Grahambythesea

Back in the day, Leo was trying to mass produce instruments, but as there was very little technology much of the process was by hand. So you got some brilliant instruments and probably some dogs started on Friday night and finished on Monday morning ! The good ones survived the rubbish was junked. When the big corps took over quality dived as more of the process was by machine. Modern computer aided construction takes the variations out of production, but may not make great instruments. A good modern made one is as fine and possibly better than a vintage but it's all down to luck, if you find the great old one hang on to it!

You might be better off with a lined fretless to start with. I think Yamaha offer several and there are loads second hand.

Because I'd bought something else instead, selling usually to fund purchase. Sometimes it was a mistake, getting rid of the Fender P fretless because I'd bought a Washburn EAB 5 string - the neck was a tree trunk, should have kept the P 😥

The price of the Eastwood hardly makes it a "cheap" copy of an old budget line. You could probably find a second hand Charvel Surfcaster for that money!

But doesn't the hum from the pickups under certain lights drive you nuts!

La Bella Low Tensions are really good and you probably won't have to muck about with the bridge/intonation when you put them on as they are so similar to round wounds.

I agree about the Status, my brother has one which I borrow. The Ibanez Gary Willis is good too and I can highly recommend the Spector Spectorcore which I have which has the added bonus of a Fishman Piezo bridge. My other fav is the old Yamahe TRB and you can pick them up quite reasonably now, one was on Preloved afew months ago for £650.

I remember seeing Ashley Hutchings play one in the Albion Band back in the day. They were performing numbers from the album Stellar Maris so I guess that he used it to record the album too.

If your bass has a decent straight neck and low action, then irrespective of the price, I think you can sort most of the sound out externally either with your amp or an effects box like a Bass V-amp. I certainly don't agree that a US Fender is the ultimate! I have played some dogs out of that stable. When I got my present Jazz 5 string it was almost unplayable and needed a shim to get the neck angle right.

Very good point. Would be really good to hear from someone who's got one.

I know these have been around for a few years now, although I have only recently noticed that it's a 34ins scale semi, a bit of a rarity. However I can't find any reviews. Gear4music offer the black version to order at £289 and there is an Italian on line store offering the sunburst for 299 euros. So has anyone any experience. The prices seem too good to be true and usually if it's too good it probably isn't worth having. Another member on BC rates his Corsair, but that's a really different bass. I could really use a lighter weight fretted bass at present as I have a shoulder injury but probably don't want to abandon my Jazz bass in the long term. Anyone help, got one ? Had one?

My son in law who lives in California has one of these. Don't think it's bits a, just one of Fender's cost cutting exercises. If plays ok leave it alone, although switching the scratch plate and pot plate probably isn't too difficult, but the screws probably won't align.

Okay it's a Takamine, but as a fretless f hole electro acoustic bass, is it any better than the Aria Elecord? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=391264549491&globalID=EBAY-GB

Hofner club meets Fender Precision, not a happy matching!

You asked the exact same question I was about to! The short scale 5 string is of particular interest. I get the bit about needing long scale strings because of the length of the instrument but I still wonder what the B may sound like and does it suffer fro "wobble". There are a couple of demonstration on YT and it seems okay but how does it perform in the real world of a band ? As regards the other photo here,interesting, is the aging effect supposed to make it look like it's got woodworm? Otherwise it's a great looking instrument,do they do it in an unarmed version?

If I put a gold anodised scratch plate on my jazz, will stop it humming under fluorescent strip lights.....lol!

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1419537560' post='2640770'] I played this one at a local shop, lovely warm not mushy sound: [Img] http://www.themusiczoo.com/images/9-09-10/Duesenberg_Mike_Campbell_Bass_101115_a.jpg" class="ipsImage" /> [/quote] Sorry guys it just reminds of the awful 60s Italian made basses that look as though they are designed by an accordion maker. The paint job belongs on a souped up Ford Escort!

[quote name='MarkG3' timestamp='1457878064' post='3002563'] Fanned frets and obvious wood joins are two I really don't like [/quote] Absolutely agree. Judging by the number of votes for single cuts, the makers better drop them from their catalogues pretty quickly or risk alienating bass players forever! Is the Les Paul a single cut???

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1457616078' post='3000147'] Wings..? I believe he played a R*ck*nb*ck*r... [/quote] And much of the time a Yamaha BB something or other. Well I guess even one of the wealthiest musicians in the world will play something if he's given it for free!

Gibson EB2. Always thought I wanted one or an Epiphone Rivoli as all the good 60's bands used them but when I finally bought a 66 vintageEB2D I didn't like the neck profile or that ridiculously too powerful neck pickup. The "D" had the second weedy bridge pickup as well that was absolutely terrible. I still hanker for a semi but I'm really cautious now!

These newbies have definitely got an avian theme again. But whereas a buzzard is a magnificent bird of prey , these look like a couple of skinny pigeons!

Having developed a really bad shoulder, my Fender Jazz 5 string started to really hurt after only 1/2 hour of playing. I'd mostly owned P. Basses over the years and never noticed the weight. I also had a semi hollow Gibson EB2 which was noticeably lighter, well it should be with most of the body being air! But it was not the best balanced bass I ever had. The issue has to be having a body heavy enough to stop neck dive without causing shoulder deformation! I bought the Spector Spectorcore 5 string which seems to be a happy compromise and would like to try the Lakland semi hollow to see how that "weighs in". Any one any experience of it? I am also considering an Epiphone Jack Cassady as one of the few truly semi hollow basses which are long scale, pity they don't offer a 5 string version or a 5 string Gibson Midtown. I really don't get the brigade that claim you need the body weight to get the sustain and tone. These are electric basses and with effects pedals, eq etc you can pretty much dial up any tone you want!

I think there is an advantage. You can play higher up the neck but still get those low notes, but the finger stretch is a lot less. When you are adapting from 25inch scale to 34 inch the fret spacing at the head end of the neck can feel an uncomfortably long stretch.

Glad your sale went okay. I have twice sold and once bought instruments where it was cash and we met in a car park. Scary. But each time I have met really nice people and had trouble free transactions. May be the musician fraternity is just a bit more honourable than the rest of the world!