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I think in terms of 'holding value' it probably will if you don't mess around with the pickups, how quickly you will ever sell it again is another thing. If you were looking for a rock solid investment I think an old Fender would have done you better and you seem to be a fan of fender and jazz type basses judging by your signature. I think other people on here have hit the nail on the head, your obviously shocked by its condition, and perhaps wouldn't have bought it had you seen in in the flesh before hand. You also seem to have such a huge dislike for P pickups, so much so you are going to modify a £3500 bass. I guess my point is, for £3500 you could have any number of outstanding builders build you exactly what you want, Alleva, Sadowsky, Sei, Overwater, Lull etc, so why buy a bass that isn't perfect for you and try and make it fit? I think you coming on here is a big sign that you are trying to convince yourself its worth holding onto, I could be wrong I don't know you personally but that is what comes across to me. I would send it back.

[quote name='Scott S' timestamp='1393202349' post='2377407'] Oh yeah, tell me about it, I'm soooo struggling to nail the main riff from "Everybody Dance"; it's as painful for me to play as it is for my wife to listen to, lol. [/quote] Its a tricky riff but slow it down with a metronome and you can get it fingerstyle without too much bother. I have just about got it, and get a reasonable facsimile of the bernard tone with the bridge pickup on my roscoe beck with the tone almost or fully off. I have had a few compliments that it sounds like the record. I tried doing it using bernards 'finger plectrum' technique and its very awkward and painful, to be honest unless your doing it for personal reasons to nail it 100% i doubt anyone at a gig would ever hear the difference. I cant find a video where Jerry Barnes the current chic bass player plays that riff at all, they re-arrange it live. Perhaps even Jerry cant do it justice.

I think Sean Hurley is a classy player and I love his approach and attitude towards playing from what I have read and seen in interviews and articles. I just stumbled on this video from iBass magazine (they do some great interviews on youtube, must get a subscription) with Sean talking about P basses and why he uses them. There is also another part talking about his live sound and its so refreshing to hear he has similar issues to mine (although on a larger scale than me) with booming stages, odd harmonics and the right front of house sound. So it has confirmed my thoughts for a while now, I need a P bass with flats, so gutted I sold my last one. http://youtu.be/2RPzwLH1EZc http://youtu.be/JmA_C5lFOaI

Classic 50's precision gets my vote, amazing basses and there is one on ebay for £400 at the moment. They regularly pop up under £500

I am in the minority, I am not keen on Lakland. They are solid basses but with the exception of a Duck Dunn model, I have only ever been underwhelmed by Lakland Skyline's. They are well built, but for what they go for new I would buy something else personally. My best friend uses a 5502 Deluxe with USA Bart electronics for a lot of high profile recording jobs and has constantly struggled to get a decent tone out of it and now bypasses the electronics for recording. I leant him my old £260 Squier CV precision and he instantly found it easier to play and got a better sound out of it for recording. Its all preference though, we all have different ideas of the perfect tone.

I am a convert, used to hate the look and whole concept of relics, but I have had the pleasure of playing a few relic fenders recently and all I can say is that they are up there with every top end instrument I have ever played, Alleva, Sadowsky, GB, Overwater, Sei etc. In fact I would say that the feel and playability was better on the fender for me personally because of the lovely rolled fingerboards and general worn in feel of the necks, they were just out of this world. Even the road worn basses I have tried have been wonderful, and the build and playability was on a par with the Sadowsky metro's I have played which are well over double the price (similar price to Fender CS Relics in fact). It's all about necks and playability for me, I don't care what the thing looks like, I don't care if it looks battered or mint but that worn in CS neck is amazing, which is why I have a savings pot for a CS Relic on the go.

I used a EBS Proline 212 (4ohm) and a EBS Neo 410 (4ohm) with my old markbass, It worked well, lots of power as I was pulling the full amount out of the head. EBS make superb cabs and they can be picked up very cheap, I still have the Neo 410 but the MarkBass disappeared a while ago.

There is some really positive feedback here, I am seriously considering letting the Aguilar go to give one a try. Its probably going to be the ABM III 500 or 900 I think, that combined with my EBS 410 should give a fair bit of power. An EBS amp would be ideal but they are seriously expensive, apart from the HD350 secondhand. I still have my concerns with the HD350 that it will be loud enough at 4ohm for my band. Lots to think about....

Thanks for the comments, I seem to remeber havinga self induced incident with an old Ashdown and the customer service was excellent then. I do quite like the idea of dealing with a UK based company and the ABM range seem to offer a good chunk of power for not a lot of money. Specifically i have been after something that can run 2 4ohm cabs if need be, I currently use a EBS Neo 410 and would like the option to run another cab for big gigs. The ABM 900 has the dual 575w amps so that would be ideal. Failing that I am back looking at either a Hartke LH1000 or an EBS Head again.

Just curious as to what the quality is like on Ashdown now? I know people give them a bit of a knocking compared to some of the other specialist brands like MarkBass and Aguilar etc, but I was just wondering is the build quality good, has the sound changed at all over the evolution of the ABM range? I used to own a old ABM 300 which was pretty good, never had any issues, and have suddenly started looking at them again as an option to possibly change my amp. I have been using a Class D small amps for a while and just find them lacking somehow, they just don't seem to have the low end grunt and power that I used to get from my old trace and ABM heads. I also played a big old Peavey head recently and it just seemed to have more presence. I figure a lot of players use the Ashdown kit and if its good enough for the main man Pino, surely its worth considering? Are the ABM still made in the UK?

odd comment but that is a really nice looking headstock, is that a new shape? looks a bit Pensa/Celinder......not sure about the 50/50 body, but looks like a nice bass. I would like to see those features and spec on a non signature bass though, preferably without gold hardware.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1389470992' post='2334588'] Here's my latest addition; 1961 Fender Jazz, all original, stack knobs, case, mutes, covers, manual, catalog, ad, strap, cord, cloth, even sealed spare strings; [/quote] Where on earth do you find vintage basses, not only in that condition but with all the tags, paperwork etc? That is an amazing instrument!

