tauzero

My needs are a little different to most others... After a bad bike accident in 2001, the soft tissue damage around the lower edge of my right shoulderblade means that I can't stand up for extended periods, so I took to using a bar stool, not constantly but as something to perch on for a couple of songs now and then (it's easier with the barn dance band than the covers band, I just sit down while the caller is going through the next dance or dragging the potential dancers onto the floor, and most of the time I'm playing the upright anyway). So basses which are comfy both sitting and standing, and in some strange posture with one buttock on the bar stool, are good. Funnily enough, despite me being convex, the concave back of the Warwicks and the flat back of the Tsai 5 are equally comfy (I've only just got the 7 so still getting used to that). Most of the basses I've played would be OK in body terms for my purposes, though the cricket bat Hohner B2 and Westone Quantum that I used to own many years ago wouldn't be so good when sitting (especially the Westone, which didn't have a flip-out bit). I wouldn't like to play a bass seated which had a body much smaller than a Thumb or larger than a Precision, though. Neck-wise, the Warwicks surpass any other bass I've played by quite a margin, and the Tsai is the best 5-string I've played, so I'm happy with them. Oh, and the JD Thumb is a bit lighter than the standard Thumb as it has a slightly shallower body and neck.

Warwick JD Thumb - not the standard Warwick, they've got necks like tree trunks. I've had mine for nearly 20 years now, couldn't resist buying it, even though it was an absolute fortune. I bought a non-JD Thumb more recently for defretting and had the neck skimmed down to the same profile as the JD Thumb. They are the two most playable basses I have ever played.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='81999' date='Oct 31 2007, 11:13 PM']Here's a private listing/hidden ID sale that ended today. Please note that bidder #9 places a bid at just below certain thresholds, now ask yourself this! If you 'genuinely' wanted to buy that bass (which I would have had I an account) then would you place a bid £1 or £10 below a given threshold? Be honest if you did want it you'd at least bid a straight £800 and the wise ebayer would stick a £ or two onto that. Decidedly odd to say the least that bidder #9 actually bid a measly couple of quid (euro) less than amounts that you or I would identify as crucial amounts... or am I just a little jaded? Who knows[/quote] A friend of mine was on the wrong end of an absolutely blatant bit of shill bidding. He'd bid on a telly, was the only bidder and looked like he would get it for a couple of quid. Then another bidder came along, bid quite high so my friend's maximum was exposed, retracted the bid, then bid again, just lower than friend's bid, hence pushing his bid to the maximum.

If the serial number's genuine, it's about 1975. Three-bolt microwobble neck fixing came in in 73 - are there reissues with that on?

[quote name='jhk' post='80372' date='Oct 28 2007, 11:13 AM']So there is another way as direct jack suggests? Does that mean there is some kind of trade-off between the two methods of digitizing signal. what are the advantages of the soundcard interface over the direct lead method?[/quote] They're actually the same - the direct lead input is going to the soundcard that you already have built in to the computer, either as a plug-in card or (very commonly) actually on the motherboard itself. You can get reasonable recording quality from the built-in soundcard - however, the specialist ones, either to go into a PC expansion slot or to connect via USB (for example), will give the best results. [quote name='jhk' post='80372' date='Oct 28 2007, 11:13 AM']For a novice(MOI)what do you guys recommend? Also bear in mind i`m just about to get involved with sequencing software for first time? Possibly some form/edition of cubase ,steinberg thingy. be gentle![/quote] Audacity has been mentioned - that's a very good recording package. However, if you're going to be MIDI sequencing, you need something like Cubase. I mentioned the Tascam US-122 as a possible soundcard, and it should come with Cubase LE, which is a good entry level sequencing and recording package.

Worth having a look at the Tascam US-122. Plenty of them on ebay, going at about 50 quid.

Well, he certainly made a good bass. It's become an icon because it's so recognisable and has spawned huge numbers of copies. The best way to improve it is to throw it away and start again - in a way, its very success has made it something of a dead end as Fender can't really move away from it and any better models they make simply won't penetrate the market. Reproducing the Fender sound is easy anyway - get a modern active bass, leave the strings on for a couple of years, turn the treble right down, then stuff a pillow in front of the speaker. Instant Fender. As a basic beginner bass, the Squier Precisions and Jazzes hold their own - perfectly good instruments at reasonable prices. I'm less convinced these days of the high-end Fenders (I speak as a former Precision owner who still has a soft spot for that particular instrument) - there are plenty of very good basses out there, and Fender seem to be the bass equivalent to Harley, trading a lot on a name as opposed to any discernable superiority of product.

Worro all. I'm a bass player of a bit over 30 years experience, currently based in Birmingham until my divorce is finished and I can get my house in Tamworth back. Currently playing in a covers band, a barn dance band, and (playing guitar) in an acoustic duo with the once and future love of my life. No, not the guitar, the girlfriend. Oh, and the bassist for the house band at an open mic night too. Started playing at university in the 70s, briefly stopped, started again in the early 80s, had a bit of a pause in the 90s, and I've been back in full flight again for the last four years or so. Have played mainly 4-string fretted (and the Warwick JD is my favourite bass, which I've had for nearly 20 years) but am playing quite a bit of 5-string and fretless these days, plus electric upright. The bands, incidentally, are [url="http://www.break-away.org.uk"]Breakaway[/url], [url="http://www.newcoronaband.co.uk"]New Corona Band[/url], and [url="http://www.secondtimeround.org.uk"]Second Time Round[/url]. As an aside, does anyone in the Midlands area know any good agencies? The various bands could do with a few more and better-paying gigs, social clubs these days aren't exactly thriving...