LeftyJ

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAc4WdReOTI[/media]

Very! Love the Fender Performer

This should definitely be included in the list:

I use a Cort NTL-B acoustic fretless through an EBS NeoDrome 12 (a Line6 Lowdown Studio 110 in the past) and that combination sounds great. I have bright bronze roundwound strings on it now, but I've had flatwounds on it too in the past and it sounds eerily close to an upright with flats.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1379986110' post='2219224'] They're Stingrays made in a place where the labor is a tenth of the U.S. [/quote] Actually, the USA SUBs were made in the same facility in San Luis Obispo, USA as the regular Music Man instruments

[quote name='Dandelion' timestamp='1379625723' post='2215108'] IBANEZ ATK. USA SUB. SANDBERG BASIC M. [/quote] That!

The ATK405, the Prestige ATK1305 or the more recent ATK805 (the really posh model with the wooden pickguard) and 1205 which have both pickups placed closer to eachother. Contrary to earlier twin-pickup ATK's, it has the regular single-pickup ATK bridge, so the humbucker is further from the bridge (in the regular Stingray sweet spot). All other twin-pickup ATK's have the humbucker mounted closer to the bridge. Not sure if the current 1205 is available here though.

That's really pretty! They should also do one with dots and binding, and lollipop tuners. I see they're also finally offering the JB75 reissue with the correct bridge pickup position. About time! I love the JB75B with black blocks and binding! I also think that JB62 Smart Size is cute. But I think the specs are off... 373,5 mm scale translates to less than 15", that can't be right can it? Looks more like 30" to me.

I don't know about LTD, but I have a Japanese-made ESP Horizon g**t*r (sorry) and it is absolutely spotless. Beautiful fretwork, great neck, just a very good guitar.

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1378974509' post='2207142'] I've heard many people rave about the quality & playability of Japanese built early Ibanez basses I know my Roadster was great [/quote] Absolutely! I love my two Musicians, Roadster and two ATK's. They're all incredible basses, and none of them cost me more than 400 Euros

[URL=http://s45.photobucket.com/user/de_slager/media/Basses/Ibanez%20ATK/ATK3.jpg.html][IMG]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/de_slager/Basses/Ibanez%20ATK/ATK3.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s45.photobucket.com/user/de_slager/media/Basses/Ibanez%20ATK/ATK5.jpg.html][IMG]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/de_slager/Basses/Ibanez%20ATK/ATK5.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Love 'em

I think you mean Catalyst They were made out of one piece of composite ("SoundCompound"). Their bass model was called the Tigris. [url="http://www.bass-aholic.com/basses/C/catalyst/catalyst.shtml"]http://www.bass-aholic.com/basses/C/catalyst/catalyst.shtml[/url]

[quote name='Ghosts Over Japan' timestamp='1378331732' post='2198904'] Yes, very good call, always found the game changer an interesting idea, I'll have to throw the Enfield Super 8 pickup out there then, [url="http://www.enfieldguitars.com/super8.html"]http://www.enfieldgu...com/super8.html[/url], I don't think other brands will copy it too much but it certainly makes for an interesting design and from my experience they do sound very good! [/quote] Well, they basically just copied Wal pickups (which have individual coils for [i]each[/i] pole piece) and added a lot of switching options. Their bass designs are Wal copies too, except for those newer Fender-like models of course. An 'innovation' I'm quite fond of are compound radius fingerboards. It may seem like a small thing, but necks that have it are just so comfortable to play in my opinion. The idea is the radius is smaller (i.e. the fingerboard has a narrower curve) towards the nut, and gets flatter towards the bridge. But the biggest new thing of them all right now in my opinion are definitely those small, lightweight class D amps and lightweight cabs! They're making life so much easier

I love ATK's! I own the left-handed ATK300 and ATK305 in my avatar (and have owned another ATK300 just like it for lower tunings) and they're great workhorses. I own a Stingray 5 too, but I'd say the ATK's are equally dependable, and they play and sound great. I like the contrast with other Ibanez ranges of basses (especially the Soundgear): they're big, heavy, have huge but comfortable necks. Wide range of tones too! I love 'em

Kinda reminds me of a clinic I once saw of the respected Fender Custom Shop master builder John English (RIP 2007). When asked "Do you play guitar yourself?" people in the audience started snickering, but the guy replied: "I play a little nowadays, but I actually came into woodworking through the furniture industry, and rolled into guitar manifacture by accident".

