Marc S

I had a Westone Thunder Jet, back in the early 80's. Great bass. Re the refinishing - I think I'd be tempted to to do an expensive refin job, unless you're adept at it yourself and it isn't going to cost a fortune. I always liked the colour of these, and the appearance of the contrasting bands of wood - looks fab to me. Perhaps as you say, best to seal the cracks in the finish, so it doesn't get any worse Re the electrics - could Kiogon of this parish help you out? He's a great BC'er to deal with and his solderless wiring loom kits are amazing quality and simple to fit I'm sure he could sort you something, as he's a really helpful sort Just a suggestion - I'm sure he'd even advise you on what you need Great new / old bass - enjoy, I'm sure you will EDIT: The only problem with my Thunder Jet, was the bridge saddle screws protruded outwards quite a bit - and as I played punky style, with plectrum and hand back right at the bridge, I ended up with cuts on the side of my hand. Nowadays, I'd just use a dremmel to shorten the screws - or buy slightly shorter alternatives

I don't know how many players have bought cheapo instruments and been put off..... But when I started my first foray into bass (many years back, in the early 80's) I had an utterly terrible Kay Rick copy. It was absolutely, utterly, utterly dreadful. The neck was warped, it buzzed like hell - even though the action was so high I could almost get my little finger underneath the strings, and the electrics / pickups sounded dreadful. A guitarist pal (who had been playing a while) tried to help me set it up, but to not much avail. It would have been great firewood, but for the toxic paint it was covered with Another bass playing pal had quite well off parents, and they bought him a nice Fender Jazz. I couldn't get over how nice that was to play - it was like a different world! However, he's the one who gave up, while I persisted EDIT: Earlier in the thread, someone posted as to how it's now nearly impossible to buy a bad bass. Maybe that's not quite 100% true (I'm sure there are still turkeys out there) But these days "budget" basses and guitars are almost immeasurably better than they used to be. I also owned an awful Jedson 6 string guitar too - anyone else remember them?

Best of luck with it @Ant1972 - remember practice and persistence are very important Even if you just "noodle" with it for 20 mins every day - when you don't have lots of time to practice A little here & there will help improve strength, stamina and accuracy in your fingers Obviously, you need to spend some good longer sessions on it too - and definitely some warm-up exercises for your fingers once again, I say, see if there are any friendly local BC'ers who will help EDIT: I meant to add - enjoy your new toy as well, and welcome to the fold

I've got it "recorded" - am looking forward to seeing it. I was never a huge devotee - but really like some of their songs. Saw Ian Brown solo once. Wasn't expecting too much, but he was really good Yes, Mani is a great player. Spot on @la bam - definitely hear the "songs under songs" not just in his playing, but sometimes within the whole sound of the band

Having started out into my foray from Bass Guitar to upright with a Stagg. I can say that a Stagg is a good value for money intro into playing 3/4 upright (especially if you pick one up 2nd hand) So it's good to play as an exercise in learning upright fingering etc. But the NS design uprights are a much better instrument. I got myself a WAV because I wanted a small, lightweight EUB option, for when I'm playing BG and EUB at a gig. Straight away, I noted that it sounded just that bit more like an upright than the Stagg did. Mainly I suppose, because the quality of construction, the quality of pickups was just that bit better, and perhaps partly because I had also improved my upright playing since getting that first Stagg? I now have a higher end model of NS than the WAV - and the pre-amp in that helps improve the tone further still. Along with some experimentation, some EQ'ing and a TC "Body-Rez" pedal, I think it's a little closer to upright sounding again, and further from sounding like a fretless BG. (though it can sound like a fretless too, with some tweaking & EQ) If you want a cheap foray into upright - try a Stagg, second-hand from the marketplace on here. But my hunch is, that like me, you'll quickly want to upgrade to a better quality instrument, like the NS. Many will say, that if you want an upright bass you should buy an acoustic DB - and to an extent, I'd agree with that. However, with busy family / work / life etc - I found I could mainly only practice upright late at night.... So an EUB is a blessing. Also, an EUB is more portable than an acoustic upright. I'm fortunate enough to have both - but you know what? I'm using the EUB far more than the acoustic DB. Yes, that's a shame - but the EUB is far handier and more portable, silent etc. The NS sounds far superior to that first Stagg - but it's horses for courses, and it's up to you and how much you want to spend I'd say whether you get a Stagg or NS 2nd hand - you'll pretty much recoup your money if you want to sell it on Good luck with your search, and let us know what you decide on

