Trueno

The first proper band I was in... we made an ambitious and disastrous decision to do a live version of "Sympathy for the Devil". The landlord refused to pay us at the end of the night... I was peeved at the time but have to agree with him. It was a long time ago but I still wake up screaming... ruined the song for me... woo! woo!

I've had rosewood, pau ferro, ebony (fretless), phenolic (fretless) and maple. The maple was a MIA Fender Jazz which I bought in a long between band period... I sold it on before it was ever gigged. Must have been aesthetic, but I never really liked the maple (seemed a good idea at the time). Aged maple boards look quite cool, but I can't wait that long and I'm not into relics. I found the pau ferro rather dry and (dare I say it) gritty feeling. But I gave it a good going over, rolling the edges, smoothing fret ends and polishing frets. I overdid the lemon oiling but polished it up well and 0000 wire-wooled it. Now it feels great and looks darker. It's also more figured than rosewood. Never really noticed any huge difference in tone... certainly not when gigging or rehearsing.

Mine came with some nasty plastic push-on things that were meant to look like nurled metal. I wasn't complaining for £170... and the bass itself was well set up.

Solid gold, ten out of ten... You know it makes sense!

An update. Fender MIM PJ Mustang. Converted to VVT arrangment with stacked volume knobs, courtesy of a KiOgon Loom. Gotoh bridge. Fingerboard rolled and fret ends smoothed and polished up. Plays like a dream, sounds just like I want it. Squier Jaguar SS. All original, except for some Jazz knobs. My backup.

I'm trying to fight the GAS for another short scale. But I have to say that if I was considering a Vintera or AP Mustang... I would also be seriously thinking about one of these.

I love the tv yellow.

I converted a MIM PJ Mustang to VVT arrangement via a stacked KiOgon loom and ditched the pickup selector. It made a HUGE difference.

That price sort of puts them in the desirable zone.

I'm a bit late on this, but I've just been trawling through Mustang posts. I have a MIM PJ Mustang and recently added a KiOgon loom, also converting it to a VVT control arrangement via a dual concentric knob. I've also slotted in a Gotoh bridge (through bridge stringing and a straight swap). The sound is fantastic... for me, at least. I didn't actually want a Mustang tone, I wanted a PJ bass with a short scale. I originally thought I might put new pickups in, but really I don't think it's worth it. I'll be posting pics sometime, but I'm waiting for a new scratchplate to arrive. John (KiOgon) provided a grommet to fill the hole left by the pickup selector, it looks fine, but I decided to go for a white pearloid vibe. Useful thread, this, if you're into the latest Mustangs. I'm still lusting after an AP.

Black!

I love the original song and I love this "interesting take" on it. Excellent.

Could be. Mrs Trueno swears by tonic water for alleviating cramp. Don't dilute it with too much gin, though.

I've just got a Pedaltrain Nano (plus soft case). It is small but perfect for me (an EBS Microbass II and Boss pedal tuner, with a simple power supply). Looks and feels bomb-proof to me.

"I've had a word with the guys and we agreed that you're not currently up to speed with the rest of us. To be honest, we don't think you'll catch us up" ... or summat like that.

I think Elvis was also influenced by Mahalia Jackson.

Likewise... I ended up with a Pedaltrain Nano... which is ideal for my EBS Microbass II and a Boss tuner. It all looked a bit silly on my Diago hardcase, which is rather like a small suit case and weighs a ton (it did have more pedals on it originally). I had some points owing to me from Andertons so got it almost free.

What have steamrollers got to do with Carl? Now I'm confused...

I think a carl was above a serf in the social standing... so it's not all bad.

I, also, have only ever known two Carls. One was, unsurprisingly, a monumental tw@t... the other was German (and a good laugh actually).

... or maybe, stand behind this curtain and play the bass while Carl is on stage miming along. The whole band sound like a bunch of knobs to me.

Sometimes you just have to endure the pain in order to look like a Rock God.

I bought a gel padded thingy a while ago... it fitted over an existing strap. TBH it was crap... it kept slipping and it looked like a dog anyway. Like all things fashionable, you may have to choose between cutting a dash or being comfortable. If you don't mind looking like a pillock, I use a Kliq Aircell strap (from Amazon). Make sure you spell it right or they may send you a Kliq A***hole strap.