NBD

[Basshappi]

Very nice, congrats!

[Highlander]

UPS screwed up the collection, apparently... Now delayed until Friday, I know presume...

[Highlander]

Big brown box (with Fender written on it?) sitting in the hall and now being unwrapped...

[Highlander]

Nice...

Some quirks I'll have to think through... no thumb rest... comes with no neck strap point... where should one go...? end strap point is also the jack-socket so a strap-lock is going to be tricky...
Any ideas...?

Delivered with rounds and not flats, so some fretboard marking... ordering some flats as a priority...

[Dave W]

Can't tell from the pics, is there any gap between the fretboard and the top? If so, you may be able to wrap a Höfner strap there. If not, you can wrap it at the headstock just past the nut.

There are alternatives to straplocks, e.g. you can use a rubber Grolsch washer or a Dunlop Lok-strap.

[Pilgrim]

The spot just above the nut is classic folk-guitar, and has worked for me on a couple of basses. just need a good rawhide or nylon tie to thread under the strings.

I use the Ish brand rubber washers, essentially same as Grolsch but without the bonus of beer.  I have the Dunlop locks around too, but the rubber washers seem to work as well on most basses.

[Highlander]

Grolsch is veggie...

No gap at the body, Dave...

[patman]

Learn to rest your thumb on the B string instead of a thumb rest.  Very easy to learn, as you will play the B less than the others, most likely, unless you are in a gospel band.  There are two advantages:

You can play anywhere from bridge to neck with all the different sounds in between.

Once you learn, all fivers and sixers pretty much play the same...you don't have to choose a bass because you like the pickup configuration as a thumb rest.

I second the rubber beer stopper as a straplock...I use washers myself. Cheap and non-invasive.

[nofi]

what patman said.

[Rob]

Mine (6 years ago) came with a pin on the back of the neck heel.  I didn't worry about a strap lock at the jack and it balanced fairly well for its' size.

PS Use string 5 for a rest it will be easy to come off when you want to hit it.
My fave neck is a Fender C so it was basically the same thing with an extra string.

[Highlander]

Cheers Gents... all promising info... going to wait for the strings to arrive (flats are not popular up here, so it seems) so will order a set this evening...