LeftyJ

I know the owner of the lefty model all the way at the bottom. It's an interesting beasty for sure, but I don't like the wonky shape. That Helectrix model is really cool!

My Grand Prix (Grand PRE, get it? ) is the "redface" version, which in this case is a stupid nickname because all that's red is a small area around the SWR logo. If you're familiar with SWR amps there are no surprises on this one: it's got the typical SWR controls and tone. It has the aural enhancer, 4-band EQ with semi-parametric low mid and high mid, a push-pull pot on the bass knob for a high pass filter, and an FX blend on the front panel for the effects loop. On the back there's two balanced XLR outputs (one for recording with a ground lift and switching between line and direct), one with its own volume control, an effects loop, an output to tuner, two unbalanced outputs to a power amp or amp head, and an unbalanced output that sits before the preamp's master volume. On the front there's a headphone out with its own volume control. It's a great unit and very versatile. I bought it for home use, but I'm usually too lazy to plug it in and play either through a combo amp or straight into my little USB mixer. Good call, I should try that. I have a few JJ 12AX7's laying around.

Ampeg SVP-PRO, SVP-CL and an SWR Grand Prix here - though I only really use the SVP-PRO. The SWR needs maintenance, it has a constant little fizzy hum. The switch in one of the push-pull pots was broken but is working again now, and a previous owner modified one of the output jacks for some reason. Then again it was cheap (€100).

Aye, reminded me of Paramore a LOT. I thought it deserved to finish higher up.

I like the design, but I don't like them always going for simple off-the-shelf parts. Those are regular P90 guitar pickups with a closed cover, like they do regularly on other bass models too (guitar humbuckers with closed covers). I understand they want to keep the price down, and they're probably only building a small run so having a bespoke pickup made for these isn't economically viable. But it still annoys me a bit

Many thanks, you were absolutely right! The key just needed to go in further. I've never encountered this before with any of my basses or guitars!

Thanks for checking, all! I'll give it another go when I get home from work. I'm not fully convinced though. I took the bass to a luthier on Saturday and he couldn't get one to fit either, from his extensive range of Allen keys. But as both @martthebass and @fretmeister pointed out, maybe I'm not getting the key in far enough!

For those of you with a Lionel, what size Allen key was included for truss rod adjustment? Mine is a 2023 model that I bought (barely) used and it didn't come with the key, and I can't for the life of me find one that fits! I have a VERY large set of Allen keys in both metric and imperial sizes and it's just not there. I messaged Sandberg on Facebook and got a quick reply from Gregor saying it's 4 mm, but I have tried three different 4 mm keys and they all spin freely. 4,5 mm is too big, and I have nothing inbetween. The hole in the truss rod nut still is very much hexagonal, and definitely not stripped. I can see it clearly and I'm sure of it. I had the exact same problem with a Harley Benton PB Shorty, that had the same odd size of truss rod nut and nothing would fit. I stripped that one, but that was a €50 bass so it sucked but wasn't too bad. The Lionel is in a different league though, so I really don't want to damage anything.

Not with the EMG's described, active EMG's are barely magnetic at all and rely on the built-in preamp to get the signal to a usable level. Unless they're passive EMG's of course, in which case, forget what I just said

I wanted to reply that was probably Conchita Wurst, but apparently she is actually Tom Neuwirth, who identifies as a gay man in drag - who famously kept their beard intact during their outings in drag.

I use a .125 too. I have tried .130 and .135 but never had anything over .135 on my basses. I like having enough tension in the low B string, but I feel like fatter strings sacrifice clarity, definition and intonation because the extra gauge makes them more rigid. On my Status basses I use their own Hotwire strings which are all taperwound except for the G and I love their quick response and great definition. That said, I'm not someone who experiments with strings a lot. I have used Elixir nickels for many years now, and only started using the Status strings because Elixir doesn't do double ball end sets - and stuck with them because I like them a lot. And now my venture into shortscales also forces me to start experimenting again, which is fun so far.

