Marc S

As others have said, there's lots of choice
Not tried a barefaced cab,
I use Markbass gear, and I think it's awesome
It's also relatively lightweight

Phil Jones also do some really small amps & cabs,
which although they're tiny, pack a real punch

Definitely keep your eye on the secondhand section on here
Enjoy the forum

I've got too many basses, and not enough time to play them
I really should sell 1 or 2 of them

But, as others have said, two really is the minimum a gigging bass player should own
When gigging, I always take a spare - I've never needed it
but you just don't know what could happen;
a string snap, the electrics develop a fault, or the battery go dead (if you've got active pickups)

A guitarist pal of mine always carries a spare, in case of strings snapping
The one time he didn't, we was playing in a rough-ish pub
some drunken eejit was dancing & fell on him, breaking the jack plug & damaging the socket...
.... he did manage an on the spot repair - but it was touch & go...

You could always try & seek out a Warwick fretless, if your heart is set on fretless only
- then do a trade in if / when you find one....
Me? I'd keep the vintage Warwick

HI there,
Do you still have this loop station for sale?
PM me if you do....
Cheers
Marc

Your respect for the possibility of the bereavement is highly admirable,
but you have also to be careful just when you open a case
I wouldn't wait too long for this,
as there is also a time limit on when you can open a case,
and a time limit on how long the case can be open for - depending on when you bought the item

I've used ebay a lot, over several years
and honestly, I find it's absolutely fine 99% of the time

I did have a bad experience with a guy who told me exactly the same story
There had been a bereavement in his family
The trouble was, because I'd ordered something that was hand-made
it had a 28 day delivery anyway!
So by the time I'd been fobbed off a few times - the time limit for opening a case had elapsed!

I contacted ebay and told them about the 28 day delivery, and this allowing no time to open a case
but I just got a load of generic replies, informing me I should have opened a case sooner!

If you don't use ebay much, something like this could put you off
But I have to say, apart from this 1 minor incident, and a few niggles - I've found it to be good

Be careful of leaving it too long before you take action though!

Hope it's resolved without any hassle for you

Marc

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1381604025' post='2241352']
Regarding Ricks, hate the neck on mine (it's a real fight compared to a P or Jazz standard), the shape may be pretty but is hard work. However......that tone makes it worth it. Talk about love/hate.
[/quote]

Yes, I've been surprised at some of the comments about Ricks too...

I always loved their sound. The necks on all the ones I've played have been fine
Not the thinnest or fastest I've played, but certainly narrower than any Fender necks
The thing I find uncomfortable about Ricks, is the body shape - looks great
but somehow, it doesn't quite "sit right" for me

.... that, and the awful big square block of a pickup guard
Just can't understand why they'd place something over the strings, right in the way of your right hand

Can't quite see why many folk dislike them...
The company attitude toward their design, and copies is crazy,
but the basses are great - but that's just my opinion....

Back to the subject of my OP
I recently picked up a Burns bass (one of the new ones)
That looked good, but was really uncomfortable to play
It was really top-heavy, so the machine head end of the bass just wanted to tip down to the floor
The small body and the position of the strap holder meant the bottom end of the neck was
a long way away - I could hardly reach F or F# on the E string

Lots of switches/ switch positions too
Which as others have pointed out, seemed to affect the sound much

Not one of the worst I've ever played,
but not a great bass, all the same....

[quote name='ratman' timestamp='1381443557' post='2239376']

There better be a 'hug a bass player' day sometime soon......
[/quote]

Let me know, and I'll keep a low profile that day!
Never met a huggable drummer yet

I've always used all four,
but I've recently taken up the double bass
Many tutors of the DB seem to advocate only using 1 2 4
but try as I might, I can'y help but use the 3rd finger.....

I just can't kick the habit!
Whatever works best for the individual....

Looks like Howard made a fab job of it
Real professional finish

[quote name='benbastin' timestamp='1381312270' post='2237254']
Here's my take on it.

Wood for instrument making is dried for a long time before use, typically at least 30 years. It takes this long to full dry out, and make sure your not going to get any nasty surprises with it warping in funny directions. Then you put the wood through an further long process of carving, bending, tweaking, glueing etc
This all changes the properties of the wood drastically, and the further to that it end up covered in varnish. So when you start to play the instrument, all these different components are going to move, and change. Usually this manifests it self in a feeling of tightness or reduced sound in the case of repair, and an opening up as the instrument begins to vibrate together, as the components become one instrument and not a collection of parts. The wood itself has to get used to its new shape and purpose. It had at least 1 hundred if not 2 to 3 hundred as a tree, then a further 30-40 as a plank, then between a few months and a few years being whittled into an instrument, so its hardly surprising its not immediately happy as a bass or a guitar.

In addition to these considerations is the glue used, especially when dealing with laminates. Instruments are traditionally made using hide glue, which seems to be closer to wood in terms of vibration that other glues such as white glues and epoxy often used in cheaper instruments and mass produced guitars. Hide glue certainly has a minimal affect to the wood. Where as when you use laminate which are often made using white glue or epoxy and extreme cases such as the cheaper range of martin guitars the wood itself it impregnated with epoxy, the glue becomes a huge part of the equation, and takes much longer to bed in.

