scrumpymike

This year's Big Fat South-West Bass Bash is provisionally re-scheduled for Sunday 11th October, circumstances permitting. However, we will all have to self-isolate for 14 days before and after that date (😉just kidding... maybe).

My understanding is that Newtone don't have the machinery to make flats.

That teardrop-shaped s-p looks really classy!

Another fabulous instrument Andy! I know from experience the enjoyment of owning one (or two 😊) of your instruments but I can only imagine the satisfaction you must get from building them.

I think the only way you'll know for sure is to try one. Re weight, I know that some of the Maru' chambered s-s basses get close to 7lbs. These two of mine - Elwood L 4a (now sold) and Cazpar 4p - are around that weight and give you an idea of the opposite ends of their design spectrum. http:// http://

Mine was an HCT, don't recall any neck-dive issues.

I had a lovely cherry-red one and liked it a lot but tonally it was a bit of a one-trick pony and I really couldn't get on with the deeper body that set my right arm/hand away from me and placed an uncomfortable square edge under my right fore-arm.

Very useful summary. Based on my ownership of the two quoted above, I would add: Both my SWB-1s were pre-Chowny and didn't balance well due to the lighter bodies of the earlier basses (Scott W's supplier was in China but Stephen C moved production to India); apart from my custom-built gig basses, the 'Ray is the best s-s I've owned as it somehow manages to combine the s-s positives (comfortable to wear and play) with the 'presence' of a standard-scale (looks, sounds and feels substantial) and is huge value for money.

If I were you I'd probably try a light-weight standard-scale bass first. If that doesn't fix things, at least it will take you one step forward in your quest and you won't drop much money (if any) if you buy used. If you do decide to try short-scale, my strong recommendation would be to choose something that you know will balance properly on the strap, i.e. with the top button at F12 +/- 1. Re Maru' stuff, I have lots of positive experience with their s-s basses and their extensive range includes light-weight medium- or standard-scale P/J-type stuff as well. They achieve this by using less-dense woods like swamp ash combined with chambered bodies and alu hardware.

I find s-s basses much easier to play but I guess anyone with big hands and long arms would feel uncomfortably cramped. Overall, s-s basses are generally more compact and lightweight.

Measured mine at 41mm

Thanks for confirming you're still on the OE strings. Re Bantam, it's an exceptionally nice bass but the neck and fretboard were a bit too wide and flat for me. Also worth mentioning that the EMGs won't suit everybody although I know some players love them.

Good point but I like to keep things simple and don't use pedals - although I've tried quite a few.

What strings are you using?

Should also have explained that my only gig nowadays is a classic rock covers band, into which a Cazpar really doesn't fit. So my head keeps telling me I shouldn't have one - but my heart keeps disagreeing 🙂 I feel I can justify the fretless on the grounds that it's something completely different and a new challenge.

Well, that's a good question. The fretless passive 4 I recently traded on here for my Spector Bantam is the third one I've had and they are just exquisite IMHO. I regretted selling the first one (fretted P4) almost immediately and soon replaced it with a headless fretted active 4. Moved that on to get other stuff - and again regretted being without one. So, here we are again! My first... http:// My second... http:// The latest (and last, if I can get to grips with the fretless board)... http://

The 'Standard' (i.e. deeper-bodied) version of the Gillett Contour meets those criteria better than anything else I've played but you'd be lucky to pick up a used one for £1500. It's an electro-acoustic combining a 31.75" scale length with through-body stringing. Should also declare a personal interest as I did some marketing work for Michael G a while back.

Spot on! Generally, any s-s bass with the top strap button no higher than F12 balances well.

I would say punch is what you get more of from the extra scale length but the s-s sounds in the lower register are 'thicker'. Hope you can relate to that - it's all very subjective as, as already pointed out, highly influenced by string choice in terms of gauge and construction.

Best 30"-scale neck I've played is the Fender Rascal. 41mm at nut and a bit more substantial front to back. Nice and fast without feeling at all skinny and fretboard not as flat as other wider-necked s-s basses - e.g. Warwick, Spector, ACG - which don't suit me. Must say the Sire PJ looks good and quite reasonably priced though they don't seem to have arrived in the UK yet.

As others have said, this is an amazingly worthwhile piece of work - top marks and sincere thanks! I had already got my head round much of this but your images do the job comprehensively. They also emphasise which s-s basses that require extended reach to F1 AND don't balance well on the strap - e.g. Gibson SG and Chowny SWB-1 in my experience. The basic question for anyone considering a move to s-s is whether you want to a) maximise the s-s benefit in the form of a bass that's significantly more compact and manageable or b) go for one that feels and looks as much like a 'standard' bass as possible. The physical limitations of the individual player are usually the deciding factor. Also thanks to solo4652 for pointing out this topic, which I had missed. The PM dialogue we've been having on short-scales illustrates the point I made above: I'm definitely in group 'a' while he belongs in group 'b'.

No, the BW signature bass that Trueno and me are talking about is the relatively recent one made by the London Bass Centre as part of their British Bass Masters series.

And another one (I blame lock-down fever myself 😉). Just picked up this Cazpar from Mensinger (Adrian Maruszczyk's other brand) in a trade on here. 30" scale and a beautiful example of top craftsmanship from their Polish workshops. http:// Ha, just found this video showing my bass. https://www.public-peace.de/mensinger-guitars/m-basses/men-cazpar