Sean

This below is typical of JMB. A lot of the time people just don't check their messages. This is my current "unread sent messages". The last two are now over a week old and haven't been read. It's par for the course on JMB. It's not instant, relies on email notifications and it's clunky. Bandmix wants about £12 a month to give you any functionality and I find it easy to find Bassists but not anyone looking for one.

I like the lower cutaway for access.

A question. Knowing what we know about Fender's designs being made for mass, low cost manufacture and there being compromises between design and quality, how do we think basses like this V7 stack up quality-wise versus what was coming out of FugiGen Gakki? Obviously they don't compare to some of the neck-thru exotica we know but against the best of the flat-sawn, bolt-on, "Leo inspired" designs, where are these? Should I buy one? Convince me.

I think it's fair to say that Spector has shifted it's focus from Metal a little but I'm not sure who the target player is for this.

I don't think I've ever seen pickups like that before. what do all the switches do? Whatever you think, you can't argue with Eko's choice of trussrod adjustment.

I can sympathise. I'm in a similar situation. JMB seems to have a lot of people who are just awful at communicating, don't follow through on what they say they'll do and who have a very high opinion of themselves, like the drummer/guitarist chap you've come across shows. A band I know and see occasionally is looking for a replacement drummer and I was saying to them that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before finding the one. I looked back at all the bands I've played in and how they started and this now is the first time in 40 years of playing in bands that I'm unable to use my existing network of contacts to find a band that I want to play in or even needs a bassist (or guitarist). It's like becoming single after decades in a relationship and finding out that the game has changed. I've resisted messaging a couple of bands because I thought I was getting desperate, there were red flags, " middle-agers that rehearse on Sundays between 7pm-1030pm to get together to play songs we like...", "lots of ideas but no full songs yet", "want to write songs about controversial topics", another that has a dozen rambling unstructured guitar/drum demos in Drop C# tuning and all in the same key with uninspiring drums. @NancyJohnson are your expectations too high? Well, based on what you've said so far and the parallel experience I'm having, I'd say no. I understand the argument about 50% of the band you want and turning it around to 90% but my 50% expectation is quite high and I've been in those 50% bands before. My nearest and dearest have told me to start my own thing like I did last summer but the drummer (21yo) has developed some serious health issues (can no longer drum) and the guitarist (co-writer/co-singer, close friend) got offered a job in Spain. That was an organic band formed from brilliant people I know, not recruiting strangers. I've started going to more local multi-band shows and open mic nights just to expand my network but it's not easy. I've "settled" before and it's been dreadful, so I'd say, don't compromise, keep your expectations where they are but keep searching and keep on kissing a few frogs. It will happen.

This is what we have from what I see 12 string guitar 6 string guitar with Floyd 5 string bass, 24 fret 4 string bass, 24 fret 7 string guitar with Floyd 6 string guitar with stop tail piece

That is a lovely P bass. Black blocks, EMGs, roasted, nice bit of exotic.

Nice live video of Poundcake by Satch, Sammy. Mike and Jason attached to that article. Peavey seemed a bit ingenuous with the break up terms of their contract with Eddie. They had a deal with Michael Anthony and he had a signature amp at one time that was a more or less standard Peavey head with some chili pepper stickers on it.

The Peavey family seemed so remote and out of touch, not just with the workers but with industrial processes and technology. Yes, they gave some cash to 3 people but all that is lost in accounting as business expenses. Seeing all that electronics being tested was cringe, the checking of how square that combo case was a measuring tape, ufff. I've quality audited a few German electronics manufacturers (even as far back as 2008) where their QA is so sorted and process-driven that they don't even need to test finished product. It was like the 1970s at Peavey. Peavey is using Innovation Amplified as a strapline. Just a quick look at the website tells me that that is so far from the reality. Their premium products are the HP2 guitar which is a rebrand of the Wolfgang guitar from the 90s, which in turn is a rehash of the Musicman original, and the 6505 head, which is a rebrand of the 5150 that ceased to be in 2004! Tehy seem to be very focussed on 120w guitar heads at a time when players are scrapping off their big valve amps. They have TE, so what! They show capos and phone tripods on their home page, I can get those cheaper at Heston services. There is nothing on that Peavey website that gives me even the slightest bit of GAS. Sad but true.

