Burns-bass

This is depressing, but reflects the truth.

Back to the original question… where are you based? Im guessing one of us might have a case in a cupboard somewhere you can have. Alternatively you can get a cheap case on Amazon or Temu. Send me a PM if you need any help finding one. For a bass around £100 I’d not bother with a hard case (I used to cycle with my 66 jazz bass in a soft case, that was pretty mad looking back).

I’d register as self employed which means you can claim up to £1000 in expenses (without needing to provide receipts). You can then record the payments incoming legally and will need to complete a self assessment tax return. I work with companies all across the world and declare tax this way (alongside a VAT registered business). But as Steve says, some promoters may have their own requirements on paying you. So worth asking.

We have a shared Spotify list where we put songs. All of us listen to the list for a few weeks and we decide what we like and don’t like. Sometimes you can have a negative reaction to a song (few from the Blues Brothers, for me), which I actually liked and agreed to play after listening to them. This only works with covers!

I know someone who is a record producer and works with Sade. Apparently she has a habit of fixating on takes, and loses motivation if it’s not captured. So he has to record everything. Literally every second of every session on multiple mics. There is no logic to music sometimes, it’s how you feel. I’d see if I could get another bespoke build that you can invest emotionally in it.

Jack is right. The scroll is removable and he’s put it on the wrong way as a bit of fun. Worked!

Not persevering with DB 18 years ago when I started.

These are £2 on Temu. I bought one and it’s the same as the D’Addario one.

Yeah the “E” serial thing comes up from time to time. Looks legitimate to me (and you have to ask why anyone would go to such lengths to fake a Japanese bass when a US one would make more cash?)

A sturdy plastic transparent crate. I never turn up to a gig without two of everything. I can see everything is in there (and replace if not). It looks professional and is easy to store and I can put my wallet, keys, and phone it it.

Flat wound strings! I just use the amp EQ and don’t bother with effects. Had no complaints in recent years as I play in retro bands. Makes setup simple too!

Today I went to a lunchtime concert at St George’s in Bristol by an amazingly talented chap called Will Duerden. He did some contemporary pieces and a few from the DB repertoire. A quite wonderful player and engaging young man. I was embarrassed when someone in my group mentioned I played DB (with all my years left on the earth I couldn’t do it). Thoroughly recommend checking him out if he’s playing anywhere near you. https://www.willduerden.com

There are too many unknowns, and while the story is great, it doesn’t add anything to the appeal of the bass to me. I genuinely don’t get the appeal of a refin as the demand is always for originality, plus it’s been hacked around so I’m dubious of it’s playability, too. I also find the value someone has put on it as a reflection of the current madness and mania of the vintage market. People are free to do what they want with their money, but I’d hate for someone to spend cash on this and be disappointed. AB has a 63 jazz or later 65 for much less cash. I love old basses and some of them are amazing - like the one you picked up and put on here. All original, genuine provenance, realistically valuation, and looks absolutely fantastic. 5 of those would increase in value far more than this would.

You’ll make a sale contingent on an independent appraisal. Happens all the time when dealing antiques or art. If the seller refuses to do this then you’ll know whether to walk away I guess. If I was buying a guitar of this value I’d want this independent appraisal as I’d add it to my insurance as well. If you buy from a dealer you have the receipt which establishes the value, privately you’ll need some proof it’s worth what you say it is. (Gruhn makes a good amount of cash doing this through online appraisals) It’s all irrelevant as this bass looks like junk to me, but it’s what I would do if I were interested. As much as I am a trusting person the value in this is in its originality so I’d do everything I could to establish what was and wasn’t right before parting with a penny.

Obviously yea, but so many people get funny when you start asking them if you can take their guitar apart…

He’s forgotten to mention it’s been refretted and that half the screws aren’t original, so I’d be cautious. To be honest, I don’t know what I had for dinner Monday.

Provenance is more the ownership, it’s a a guide to its originality and authenticity. If I was buying this I’d make the purchase contingent on an expert appraisal from a vintage dealer. They’ll do that for a set fee (I’ve used the service), which would give me peace of mind over the hazy reminisces of someone who (with all respect ) is likely in their early to mid 70s. To give some context, I paid the AA £100 to check over the last used car I bought. They identified a few issues which were sorted before the sale. Its a pretty standard thing to do if you’re spending thousands of pounds…

I’d take anything the seller says about the colour and originality with a large pinch of salt. I’m not impugning his character, merely that it’s hard to remember every detail over the 60 odd years this bass has been on this earth. The refin makes it even harder to date the bass and it assess its originality. I genuinely don’t understand why people would spend thousands on something with such questionable heritage, but that’s because when I did have vintage gear I’d always try and get stuff with cast iron provenance and assurance that every component was original or not. Personally I’d stay well clear of this, but I’m not the target market, I’m sure.

I’ve seen people do mad things to instruments. For those who can’t access it, this is what we’re talking about… Given the even finish on the rest of the bass there’s obviously something going on here. Caveat emptor, etc.

Just checked and it looks pretty bad. Could be an additional pickup that has been badly filled in.

Oh, but we had a written agreement about how it would be paid for before I spent a penny. We took 10% of all gig funds off until it was paid for.

Last year I bought the PA for our band and we paid it back after doing lots of gigs. I happily stored it while I owned it, now it’s a communal asset we had some “lively” conversations about where it was going to be stored and who would carry it to all the gigs (not me is the answer!!!). It worked well as a model for buying it, but it’s not something I’d do again.

It’s been refretted too, and who knows what else. It’s a wonderful story and surely that’s half the fun with a vintage bass?