Simon C

I think having a list is a good thing.......probably. I had one last year and lasted the whole of 2023. But I wasn't specific about what I wanted. I had one remaining space on the wall and a good chunk of bonus to spend (with half already donated to the Mrs. C to avoid "why do you need another bass" conversations 😁). So the bass had to be something that really interested me to "win" the final hanging space. I used 2023 to decide what interested me - the "for sale" thread of this Parish, Bass Bros, Bass Gallery etc. are all good places to look. I saw enough things that interested me, that I knew I didn't have to jump in at the 1st shiny (or tastefully battered) thing I saw. Then on New Year's Eve 2023, I'd a couple of white Fender Jazzes and a couple of Sire Jazzes that interested me (all in shops close to home) and 3 or 4 at Bass Gallery (a nice day out in London). I went the 3 miles to Guitar Guitar, mainly to eliminate the Jazz that was there so I could head off to Anderton's and try the 3 there. I walked into GG and there was a second hand Ric 4003 in Walnut on the wall - that interested me more than any of the others, so on 2nd Jan 2024 I bought it. I think the main thing in 2023 was that I wasn't too fussy and knew there'd be something along at some point in 2024 that really interested me. For you: The Sire Z7 shouldn't be a problem. Andertons and Thomann may or may not have any in on 1st Jan 2025, but you can probably hazard a guess that they will at some point in 2025. The White Fender MP Dimension sounds a bit specific and, I suspect, somewhat rare. That feels like a risk to be managed. 😜

I like your content on the Bass Gear Magazine channel. I'm not quite sure why I hadn't subscribed to it - situation now corrected. I can get "entertainment" on loads of other channels so I quite like the change to a little drier with some education. Having said that, I can see that if a channel is lacking "entertainment" regardless of how informative it is, subscribers may be lower than one a more entertaining channel. I'd always struggled to find your own channel - I've just discovered it was because A) I was splitting your name and spelling your surname with 1 "L" [my surname is oft misspelt too 😃 ] B) I'm less competent than I thought with YouTube's search facility. You once did a video on a white Maruszczyk Ellwood which I think is up for sale at The Bass Gallery. I nearly went up to try it due to your review - train times and a Rickenbacker purchase are the reasons I didn't.

Of course. I’m a dedicated follower of fashion 🕺. I’m enjoying the bass so far. I think it will get an outing next month.

Thank you. They come as a pair 😉

I posted these on another thread, but porn is often described as gratuitous........so I'll be gratuitous and post in 2 places.

I think the new truss rod may be a bit earlier. Mine has a 2022 serial number (mid 2022 if you believe the week numbering really does mean the week it was manufactured) and a single truss rod. It surprised both the guitar tech and I when he took the truss rod cover off. He was in the shop when I bought it, so I took it into his workshop for him to give me 5 minutes training on how to adjust a double truss rod. I adjusted it a couple of days ago - there is only one allen bolt to turn. I guess 2022 doesn't mean it appeared in the UK in 2022 though.

I enjoyed abstaining in 2023, and also enjoyed the return to normal life on 2nd Jan 2024. Thus I'm torn between advising where one can currently buy a Walnut 4003, or encouraging you in your abstinence.

If that was Saturday, my daughter was in there (I was a few doors up the road in a Turkish restaurant) . She said it was rammed. She enjoyed the gig.

I really enjoyed the gig I depped for. I learned the songs I didn’t already know (I had to learn about 12 of 15 or 16). 4 or 5 were originals - it was fun doing them. One of them was entered as a candidate for the UK entry to Eurovision ( it didn’t get selected). I did an Instagram diary on the prep with the intent of putting it on YouTube as a guide to prepping to dep (still an intent😜). I had a practice with the guitar player. The gig went well. The key things for me were prep, get a run through with at least one of the band members, then enjoy it. I think it improved me as a musician.

Yes I thought so too. Despite having bought it with a good chunk of my work bonus (of which I gave my missus half) I fully expect to have to justify the purchase once she is up from her sick bed. I've been paving the way by telling the kids that I'd get more than I paid for it if I decided to sell, and by the time I pop my cloggs they'll be able to buy a house each with the proceeds. Hopefully they'll get the message to Mrs. C before I do - it will reduce the information requirement significantly and generally be better received coming from them 🙂.

