Snag

I re-strung / set up this bass not too long ago. The D-string wasn't that responsive upon tuning. Naturally, the nut slot was to blame but after sorting this out, issue persisted. Something told me to refer to the picture of the headstock featuring the old strings. Took me a while but I finally got it; this new set featured those red braiding seen in the pic above. The D-string's braiding did not fit properly into the string retainer slot. The said slot was filed a wee bit & problem solved. So it pays to actually have picture documentation of what you are working with.

SJ

I'm not putting this here because of the need to celebrate another Fender product. In the wake of recent developments, celebrating anything Fender should be the least of our concern. Anyway, the Paranormal Squier instruments had been around for a while. It's arguably the very few avenues Fender could be more liberal in its feature permutations & this one is a perfect example. In the catalog, this bass is referred to as the Paranormal Thinline P-Bass SJ. The SJ here refers to the pickup configuration which features a single coil (neck) & a Jazz type counterpart (bridge). This, of course, isn't standard feature in Fender products but since its a Squier, they are more willing to try things out. 

Yes, Fender did the Alternate Reality range which are now fragments of our imagination while these  Paranormals continue to intrigue, six years & counting.

SPB

After days of adjustments / re-adjustments, this Squier P-Bass is ready to be returned to its owner. I usually take more time to re-string & set up a bass due to the neck issues. Once the neck is relieved of string tension, it will bow. After re-stringing, it will auto-straighten itself in accordance with the fresh string tension. At times, the neck will return to its correct nature but that's a very rare feat. This is unlike re-stringing a guitar where the neck is not physically vulnerable to changes in tension due to its shorter length. 

After talking to the owner before the re-string / setup started, I convinced him to try a set of flatwounds in view of his preference for a warmer overall tone. Also, this is his chance to experience how smooth & skin friendly flatwound strings are. Diligent wiping after play means the strings would last longer than an average wound set. On that note, check out the discounts for Rotosound strings at Swee Lee.

National Day deals @ SL

Swee Lee is having seasonal discounts (National Day 2026) for selected products. 

I'm attracted to this Fender FSR Hybrid II P-bass. Usually not a finished headstock fan but this one looks very flushed together with the rosewood 'board. That white pickguard adds class, IMO. This is about the only thing I'm interested in this time round 😅

Pic: SL web store

40th gold

I usually get more turned on by maple 'board P-basses but this one, with the block inlays, anodized guard & gold hardware, is just too attractive to ignore.

The J-bass version is equally attractive; that blonde finish is just ace with the rest of the appointments. These are part of Squier's 2022 lineup under its 40th Anniversary group of releases. List prices suggest a SGD1K price tag, might be the first here to be priced as such. Crazy, yes?

Stringless but playable

Spotted at Funan Centre: Fender's P-Bass game controller; the only stringless but totally playable bass... he, he...

Product placement

This is a movie poster, it evidently includes a bass which we all know is a Fender P-bass despite the missing headstock decal. It's an example of product placement in movies, this isn't the first though, we all know School of Rock- that was a blatant intention. You watched Paranormal Activity recently? You'd wonder why the Line 6 Variax guitar was there, yes?