I watched it yesterday. Grim.

I will say one positive thing that Schecter has got right, they've got the truss rod adjustment wheel. They just need to sort out a few more "reasons to buy".

This Michael Anthony model is a passive, bolt-on, Korean-built PJ with in-house pickups and hardware. It's yours for £1905 and you'll need to spend extra on a case. https://richtonemusic.co.uk/Schecter-Michael-Anthony-Bass-Carbon-Grey/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlPu9BhAjEiwA5NDSA84KUrSeNtHWoaXxGfyvEiyyLHDtTbZStS174by2dDP2w2e5L69_ShoC5PgQAvD_BwE You'd have to be the president of the Michael Anthony fan club to even entertain the thought of buying that. Even if you were in a Van Halen tribute you'd be buying a Yamaha BB or a Stingray. And if you were after a quality PJ there are so many better options. I really don't get this one.

Top pic is the SRMS, bottom is a BBP35 (Spec Is 18mm)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/286283976640?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=SslWKgHaRUK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=6MnoMIQiQQC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY There's one to put on the list. For me it falls into the category where I would have to play it and feel comfortable with it before buying. Whereas something like an Ibanez SR, Fender Jazz, Yamaha, Spector would be much more of a bass that I'd buy from just photos. Too many unknowns for me including resale.

This is the same as the one I had. It's so long ago I can't remember much about it other than it being beautifully made. https://reverb.com/ca/item/3838585-peavey-vintage-1987-dyna-bass-unity-series-neck-thru-active-passive-usa-made-80s

Joe bought pickups from me. Cracking chap to deal with. Thanks for great comms.

I've never had a G&L sell quickly. I've had a cheap one on sale since Xmas. Not even a sniff. Saying that, the Schecter I had was on eBay for about 18 months before it sold. No enquiries, not even a cheeky offer and then one day someone did a BIN. I was looking at Spector Dimension basses with the Fishman system and the search engine brought up a used 5 string Schecter SLS Elite on eBay, very pretty, it's like new and they cost ~£1450 retail (no case or gigbag). It's on for £899 and offers are coming out at £800 and it's still there. It got me thinking about why they're so unloved and hence this thread I guess that by the time that sells it'll be seeing >50% depreciation on an immaculate instrument. The seller's pics and listing don't do it any favours either. Now, let's say you bought that for £700, played it for a year, looked after it and then decided to sell on. Even though it's a high spec bass with rave reviews on YT at a relatively low price, it's going to be tough to sell on. Moving back to the Spector Dimension 5 (that I've been looking at) or the Ethos 5 as a close comparison to the Schecter (neck-thru, Korea etc), from what I see they don't seem to take such a big depreciation hit and don't hang around as long.

Is he on the pay roll?

Pop a Haz Labs pre in there and with the active EMGs you'll get exactly what a Spector is supposed to sound like. I replaced a TP with one recently and it's like coming home. It's meant to be. I'll be buying another after April 6th. https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/lhz-03-hazlabs-preamp-clone/ You can buy them at Bass Direct. And just to clarify, I'm not a Bassdirect.co.uk fanboy. There's some stuff that BD sells that isn't available through other channels.

Off the back of this I started this thread. I'm a massive fan obviously but what about "the masses"?

From what I see Schecter design, contract manufacture and sell some really good instruments (basses). There are signature models that are very impressive and some through-neck models from that Korean factory that does that particular thing so well that Spector trusts that factory. Schecter even has a selection of 12 and 8 string basses. I've had a Schecter, it was magical. A Stiletto 8-string. I gigged it quite a bit but when that band folded I sold it to buy pet food, toothpaste and underwear. It was MIK, through-neck and as good as anything I've played, I suppose. I put Nord Big Blades in it and even Carey messaged to ask about it. Why do Schecter basses not get much love? Why do they depreciate so much? Why are they hard to sell? The Elite SLS with Fishman pickups and preampidas glowing reviews but these basses seem to go under the radar. Schecter depreciation is horrific, probably more than Yamaha. There are some amazing Schecter bargains to be had but the brand being very associated with metal seems to be plagued by low second hand pricing and very little desirability. So, why do we see so little love for this brand in both the UK and in the world of bass???