Ibanez has been doing this a lot, annoyingly. Many ATK-versions have been sold exclusively in the US (there even was a USA-made ATK with a tension-free neck made by Dave Bunker - and an RG too), but there have also been models strictly for Europe. To stay with the ATK: they never sold Japanese-made ATK's in the USA, only Korean and Indonesian models, whereas here in Europe we had Japanese ATK300's and 305's. In a trans black finish, that wasn't available in the US where they primarily sold them in Amber - which wasn't available here...

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1377886535' post='2193313'] What's going on with extended complicated strap button though? [/quote] The buttons aren't extended, they just installed the Warwick Security Locks for the photo (the end that's supposed to be attached to your strap is also in the photograph).

Depends on the era it was made in. Early ones would have wenge necks with fairly thin profile. When they switched to ovangkol necks, which isn't as hard as wenge, they changed their neck profiles. Currently they're back to thinner necks, and the custom shop has been offering a "flat C shape" profile since 2006-2007 or something. At custom shop prices though, unfortunately. I love the P-nut signature. It is essentially much like a Streamer Stage II, but with the JazzMan configuration. It might very likely be my perfect bass, if it wasn't so damn expensive

I've heard several negative comments about the Minotaur straps from bass players I know. The leather was of cheap quality and poorly treated and finished, and would dry out within a year and start showing cracks and even tear, especially on the back and where the strap rests on your shoulder / neck. I'm a huge fan of Italia Leather Straps from the USA. They can only be ordered from their own site directly, but in a wide variety of colour combinations and with a choice of suede back (rough, won't slip on your shoulder so your bass is more or less fixed in its preferred playing position) or leather backed (smooth surface, so your bass will move more freely). I have six at the moment. They regularly have special discounts too, like free shipping, buy-one-get-one-free, for 'preferred customers' (but freely accessible for anyone who knows where to look. I'm not supposed to share the link, but if anyone is interested, drop me a PM. Right now it's $30 off, buy-one-get-one-free AND $0,01 shipping from the USA to anywhere in the world.

I haven't as much gone back, I just like both. I have always had very basic passive 4-string basses alongside higher-end 5-strings with complex active electronics as I have always played in more than one band at a time, and both bands required a completely different approach. I've played in various metal bands where an modern and agressive sounding active 5-string fits the bill best, but I've also played in a dark melodic popband (a bit similar to what Nick Cave has always been doing) where dark sounding basses worked well and I had no need for a low B. I've played various basses there, from a Jazz Bass to a Rickenbacker 4003 and even a hollowbody (Italia Torino) and a fretless 2-string!

Very nice! Now onwards to collect the other top-of-the-line models of that time, the ST924 and both versions of the MC924

Oh, that's right. I knew that. D'oh I was wondering the same thing when I saw your ads for the Sterling Ray and the MIJ Jazz, where the Jazz had the strings reversed but the Ray did not.

Aren't you experiencing any intonation troubles with your righthanded acoustics? Or did you have the bridge saddles modified to the correct angle? If they're steelstrings, of course. I just realised, while typing this, that the saddle on a nylonstring isn't compensated for intonation. I'm thankful I've never had to bother turning a righty upside-down. My parents didn't have internet yet when I started playing guitar (when I was 16 - I'm 29 now) so my first instrument was the only lefty my local shop had in stock: a Squier Affinity Strat. By the time I started playing bass though, we did have internet and I was always able to find something to my liking on it

Hipshot does sell some oddball Xtenders with tuners of other brands mounted on them. These include Gotoh, Schaller and Fender. But I've never seen this type before. It has the dimensions of a BT-1, but a Fender tuner (well, rebranded Schaller I think) mounted on it is something unusual.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1373561653' post='2139107'] I wish you hadn't posted this . I had no idea of the existance of these basses . Now I want one . A lot . [/quote] QFT