybrid amp? Something else? Is it all just nonsense? Or should I go totally the other way and get a Trace Elliot again for 80s-ness?

Never noticed a difference in tone. I roll it down a bit for the odd occasion I use a pick, then back up to full for finger style.

Respectfully, I think had you just said "hey, I've done this YouTube video for people who might be starting out in modding instruments or not having enough cash to buy quality gear... What do you think?" you may have had a much more favourable response. Different dynamic, I think your YouTube audience are the too skint to buy a Pro Bass new or even 2nd hand, whereas you'll see here is where over 50% of basses in the UK are hoarded and traded amongst the membership. There's some very knowledgeable folk but also a culture of discussion and debate over self promotion. Not criticising what you're doing in producing the video, may even watch it myself as I finish my first ever Bitsa bass, just the approach here hasn't landed!

Always fancied the five string of this model, what do you think of it?

I see where you're going but I think MTD Kingston is a bit of a red herring in this case. The Tobias "Toby Pro" basses were sold on musicyo in the early 2000s. It was a site Gibson used for Kramer, Tobias and Steinberger Spirit lines, plus some random drum stuff. All of it was dirt cheap but reasonable value, though nothing like the brand heritage would suggest. In 2001/2 I got myself a Kramer 5 string lefty fretless brand new, imported from the US for £250. I still use it now, and its more than a £250 bass in those days and now, but not a patch on something like a Sire that you can get for around £400, and definitely nothing at all like a pre Gibson Kramer. The Tobias basses were a similar price point, as were the Steinbergers. I know a bit about it because at 17 years old and getting in to gigging I drooled over that site, via dial up Internet, and agonised over what to buy with my 18th birthday present cash. Musicyo offered a good choice of lefties when my local music shops did not.

Me too. Sounds good to me, added a kiogon electronics loom and it's an excellent bass.

There's an Aria Pro II SB Facebook group. If you put the picture and questions up in there you'll get a very quick answer.

MM bongo on ebay based in Barry. Looks awesome, seems like a great price.

Yay! A chart where I have heard of 4 out of 5 of the songs. Oh, I don't like any of them and am very unlikely to like the other. Oh well.

That one was up about a year or so ago, can't remember what it went for, maybe a bit less than what it's on gumtree for now. Would like to try a GB, but expect they're so difficult to sell because you've just got to find a lefty who both wants it and has the cash and inclination all at the same time. Quite tricky to get those stars aligned! Lots of Japanese Fenders coming up recently. Prices are crazy though, seems to be over a grand for an instrument you could have brand new for £450 ten years back, or £450 second hand 5 years ago!

At the Andertons masterclass he said that he records using his original Fender jazz, the one he's had for donkeys years, but live he plays the Sires. For someone who was there to plug Sires it was interesting, paraphrasing, he said fancy wood tops, etc (E.g the V9 and V10 range that had just come out) don't affect the sound and they're there "for you, to inspire you to pick up the instrument and play" but he is happy with the V7s. Interesting when you think the V10s are double the price! The V3s weren't out then. I've seen plenty of recent footage of him playing the Sires. If you follow him on social media you'll see he's nearly always playing a Sire V7.

Received the new hardware ordered and couldn't resist fitting the neck and trying to get an idea of what this is going to look like...

This morning I applied a 4th coat of stain all over and there were some inconsistencies in the top so I did a quick once over on the top again, so it's 4.5 coats on top. The control cover only has two coats and I think there's a noticeable difference. I'm really, really pleased with the colour. It's like posh raspberry ice cream! I've got some drilling to do for a switch and the strap buttons so will do the finish after I've had chance to do that. Will probably be after Easter now. The finish looks like an easy enough job from the videos I've seen, thanks Andy for reminding me they're out there! Overall, I'll be having a week off, then I'll have the bass up and running within a week after that! Really looking forward to getting the pickups in and fired up.

Those would be my 3

Ah. Crimson Guitars penetrating finishing oil. Aiming to get it matt.

Please keep in mind I am the rankest of amateurs... I'd love something like a Sandblasted finish. But I'm quite happy as is, maybe one more coat and some finish... This is after 3 coats. Reminds me of posh ice cream

Crimson Guitars cherry red. I've done a third quote and it does look good. I think a fourth coat will get me to Gibson SG classic type look then a quick buff with some sandpaper and apply the finish. I want a matt finish really which I'm told can be done

I was quite nervous about the wood staining bit. I watched the videos and it looked too easy, people said it was easy... But people say fitting a bathroom is just grown ups lego, and my bathroom took a highly skilled bathroom fitter a whole week and he still managed to get water p!ssing through my kitchen ceiling. I digress. Wood staining, so far, two coats in, seems alright. It's a bit pink, not cherry red, but I've only done two coats. I haven't got all the woodgrain stained but I quite like it so far. I'm thinking it may be four coats then a few coats of the finish...

So for the second time in what could be a week, could be a year, who knows at the moment... I've sold a bass. Wahey! I've used an intermediary to book a courier service. Then it's all gone wrong... Before Christmas. I used Eurosender to get my bass and send it from St Albans to Bristol, they chose DPD for the job. A month, a lot of frustrated phone calls later, many changed arrangements, the bass arrived with the end customer looking like a cattle drive had ran over it. The receiver already had his refund and I had to pay to get it posted back to me. This week I've used Interparcel to collect a bass and get it to Glasgow. They use Tuffnells. Well, I sorted it before 9am Monday with collection booked for Tuesday. I'm still looking at the box now. Here's the rub. The intermediaries do nothing. Nothing except take your money. They don't inform you of an issue, such as "cannot collect today, sorry" unless you contract them after 6pm which is the latest a collection will be. They don't escalate issues. They can't or won't upgrade the service because I've lost 2 days already from waiting because the collection company "ran out of time" (2 days running, are you f'ing serious?!), and they never refund. They won't refund because "there is no money back guarantee". I've been told this even when I've not asked for a refund, I've asked for them to hurry the fudge up! "It's not guaranteed for the date" well, thus is where it all falls apart for me I'm afraid. I pay for a collection to be made on Tuesday almost 24hrs in advance. If it can't be done, fine, don't take my money and give me the option to do something else. But you can't take my money, refer to terms and conditions that are basically "best endeavours", and refuse to refund if the service entirely fails (Eurosender and DPD) or cannot be performed within 48hrs of when it was expected. Working in supply chain and with business to business contracts I find it amazing that they take this stance. The service is not guaranteed for any particular time, nor guaranteed to actually work. Yet my payment is guaranteed in advance with absolutely no recourse whatsoever, and no obligation on the intermediary or their sub contracted service provider to actually do anything?! I'm setting up a new business. Lefty's guitar couriers. You need to send a guitar? Fifty quid paid in advance, please. I'll collect it tomorrow and deliver next day. Only, there's no guarantee. I might not collect tomorrow, or this week, or this month, we will see. I might collect it and not deliver it. Anyhow its the third party courier I'm arranging, don't get angry with me. If you ask for a service update I might tell you "sorry, couldn't do it today. Maybe tomorrow?" but I'll make no promises, no guarantees and you'll be f'ing well grateful OK?! There's no guarantees, no upgrades, no refunds, no advanced notice of any change to my side of the bargain. If you have a problem speak to the courier I've arranged. They won't speak to you because you didn't make the booking. I might speak to them on your behalf, I might not, you don't know, you're excluded from that part of things. You read the terms and conditions, you know the deal. Pretty easy this lark. And somehow legal. Should I write to my local MP? (Actually he'd probably invest for a 50% stake)