Sparky Mark

I believe so. It was the highest regarded skill on the line.

There's no doubt that the neck is the most expensive component, trusted to higher skilled (ranked) workers. Bodies are pretty much just machined with minimal hand finishing.

Evidence of what please? From CBS ownership onwards, Fender ran a mass production line for all components including necks. Whoever finished the neck, there was no process that guaranteed the best necks were matched to the best of the other parts. There are good and bad examples from all eras, and I cannot believe basses with Sr Torres finished necks are significantly statistically better than others of the same period. Is there evidence of that I wonder?

No, but on the basis necks he worked on would've gone into the general stock pile, they would've been assembled on to the next bass in line. I don't think there's any evidence that a good neck alone makes a good bass.

I imagine his necks are on an equal number of crap Fender basses too.

Nerd alert: Not all manufacturing batch codes and serial numbers include dates within them. The dates may be available from a secondary data base held by the manufacturer for traceability purposes.

My pre EB 1980 Stingray has a similar gap on one side but it's absolutely rock solid and won't shift from that resting position however the neck screws are loosened/removed/replaced/tightened. Not a problem.

https://youtu.be/qBaXXbEPwZQ?feature=shared https://youtube.com/watch?v=GnMfJDNUQ2M&feature=shared

This is my 64 which shows a decent amount of wear, but I do wonder what on earth has happened to some of these ultra worn instruments?

TI's are the only flats I've ever enjoyed playing. I think it's because they are low tension.

I used to own a lovely Bongo 4H and never had an output level issue. The one problem I had was the point of the lower bout digging into my thigh when playing whilst seated. I think that is an ergonomic fail. Standing up it's not a problem.

Hofner make flatwounds, which are about the cheapest out there.

The lack of wear on the neck is inconsistent with the heavy wear on the body. I'd wager the incorrect decal was added following the neck being refinished.

The warmer air in your cabin will rise to the ceiling and likely permeate through the panels and any moisture will condense on a colder surface. Every time you open the cabin door, moist air from your garage will enter and the cycle repeats. Hot drinks and your breathing also add moisture to the cabin air. If the cabin is effectively sealed there's nowhere for the moisture to go other than condense on the cold surface in the ceiling. Ventilation is the best way to reduce humidity in both your garage and cabin and continue with your dehumidifiers.

Contrary to the popular saying, the Customer isn't always right, but is always the Customer.

Agreed, but the BD website does invite calls:-

This seems to be the result of poor customer service training, unless it was Mark you spoke with? If I worked at BD and were too busy at that point to discuss your options, I would've asked for your email address so I could send you links to some relevant cabs in stock when I was able. That shouldn't be too hard and would keep you interested. In my experience, many music shop employees are budding musicians first, with little to no CS training.

They do on the Ignition SE Bassman. The teacups are quite expensive hence not on the very cheapest models. https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/hofner-ignition-violin-bass-se-bassman-sunburst/

Some great photos of Herbie plus some close ups of his 59J (page 2) https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/herbie-flowers