Marc S

Watching that put a smile on my face this morning. (harmless) Loonies make the world a more entertaining place to live in Thanks for sharing @Happy Jack

Welcome back to the world of bass. I too started playing in the 80's - in Cardiff though, not London - the Manics weren't even well known outside of South Wales back then! I always liked the look of Aria basses, I must say. Had a Fender P and a Shaftesbury Rick copy.... then a Westone Thunder Jet. Back then, everybody I knew, either wanted to be Mark King, Steve Harris, or JJ Burnel - so don't worry about wanting to play slap all the time.... apart from mates into Punk, Rock & Heavy Metal - a lot of folk did... even some of the Punk, Rock & Metal bassists It's a shame you never got to gig much. Personally, I really enjoy it, and with several different genres of band, I play very different locations & venues, to very differing crowds (sometimes only a handful of people at a folk gig - but if one person comes up at the end and says they enjoyed it.... that's fine). That all said, I probably didn't gig frequently enough in my youth. I had an absence from playing of about 25 years - so you're never too old to start gigging - maybe just try an open mic night, with pals? Re your mates Mustang bass - maybe short scales are for you? Or maybe it was just set-up "right" and was one of those basses that just sat right in your hands? I always prefer to play a bass before buying - so It's a shame that we can't get out & about to guitar shops, and to try each others basses in the For Sale section here.... but there are worse things about Covid, of course Hope you enjoy the Short Scale Ibanez - play it as much as time allows, and enjoy. Welcome to BC, and again, welcome back to bass playing "Hwyl Fawr" from South Wales

I think could well be right re the detuning of low tension strings @scrumpymike Incidentally, how does the tension of the La Bella Deep Talkin' Flats compare to the TI's?

Yes, that was my understanding too - I was told (by a guitar shop owner) they were designed with such basses in mind.

Yes, they're definitely not the brightest flat. But I put them on my fretless, and they just worked - they felt like just the right tension, and not too "dull" but nice & deep sounding. I also have them on my Roadworn Jazz, and they sound pretty good on that too. I briefly put some rounds back on that bass, and gave it a whirl - but I put those flats back on the bass.... And I definitely prefer the flats. Edit: I got my most recent set for about £11 or £11.50, if I remember... A really good price for brand new flats imho

I must admit, I'm tempted to get one of these too. How are you getting on with it? Are the strings just cut-down? Or are they specialist strings?

Not a comment about the pickups - but I agree with @JohnDaBass here, and I'm a fan of DiMarzio D123's personally, But I noticed your comment about the gloss finish on your bass' neck...... Have you tried polishing / fine sanding the neck? I've had the same issues with a couple of basses (and a guitar) until a helpful BC'er pointed me in the direction of Micro Mesh polishing cloth. This material can be bought in packs of different grades, in small sheet sizes, and you can even wash them out after use. I bought a pack of a few of the finest grades (3200, 6000, 8000, 12000) and found them really useful on guitars with necks that feel "sticky" - especially when playing in the warmer months. The abrasiveness is very very fine indeed - if you're careful it will leave a protective layer / finish on the wood, but it will take off the top layer of gloss. Obviously, you should do this gradually and take your time - but the "grit" on these cloths is extremely fine.... it's not like taking highly abrasive aluminium oxide paper to your bass! This stuff is used by jewelers and folk restoring old furniture etc. It worked for me anyway, in fact it was a bit of a revelation - I had a couple of guitars I really liked, apart from the stickiness of glossy necks - it made them much more comfortable to play. I can't find the link I got sent for my selection pack - but here's one company on eBay who sell separate sheets (you won't need a pack containing every grade). As I say, you wash the sheets after use and re-use again and again.... EDIT: The higher the number on the sheet, the finer the grade. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Micro-Mesh-Abrasive-Polishing-Cloth-Sheets-9-Grades-7-Sizes-Available/333641208471?hash=item4dae90d297:g:JBkAAOSwMmBVwRtd

Another BC'er nodding in agreement here. I was supposed to have recorded an album for one outfit, and an EP with another.... Plus, missing all my band mates, and missing the rehearsals as much as the gigs, has made my motivation wane. Although, I did do a couple of lockdown YouTube charity events a while back. And I've definitely picked my bass up more than 5 times since March - but my rehearsing / song learning has lost focus Can't wait to see my band mates again

