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Has anyone ended up buying a bass from themselves, and if so, how was the haggling conducted? Did you have to drive to a distant motorway service station in order to conduct the transaction in front of a mirror?

With this picture underneath it. 😁

Some people thing they're pointless but my favourite thing about the xmas and new year downtime is the opportunity for reflection and to gain some perspective. Over three last two or three years I've managed to make some real progress following a 10 year hiatus from the bass guitar. This process followed some challenging but realistic new years resolutions: I found a terrific teacher and took some lessons, listened to lots of new and old music, attended local open mic gigs and because of the networking opportunities these offer joined a gigging band. I videoed myself playing and was able to address my duff stage presence and miserable demeanor. I finally smashed my confidence barrier and started singing backing vocals and later took over lead vocals on one song. I've taken a few singing lessons to improve my technique in this area as well. I am now in a new covers band with some great players and I've also taken over bass duties in the local open mic house band which is every week. So finally, my new year resolutions for 2020? 1 I want to become accomplished at reading chord charts so I can open up more varied gigging opportunities; 2 I want to make original music. Covers allow me to scratch one particular itch but I'm craving some deeper creative satisfaction. I think these are realistic aspirations. Does anyone else plan to set themselves any new challenges on 2020? Merry Christmas and happy new year to all BCers 🍻

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OK so, first impressions are almost all positive. I buy B-Stock whenever i can so I don't worry about the first ding, it's already done for me! In this case it's a small mark to the back of the neck. Not a problem, I'll soon add more to keep it company. It balances beautifully, as has been said above, both standing and sitting. The neck goes all the way from the bottom from to the top which I always like in a bass. Seriously though the double cutaway makes the neck look like a landing strip. It's only 22 frets but looks way longer somehow, Extremely comfy to ply up the dusty end which i like a lot. This was bought for it's looks, that's subjective so no point going into how utterly gorgeous it is, those who disagree will only get shirty with me. Neck is straight, plays very nicely. Pick ups are pretty punchy. Not up there with my BB or my Bruce Thomas but those are freakishly powerful pups. Bidge pick up pleasantly pokey (I usually dislike them - often too weedy) and the tone pots actually have a noticeable effect throughout their travel - not just on/off like some. Bridge seems solid and easy to adjust, pick cover not in my way but that's either going to clash with your playing style or it isn't and it's only a couple of screws if you hate it. No buzzes or hums, tuners firm and responsive and accurate. No sharp fret ends, no buzzy frets, no dead spots, intonation is good. Downsides? Well it came set up and in tune (those crazy Germans) but the action is set way too low for me and the strings are zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzingy rounds which I dislike. I get why it's set up to within a half a thou of the fretboard - many people like a low action and often give a positive review of a bass, based partly on how low that can be. Makes sense to ship it really low and have everyone saying Wow the action was great straight out the box rather than I had do a bunch of work to get it right which is off putting for those who can't adjust stuff themselves. But that is literally all I can fault it on. I prefer a higher action and less lively strings - not exactly damning criticism is it? Oh - is it chambered? Well I rapped my knuckles on it and frankly that highly scientific test was inconclusive.

Just leave the bridge as it is and play the damn thing. 😁👍

Mine would be: Spend more time on Basschat Buy more basses Practice less That way nobody is disappointed.

Seasonal Greetings to All S-W Bashers from Scrumpymike and the Scrumpettes! Not long now until we meet again - preparations are well under way 😊

One resolution is that I’m going to spend more time practicing, and less time on basschat (like that’s really gonna happen🙄) 😁

Merry Christmas, everyone!

how about "G'DAE mate" ............has to be read in an aussie accent

Flats on everything for me but when I do need a bit more zing I break out my reserve set of Elites Groundwounds. More zing but none of the cheesegrater twangy metallic horribleness I associate with rounds

You actual can’t win here cant win here can you?! These are familiar shapes that people en masse do like and are ergonomic, and have stood the test of time. If they look and sound great, have a high QC control and feel better than a ‘Fender’ at a great price, have great customer service especially with a hub in the U.K. - then is that not a victory for us as consumers? Why not trade an official Mexican Fender knock off for a UK/USA fender knock off? If they designed something different which look like a child drew a melted candle with a chubby crayon, then you may all silently applause, but the likelihood is y’all wouldn’t rush to buy one and support the venture no matter how good it sounds. As an example So much gets discussed how a P sits in the mix, so a company reproduces that bass that a metric tonne of people use, and they get panned for it. The proof is indeed the fit and finish, rolled neck, neck profile, neck and body feel, pick ups, pre-amp etc. Who knows good be a bloody good set of basses or an absolute turkey, but you know what - they look alright, not offensive in the least

Why, oh why do we get just another round of fenders. Sorry to say that I expected something more and novel. Great amps should equal great and original design in basses, too.

Seasons greetings and festive felicitations to one and all .

I get it now! Chinese Rickenbacker = chickenbacker! I honestly thought it was something to do with chickens!!!

I can think of some on here that would seemingly happily argue with themselves, but now's not the timr......... time, I meant time, definitely time 🤣

Stone me ! We're outta here !

