Mrbigstuff

True, one of my big problems with gigging in general is it relies on other people. And we all know drummers tend to be the clumsy ones. I took best instrument to mean most expensive, at least for me they’re the same thing. Mine is an Overwater fretless J4.

I guess this sort of view is what inspired @Al Krow’s question. I guess there is more chance of damage on a gig, but I tend to play anywhere between 30-90 mins a day at home, so not far off a common gig duration. My preference is to own mint or excellent condition instruments.

Nope

Back when I gigged I used to take my Overwater 5 out a bit because a) it always sounded great and b) it had already had a few knocks. However, because I was playing mostly smaller venues it felt overkill and I always thought I looked stupid. Finally I learned that a standard 4 string Fender P that was often left at home was exactly what was required.

Used to enjoy Foulds. Very nearly (and should have) bought one of the original SUB USA EBMM stingrays from them. Stupidly I thought a fully fledged 3EQ would be better, if not as good - it wasn’t. Souncontrol in Derby used to be good too. Bought a few bits from them many moons ago.

Forgot I took a 3/4 DB on trains a few times in my student days. I don’t remember any issues with that one either other than it being awkward to get through even the big ticket barriers

By the time I was playing gear costing £1k plus I had discovered bass chat and was able to trade my way through some fairly nice gear. I might have saved a little money had shops stocked similar instruments to try first but there’s just so much choice out there even the likes of bass direct, bass bros and the bass gallery can’t stock it all. I did try a very nice Dakota custom shop jazz bass in a PMT once. It was a thing of beauty but the £2.5k price tag was a little heavy, and I do wonder how many of those high margin/ high cost items they tended to sell in stores vs online.

Absolutely. I would say just if anyone else needed it there’s rarely harm in using the overheads. After six string guitarists*, there’s nothing worse than the bags on seats crowd on a heaving train. * A joke before I get torched

Never looked at policy either. If it’s busy then a generic soft case should fit overhead, if not choose two seats together and give one to the bass.

Well there’s a Fodera in the classifieds for £5! Same scenario maybe? 😂

Firstly, sorry for the loss of your cousin, that is terrible that it was so short. I agree with everything you said, but would add the caveat that it can also be the opposite scenarios.

Admittedly there are. Even in your scenario though, how long has the instrument been left untouched? Theres risk involved in any second hand purchase and I choose to risk as little as I can.

I must admit I don’t use eBay enough to know of this feature. But with a bass guitar that is enough to put me off because it shows they don’t really know much about the instrument. I then have concerns on maintenance and how it’s been treated under the seller’s ownership, or worse it has been stolen.

Does it out you off the buyer though? It’s either going to be a complete chancer or someone who doesn’t really know what they have and have now lowered it after being made aware. Both scenarios I find off putting for a purchase.

They were losing out to Vinted so just copied their business model

Was going to say the same, It’s obvious where the costs add up. I find it strange that stores tend to stock gear that’s more marketed at beginners. I’d classify myself as a beginner on guitar and hate the idea of having to try gear out in a store, showing everyone how inept I am. However I guess for more advanced players, you sort of know what you want and won’t have an issue buying unseen online as a result, resulting in no footfall for physical shops.

I’ve just seen a bass for sale on Facebook that I would say is way overpriced. £1800 for a MIJ Fender fotoflame! I swear these were generally not much more than £400 not so many years ago. Anyone else seen any examples recently of over ambitious pricing (not including vintage Fenders because we know that’s just the market)?

All the parts on it are pretty common to buy so could well just be a bitsa bass

Glad you like it. I believe the 3 bolt neck tilt was on jazzes only. The finish to me looks more like a varnish on a stripped body. Another common mod of the era.

The stamina required to play like this over a set is incredible. Both physical and mental! The Cory Wong gigs weren’t short either.

Yes easy to see now with the detailed pictures. The original pic looked like a fresh board - can be done - and the frets appeared jumbo size. Obviously now not the case. Shows the importance of the details!

If the neck is Fender, it’s had a new nut, fingerboard, inlays and frets. The body might be but again has been modded beyond meaningful originality. It’s a dog if there ever was one.

I always think I’ve seen it, so have the notorious dealers. I wonder if it’s just the poor photos that have put them off?

Deps tend to have more availability during the week so might be more inclined to take a gig with a lower fee just for the extra income. If your gigs are weekends you’re competing against £150-300 fees for weddings ect. You can’t compare to tour fees because normally they include days when you’re travelling and not playing, and are a guaranteed income.