Marc S

I'm in my 2nd spell of bass playing, having taken a huge break from playing (getting married, having my son, work on house, mortgage etc) During my first spell, I had a bit of a "thing" about Rickenbackers. (Runs for cover!) I wanted one, but there was no way I could afford one... Anyhow, at the time, I'd managed to get hold of a Shaftesbury 4001 faker, and it was brilliant. I'd sold all my gear after my band split, as I needed cash for lifes other priorities. After said huge break in playing, I decided I'd like either a genuine Rick, or another Shaftesbury - or at least I'd like to try one again. Anyhow, it took nearly a decade for me to get my hands on another Shaftesbury! Partly because of the whole thing with Fakers and buying / selling them... I also owned a genuine USA Rick, which I've since sold... but the Shaftesbury is going nowhere! No way I'd sell it - it's that good, plus I't be another 10 years before I managed to get hold of another one....

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1484580695' post='3216464'] Well that's several cans of worms all put into the blender! [/quote] Yes indeed, it's several cans of them When you say you've seen several Squiers for more than a Fender original, I take it you mean the like of Japan JV Squiers? These are certainly well regarded by many who own them, and many more who wished they did! As for the "originals" i.e. USA Fenders - these do tend to vary in terms of quality. You get good batches and bad batches, not so good and not bad batches, as well as excellent batches etc. You may also be comparing Squier prices with Fender Mexican made basses? These tend to go for less than a USA model, and again vary as much in quality as any other instrument can. Re newer Squiers, I keep talking about them - so at risk of repeating myself, the Squier Classic Vibe series are absolutely stunning instruments, I owned a Squier CV P bass at the same time as a rather good US P bass. The US P was one of the best I'd played - but it wasn't hugely better than the China made CV P bass - honestly. These are going for a relatively low price - maybe a third or even a quarter of the price of an "original", yet they are just as good, or often better than some US made examples.... Are they that good? - Yes, some of them really are Is it just snobbery to buy a Fender instead of a Squier? - I think sometimes it is, but it's your bass, so you buy the one you want. There certainly was some snobbery around when the early Japan Squiers came out.... I know, cos I heard some people's opinions at the time.... It really shouldn't matter about what name is on the headstock - if you like it, and it's comfy to play and you get the sounds you want from it, and it's reliable - well, who cares about the brand name? Try a few Squiers though - you may be surprised

Fair enough. I like to have one or two differences between my basses though - so I'm more comfortable with different basses.... Perhaps that's a bit odd on my part, but I think I'm more comfortable on other peoples basses than I used to be

I really like the chunkier style of bridge on the CV's. They seem more of a high-mass type. The brass saddles seem really solid too. I don't know about changing the bridge. Personally I'd leave the original bridge in place, in preference to the more standard BBOT bridge. At £215 - I'd go for it! That's a really good price for one IMO. Just change the knobs back to the more standard Fender P type You'd be hard pushed to find anything else that even comes near touching it for that sort of money Hell, if you added another 150 quid to the price, you'd be hard pushed to get anything as good....

Keep a lookout on here for a used Matt Freeman, as others have said Or a used Squier Classic Vibe - they are absolutely awesome basses - you should get one for around £250 and it will blow you away There was one on here recently (EDIT: You could post a wanted ad on here too)

[quote name='TPJ' timestamp='1484308719' post='3214530'] See, a double bass also makes a lovey artistic addition to any room. So, you could argue it's a piece of art and/or furniture which therefor negates your need to sell anything [/quote] Yes indeed. I almost sold my lovely David Gage bass a few months back But Mrs S was very upset! She virtually begged me not to sell.....so I kept it. She loves seeing the DB in the corner of the lounge, and says it's more like a beautiful piece of furniture or a piece of art, and it really just "belongs" there. Whenever I move the DB from its' corner, it looks so "empty" Also, TheRev, I thought you weren't generalising about all EUB's sounding the same - I just wanted to make sure the OP realised that some of the better ones can sound more acoustic DB-like

[quote name='largo' timestamp='1484261774' post='3214245'] Why not just go for a decent set of ear plugs? [/quote] This was my first thought too..... I've been in bands where rehearsal could be a wall of noise - and I well recall trying lots of different approaches, including mics positioned in different locations - in one band I even tried getting someone to record it, so the others could hear what was happening, but I think other members tended to blame the acoustics of the room / the PA / Someone else's amp being too close, or pointing the wrong way etc / the drummer being too loud or changing how hard he played (even when he didn't). So try the simple solution of earplugs first - might even help protect what's left of your hearing..... worth a try anyway? Good luck with it, and hope you find the solution that suits you

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1484215030' post='3213531'] I've no idea on how long the production run is...... ....I would personally jump on one if you can. They will no doubt be subject to yet another price rise soon. [/quote] Or you could sit tight and wait for one to come up second-hand on the marketplace here? I'm sure no matter whether the production run has ended, or how soon before it ends, there are enough of them around for someone to be selling theirs in the near future....

