TRBboy

Maybe I should have been clearer at the start, but I did kind of just mean basses that are painted Black generally, not necessarily basses that are absolute Black (although I can see your point BRX). After seeing that lovely Status above, maybe I just need some LEDs! So, does everyone think that Black is suitable for pretty much any situation? (Unless you've got a gig that has a very specific image)

Right, sounds like I just need to get a price for a maple neck for the black one then!

Well this poll is kind of inconclusive then...... although the vast majority have voted "Cool", I think that most of those have a vision of a black/maple p-bass in their head. Maybe I should have made it about my bass specifically! I suppose there's no doubting that black is a cool colour itself, I guess it's just that it does carry a "Metal" stigma with it as far as guitars go, plus it can have a tendency to make a bass look more "budget" than "premium". I think my black one looks okay, but a little dull I guess. The other factor is that I've had an itch for a cherry sunburst/maple/black hardware version for some time...... Maybe I'm just looking for some justification to sell the black one and order that! Thanks for all your replies so far!

[quote name='deanovw' timestamp='1363611405' post='2014662'] Black bass, black jeans, black t-shirt. Thats how I can hide at the back [/quote] I prefer to stand out a bit......... until i make a mistake!

I've never considered myself to be particularly "vain" about my basses but recently I've been thinking about swapping my gloss black bass for something more colourful. I love playing it, it feels and sounds incredible, and has that nice "played in" feel that my new Virgin White one doesn't yet have. A replacement would be exactly the same model (possibly), just a different colour: Am I an idiot? How do you feel about black basses? This is it below (other two now long gone):

Personally, for a backup bass I would keep my eye on eBay for cheap Yamaha 5ers coming up. There's been a BB405 which has been listed twice recently and not sold, so the reserve will probably be coming down again. It got to £132 last time, which is a steal. I got a BB605 (same but with the NE-1 preamp) last year as a backup, and it's astonishingly good for very little money. There's always RBX375s and BB415s and BB615s going too. I think there's a BB615 on here at the moment, and there's a bc'er selling an RBX775 too, very nice and fairly rare now. Obviously I think that Yamaha are great value, especially used, but I'd I was buying a new backup it would probably be a squier jazz 5 of some sort, a Yamaha RBX375 or an Ibanez SR305. EDIT: Sorry, just realised you've already bought something!

Sharay Reed inspires me so much. Really GREAT player, incredible feel, groove and timing. Just wish there were more good quality videos of him showing off his skills. He's such a natural player, barely glances at his bass just feels the music. Love the run around 2:07..... http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pATcvr3zAhg

I can play everything on a 5 that I can on a 4, plus more. Last year I made the move to playing 5s exclusively, because I figured there was no point chopping and changing any more, and I got to the point where if I had taken a 4 to a gig I would often end up thinking "wish I brought the 5!". I now don't own a single 4. I'm not saying that 5s are necessarily better, it's a personal choice, but I guess rather than feeling that a 5 is a bass with an extra string, I now feel like a 4 is a bass with a string missing!(and the neck's too narrow!).

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1363097347' post='2008381'] Done plenty of two shows a day shows, six days a week [some back to back] and had a horror of a Panto in Wolverhampton... two a day back to back and on Saturdays Three shows..... easy peasy... Enjoy the work why it's there. Garry [/quote] True, forgot about panto! Did that a couple of years running, two shows a day, 6 days a week for 6 weeks. That seemed a bit easier though because i didn't have anything else to do and it was finished at about 22:00.

Had a bit of a busy night this Saturday; first time in 15 years of gigging that I've had a gig with two different bands, at different venues, in one night! I had a gig at The Plough in Hereford with my rock covers band, Two Push Charlie, and then a gig with Hereford Soul Choir at the Jailhouse nightclub in Hereford for their Soul, Funk and Motown night. It was a great night, and both gigs went down really well, but man it was tiring! My evening went something like this: 16:00 - Soundcheck with HSC at the Jailhouse. This took a long time..... 18:45 - Pack up and leave Jailhouse, go and get changed, then... 19:30 - Arrive at The Plough and set up (and fit in a quick steak baguette!) 21:00 - Start TPC 1st set 23:20 - Finish TPC 2nd set, and pack up very quickly! 23:40 - Arrive at Jailhouse, set up very quickly (no back entrance, so I had to cart all my gear through the club) 00:00 - Start HSC set 01:00 - Finish HSC set , then pack up (again), have a drink, etc. 03:45 - Go to sleep. I enjoyed the evening, but I think it would kill me if I did it every weekend! Does anyone here regularly do multiple gigs in one evening? Here's a link to a pic from the Jailhouse on the HSC Facebook page: [url="http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/860969_10200551700971710_1776477874_o.jpg"]http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/860969_10200551700971710_1776477874_o.jpg[/url]

[quote name='tubbybloke68' timestamp='1362825454' post='2005213'] Are you as good looking too? :-)) [/quote] Depends how you define good looking..... if you're into guys with beards then yes!

Just came across this young lady on YouTube, and what a fantastic player, great Grove and feel and very technically competent. http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=relmfu&v=lEyJmR7z4ng Found her on Facebook, and it seems that jamiroquai saw her YouTube videos and invited her to join them for the South American leg of their tour!!! Maybe I need to get recording some YouTube vids.......

