Marc S

Hello from your old haunt of South Wales... I used to go out with a girl who lived in Headington (many years back) So I spent many weekends in Oxford & Oxfordshire Definitely buy yourself a bass - spend just a bit less time pc gaming, And learn some bass.... its fun. Get yourself a good starter bass. These days, value for money basses are more numerous these days Go in to a music shop and try as many as you can. See what feels more comfortable to play Keep your eye on the marketplace here too - buying used can save you money, Buy you a better bass for your budget, and you can usually trust BC members Good luck and welcome

From memory, Spirocore Weichs have purple binding - but you say they feel high tension... There's a string identifier thread on here.... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/209121-string-identifier/page__hl__string%20identifier"]http://basschat.co.u...ng%20identifier[/url] Might be of help.... but I think there are a few others who have discussed this on different threads too....

I'm amazed at how such things vary. But Fender necks will vary in different eras, and certainly from factory to factory... Was the Squier a China made one? And from which factory? The Matt Freeman sig P, the Classic vibe range were all made in the same factory, which was a different one to the China made Affinity series (and that range changed factories too!) Of course, the super slim Jazz neck may well have a chunkier heel than the standard Jazz neck too.... As Lozz suggests, you could get a luthier to trim the heel of the neck a little. But bear in mind that you may not want to keep either bass for ever - so you may end up wanting to swap back? Of course, a shim in the neck pocket would then remedy that.... and you may need that to make your P neck fit your Jazz body properly... How well did that fit? Was it solve-able by adjusting the bridge saddles alone? Another solution might be for you to think about a more solid, chunky bridge than the standard Squier / Fender BBOT.... A chunkier bridge, on a thicker plate, with sufficient height adjustment may do the job? Has anyone else found a suitable bridge? I put a replacement neck on an old 70's / 80's Matsumoko bass some time back. The replacement neck was a chunky P neck - but the heel wasn't deep enough So I had the reverse problem to yours - I had to put a shim into the neck pocket. It was simple enough, and worked a treat! Lovely bass too, with great sound Wish I'd kept that one Good luck, and let us know what you decide on

PPS. A little off topic - but a useful tip from Rockabilly DB player Pete Turland; For those who want to swap between playing slap and Jazz style - if you don't have an adjustable bridge Pete says he's seen players place small, thin wooden blocks underneath the bridge feet - to raise the action for slapping, then take them out again when you have a Jazz gig... I'd add to this - Obviously, lay the bass on its' back and gradually lower the tension of the strings, again to prevent a sound-post disaster...

When you start playing double bass, the string options are mind blowing compared to bass guitar! As I started playing DB only a few years back - I recall my DB strings seemed incredibly high tension! There are several options for lower tension strings. Spirocore Weichs are low tension for a metal string (because they have a synthetic core) Innovation also do a synthetic core, steel outer type string; Innovation Honeys Which are also quite low tension (but slightly higher tension than Silver Slaps). It all depends on your style of play, and how you want to develop, for instance, do you want a more aggressive finger style, or a softer style, do you want to slap? Will you want to bow at some point? Innovation Silver & Gold slaps are definitely lower tension than traditional type DB strings. I have a set on my DB. I went through a phase of wanting to learn slap stlye - so I started out with some synthetic Weedwakers, kindly donated by Beedster of this parish Though the weedwakers are very low tension (I mean very low!) they were great to start learning to slap - but they kept stretching & stretching, and the E string was too flabby and ill defined... still, they did their job and started me on the road to where I wanted to be.... Re my last point - you may find your stlye adapts & "grows" - so if you're going to take your DB to a luthier, it may be a good opportunity to get him / her to fit an adjustable bridge. I have one on my DB (and my EUB) and they are a god-send. As you develop your style of playing and build up the strength in your fingers - so you may want to adjust the height of your action. It's easy with an adjustable bridge, and also useful if / when you want to try other string types - which always seem to be very different gauges! It might seem expensive now - but you will find it pays in future, as you can set up the bridge to your own hight requirements in future.... Perhaps the action was set fairly high, as the last owner played slap / rockabilly style? But what might seem a high action to a Bass Guitar player, may not seem high to a DB player... In any case - a word of caution as you're new to DB - but take care when changing DB strings yourself! - You must lay the bass on its' back, or the sound-post will fall over You really don't want that, as it takes a special tool to stand it up again, and getting it in the "right" spot can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing... I tend to also change only one string at a time, to prevent the sound-post falling... PS. I really like Silver Slaps. They feel a nice tension and I find them among the easiest strings on your fingers. They're not so low tension as to sound flabby - indeed, I think they sound great. Some have commented that they sound quite a lot like gut strings - but I couldn't say that for sure myself, as I've not played a DB with gut strings. Only thing, Silver Slaps don't bow well at all Best of luck in your exciting journey - I love DB, and so glad I took that first step

Definitely £50 well spent - bargain IMO. Happy NGD

Yes, Chowny are also doing the short scale Scott Whitely basses too. I don't know whether it's a "take over" as such - but perhaps the 3 small companies have decided to become one, larger company? It would probably make more sense when it comes to manufacturing / ordering numbers of instruments from the factory where they're made I've yet to play a Chowny or a Retrovibe. Folk who own Chowny basses seem to rate them quite highly..... I'd like to hear what people think of Retrovibe basses though - some of their models look really good I was quite tempted by the look of their earlier Rick-like bass, and sorely tempted by their Super-P bass, in sunburst...

[quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1504797851' post='3367418'] my cat, Slaine, loves it when I play acoustic guitar. i have a photo somewhere of him as a kitten standing on the guitar picking at the strings. Does like the bass, if not as much as the acoustic, but loves it when i change the strings as that gives him something metal, shiny and dangling in front of him that clearly must be played with...... [/quote] Yes, my siamese cat, Nellie loves it when I change bass or guitar strings too - I suspect that many cat-owning BC members would confirm that their feline companion likes a nice shiny guitar string

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1504777541' post='3367211'] And here's what my Harley Benton PB50 might look modified, like if was clever enough. [attachment=253064:HB PB50 mod.JPG] [/quote] Now you're talking! ... and I'm listening

I too have a Siamese cat, plus a tabby moggie The Siamese is just such a different breed. She's absolutely in your face, as often as she can be Loves a lap, hates it when I've got a bass on my lap, because she wants that lap! But she also loves a jam evening, when other musicians pop around - because she loves a well-padded gigbag but even better, she prefers a fur lined fiddle case or guitar case. She also doesn't mind the sound of live music in the house our moggie runs a mile when anyone plays an instrument - esp the violin. But oddly enough, even she doesn't mind the sound of my DB

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1504772156' post='3367139'] Just discovered this thread. That's officially the rest of my working day gone. [/quote] Me too Lewis - and that's YOUR fault! lol

I think an ebay seller can withdraw an item at any time.... before it sells on ebay But withdrawing after someone has won it is not fair to the buyer. Quite what ebay's rules are, I'm not sure Perhaps the penalty the seller pays, is that he / she gets charged for the ad, as if it has sold? I'd definitely look in to opening a case.......

I'll try to get to see the Explosive Light Orchestra if I can BTW, I may well have met your "Jeff Lynn" last year... Someone from an ELO tribute played some solo stuff at an open mic at the Red House in Merthyr He was handing out flyers to promote an ELO gig - was that him, I wonder? Sorry to hear you're leaving Cardiff Ashweb - always sad to see a bass player leave South Wales Especially after I just heard another friendly face from here is soon to depart And yes, you should definitely grow old disgracefully - I'm all for that Hope to meet up at some point aidenthorne - looks like I'm busy on Saturday - but keep me posted re further ELO gigs please

I quite like that colour. Maybe, as others have suggested - try a different colour pickguard? Perhaps an off-white / aged white / ivory, or a white pearloid. You might find you like the colour then - in any case, that's the cheapest option.. If you want a high standard of re-fin, that's going to cost you. And this bass has its' own mojo

Sorry to be late to reply - just saw your link and mention of this on another thread These were indeed, seldom seen, even back when they were made A pal of mine had one in natural, and the Fresher logo looked rather different - in fact, it had been made to look more Fender-like Also the headstock and machine heads looked more Fender-like.... at least from my ailing memory... What isn't in question though, was its' quality - it really was a nice bass to play. Sounded good through an amp too. My pal gigged his quite a lot I do recall it being rather heavy though..... EDIT: It suddenly came to me, that my pal bought his Fresher Jazz in a (long gone) music shop in Cwmbran shopping centre, South Wales - Must have been either 1981 or 1982 ...in case you needed such useless information

There have been various threads about backup basses and the thoughts of those who have never needed one, those who don't think they are needed etc. I haven't snapped a string mid gig for a long time. But it could happen. Also, yes, you can change your battery regularly in an active bass - but as Paul S says, electrics can fail - as I said in my earlier reply - I had a pretty new battery fail on me in an active bass... it can happen. I'd rather not play the "gear lottery" and it seems the OP is thinking along the same lines. Again, it's up to the individual.... The question here, is whether or not to go for a near identical backup, or one that produces a similar sound / tone. But I'd definitely think about a cheaper alternative, and just getting used to adjusting your EQ between the 2 basses. Thea cheapest option being to keep your MM copy, and carry a spare battery of course. Perhaps you'll even get used to playing the MM. I've got way too many basses - but I think it does you good to swap between them from time to time, getting used to slightly different set-ups, getting used to different dimension necks and string spacings etc.... BTW. Paul S - glad you opted to keep your BB425.... It was just going to cheaply for such a nice bass EDIT: My son had an electrical fault which was hard to trace, and very intermittent. It was a nearly new bass, and the battery connector was at fault It may have been down to him being over zealous when changing batteries, though I doubt it, as like me, he's pretty careful about such things... I've spoken to several repairers and luthiers who say that some electrical faults may not be obvious or easy to trace.... And pmjos - you are absolutely right when you say if you're being paid you should make sure you have a backup...

For me, it depends on the gig. Most pubs I play, the punters wouldn't notice whether I'm playing a Jazz, or a P or a Stingray etc And I'm sure they wouldn't notice me swapping basses, unless there was a lengthy period of silence between songs, followed my much twiddling of controls I usually play passive basses, so my backup would have to be passive. In fact, one occasion where my main instrument let me down mid-gig, was due to a battery failure in an active bass - and the battery had only recently been changed! Which caught me out, and convinced me of the need for a backup If your main bass is passive, then at least get a passive backup. Backups tend not to be used too much - so you may encounter a sudden battery failure Alternatively, you could rotate using each bass as your main bass - that way, you would become more adept at swapping basses, and switching to suitable EQ more quickly My own backup requirements are often simply - as cheap and lightweight as possible. Something like the Anygig travel bass guitar (do an ebay search- these look ok, they're small & light and around £160) I have a Tanglewood Elfin, which is around 25" scale, really small & light, and sounds surprisingly like a full scale P bass... oh, and it was cheap If I know I'm going to be parked near the venue, and there aren't too many stairs, and if the gig is a bit more "high profile" or better paid I take along my backup PJ. Even though my main bass is a passive PJ, with identical pickups... there's still a noticeable (by me anyway) difference in EQ