Mokl

My one actual visit to the shop was let down by the attitude of one of the (I believe former) employees. Mark wasn't about that day, so is not a reflection on him. In spite of the less than positive shop experience, and a moderate issue with a second hand bass, I can't fault the email response times or speedy delivery of any of the items I've ordered. Commission sale of a couple of basses a few years back was very straightforward and efficiently dealt with, so I'm sorry to hear of the incident with a bass going missing - what a 'mare The Gallery is miles from me, but I made a couple of trips down to get some repair work done on a bass. I thought it was great, and the vibe was super friendly. The place had a laid back and somewhat homespun vibe that reminded me of my music shop days. I think we're lucky to have both. Let's be honest, you'd have to be very brave/ mad/ to open a specialist bass shop.

Yep, that's how mine is setup. Tbh I actually dislike the tone and feel otherwise - it's a thin line for me between "meh" and sonic nirvana, but with the setup right and the tone controls in the right spot... *chef's kiss

I should add - and I know this can be a controversial point of view- that the Wal is schdua over mahogany which I believe makes a difference. Previous Wal was mahogany with poly finish, it sounded very similar, but the very present low mids I get from the aforementioned were not as in your face. So I say the wood spec has some bearing with the Wal. My profuse apologies if I now trigger a tonewood debate.

I've been fortunate to own all 3 too, and still have a Stingray and Wal. I loved the thumb but the strap ergonomics meant it had to go in the end. The Wal is by far the most aggressive sounding in my opinion, if by aggressive you mean punch and "growling" mids. I do think my setup and playing style probably contribute, but all things being equal, deffo the Wal with Stingray and Thumb roughly tied.

Thanks, will try both suggestions!

I don't have much clue when it comes to effects but seem to have amassed a small collection over the years. I thought it was time I actually sorted my pedal board and got some use from them again (not really touched them for a couple of years...). I want to find the optimum layout, although it's not very likely I'll have them all engaged at the same time, apart from the compressor which I just leave on. I'd be really grateful if those of you who know about these things could see picture of my humble board and recommend the ideal order for the chain. Fx are : BossBoss TU2 tuner, DOD FX25B envelope filter, Rodenberg twin boost and drive thingy, EBS multicomp and Mooer Octaver. Thanking you in advance!

Amazing!!

Lovely 👍

In: De Gier Bebop 70s (used) - needed unexpected work when I got it (if you were the previous owner, what the heck were you up to, it was barely playable?!!) including dodgy pickup, serious setup and an area of body damage being much more significant than described, which took the initial shine off things. I could have returned it but persevered and am glad I did. Possibly my favourite neck profile ever and plays and sounds truly superb now. Thunderfunk TFB550. Was half looking for an amp, and am quite happy to live with the size for the sound this thing puts out- superb. Out: G&L SB1 - tough decision as Id had it and gigged it on/off for the best part of 10 years, but chopped it in for the De Gier, which is ultimately more "me" ergonomically. The new owner should be delighted, it sounded truly exceptional with a band.

That's jazz, man.

For anybody interested, or may stumble across this post in the future, I sent the pickup to Armstrong Pickups for repair. Was returned in just over 1 week working perfectly. The repair cost was extremely reasonable too - highly recommended!

To be fair, you'd be doing well to get a new Sei with that spec commissioned for £2k these days. They have always been great value for what they though. You could make the investment comment about the Wal. My first one (used) cost me £900 in the noughties. Shortly after I bought a used Sei for £200 more. I lost money on the Sei...

Don't even get me started on the price of bassoons.

I think the law of diminishing returns definitely applies, but can't you apply that to pretty much anything? Having worked in music retail for nearly a decade, I can say that the cheaper basses are better than they've ever been, representing amazing value and choice. Have I ever played a £400 bass that sounded or played as good to me as one of my personal basses - no, not even close, if I'm being honest. Whether that's some internal justification going on I couldn't say, but my main basses despite being in the "high end" category have been in my possession for long enough as not to owe me anything, so I'd like to think not. In fact if I could find a £400 bass that sounded and played as well, and I knew would be reliable and consistent year after year, gig after gig, I'd get it and recoup some of my original investment in current no. 1 for what I suspect would be a small capital gain! Regardless of if it cost £100 or many times more, I'll take any bass that will allow me to indulge in my passion; it's just given my personal set of priorities, the value I place on the pleasure I get from music, and to be frank - without wishing to sound like a tosser - my reasonable competence on the instrument, the ones that work for me best simply happened to cost much more. "Value" is so subjective that it feels completely aimless trying to define it on a bass forum! I guess it's fun to try.

Thanks, yes I'm wondering if this might be an option. Any links/recommendations gratefully received

Really annoyed! The neck pickup on my De Gier Bebop is an Aguilar 70s Jazz. I bought the bass used, and the pickup was actually dead on arrival. Cue disappointment and to and fro with the retailer. I was keen to hold onto the bass as I loved everything about it, had the control cavity off, poked about a bit and for some reason it same to life - happy days! 3 months later, at band rehearsal last night, it suddenly decides to give up again, having been faultless since the 'fix'. I've run a soldering iron over some of the connections, including the pickup terminals in the hope it's a dry joint. I have had the pickup out completely, put the wires into the relevant portions of a Jack plugged into my amp and tapped the poles with a screw driver (not very scientific, but ime you can determine if the pickup is working this way.. ). So it seems the pickup is dead. When I have more time over the next few days I'll try connecting the working bridge unit to the neck pot to double check, but I don't have much hope. I have no recourse as the bass was second hand but am not really in a position to shell out for an AG70s set Anybody have any advice/ experience they can share?!

Sadly for us bass players, Michael Pedulla retired a year or so back. Still regret not jumping on a well-used MVP4 on eBay with a buy it now of £650 some years back 🤦‍♂️

Nice 🤘

Ahhh, I'd actually clocked that on the 'other site' , and liked the playing in the vid there but hadn't realised it was the same bloke!

Stumbled across this dude on Youtube. Cool chops, lovely feel and just love the tone. Is he well known and I've just missed him?!!

Wow, that's a lot of ebony!

Just to add my 70s Jazz is now very close to needing a refret - it's a great example of the type!

I see refretting as a necessary part of maintaining an instrument as it gets older, so if done well it wouldn't bother me. As suggested ime it can be a good sign that the bass is a real "player". From a collector's perspective I can see how it might affect value though.

What's your monitoring like for rehearsing? We've done it at times when we've been drummer-free, and it was OK, but no substitute for the kinda stuff we play. Being able to hear a drum machine well whilst rehearsing was half the battle for us.

No, not a chance!