TheRev has a good point - I started off with a Stagg EUB. Not long after this, I bought an acoustic DB. Since then, although I've changed both - I still have both an EUB and a DB BTW. I wouldn't say all EUB's sound the same when amplified, as I have an Eminence EUB, and that can sound very DB-like.... I also like what I've heard from the Yamaha SLB

Hello there. I once had a holiday, in Porec. Lovely place - also liked Portoroz yes, you can sell on here. As others have said, you need to pay an annual fee Don't know how well selling will go for you on here, as the pound is now worth less, since the unmentionable vote Most of all though - please join in and contribute and Hello from South Wales

The thing I like about the Elfin, is not just that it's very small & lightweight - but the bridge is just about the same size as a standard one, and the neck at the heel is also fairly wide. So even if you have fairly fat fingers, it's still easy to "dig in" and play pretty much normally with your right hand. The left hand / spacing takes a little getting used to - particularly when you get around the 12th fret. But I do like this bass, probably more so than my Kala U-Bass..... Yes pete.young, I like the pale blue colour - though I'm not sure if I'd prefer black..... EDIT: The colour & size of this bass mean that in some people's eyes, it looks a bit like a toy... until they hear it of course

Here's a really tiny bass I picked up a few months back. I got it because I wanted something really tiny & lightweight, that I could easily take to pub jam sessions. A local folk club often does pub trips, and we go along to some lovely country pubs and take over the pub with an afternoon-long jam session. We sometimes go on the bus, or cram as many musicians & their gear into as few cars as we can. So I wanted something that didn't occupy the laps of everyone in the back seat - as the car boot is often full! This bass is a Tanglewood "Elfin". I think it's around 25" scale. I don't know its' exact weight, but it's ridiculously light, and whatever pickups they've installed are great - because if you heard this bass while blindfolded - you'd swear it was a full scale P bass. It's a mini monster, and though I don't use it too often..... It's going nowhere - I love it Here it is, pictured alongside my Squier Classic Vibe P bass

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1483807078' post='3210280'] .....There is no TI 30" flats , or I would try them..... [/quote] I'm sure I've seen them in my local music shop Aren't these suitable too? - I know it says 32" - but it does state "Short scale" in the description.... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thomastik-Infeld-JF324-Flat-Wound-Short-Scale-Bass-Guitar-Strings-/322218365772?hash=item4b05b6134c:g:rD8AAOSwbYZXe9Zp"]http://www.ebay.co.u...D8AAOSwbYZXe9Zp[/url]

Ah, that's the spirit! You really have to have a DB to hand, and play it as much as you can, before you decide whether it's for you or not. It's not the sort of thing you can tell from 10 mins in a shop. Glad you bit the bullet. Watch those youtube videos - especially the ones on holding the bass / posture and stance first. Then take your time and be sure to do warm-up exercises and scales. One real positive note, is that if you decide it's not for you - you will probably be able to sell your bass for pretty much what you paid for it I'd still get a luthier, or friendly local BC member to have a quick look over it if you can - make sure the set up is good etc Most of all - welcome to the wonderful world of DB, and good luck

I think maybe they've stopped production already. I could be wrong there, but I know I read that somewhere. I'm not trying to panic / rush you into buying one - but it may be that it's only the existing stock that shops are now selling I had expressed an interest at my local PMT music shop in Cardiff. They had 2 in their original batch, and they sold really quickly. One of the guys there said he'd order me one in for a deposit. He said the deposit was returnable if I didn't like the bass, as it would sell quickly anyway. Saw him just before Xmas, and he said he'd tried to order one for another customer, but couldn't get one atm.... so it may either be that there aren't any available at PMT's suppliers, or that they have indeed stopped the current run..... I dithered and pondered about one of these. Luckily, a local friendly BC'er had taken one in trade, and offered it to me. I didn't "need" it - I already had way too many basses, including my fabulous Roaworn Jazz - but I love my Flea sig EDIT: No QC issues whatsoever - it plays superbly, is quite lightweight and with a gorgeous neck (different to my other RW Jazz) and lovely sound / pickups too......

£600!

Glad that you came back to BC Though you are definitely not old...... trust me

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1483652468' post='3209089'] The K&k Bassmax is a decent sounding pickup thats easy to install. It's also the hottest (loudest) pickup I've used, so if you want a strong signal, that's the one to go for..... [/quote] I have one of these - bought second-hand from this forum, along with a K&K pre-amp, as complete package. It's a great mic and the piezo pickup is really good too. The pre-amp handles the signals from both mic and pickup - via a stereo lead. Both channels then have a separate volume control. Depending on where I'm stood in relation to my amp, I may have to be careful with the level of the mic, or it may feed-back. That said, I have to be stood really close to the amp, or setting the level very high before it does start to feed-back. I recently used my bass on a large stage, with big house PA, and did some studio recording..... (not at the same venue) I had time on both occasions to try just the piezo pickup, and both sound engineers preferred my sound with mic and piezo pickup combined. It did sound good, I must say - the sound was much more akin to the natural, acoustic sound of a DB. Can't comment on the other pickups mentioned above as I've not tried them. I also have an EUB (Eminence) with a shadow pickup & pre-amp, and I think it's not bad for an inexpensive system.

PM sent, as test / further test Marc

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1483606163' post='3208550'] The only solution I can think of is shim the neck or rout a cavity for the bridge. I don't like either of these solutions. If the ever want to change the bridge the rout will be the wrong shape and, as the OP says, it's wrong having a shim in a bass of this value. I'd return it to them. [/quote] Yes, spot on Grangur Send it back. As Karlfer says - be nice to them for as long as you need to I'm sure they'll sort it for you and exchange for another bass Good luck

[quote name='Wylie' timestamp='1483541946' post='3208068'] I have short- and long-scale basses. Hand size, and relative ease of getting around on a short-scale neck aside, play one to see if the string tension of a short suits you. A longer string requires more tension to bring to pitch. After the somewhat floppy strings of my short-scale, my long-scale Fender feels great. [/quote] Tension of the strings is also down to the gauge, and differs between manufacturers and brands too.... I don't particularly get on well with flats for instance (even though I also play DB) but the TI flats on my fretless are amazingly low tension, even though they are full scale. I recently picked up some Neon DR strings too - I like them, but I find they're slightly higher tension than the 2 other brands I'm using; Rotosound and D'Addario (if that's how you spell it! lol).