Marc S

If what you're looking at, appears dodgy from on-line photos, then it probably is "dodgy" When buying privately, I prefer to actually go & see the item (if it's an expensive item like a guitar) or arrange to meet somewhere mutually convenient, if that's possible I've bought several basses from people on here, and it's pretty much the most reliable place for 2nd hand gear. Again though, I usually like to try before I buy.... Other than that, I'd use a reputable dealer, or a guitar shop with a known reputation Definitely look before you leap, and get as much background info about the guitar beforehand EDIT: As Beedster says above "shops can be dodgy too" - hence my comment about using a shop you know to have a good reputation (these shops won't usually want to risk their reputation)

Four hours is indeed a long time to be rehearsing. But if you're that keen, and feel you're improving - then it's worthwhile having longer sessions In truth, my playing would probably improve, if I had any chance of getting a four hour home practice session in..... sadly, I don't get that sort of time Or else, if / when I have that sort of time, rather than concentrate or focus on anything in particular - I have a whole stack of new songs to learn Welcome to the wonderful world of bass. And I'm glad that you realise it's a different instrument - many guitarists think bass is just a "simpler type of rhythm guitar" Also good to hear you've already thought about lessons - a good tutor can guide you well, focus where you should be improving, and hone your style Best of luck, and welcome to BC

Sorry to be late to reply - but I've only just seen this thread. There have been other, similar threads, or at least similar answers in the past, to this very question I'm not really a bower either. I have tried, but my first experience of bowing was with Silver Slaps, and it sounded dreadful (which probably contributed partly, to putting me off) I found the strings seemed to roll quite a lot, and the bow just ended up "screeching" quite a bit too. I thought it was partly due to the low tension nature of the Silver Slaps, But other BC'ers mentioned lightly sanding / roughening the strings over the area where the bow would be in contact with the strings They said this improved bowing quite a bit. I didn't try this though - I did fear damaging the strings, or the bow hairs.... or both. Perhaps someone who has actually done this may care to comment? Innovation also do a set called "honeys" which have a metallic outer coating, and are slightly higher tension than the Silver and Gold Slaps oddly enough, I did once have these strings on a bass I bought, but never tried bowing them at the time. Again, don't know if anyone on here has tried Bowing Innovation Honeys? - would be good to hear your thoughts On another note, re your bow; I was chatting to a pro DB player just the other night. He was telling me that a lot of Bow players like to use heavy bows, and if they have a lightweight bow, they tend to add lead weights to each end - which he said improves "contact". This may also be worth experimenting with? - Just a thought.... Let us know how you get on. I found Bowing much harder than it looks

Not tried those Olympia strings Maude But I can say, I have felt that "drag" with flatwounds in the past - it's one reason I tended to avoid them I can also say with confidence, there's definitely no drag with the Adagio Flats

Indeed Maude, and the whole purpose of a thread on inexpensive flats is to let others know of what's out there, and to alert others as to what's good value or worth a punt Bridgehouse, you may know what flats you like or prefer - but there are many out there who haven't tried flats or avoid them because the one set they tried... they didn't like At £11 or £12 a shot - the Adagio's are amazing value - are they a quarter as good as Thomastik's, which are £50+ a set? - No! They sound and play great! My bass with adagio's, sounded better than my bass with TI's on at my last gig In fact, I bought my TI's from someone on here who paid full price.... and didn't like them. I'd say, at £50+ with P&P, that's an expensive experiment, if you then decide you don't like them Even selling them on to me, at under £30 inc P&P that's a loss of 2 sets of ADagio's A while back, I tried a set of Steve Harris sig flats, at £30+ a set, and I really didn't like them.... and that's 3x sets of Adagios - plus, it put me off flats for a while, so the more expensive strings were counter-productive, for me I'm definitely going to try a lighter gauge set of the Adagio's soon. And at that price, if they last a long time - they're superb value, great sounding strings And far from being a "compromise" they're a contender for my Flatwounds of choice

I'm pretty sure I recently saw them for sale in an eBay shop, without the outer packing for £8 or £8.99 or something around there.... Just been playing my Jazz now, alongside my P/J with TI flats on - it really does sound great. I fancy swapping the strings over now - see how these compare with the TI's on the same bass.... But I'll be doing another set-up each time, so I don't think I'll do that just yet..... Lol These are definitely not the highest tension flats I've tried, but they are higher tension than the TI's. In fact, the TI's now feel a little bit "floppy"

This was THE sound that made me fall for the bass. Great track "hanging around" and I felt so pleased that a while after learning "Peaches" I learned how to play "hanging around" and "Princess of the Streets" - great intro on that last track! In fact, JJ's bass sounds fantastic on the whole album. After an absence from playing (for ages) a return to this album gave me P bass GAS all over again Never heard a P bass sound quite so good