It took me a while to convert to Flats - I think part of my conversion came from playing upright, where flats or flatwound type surface strings are more "the norm" (I know there are many more types of DB string, inc Guts etc) I tried a few different Flats on bass guitar years back, and was put off by their high tension. Then I tried TI's.... and found them too "floppy" Then I tried the TI's on one particular bass (an early CV Precision) and they just worked straight away, and I've grown to like them - on certain basses. Someone said on another thread, that "the bass finds the right strings for it". Maybe there's something in that? Or at least it seems that way when the bass is in your hands? I tried TI's on my Fretless Jazz, and they didn't suit that either - I wanted something higher (but not too high) tension. As soon as I put medium tension strings on a Jazz, I was hooked, and that's my preference now. Something about the tone and the feel - you still get that Jazz "honk" but there's plenty of "thump" in there too. I've got way too many basses - so I keep a couple with rounds on - just to have the option, and I think I'll keep it that way. But I don't think I'll put Flats on a Jazz again - last time I compared a Jazz with Rounds and another with flats, the rounds seemed to produce a hint of a sort of "grating" - perhaps that was just my ageing ears For anyone looking for an inexpensive set of flats - try these. They're not bad at all, and are medium-ish tension. With that seller on eBay, you can put an offer on the strings too.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adagio-FLATWOUND-Bass-Guitar-Strings-Set-45-100-RRP-29-99-Fretless-And-Jazz/332636490116?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4d72ae0984:g:I9gAAOSwmVdbeoyp&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkCrLl8erj3ATP5raQxjc%2F%2BzIq2e1X%2FA%2FWMjoPnIw93BPQFri%2FJZ9%2F2%2FZEVMKQJxNEfDyYP5uza9V%2Ff50%2Fd5HJ3H%2BawyEkiry7PULuwQ6VYoWWhAuonxBhhhi8w4TDfStOOmQyRh1yAi2Nq38br8dCfzWGC31AxfnN2TaDCyWiszMwU74Sq95Ka%2B6XGi%2BEwlfsEftWJIgTAZQ9h3MPHSlqh9e9PV54XXLYAg9Bgt7nxFYqprCgWwr06vSIR0u1asH%2B4sSyHBajjdO2OWihea0mXgJUuVbnkjxjbdoCmLuZWNPfqNkATA4EWAP44lNfmErgEhE2R8slsqMoCW9TazlxrHvHPxzgOI2gXvCPMe%2BuhGWMmaUaU%2Bz0BP7L9hoDyJgbWuJ%2BnLVZ%2BlrfkkYV6qrEYpIUnKEdna5CxKNw64tVycGwRU%2Fdhb04623aYxLBp1VXjPRTrWrg8FIqSp4qKX9phIwxx4pfYWEAc1J91w24GSG4mwaodYIX8vBQLJocgzT%2Bkf2VCKiyPVhTgB3alXfR8q8XXW9G4uA%2BZHiC6ger0fgyVygi%2BHKaw3%2Fq1cWAl1njTRQ00PgIynNtguvMgzpiYbNb%2Bo1NeNSv6%2BZVXGWGNfIqMxVfT%2BrVN0o%2BxKRbph7UCwuRlyLrptBU%2Fr3pJllEAKAI0Q7ECiyfsgFx%2BiTuHHlrREjdTtSsCjLPtRgelIeu6qXQWCLD1SJ8XrtBfT%2Bc%2Fg9a5UYnv8F9m1hBFThfLCApH8LoixCeZVy%2F7doYXSr%2Ftd3QLkyi2HD%2BmFXvkmb0rLscgzDJ1WA%2FflyvowvCxIg%3D|cksum%3A3326364901163b4e03e0ff1042be946f193b422c38fe|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

Only just caught up with this thread. Sorry to hear you had this happen @Raslee However, this is a masterclass from @Andyjr1515, and I've enjoyed seeing the work of a master in action Neat! Hope you at least get a really nice bass from this anyway

Definitely keep your eye on the marketplace here. At the moment, travelling is pretty much a no no. Don't know where you're based, but when I was looking.... none seemed to come up for sale in my area (South Wales). As bassace says, buying second-hand on here, the bass will usually have had some sort of set-up. I've played a couple of new ones, when browsing in shops (pre Covid, obviously) and it was noticeable that those basses really needed a set-up. If you're new to DB, then a badly set up bass may well be off-putting. My first upright was a Stagg EUB, which I bought on a whim, whilst at Cambridge Folk Festival. It was in the music shop in the marquee, it was brand new, and less than half price... so I just bought it there & then. They had only taken it to the festival so that it could be used on stage there, and didn't want to take it back - so I got myself a bargain. My first "proper" acoustic upright was an 80's Boosey & Hawkes, and it was lovely, well set-up, and nice to play - so I'd give and old-ish B&H a thumbs up, as a good place to start. Also, if you decide either that upright is not for you, or you want to upgrade - you should be able to recoup your money if you opt for second-hand - just be sure to play it before buying. If you buy from someone here on BC, you're taking less of a risk than buying from eBay IMO. Alternatively, you could look at buying second-hand from a reputable instrument shop (when we can visit them again) Hobgoblin in Bristol occasionally get DB's in (they have other shops in the UK). Moreover, good luck with your search - be patient.... and enjoy your foray into the world of upright bass

I've got the Blackstar amplug. It's exactly the same (I'm told they're made in the same factory). I find the drum machine / metronome quite handy - a useful excersise, especially as I can't jam with any drummer pals ATM it is a bit noisy with the gain turned up - so I keep that low to mid setting. It's a useful little device imo. Seems ok build quality... But I've only had it about 5 months, so I don't know if it will last longer than some folk on here have mentioned. i have a pair of the Vox amp-headphones, and those sound pretty good, they haven't got the drum machine, also the jack lead is rather flimsy, not shielded well and a bit on the short side... It has started to break where it meets the jack plug, and seems like a cheap element which will make the whole thing fail Of the two, I'd definitely recommend the amplug.

Yes, this has happened to me... And it's why I've got too many basses! Lol well, and because too many take my fancy Do you own a bass yet? If so, what is it? If not, then a P bass is a good place to start, IMHO. It's versatile, a lot of classic tracks and whole albums have been recorded using one, and I think every bassist should have at least one. You could opt for a PJ - so you have a p bass, with some added Jazz tones. This is my own favoured pickup arrangement, I must say... If you don't have a bass yet - just get one and start playing. And most of all - best of luck with it... Enjoy playing