Any instrument that isn't played regularly will not maintain its sound, thats the best thing you can do for any instrument is play the hell out of it every day.
[/quote]

A pretty comprehensive answer, I think

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1381183275' post='2235642']
So the 'acid sweat' kills the strings and the acidic vinegar revives them. I love musician science.

I'm going to look for threads about how only one type of bass 'cuts through a mix' next. :-)
[/quote]

No, sweat isn't "acid" - the vinegar is. As my post stated
That's not musician science - that's basic science...

The acidic quality of the vinegar helps to break down the gunk that has worked its' way into the windings

When you look for your chosen threads, you may care to actually read the content, before commenting!

Hi Seb,

Welcome to the forum

As already pointed out, the DB and EUB section of the forum is an ideal place to look,
or post the question....

Antoni are generally pretty good basses to start with, I think
I'd also say you had a bit of a bargain there

I was searching for a DB recently, and found none come up in my area
When I saw an Antoni on ebay and suchlike, it generally went to £400 +
So if I'd seen yours - I'd have bought it myself

To get a better DB, you're looking at stepping into the next price bracket I'd say
So keep your eyes peeled for further bargains....

I think you'll find K&K do some nice pickups, which aren't mental money....

Good luck in your research

Marc

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1381236884' post='2236169']
Its a zero fret... some top end basses use them too.
[/quote]

Thanks, I'd forgotten the term...
Still can't quite understand the need for them though....

EDIT: I assume they aren't set quite a deep in the fretboard as the other frets....

I recall seeing a cheap, terrible bass with an extra fret, just behind the nut
- this acted like a nut in itself, and I could never work out why there was ever a need for this additional fret....

A guitarist pal reckons every guitar he's ever played with this "feature" has been awful
Any ideas why manufacturers would have put this in place?
Is it just maybe because the nut they fit can't take the string tension?
If so, why not just fit a better nut?

Bizarre really

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381080662' post='2234143']
Rubbish! Seasick Steve is doing OK.
[/quote]

Absolutely!

Let's stay positive folks.....
There seems to be a bit of a negative vibe on this thread,
maybe it IS difficult to know who will be held in high esteem in 30 years time,

but back to those mentioned in the OP
I wonder when those bassists were first playing,
how many people back then were thinking
"This guy is going to be seen as an innovator in 30 years time" ?

Music is still evolving
I keep discovering new bands all the time
and while at the moment, I can't point a finger at a new rising star of the bass,
I'm sure the consensus was the same before Flea arrived on the scene

Maybe it doesn't matter that no-one is, as yet seen as a future Geddy Lee,
but does this matter, as long as many are still trying to be better bass players?

A few years back, I saw Imagined village, a sort of folk-superstars band
They featured a Cellist by the name of Barney Morse-Brown
who did some amazing work on the Cello, with his sampling gear
and played the Cello like I'd never heard before....

Could be done on bass too!
As long as there's a need for live bands, there'll be a need for bass players
We just gotta keep trying our best, and looking for new approaches

[quote name='Leon Transaxle' timestamp='1381016420' post='2233522']
My first bass - a Satellite short scale bass. Sunburst, and a slidey switch for each microphonic pick up.
Much like this one in fact although I don't remember an ashtray.

[/quote]

I'd forgotten about these!
A pal of mine had a Satellite guitar, which was the same shape,
with similar electrics, switches and pickups...
... and that was truly awful too

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1380892610' post='2232019']
A bass i bought in the 90's and it was a Washburn Force 105ABT. The best way i could describe it is indistinct sounding. I didn't know anything about bass guitars at the time and bought it probably because it was the only 5 string in the shop and I'd never seen anyone playing a 5 so thought it was a good idea to learn to play it.
[/quote]

I thought Washburns were OK?
Mind you, I think I only ever played 2 - very briefly
One of those being an 8 string, which sounded great...
... well, to my ears at the time (long ago)

There's a different model of Kay bass on ebay at the mo
I remember these being around years back too
Never played one, but the look of similar build quality to the Kay I owned

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kay-EB100-bass-guitar-/290989005946?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43c04bdc7a"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kay-EB100-bass-guitar-/290989005946?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43c04bdc7a[/url]

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1380878749' post='2231758']
The Indonesian made Squier I have is perfect.
[/quote]

I know, if you took the badge off mine, and a USA model,
I'd have to say, I'd have thought mine was the more expensive instrument

...and about a fifth of the cost

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1380821148' post='2231135']
Was it one of these? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vintage-Kay-short-scale-bass-guitar-/151131905156?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item233029dc84"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item233029dc84[/url]


[/quote]

Yes, that's the one!
My own nightmare has returned

As I said, I played one a few months back, and it really was just as awful as my old one...
It's a wonder to me now, that I ever continued playing

