Sean

If you apply a QA auditor's "iceberg logic" and critical thinking to this (it's a manufacturing quality control methodology), if you see something like that, that isn't in spec, out of spec or just "wrong-looking", it triggers a methodical, drill-down into root cause but it also triggers an investigation into what else might be out of spec and why. Those that have a nose for this and those that can't unsee it have what it takes to become top level QA people. Me? It's an MM. I'm in shiney Jim Royle territory but I must say I was surprised. I dare someone to go and raise this on the Ernie Ball Bass forum 🤔

Today's job was to fit one of those two LHZ-03 preamps that arrived yesterday into the 2018 Euro LX4 Zebrano. The cavity was as it left the factory. untouched. It's the adjustable TonePump. The pickups are EMGs however they don't have the quckfit or "flying" leads, so it's a bigger soldering exercise to install the LHZ than with the other connectors. It's a bit fiddly and you need to know how to joint wires, but the instructions are amongst the best I've seen and the whole product is beautifully engineered. This is the second one I've done, the first was a month or so back to replace a Mk1 non-adjustable TP. This was exactly the same installation. In answer to the question on where the other one that arrived yesterday is going, you'll have to wait a while but hopefully it'll be worth while as it'll be part of a full electrics swap out in a Euro LX5 that is going to lose its non-adjustable TP, 40DC soapbars and get a 40P5 and a 40J. The LHZ-03 has been very much like a good airfryer for me; once you've had one, you can't live without one. Now I need to find out what to do with old TonePumps and whether there's a market for them. If anyone needs any help putting in an LHZ, I'm more than happy to help.

Yesterday my '21 G&L Tribute JB1 sold (at last!). Lovely positive feedback too. Let's have a look at the numbers. I got £220. The buyer paid ~£244 with shipping, fees etc. Packed to withstand Armageddon (new box and bubblewrap) and shipped same day on a 24h, so he'll get it today. Condition was 8/10 probably 8.5. Copper lined cavities, upgraded wiring and pots and set up to Fender Jazz specs with a set of unplayed Elixirs installed new Nov 2024. Baxshop has these new and shipped for £535. My buyer paid 46% of new. That's below our guide of 50-65% discussed earlier however, this is a G&L and they are big depreciation basses. I paid £295 used a couple of years ago from Basschat. With packaging costs at ~£20, I lost ~£100. Looking at what's on the market, the weak brand value of G&L and the fact that things are slow at the moment, I'm happy to see it gone. It creates wall space. There was a glorious red CLF Research USA L1000 that went for £840 last week. That's really cheap for what it is but it's only worth what someone will pay. It's about 41% of new. G&L are a bit like Yamaha, big depreciation for those that buy new but incredible, highest quality bargains for those looking to buy used and hang on to.

Talking of tonal difference, look what washed up on the shore this morning...

What I ordered yesterday, turned up today. Perfect. The first patient will be on the bench in the next few days and I'll document it in the Repairs forum.

Having had a few basses that have gone through the Shuker workshop and then subsequently sold them on, I would say, generally, that the work done doesn't command a higher price for the instrument but it does create more buyer appeal and some differentiation. What it really helps with, which is quite unusual nowadays, is to make the "try before you" type sale easier for the seller as all that work should make it play as well as it can. Unlike say, an aftermarket pickup, which has a tone that is subjective to each person, good fretwork, proper set up, intonation etc is absolute. The wonderful Paul Richards of Milehouse Studios regularly points out that a pro set up with some fretwork nowadays costs more than all the budget-end guitars but it generally transforms them into instruments that you could have a career with. I'm very much in agreement with this post in that I prefer stock and then do it myself (or get a pro) so I understand the history. I'm always happy to help someone out who's looking to improve a cheap instrument. The tools are there and I know how to use 'em. 😊

I’ve already explained this twice. 1. “It's just that BD is the only place that sells certain things." 2. "I can’t get them elsewhere as Bass Direct is the only UK merchant, as stated earlier."

I get your point but I’ll challenge it. If I spend £148.99 with Andertons, I pay postage. If I spend £149, I don’t. There is logically and by definition a discount between those two.

No, I can’t get them elsewhere as Bass Direct is the only UK merchant, as stated earlier. You can see from the comparisons with other retailers that we’re not talking cabs here, it’s small stuff. I placed the order, paid the fiver. Poor experience last time and other times. I was just observing that some retailers charge £5 for £700 of small items whereas others have free delivery over £50, £149, £199 etc. Some folks think £5 is a cracking deal others don’t. Not a lot to see here, really, just some retail pricing analysis.

VBR £7.50 for £500 worth (x2) of second hand pedals. BB £21.50 for a similar spend on second hand accessories. Well, we pays our money (as I did this morning) and in some cases we have a choice of where we shop and in others we don’t. I tend to stick to my favourite sales channel where possible, which is Basschat, I’ve never been ignored, patronised or had a bad experience in nearly 20 years and the prices are always excellent even if shipping is extra or it needs collection 😀.

Compared to Andertons and GAK for similar tech, package size and scale of spend where next day shipping by DPD is also risk free without paying a fiver. I’ll respectfully disagree.

