Roger2611

Welcome back. I am glad it worked out OK in the end after what sounds like a pretty scary time, belated happy 45th birthday

"Flaunt it baby, flaunt it"

I have a UI24, it is a really impressive bit of kit, there is an owners forum on Face Book where I did a load of research before deciding on the Soundcraft over the XR18,. From memory a couple of features that swayed me in favour of the UI24 were the number of monitor (aux outputs) and the fact that you could switch the them linked stereo outs for a stereo in ear monitor mix and having tried it, it makes a big difference! I believe the Pre -amps in the UI24 are viewed as being of higher quality than that of the XR18 There was also something about the way you connect to the Soundcraft with your phone / other devices which was seen as more stable than having to connect to an app, whichever ever way is actually best, once you are connected to the UI24 the connection has been very stable. Now a couple of things to be aware of and this comes from personal experience of the unit: Believe everything you read about not relying on the internal WiFi router, even at rehearsals with the band in my mates front room the unit kept losing the signal and kicking us out, in a packed pub situation (those were the days!!) it would have been unusable, you will need a decent external router, once that is hooked up connection issues will go away......I understand the XR18 is also criticised for the same issues! I actually run mine with a small touch screen monitor connected directly via the HDMI port and a USB input so irrespective of the WiFi connection you can always get to the mixing desk. The unit wants a stable power source and decent ventilation, an unstable power source will cause the unit to crash as will over heating due to poor ventilation.....I would assume the XR range would also be susceptible to the same issues? The UI24 is a massively capable bit of kit (far more so than I have been able to get out of it) it is a big change from a physical mixer but it does seem to be the way forward and it is amazing that so much technology can be squeezed into such a small box!

I think it depends on what you are buying, I have just brought a Status S2 bass direct from the factory because I know exactly what I am going to get, a beautifully built bass that is going to be 100% right straight out of the box.....would I do the same with a late 70's Fender (and many other basses of that kind of age) not a chance, it needs to be played, weighed, fully stripped and confirmed it is as described before I would consider parting with a large sum of money for it

I have to admit I was unsure whether to keep looking at the thread as the job was progressing as I am looking forward to be blown away by the end result but, it is dead exciting to see it progressing and the processes being so well explained as they happen! Andy, that maple top looks fantastic!

I will hopefully do better on an 80's one!

70 Let it be, The Beatles 71 Don't know 72 Don't know 73 Money, Pink Floyd 74 Do know it but can't remember 75 Don't know 76 Blitzkrieg Bop, The Ramones 77 Lust For Life, The Igsta! 78 Physco Killer Talking Heads? 79 Guns of Brixton The Clash

The one on the right looks like an angry pirate!

Well looking at the amount of people there, we would be lucky to have half that many at most of the gigs we play so I guess we were social distancing well ahead of the curve!

I would suggest trying one first, I have a 50's Classic and a Roadworn Precision both are Mexican basses and they are the best two Precision's I own! Prices do seem to have risen sharply in recent years....look at the current prices of the Sterling SB range they seem to be up at the same price as a US built Musicman was a few years ago!

We need to get that on ITV4 daytime in between the other save the snails, Sloths are lonely, sponsor central heating for Snow Leopards....give us your money adverts!

Try this one for size, I do like the look myself so I brought a white pearl guard for my black Precision, I tend to like it for a while, then suddenly decide it looks too flash and swap back to the black one again!

A few of my Precision's: A Roadworn, a 62 Custom shop, an 81 US Precision and a 50's Classic Both of the Mexican Precision's are outstanding basses

I guess the reason these don't get recognised for the great basslines they are is simply because they are largely impossible to cover (not just bass wise but Billy's vocals as well) So they don't get heard so often now, personally the two basslines fall squarely into the category of "I wouldn't even know where to begin" basslines so are not ones I have even thought about trying to decipher!

I still have my 7" Stiff Little Fingers "Alternative Ulster" I remember rushing back from the record shop ready to blast the neighbours only to find it had the B side label on both sides of the disk, my heart sank! I was glad to discover that although the labels were wrong the record was indeed correct so the neighbours got a blast of both sides of the record....they didn't appreciate it....philistines!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARIA-SB1000-BASS-NAKED-PROJECT-WITH-PHALLIC-BRASS-APPENDAGE-AND-FUNNY-STORY/124182849405?hash=item1ce9dfe77d:g:0GQAAOSwlNpeuHIH I am really not sure what else there is to say about this one. I would think our favourite eBay seller from Germany of overpriced tat is going to be so disappointed he didn't manage to land this little beauty!

Be prepared to consider the cheaper pickups, in my Precision basses I have lots of different pickups ranging from boutique end Lindy Fralin's and Custom Shop 62's down to more budget end Kent Armstrong and Ironstone pickups and all sound great, to my ears, when compared to the cheapest ceramic pickups, however, there will likely be a few posts coming along who love those cheap ceramic pickups! I think a lot of us end up swapping stuff out purely because of clever marketing and the fact that we have disposable income, my Lindy Fralin pickups might sound fantastic (to my ears) in my bass but they won't give you exactly the same sound that I have in your bass! Sorry the above really doesn't answer your question very well! In my case case my choice of pickup I buy when building a bass is driven by how much disposable income I have at that point in time, whether I think I am going to like the completed bass I am building and whether I am likely to keep it afterwards...if I build a bass and it turns out to be a keeper then I can always swap a better pickup into it if it doesn't quite give me the sound I think I want!

Hi Chris, Welcome to Basschat, by the sound of things learning to play left handed (so your plectrum is in your left hand) sounds like it would allow you to progress further with the ability to cover more notes on the fret board with your right hand (I am assuming you have identified you can hold a plectrum in your left hand?) As for training your brain to play opposite handed to what feels natural, I guess Ronnie O'Sullivan is the perfect example that switching hands and playing at the highest level is perfectly possible? To me the thought of swapping over and learning left handed sounds impossible but that is because I had the option of learning to play whichever way my brain favoured in the first place but as @leftybassman392 has put above, the brain is very capable of adapting. Rog

I know a good few have already mentioned GAS but surely it has also taught us that we are not alone if we suffer from serious GAS, we can turn to our partners and show that we are not weird, odd or broken (not sure about @Teebs though!!) and that through this wonderful site we find genuine therapy from our friends who will happily share with us photos and experiences of that wonderful feeling of new gear and GAS relief (even if we know it is only short term relief) For that I salute you Basschat and its strange sister site "Asschat" the one we don't mention too often!

My three, The S2 Classic arrived this week, the Energy Matrix arrived a few months back and is off to @Andyjr1515 for a face lift as soon as this darned lock down thing is lifted. The S3000 was sold a few years back, it was not a good Status it was extremely heavy, rather battered and I found it didn't sit in a mix very well, not sure why, it may have had the electrics messed about with I guess because the Energy Matrix has the same JJ pickups and I assume the same pre amp. The blue carpet has also long since been disposed of!!

Thanks all, It is a Zebrano top with Swamp Ash back and weighs in at only 8lbs I cannot believe just how good it is to play, I also have an older Energy Matrix bass and there is simply no comparison between the two, if ever the corny description of "it plays itself" could apply then this is the case. It is the most I have ever spent on a bass but, so far, it looks, feels and sounds to be worth every penny!

This little beauty arrived today!