kerley

[quote name='macb3th' post='1227408' date='May 11 2011, 12:35 PM']weight is light, very comfortable & size is pretty much the same size as my electric. the tone control offers a good variation too[/quote] Thanks. Picked mine up on way to work so haven't tuned it/set it up yet but it does appear very well made for the low price. Very nice thin neck too and like the overall feel of it. Better stop myself buying a replacement pickup until I have at least plugged it in though...

Against the tide but I love eBay (for selling). Yes there are fees but items generally sell for more money (which is why I don't buy much used stuff from eBay) which makes up for the fees. Paypal is also great and again there are fees but it makes money transfer so easy. The only downside is the amount of idiots who use eBay but that is expected with such a high population of idiots in the country! What I tend to do these days is just list as Buy It Now with immediate payment required so it is impossible to be pissed about but you do lose the opportunity for people to overpay in auction fever.

Agree. The tension will be the same. What I hate about high action is how far the string has to be pressed down and it feels like typing on an old type writer. It will also be slower. Imagine an action of 2cm versus 1mm and how much extra travel and work your fingers have to do for every notE. Okay so no-one has 2cm action but just getting the point across!

Good to know it sounds good as I have one coming this week. For some reason I just prefer short scales as I just feel less stretched (I haven't got small hands or short arms) What is the weight of it like, is the body smaller that a full scale or have they just put a short neck on a 'standard' body size? As for the fret buzz. Could just need a truss rod tweak if the neck is very straight or possibly just raise the E string saddle a bit? Both are very DIY so worth trying. If they don't work then the frets may not be level which is possibly not so DIY...

You can use them for anything (I have for a few months) but it must depend on which one and how it is setup I suppose. I have been using Trubass nylon strings and my fretless doesn't mwah even if I want it to and I have used it exactly as I would a fretted. Which is exactly why I have sold it and got a fretted as I think I was missing the point! As well as making it much harder for myself up past the 9th fret where hitting the notes is much harder. Listen to these and see if they sound particularly fretless. Excuses for sound and ability range from early in morning, all first takes, recorded via video function of £100 stills camera (okay - I am just not that good at playing bass yet but I enjoy it!) [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1MBLDfVJoM"]Fretless 1[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h_4XR8b6Hg"]Fretless 2[/url]

A few examples of "roadworn" merchandise outside of guitars; - Stonewashed jeans (pretty much what everyone wears and stonewashed to make look used - they don't have to go as far as ripping holes in them) - Leather jackets - Shabby chic furniture (very similar to the guitars with wood and wear simulated in the areas it would occur naturally) A comparison to cars however is a poor one as most people restore their cars to be as new and are worth more in that state. But in the same way as cars the trick is to buy when they are cheap and out of favour/not quite old enough and then watch the price rise as the years go by.

Fair enough, some people can't use a file and would probably stuff it up but take the point that it would then be a custom bridge. But then others may be happier using a file than removing neck and shimming it. I stand by the fact it is still only a bridge and worrying about resale seems at odds with the vast amounts most people lose by swapping out basses and amps every 10 minutes

[quote name='KiOgon' post='1214550' date='Apr 29 2011, 08:37 AM']Bl00dy L - some people just like to do things the hard way I s'pose! Or how to bu55er up a Badass [/quote] It is only a bridge, don't get too sentimental! Filing it is an easy option and they are arguably supposed to be filed anyway. Other options would be; - Routing the body to make the bridge sit lower (bit drastic) - Shimming the neck to make the neck higher (which is what I think I tried and had no ill effects and is reversable)

Agree that the extra thickness of the Badass can raise the action and even with the saddles at their lowest can still be higher than the BBOT saddles if they were also set low to give desired action. I had same problem on a P Bass I had a few years back but thought it was just me with my liking for an extremely low action. One thing to do is file some slots as that will lower the strings but not sure how deep you would want to file them. Might be easier to eBay the Badass as they always sell well!

Interesting responses that point to not really being interested in the instrument they play or extending what can be played. The fact that the responses come from people are on a bass forum would suggest to me they are interested. Maybe just more interested than doing their day job...

I took the time to learn how to read a few months ago. I am a bedroom bassist who likes to learn a lot of new material. So for me the big advantage with being able to read is that I can access any material and then learn it. I am not reliant on finding tab (which is largely incorrect anyway!) and I can also play things I haven't heard before (pretty impossible with tab) Another advanage is it forces you into actually learning the notes of the instrument your are playing So been practising here and there for a couple of months but can now sight read basic stuff work through the more complex stuff so it really doesn't take much but I feel I have improved in many areas by doing so. If you are interested in bass/music why wouldn't you do it?

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1197013' date='Apr 12 2011, 04:47 PM']Which is fine until your package gets lost in the post and you can only claim $25 on the insurance. You have to weigh up whether you are prepared to pay a little extra to HMRC or risk losing nearly everything if there's a problem with the delivery.[/quote] Why would I be claiming on insurance, I am the buyer? If the item is lost in the post then the seller will be refunding me and then claiming the loss from the courier. So that is the sellers risk/loss. An even bigger risk is that they get caught for doing it as there are some hefty fines in the US for this. I did not ask them to do it and have no personal risk in them doing it but just pointed out that it was a nice thing for them to do and I would happily use them again in the future.

