Manwithvan

Yeah probably! But I had noticed this listing with three days to go and it was already at £295 with at least five bidders over £200

So my silver one will struggle to make £100?

I thought this didn’t quite qualify for eBay weird & wonderful, but I did find it weird. Why did this ordinary Jaguar get bid up to £395? (I might have one for sale!) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-SQUIRE-JAGUAR-BASS-GUITAR-SHORT-SCALE/233855582184?_mwBanner=1&ul_ref=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F0%2Fe11010.m1951.l7534%2F7%3Feuid%3Db432c118186341c68923b0d8693d4324%26bu%3D43413767321%26ut%3DRU%26segname%3D11010%26crd%3D20210121102803%26osub%3D-1~1%26ch%3Dosgood%26loc%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F233855582184%26sojTags%3Dbu%3Dbu%2Cut%3Dut%2Cch%3Dch%2Csegname%3Dsegname%2Ccrd%3Dcrd%2Curl%3Dloc%2Cosub%3Dosub%26srcrot%3De11010.m1951.l7534%26rvr_id%3D0%26rvr_ts%3D26aad3391770ac3d5ed0e306ffd74818&ul_noapp=true&pageci=ee34a7d6-1f2d-464c-85b8-acd820eed0be#vi__app-cvip-panel

I was taught never to play an open string (but not much maths, clearly!)

A fiver usually means extra weight, uncomfortably wide fingerboard, uncomfortably narrow string spacing, even extra expense, and all for the sake of four extra notes! A poor trade off, many would say. But you can play R - 3 - 5 - 7 - 11 - 13 in one position. And if you want to do that, you NEED one.

I think it's partly because of the investment in time or even elbow grease that's often needed (instead of money!). By the time the bass is functioning properly, it's personal. I've sold perfectly good higher end guitars (Sandberg, US Fender) ahead of some old bangers which owe me too much effort.

Jermaine Jackson? Many people must think he recorded some famous Motown bass lines.

One example where sustain is very useful is when playing a line originally written for a bowed double bass. An orchestra I play with has plenty of such numbers when fast decaying notes just doesn't work.

Curtly Ambrose, former West Indies and Northants fast bowler. I've seen a picture of him playing a Steinberger Spirit headless - the extremities of scale!

And I'm another half-Austrian. Are there enough of us to have our own Basschat forum? I've used the term Krautrock quite often, as to me the term successfully represents an idea, rather than describes any particular sound. Krautrock has more in common with minimalist composers such as Terry Riley, Philip Glass and Karlheinz Stockhausen than with US/UK pop/rock. Here's a recording that embodies this perfectly:

That's a very good summary. If anyone wonders why fixed lenses are better, it's because they have a wider maximum aperture, giving less depth of field. The most obvious difference between amateur and pro video is that in former everything's more or less in focus all the time. It seems to be a feature of the Zoom too.

I don't know anything about the Zoom, but here's my view anyway. For a semi pro band where paying for a professional video isn't justified, quality sound is of primary importance. A DIY video will be recognised for what it is by most watchers, and they'll forgive low quality video, but not poorly recorded sound. You're selling yourselves as competent musicians, not videomakers. I'd even say higher quality video is a bad thing - a bit of fuzziness can add a romantic glow. From what people are saying it seems the Zoom is a decent solution. (edit: I see there's differing opinions on the sound quality) I use dslrs to make music vids, for money sometimes! There's a multitude of issues. Overheating sensors, expensive superfast HD cards, huge video file sizes in 4K. Sound quality is still poor, even if you can set levels manually. I record it separately and bring it all together in editing. It's a much longer job. Also, the latest phones do pretty decent video, and anyone can get them to work.

Thanks DaveFry My machining capability is limited to fairly soft materials like wood, but sheets of veneer is a good idea. I may well go ahead with that

Thanks John, the saddles themselves are close to clearing their slots, and the higher saddles are being pulled forward

I picked this up on eBay a few years ago for not very much and it's only now that I'm finally coming to terms with 5 strings. The bass has its problems but sounds fine and I find it very comfortable to play. I spoke to RMI about it: apparently it was a one-off prototype made in China which had some issues when it arrived and they bunged in some cheap electronics to get it going. I've invested in fret-levelling, but am thinking of going further. The main issue is buzzing: I'd like to replace the electronics. The pickups sound OK, so should I just get the Wilkinson active pickup wiring kit (£65)? I generally prefer passive tone so replacing the pickups might be more sensible in the long run. I'm not sure what to fit though? The second issue is the bridge. With a straightish neck the saddles are balancing precariously at their upper limit and I'd like to take the action up further. The only solution I've come up with is this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-string-Bass-guitar-bridge-BB265-chrome-black-or-gold-18mm-string-spacing/392757849119?hash=item5b72312c1f:g:wkQAAOSw2jBekVVb Thereby abandoning thru-body stringing. Is this daft or is there another solution? Opinions gratefully received.

Great thread this, but I must acknowledge that a couple of my most favourite musicians, Sun Ra and Daevid Allen (Gong etc) claimed to originate from planets other than earth. Factually incorrect, I'm sure, but it's never spoiled my enjoyment of their music.

I'm in agreement with many of the sentiments expressed here. Red basses. Urgh. (Yet I have two of them) Sunburst. Not classy. (My no. 1 bass has this finish) Gold hardware looks cheap (as it does on my Yamaha 1500A). Pointy headstocks (Fernandes PJ!) Fake relics. This seems to be the only real deal breaker for me. .....and, dare I say this, I don't like the Fender jazz body shape, and don't currently own one.

I imagine every expensive new bass I buy will turn me into a better player. Mind you, I also buy some cheap stuff just for the fun of it. Every bass offers something, none of them do everything. I agree with the OP's sentiments, but I reckon some of the enjoyment I've had over the years from guitar and bass has been tied up with acquisition of gear, swapping, part-ex etc. I'm a hobbyist. My trade is photography (40 years), and as a professional my attitude to gear is quite different. You buy robust equipment and keep using it until it can't earn you any more money. I'm still using studio flash gear made in the early 1980s (it doesn't actually get better with age). I regularly find myself standing next to amateurs using far more expensive gear than me. It doesn't worry me any more than it would my professional-guitarist mate who only plays Squiers. Hobbyists drive the market, whether it's cameras or guitars. Imagine a world where we all stuck with the first adequate bass we owned. Some of the prestige bass makers would still be working from their sheds.

Mine dives and it's about 3kg. Also, everything's fairly small scale apart from the headstock.

Thanks for the reassurance, I've had the back off before and didn't even notice it!

This seems excessive adhesive in my Ampeg. Has it always been there, do you think? The combo is working fine, apart from making farting noises at low volumes. I'm assuming the speaker might be a bit loose on its mountings?

Another Bristol bassist checking in late. Welcome, Jimmy.

Welcome Andy, I'm another Bristol basschatter. I'm sure I've seen Wasabi. A good gig, and impressive (and busy) bass playing, if I remember rightly.