mcnach

I bought a set last week. I just checked and they're still there in the list of bass strings...

My favourite is the Fusion F1 (or the Urban, as the F1 seems to be discontinued and you may still find it in places but it's hard to find). The F1 cost me £115 4 years ago. The Urban is a bit more. I have found nothing as comfortable, with the ability to carry so many accessories, that offers nearly as much protection. I looked at the Ritter range among others, but they're nowhere near the Fusion stuff, in my opinion. I use the Fusion F1 all the time, continuously for 4 years, and it's still in great condition (other than dirt)

I buy mine to order... easy to specify what ends to use (I could make them but I'm lazy for cables)

I do both... I always loop because you never know when someone is going to step on the cable... it gives you a little slack that can prevent damage.

Whether using top or side mounted sockets... 90-degree cable plugs seem a must to me. Normal cable just make me nervous that something/someone will eventually hit it bending it and possibly damaging the socket. Clearly not too much of an issue as most people do just fine without... but that's my take on it.

Not really. It pretty much dictates how it will feel when plucking. It's part of the picture with regards to how a bass feels, but to call it meaningless when in isolation sounds ridiculous to me.

Of course. But a lot of people realise that nut width contributes significantly to their "is this comfortable to play?" verdict. I use anything from my ridiculously narrow Jazz clone at 35mm to my Classic 50s Precision at 45mm... But I'm always going to prefer the 43mm-ish ones, regardless of depth, it turns out.

He upped the RRP to £1700 from around £1300 too, to justify the hike. I imagine it'll be there a while. Nice bass 'though!

Let me guess... would it involve bodily fluids?

It is easy... but I can see your point too. Often I just want things to work, without spending time on them, so if I can pay someone to get it just right, why not? However, let that be by choice. I think a lot of people, especially when not very experienced, they find the whole set up business a bit daunting, when it really isn't and it can be very rewarding as you will be able to get your own instrument exactly the way you want it.

Matt bought a set of DR Hi Beams I bought by mistake... great guy to deal with, easy going and good communications

42mm is the minimum I like... 43-44mm best. I like the Jazz sound but dislike the thin necks... so I've messed about a fair amount with basses to get a Jazz with a wider neck. My latest is a Jazz where I ordered a neck for it... 42mm, not the best but comfortable enough. The thing is that I started out with the thinnest necks I could find, and my preference has changed over time.

Thank you Yes, the journey never ends... strings are a relatively cheap way to transform a bass. It's just that sometimes the transformation is not in the best direction for our taste, but it's fun to experiment nonetheless.

I just tried the Status black nylon tapewounds... They're ok. More 'thumpy' perhaps than D'Addarios, nice feeling (although they do feel very thin despite being the right gauge, the cores being much thinner are noticeable I guess)... Not a bad string and good price. However, the Labella white nylon tapewounds are in a separate higher league as far as I'm concerned. The Status feel like they lack a bit of "oomph" and they don't have that thick low midrange the Labellas have. They're still good, but just not as good, for me.

I left after the description of the first two members. If you start describing them like that and have already been considering the band is going nowhere, and you need a new vocalist... Sounds like you might as well start fresh. One way could be by getting rid off the first two (perhaps by simply starting something with the others... it's done alll the time ;)). Maybe wait until you figure out if the drummer is worth it. A good drummer is worth a lot. So is a singer. Anybody else is more or less replaceable... don't waste time when things don't work out: you'll get stuck and go nowhere.

I went to a gig once where a guy was shooting some unidentified liquid into the mouth of anybody who would want to. I felt very old. Is that really a thing? Ugh.

So I gathered!

True, gigs are getting more and more annoying... but I'm not sure if it's the people or me getting old

A little melodramatic? I see lots of phones... but I do not see any sign of any life being taken away from gigs because of that. I don't like having my view obstructed, but let's not make up stories

Just because you don't need/want your phone it doesn't mean others should do without. As long as they're not holding it up obstructing your view, what do you care?

He'd better not come to see my band, then. We're peaceful but not pacifists

that's probably a very fair assessment