I see some memories of those Kay SG type basses and Lindo's coming back from others....
Eughhhhh - I shudder
Indeed, entry level instruments just seem so much better nowadays
I've played some really quite nice basses which are relatively cheap

It seems odd that so many people give such varying accounts of Squier basses (and guitars)
A guitarist pal owns a Japanese built strat, which he reckons is the best guitar he's ever played, by a mile

I own a Squier P bass, which has 2 pickups and a J bass neck
It's an Indonesian built guitar, only a couple of years old and it's really nice.
Sounds great through an amp - really impressed by the sound of it through a BIG pa a year or so back
and it's really playable

I used to own 2 USA Fenders
and they were heavy, with chunky necks and not nearly as playable as my Squier
and didn't sound a patch on it

I played a Squier Chinese built P bass, which actually had sharp edges to the neck,
weighed a ton, was hard work to play even though it had supposedly been set up
and the sound was awful - it picked up every passing taxi radio!

I suppose the varying quality of Squiers depends on batches, and which factory they were made at?
Still, they're all more playable than that dreadful Kay

Marc

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1380012948' post='2219370']
Or you could do both at the same time... I was recently playing a tune that required the root and octave to be played at the same time. Actually root, then root and octave. I am very much a pick player. While holding the pick between thumb and forefinger, I down stroked the root and then on the upstroke I plucked the octave with my middle finger at the same time and it worked a treat. I use a very thick pick and tend to play quite softly, so there wasn't even much, obvious, difference in sound. I was well chuffed. After messing around with that style for a while I found it incredibly useful with many possibilities.
I also started including my ring finger for playing stuff like (please excuse my current inability to work out the intervals, or whatever you call 'em...) 4th string 12th fret, 2nd string 14th fret and 1st string 13th fret (I really do know the name for this, I'm sure of it, but it just won't come).

I basically used the pick instead of my thumb, and it allowed me to play everything else without having to retrieve my pick from my gob. Dead handy.
[/quote]

Impressive,
I gave this a quick whirl the other day, and it's not easy is it?
Might suit only certain styles and basslines,
but I'm impressed none the less

BTW. I meant to add, I sold the bass to a guy who just wanted an "ornament" to hang on his wall!

Hi all,

Apologies if anyone has posted this sort of thing before,
I did a search and couldn't find anything too similar..
This was prompted by seeing this post, which is really mainly about the design / style of a bass
But I wanted to know what really awful basses are / were out there
mainly concentrating on matters other than the "look" of an instrument...
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/218700-could-this-be-the-worst-bass/page__p__2230880__hl__worst%20bass__fromsearch__1#entry2230880"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/218700-could-this-be-the-worst-bass/page__p__2230880__hl__worst%20bass__fromsearch__1#entry2230880[/url]

I started playing in the early 80's - with a break of over 20 years,
and resumed playing again several years back....
wish I'd never stopped now, but there we go

When I first started playing, I bought a 2nd hand 3/4 scale bass
which had a Kay logo on the trussrod cover
That's "Kay" the catalogue people at that time

Anyhow, it looked a bit like a sort of Rick shape
but had a bolt-on neck, which was twisted slightly

I didn't really know what I was buying at the time
so I wasn't aware of the twist
It was cheap, and it was all I could afford at the time

The effect of the twist was that you could tune the bass,
but at the last 2 frets the strings (particularly the E and A)
were out of tune.
As soon as I played anything else at least half decent,
I could tell just how awful this bass was

The sound, when played through an amp was just awful too
The pickups must have been rubbish
It didn't put me off playing however
I was just determined to get something better

There were a lot of cheapish guitars around at the time
and I wonder just how many of them have survived,
how many were good, bad, or indifferent

Shortly after this bass, I had a Shaftesbury
and that was a rather nice guitar I now wish I'd had the money to keep
It was a whole different kettle of fish
built in Japan, and at the time, Japanese built guitars were considered not very good
However, I've since seen & played several instruments which disprove that

Back to my 1st bass
A pal of mine (an ex-drummer) recently bought one for his daughter
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it!
Haven't seen one in ages
I gave it a quick whirl, and it really is just firewood
I advised him to get her something better

BTW. He didn't, and she has given up

Anyone else remember these Kay basses?
Or anyone else with memories of terrible guitars?

A lead player old pal of mine shudders at the thought of his first "Jedson"

Cheers

Marc

Sad? - No, of course you're not
You're looking forward to something
And if that something happens to be something you really want...
... you must be happy!

Lucky that nut didn't disintegrate in the middle of your first gig with the bass!

Good job on the new one, and as you say, you now have a nice, custom setup job on the bass
Looking great - wish I had one of these

Welcome to basschat
Yes, you will indeed find lots of advice on here
If you still want to play bass, but don't want to lug heavy gear around
there are plenty of new, lightweight amps around

For example, Markbass (which I use) or Phil Jones
produce some really small lightweight amps that still pack a big punch...

Violin too eh? Nice
Wish I had a tenth of the time I want, to rehearse....
Wish I could learn to play loads of different instruments....
I'd miss the bass, if I didn't play it anymore though...

Cheers
Marc