Shop eBay for a 4-valve King that (based on cosmetic condition) HOPEFULLY also has good valves.

There are those (good sound, good tuning, good build quality) that can be found.

Those in your price range will be older and with detachable bells.

Learn the differences between a 1241 and a 2341 ...

LeMark wrote: Mon May 11, 2026 7:40 pm this is a thread about bass. Not specifically about YOU

...so I said, in the first sentence of the thread:

Learn to play the bass guitar.

I'm nearly 70 years old, I'm not going to buy any gadgets - at this point in my life - or pay someone to devalue my vintage equipment.
I had this rig for sale less than a year ago (remember? yes, you do), and thought I would never play again.
I've bought my son both a guitar and a bass with active ...

Since mine are quiet and they generate sounds that I like, and they are actually '70s pickups - rather than things that sound like them, why should I yank them out and throw them in the trash? (Oh yeah: never stuck without a battery, cuz I don't need one).

I thought about pulling out my wireless ...

If I see a used one in nice shape offered up (before I run more of those), I'll hook you up !

If I could find a 5-string that sounded like my old Fender and felt as natural under my left hand (albeit an unavoidably wider neck), and the price was "casual money", I might possibly buy it.

...but (to be clear) I'm really NOT looking.

I keep talking about the neck.

I talk about "intonation" relentlessly.
My old Fender doesn't feature fancy fretting, but (having picked through the individual tuning of each fret on each string, and understand about how to adjust a neck and how to set up a guitar) it's a helluva lot better than ...

The four valve front action E flat tubas (both Besson and Eastman) are good playing tubas, but I just can't manage to physically embrace the "pinky anchor" fingering system - when it comes to four valve compensating.

With the four valve compensating system, the fourth valve becomes more of an F ...

I've never even picked up a Peavey and tried it. I guess I should.

I don't think it would be a good idea - economically - to sand the paint off the 73 Jazz bass, chips and checking aside.

I suspect that any Squier basses with good necks are the ones that people don't sell. :laugh:

I used to sell ...

The only five string I've ever encountered that I could stand to play was a 1970s precision that I converted to a 5-string with a kit that I bought which didn't involve drilling any new holes in the instrument.
The Precision neck is wide enough to accommodate five strings with Jazz bass string ...

I have a lot of respect for lead guitar players who can play jazz and rock solos over chord changes, and not just shred.

The reason why, is because we are asked to do the same sh!t over and over because newly-created ignoramuses do the same Sh!t over and over, and - even though it gets easier and easier for us to un-f-up their stupid sh!t, (simply) it's no longer is any fun, and no longer offers a feeling of ...

I owned a very good one of those. I sold it to someone who liked it more than I did. It still had all of the original lacquer, even though several decades old.. so no sanding or buffing.
I took a picture of it one time out on my deck. I wonder if Klaus snatched that picture up for his collection ...

I locate the choke point down inside, and pick a mouthpiece whereby the small end of the shank stops about 1/8 or possibly 5/32 or 3/16 of an inch back from that choke point.
Others state that they prefer father setbacks (which reveals more of the reverse taper of the receiver incorporated into the ...

Czech instruments are known for being thin. Thin is fine with me if the machine parts are good, the intonation is good, and I like the sound as well.

It's actually more difficult to make a thin walled instrument, and it's a bit luxurious, because it requires more skill to make one that is thin and ...

If everything seems clicky and worn, maybe look into a decent quality set of Chinese exterior sprung linkage.
When when the links themselves are replaced with European links, the rest of that stuff is usually pretty good.

Truth be told, I've studied with three or four (five?) WONDERFUL and VERY INSIGHTFUL individuals (some of the best...and why not seek the insights and criticism of the best?), but
(isn't this more what happens?)
MOSTLY, we strive to imitate the very best of what we hear (with some of us believing ...

I've never viewed these as wonderful, and nor have I ever viewed them as bad. Actually they're pretty good. Back in the 50's, Selmer USA (the importer of Selmer Paris, France instruments) bought Buescher, and the Bundy saxophones were made with Buescher "Aristocrat" tooling (with the old brass wire ...

The sides are friction fit.

I probably spent 15 total hours on it but spread out over several days, and some days I didn't work on it at all.
Remember, I don't work for a store, so there's no boss to hand part of the money to (other than Mrs bloke).