LeftyJ

Nice, and my second-favourite colour combo for a P, closely behind black + black 3-ply guard + maple board. Looks great!

There was, for a short time, also a range of Czech made MTD basses but they're rare to come by. I know at least the Grendel was part of that range, I don't know about other models.

Whoa, you could at least have included a NSFW warning in the title! That's stunning!

These look promising! Made by NBE in the Czech republic, in the same facility that builds the Euro Spectors.

That would make the new name for the series all the more confusing though. The old American Special and American Performer models were marketed as the entry level USA-made models, and it's true the American Professional Classic replaces the American Performer, but by using the Professional name they're suggesting these are on par with the American Professional II series, but with more vintage features. The difference in price between the Am Pro Classic and Am Pro II isn't that huge either. Now I would really like to see some neck heel and neck pocket name stamps (not that it would help much probably, because as the old moniker goes: one is made by Mexicans in Ensenada, and the other is made by Mexicans in Corona )

I've had a Fulltone Bass Drive for many years, I think it might match what you're looking for. It has a Tubescreamer-like drive, an additional boost with its own level control, and when switched to the "FM" setting (Full Mids) it doesn't scoop. It has no clean blend, and it sounds great to me. Works on both 9V and 18V, but at 18V the boost is... well, "boosted" quite a bit. I don't think it's currently in their range still, but it can be found used. They've fallen out of grace for a while after mr. Fuller had some debatable opinions on the George Floyd protests, that nearly killed the company entirely. Fulltone had to close their facility in 2022. They're on their way back now after teaming up with Jackson Audio in 2024.

First off: What a wonderful gift, these are great basses that punch well above their weight. Sire have quickly earned a reputation for well-built instruments with impressive fit and finish, and their necks with rolled edges are really comfortable. I'd say that's a really good choice! This is accurate. If the batteries were drained while in storage it may have faulty wiring, causing a short that engages the preamp even when no lead is plugged in. I would address that with Andertons too.

Well, considering it once looked like below, I think that price is wild.

Ha, TIL! All G&L's I've owned were older (my current ASAT Special is from 2001, it's already got a 4-bolt neckplate but still has the Bi-cut neck with compression style truss rod and bullet nut).

Metric on a US-made bass? I guess pigs can fly!

And what a disappointing gigbag at that! Fender can do better. I generally prefer gigbags over hardcases for portability and because they're easier to store, but having been spoiled by Mono I would be seriously disappointed to receive the one the Am Pro II Classics ship in.

Oh, them. Got it now.

Fender Japan, but made in Indonesia. Saw them, the line includes two signature guitars for the guitarists of Chilli Beans too (a Mustang and a Cyclone).

I dig the offsets (the Am Pro Classic Mustang, and before that the American Performer Mustang, is the only USA-made "standard" Mustang Bass currently available. Same goes for the Jaguar, if you don't count the Johnny Marr signature that's almost twice as expensive) despite them missing some classic features: the Mustang shape differs slightly from the old Mustang basses, and the Jaguar has a 3-way toggle and no rhythm circuit - but I'm pleased it does have a strangle switch instead of the Am Pro I's phase switch.

That reminds me of a keyboardist I once played with who, with a dead serious look on his face, suggested we use the band name "Crusty Seamen"

That Cort hasn't released a lefty version yet Would love one, they look great and if they're anywhere near the quality of the Corts I've owned (older Korean ones, admittedly) I'm pretty sure I'd love it.

To be fair, any store could have ordered those. Just take a look at their Facebook page, all the lovely custom shop instruments pictured there are ordered by (or through) dealers, that are named in the posts. It's true they had a number of "premier dealers" though, of which Sweetwater is one. And I always used to see UpFront Guitars mentioned a lot in posts with tasteful custom orders!

It's interesting this thread was revived just now, because I've been asking myself this question a lot for the last two weeks. My car is dying and needs replacing soon, and financially it comes at a bad time so I figured I'd need to let a few guitars or basses go but I have a hard time deciding which ones: I quite like the range of different tones in my arsenal, but I barely have an active band anymore and little desire to find one. So realistically, I could do with very few instruments. When I ask myself "Which one do I play the most?" the anwer is usually simply "The most recent one I bought". I have a few favourites that are very versatile but don't excel at one type of tone or character, and I have a few with a very defined character that do a certain tone very well that I happen to like, but it's usually the latest acquisition that gets played the most. Currently that's my Fender Mod Shop Jaguar. I know I have too many because a few of my guitars and basses mostly stand in my rack unused. When I do play those they always bring a smile to my face though: because of how they sound or play, or because of memories of former bands and gigs. My left-handedness adds to my hoarding instinct, because I have found that seller's remorse is a right pain in the butt and lefty guitars and basses are extra hard to replace because they can be so rare. It took me 10+ years to find two "identical" guitars to two I foolishly sold once. Would I risk that again?

Latest rumour (as quoted from an unnamed source on The Gear Page and the GLGuitars subreddit) is Fender did indeed buy the company, will keep the Tribute line alive and possibly even amp it up, but is going to shut down regular USA production. There will only be small batches of premium US "Collectors" models from time to time, at premium prices.

One of the first things they did was reinstate the Fender headstock on the Charvel guitars and the Phil Collen signature, which I think was a cool move because they had sent them the dreaded cease and desist letter over that earlier . And the distribution through Fender's network saved a LOAD of costs too. I know because I had just bought a brand new Japanese-made Jackson DK2 guitar for €1039 and had to watch Fender drop the prices down to just €650 while adding genuine Seymour Duncans and black hardware to the model and retaining the factory in Japan when mine had Duncan Designed pickups

Awesome! I love the yellowing on the bindings and fingerboard inlays. The toaster in the neck position is a great addition too (I think the high gain pickups were stock?).

Sire GB5 series, Godin A4/A5? Not UK-made obviously, but rather interesting and I think the Sire offers remarkable value for money.

That would probably be Hohner

Yes, Fender has a long history of acquiring brands and killing them off because they only wanted to gain certain expertise. Not as bad as Gibson, thank heavens, but their track record is not good. I truly hope G&L will live on and will have their legacy (no pun intended) preserved though. I think they're a wonderful brand with their own identity and great instruments.