BlueMoon

Great story! Isn't it crazy that, despite Covid and the potential wrath of "wifey/partner", some things have such pull on us bass players! Glad it all worked out for you.

For the Macca tone I use hard felt picks. Aside from that, I generally use Fender medium picks that I've had for donkey's years.

I've had several; most were purchased 2nd hand though. In these cases it was like choosing an "off the shelf" bass with known characteristics. A bit more unusual and exotic, but the same GAS driven impulsiveness. No buyers remorse. Two basses I've commissioned myself have been a Limelight P bass (a keeper) and an Atelier Z from Japan. In the latter case I worked with Danny Stewart and Pierre Gansman who took a lot of the mystique and inertia out of the remote build process. It ended up being slightly heavier than I'd spec'd but I went with it anyway. On reflection, being able to visit and talk with the luthier direct would be a huge plus in any build. As others have said, if you pile a load of cash into a commissioned build the sense of anticipation can depart from reality especially during long build times. I would imagine this could lead to a sense of anti-climax when said bass is delivered. Not my personal experience though.

This ^^^^^

A bit late to this thread, but agree with the other posters. I've had (and still have) both P and J versions MIJ and CIJ. Overall the quality is top notch. Aside from one, which had a maxed out truss rod (easily fixed with a washer), they have all been faultless. A lot of bass for the money. Basswood bodies are light and resonant.......IIRC these tend to be more for the domestic Japanese market.

Welkom Hanz!!

For those who may be interested, Mark at BassDirect has this just in: https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Bacchus_DX4-AC,_Blue.html (Note: I am not affiliated with BassDirect and don't know details of the part ex.).

Here are some more boutique basses from Bernie Goodfellow. These three are early ones from mid-late 80's before he set up GB Guitars.

No QC is bad enough, but there are potential health hazards here. Appalling.

The patterns are distinctive and the colours really match very nicely. Overall, the effect is superb.

You asked!! Here are three GB basses from Bernie Goodfellow; two Spitfires and a Rumour. About as boutique as you can get from my stable.

Drop Danny Stewart (Bass Direct Japan) a mail. He runs a finder service for MIJ stuff. Maybe he'll have other leads in the Far East as well. [email protected]

Don't forget the MIJ Aerodyne Jazz (or Precision, if you can find one). I believe that many came with a light basswood body. Resonant, but can be subject to gig dings If that's a concern.

Cort seems consistently to deliver "more bang for your buck". Nice.

Bought a MIJ mid 80's bass from Gareth recently. Very smooth transaction and great communications throughout. Great job, thanks Gareth!

I think the guy behind Dragonfly (Harry's Engineering) was the main luthier at Aria back when they had a bigger market presence. I've played, but not owned, Bacchus and Dragonfly basses. Top notch quality control, especially on the tiny details. As has been said above, you'll get consistent quality from MIJ basses. Don't forget Atelier Z and Moon as other examples.

Nothing yet for me. We've begun rehearsing again, since we can accommodate adequate social distancing. Since the members of the band come from different parts of our (small) country, we rehearse in a central location. Was going well again until our vocalist - who lives in the Antwerp region - was required by law to be home by 23 h in order to comply with recently introduced nighttime curfew. So - an hour's drive, two hours rehearsal, and an hour back. Hey ho!

Not sure it'll qualify, but here's my '71. An old friend!

Sounds like it's time for another bass then!

Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple. Easy to play badly!

That is precisely why I unsubscribed from SBL. Lifetime membership ain't worth a damn if you have to put up with that level of marketing/sales BS.

Stu: so sorry to read and learn about this. You are an inspiration to others on here and are always there to help us out with our niggles. So now's the time for us to try and help you navigate a way through this. (PM me if you think a one-to-one sharing might help). All the best, bass brother.