therealting

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1489517637' post='3257624'] Always! But let's not talk about it in case mummy & daddy get angry about the naughty politics chat. [/quote] I wasn't going to bring up politics at all - it's a basic fact that the pound is weaker against the dollar than it was a year or two ago, whatever people might think of the reasons why that might be so.

Is exchange rate also not part of the reason for the price rise?

[quote name='Mwoit' timestamp='1489273107' post='3255725'] Received two new strings from Neil at Newtone. They fit this time and they are huge! Need to readjust my bass to fit the bigger gauge. Thanks all who posted. [/quote] Let us know how you find them.

[quote name='blablas' timestamp='1489015375' post='3253833'] Do these qualify? The longest string is 36". Both are DIY builds. [/quote] That singlecut is beautiful! My old Dingwall had a 37" B (my current two only have 35" ones)

Count me as another happy owner of a CIJ Mustang. Lovely little bass, and so easy to play.

If I were in the USA, I'd get a roasted maple neck from the Warmoth inventory and bolt that on.

I've just put together a bitsa with a Revelation P body and a Jazz neck, and I've got to say it's not far behind my 61P especially considering the price difference...

Been there! You need to measure from the ball end to behind the nut to be sure. I found Newtone to be really helpful and not expensive so you'll probably get the two you need within a few days.

I believe the Revelations have a standard neck pocket, so just get hold of a Fender-type neck of your choice and bolt it in.

I have a Yamaha Attitude Special. It's a very good bass even before you consider it cost about 1/20th what my 61 P did.

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1488132165' post='3246157'] I'm tempted to scratch the pre-CBS itch with a Precision. And then cobble together a J with a P neck for tones... Most of you will think I'm utterly mad, but, well.. you'd be right. [/quote] Why not? And even then there are different P necks (A/B/C). My 61 has a 44mm neck. My CIJ has a 42mm, and I have played some which have 40mm necks.

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1488126468' post='3246074'] Very true. I love the Jazz tone - so maybe I do need to find a J body with a P neck - but it drops the vintage thing out tho. And now I've tried some pre-CBS precisions... groan.. [/quote] There is no shortage of people who prefer J necks on P basses, so it shouldn't be too hard to make that happen.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1488100074' post='3245726'] One thing that Fender isn't is terrible value for money. Unlike custom builds, Warwick, Yamaha, Cort and Ibanez, they hold their price brilliantly. 15 year old US standard models sell for around £700, about the same they were new. [/quote] They're great value secondhand, you can almost certainly sell them on for what you paid for them... but the same is true for the others. The American Standards might be the same price as they were 15 years ago, but they're production made and not custom built, and that's partly due to the fact that Fender has raised their new prices so dramatically. Pretty much all custom built stuff drops dramatically in value. Secondhand Masterbuilts are typically half the new price. Secondhand Fender Custom Shops are 1/2 - 2/3 of their new price. Personally, the sweet spot for me is buying premium secondhand custom built stuff (as I have done with my Dingwalls, Sadowskys, etc), then spending a couple hundred to customise to my own preferred spec. A customised instrument just for me, at about half the price.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1487945761' post='3244436'] 60's style Jazz options - Fender Custom Shop Sadowsky (modern take - stunning quality) Xotic (modern take - awesome) Flea 60's Roadworn Jazz Bass - 60's styling, great colour, amazing pickups (You'd save a fortune) I wouldn't go all out. Most expensive does not mean better. I personally wouldn't go with a custom builder, apart from Fender. [/quote] But Sadowsky is a custom builder...? Personally, I'd prefer almost any decent option other than Fender if I wanted a custom build. I think they're terrible value for what you get from them.

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1487883139' post='3243934'] Yet more research for me to do [/quote] Love my two (: You didn't say whether you'd rule out fivers.

43mm on that Hohner 5er is still narrower than my 61P! (44mm)

Seems like it would be awfully narrow to me...

[quote name='prowla' timestamp='1487803055' post='3243167'] I thought fanned frets were really cool the first time I noticed them. But they're just a fad. [/quote] I quite like mine, as I do my parallel fret basses. Things go in and out of fashion in this and all other worlds. They do play differently, and for those who like them nothing else is quite the same.

I think fanned frets are also becoming popular because advances in CNC technology mean that they are easier and more affordable to manufacture, meaning more players buy them, making them more affordable to manufacture...

The Fender 9050Ls are just about my favourite flats. I have Chromes on my Dingwall Super P and they are great, TI Flats on my 56 P and 9050Ls on all my other flatwound string basses.