prowla

As an aside, I have a Mighty Mite neck on a P-bass and it is really (really!) good.

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1488912158' post='3252898'] OK, well you did mention relics... [/quote] Memo to self: don't mention relics...

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1488892280' post='3252677'] Genuinely surprised at this - we made a massive effort to engage with anyone who even made eye contact, so much so I was fully shattered after each day. Did you come over to the stand and say hello? Sorry if I/we missed you [/quote] Yes, I dropped by 3 times and had a quick word, but didn't feel particularly engaged. First time one person said "We're just setting up" and then carried on speaking to one of the others, so I wandered off (it was at least 10:30, maybe 11 on the Saturday). Next I mentioned I'd started the "Is anybody getting bored of "reliced" instruments?" and one of the people said "Which one - we have lots of them?" and that was that (it's now at 190 posts). The 3rd time I said "It's loud here!" and someone said they had been giving earplugs out on the way in and that was about it. So others may have chatted and so-on, but that's how it was for me - no real conversation.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1488803534' post='3251856'] ...Groan! [/quote] Thankyouverymuchindeed!

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1488832769' post='3252239'] Different angle and light: [/quote] I think of that as the Pretzel bass...

Yep - it would've been nice to see Status there and some pedal brands. I didn't know John East was there - I have one of his preamps in one of my basses. About the knitting exhibition - I heard it was so-so...

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1488722483' post='3251261'] What about the opposite of relicing? I'm very interested in an instrument for sale on this site, I won't say what as I haven't posted on the for sale ad yet. It's a sixties instrument, pretty much all original bar for one part, quite rare but would need a complete restoration to be made playable again. I would love to buy, restore and gig this instrument but I really don't like the look of the body as it's badly chipped all round the bottom and has been poorly touched up, I would want to refinish the body so this instrument would end up looking practically new, albeit with a very vintage vibe. My question is, is making an old instrument look like new going to get the same reaction as making a new instrument look old? This is a genuine dilemma as I really don't know if I should refinish this sixties instrument, but I don't think I want it if it stays in its beaten up state. [/quote] Well, some of the value of a vintage instrument is the fact that it has been used and that the parts are original. So making it pristine again could have an impact on its value.

Oh, incidentally, for anybody who is thinking of going next year... [size=6][size=8]TAKE SOME EAR PLUGS![/size][/size]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1488714462' post='3251185'] Why doesn't everyone have what ACG had, where you can just plug in with headphones and really hear the sound of the bass? Seems such an obvious way to do it but as far as I could see he was the only one. As a result, the ACGs were the only ones I actually know what they sound like without a huge bass rumble. [/quote] I played a Dingwall through headphones and it was OK, but they couldn't handle the bottom-B.

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1488663934' post='3250949'] And our Chris Sharman has an NBD - he was at the show with his wife, who approved the purchase. Happy Shuker NBD Chris! Edit: the GAS-inducing Shukers in full view [/quote] I had a go on the lower bass there, but unfortunately someone was playing one louder on the next stand, so I couldn't really hear it; it felt quite nice though.

(Now listening to Stu Hamm CD...)

Well, I went. Saw Stu Hamm, met Stu Hamm, gave Stu Hamm a tenner for a signed Stu Hamm CD, saw Stu Hamm outside as I was leaving and said bye, Stu! Played some basses, including a couple of fanned fret ones (surprisingly easy to adapt to). Tried a pocket-sized 200W Trace Elliot amp. Got a real headache from lots of bunched together stands playing loud (which on occasion made my skull resonate!). Had a quick chat with a nice bloke about Moog Minitaur & Roland bass pedals. Dropped by the basschat stand, but the folks there didn't seem too chatty. Saw lots of varied basses - very few Fender derivatives. Saw Phil from Bass Gear, who was there helping out on a stand. Bought a raffle ticket but didn't win. Got a free bag from Markbass.

Well, it certainly brings a new angle to the proceedings.

Another thing is these "Signature" instruments - are they what the musician really plays on tour, or just a marketing tick-box?

Affinity are the bottom end (haha!) of the range. I've got a partsblaster which started as a box of Affinity P-bass parts, but only the body is left now (until I replace that too); I have to say that it is really good. I've also got an Affinity Strat and it plays and sounds like a Strat, except all of the parts are noticeably cheaper and less well finished than my USA Standard. I was going to sell it, but ebay suggested a price of £40, so I couldn't be bothered to go to the effort of listing it! I've also got a partscaster I built on a budget and it's got a Squier Affinity neck on it (cost me a tenner); it's a decent guitar. But I would never go out with the intention of buying a Squier.

I think I need to open a "Please stop me spending money" thread; today I've bought a Space Echo and a Markbass head.

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1487939231' post='3244344'] I'd be a bit wary of one of those for a 1st bass. They look cool and sound nice, but they're notoriously bad when it comes to balancing. You could end up spending a lot of time holding the neck up with your left hand, which is not what you want when you're learning to play. [/quote] Well, it's not the bass for me, but the OP said he wanted to do metal and doom stuff, and it would fit right in!

i was just browsing around and an Epiphone Thunderbird Gotic is £260. [url="https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/EBTBPBBH1/electric-basses/epiphone-gothic-thunderbird-iv-bass-in-plain-black"]https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/EBTBPBBH1/electric-basses/epiphone-gothic-thunderbird-iv-bass-in-plain-black[/url]

[quote name='crompers' timestamp='1487859532' post='3243624'] OK I will check out that video, I guess I just always associated Squier with the Argos catalogue but I have an open mind! I like a lot of guitar based music but my starting points are Zeppelin and Sabbath, I also like some prog King Crimson etc and a lot of the new wave psych rock that is coming out at the moment (King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, All Them Witches) If I was to say one sound that I would like to emulate at the moment its Jack Donovan from Elder who uses a Jazz. Massive sound and quite growly in the low end. In the end I would like to join a band and play Stoner/Doom. Thanks for suggestions so far I will check them out. Budget £300-400 (£400 for something special), I should say that I wont be buying an amp just yet and will be running it through my PC soundcard (Asus Essence STX) and monitors (Presonus Eris 4.5) [/quote] If you shop around, you can get something good in that price range.

I would suggest buying 2nd hand, not least because you can likely sell it for a similar price to you've paid if it doesn't work out for you. I also tend to think if it's a few years old, then anything going to go wrong probably will have.

That is definitely a nice piece of wood you have there, sir!

The Hohners have a narrow spacing anyway, so I don't reckon they would convert. They did do a 5-banger model though.

I'm not seeing it, though there do appear to be some kind of marks there. Maybe it had tape or stickers at the fret positions?

I thought fanned frets were really cool the first time I noticed them. But they're just a fad.

I used to have an Aria Pro II bass in the 70s (I think it was an SB700) it was quite nice, but rather large. It was fretted but could sound rather fretless-like. I bought it new and sold it at some point I don't precisely recall when.