Paul S

+1000 As everyone has said you will feel nervous and you will make mistakes and it doesn't matter! After 51 years on this earth I played my first gig last year. It felt like a small bit of me that had always been missing finally slotted into place.

All done here. I used her exclusively all last week at home and for 3hrs during last night's rehearsal. More than enough time to reach the conclusion that, for me, there is one string too many on that fat neck. Here she is, just got in from the car this morning, complete with stickers (guess which one I put on...). And I have to say that she plays and sounds better than she looks [attachment=26568:waynebass.jpg] Wayne - thanks a billion. I would never had known how I felt about a 5er without living together and you have saved me a fortune. So - who is next up? can you send me a PM and we'll arrange delivery etc. I'll try and blag a box from a music shop as the current one is getting a bit scruffy. I wonder, if you got a cheap LED fitted, whether the whole thing would glow in the dark?

That's really weird. Ripping someone off a few grand you could almost understand but not that paltry amount. The jack plug has got pretty loose - is it ok if I take the back off and tighten it up? Doesn't look like a complicated job, even for a technophobe like me.

OK, arrived here safe and sound today - looking forward to a good old play around. I'm tempted to use it for rehearsal tonight but maybe that can wait until next week, once I am used to it, so I don't sound a complete nonce. Wayne, that colour is actually quite revolting - what were you thinking?

As a new convert to Trace Elliot gear I particularly enjoyed this - had to send the link to the other guys in the band so they knew why it sounded so good (and why it is green). I'm guessing that is Johnny Walker doing the voice over - certainly sounds like him - he manages that perfect 'constantly near to chuckling' tone so well. For anyone who doesn't know the remote parts of Essex - that 'Secret Nuclear Bunker' sign is for real. Makes me snigger every time I drive by.

Back from holiday now and seems I am next after all! PMs on their way to Wayne and M4L666

I'm off on holiday tomorrow for a week, so would ask to be missed this time around and slot back in again for the time after. Either that or you hang onto it for another week then send it after 20th? I don't mind either way.

Just sold my Ashdown rig to Mark - a true gent and a pleasure to do business with. And he brought HobNobs! Enjoy the gear!

Ah. I suspect I'd end up doing the same after cocking it up. Still, worth thinking about sometime.

I also had one of these as my first bass but stuck it in the loft once I got a 'proper' bass. A couple of months ago I brought it back down again and was surprised at how well it played, though the sound did let it down. Interested in the mods you have all carried out - is the Badass II a straightforward swap? The pre-amp? Changing the pups? I have never done anything like this before so would be interested to do it as a learning exercise.

I have one and love it to bits - but with some reservations. It does the buzz thing - softly - unless you are touching metal, but it isn't very loud (and for some reason both the guitards in our band make more buzzing noise from their effects) I did a playoff between the Jag and a USA Jazz when I was buying - none of the cheaper Jazzes I tried came close. In terms of playability I found it to be the same as a USA jazz - same kind of neck, same feel. In terms of build quality I think the USA Jazz had the edge but there wasn't a huge amount in it. What did it for me at the time were the range of tones available and, yes, the looks. As Jezzaboy says, you can't blend the two pups. When passive you can do bridge on/off, neck on/off, series/parallel for each or both together. I'm not sure why this should make a difference when using a pup singly but it does. All controlled with a single tone pot. When active you have exactly the same range of combinatons and tone pot control but with a basic two-band equaliser that cuts and/or boosts the lower and upper ends. This was all discovered in the shop. Having lived with the Jag for a while now I have discovered that certain things aren't quite so important. I am new to the whole gigging situation and my inexperience led me to put more weight on the tonal variety thing. In reality I wouldn't want to keep swapping from active to passive, it isn't practical. Had I been able to play them both together in a performing situation before buying I might have gone for the Jazz - it is difficult to make absolute judgements. Even though it was around £150 more I think the USA Jazz probably represents better value for money. You can't help getting the impression that the extra money spent on a much more straightforward instrument (none of those fancy electrics) is a good investment. Also the Jags don't hold their value like a Jazz - if you do want a Jag they can be picked up second hand for a steal. At the time I was reluctant to spend the extra money and the Jag was the more attractive package. All of which I can easily live with. The bottom line for me is that I love the Jag. I get a sound from it that I am really pleased with and I find it a joy to play. And it looks drop dead gorgeous - shallow, I know, but there you are - the more unusual styling I find immensely appealing - especially since I retro fitted a BWB scratchplate. I see no reason why it shouldn't be my #1 bass for many years. [attachment=24732:jaguarblacksp3.jpg]

How good are the hipshot detuners for this?

For good driving 3-some blues how about Dr Feelgood? Any era, though the vintage Lee Brilleaux vocals/Wilko Johnson is the iconic sound most go for. Edit, Free seem to have been missed off too. Not pure blues but, hey.

You are a star, sir.

Thought I'd bump this one up. It must be approaching time for it to be sent off to me but I am away for a bit soon - can the next on the list have it before me and I'll jump in afterwards? Not sure who that is.

Hocus Pocus - does it for me big time. Does the new guitarist hack it? Jan would be a hard act to follow!

Hi Skank Yes, I do actually keep tuned into the Shergold discussion forum as well as this one, a left over from my Hayman 4040 owning days. There are a couple of top quality build diaries going on there that are quite fascinating including one that is for an interchangeable 6/4, 6/12 double neck (or any as a single) built entirely from scratch materials. Anyway, yes, because I have one I keep an eye on eBay when they crop up and good Masqueraders can indeed go for around that - sadly mine is a bit tatty (but with a provenance - owned by the guitarist in The Pratts, an Irish punk band of the 80s) having gone the way many of the Shergold/Hayman stuff goes with bad cracking on the finish plus, perhaps more worrying, a small dink out of the fretboard. Still worth approaching £200 though I think. As I said one option for me would be to get it set up, frets stoned and (purists look away now) a tremelo system stuck on it that doesn't involved routing out most of the back. They are certainly well made guitars and, with all those pick-up tones at your finger tips, extremely versatile. Single coil/humbucker, in/out of phase in any combination. Heck I might even have just talked myself into doing that very thing

Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified all look good. Budget? I hadn't really considered that as it is more of an idle thought than a burning desire. Not a lot - couple of hundred or so? I'd have to offload the Shergold, too. Like everything else there is too much choice! For example I like the look of the jagmaster, which Squier do a version of, and which would match my Jaguar bass (so important!). £200 ish new.

Thanks all. I suppose the short answer is you've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. I'll hang on and see what appears, I think, without pursuing the issue - it is only for noodling around at home, after all. Meanwhile I have a slightly tatty but fully functional Shergold Masquerader which, if I invested the money I am thinking of spending on a strat getting it set up and maybe fret dressed, would probably end up being a better guitar anyway (but no whammy bar!).

Hi all - someone is bound to know on here. In the Squier bass range there are believed to be some particularly fine models - VMJ etc. There are squillions of posts about them on here. So I am wondering which of the 6 string models, and strats particularly, are whispered about in guitar circles. I have read great things of the Squier telecaster custom II with p90 pickups, for example. But I quite fancy a strat with tremelo etc so I can do a proper air guitar mime to Comfortably Numb. Any ideas, please? ta.

Whatever bass he was playing I think the band sounded absolutely great. Fantastic arrangement on that first tune, which my wife tells me is called 'Chant number one (I don't need this pressure on)'. If my lot sounded a fifth as professional and good as they did on Wossy I'd be a happy chap.