Rayman

Same to you pal Does it ever end? I fear not.

I've gone for a set of medium tapes.... I'll see how I go.

I turned 57 yesterday. I feel old. However after 40yrs of GAS, I feel like I'm all but done with the search for basses. Mrs Rayman bought me a beautiful DeArmond Starfire yesterday, so along with my really amazing Sunn Mustang (both fitted with tapes), a Hohner B Bass (bright and punchy) and an Aria Integra 5 (with a beautiful fretboard and low B), I really feel like all instrument options are finally covered. I feel satisfied (yes, we all say that when a new bass comes in). I'm too long in the tooth for endless trading/buying..... so my GAS now turns to the backline. Anyone else feel the same? Or am I kidding myself?

I'm after flats or tapes for a Dearmond Starfire which measures about 31" ..... so is that Short or Medium scale?

I think I’ll keep looking, I’m not sure it’s what I need right now.

Yep….. been there. It’s worse when you take a punt on a bass that you quite fancy, then see the one you really wanted appear the next day, but you now can’t afford it.

Nice. I missed out on one recently, always been on my radar after my bass player for my solo stuff bought one just like that, and sounded fantastic. I just fullfiled my semi urges with a Guild Starfire instead.

Hmmmm yeah, I saw one on Reverb, and wondered about a punt, but aesthetically I'm not sure. Not for metal at all, I was wondering if it was an all rounder or not....

I'm thinking the same. Mrs Rayman concurs. I think something without a racist flag would be more desirable too.

Antonio, made in China, apparently?

Yeah.... The flag, cool as it looks aesthetically , is probably not a very popular moniker, and may as well be a swastika to be honest, far from ideal. As far as the bass goes, I know nothing! It looks decent enough, and way more playable than the one I had 20yrs ago, which although old, was a bit of a dog from what I remember.

Well the guy hasn’t responded as yet to what it is…. But at £300….. surely G4M is a distinct possibility?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rockabilly-Double-bass-3-4-with-pick-ups-/255454937143?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Interesting topic, and I can only comment with my many experiences of mods and the fact that I always ended up moving the bass on anyway after a quest to improve it. Like I’ve said, if you’re keeping it and a few tweaks make it better for you, awesome. However my experience is that ultimately the bass was moved on anyway because I was trying to find something in the instrument that was was never there in the first place.

No big deal at all if you’re going to keep it, like I said a few comments ago. My experience is that a lot of upgraded instruments are moved on anyway, which makes the mods pointless.

That I believe that every instrument, budget or expensive, has its own voice. My Mustang (about to buy another one) was 50 quid. I firmly believe that altering it in any way will take its vibe away, and it’s vibe is awesome as it is. Best p bass I’ve had, and I’ve had a lot. An upgrade would be a backwards step and remove its personality. Buy the right bass in the first place. If you f*** up and don’t like it, move it on. Don’t waste your money on trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Are these any good? Simple as that really!

Apologies if there’s already a thread on this I’m looking at a cheap Upright on the bay, it’s near to me, and only 300 quid. Me and Mrs Rayman are big rockabilly fans, and I fancy this for us both to learn on. It has an awesome (but un PC) confederate flag painted on the back, and with a pinup sticker on the front will look the dogs. I’ve asked the seller to tell me the make, and I suspect he’s going to come back and say Gear 4 Music. Question is are they any good, or should they be avoided? It already has a decent pickup fitted. Any advice welcome

I’ve wasted a lot of money on pointless “upgrades” over the years, usually moving the gear on anyway at a massive financial loss. In my opinion it’s almost always a waste of time and money, and like someone pointed out, an upgrade is a matter of personal opinion anyway. Most basses are just fine as they are. I recently restored a cheap P bass, only replacing the knackered EQ because it didn’t work, and for no other reason. The stock “cheap” pickup sounds fantastic with the new EQ, and banging in an expensive replacement would have been pointless. Modding a bass you love, that you’ll never sell, to tweak it to how you want it is fine, but honestly, how many of us move the gear on anyway? Loads, and asking an inflated price to cover your cost is optimistic at best. Most people will want to do their own mods if the bass needs it. My point……. move gear on in stock condition and let the new owner decide for themselves.