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meterman

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Everything posted by meterman

  1. meterman
    Nice one Blue! Hope you and the band play a blinder and everything goes smoothly and safely. 👍
  2. meterman
    So I'm gonna commit to getting a lighter smaller bass, most likely the Hofner Ignition violin bass. The other bass I was reminded of was the old 70's Shaftesbury semi-acoustic R 330 copies but those rarely turn up in decent condition and are inexplicably expensive when they do. So it looks like a hollow body Hofner is on the horizon for me and my knacked shoulder and trapped neck nerves. If anyone is interested in my beloved '84 MIJ Squier Bullet, it's here. God I'm gonna be sorry to see it go
  3. meterman
    Yes definitely lovely instruments but a bit above my paygrade!
  4. meterman
    I can't seem to edit the price here but it's now £400 collected from Brighton or £425 including shipping. WEIGHT UPDATE: on a set of digital scales it came out at 3.8kg (or 8.25lbs) which is reasonably light I'd guess? It absolutely grieves me to be selling this bass, as it's one the nicest playing basses I've ever played, plus it took me a while to find it as they are not exactly an everyday item here in the UK. As per the title, I'm selling my 1984 Japanese Squier Bullet Bass. I bought it from Gareth of this very forum just six months ago for £425 and it's been my pride and joy. So why am I selling it you might ask? Well, long term shoulder and neck problems are forcing me to scale down what I play. The weight of this bass on a strap is really painful on my left shoulder, and if I play it sitting down I get sharp nerve pain in the side of my neck when I play an F on the E string for instance. It's not a heavy bass and there's no neck dive issues. But the state of my left shoulder and left side of my neck is terrible so I'm having to go to something much lighter and smaller and shorter scale. My 34" scale days might be over for the forseeable future. If I wasn't in such a state physically I'd keep this. But I need a smaller lighter bass I can still record sessions with, and gig with when we're eventually allowed out onstage again. When I bought the bass from Gareth it was in nice condition for a bass of its age. Few discreet dings around the edge of the body and to the underside of the headstock, and one circular ding in the back but nothing to worry about. There was a bit of tape on the pickup wiring in the control cavity, not sure what purpose it served but it's still there now. Also the neck plate had had a #number engraved in it, which wasn't in the original sale pics but it didn't bother me and it doesn't affect the sound or how it plays either. Just mentioning it for transparency so you know what to expect. I swapped out the original 3-ply white/black/white pickguard for a custom made 3-ply b/w/b 'guard from Brian Pillans up in Glasgow. For me this was £30 well spent as it improved the aesthetics of the instrument 100%. I also swapped out the faded plastic volume and tone knobs for a pair of steel flat top barrel knobs like you'd find on a Precision or a Telecaster. Both these upgrades are reversible and of course I'll be supplying the original (faded to cream) pickguard and knobs with the bass. Black / black / maple is a unique combo for one of these basses, it wasn't offered stock in this configuration but it can go back to black / white / maple again in about 10 mins, no soldering required. When I got the bass it had a fresh set of Rotosound Swing roundwounds on it. I swapped these out for a set of Fender Flatwounds (45-100 I think?) but the (unplayed by me) Rotosound rounds will be included. Other thing to mention is when I bought the bass there had been a finger rest / tug bar installed on the bass side above the E string. I didn't refit this when I changed the pickguard but it's included if you want to reinstall it. The pickups are grey underneath and look similar to the late period Fender Mustang pickups, they have 82 stamped on them. Obviously 1984 is a cracking year for Japanese Squiers and the build quality, finish, feel, playability and tone are superb. Every bit as good as the USA Fender Bullet bass I owned previously and it records even better than my old USA Fender Bullet too. I've managed to get this on a forthcoming 7" single by a band I play in and an album track for another band which will be out on vinyl in February, so it's been documented in the six months I've owned it. Anyhow, pics! The outdoor pics are the original ones Gareth took outside his house in natural daylight and the indoor ones are ones I took at home. I'm bringing the price down to £425 including shipping (or £400 if you collect from my place) so I'm making a loss on this, especially once you factor in the £55 I spent on the new pickguard and knobs and new strings) I just want to see it go to a good home and to someone who will be able to really get the most out of it. Collection can be from my place in central Brighton at £400, or I can courier it for £425 on either Tuesday the 15th or Wednesday the 16th of December. I'm emigrating for proper on the 17th so if you're interested PM me ASAP and we can sort it out! Cheers - Lee
  5. meterman
    Now THAT is IT!!! Thank you sir, I’m going to get my stage costumier (er, my wife) onto this first thing in the morning 👍😆
  6. meterman
    I think she might be one of them Veillette Citron types... 🤔
  7. meterman
    I had a brainwave tonight, I was just thinking about minimising weight strain on my shoulder and neck and I think I’ve got the answer: 1) Buy a lightweight Hofner Ignition hollow body violin bass.. 2) Superglue the bass onto the front of my jumper.. 3) Wear my bass / jumper combo for gigs and sessions etc.. Can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier. Am genuinely chuffed to have found a solution that doesn’t involve having Juliette Binoche crouching down in front of me, holding my bass up and taking its weight for me. She’s more expensive than my budget allows, and also she’s not really a violin bass kind of lady.
  8. meterman
    I think Link Wray might have done that too. Gotta be worth a try 👍
  9. meterman
    Yeah, lower fret access is definitely giving my neck and shoulder gyp and has done for a while. I’m going to try the short scale hollow body thing and see how it works for me. I was playing my wife’s classical guitar today and that was fine, no pain at all (except hearing my rusty playing out loud). I was sitting down to play which helped as well. Maybe a downsize might be the way to go for now.
