The Bassist and Guitarist thread

[Cycleops]

Im sure @Drago will spot it.

 

[Drago]

Nope, sorry, it's eluding old Unkie Drago.

 

[Cycleops]

Okay, it’s the bridge. It’s about 1cm too far to the right. If you look you’ll see the RH side is just about in line with the right side of bridge pick up.
Poor QC.

 

[raleighnut]

Just found another basket case on the local sales site.
View attachment 583078

The scrawling is acrylic paint. I managed to remove most of it with alcohol. My customisation said the seller. It's an old SX. Paid fifty quid, probably too much.

Can anyone spot the fault? I didn't at first shouldn't be too hard to fix.
Machine heads are rubbish but Ive got some on the way together with strings from Gear4music.

the neck has been put on skewif

 

[MontyVeda]

... I don't understand why people get moist over USA Fenders when the foreign built ones are often their equal or even better.

Many years ago i had a brief play on a friend's USA built left handed Stratocaster. I was really excited until it was on my lap... then I wasn't taken by it at all. Despite it looking like the bees knees, it just didn't feel right.

Around the same time a battered old Gordon Smith GS1 was knocking about. The manufacturer meant nothing to me. The single pink-up underwhelmed and its thin body made it look like it'd been made from a cheap plank... all in all, a very basic looking guitar. But it felt so nice.

When I could afford a decent electric, I went for the GS1

 

[Salad Dodger]

Maybe SX guitars have improved their quality control over the years.
My SX telecopy, bought new about 3 years ago, is surprisingly capable for a £99 (with gig bag) guitar.
In a perfect world, some better pickups or maybe even tone cap would be handy, but I only play it occasionally so I am not inclined to invest in changing it.....

 

[Drago]

Far too much needless snobbishness in the guitar/bass world with instruments, much like in the shooting world with shotguns. Know nothings say stuff like, "save your money and get a Squier", when in actual fact the Harley Benton is almost always a better finished, better playing, better sounding instrument.

Remember the 70's when people were slagging off - the greatly superior built, better driving, more economical - Japanese cars? How wrong did they turn out to be! It's bad enough that people never learn, but when there is a neat, convenient and very well known historic precedent and people still choose not to learn it beggars belief.

 

[MontyVeda]

just stumbled across a short documentary about Gordon Smith guitars... and my love for mine has just increased ten-fold.

I always assumed the Gordon Smith factory would be a sizable place with lots of staff and a big production line* (a bit like the Martin Guitar factory i toured a decade ago)... but no.

*Turns out it kind of is these days... John and Chris retired in 2015 and flogged their brand to Auden guitars, but as far as i can tell from the GS facebook group, the quality is still top notch.

 

[Drago]

My next bass will be a violin bass of some sort. As a bassist you need one of everyrhing, and as a Beatles fan you gotta have one for obvious reasons.

The Hofner looks fantastic, particularly the Cavern model with the 2 pickups close to the neck.

But the Epiphone Viola is better made, has proper bass tuners, a through neck, sounds great, but still really looks the part.

Im inclined towards the Epiphone, but what do my fellow Brothers in Bass reckon?

 

[Cycleops]

Difficult decision. You should also look at the Harley Benton Beat Bass. I think under £300 including a case which is more or less essential.

Edit: Went to check and it's an incredible £166 with the case at Thomann

 

[Drago]

Bloody hell, forgot about that. Supposed to be a tidy player too.

Edit - currently £119 from Thomann UK, albeit not in stock for 6 or 7 weeks.

 

[ColinJ]

Went to check and it's an incredible £166 with the case at Thomann

I was wondering what the post-Brexit situation is with Thomann orders so I looked it up...

Special Rules for our UK Customers
With the new trade agreement between the EU and the UK, new regulations have been applied to all commercial transactions between the two distinct markets.

As of 01.01.2021 all current prices shown on our UK website do not include VAT 20% (Value Added Tax).
According to the new regulations, the VAT (20%) and additional handling fees will have to be paid to the courier upon delivery with the only exceptions being special VAT-free zones (e.g Channel Islands).

Based on the feedback we have received so far, Government Charges will be collected by UPS and they consist of the 20% VAT plus a small amount for the paperwork involved (usually around 2.5%). There is also an additional amount to be paid to UPS for their service, which is a minimum of 11.50 GBP. As not every order has the same customs requirement, for further information we advise that you check the costs and procedures in advance with the courier locally.

VAT will be added and charged by Thomann GmbH after processing an order only if the net value of the order is equal or less than 135.00 GBP or if delivery will be to Northern Ireland. In these cases, no additional fee will have to be paid upon delivery.

For items exceeding 31 kilos, or heavy goods such as PA equipment, pianos, etc., we have to employ the services of a heavy haulage company. As these new regulations only came into effect a few days before the end of the transition period, delivery by this method of transport to the UK is currently not possible. Further information will be included in our order confirmation email.

Please be assured that with more than 20 years of close cooperation with our UK customers, it is our priority to find new solutions that will allow us to provide door-to-door online prices as soon as possible.

 

[Cycleops]

Here's Abraham Lincoln playing one:

View: https://youtu.be/PstQCZiVt5Q

 

[Drago]

Hhhmmm, less than 135 quid si,mif im reading that right, vety cheap indeed.

 

[Cycleops]

There's a few Hofners on Gumtree.

Vintage also do one:
https://www.jhs.co.uk/products/vintage-violin-bass-reissued