therealting

The stringing...

Arguably the top Fender Custom Shop Master Builder. Even his non-limited-edition Masterbuilt instruments are well over £5k. Not that I’d pay £11k for this!!

I have the Nordstrand NP4 in my ‘64 P, the Bareknuckle 60s in my ‘61 P, the Fender Custom Shop 62 in my MIJ Medium Scale P, plus Yamaha and Dingwall’s own pickups in my BB435 and Super P5. They’re ALL fantastic pickups. (The previous owner of my ‘64 had a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder in there which I hated.)

Ermmm... this is Basschat

I don’t know. If it really is as good as it apparently is (and a friend of mine in New York has just posted a very positive video on it), then it might just be the ultimate practice rig. Wireless, you can take it anywhere, play backing tracks through it, sounds great and doesn’t annoy the neighbours or even wife. Given how much I’ve spent on practice gear for guitar and bass, this could be a game changer.

I am equally comfortable on 4 or 5, but I almost always end up wishing I had the low notes when I play my 4s. I have D-tuners on my Sadowsky 4 and my MIJ medium scale Jazz, but not my MIJ medium scale Precision or my two pre-CBS Precisions.

I am not a fan of the look of earlier BBs, but quite like the 435/735/P35 shape.

I’d love one. I have an MV4, and have had Sadowsky preamps put into a Dingwall Super J and a Dingwall Super P. I am a P guy, and I love what the pre does to P pickups. It obviously works incredibly well with J pickups too. All a matter of taste and what you prefer.

Surely too exciting for Basschat...

They’re completely different instruments in terms of tone, with the BB435 having a P/J layout vs the JJ of the Sire. I have the 435, and will say that after a fret level and dress it’s one of the best necks I’ve played for anything remotely close to the money.

It looks like they both have different types of flatwounds, by the colour of the silks at the bridge end. That will be a big factor. Can’t see the fretboard of the roadwork, is it also maple?

Are you running the EQ on your Deluxe completely flat?

My BB435 is superb, absolutely unbeatable for the money. So much so that I’m considering upgrading it for the P35.

Not sure if you’ve already bought an amp, but I have a suggestion that - in my opinion - is both unbelievably inexpensive and sounds absolutely incredible even at home volumes. The Boss Katana. I have the 100w 1x12” version. Now I know, I know, it’s not a valve amp, and it’s a modeller... but in my opinion for the application you are after, it’s just about unbeatable. As a bit of background, my main instrument is guitar and I do it for a living. I still own a small but very nice collection of valve amps that includes my prized THDs (a Univalve and a Flexi), a VHT (the superb Pittbull Super 30), etc. The one thing that convinced me to ditch them for live gigging use was buying a Kemper six years ago when my Mesa F30 (probably my favourite amp I’ve ever owned, gorgeous clean channel) got stolen. The Kemper gets me extremely close for gig situations and weighs diddly squat. The Boss Katana is virtually as good, IMO. Tweaks just like a normal amp, and the sound AND feel are both extremely good. Bonus is that it has some very good effects too (I pretty much only use the delay and reverb). Most of my pro guitarist mates who’ve tried mine can’t believe how satisfying it is to play. I paid £200 including the very good footswitch. 80% of the time I use the crunch model set to break up when I dig in and be chimey when I don’t. It’s the most inspiring amp I’ve ever had for home use.

In case of interest?

Personally I’d rather have the excuse to have two* basses 😉 *as if I could stick to just having two

Those Rumbles are something else, aren’t they? I have Aguilar, Epifani, Genz and Gallien gear, and I always end up taking my Rumble out.

I love the weathered, checked look - wish my Mustang had it!

I actually do the same with most things - I buy almost all my clothing secondhand (I draw the line at underwear and socks), and have a load of designer wear that I’ve purchased from charity shops, including a £400 All Saints leather jacket that cost me £25 plus £6.99 to have a hole in a pocket repaired. Also for £10k I’d rather own a five year old Audi that originally cost £40k than a brand new Hyundai. 😉

That’s why I almost always buy secondhand - I don’t lose anything if I decide to sell them on later, plus I get a bass that was originally worth twice as much as I paid (as opposed to having a bass that originally cost me twice as much as it’s worth).