GrammeFriday

My experience is limited to South Korea and Japan. In Seoul, [size=4]Nakwon Music Arcade is massive, but I prefer [/size][size=4]Music Force (http://basscollection.co.kr/) as they have loads of lovely Roscoes and MTDs as well as the usual suspects.[/size] If you will be visiting Tokyo I can heartily recommend a trip to [size=4]G-Club Shibuya (http://www.kurosawagakki.com/tags/search/4/0/2969.html). More lovely Roscoes and MTDs, and a shedload of other quality basses, all on one dedicated floor.[/size]

If only this were closer to Brummieland! Absolutely love Mr East's playing and wish I could be there.

[quote name='Lee Carter' timestamp='1406297218' post='2510334'] This was a nice stack: [/quote] Love it!

I have a TC RH750 which I use for home practice as well as live. I don't think I've ever even heard the fan switch on while playing at home, and don't know whether this is because the fan is ultra quiet or simply that it has never needed to switch itself on at home, but I suspect the latter as the unit still feels amazingly cool to the touch even after several hours switched on. Overdrive at ultra-low volume is also no problem thanks to the 'TubeTone' dial - crazy distortion without annoying people in the next room, let alone the next house. And it has a fantastic DI socket built in, and it even has a feature that allows you to play along silently using headphones to your iPod/phone. Oh and contrary to what the professional TC knockers on this forum will no doubt be on in a minute to tell you, it sounds great in a live mix too.

A nice problem to have! Really, you can't go wrong with either, but here are a few more opinions for what little they are worth: Build quality: no difference - both are absolutely top notch. Playability: again, both are fabulous, but here's an important difference between the two: the Sandberg neck is quite a lot shallower than the Stingray. For me, this would tip the decision towards the Ray, as I prefer chunkier necks that keep my thumb firmly on the back, but you may prefer the thinner feel of the Sandberg. Sound: as others have said, the Stingray has a more distinctive sound, and it is true that it needs a bit more taming than the Sandberg if you are recording with it, but I don't go along with the 'Rays are a one-trick pony' thing. The Ray is a lot more versatile than it is often given credit for, especially in a live band situation. In another thread on here I recall someone describing the Ray as a 'swiss army knife' for live band playing, and I think that is absolutely right. Having said that, the Sandberg is a great and versatile live bass, too - can't go wrong either way. So … try them both and pick the one that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. For me, the Ray always wins in this test - and I say this as someone who owns a Sandberg (a JM4, not a Basic) and loves it. The Sandberg looks great, plays great and sounds great, but every time I plug in the Ray I get the same "[i]Whoah,[/i] [i]f**k yeah[/i]!' thrill that no other bass seems to be able to deliver.

PS Apologies to the OP for the brief thread hijack!

I have a Kingston Andrew Gouche 5 string and absolutely love it - it's been my main gigging bass ever since I bought it. Hands down the grooviest sounding bass I have ever heard or played, with an astonishing number of different (but equally good) funk and slap tones. But very versatile, too - it can do almost anything except a Stingray sound (and I have a Ray for that anyway!). And the asymmetrical neck I find is a revelation - so comfortable, and it really does promote good technique by keeping your thumb lower down on the back. Highly recommended. My sixer is a secondhand MTD KZ6, upgraded with Nordstrand Dual Blade Neos (as recommended by Mark at Bassdirect). Awesomely powerful sound!

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1406201392' post='2509236'] Depends what your looking for obviously.... Active basses can vary greatly in the sounds they produce depending on the type of preamp... If your after something HiFi and punchy you can't go far wrong with a stingray to be honest. [/quote] +1

20mm? Whoa, that is super-wide! I always thought MTD 6ers (like mine) were considered to have fairly wide spacing at 18mm!

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1406284278' post='2510108'] I did find the spacing on the TRB6 that I had to be somewhat awkward [/quote] too tight or not tight enough?

80s bouffant hair an optional extra!

This might well be just the thing, although I suspect a lot more expensive than what you had in mind: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/241270-overwater-scott-devine-signature/ Also worth a look are shorter scale ACGs, which occasionally come up for sale 2nd hand on BC. From what I have seen he has a real knack with shorter-scale extended range basses. But again I suspect that these too will fall outside your budget. TBH I think you'll struggle to find what you are looking for at used TRB prices, but good luck with it anyway and let us know if you find 'the one'!

Hmmm, plenty of challenging rock basslines out there, but the trick is thinking of stuff that is also crowd-pleasing and danceable. (YYZ, anybody?!) How about Back in Black? Not too difficult for your guitarist, and bassline is very easy for the most part, but there is a slightly more interesting twiddly bit near the end. And you could always spice it up a bit more by doing it this way: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbaq1QJfu2A[/media]

Really nice sounds, and lovely playing - props to you, sir! My only suggestion would be to delete the tambourine from track 2 - the music has enough of a pulse already, and I find the clack-clack sound a bit intrusive. But maybe that's just me!

Sorry to state the obvious, but ... pretty much any Squier VM.

Working and sounding great in Safari on my MBA.

Congratulations, and GLWTS (where S = 'sale[i][b]s[/b][/i]' not 'sale'!)

If you are willing to give soapbars another chance then JuliusGroove's Cort A6 is an absolute steal at £425: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/239768-l425-cort-a6-six-string/ If not, then my recommendation would be to get yourself an MTD KZ6 secondhand (see my avatar pic for precisely such a beastie) and replace the stock soapbar pups (which are the only meh thing about this bass) with a set of Nordstrand Fat Stacks or Dual Coils. This will give you a bass that look gorgeous, plays effortlessly, and has a sound so powerful that it will kill small animals at 500 metres.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1405452358' post='2502073'] Practise time is mistakes time, making mistakes and recognising what you did wrong are the things that make you a better player. [/quote] +1 This is really, really important. Making mistakes is good, because it means that you are playing beyond your comfort zone, which is what you need to do if you want to improve. The key to it, as thisnameistaken says, is to look at mistakes in a different way - as opportunities for learning, not as reasons to beat yourself up.

Just a quick update to say that I gigged PP on Friday evening at the Bournville Working Men's Social Club in Birmingham. Will let you know how much was raised for Cancer Research as soon as I find out myself, and will see if I can track down any pix or video. Next stop, Coventry, Sat 19th July!