Another vote for a Yamaha TRB or a Lakland 55-01 here, really great instruments. Ibanez Soundgears are always good, provided t the feel and narrow string spacing suits you. As others have mentioned before, the Ibanez ATK and especially the G&L L2500 are great basses too, but be warned that the necks are pretty chunky (too much so for me). Of course, if you got lucky and found one around the right price, my top recommendation would be a Sandberg! It's worth keeping your eyes peeled......

Thanks for the tip-off as always man!

I've done: Metal/nu metal covers Punk originals Various rock/pop covers bands Other projects (inc. Kinda world music/jazz but I was playing guitar) Folk/pop originals Pit band for professional pantomime (2 years running) Hard Rock/metal originals (underlying through most of the previous too) Rock covers Soul choir + Probably more I can't remember at the moment! As long as I like the music (or it's well paid!), I'm up for anything.

I'd love to try an Esh sometime, they look great and supposedly sound monster. In general I'm very happy with my basses at the moment though and I'm (pretty much) gas free. There is a "Sandberg Love" thread in gear porn if you want.

Very nice sir! I've ended up in the same boat in a way, took a punt on a s/h Sandberg nearly two years ago and haven't looked back. Before then my main bass of about 13-14 years was a USA Jazz, and I also had a 4 and 5 string Yamaha TRB which got used a lot (plus obvs others that came and went...). The Sandberg was like a breath of fresh air, and suddenly made my ol' trusty Jazz feel awkward and uncomfortable! The Jazz was sold soon after....! I've had 5 Sandbergs now, two 4 string Basics, a California PM4 (as was) and I've now settled on two Basic Ken Taylor 5s. I liked the Cali, but it didn't have quite the same feel as the Basics for me, and was a bit heavier. When I got the first Basic KT 5, I really found "the one" for me, sold the two Basic 4s and ordered a custom spec KT5, which arrived just before Christmas. I think they're incredible instruments and massively underrated, especially the Basic series (the model name doesn't help IMHO!). When you can get a hand built instrument to your spec with such great build quality, feel and sound for the same price (or less) than a std USA Fender, I don't see why everyone hasn't got one! In would recommend anyone to try a Basic Ken Taylor if they can get their hands on one, ignore the name and any preconceptions they have, and I think 9/10 people would be blown away!

[quote name='John Cellario' timestamp='1361011394' post='1979674'] Judging by the 'artists' on the web site using Sandbergs, would it be true to say the brand seems to fall into the heavy rock genre. I'm trying to play in a more sort of Jeff Berlin / Scott Devine / Jaco style ....obviously, any style can be played on any bass, but do you know what I mean?... P Basses/Rickys fall in into this rock area whereas as say a Jazz bass is more sort of funk/ jazzy if that makes sense. Image matters!!! [/quote] Personally, I think that you should just play what feels and sounds right to you, not what other people tell you is the right instrument for the genre. I can't understand when people put image above feel/playability! It's not that I'm not concerned with image at all, I just like what I like, not what others like. I've played a Jazz bass in a metal band for years, and a Warwick Thumb 5 in a punk band. Probably the wrong person to talk about this!

[quote name='BigBeatNut' timestamp='1360975103' post='1979462'] Here's a taster ... [/quote] Thanks man!

Just realised that I didn't post my NBD just before Christmas in here. Having the usual trouble uploading pics and that, but here's a link to the thread in bass guitars: basschat.co.uk/topic/194793-nbd-my-new-baby-has-arrived-at-last/page__hl__my%20new%20baby

[quote name='John Cellario' timestamp='1360954380' post='1979056'] I visited PMT in Manchester today just to see and get a feel of Sandberg. I think I'll go for a TM4 in Lake Placid Blue with ebony fingerboard, block inlays and matching headstock...am unsure to get the 'soft ageing' thing or not! Here's a few observations which maybe someone can comment on:- Am I right in thinking the TM4 has a neck measurement at the nut of 38mm. same as a Jazz, which I really like, and the TT4 is slightly wider? The action was slightly higher on the TM4 I tried which threw me a little...I know the basses are set up to exacting standards at the facory...if I lower the action does it comprimise string volume output? The neck also had an oily finish rather than varnish which felt a bit sticky, but I suppose I'll get used to that. The other thing which I've had on my last 2 x Jazz type basses, was that they suffered from the G string being slightly quieter in volume compared to the rest. I know Musicmans and Rickys suffer from the same problem. Maybe my ears are going but in the shop I swear the G was quieter on the TM4. Somebody PLEASE tell me I'm imagining this! Overall though, loved the tone, especially the back pick up boppy Jaco sound...it's a quality piece of kit. [/quote] Glad you got chance to try a couple! Don't think I've ever had chance to a/b a TM and TT, but as far as I know the neck profile is the same, but obviously the VM and VS are different. It's worth remembering that the necks are all hand shaped, so there will be some subtle variations. String height will affect the output quite significantly, to far from the pickups will result in lower output, and too close the pickupmagnets can pull on the strings causing a reduction in vibration and sustain. FWIW, I've played Sandbergs in PMT Birmingham which were appallingly set up! Had I not already owned a couple, I would've concluded that they were horrible to play. Sandberg usually set the pickups with the Bridge pup about 4mm from the strings, and the neck pup about 5mm. Not sure what to say about the stickiness, maybe a previous player had been eating donuts? Seriously though, the neck finish on a new Sandberg is usually a silky smooth satin finish, so not quite sure what's going on there. I've always felt that the string response/output is very even on Sandbergs, much more so than other basses I've had, but maybe it's related to your concerns about the setup/string/pickup height. Personally I wouldn't go for the ageing, but that's all down to personal taste. Any more questions, fire away!