Waddo Soqable

Aren't we all... 😁

Good v. well presented article 👍 I got the Fender 24-100 set for mine, again about 20 quid, so similar to the Newtone ones... I've not actually got round to fitting them yet as I've been having too much fun messing about with the guitar as it stands 😁

Damn right, I use that one to avoid doing loads of stuff.. 👍

Sounds like you're talking of folks of a rather more "mature" age group though, husband and wife of fairly long standing etc... a very different "demographic" to the ones I'm thinking of. But hey if it works out with a happy ending that's lovely

No doubt insane money nowadays, I d think there's far fewer of the 5's than the bass Vl's even ? I remember Chandlers at Kew, I got a neck and a body resprayed by them probably mid 80s ( the neck was OK but the body i wasn't that impressed with tbh.)

I believe that only had a 14 fret neck or something ?

I've got a few devices of course that have drums and "metronome" sounds, but in many ways I find if there's something I want to sort out with a metronome I prefer the simple traditional mechanical tic tock for some reason, it's just me I expect 😁

Snorks, do let me know when you're next playing the Vauxhall Tavern.... 😁

There's likely a few people on here that have the Squier version (myself included) I think it's great, but opinions will differ widely I'm sure! Great to see the original you've been working on 👍

I had a little electric korg (or whatever) type one that I didn't much care for the rather annoying sounds it made. I subsequently got, cheapo from a charity shop of all places, one of the old pyramid shape wind up ones, which I like and do actually use it sometimes...

Me too, my only memory of them at all was back in the day, the adverts announcing them as a new thing in the music papers. I have to honestly say I thought them rather fugly.

I have tried a few 5s belonging to other people, I really didn't like them at all, I obviously get why many people find them useful, but for me I didn't like the cramped feeling of another string shoehorned in there. I also wouldn't find a low B etc particularly desirable, for my kind of use. The 4 banger works very well for what I need from a bass, is comfortable, and Mr Fender's original idea is well thought out and does the job perfectly imho. Now to throw a spanner in and contradict what I just said, (to a degree) I did have fairly briefly a 6 string, which I did actually quite like, helped by the fact that it had some very nice tones available, ongoing though I didn't much care for the very wide expanse of neck and I ended up not really using it, so it went. The 6 however left me with the impression of quite a potentially good and interesting musical tool that was marred by its design, ie the lump of 4x2 of a neck! Enter the Bass Vl.. I was obviously aware of these but not really considered one when they were a rare and expensive collectors item, however when these came back as a Squier item they became a viable option. Anyway long story short, acquired one of these and, again imho, they're excellent, it can do the stuff I liked about the conventional "6 string bass" without the ridiculous broad neck. The caveat here is that the Bass Vl is, in my world at least, a completely different instrument and needs to be regarded as such. For me it's more of a guitar type thing, but at the same time not! You can of course play "bass line" type things on it (the lower 4 strings are EADG same register as a conventional bass) but that's not really what it's about, if I'm wanting that I'd just grab a 4. I just don't have a use for a 5, they certainly don't appeal, and i don't envisage having one.

Hong Kong garden, S&tBs

That looks, and no doubt sounds, brilliant.. 👍 I had an old JX3P years ago that I really wish I'd kept, these days I've just got a battered cheapo Juno Di that is quite useful and adequate for any keyboardyness I might need.

In my experience it's always ended badly if there's boyfriend girlfriend type couple whatever relationship in a band. As above there has to be the odd exception but I've never seen it, either in bands I've been in or those of others I know.

Wayward son, Kansarse

I like the look of it certainly , a busted cello with a Fender neck gashed on.. probably not very "ergonomic" but who cares about that.. (oh OK just about everyone but me 😁) Actually it'd be cool with some tied on gut frets like a Viol..

I've "been in" a few bands I didn't particularly like certainly, on numerous occasions I've filled in for a while on gigs as they didn't have a bass player or whatever. Trouble is they sometimes assume you'll do it indefinitely and don't try too hard to look for a permanent solution. Nothing wrong with playing around with bands like that though if it appeals, it's all good practice and experience, should you need it, I suppose, and it might even put you in a position where you meet a bunch who you do actually "click with"

If you get a really long guitar lead you could, kind of..

The confederate flag might be quite cool rendered in Red Gold & Green 😁

Some joker from Manchester or somewhere similar

Nah you won't take me alive copper... 🔨

More a Knocker than a Rocker .. (badly mangled J Lennon esque type thing going on there)

Maybe he'll enjoy playing with the boxes when you've opened them, the ones here certainly do. All the best to the old chap anyway 😁