JacksonBass

Putting Marmite on it would be more a more authentic addition than a mocking it up to look like you've practiced. Can you imagine someone who does actually practice three hours a day buying a "road worn" bass 🤣

Fender call it "road worn" when they do it. I reckon it's the naffist thing you can do to a guitar - pretend you play it a lot.

Is it called bumping the strings?

Well I've just agreed a purchase on a great instrument. I collect on Saturday, needless to say it was over my budget and in no way local but no surprises there I guess. I'll post photos and details over the weekend. Thanks to everyone for the advice, I sure learned a lot but I suspect there's more questions to come!

[quote name='BaconCheese' timestamp='1482840950' post='3202980'] String height is more or less ok. A good pizz setup is 5,6,7,8 from G to E. Preludes are more or less an arco string and not really good. As much as the string height, it is a question of how the board is "bowed". Typically, basses for orchestra playing have a "bow" or "slope" in the board. You don't want to have that for Jazz... also strings like Evah Pirazzi light are much easier on the hands. [/quote] Yes it has a slope under the E with the ridge between the E and A. It's really hard work making that E stick down. I'm glad it's not just my technique making it such hard work.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1482829703' post='3202890'] [url="http://www.gollihurmusic.com/faq/57-STRINGS_STRING_IDENTIFICATION_CHART.html"]http://www.gollihurm...TION_CHART.html[/url] There you go, For example I have Thomastik Spirocore weichs , if you look at the chart you can see they have red silk at the tailpiece end for that model of string then, the lavender silk at the pegbox end on all four strings shows them to be weichs. Just for info if you see a bass advertised as "has weichs on it" this is what it means. weich- light tension mittle- medium tension stark- heavy tension [/quote] Thanks - a great resource. Using that site I can see they're D'Addario Prelude which fits given the provenance of the DB as a school instrument. The string height at the end of the fingerboard is approx 7mm, none of the strings buzz but it's hard work to get them down hard enough to sound right - maybe it's just supposed to be!

Thanks. There's no brand name obviously on the strings on the DB I've borrowed but they seem devilishly hard work, are orchestral strings harder to work when you're playing jazz?

[quote name='BaconCheese' timestamp='1482666275' post='3202143'] For pizz, a plywood with good strings and a proper setup is absolutely fine. [/quote] Thanks. How do I recognise if it already has good strings - a real newbie question!

Not annoying at all, I've only just put my toe in the water so every viewpoint about potential rocks are helpful ([i]that's enough metaphors. Ed[/i]) The sort of consensus seems to be that [u]in order to get the best value for money[/u] - either get lucky with a nice bass for reasonable money from a good forumite or buy a plywood, ebony fingerboard bass from a luthier who has set it up right. I'll hope for the former but start making the calls to the shops after Christmas, who knows what deals might appear in the New Year

It's tricky the choice between DB and EUB but fundamentally it's about fitting in with the band and for that it means DB. It's playing publicly that's stretched me and made me learn, otherwise it's all just practice zzzzzzz. And let's face it, an EUB can sound awesome but never as cool as a DB - #runforcover

Thanks, I've sent him a message. I've also trawled all the ads in the forum for sale section any other suggestions most welcome.

Thanks, a couple of questions - I'd noticed this ebony/ebonised thing and it sounded like they just painted it black! But what is so crucial about actual ebony? And those links all seem to take me to a German company listing, am I missing something, are there good lower cost DB's available through a U.K. company? If the DB arrives broken etc I don't fancy my chances sorting it out with my non existent German language skills. Thanks!

I suppose I'm trying to spend £600 😬 and I'd prefer used but where do you find well set up ones???