I bought it from Guitar Guitar in Epsom. It is a 2022 model. If my understanding of the serial numbers is correct then it was built in the 22nd week (a bit coincidental maybe that it's the 22nd week of 2022), but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean it arrived in the UK in 2022. It was pre-owned - the guys in the shop said the previous owner said it was sat in the case which is why he got rid of it. I didn't see any other Rics in there.

Thank you. Sartorial elegance has never been my strong point, so it’s good to know I’ve managed a wardrobe match.

I paid about £300 for it 20 years ago. It plays and sounds great. I’ve never felt the need to look for anything else.

Yes odd that It just fits the space on the wall. There are no more hangers to provide support. So it’s stop buying, or one in one out. Or decide to become a collector (I could fit 7 more hangers in the music room and study). I think I’ll struggle to get that past the missus though - so a simple player I shall stay.

Here you go Dave (and thanks for asking😉) https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/144848-rickenbacker-4003/?do=findComment&comment=5109214

I've had a request for pics of my very recently acquired 4003. I didn't buy anything in 2023 (I completed the abstinence thread), the shop was shut on New Year's Day and it wasn't listed on the web site. So after trying it on New Year's Eve the 2nd Jan was my first purchasing opportunity - duly taken with a deposit down about 20 minutes after the shop opened, balance paid, bass collected and back home by 1:30pm. I went to the shop to try out a pre-owned Fender American Pro Jazz, but saw the Ric so tried it too. I've already got a white jazz (as you can see, albeit fretless) and the Ric interested me way more than the American Pro. It ticks a lot (my wife hopes all) of my remaining gas boxes: A natural finish A maple fretboard that isn't roasted (I have a short scale Ibanez that is beautifully roasted - not shown in the pics as it is headless) Fret markers that aren't dots (though I do have very pretty ones on my acoustic 6 string pictured next to the Ric) An iconic bass that wasn't designed by Leo Fender (there aren't many of them) A sound I don't really get with my other basses, particularly with a pick Although I didn't buy it for the Ric-o-sound, I'm starting to see possibilities which is making me think about affects again (which I didn't beyond those I already had at the start of my abstinence year). (Excuse the slippers - they aren't doing much for my street cred).

I bought a pre-owned 4003 yesterday. I tried it on New Year's Eve (I went in the shop to try a Fender Jazz, and saw the Rick hanging close to it) then got the deposit down as soon as the shop opened on the 2nd. Then down at lunch time to pay the balance and bring it home. It hadn't made it to the web site, not even the 24h preview bit that you need to logon to see. One of the guys in the shop said they'd only had it in a few days and another that he didn't think it would be around for long. So either they do move quickly, or they parted this fool with his cash too easily 🙂

When summer is approaching in the Northern hemisphere, you could try moving to the southern hemisphere. I hear the extreme south of South America is quite chilly at that time of year - I think they even speak some Welsh down there so you'll feel quite at home 😁.

I would have said "yes". But as you are "Hiding in Perthshire" it might be difficult to find you to hand the prize over.

I did promise to share if I purchased "in the next few days". So here goes. As an added bonus, you could even play a game of "Spot the difference."

Ooh - I didn’t buy any keyboard or recording stuff either. So I graduated in the tier 2 abstinence too. Double dose of smug 😜.

I successfully completed the 2023 thread, but have every intention of falling off the wagon this year. Perhaps as early as tomorrow. So I’m out. Having got through 2023, I would like to pass on my top tip though before I forget it. Hopefully you’ll all appreciate the advice and it will help you in 2024: don’t buy anything that isn’t allowed 😁. Good luck all.

I made it through the year. I have enjoyed playing my existing kit. I don’t need anything else, but I do have a work bonus from July / August leading to pent up demand. It could be very soon - a picture will be supplied in the next few days if it is.

Yes, lessons are in the allowable spend. Good luck with them.

Happy New Year to everyone. Assuming no one will be offended that I’ve misread the thread name (for today only) as “How was your gig last year?” here’s our offering from the December Jam Night. No one else did a Christmas set (or song even, other than the host band). I think we made the right shout as it livened up from our set onwards. Our normal guitarist was absent so one of the other guitarists joined us for our set. He’d never played with the singer Vicky before, and he hadn’t seen the set list or chords until an hour or so before we went on, so it was a proper jam. There are a few sound problems with Vicky’s voice early on, but it does improve.