I had 8 come through here. Only a couple made the final cut.
Bluesman Vintage 2T. I've had a couple of these before. I liked this one a lot, but I eventually sold it to fund a 5-string build.
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This Stingray Special is beautiful. I bought it from Sweetwater, but there was a financial issue & I had to return it. A few months later, I tried to buy another one and my Sweetwater rep refused to sell it to me because of the previous return. It turned into a whole big thing. I had to get their management involved. I ended up with a new sales rep
(yay! That last dude was a Richard). But by the time the dust settled, the bass I wanted was gone. Not to be deterred, I found one at Wilcutt Guitars. It was gorgeous, but when I got it in-hand, it had a truss rod that wouldn't hold shape. I ended up having to send it back too. I felt as if the universe was against me. Not to be denied, I've been on the hunt for another one in the right weight-range ever since. Just last night
(literally last night!!), I found one at American Musical Supply that is 8lb 4oz and has amazing wood grain. I won't picture it yet since technically, it was ordered in 2024 but will arrive in 2025. I'm sure there's an NBD to come. And if all goes well, it will be a lifer bass.
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I thought, for sure, this Fodera Monarch 5 would be the bass to end all basses. It was super, super expensive and played/sounded like a dream. But when I found myself not taking it to gigs because I didn't want it to get messed up, I immediately sold it. Too nice to play? Too nice to own... plus I can buy 3 really great basses for the price of this one... lol.
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This is an FCS Empire '58 P. It's everything a p-bass wants to be. I enjoyed playing it. But I was beginning to slow down on gigging, so I began cleaning house. I sold it to a friend in Nashville. He's gigging the heck out of it and loving it! I dig when a bass finds a good home.
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Mike Lull V4. This is, without a doubt, the absolute nicest jazz bass I have ever owned or even played. It is a gorgeous Mary Kaye finish with an ebony neck. Lull's hand wound jazz pickups are phenomenal. Eyes closed, you'd be hard-pressed not to think this bass wasn't active. It's a beast and my instant #1.
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After what seemed like an eternity, my Bluesman Vintage 2T V arrived. Lightweight, beautiful roasted maple neck with rosewood board, Thunderbird pickups and stacked knobs. This bass sounds fantastic. It's kind of like a warm jazz bass. But the real pièce de résistance is the neck pickup solo'd. It is like a glassy p-bass. It's super nice. I've chosen not to keep it because, as stated above, I'm gigging less and have another 5 that's a bit more versatile
(see below). I pretty much cleaned house & this one arrived just a little too late. This BMV is in the classifieds at a
ridiculously reasonable price. It deserves to get played out. I genuinely really hope the right player finds it.
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I bought this on a whim. It's an MTD 530-24. It's absolutely gorgeous. But turns out, I didn't like the sound of the 30" scale at all. It broke my heart because this one-of-a-kind is beautiful and extremely original... I mean, look at the swirl in that neck. Unreal! Unfortunately, the sound was just not for me and it was a bit too expensive to keep on looks alone. I returned it within a week.
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This Sandberg TM5 was a lucky find. I had agreed to do a series of Christmas shows at a large community-wide outreach. It was a big deal with great sound and excellent musicians. Sadly, I had unloaded all my 5-strings and I needed one for this gig. As the rehearsals neared, I stumbled across this at Bass Central. They gave me a killer deal with no sales tax & free shipping. I was shocked at just how good it sounds. I can dial in p-bass tones, MM tones and jazz tones... plus some other interesting combinations. It's probably the most versatile bass I've ever owned. And it's gorgeous. It's as nice as basses I've owned at more than twice the price. Absolutely stellar bass! It also got me playing steel strings again. So punchy!
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Sah-Weet!!!!!!!!!!!! 
