three

We have some very wonderful basschatters!

Hmm... alarm bells all over here. I'm by no means a vintage Fender expert but I can see that the bass and description don't match. I wouldn't be surprised if the bass was red originally. The 5 indicates that the neck is a P bass spec (not that the bass was made or finished on 5th September). It could be a lovely player and nice that there's some history. However, it's an awful lot of money for a bass that looks to have significant mods (let's face it, it's just an awful lot of money!)

Much the better option in my opinion, though generally much more expensive

After years of playing fretless, I had no idea about nut height (or absence thereof) with a fretless board. I just went to check a Status fretless and sure enough. Thank you all!

I have an Overlord headless unit on a micro bass - it's not as bad as I expected, though it isn't brilliant. They're certainly cheap for what you get. Adjusting intonation is a bit tricky as the saddles are a little too large/tight (at least on the unit I have) and lock together a bit - lubrication will ease this, though a bit of judicious filing is a better option. The paint is cheap and flakes or scratches easily. The string holder at the end of the neck takes a bit of getting used to - it's worth looking carefully at how it works before changing strings (note to self). I've not struggled with string height, though I've struggled seriously with intonation. This isn't solely a deficiency of the bridge, it's largely a function of the very short scale. In sum, I wouldn't use the Overlord if I was starting a project, though for the price, it's not an awful unit. I think Random Guitarist's post above captures the essence.

A lovely, dinky rig - pleasing on the eye and the ear, no doubt! I've been using a Baby Sumo for around a year now and have been really pleased with the transparency and silent running. I also used a Noble for a while - subtle but lovely on passives (IME) but I don't really play the latter and I've found a Hellborg to be more useful with active basses. The Sumo is very neat, and well conceived and executed - my favourite of the class Ds to date

Steinberger XL-2 into just about anything. Ownership was short-lived as I couldn't cope with (to me) very weird ergonomics, but the tone from that bass was like nothing else I've experienced - staggering

Intriguing and cryptic - at least two different hands and three (?) different shades of ink (i’m on a phone). Lovely to know more

Utterly marvellous! I still have mine - first really posh bass I bought. I don’t mind the 3 point original bridge - I suppose I’m just used to it. Unique tone to the Ripper and that looks gorgeous Andy Check out Patrick Djivas with PFM if you have a chance. My inspiration re: the Ripper. Other worldly talent

I just bought a lovely bass from Bill in what was a thoroughly enjoyable transaction throughout. Bill was an absolute star and made everything incredibly easy. I was able to travel to Wolverhampton and we spent well over an hour together discussing our respective experiences in bass/music. I even had the pleasure of hearing/seeing Bill play across the decades - and what an excellent player - a musician's musician. Also, Bill is one of the very kindest, most entertaining and hospitable basschatters with whom I've had the pleasure of dealing. The bass, as one would expect, was absolutely as advertised - utterly pristine condition. Very highly recommended - a pillar of the Basschat community

I think that part of the issue for me was that the first Wilcock that I bought is so good, that almost anything else (in the price bracket) could be slightly disappointing. There was nothing wrong with the second, it just didn't quite reach the dizzy heights of the first. The finish on these basses (in my experience) is uniformly superb - I'm pretty sure it's the work of Bow Finishing. The company's work on the Wilcocks and on another bass that they sprayed for me is outstanding. As far as I know, the electronics/wiring is the work of the Gallery. I doubt that anybody could go far wrong with a Wilcock. They seem to be very hot in the UK and the US at the moment. The second Wilcock that I owned is now in the US. The first, unsurprisingly, is next to me as I type

I can’t comment on Serek (other than to say I find them very attractive) but have played and owned a number of Wilcocks. I found some surprising (to me) variation between the Wilcocks. None with serious flaws or issues but different in terms of feel and playability. Of the two I’ve owned, despite looking very similar, one is amongst the most comfortable basses I’ve played (very light, super-low buzz-free action) and the other was just a very good shortie. Not as spectacular as the first. I’ve found fit and finish to be about as good as anything you’d find on a UK custom bass in this price-range.

Obviously some very happy users here. I’m interested in an elf combo having used big and heavweight Trace gear for years. I suspect the question has been addressed (though I can’t find it). Can the elf manage to recreate the classic preset tone of the old heads? I’ve read very differing reports but I’m sure the collective expertise (and real-world experience) in this thread can provide a (nearly) definitive answer! Thanks for any advice