Lw.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1390312397' post='2343870'] Not true! My Marcus Miller Jazz has an active preamp and can do a heck of a lot more than a passive J. And it's for sale!! [/quote] I'll have to take your word for it then, not played on the Marcus Miller version - maybe I'll take one into consideration once I've moved house & had a chance to count my spare pennies.

I do really want a jazz - I think they tick all the boxes for for a passive but by definition of what they are they'll never be able to create the modern bass tone that other brands have & that sounds so perfect at certain times. I think I'll be able to content myself with two basses; Jazz for classic tone & simplicity, Warwick for the modern growling sound that they do so well.

This thread definitely needs pictures...

Today's cheap basses are substantially better than than they were 10 or so years ago - most of them seem to be ok (they're not going to blow anyone away but they at least work how they should). If you're going into a shop you can generally tell a bad bass from a good one at that price range; sharp edges, poor finishing, empty sound all stand out quite easily when you've got a little collection next to you to try out. As stated above; Peavey make some great basses for that price range.

Why are you thinking about selling (if it's not too personal)? If you need to raise funds or free up space then selling one is probably a good idea but if there are no external pressures I probably wouldn't bother. Not sure which one I would sell. I imagine you'd get more money for the ltd ed & if you don't have any sentimental feelings about it that would make sense. But then a lot of people would suggest clearing out the cheapest bass & keeping the cream of the crop...

Nice review - quite tempted for a cheapy.

Please do post a review of that jazz when you get it - if it's even half usable it'll be a bargain at that price!

Looks great - have fun!

Yodel have proven themselves several times with me for bring the worst postage company out there. They're just awful, hopefully everyone will just go over to DPD as they're great! Did the actual process of paying for everything up front work out ok though? I'm thinking of buying from the us as the fx rates are so good at the moment so would be good to know...

Returns are usually fine nowadays (though I've only dealt with UK companies). If your requirements are really specific it would probably be worth the day trip to a shop to try them out (esp if you're spending a large amount) - you don't have to but it means no being rushed or worried. Means you can also haggle for a cash payment price...

It's best just to tell them the truth; say you thought the band were great & really liked the guys but you didn't realise the journey would take that long - should be fine. Out of curiosity though; how did you manage to take that long to get to Reading? I get the train through there every day & it's 25 minutes on the train from Paddington!

The answer to that question is always yes, regardless of what bass you already have. I can understand wanting to go up from the sister brand to the main one too, though I'm not sure how to classify street cred - I have no idea what basses are cool. I would give another vote to a Fender Jazz - always a good one to have in the arsenal.

When practicing alone to start with I practice clean but once you've got the song down & you think it needs effects then move on to them - obviously some effects need to be practiced with in order to get the sound you're aiming for (correct attack etc...).

This is just my opinion but I find the whole concept of the Fender Deluxe range a bit strange; for me Fender is about classic styling & a classic sound (which is why I'm going to buy Fender as my 4-string later this year) - most if not all of the bassists of the past that made Fender so popular were using passive basses & that is the sound that I associate with Fender. If you like the Fender look but want a modern active sound I would definitely look more towards the other brands that borrow the Fender look but pack all the modern bits in - for the price of a deluxe you could get a killer bass from one of the others...

Isn't listening to music & working out the bass line one of the foundations of playing the bass? Guitarists might as well use an app the listens to their chords & plots a bass line for them. Need a bassist? There's an app for that...

If you're getting paid jobs like this it might be worth getting proper professional advise but my two cents; charge whatever you think your time is worth, I would probably think about a day-rate that you'd be happy with plus expenses but obviously don't take the mick. If all goes well you might get repeat gigs to bring in more money. In regards to writing & getting a royalty; I wouldn't hold your breath. If you write music whilst being employed/commissioned the copyright will stay with the employer - you are essential being bought-out at the start so worth factoring that in when you're thinking about your price.

I don't mind the look & they often feel great to play but I'd find it hard to justify paying extra to have a normal bass sanded. If you're interested in Fenders you could get a Classic 60s "lacquer" which has the nitro finish & save the £250 fender charge to sand it for you. Buying second hand; so long as you're getting it for a decent price I think the RW look is fine.

Peavey are a good bet when on a budget - great sound & quality for the money.

I'd treat the two issues separately; the shoddy luthier work should be shown to them & a refund/rework done. Not a lot you can really do about lying other than not using the shop again - all they can really do is say sorry & give you a fixed amp back but that won't remove your annoyance. Maybe just put it down to experience & move on.

[quote name='aalam' timestamp='1387285547' post='2310198'] Thanks Lw, I can't read music sheets, so I don't know what those notes actually mean. But I will try and see if I can figure it out, I'm sure it'll pay off in the long run. [/quote] Ignore the proper written music - the chord sequence is written above in normal letters so for the most basic bass line just play the route note of the chord (so when it says "Gm7" just play a G). Not meaning to sound like I'm talking down to you (I'm not great at this either) but in it's most basic terms just keep count to 4 in your head every time a vertical line crosses all the way through the horizontal lines, change notes when you see the chord change. Once you get the hang of it you can then maybe step up to the next route note by picking a note or two in the chord shown.

Could try following the notes written above the score on the following link - walk up/down the scales as desired. [url="http://www.harmonytalk.com/download/ErrollGarner-Misty.pdf"]http://www.harmonyta...arner-Misty.pdf[/url]