Burns-bass

You’re a journalist too aren’t you? Everyone assumes it’s all boozy lunches and non-declared income. I make most of my money writing about dull software or gearboxes. HMRC allows you to self-declare expenses of up to £1000.

I don’t feel so bad about some of my recordings now.

I’ve had two Snark tuners break too, so interested in this!

Wrong place. The idea that small business people are always on the take is cynical and offensive. How many gigging musicians declare all of their income?

Just seems like pointless negativity to me. Now if he started making guitars, that would be a different story!

These are bespoke instruments aren’t they? So rather than criticise a massively talented bass builder, question the tastes of some of his customers! If you’ve got almost £10k to drop on a hand-built bass I imagine you’d be confident in your choice.

Traders often prefer using PayPal as it creates an audit trail.

Stage school innit.

Given a £22,000 Bass appears to have just sold on Basschat, I think we can deduce two things: 1) The market for vintage Fenders is bouyant. 2) Basschat is the best place to sell a bass in Europe.

My kids are the same age as yours (3 and 18 months) and I experienced the same. As well as music I work as a writer (which I enjoy), run, ride bikes and enjoy gardening. My wife an I co-parent, which essentially means we try and share childcare as much as is possible as she works too. I just had a realisation at some point that I can’t do everything I used to, but I can do something - so I make time every day to do one thing. That might be an hour long run, half an hour practice on DB or reading some short stories. My wife is learning Norwegian which is her escape. When you have kids there’s a tendency to give everything over to that endeavour, but it’s worth trying to keep as much of you intact because they’ll soon be doing their own thing.

Having personally owned some beauties, in my opinion it’s pretty much all nostalgia. But there is something that’s unquestionably romantic about an old guitar, and Fenders in particular. The vintage market is an odd one, and like all collectibles can crash at any time, but if I had the money I’d prefer to have a room full of old guitars than anything else.

I’m not impugning you or questioning your knowledge on these things, it’s just difficult (well, impossible) to be definitive on these. Your guesswork informed by experience is most likely to be correct I’m sure.

Guess so. I’ve seen a fair few basses that purport to be one thing and turn out to be another. When you strip a body it could really be anything... Anyway, the best result is a ‘74 neck on a ‘69 body and I guess without going back in time we’ll never know so it’s all good guesswork!

Fender didn’t offer natural bodies in the 60s (first in the 72 catalogue apparently) so it’s either refinished or it’s actually a 70s Jazz with a swapped out neck plate. Early 70s basses had a long G intonation screw, so that would fit with this being a 74. The pickups should be dated on the bottom if they’re original. It doesn’t look like cloth wiring from the pickups, which suggests 70s. It’s not an exact science this, but I’d say it’s worth taking the whole thing to bits and going over it properly. I know some people don’t like to do this, but if you’re expecting a premium for a vintage instrument it comes with the territory. I remember seeing a fair few parts basses on the late 90s as they vintage market took off. The stuff at Musicground is worth looking at. Sometimes these basses are built from multiple donor instruments and can be hard to piece it all together. That doesn’t stop them being great instruments and having some value, but obviously less than a 100% honest instrument.

Can’t believe I lost my lengthy post first time!

It’s a step-by-step process that follows a clear logic. In this case, you play certain intervals in a prescribed order. The steps are the same wherever you start (so the pattern for G will be the same for b) with no deviation. I appear to have become a fanboy for this book. I should say that I found it really useful when I was looking at 2 octave scales particularly for playing jazz.

It’s a lot of fun. Slowly and methodically. I did about 10 years ago, but I’ll crack it back open for the DB.

It’s very logical and simple to follow, but it is bloody tough!

It’s slightly more expensive, but the Ibanez Talman is a really well built bass you could gig with. And it comes in cool colours (I’m saving up for a pink one!)

Any bass is a good bass. I’m not a huge fan of endless widdling on a bass, but that’s as pointless and indulgent on a 4 string as it is on a 5 and a 6. Play it, love it and gig it!

It’s like a CTI record from the 70s come to life. I’m a lover of funk and jazz and even some jazz funk but this certainly wasn’t for me.

Sounds about right! At least you didn’t question the sanctity of vintage Fender basses 🙂