Even my limited experience with small practice amps is enough to convince me that the room makes a massive difference. Tried out a few amps in a shop and the Marshall MB15 sounded so much more powerful than the competition. Got it home in the bedroom (reasonable place for a practice amp) and it sounded sh*t. Just boom and mud (had to put bass on 0 and mid all the way up and still muddy and boomy) Thought it must just be my bass. Now the warmer weather is here I moved the amp out to my large and emptyish garage and it sounds great. Same amp, same bass but completely different room. However, the Ashdown Tourbus sounded small and weedy in the shop yet sounds okay in the bedroom.

Recently purchased som Hipshot superlight tuners and an A type bridge from US and both were sent with a $25 total listed on the customs form so I didn't pay an extra penny. I have a feeling you may be lucky if you get my drift...

I got hacked off over the years with time wasters on eBay. I now sell everything as Buy It Now and use the buyer must pay immediately via Paypal option. I have lost some potential mug bidders as I am now selling for a price I think it will get but it is so much less hassle it actually makes it enjoyable selling stuff. Some buyers will be fine, some will be a complete nightmare. Whether on eBay or Basschat.

I know nothing about the basses or whether the price is good or bad but I don't need to - it hasn't sold because the price is too high. Just the same with cars, houses and any other second had item. If they don't sell for the listed price then only the seller thinks it is worth that price. If you really want to know what it is worth put it on eBay with a 99p starting price. No, I wouldn't do that either!

For the retail to have a stock indicator and it be false is not good as it is definitely misleading the consumer. However if they had no such indicator it would not really be any better but not deliberately misleading at least. For those that can get away with it is the perfect business model with no money tied up in stock, no need to run any discounts to clear out old stock etc,. If the approach was made clear to the consumer and by running like this the prices were lower (which they should be) then that would be okay. Still can't see it working out too well as it would bit a bit of a lottery on whether the item could actually be acquired by the retailer...

Although the standard measurement for action is at 12th fret, it is actually pretty easy/unstrenuous to fret in the middle of the string. If you are playing down at the first few frets then the strings height in the nut is more of a factor. Guessing you have a "just a nut" so can lower it easily enough at the nut or have you already got it as low as possible? My personal preference is to have the strings very low at the nut so they are just short of buzzing on the first fret which makes fretting on frets 1,2,3 and 4 very easy.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1167354' date='Mar 18 2011, 04:23 PM']....or a guitar player who only solos blindly over minor pentatonics.[/quote] Oh, you've seen my blues improvisation on guitar then. I'm a bassist now though, don't you know.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1167258' date='Mar 18 2011, 03:09 PM']Initially the C will cover them all,but it's also unlikely that you will be learning chord extensions at that point. By the time you get to there,things should be more involved on both instruments,unless of course,as a bass player you are happy and content to never venture beyond the root.[/quote] Good point and tend to agree, although the beginner guitarist may pick a few songs that have some 'unknown' chords in them whereas the bassist can still find that single note with ease. The bass player who is content to play the root is only really the same as the ryhthym guitarist who sticks to common chords I guess.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1167221' date='Mar 18 2011, 02:45 PM']Partly.... If you have never played an instrument before and are just starting,I don't think there is that much difference between the two. Is playing chords that much more difficult? It depends how you are learning then. If you are following chord shapes,then I would argue that it is simply muscle memory,in the same way as using single notes.[/quote] It is more difficult to me, not just the physical aspect but the fact there are many C chords (7 this, add9 that) that may have to be played whereas just the one C root note will cover them all!

Yes, just a lead with a 3.5mm male jack on each end. 99p from eBay.

I have attempted both over the years but enjoy bass more for whatever reason (not because it is necessarily easier) Even when starting the guitar chords are an early thing to grasp. So playing a set of chords with good timing could equate to playing root notes. I would suggest playing the chords is more difficult. - learning them to start with rather than just where one note is - becoming proficient as switching between chords rather than just moving the relevant finger Playing single note lines is pretty much the same once the differences of the instrument are overcome (fewer strings, wider spacing, longer scale versus more string, narrow spacing shorter scale) While I played acoustic guitar I got into bluegrass which is all about high tempo but accurate timing and mostly eighth and quarter notes which wasn't miles away from a fast bassline. Although bass relies more on good timing I would say you need it for all instruments so if that is pretty much a given. Taking an average bass line versus and average lead part I would say the bass is easier. Taking an average bassline versus a rythym guitar part then the bass maybe be more difficult (assuming it is a bit more than root notes!)

I blame the internet. I am always looking at eBay even when I have a bass I think I am happy with. If I had to actually go to shops and trade in what I have I would not be doing it anywhere near as often. eBay allows me to buy used and then sell on to same market (usually at increased price as I list the items more effectively - proper photos and description and good feedback) So swapping basses is not really costing me much yet allows me to play a variety of instruments which is part of the fun for me. I have my fun in the low end of the market (up to £300) and not sure if I would do the same with £2000 instruments as the capital involved is scarier.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1127058' date='Feb 14 2011, 02:07 PM']Search for some setup guides, there are countless ones out there. Read them, understand them, then examine your bass and adjust to your taste. There is no black magic at work here, just a series of simple factors which combine into something which seems to intimidate a lot of people. You can fix this if you just put a bit of time into understanding it.[/quote] +1 Setting up a guitar really isn't a black art. Just a simple set of steps that can be followed in minutes. Once the steps are known/followed then it is just fine tuning after that. The real benefit of knowing yourself is that you can get any bass to exactly how you like it and only you know that.