You're a genius! Also: "Listen, love, this was way too cheap to let pass. The seller lost 800 quid on it, ya know..." 😀

Having more than one account so you can express different views seems a bit underhand to me. You might find you're arguing with yourself. No wonder there are frequent threads about mental health!

Dont blame you. I also remember the toilets having a step up in to the room. Quite amusing watching people trip up it lol.

I like it a lot. But you know, we all like different looks. Some people play basses (out of choice) which make me want to take up the oboe.

...and a peaceful non-denominational unspecified winter festival to all.

This came up a very, very long time ago - my suggestion was : "All Your Bass Are Belong To Us". No-one liked it then, no-one'll like it now...

No disrespect to your singer, but we all know that a singer carrying less than usual is moving into the realms of the impossible.

Elixirs all the way. Round and coated. Gimme zing over dull thud every time.

so nothing to do with the gig itself, just the load in. I'll start with the Prince of Wales, Wimbledon. No parking, and load in across 3 busy lanes of traffic on a blind corner. The road is never this quiet at post rush hour gig load in times!

Yup, for the first time since I was a kid. I'm gonna turn more and more of my walking into running, and plan to "compete" in an autumn hill forest run, where I should be able to make the list in the age group 61-65. This year, a guy over 80 was as fast as I was. Next year I wanna run like a 75-year-old, and the year after that like a 65-year-old.

That would fix 'sellers regret' I suppose. "I really wish I hadn't sold that bass........... but look at this one I've just bought!" 😄

I had a bet on that that joke would make it into the first 5 posts. Congratulation ...to you both

Nice to see the word 'Christmas' being used. I'm fed up with getting 'happy holidays' said to me.

If going Zoom, the B1Four is the newer generation, only sightly more expensive but a better sounding selection of amps and distortions! Alternative option is to get a small mixer, e.g. the Behringer MA400 and plug the XLR out from your amp to the XLR input of that.

I FOUND A FAULT! There you go, for anyone who really doesn't want this bass to be any good. One of the five allen bolts used to raise and lower the bridge takes a different size allen key than do all the others. How's that for cheap crap!

The by now Basschat-infamous White Hart in Hemel!

With the internet, social media and good transport you can have a career living anywhere. The last ‘normal bass’ work I did was for a guy I knew from Goldsmiths university who lives in Italy. He sent me files, I sent him files. London is a very expensive place to live, it’s also not the only place where live music takes place. Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool all have very vibrant music scenes. Steve Lawson moved from London, and now lives near me in the West Midlands. I remember him saying that he’s only two hours from London if he needs to go there. You’re a bit further away, it’s not the other side of the world though. The thing with studying music, like I said earlier, it’s not all about your instrument. They’ll teach you arranging and composing, music technology and production, I did a teaching qualification in one of my optional modules. The idea is for a career in the music business, not just as a bass player.

Right hand will help too and I don’t think this is being taken into account. Playing closer to the bridge will produce a little more Mid definition in that B. I’m an over the P pickup player most of the time, naturally moving back between the P and J when it’s something that requires a little more punch and a little less bloom. But I never naturally play over the bridge, which will contribute to me finding the P muddy on a low B, 34 scale, p pickup only. You can make a P sound more Jaco if you play by the bridge. Same need be applied here imo! All about that technique for me!

Think of it as an amp extension! I put mine on top of my amp and run a patch lead from pedal to amp. A used pedal will cost you less than new pups, with the added bonuses of a quality DI, drive feature if you want to add a bit of dirt and you can plug in any bass.

I find the B is pretty good on my P5 - actually better than the B on the Fender Modern Player jazz (humbuckers with coil taps) that I have just parted with. Admittedly it does have a Nordstrand NP5V in it which from what has been said here might be a factor. However, the Jazz actually made way for another P5 which came with an Aguilar AG5P-60 and the B on that sounds just as clear as on my first one.

@Al Krow haven’t you got a huge selection of basses? just choose the one with the best b string and use it a lot... if anything the last 20 odd years of bass playing has taught me in all realms from bedroom up to festivals... string spacing, pickup placement, bolt on, neck through, 30/32/34/35 scale, flats or rounds...all of the gubbins people drone on about; none of it matters... Are you comfortable, can you play it, can you hear it? Nobody in front of the stage gives a toss...literally. They think you’re a guitarist. If you play it and their bottom shakes - you’ve done your job. Dont stress about the minutiae. Just do what makes you happy - if that bass or pickup isn’t working for you; get one that does. just my 2p.

You may also remember The Victoria Club in Aylesbury. No legal parking in front of the club, and the hall is up two flights of stairs, requiring a quick load into the entrance hall downstairs - while keeping an eye on parking wardens - followed by carrying everything up the stairs. Same in reverse at the end of the night. *shivers*

Ned Steinberger told about the deadspots while he developed the L-2. He said he tried to reduce the effect and shaved a serious amount of wood from the headstock. It seemed that the deadspot (or spots) started to climb higher up the neck. He decided to cut the headstock off completely and the deadspot (or spots) went so high, they did not affect the sound anymore. His design is a classic example of the "form follows function". By the way, before you take the saw...

Balance trumps weight for me in the playability stakes... Light AND balanced is the holy grail. My basses are bloody heavy but my back issues are less of the bass playing nature and more of the - sitting on my fat a*se at work in front of a computer for ten hours a day - nature.