Just resurrecting this old thread, to say I've just tried some Adagio Flats. I bought them a while back, for about £10 or £11 from an eBay shop I intended just to give them a whirl. Not really being a fan of flats, I wanted to try them on my fretless bass.... Long story short, I put other strings on the fretless, after much reading of peoples thoughts on here and elsewhere .. so the Adagios sat, unused for quite a few months..... So I tried them on a Jazz the other day, and was blown away! I really like the strings - they are higher tension than the TI flats I use on another bass, but not overly high tension I'm aware that some players prefer higher tension, but I found strings like the Steve Harris sigs too high a tension for me Anyhow, I was so taken with the sound of these Adagio Flats, I decided to resurrect the "Flats on a Jazz" thread too It sounded much better than I thought this experiment would sound. Even though I had only taken the Jazz along as a backup (yes, I took a backup - as it was a big show) I decided I liked it so much - I used the Jazz for the first set. That went so well, I opted to use it for the second set too I might just be sold on flats forever!

Just resurrecting this old thread - I hadn't tried this back last year, when I saw this thread. Anyhow, I only just put some Flats on a Fender Flea, and was really amazed at how good it sounded! I'm not particularly a fan of flats - I have TI's on one of my P/J's and I like the TI's because of their low tension Having tried other flats previously, and found strings like the Steve Harris sig strings way too high tension I had taken the Flea Jazz along as backup bass (it was a big gig / show on Sunday, and I wanted to make sure I had a spare bass) During the set-up and sound check, I was so taken with the sound, I decided to opt to play the Jazz for our first set. Following that, I decided I liked it so much, I played it for the 2nd set too It was a really "full on" sound, quite warm and I could hear lows, mids and highs really well, and as Dave says above - I found the top end wasn't "twangy" as it sometimes can be, especially on new strings That was another plus for me too - although the strings were new, and I'd only rehearsed for about an hour - hour & a half before gigging, they didn't go far from tune I re-tuned before the 2nd set, and they seem really stable Add to that, they were only a cheap brand - Adagio (I think I paid about £10 or £11 for them on eBay, a short while back) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adagio-Flatwound-Electric-Strings-Standard/dp/B0146TU97E Anyone else on here use these cheap Adagio strings?

Linus is also right here. My fave recent basses have been the Fender Roadworn basses i've owned. These are made in Mexico, and are superb quality, and feel and sound great too. If you don't like Roadworn / Relic finishes, the Fender Classic series are built to the same sort of standards, but are not "pre-worn" There was recently a Classic 50's P bass, in Fiesta Red on the marketplace here. Last time I looked, it was a bargain at £500 Yes, buying second-hand, there can be a risk - but I've found most BC members to be upfront, honest types Don't forget, you can also buy new guitars which have, or develop a problem too Again, if you get to know some BC members local-ish to you, perhaps they would be willing to advise. Are there any events like "Bash bash" / meetings anywhere near you? I find these are great events - you get to meet other BC members, and most of them are perfectly happy for you to play their basses or try their amps

I would always say, play as many as you can before buying. I'm sure many of us who suddenly have the funds to hand, and the "need" for a new bass, will be tempted to buy in haste But if you already have a bass, and aren't "desperate" to get something for an impending gig / event, take a bit of time. Ask yourself why you're preferring a certain bass over another... I would really consider buying a used bass, as you'll get more for your money - but be careful of buying "blind" on sites like eBay How many BC members live near you? Are any of them selling any basses? Keep looking through the marketplace on here, and be willing to wait, and to travel (even a short distance) to try a few basses Incidentally, I agree with your point about "mucking about with EQ". Having a great range of tonal control / options at hand can be a good thing But, I recall a bass I used to own, which had many controls; stacked knobs, switches etc - and found it a real pain when playing live. I rarely got the same, or even similar sound twice, when playing live

And part of the advanced Bass Players Exam is; Ability to turn down overly loud lead guitarists amp, without him / her noticing Ability to convince lead singer to arrive at venue, and help drummer unload their car, along with everyone else Ability to convince keyboard player to get a round of drinks in..... ;)

I rarely play a bass for long, without tweaking the set-up I think by tweaking the truss-rod and / or bridge bit by bit - you get to learn how much you can adjust individual basses And sometimes, what sounds or feels better on each bass. But maybe that's just me? lol EDIT: I don't think I have ever looked up the Factory settings, and then tried to set a bass up the same....

Me too Oh, and it's definitely a plectrum .... or should the first part of the question include the option "plectrum guard"?

Sorry to be late to reply - I have only just seen this thread But I'd agree with Rabbie here. This one looks a good bass. Not sure how much these sell for - but do some searching - perhaps on eBay - see if you can find something similar, which might be a ball-park figure Alternatively, as the seller roughly how much they are asking for Most of all, don't rush into buying something which you think may have been repaired - they may be good repairs, but they also may not Make sure the bass is playable - and are there any DB players local to you, who may be willing to accompany you + take a look, perhaps for the price of a couple of drinks? Best of luck with your search