  10. meterman
    Exactly! It was one of those basses you try in a shop mainly out of curiosity, but I loved the way it played. Wasn’t sure if I would ever use it on a gig or in the studio so my money stayed in my pocket. Brilliant design though.
  11. meterman
    I’ll admit I do have a secret soft spot for Steinbergers
  12. meterman
    After reading the responses here and having had a natter with a couple of mates who own Hofners I’m going to get a Hofner Ignition violin bass for myself and see how I get on with it. Going to be adding it to my eBay saved searches, but if anyone on here knows of one for sale let me know. On a different tack today my wife reminded of the Aria Sinsonido (correct spelling?) I almost bought about 15 years ago. Now that was light weight! But I’m gonna see how I get on with a Hofner. I really appreciate all the advice that everyone has offered. It’s a great place, this 👍
  13. meterman
    Thank you, top advice! Yes I've had physio in the past which has mostly been really helpful. But only so far, I'm always aware of my left shoulder and shoulder blade area. Yoga is something I enjoy, my wife's been a professional yoga teacher for 30 years so I'm in good hands. But there's a fair amount of positions I have to leave out of my routine due to it aggravating my left shoulder and neck area. We've just moved house so I'll try and find a new physio once lockdown is all out of the way. Thank you so much for the advice, really appreciated. Pint for you if you're playing round our way anytime 🍺 Actually the McCartney thing doesn't bother me really. If I was a young nipper in a trendy happening band I'd probably think twice about it, from an image point of view. But I'm old and er, 'road worn' now so I don't have to care about who played what or what basses look like on me. I'd play anything. (if I could lift it up off the stand without my neck and shoulder giving me grief, that is)
  14. meterman
    Some fantastic advice here, thank you, I'm very grateful! Re: thin neck and narrow string spacing - I'm fine with that, my main bass for years was a Shaftesbury Tele bass copy which had a neck like a flipping mandolin, it was skinny like some of the 60's Vox necks and I got away with it live and on record. The bass I have now, my beloved MIJ Squier Bullet, has a wide P-like neck which I love but atm the scale length and weight is just a stretch too far. I think I've got some sort of trapped nerve in my shoulder or something which I need to get seen to. Even turning my head I can feel it One of my favourite bass tones on record is "La Femme D'Argent" by Air, and I read an interview with Nicolas Godin where he said he played it on a borrowed Hofner Violin bass. I realise Air are a proper Marmite band but the bass on that track sounds great to my ears. Am seriously considering a 2nd hand Hofner Ignition if I can find one. The Family Man / Robbie Shakespeare connection seems to be pointing me in that direction. Do like the look of some of the short scale Ibanez Artcore basses though, and of course the Danelectro short scales. You've all given me a lot to think about. Massive thanks, everybody 🙏
  15. meterman
    Hiya folks, hope you’re all warm and well and lockdown isn’t driving you all nuts. I need to ask the Basschat collective mind some advice about lightweight basses. My left shoulder is knackered through a combination of old rotator cuff tear / weakness after a biking injury. It’s bad enough at the moment that if I pick up my bass with my right hand it’s painful in my left shoulder straight away. Even sitting down to play is painful. Reaching for a low F on the E string hurts, for instance. I’ve had recurring trouble with this shoulder for years and sometimes I can’t play bass at all. Just wondering if I’m destined to only play a Kala U-bass for the rest of my days or if something like a Hofner Violin bass might work for me? Anybody here had a similar problem? Or do I just man the flip up and hammer the co-codamols any play through it? 😆 A mate of mine switched from Jazz bass to a Violin bass after his back and shoulder problems got serious, and I’m wondering if I might have to make that decision too. I remember seeing old pics of Robbie Shakespeare playing a violin bass so I know they’re not just for Macca fans. Anyone else here gone through the same kind of thing? Thanks in advance 🙏 - Lee
  16. meterman
    Haha, I liked the silver sparkle but thought the black stripes ruined it.
  17. meterman
    Listened to Incredible String Band this morning for the first time in ages. Old school freaky hippie business 😆 and I love it
  18. meterman
    That blue is a great colour for a 'bird, mind 👍 Reminds me of Fender's old 'Maui Blue' a bit.
  19. meterman
    Can vouch for the little Tanglewood Elf. I got mine from a charity shop, and for a couple of years it was the only bass I owned. I still play it now, it's a fun little thing. 25.5" scale so perfect size for a 5 year old, and not always expensive on ebay, Gumtree etc.
  20. meterman
    If you do manage to get a Bullet bass then please do the full NBD with pics etc. 👍
  21. meterman
    I did have the original off-white controls and pickup covers on for 24 hours but changed them out. It is a strong look though. If the neck had been rosewood I'd have fitted a tort scratchplate. But black / black / maple is fine for me
  22. meterman
    Thank you! I tried but could not find any black pickup covers to fit the pickups so I had to Sharpie them. I'll spray them black at some point. I do love how Fender somehow ended up making basses that looked like the slightly wonky MIJ lawsuit era instruments that were trying to copy Fender in the first place.
  23. meterman
    Am I the only weirdo who doesn't have any bass OCD triggers? Maybe I'm just a basic simpleton. I own a bass, it has strings on it, it works, I play it. That's about it really. (Probably get chucked off the board for admitting it, right?) 😂
  24. meterman
    Serge Gainsbourg.
  25. meterman
    I guess my MIJ Squier Bullet can join the club.
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