He was a big influence on me too. Saw him playing with "The Light" quite recently - really enjoyed it. Think he had a Yamaha bass then? His old Rick copy was a Hondo, I think. It apparently went missing some years back The first brand new bass I ever bought was a Westone Thunder Jet - I saw Stuart Morrow with his Thunder Jet on TOTP, playing "Great expectations" .... and bought my Westone on the strength of how good it sounded, and how cool he looked playing it My old Thunder Jet has been owned by a pal of mine for many years since I sold it to him - and he still loves it I saw him playing it last year, and it still sounds great (though it's a bit battered now) I meant to add to someone else's thoughts on here, about buying an old 2nd hand Westone - there was one recently that was very cheap, and another which was free - just donate something to a charity! From a very decent BC member. A second-hand Westone is another great option But of course, they're getting on a bit and may need a little attention. Given the money I've seen them go for, and the build quality - you could grab a real bargain

I think jrixn has a point there - if you don't like the look of it before you've even bought it.... you're already uninspired by a bass, before you've even started playing I don't know this seller personally, but there's a Squier VM on here for near enough your budget They often come up for this sort of money second-hand... sometimes, less money, depending on model, colour, condition etc

The VM (Vintage Modified) series, which were made in Indonesia, can go for a really good price second-hand There have been a few on here, and for very very reasonable prices. I had one, and it was a really good bass for the money I think there's an Ibanez SR500 on here for near enough your budget. And they are amazing quality for the money Someone else has mentioned that a new bass may not be very well set up. I've seen some new ones that have had a frankly terrible set up -so beware that this may make your new bass harder to play. Perhaps you could ask a BC member who is local to you, what they think once it has arrived? (or once you've bought one 2nd hand). I for one, wouldn't mind helping a beginner, if a fellow BC member needed it.

Welcome indeed Billy, Yes, try the marketplace on here, and post an ad in the "wanted" section Moreover, enjoy everything BassChat has to offer

Sorry to be so late to reply to this! lol Yes, My Limelight P/J has a Jazz width neck on it, and it's lovely & comfortable. A little bit chunkier (deeper?) than my Fender Jazz, but a very comfortable neck Re the pickups Mark uses - I don't know what they are, but they sound absolutely awesome. I put a set of his Precision pickups into another bass, and the Limelight pickups improved the sound hugely.... My Limelight is the best sounding P bass I've ever had or played - my JV is the closest to it, and I don't know how that sounds quite as good as it does... it simply does My JV and my Limelight usually get comments from other band members, and sometimes members of the audience. I don't usually get comments from the audience, except when I'm playing EUB - when they ask me what it is

Only just spotted this thread. They look good for the money Thanks for posting @skidder652003

Yes, I mentioned Kiogon's wiring looms here, because I think it's a simple swap, and he's also great with help and advice too. Keeping the original harness is a wise choice.... just in case. Keep it in a box, and perhaps as you're removing it - put a label on each wire / lug - to remind you where it goes..... I put a Kiogon stacked control plate into my Jazz recently, and though i've no intention of letting the bass go (I let my previous one go, and missed it so much, I vowed to keep this one) - you never know whether circumstances might change of course. And someone is bound to ask whether I have the original or not! Luckily in my case, the standard Jazz loom would be easy to re-fit, if required

The wiring diagrams above all look slightly more complicated than a map of the London Underground to me... Has anyone asked @KiOgon for advice? I'm sure he could help. His wiring loom kits are brilliant, and moreover, simple to fit, being solder-less

Same two I could first think of. I recall John Lennon's murder really shocking me. Though a lot of his solo stuff wasn't anywhere near as good as his Beatles work, it still seemed a dreadful shock at the time. I was young, and perhaps I thought the Beatles could one day reform - or maybe it was because of the manner of his murder? Perhaps I saw it as the end of an era? Re Joe Strummer, perhaps Paul is right - could the Clash have reformed? Maybe.... I was no huge fan of George Michael, but his death shocked me as he was a similar age EDIT: Just reading MrCrane's post above - I liked Kirsty McColl, and her death was such a sad, tragic accident