Mrbigstuff

Good: Quite liked a Rockbass Fortress 5 I had many moons ago. It was heavy but not much else wrong with it. Bad: Dislike a Squier VMJ I’m looking after. Frets are sharp as anything and the pickups have no warmth and little low end. Very Good: Sire V7 version 1. Bought it as a home away from home bass and it was excellent. Sold it as I needed to raise cash quickly.

Not better but different, which was my point earlier on. At this price point you are likely getting a well made bass second hand. Preference on Hardware, electronics, ergonomics, aesthetics, setup ect. is going to be down to taste.

At that price point there are lots of options as you will found out from the recommended. What do you like from a bass? If you don’t know, buy second hand and try loads to find out. Sadowsky is not a bad place to start.

It’s a slab fingerboard with clay dots and I’ve seen markings like that before. I would be surprised if the body is original so then I’d be questioning if the neck is a replacement too. It’s easy to attach an original neckplate and tuners to another bass. if it sounds/ plays good then that’d be the best way to judge its value.

David Beckham transcended football and was also known for his fashion. I guess in that sense we (the bass player community) have Bootsy Collins 😅

Fretwork and setup play a massive part in playability and the feel between cheap and expensive. Mostly because the cheaper manufacturing is all machine produced on an assembly line with less QC. After playability everything is nuanced - electronics, woods, aesthetics, craftsmanship, exclusivity ect. I have a mix of both, although the MIM Fender has had work at the Gallery to get it up to scratch.

My guess is the people these are aimed at already have all those and a handful of Foderas too.

Depends. You can either buy a Sire and enjoy it for years or buy another bass and over time trade/ sell/ buy your way up to a Sire.

The thinking was that if it was only the body and neck that were original they wouldn’t be worth £500 in the condition they were in. The pickups could have been anything and the rest of the bass wasn’t original (right down to the neckplate) so that was a concern. Would have been a lot of effort for a potentially problematic bitsa.

I had an opportunity of a ‘77 p bass in a shop for £500 not too long ago. The shop owner couldn’t tell me anything about what was original but from what I could tell it was just the neck and maybe the body (which weighed a tonne). The worst thing is there was no foam left under the pickups so they were miles from the strings. Amazingly it still sold.

If finances allowed, I would have to get a double fitted wardrobe for all the basses I would buy. And no I probably wouldn’t gig most of them - sacrilege I know

I saw that and it looks a cracking example. I preferred the sound of these to the 3EQ stingray I had instead.

Not sure that’s a good price. They were about that new and the newer ones are much improved. In fact, I’d say the Sire I had was better all round than that era of US Fender standards

Yeh I noticed that, think it was also posted on talkbass

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ken-Smith-BT5-Necktru-5-String-Bass-Guitar-/174739671348?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286 lovely pair of binoculars.

That will get a mid-naughties German made Warwick, which is what I would get if it was my money. Having said that I talked myself out of the Yamaha BB5000A that was for sale somewhere.

My mistake. Yes I would need a coated ebony and uncoated rosewood to match as well. Then all 4 in both 4 string and 5 string variants. I’m going to also need a bigger house 🤣

If I had the money I would get it on the grounds that my fretless doesn’t have a coated ebony board. Obviously you need both, right?

Perfect bass for a 40th. Very very special instruments

Get the names of the basschatters who have been on this thread this morning and I’m sure we can work it out

Love that fretless, what a bargain! Fortunately I’ve already got a Jaco like jazz from another superb English builder.

The fact it’s on gumtree will slow down a sale. Wait a little while, offer £1500 which I think is about right and have yourself a superb bass. Still much better value than Fender custom shops.

That looks a beaut

I thought the same. Lot of filler and not much conversation has made it into the article.

I only have 3 basses!