Machines

I tend tend to keep them to certain genres, but pretty much could use any of them whenever: Current stock: Spector Euro 4LX - Does most things, very bright and punchy. Tends to be the primary choice but not if I want something more old school. Yamaha BB415 - Passive 5 string, good substitute for Fender P/J sounds. Cort GB95 - Has J/MM pickups, so can mimic Fender/Musicman sounds. Interchanges with the above BB. Yamaha RBXJM2 - 6 string with MM pickup in the right spot. Used for any B tuned metal or a more convincing Stingray sound. Fender Precision - Has flats, don't use it much but it was a gift. Tends to be my 'learning a song' bass so I don't faff with the tone, just learn the song.

Saw a brand new Mini Clubman for £39k yesterday, it was Ford Focus sized. I honestly think they should rename it to Midi.

No problem for completing January for me, I have no money spare. However have sold some annual leave and get 50 hours pay in March.

My take on this: Simple - little to no risk Intonation Bridge height Pickup height Neck shims Truss rod adjustment (assuming you know which way you need to go, and can judge when to stop) Medium - can cause issues if you are heavy handed, usually requires some planning: Replacing pots/switches/jack socket/pickups Nut replacement (although have never needed to) Hard (I don't do these) Fretwork Replacing onboard EQ/multiple pickups/complicated switching

Definitely don't want series vs parallel, but chooses between the single coils as well would be the ideal.

If it complicates the wiring beyond what i've seen so far, then series is probably less faff. My only experience with series vs parallel was on an L-2000, and I always went for parallel, but more due to the output differences to series vs single coil. EDIT: Ignore the that part, it didn't have single coil mode.

Thanks for that, I think it is indeed series - does it overpower ? Hmm a little but would like to hear parallel to compare . I'm pretty sure I want SC/P/SC, which would approximately give me 60s vs 70s Jazz differences. I can get a switch easily and it looks like if i just copy the Lakland diagram, it will be OK Same as the Lakland it seems, thanks.

They're next for the price increases no doubt, buying old stock now is probably wise if anyone wants one.

How about 2 ? I like the easy carry of the the 112.

I took my RM500 / RM112 to a rehearsal last week. It was in an old Working Mens Club and we had use of the main function room (with stage). Initially, with my amp at chest level on the hollow wooden stage and us on the dancefloor, I couldn't hear a thing at decent volumes. I moved it onto the solid floor and that improved things drastically. However a bit later as the volume naturally increased, I was struggling to hear any fundamental, mostly just the top end. I think my issue was the room, but was wondering if a 112 was enough to cut it here without PA support.

True, but the cost of production is not the only aspect in the Squier pricing. They are hugely popular due to the Fender association, and Fender is a behemoth with a huge marketing budget and endorsees to pay. A good amount of the extra cost goes there. FWIW I have had both a Sire M5 and a Squier VM 70s Jazz. The Sire was a better instrument in terms of spec, but I definitely preferred the 'authentic look' of the Squier.

I have a Cort GB95 which is pretty good, but I feel I can get more options from it quite cheaply, by adding a coil tap for the Seymour Duncan SMB-5D bridge pickup. I would want this to work in the same way it does on a Lakland 55-02. I have the Cort wiring diagram (below), how would I best approach this ? What i'm unsure of: Is the pickup currently wired in series or parallel ? With a 3 way on/on/on (single coil/humbucker/single coil), would I have any phase issues with the existing bridge single coil ? What colour wire goes where ? In the humbucker mode, would it be series or parallel (I think I prefer the latter). What i'm OK with Location of switch inside the base Soldering Thanks in advance. Lakland 55-02 wiring:

The only way is up, don't forget that the £ has inflated since then. £330 in 2004 is equivalent to £540 now, which is about how much a MIM is currently (see https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator)

I'm glad they're diversifying from the usual occasional rarer colours. The Sunset Metallic Super P I quite like, although the pau ferro looks awful (never had and never will have this on a board). However this 2TS Jazz looks like pure crap. It looks likes someone's first attempt at sunburst in a garage with a spray can from Halfords: https://www.andertons.co.uk/brands/squier/squier-40th-anniversary-jazz-bass-vintage-edition-satin-wide-2-colour-sunburst

If it helps, I've been trying to play Panic Attack by Dream Theater for 2 years. I'm just at the point I can do it without any errors.

Have looked up the tab here: https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/mastodon-blood-and-thunder-bass-tab-s12344 It looks simple, but there's some tricky parts eg bars 6 & 8 . Muscle memory is going to be key here. I'll give it a go after dinner and see where the pitfalls are.

I have struggled to sell anything on FB/Gumtree etc, but via comm sale at BassDirect, everything has gone in a couple of weeks at a price I wanted (more than FB !)

I'm doing alright, seen a couple of well priced basses but nothing i'd keep. Since selling 2, i've put more attention on the ones that are actually here, which so far is proving to work well. So much so in fact, i'm considering selling one more of them, but knowing the money would very much burn a hole in my pocket. I'm not sure I have a 'gap' that needs filling, in terms of tone currently.

That's the thing with 'wood finishes', there is a variation in them and it's not guaranteed you'll get the best exemplar of it. I've seen a few with quite a blurry flame/quilt, that one looks quite focused though. That said, my Poplar Burl one is outstanding, i'm posting it again for posturing purposes.

2013 Lakland 55-60 Custom

If that were my collection, i'd be thinning them out (if required) based on duplication. There's 2 P basses and 2 Stingrays. The others look unique enough to be justified.

I have come to the conclusion you have too many hats.

https://dingwallguitars.com/blog/88-general-news/262-fret-marks

That's what happens when you go to BassDirect bored. Great score.

I also had an Combustion NG3, it was something i'd lusted after for a few years, and it was not a disappointment when I got it. However overtime I found myself just preferring 'normal' basses as most of the music I played didn't need a B string at all, and whilst they are as ergonomic as such a long scale can be, it wasn't as comfortable as a 34/35". In the end, I just didn't need such an expensive bass collecting dust and sold it. I think there's a market gap for a mid-range fanned fret that isn't a 'metal' bass (e.g. Ibanez, ESP etc). Gear4Music has the Coliseum 5/6 which is the cheapest going, but poorly ergonomically designed instruments, despite sounding good.