scrumpymike

Used it for band rehearsal the other night, where the reaction was interesting: "Oooh that looks nice; what a great colour. How heavy is it? Wow, that's light - basses are normally so heavy!! How much was it? A hundred and fifty quid - new? You're kidding!" Followed by: " That sounds really good!" All of which proves what we already knew: the only people who understand basses are bass-players Mind you, turning that statement around, nowadays many cheap basses deliver enough performance for your audience not to notice the difference - especially if you're mostly playing middle-of-the-road covers like I do. As far as I'm concerned, it's a nice player with a limited tonal range (as you would expect) and the playing/wearing impact on my poor old body is thankfully negligible. Also worth mentioning that the hum, fret buzz and intonation issues mentioned in a couple of older reviews I read were absent from mine 'out of the box' - although experimentation suggests that fret buzz will be present for anyone who is bit more heavy-handed than me.

OK, so today I'm the proud owner of a baby Ibanez finished in Root Beer Metallic - my favorite flavor! First impressions are surprisingly good, although anybody expecting it to play like a MIA P-bass is obviously going to be disappointed. This is amazing value for money, and a smart piece of marketing; by offering a cheap-'n'-easy route into the magic world of bass playing, Ibanez are helping win more converts to the cause and no doubt generating a bit of brand loyalty for themselves at the same time. [url="http://[URL=http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/scrumpymike/media/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg[/IMG][/URL]"]http://[URL=http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/scrumpymike/media/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/url] Sorry about the dodgy pic, but it's not an easy colour to photograph at night on a cheap compact camera.

Thanks for the info everybody. I'm off to PMT in Bristol tomorrow to have a play

As fretmeister says, you really need an expert diagnosis first - and I'd be tempted to get a second opinion if drastic corrective treatment such as surgery is suggested. I ended up having carpal tunnel surgery on both hands.

[b]Coldflow[/b] Tenor basses apparently have different stringing/tuning - not sure of the details but I'm guessing it's the ADGC mentioned in alyctes' post. [b]alyctes [/b]Thanks for the feedback. So, based on what you and others are saying: £165 will buy me a playable neck and a body that's light/compact but well balanced as it retains a full top bout. That's really all I need for a usable travel/practice bass but sounds like I'll be replacing some other stuff if I want a back-up bass for gigs. Could be a nice little project, especially if I could pick up a second-hand one at the right price.

Has anybody tried - or bought, even - an Ibanez GSRM20? I'd be interested in knowing what the quality's like, how it plays and whether it's viable for gigs. I've done a quick online search and it appears to be more than just a toy - neck/body build/finish pretty good with cost-cutting to achieve £165 retail price coming from cheap pups etc. Maybe this has the makings of a good compact, lightweight travel travel/practice bass that could be upgraded to a backup gig bass for not much extra dosh. [url="http://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/jumpstart/GSRM20.html#.VorUPFIvkiV"]http://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/jumpstart/GSRM20.html#.VorUPFIvkiV[/url]

WOWWW!!

[quote name='GrammeFriday' timestamp='1453901253' post='2963984'] Perhaps not, although I've always thought Mustang Sally would sound much better if it were played through a bitcrusher! [/quote] Along with Sally herself I presume?

"Old git, stiff hands, very little practice outside band rehearsals, too much else to do! Would love to be Jack Bruce but it ain't gonna happen." "I have settled into a style where I move position instead of reaching for the note with hand span. Lots of sliding, often on a fretless, and I quite like it. Also, I suffer badly from having a bass on my shoulder for any length of time, a lighter bass would be good." You've just described me to a T! I've tried a fair bit of short-stuff - that's all I play now - and would suggest you go for something with good balance (i.e. top strap button at or around the 12th fret), good tonal range, slim/solid body, at least 20 frets and (as already suggested) standard string spacing at the bridge. My Fender Rascal ticks all those boxes but is a bit heavy on the shoulder at 9.5 lbs. Soooo, the journey continues, the next stop being one of Scott Whitley's SWB-1s as mentioned above. If, as Scott says, there are no balance issues, then it could turn out to be my ideal bass. If so, the SWB-1 and my Hofner Club will be the two 'keepers'. I ordered Scott's bass cos I like the guy and what he's doing for the UK bass community. If I hadn't, I would have been looking at a s/s Warwick Corvette, though I'm not a big fan of their IMHO clumsy top-bout design. Sad (retired) bugger that I am, I've put together an Excel spreadsheet with spec's of most of the s/s basses out there (includes weights, fret-board radius, number of frets, top strap-button location etc). If you're interested, PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. I really need to get out more...

The only bit I find distasteful is the seller's dubious claim to be a heart-broken, big fan - unnecessary and unlikely, given the spelling mistake.

Never ever owned (or used) a pedal in my life - I just feel SOOOOO inadequate! Mind you, I love the sound of 'Soul Food' - whatever that is/does?! Seriously tho, is any of this stuff appropriate to someone like me who just plays stuff pretty straight in a (mainly '60s-'70s) covers band - something that would enhance/enrich my sound?

Once upon a time, redundancy forced me to sell my modest classic collection of a '78 Jazz, two '70s Les Paul Triumphs, and a 'Thunderbird' custom-made by John Diggins for Dave Mason when he joined Delaney & Bonnie. But do I ever regret it? Only every day!!

Hey skelf, that's interesting to hear coming from a bass luthier. You and Scott W are obviously on the same page!

"...but is it worth it for 1 song?" Maybe not, but surely worth it to own a fabulous bass like the SWB-1 is by all (early) accounts. Hopefully, I'll soon be able to confirm that - watch this space!

[quote name='Ceedubya' timestamp='1453376842' post='2958844'] Hi Maude, Being of sound mind, I have gone a different route and ordered one of Scott Whitley's SS SWB basses so will put the Rockbass up for sale. Cheers >>>>>>> Chris [/quote] Good move Chris! Looking forward to getting mine (passive, ash body plus flight case) in 10 days What have you ordered?

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1453234718' post='2957752'] The better half mentioned this tonight. I said it's been an upsetting year for me with all the musicians who's work I loved passing on. I expect a few others feel the same. RIP Glenn. [/quote] Spot on

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1453196264' post='2957208'] Apparently something like that - from [i]Guitar Player[/i] mag 1983 [url="http://www.steinbergerworld.com/mktng.htm"]http://www.steinberg...d.com/mktng.htm[/url] [/quote] Hey, that was an interesting read - thanks cybertect.

"L series basses have a strap pivot mounted at the centre of gravity of the bass- no neck dive ever." That's a neat solution - thanks for the info Ed.

Another colossus has fallen; gone but never forgotten.

Certainly the minimalist solution - but even without a head-stock, that tiny body probably means neck-dive.

Hey David, thanks for telling us about the interesting journey you're on. As we all know, it's the journey that matters, not the destination. In my 50 years of bass playing, I've never laid a finger on anything bigger than a 35" scale bass guitar, and always fretted - maybe I should get out more too.

How exciting! This sort of imaginative project really appeals to me.