ossyrocks

I see you're in Edinburgh. There's a Precision listed on ebay, with pretty poor pictures, which claims to be a 1970. It looks ok at first glance, but I think you could provide a great service by going to check it out. I thought long and hard about it, but I couldn't justify a full day round trip to see a bass without knowing more. He's open to offers too. Just a thought. Rob

Thanks for all your advice on Precisions @Reggaebass. It really helped a lot.

Yes Sir. Whouda thunk it? It doesn't get in the way either. Thanks for the info.

Well, I'm having quite the week. This beauty arrived by UPS this morning, well packed, and undamaged. Straight out of the case it plays really well, only a little intonation required on the G string, which I'll get done in due course, and fix that long adjustment screw too which appears to be the only non-original part on the bass. It's light, only 8 1/2 lbs, feels great on a strap, and balances well. The neck is sublime, a well rounded deep C profile, and instantly feels comfortable and easier to play than the Squire P-Bass I've been playing for the last couple of months. I've not had chance to try it through my new Markbass rig yet as Mrs Rocks is working from home. I'm supposed to be working too, but a little distraction never hurt anyone did it? I'm chuffed to bits! Cheers, Rob

I’ll give that a try. My target tone is Pino Palladino, John Mayer Trio. It can’t be that hard, right? 😳

I dunno, look at from my perspective, I’ve been playing bass for two months, and if people can put out records like that, with bass lines like that, then I have a very bright future ahead of me!

Cheers Skidder, it will only sound epic once I can actually play “epic”, but I appreciate your optimism and support.

Hi Chaps, Following on from my post in Introductions, and asking about lightweight setups. Today an amp popped up on Facebook Marketplace only 10 minutes away from me in Lancaster. I had been looking at buying a new Markbass CMD 121P, but this was too good to resist. It's been gigged quite a bit, the cab was covered in white cat hair 😂, and it appears the cat liked to exercise it's claws in the cab covering. But it sounded great, works fine, and the price was right. A bit of de-hairing, trimming the plucks and a bit of cleaning and it came together nicely. I now have my first rig! Tomorrow, before noon, my first decent bass (vintage Precision) is arriving too! It feels like Christmas! I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has a similar setup, amp settings etc, as I'm going to have to get used to dialing this in. Cheers, Rob

Be sure to let me know if you list your MB rig. 👍

I am seeing a lot of love for Ashdown stuff here, a LOT. There are a lot of comments regarding their after sales service too, all good I might add. This is the thing that has me concerned about the Markbass CMD121P I kind of had my heart set on. Whilst everyone seems to agree they sound great, if something goes wrong, then you appear to be a little cast adrift, with only one place in the UK able to repair them. Looking online at Ashdown stuff, the Ashdown RM 500-EVO II Lightweight 500w Head can be had for £468.00, and the Ashdown RM-112T-EVO II, Super Lightweight Bass Cabinet for £269.00. This setup is very slightly cheaper than the Markbass combo I was looking at. How do you think the Ashdown rig above would compare to the Markbass CMD121P?

Thanks for that. From what I’m reading, the Markbass combo is quite a warm sounding amp. That’s what I’m looking for. In what ways does it not do what you’re looking for?

Hi chaps, I looking for a lightweight amp, but powerful enough for jams and small gigs. I've never bought a decent bass amp before, but these have caught my eye. If anyone here has experience of them in a live setting please chime in. Cheers, Rob

I have the little Rumble 15 for the house. The next amp I buy needs to be able to cut it at jams and small gigs, does the Orange do that? I've learnt over the years playing guitar that compromising on gear always costs more in the long term too, as I just end up selling and buying something better. The Markbass amps always sound great when I hear a band using them. What are you using? Rob

Hi All, Whilst I've been a member here for about 3 years, I joined in 2019 just to sell one of my step-sons cabs, so this is my first proper post. At the age of 56, a couple of months ago I made the decision to pick up the bass for the first time and see if I could actually play one. I've always admired great bass players, and have always recognised their contribution to making great music. So I bought a cheap Squire P-Bass off Facebook locally and whilst it was in good condition, it was barely playable, the action was over half an inch! I spent a week trying to make it work and in the end I managed it, after putting about four and a half FULL TURNS on the truss rod to get the huge bow out of the neck, some soldering under the guard and some fret polishing. I put some new 40-100 strings on it, and bought a little Rumble 15 amp to practice on. Well, now I'm hooked! I'm slowly improving I think. I'm following a couple of Youtube channels offering lessons, and it does seem to be sinking in. I've played regular guitar for many years, but I have had to completely change my approach in playing bass, my left hand positioning in particular, as well as playing with fingers instead of a pick. I'm mostly into blues, soul, funk with a smattering of blues & classic rock. I'm also hoping that one day I may reach a standard good enough to consider being in a band playing bass. GAS got the better of me this week too. I've been looking at better quality basses, in particular Precision basses, and this week I bought a vintage '73 Precision. The sound I hear in my head, the sound I hear from my favourite players, particularly Pino Palladino, is a Precision. Next on my list is a decent amp, but it needs to be light weight as I have a bit of a bad back. My local shop, Promenade Music sell Markbass stuff, and they have promised to give me a ring when the CMD121P comes back in stock so I can try it out. I know of a couple of people on here already, as they are also on The Fretboard Forum, and I would like to thank them here too for all their help and advice regarding my bass journey and my latest purchase. Anyway, thanks for listening, you haven't heard the last of me. Cheers, Rob