I’ll monitor the latest order and see what happens. I don’t mind a small premium for rapid delivery but I also like the choice to send it not so fast and get it “free”.

There's not many places on God's World of Bass where you can put £700 worth of stuff in your basket and still have to pay a £5 postage fee. I don't want an explanation from anyone. It's just an observation and I've already placed my order. The last time I ordered on a Monday evening (after hours), 3rd Feb and it turned up on Friday 7th at lunchtime and that was 24 Tracked! I only have to spend £50 with the string people to qualify for free shipping and that often arrives next day on a 48 Tracked! It's just that BD is the only place that sells certain things.

My general rule of thumb is, get the aftermarket hardware out and the original stuff back in before you sell it. Obviously, if you've sold the original bits, then you can't, or in the case of preamps, rewiring, upgraded pots, copper cavity, fret work, where either it can't be undone or the cost/time of undoing would be prohibitive, then you just do your best to make them work in your favour and try to convince the buyer that they add real value. There's also brand-specific expectation. It's reasonable to expect a Fender or Squier to have had upgrades and I believe many of these either bump the price up a little, like a Lindy Fralin P pickup or they give you differentiation against other sellers and something to negotiate with. With say a US or Euro Spector, I want stock, please. I'll ask a seller for a photo of inside the cavity as part of my due diligence. It's a big ticket item, I'm looking under the bonnet first. I did it yesterday when doing the price analysis. A completely unmolested, functioning set of electrics, as they left the factory, on a 20 year old high-end instrument adds more value for me than a DIY installation of an expensive Darkglass or Aguilar unit.

It's kind of like Sunk Cost Fallacy. Take my SRMS mentioned just earlier. £1000 retail + £600 mods/upgrades. Seller calculates used price based on £1k + £600 = £1600 (what he paid) then used price calculated @ 65% = £1k. Because "it owes me £600" or £400 depreciated. Realistically, it's a £600-700 bass on the used market. £500 trade-in.

It depends! My JB1 has had some work on it, fret job, set up, copper-lined cavity, upgraded electrics. IMO, no, that doesn't command a higher price. It might give me some edge over another seller. One of the 6 on the analysis list I made had some lovely upgrades done with OEM parts but IMO, it was no longer original and £300 of upgrades probably translated to £100 uplift in price. I have an Ibanez SRMS805 (former BC bike) with US Barts, US Bart preamp, reconfigured switching. These upgrades (~£550-600 with parts and luthier labour) transform it into a "pro" level piece of kit but I paid maybe £50 more than a stock one on the used market. The G&L L2000 I recently sold had an East preamp MMSR, fret level, crown, set up at Shuker and all new wiring. It sold for peanuts. I took the Xtender off for the sale as I knew that wouldn't add value and I could sell it here as an accessory. So, in a nutshell, mods tend to either benefit the buyer or in the case where they are irreversible, can drive the value down. If I found a lovely Spector Euro that someone had put US Barts in and a Bart or Aguilar pre, then it would have to be an absolute steal as I'd have to convert it back to EMGs. If that bass had been routed to accommodate, say an MM-style pickup, to me it's now either firewood or a trip to Jon Shuker for major surgery and the price should reflect that.

Have you got the contact details of the landlord at that Tickled Trout? We're desperate for a booking at the moment? 😉

I missed out on that sell-off. Mine is a classic case of clearing out and creating space. Sire has emerged as ultra competitive, roasted necks are now standard on lower mid-price basses, things are changing.

100% agreed. My '21 G&L Tribute JB1 has been hanging around at 40ish% of a new one for over 2 months. I've got studio speakers for peanuts, no one wants them. I've never seen it so slow.

Do you think that the boomers selling drive the market price up or down? Obviously, they have no worries about slow moving stock, so are they pushing the prices up because they are more flexible or driving them down because they want a quick deal?

Some interesting comments here. 50-66% of new price seems about right to me from what I've seen and based on what I'm reading. You lose 20% VAT as soon as you buy a new one. I've been looking at some used examples of a specific model of bass on eBay. A new one is £2600 shipped from your "friends" in Warwick. There are 6 on the list, same model, similar specs, same pups, preamp, varying condition, postage and seller fee included. The price is rounded to the nearest £ shipped to my door, what I need to pay. All sellers have 100% positive feedback except #5 with 96%. #4 has the best listing IMO. #6 is a trader. 1. 2018, stock, condition 9/10 @ £1995 (77%) 2. 2012, upgraded (nicely with official parts not aftermarket), condition 9/10 @ £1664 (64%) 3. 2004, stock, condition 7/10 (multiple cracks in the clearcoat) @£1843 (71%) 4. 2005, stock, condition 8.5/10 @ £1333 (51%) **Sold 3/3/25 20:45** 5. 2010, stock, condition 8.5/10 @ £1894 (73%) 6. 2008, stock, condition 9.5/10 @ £2429 (93%) None of them are limited edition, collectable or have a gold brittania in the cavity. I've deliberately not said what make and model to try to get the focus on the data. Those that know, will know, YFKI. What do we think of this spread?