Same. My girlfriend can be hilariously cynical, so that should be entertaining

The first instrument I ever bought was a recorder (the flute, not the device). I believe my sister may still own it - and she can keep it, I enjoyed it when I was a kid but can't stand them now! I had lessons for a while when I was about 7-8 years old, but quit at the end of primary school and never laid hands on it since. The earliest instrument I bought that I still own is my Squier Affinity Strat that I bought new in 1999. It's a very basic beginner guitar, finished in 3-colour sunburst with a white single-ply pickguard which is now very yellow from age (I don't smoke, nor have I ever). I've modded it with 3 Gary Levinson pickups from a Blade R2 Strat with 3-way switching between the bridge and neck pickups, and a second 3-way switch that adds the middle pickup in either series or parallel for a total of 9 different sounds. I also added Gotoh tuners, a Graphtech nut and Graphtech stringtrees. It's a fun little guitar, but it hasn't left its case in years, The earliest bass that I still own was the 3rd I ever bought (out of around 30-40), a beautiful handmade 5-string by Dutch luthier Ellio Martina that I got used in 2006 (it was built in 2002). It was my main bass for several years, and it's the one that will outlast them all if I ever were required to downsize. It's incredibly comfortable and has a vast range of sounds, from somewhere between modern Jazz Bass to more hi-fi active sounds. It's not my main bass anymore (my Status S2 Classic headless 5-string is) but I'm unlikely to ever sell it.

FTFY. Otherwise I fully agree. I did like that 4005XC they did a few years ago, which was a 24 fret shortscale with the much more elegant body shape of the 330 guitar. That one was conceived as a 90th anniversary model and was a limited edition.

https://g-gotoh.com/product/gb10/?lang=en

Rics have a very weird two-component finish which is somewhat soft and doesn't expand and shrink fast enough to keep up with the wood - so it will crack very easily. I bought a brand new 4003 in 2009 from Guitarguitar and had it shipped to me in the Netherlands, and despite waiting for HOURS before unpacking it, it had lots of hairline cracks in the cutaways which were very noticeable in the Mapleglo finish.

No, John Petrucci is. Music Man have introduced the first JP6 and JP7 guitar models in 2001 and all the prog metal fanboys have been buying them like hot cakes - and many of them didn't stop at one, but bought a whole host of different limited edition finishes. Since 2001 there have been many changes to the model (great marketing trick) so that all the fanboys had to get those as well. And then the John Petrucci Majesty came along, in 2018. The success has completely overwhelmed Music Man, it has quickly become one of their best-selling models to date! It's a neck-through build, prohibitively expensive, with rather dividing looks, but despite all that they sell them faster than they can make them. Music Man have a very clever marketing strategy with their "The Vault" online store, selling many limited editions or special finishes that are only available through the Vault. It gives them full control over those sales, they get the full profit, and because many are Artist models or similar to the one the artist is playing (for example the Mystic Dream flipflop finish associated with John Petrucci: on the old JP6 and JP7 this was a standard option but on the Majesty it's only available through The Vault) the fanboys have to come to Music Man directly if they want one.

Any idea about the origins of that neck? The glue joint down the length makes me think of a pre-2007 G&L neck, when American models had the "Bi-cut neck" that featured a compression-style truss rod that was put in from the side. I would expect the two pieces to match more closely in colour and grain though, as those started off as one-piece necks that were cut down the middle and then rejoined after installing the truss rod.

Good call!

May be worth checking out a Squier Rascal. It's a solidbody shortscale, but the bridge sits relatively far forward so it's equal in length to a longscale P-bass. I don't know about weight, but being a fairly large offset body I imagine it could be somewhat heavy.

Nope. Status Graphite started out with headless basses and guitars with graphite necks from the start. Only later did they start producing basses with wooden necks, until switching back to exclusively graphite in the late 90s or early 00s until Rob Green's semi-retirement in 2023 which saw them abandoning graphite necks and switching back to wood on the Series 23 basses.

You know they shook me baby They shook me all night long

Aye, and The Outlaws' selftitled debut album. Green Grass and High Tides is a true southern rock classic, clocking almost 10 minutes in the album version but live versions would often exceed 20 minutes. They're very much guitar-focused (three lead guitarists, much like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Eagles) and feature a lot of vocal harmonies. Their third album Hurry Sundown is great too.

LOL, quite right!