Rayman

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.

You only need one kidney

I have a bit of an obsession, for having two almost identical basses, a #1 and a #2, for gigs. So when I have my #1 bass I have to have virtually the same bass as the spare. Doesn’t have to be exactly the same, colour etc…. But there or thereabouts, ie: two P basses, or two Warwick Streamers… etc Anyone else the same? Or do you like to mix it up?

Ok thanks for that 👍🏻

I’ve always hated gigs, done it for 40yrs, still hate it. As a songwriter and creator, I adore the studio. Always have. The highlight of my musical life was recording a Radio 1 session at Maida Vale in the 80s. Gigs? Can’t really remember any of them.

The ones I've heard sound amazing

I always wonder with brands perceived previously as "budget", if people will pay money like that for their top end instruments. I wonder if snobbery creeps in when you're going to spend over a grand, and having the name "Cort" or "Sire" on the headstock, instead of "Mayones" or "Sadowsky" puts people off? Having heard the Sire V9s/V10s for example, and thinking how incredible they sound, I wonder if some folks looking for a super jazz would fork out for one at that price knowing that the brand is regarded (wrongly) as a budget one?

I just pulled the pickup from my Aria IGB68 5, as I'm thinking of trying something different in it..... any idea what this is? Standard 90s Aria jobby? I'm curious why a "neck" pickup would be by the bridge....

As a song writer, writing my own stuff is much easier to me than having to learn someone else’s songs, and much more fulfilling.

Colin Moulding - XTC He, Tina Weymouth and JJ Brunel were the reason I bought my first bass, a Columbus Jazz, in 1981.