therealting

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1482455860' post='3200795'] I owned one for a while and thought it was a pale imitation of the 'real thing' but obviously it's all down to personal taste [/quote] Likewise I owned a FCS for a while and eventually ended up replacing it with a much better MIJ Fender. I've generally been pretty disappointed by the FCS examples I've tried, bar a couple of roasted maple ones and a Todd Krause Masterbuilt I tried in MusicZoo in New York (they were VERY expensive though, close to vintage prices). Not all Bravewoods are to my taste, particularly the heavily reliced ones which I think look overdone... but I feel the same about the heavily reliced FCS ones, I'm a light relic guy.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1482453877' post='3200792'] If you're going the vintage replica route then I'd go with Fender over any cheap replica builder 7 days a week. They blow away the replica builders and hold value so much better. In all seriousness, the latest Fender CS instruments are so well made and a joy to play. The copyists make a decent effort but their value plummets from new whilst CS Fenders both retain a decent chunk of their original cost and some even appreciate in value [/quote] I'd generally agree with you, but Bravewoods are no cheap replicas, they're much better instruments closer to the Masterbuilts IMO. They also seem to hold their value better than Fenders. Obviously do what you like, it's your money and it's just my opinion.

If you're going the vintage replica route, I'd go with Bravewood over FCS 7 days of the week. I have three from him, one a restoration with a replacement neck and two built from him by hand. They blow the FCS away and are much cheaper to boot.

I have three Bravewoods (well one is a genuine with a Bravewood neck), and they were all done with minimal relicing but a thin skin nitro finish with plenty of checking. The feel thing is immense with these things (: The Fodera though... yeah I don't know.

John at Bravewood has said a spot of superglue will sort it and he has done it loads before. Panic averted (: It is an unbelievable bass. I've played my share of good gear, and this is spectacular. I really like the Fender flats as they are, I expect they'll mellow a little more though.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1480770474' post='3187001'] I used Chromes on my Yamaha BB1025 and the B was clear as a bell all the way up the fretboard [/quote] I use Chromes on my Dingwall Super P5 and the B is great all the way up the neck.

So today I received my 61P from Bravewood, a sort of hybrid genuine bitsa with a few replacement parts (roasted lightly-flamed maple neck with old stock Brazilian rosewood board, refinished body, Bareknuckle 58P pickup, new pots and sprague cap) and the rest all old. It's fantastic: resonant, lively, feels great. One small snag - in transit the G tuner has been knocked, and the flat flap part of the tuning peg head has been knocked loose and swivelled around the rivet. I've moved it back and it seems to be staying in place largely due to friction. I've not had an old bass before, is that normal? Is there an easy way to fix it more permanently without destroying the value and functionality of the tuner and bass?

You can get a secondhand Sadowsky Metro for around the price of a new USA Fender, the difference is unbelievable.

Double basses have around a 41" scale, you have to use a 1-2-4 fingering pattern in lower positions though.

The best thing you can do for yourself when learning to play bass is avoid one-finger-per-string at the lower end of the bass. Have a look at Simandl fingering for double bass and adopt that to electric bass. I'm a guitarist and play Fender-scale basses as well as Dingwalls (32-35").