binky_bass

Also reported - Gumtree might take it a bit more seriously if a few people flag it.

One item has arrived safe and sound! If the other also arrives then it will prove to me that not all humans are terrible!!

Though he looked familiar...

You can get a new one from GuitarGuitar for a few pence more. Don't be fooled by the name!!

He is the Kuato to my George.

Alright Arnie!

Don't make me press one of those buttons...

I did check that they weren't 'Stone Cutters'...

I've just bought two items from Gumtree both from different sellers, paid for both via bank transfer, let's see if either actually arrive!! 😂 Livin' on the edge me!

I'm left handed and I started playing bass way back when left handed, then about 3 months in I made the choice to go right handed as there were far far FAR more righties out there than lefties. Definitely glad I made that decision!!

At the end of the day, if their lead time is 3 years, it's FAR better that they are upfront and honest with their customers rather than certain other companies that claim a 6 month lead time and take three times as long. If you know the score when you sign up then you can't fault the company for being honest.

Obviously I meant the wash basket... 🙄

I did look at the Alesis Crimson II myself. It got some good reviews, however the reviews on the Millenium MPS-850 were very convincing. I've now played it for a few hours and I must say that it feels far better, and sounds far better than you'd expect to get at this price point. I did also read that the Alesis stuff is made in the same place as the Fame and Millenium kits, so that would suggest a lot of parts crossover but probably with better chassis for the pads.

3 years is too long for me for any build, but some people do choose to wait! ACG made my last bass - it was half the price of a Wal and was built in 9 months start to finish all by Alan himself. While 'the Wal tone' is unique, my ACG is nothing short of spectacular and has a lot of excessive options too (buckeye top, camphor back, highest spec pups/pre, set neck etc) If you HAVE to have a Wal, then you pay up and you wait, whereas if you want an exceptional instrument for far less money and far less of a wait then there are certain other very very good options to consider.

Nice! It's missing some lego though...

Well, I didn't think I could squeeze any more in, but it happened... Massive upgrade to the drum kit. Had to rearrange the whole room, but everything is in and there's enough room to move and use everything in the room comfortably! Tessellation mastery! Long live the Tiny Studio! 😁

The £12 is the courier's customs and excise handling fee as they have to fill in a bunch of forms and submit it to our lovely Government. So in effect yes, buying from Thomann now will be around £11/£12 dearer per total purchase in excess of £135. From what they told me this morning anyway!!

@TheLowDown - I spoke to Thomann this morning actually, they said that they're currently using UPS for UK deliveries over £135. Their current experience is that UPS are delivering items prior to customs taxes being paid. A week or so after delivery you'll get an invoice from UPS to pay the 20% customs taxes plus a £12 handling fee. Thomann also said that deliveries are currently averaging at 3 - 6 days.

Right, I've done the sensible thing (a hard thing to do!) I've picked up (local and socially distanced) a 1yr old pre-owned Millenium MPS-850 with a Mapex stool, and a few little extras for £275 all in. I think at that price I can really give it a good go, and if I want to go for something Roland etc in a few months I can always shift this on an break even fairly easily.