Happy Jack

Good call! Didn't occur to me to look at the bridge end!

So the 5th string tuner is where the string-tree used to be? How do you rotate it?

Ten years ago, in the relatively early days of eBay, there genuinely was something of a community feel (it were all fields then) and people would take the trouble to alert each other to errors in their listings. Well, sometimes anyway. Now that the default action on any subject is to Google it first, it's genuinely hard to have much sympathy for a vendor who can't be arsed to do even the most basic of research before listing something. Effectively, he's slotting himself into the category labelled "one born every minute". It's not my fault, and it's not my problem.

... still didn't prepare me for this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hofner-5001-Violin-Beetle-Bass-Vintage-Paul-McCartney-/231563877904?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35ea485e10

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1432252046' post='2779815'] Quacky.? what like a duck. thats a new one I've not heard before. [/quote] Quacky is the new Burpy. Do try to keep up.

Looks very Fenton-Weill to me, leaning towards Bird.

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1432217530' post='2779319'] ... who possibly specified this layout. [/quote] Did he also specify the back-breaking, shoulder-wrecking weight?

Take a look at Post #10 ... weird or what?

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1431457925' post='2771613'] I can't see anything useful! [/quote] Huh? There's everything you need there to build an 8-string with ... erm ... two tuners.

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/258779-status-streamline-fretless-5-surf-green-as-new-l1050/page__pid__2736555#entry2736555

[b]Attending:[/b] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]TheGreek[/font][/color] - [i]Ritter Cora/ GB Rumour/ Mesa Walkabout[/i] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Grangur[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Lozz196[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Sibob [/font][/color]- [i]My '71 P-Bass has a Rosewood fingerboard/My P/J has a Pau Ferro fingerboard / My MGS has a Kingwood fingerboard[/i] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Seashell[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bassface2k10[/font][/color] - [i]MM Ray with Maple board[/i] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Ratman(?)[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bottle[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Happy Jack - [i]Mike Lull Thunderbird + 1965 Mosrite 'The Ventures'[/i][/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bluejay[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Jazzneck[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Gary Mac[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Sharkfinger[/font][/color] theyellowcar such - [i]Marcus jazz with Sadowsky preamp. Maple fretboard [/i](and friend with 5-string Maruszczyk jazz) Bikenbass -[i] Ibanez fretless and Dingwall Combustion[/i] Barkin (?) Ordep - [i]zon sonus 5, and possibly a modulus VJ.[/i] (and a couple of bassist friends [?]) timhiggins (?) hertsbass - [i]maple neck Fender P[/i] Bassace - [i]Double Bass[/i] EliasMooseblaster - [i]Hagstrom 8-string[/i] Macdaddy - [i]Iceni custom 4 string[/i]

I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't conduct a 'blind' audio comparison of 15 different P-basses and pick the one that sounded best. Oh no ... wait a minute ...

Hiring? Nah - I'm with TheRev on this one. Don't dip your toe in the water, just take a deep breath and jump in. DB is about the most rewarding form of music I've ever tried. You won't regret it.

Kinsman Guitar Stool. Takes any shape of bass, very difficult to knock over, and you can sit on it when your back/legs/shoulders trouble you. Or for Coldplay songs.

Punk was there, but it was The Ramones and the whole CBGB crowd rather than the Sex Pistols.

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1431359265' post='2770451'] The ones on the Ashbory were thicker, white in colour and felt far more "rubbery" Whereas the ones on the Kala were not quite so thick, and stayed in tune better and felt less rubbery and easier to play [/quote] The Kala almost certainly had Aquila Thunderguts fitted ... much better than the silicone jobbies.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1431359600' post='2770456'] "We show that, although pop music has evolved continuously, it did so with particular rapidity during three stylistic ‘revolutions’ around 1964, 1983 and 1991." Err...did they miss the Punk revolution in 1977?? and what happened in 1983 that was so "revolutionary"?? [/quote] Their point is that Punk was not actually revolutionary in musical terms ... it was broadly the same as what was there before only played much faster and badly. 1983 was pretty much the point at which all my friends stopped playing real instruments and started buying sequencers and Apple computers.

According to the neckplate on the OP's model, apparently it was "Hand Crafted in Korea". So, no CNC then. And no mass-produced parts. Hmmmm.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1431353813' post='2770352'] From the back it looks like a frog swallowing a fence post. [/quote] I hate it when that happens.

[quote name='stuckinthepod' timestamp='1431344158' post='2770144'] Have already emailed Parcel Force and will email Thomann tonight after I check the contents. [/quote] I'm guessing that Thomann do a LOT of business with Parcelforce, and will be better-placed than you to put pressure on them. Thomann generally get a very good press here on Basschat (including from me) so you might want to send them a link to this thread. [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1431344304' post='2770148'] If you had signed for it personally, why did he feel the need to leave the package behind the side gate? [/quote] I read the OP as that he had NOT signed for it at all.