FinnDave

Oh, I thought it went with the territory. Everyone I know in music hasn't two pennies to rub together. Maybe I move in the wrong circles!

If I was a scam artist, I don't think I'd be targeting musicians, as most of them are flat broke, spending what little they have on new instruments, getting to gigs, buying drugs, etc. I am amazed that this 'company' is supposed to have ripped people off for thousands of pounds - where did they get the money in the first place??

Be fair, the header for this section includes the following line (my emphasis):

I've sold all my ABM and other Ashdowns in favour of a pair of Rootmaster 800s (one evo, one not) as they are small and light enough for me to carry both over a should and leave both hands free to carry gear in and out of the venue. I am now experimenting with a SansAmp in place of the RMs' preamps, and so far it is working very well. The big test will be on Sunday, first gig with a new band in a larger venue. Should be interesting.

I have several US Standard Precisions, all are 2012 or later. The 2017 Jazz MiM I bought is a very playable bass. I might change the bridge (for a Babicz) at some point, but it feels and sounds fine, records well, has played several gigs and is consistently in tune. I can't comment on how long it will last, but it seems every bit as robust as my US basses. Now that Fender have dropped the US Standards, I think the MiM Standards may well be taking their place. My new one is definitely a step up in quality compared to older MiMs I no longer have.

I have a couple of MiM Jazz basses and they aren't far short of the US Standards I have. In fact my most recent purchase was a new MiM Jazz, and it compares well with the US Jazz I sold recently. I think the MiM standards might just be the best value basses around right now. I haven't played a Squier for a few years either, but more recently than the early 80s. Some of the higher end Squiers (CV series, for example) are pretty good, but the wood is softer than a Fender (MiM or US) and screws loosen fairly quickly.

People can (and will, I'm sure) say this is wrong and that we should stand up for our rights, but if you want the gig, have the gear the band expects you to have. The reality is that most of the time, that will mean a Fender, or at last something that looks like one. Even if it's a Squier!

Not something we can do at most of the pubs we play in. I'm playing at a proper music venue on Sunday, we will have a full soundcheck before the audience are around, different game altogether then.

I have also asked the harp player to relocate his amp as it would sound better. Preferably somewhere several miles away!

Other members of the band are often in a better position to hear how the bass fits in with rest of the band than I am, stuck in front of my amp and inches away from the drums. And if anyone says I should move, you obviously haven't played some of the tiny stages I have!

I'm not averse to making suggestions to other band members, either, it is a two way process. In one band, I often ask the guitarist to turn up (yeah, hard to to believe!) and am always asking the harmonica player to turn his amp down. Or preferably off!

Why not? I often take 2 or 3 basses to a gig or whatever and select the most suitable for the sound required by the band and will ask which they prefer. The band usually has an idea of the bass sound they want. Obviously, the doesn't apply with people you play with week in week out, but with new bands. For example, I rehearsed with a band last week that I am gigging with this weekend (my first gig with them) and tried a Precision with flats and a Jazz with rounds, finger style and with a pick. We decided the best sound was the Precision with flats, but more top would help nail the sound they want, so I have re-strung the Jazz with flats for the gig. It's not people 'telling what bass to play', it's just trying to help the band to achieve the sound that they want, and not just from the bass. In my regular blues band, the guitarist will sometime suggest that the drummer use a different snare, or tune a tom differently. We are all part of a band, and the overall sound is all that matters.

I'm sure that's on tomorrow night's set list.

A precision with flats, and the tone rolled off. Dum dum dum de dum dum.

If the perpetrators were sending out unsolicited emails, surely they are spam scam scum?

I need to take care then, I'm gigging near Halifax on the weekend.

How many strings did Jaco need to ride the surf?

I suspect that he hasn't, as if he had he would not be in a condition to write his posts on account of being drownded.

Shame really, I prefer an unmarked model to one that has been artificially worn. At least any marks on them will bring back memories, hopefully not of the resulting court cases though!

Doesn't the venue take care of that side?

She looks a bit young to be a grandmother. Mind you, it's such small pic it's not easy to tell.

Can't say it really appeals to me, but the good news is that it's described as having 'a unique look', so hopefully that's the only one!

I'm not sure whether fake tan would be classed as relicing or refinishing. But now you've reminded, me, I should have answered the OP with 'yes, so, long as the Squier has a sunburst finish'

You're obviously, right, but some of these amateur relicing jobs is going to seriously devalue their grandmothers should they ever decide to sell them.

On the rare occasions I venture into the nearest town (or any town, come to that) that seems to be all the rage these days.