ead

Do Newtone make flats? Couldn't see any evidence on the website.

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1332850081' post='1593879'] Since I can't get hold of the "right" gauges in the D'Addario Chrome flats I'm going to try a set of Thomastik JF344 that get a bit closer to balanced tension at 43-56-70-100 to see if my fingers find it easier to deal with - if only the A had been 75... [/quote] I've had these on the fretless for a couple of weeks now, reset the intonation, and the difference is definitely noticeable compared to my other bass that is strung with a "standard" gauge strings. Feels easier to play across strings - I'd really advise giving a balanced tension set of strings a go next time you are due to change a set of strings.

I'm not sure if there are any pics of me in my BC polo will ask the band WAGs to check. I'm not convinced that there is a camera strong enough to avoid self-destructing when seeking to take a pic of my countenance though I'm a bass palyer for radio listeners I fear - deaf ones at that

I feel you may have me confused with somebody else there Peter...and after a brief bit of googling I now see why! I have inadvertently become associated with Extended Audio Design, but sadly our only common theme appears to be Chorley as I'm a Barefaced abuser, although I did enjoy playing through Alan's EAD cab.

Well this is my first custom build (Mrs ead has helpfully pointed out that it may coincidentally be my last too ). I went up to Moffat on Friday where Alan very kindly spent a lot of time with me offering helpful advice and generally being very patient. What a top bloke, so easy to deal with and made the whole process very enjoyable and informative. The final spec is as follows: 4-string Fretless (unlined) J Type Custom (nearly went for a Finn, but Alan's Jazz body felt slightly more comfortable when I was trying out a few of his excellent basses before making my choices). Body: Butternut, with Mahogany top and a Sycamore accent Neck: 5 piece Maple/Wenge F/B: Al Mec Ebony 20" radius Pickups: 2 x Humbuckers EQ: ACG EQ03 A/P (awesome bit of kit that I feel I will need to "grow into") Brass bridge, black hardware I'll update with pics etc as and when they are available.

+1 for Thomastiks, I've a set of their flats on a fretless and they sound good. I don't think they're tapewound as it looks like there are thin dark lines following the winding so possibly ground wounds? I've nothing to look at them close up, but that's what they look like...

Bert has just bought my P Retro. Payment by cheque was no problem and he was quite happy about it clearing first. Plenty of PMs and a totally stress free transaction. Would highly recommend to all BCers.

Just sold Donny some Fender J p/ups. As has already been said super easy to deal with and totally stress free, thanks very much Donny. Highly recommended to all BCers.

Either Bono or the guy in Razorlight

[quote name='paul j h' timestamp='1333467705' post='1602148'] I currently have 4 basses, but only play at home, i have no immediate plans to gig etc. I recently put my basses up for trade/sale and although i had a number of interesting offers nothing that really jumped out at me and i apologise to anyone i messed around in my deliberations. I want just one "special" bass, i have worked out it has to be ideally 4 string, fretted but beyond that i don't know what it is. I have the value? of my existing basses and around £1000 budget, i realize this is an enivible position to be in but anyone got any suggests what to look at. I like all my basses and they all are great, but there is no love. Is this early onset of GAS. Cheers Paul. [/quote] I'm doing the very same thing. Down to two now and as I've been saving up for a bit my budget is a little higher so I'm going to get and ACG bass just fo me. The timing of the last sale will be critical!

Just bought some Schallers from Jono, very professional, plenty of PMs etc re progress. Would highly recommend to all BCers

Just sold a MIM P to Ben. Really easy to deal with, very reliable, great communications and a top bloke. What more can I say, I would highly recommend Ben to all BCers; trade with confidence.

I've always had a soft spot for Spacer by Sheila B Devotion

Just sold a Warwick Corvette Std to Martyn. Very smooth transaction, plenty of communication and a really nice person. Deal with confidence, highly recommended.

Every little helps

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1333136954' post='1598059'] anyway, we've gone way off topic.... tell us about the ACG you're going to get made... [/quote] I got as far as it's going to be a bass with 4 strings. Quite good progress for an evening's work I feel Oh and there may be a complete absence of frets.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1333136002' post='1598036'] (i even think we are saying more or less the same thing there!) [/quote] Oh good

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1333134655' post='1598017'] Thats why I find it more interesting how Shuker, or ACG or Osprey market themselves. I'm not sure shop based would be the best way for a lot of brands (with the exception of specialised shops) [/quote] I think exclusivity is a big deal here. Balancing marketing spend in whatever form that takes, and its hoped for impact on sales vs. the available capacity to keep lead times realistic for customers so they feel they are getting something special and personalised and are therefore happy to wait for it.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1333131171' post='1597955'] of course it is going to be related! You write a business plan- for a small maker you work out what it costs to build, how much your time is worth and a margin of profit. Add the tax ontop and viola! Bigger companies are going to look at a price point - say £1000 and then design a product that can sell at that price point, covers costs (including marketing) but allows healthy profits for the company and the retailers who sell on. [/quote] With respect I would suggest that as the market is dominated in volume terms and also sales terms by the big players that build to a selling price and that therefore, by and large, it's the SP that dominates the relationship in the market. Similarly for small shops I'm sure if Overwater et al tried selling their basses at Ritter prices (why are they soooo expensive) volumes would take a hit. I think you're correct in that the luthier will try to work out the break even point for his/her wares and then test the price elasticity of the market bearing in mind that once a price point is established it's quite hard to put prices up significantly. Anyway it's a very interesting subject is economics, and excellent for debating!

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1333099602' post='1597260'] I guess like a lot of business people, there are a lot of factors in play, but the main ones in my opinion here are "how much the item actually costs to make" and "how much you can get away with charging". [/quote] On the whole, and with the exception of "cost plus" contracts, I think that the selling price must be relatively unrelated to the cost of manufacture. The SP is much more closely related to the balance of power between buyer and seller hence premium products command premium prices (I know this balance works in the supply side too, but when you're looking at volume selling compared to low volume independents it's not hard to see where the focus will be). In the case of basses I think that the higher labour charge that small independent luthiers will factor in will be offset by relatively low overheads, whilst a large factory churning out instruments will have to cover high overheads but have low unit labour costs. There will be some difference in raw material costs of course, but I suspect that this is not massive. I'm now wondering what the gross margins look like on a £200 Fender-alike, a £1k Fender USA and a £2k+ high end Fender alike. I suspect the MIA Fenders will have the best GM as a percentage. Does anybody know - come on you whistle blowers!? All imho of course!!!

After much soul searching I've been in touch with Alan at ACG to begin to plan for having a custom bass built. Very excited about the whole thing and now saving up for the deposit - not to mention the balance! Spec wise not really got much further than 4 strings and probably fretless. After that will I need to get some advice and ideas (please feel free to chip in - I've been looking at some of Alan's basses on the site for inspiration). The downside is that in order to pay for it I'm going to have to sell pretty much all of my basses , so if you see anything you like please make me a decent offer! This is a necessary step as, patient and lovely as Mrs ead is, I'm still scared to death of unveiling the whole plan at this early stage.