Marc S

Hello from just across the water, in South Wales. Actually my Gran was from Cornwall. Her surname was Carbis - so no two guesses as to which bit of Cornwall she hailed from. Welcome to BassChat. Re your amp requirements - there's plenty of sound advice available on here. Of course, we'd all recommend many different brands / combinations of kit etc. But the great thing about BC is that the marketplace is always plentiful with "nice, tempting things" 😀 Keep your eyes open for gear not too far away, and ask to try it out. BC members are usually more than happy to oblige. Good luck in your search. EDIT: My own advice would be to opt for something with more oomph than you might first think you need - ie. A bit of headroom, as you may need it for a particular venue. Also, go as lightweight as you can. High quality lightweight gear can cost more - but can be a godsend if you end up doing several late nights in a row.

Hello @brule_lentement / Kev. Welcome to BassChat and the world of playing bass. Hello from a fair way off, in South Wales. Don't worry about starting late. Although I took up the bass a long time ago- I had almost 2 and a half decades of not playing. So I was effectively a beginner twice. The thing is, I have enjoyed my 2nd stint on bass even more. Just go for it, and enjoy the bass. Oh, and my first real influence on bass was JJ Burnel - just loved that sound on Rattus - awesome stuff 😀

Horses - Patti Smith

Spaceman - Babylon Zoo

Earth song - Michael Jackson

Policy of truth - Depeche Mode

I'm yours - Jason Mraz

Cool for cats - Squeeze

Sound of the suburbs - The Members

I really should try to do this more @casapete - but I think the old punk bassist in me just likes digging in too much! Lol 😀

Thanks for that @SuperSeagull Mine still has the same functions to the controls - but I think I'd prefer the arrangement you have, with 2x vol and 2x tone. I definitely prefer a passive bass. Only once did a battery fail on me at a gig... but it's a lasting memory. It was quick enough to fix at the time (I usually carry a spare battery) but a pre-amp fail - ooh, that's a scary thought for a live gig, even though I'm sure it doesn't happen often.

11:59 - Blondie

Hi. It has been at the luthiers for a while - having the fingerboard levelled, and the edges "rolled" It's set up better now, and playing even nicer. I have missed it while it was there. So it hasn't had much play for a while - until now. Definitely not selling this bass, as I like having a fretless to noodle on. I'll be taking it to band practice (the band I got it for) shortly. Might even gig it in a few weeks. If you see one of these, and you've got a hankering for some fretless... these are nice basses. I really like the flexibility of tone, with the added piezo in the bridge - and I'm not usually keen on active basses. Cheers 😀

Free Fallin' - Tom Petty

The king of Rock & Roll - Prefab Sprout

Catch a fire - That Petrol Emotion

Here's where the story ends - The Sundays

Thanks for your responses folks. I had thought they were all active - just thought I'd check. I had wondered whether the pickups would work well, without power, which I why I wondered whether they'd been swapped. TBH I still haven't removed them to check properly. They seem absolutely fine - so I guess if that bit ain't broke... Like you @casapete I think I prefer the bass as passive, which is generally my preference anyway. i need to get some fretwork done. They're all in good shape, with plenty of life left in them, but the ones at the heel end are a tad higher than the rest. I just need to get the action down a bit more, and this will be an amazing bass. These are so light for a 34" scale bass. The necks are also slim and Jazz-like, which I prefer, especially lately.

Here comes that sinking feeling - Eurythmics

Welcome to BassChat @everydaybassist hello from Wales.