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1389019834' post='2328837'] Just bolt a Precision neck on a Jazz body then. [/quote] I thought about getting bits from The Stratosphere on Ebay but knowing my luck the bits wouldn't fit and they wont even check for you before they send them out. Quite simply I am not brave or rich enough to buy two classic series basses to try it.....maybe one day though.

I wouldnt mind seeing a Jaco jazz with his other less known, fretted maple Precision neck. I would kill for a Jazz bass with a bulky old maple precision neck as I find the jazz neck a bit scrawny.

I have been through far too many basses since finding bass forums! But despite some beautiful instruments coming and going, I just seem to be happiest with Fender. For me they work aesthetically, and just fit me well. I am a big chap and anything else just feels and looks a bit like a toy on me. I love my Roscoe Beck V and the only basses I have GAS for at the moment are Fenders, particularly a custom shop relic. Glad you have found something that fits you and suits you well. I am no Fender fan-boy, I have played some stinkers in the past USA standards most recently, but when you get a good one, they really can sing. I once played a mexican 50's precision and it was faultless, it resonated more than any other bass I have ever played and I regret it to this day not taking it home from the shop.

I would love a Pino Precision but unless I can get one secondhand they tend to cost about £1500 more than some relics in shops at the moment. There was a 59 precision (I think) in guitar guitar which has now gone, and a 64 in Coda music which has also recently gone. To be honest, if/when I have the money I will probably hunt around a few stores. I am quite tempted by the heavy relic jazzes in coda at the moment.

This question is going to no doubt open a massive can of worms and bring out all the fender haters. Worth/value is all relative but if you like fender and have GAS for a custom shop I don't think anything will scratch that itch other than the real deal. From what I have read and heard about Nash, I personally wouldn't buy one but a lot of folks love them. I have played a couple of custom shop basses and they were beautiful, no better or worse than my old hand built overwaters, just different. They were beautifully made and sounded like brilliant fenders, and to be honest 2k for an instrument is not a lot of money compared to a lot of musicians, drummers, keyboards players etc. Now I am no Fender fan boy, I love my current one, but have played some stinkers in my time, but I recently played some relic fenders and they blew my mind in every way, I don't even particularly like relics! But these were stunning, they played better than anything I have ever got my hands on and that includes celinder, sadowsky, overwater, warwick, Alleva, in fact the only bass that I have played that I can say was equal in terms of comfort and playability was a well played in custom GB Spitfire. I also believe that Fender hold their value better than a lot of custom brands so if you ever decide to move it on you won't take a huge hit. Coda music, bass gear, and guitar guitar have custom shop basses, well worth a drive to one of them to try some out. I am desperately saving for a Fender Relic after playing a couple, it was like a lightening bolt moment, I just have to own one.

I just tried a Squier VM precision V, it was a cracking bass, incredibly well made and well set up out of the box. The B string was fine, it sounded like a precision with a B string string! Not quite as articulate as say my Roscoe Beck v, but perfectly good for what I play, soul/funk/Motown stuff. I nearly walked out with it but fought hard as I don't REALLY need a precision at the moment. Build and playability wise though, incredible considering it was £249, a lot better than the 70s jazz they had in and no worse than the USA fenders I have had in the past. I'm almost talking myself into ordering one now.....

I remember playing one of the Wal look-a-likes at a guitar show, lovely bass, but two things stuck me immediately. First was the G string, no-matter how I played I kept pulling it off the edge of the board, I dont know if it was a misaligned bridge or just the way they build them but I have never had that problem wth any other bass. The pickup was superb but I think in a real life situation it would drive me absolutely insane fiddling and selecting the confusing array of combinations. other than that, beautifully made and a pleasure to play (as long as I stayed off the G string). if it was me, i would get a Wal for that money and I would say that it would probably hold its value better than a Sims.

[quote name='chardbass' timestamp='1386273038' post='2298186'] Absolutely loving this. In fact I'm loving how much of this kind of music is so accessible these days- Soundcloud, YouTube and Facebook are throwing up some real gems. This, Brother Strut, Shuffler and Dirty Loops are all projects that could have normally passed me by but I'm grateful that they haven't. [/quote] I have found some real great bands and music through youtube and facebook etc. If you like Brother Strutt and Shuffler you would probably like Cut The Funk, I started a thread about them some time ago but a google search will bring up youtube clips, facebook etc......gotta love the internet.

[quote name='jon_kemo' timestamp='1386229855' post='2297365'] Yep I bought a white one just over a month ago. I really like it and it's all I have played since buying it. My band detune half a step and I've not had any problems with the B string which seems to be an issue to some people with 5ers at this price point. [/quote] Good stuff, I was hoping top hear something positive. I think B string issues are more down to string type and set up than anything else, my squier deluxe jazz has a very good B string, better than my old 36" Overwater...go figure! for £250 I am seriosuly tempted to get one of these and stick a set of flats on for some motown/soul tones.