Hellzero

It's because PMT think they are the only ones to have access to the internet and they truly think their buyers are plain idiots who won't look elsewhere. 🤦🏻

I've done both paid (as a semi pro) and free (as an amateur) gigs, but something that always bothered me is the lack of respect you get when you're playing for free... Let me tell you this anecdote: We were asked to play for free (or close to that as we were hat paid) for an organic market during the hottest day of the year... As I'm tea total, I struggled to get something to drink, first mistake from the organisers. Second mistake was that all the market, including our PA, was electrically wired to the same plug running in two sections across a road!?! We had a Bose L1 PA system that we bought brand new with our own money (it was the first ever sold in Belgium back then and it was a fame changer for us) and that we were using flawlessly since a few gigs. Suddenly, after 2 to 3 hours of playing, the PA started to smoke and stopped working: in one word, it had burned. The first reaction from the punters was: Why are not playing anymore? The second reaction from the organisers themselves was: Do you have an insurance, because we have none?!? So we packed everything back in the cars, after emptying the almost empty hat, while my fellow guitarist/singer kept saying: The duet is over, we can't afford to buy a new PA. On the next day, which was a Monday, I called the store were we bought it explaining what happened and they called Bose directly who agreed to repair or replace it for free and even offered us to come directly at the importer place, which wasn't that far for us We came there on the next day and the guy in charge confirmed that it would be repaired or replaced for free as it was under warranty at the end of the week, because we needed it every weekend! On the Thursday afternoon I got a phone call saying that the PA was repaired and that we could come and take it back for free. On the next day, Friday, we were there and the guy in charge of the repair section explained that all power amps of the L1 had simply fried due to a huge surge and that they had never seen such a thing happening in a normal use: So, I explained why it probably happened with the "main" lead coming from a house across the street with another lead that was connected to the first in the middle of the road where a car smashed it creating a huge short cut and power surge at the same time. They laughed a bit and advised us to have our own heavy section lead extension and for our own usage only, which we did. Since then, we are ALWAYS paid to play, because if the organiser makes profit, I can't see why we couldn't be paid: After all we are not jesters or minstrels living on leftovers. Lesson learnt.

Sort of...

Especially when it's a French one...

A-ho.

Congratulations @RonC, what an amazing work! Say hello, from Tony, to Axl who came home, in June 2022, in the South of Belgium to buy my Takamine TB10: he is a great player and a great person. 😉 What a small world. 🙂

Yep with Steve Hawe on guitar, Chris Square on bass, Jon Andorson on vocals, Rick Wokeman on keyboards and Bill Braford on drums.

Would be mine too @Mrbigstuff. 😉 And just in case, the seller is a real store: https://www.vintagerareandretro.co.uk/store/Carvin-SB4000-Lined-Fretless-Bass-p732281552

Those two are on Gumtree. https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/fender-fretless-jazz-bass-guitar-mim/1486252185 https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/carvin-sb4000-lined-fretless-bass/1494508276

There are these 2 at Bass Bros in your price bracket: https://bassbros.co.uk/product/2013-sandberg-california-tm4-fretless-2/ https://bassbros.co.uk/product/shuker-custom-fretless-jazz/ The last one is a kind of sunburst, but worth every penny.

Indeed @tauzero, indeed.

I simply put a tuner's washer as it is (usually) made of self lubricant nylon, so it works very smoothly. All my headless basses have received these washers and work flawlessly and super smoothly.

Do you need more than 181 screws?!?

As you mentioned @Woodinblack I also think the best carrying solution would be an 88 keys keyboard bag like this one that you certainly already noticed. https://www.thomann.co.uk/gator_gkb_88.htm That said, I had a similar issue finding a gig bag for my Leduc U-Contrebasse 6 EUB, which has a quite similar length and ended up buying an unbranded Eminence EUB gig bag at Gollihur as they had one at a very very very decent price back then. I can measure its inner dimensions if you want.

Here are some: https://www.accu.co.uk/imperial-cup-point-setgrub-screws/166962-SSU-6-32-1-8-A4-BL

Amazon provides a lot of these grub screws in imperial and metric measurements. That said the inch is an imperial measurement. 😉 Here is a link to a conversion table using the American UNC thread measurements: https://www.trfastenings.com/knowledge-base/thread-geometries/thread-conversion-table According to this table you need a #6-32 thread, which is the usual suspect for these screws.

Don't rush for these grades, they are just pride and joy for ... the teacher. Been there, done that, and it ended up with a loud "snap" which was the start of a fantastic tendonitis on the right arm forcing me to stop playing the piano and bass for 2 years: that's the only prize I eventually won. Strangely I could still play a bit of bass, but not that much. It's getting better now, but I don't play the piano very often, which is a shame. The bass is back on tracks since December 2024 with a bass duet we started just before the tendonitis accident... So take your time @bass_dinger. 😉

In fact, the volume (250 kOhms) is before the preamp on the early series, but it has to be after the preamp and a 25 kOhms linear or logarithmic (up to you and your taste). Easy mod, really. But you have to do both to get the best out of this bass. Check if your pickup has 4 wires. I can send you the correct parallel wiring and it's hyper easy to do too.

On a more serious way, if you try a Lollar P-Bass (not the Hi Wind, but the regular model), you'll get exactly the tone you're after, but it's an expensive pickup.

First thing to do is to wire the pickup in parallel and not in series as they are wired at the factory (hoping you have the 4 wires plus screening ground wire), then it will work properly. And don't forget that even if there is a center detent, it's a boost only preamp, so start with all at zero and add the bass and treble to measure.

Love your thread's title. 🤣

And they are...

If you want to try the most flexible stings, the Hellborg Perfect Pitch, Dogal are offering a 20% discount at the moment on their website for their 75th anniversary. https://www.dogalstrings.it/en/basso-elettrico

@rwillett if you put the output jack just in the middle between the volume and tone pots, you'll have way enough room to use them even with big fingers like mine. 😉