Burns-bass

All good. I’m not the internet police and all that, but it’s a great community and worth supporting (which you have). I’m still utterly in awe that your father had 17 double basses. It’s quite incredible. Best of luck selling them, and I hope you get a great price.

My guitarist swaps between an E and and Eb tuned guitar. I’ve never found it a problem to adapt on my 4 string to be honest (or the need to detune), you just adapt as required. Of course, if you’re playing Hendrix or something that desperately needs that massive bottom end, you probably should detune (or use an octave pedal to give you a boost!)

Looking at the shocking rise in mental health problems among the young (and the young-ish) I’m not sure it’s that the oldies really are struggling with the modern world as much as is made out.

All points well made. The other benefit of buying a more expensive bass is the build quality, reliability of components and confidence that provides you. Nobody cares what you play, that’s true, but they will notice if your pots are crackly, your bass slips in and out of tune or your tone is weak.

I’ve had hundreds of basses from your entry level HBs and Squiers to a £10k vintage Fender and, while anecdote isn’t evidence, I’ve found a direct correlation between quality and cost (up to about £1500, after which you enter into boutique territory where cost and value start to mean different things). All cheap basses are built to a cost price and that means compromises. That’s not to say they can’t be improved - they can - but I don’t see the point. My point about gigging was that you’re being paid to do a job. I’ve worked with far too many musicians who cut corners with cheap(er) gear and it can cause problems. I am 100% not a great snob and I totally get why people love Squiers, but I never understand why people would invest a fortune in loads of average gear when you could buy one or two real quality pieces that will last you. Guess in our culture of acquisition and ownership that’s old fashioned.

Personally, I think the US version is better by a magnitude of 3. You get a hardcase. You get better pickups, tuners and other hardware. It’ll keep its value better. It’ll often be lighter, too. Mid-price (which is where £1500 is) is where the best value is in my eyes. I love a cheap bass but as someone who gigs a lot (60-70 times a year) this stuff really matters. Hardware on the Squier, for example, would need to be replaced fairly quickly as a gigging musician and your end up buying a new hardcase which will cost you £100 on top.

It seems to me he’s buying stuff and selling it on. If he’s picking up basses here and selling them on, it suggests he’s a bedroom dealer and should be registered as such. My brother used to sell records as a hobby and has now registered with HMRC as a dealer. In the end, it looks like a lot of average stuff that’s priced higher than a specialist shop like BassBros without any of the benefits. If most definitely avoid.

Oh, and while it’s probably true you’d get more value buying used, I love a new bass. The smell, the feel of it and the fact that every dent and piece of damage is your fault! Recently bought a brand new Jack Cassidy. Sure I could have saved £200 buying used, but I didn’t want to.

This one million percent. The only instruments I have kept are those that I played before buying. Take the time you need to play as many as you can. Dont be pressured into buying.

I’m really excited to go, too. I’ve been racking up the gigs and all the cash goes into a pot. Seems quite funny all the money I spend will be earned playing 40s and 50s chess-era Blues for a delicate bow.

I had no idea it existed! I did a gig two minutes away yesterday and went past it.

This is all good advice. The best value is always in the middle range. I'm not going to need a professional level bow, but that's because I couldn't justify it (both in terms of cost or ability), but something much better than the entry-level one I have and that I can grow with and will provide much greater feel and sound quality would make a huge difference. I ruled out old ones as I thought I was going to buy used sight-unseen, but now there's a shop I can visit, I'll see how things go there. Will update.

Lots and lots of basses. I think it’s fine to add pictures for info but if you’re selling it’s usually the done thing to subscribe. (It costs the people who run the forum quite a lot to keep it open I think and the cash helps.) Best of luck with them all!

I bought a boxed and brand new B-stock TRB for £600 a while back. We all know people who put stuff up for sale for stupid prices as a way to justify keeping them. Fair play to him. I'd swap them all for a couple of basses I actually used (and the space back, too).

Can you own 17 basses and not be some sort of dealer, trader or industry professional? His relationship with Roger suggests your dad was someone with some incredible connections in the industry, too, given his place in DB legend. I guess most dealers would struggle to come up with the cash for them all to be honest. It's not like the market is massive in the UK. Like others, can't wait to see them. Where are you based?

This collection reflects what a guitar dealer told me about the state of the guitar market. It's people with huge collections of average gear trying to sell it for shop prices. They kid themselves that these things keep their value, but he'll struggle to shift any of this at these prices. I'm sure the guy is a lovely fella and best of luck with it all.

Thanks for that. It seems Bristol has one of the UK's only bow shops and it's about 10 minutes from my house, so I'll start there (and probably finish there, too!).

This is all excellent advice and I look forward to seeing the pics too. Dealers of string instruments have a tough time. It can take a long time to make a sale which means lots of cash stuck on stock, so we can’t give then too hard of a time. I’m sorry to hear of the loss of your dad.

I had no idea this shop existed. Thanks so much for this. I’ll pop in during the week.

I’ve been off here for a while, but I’ve been dragged back in… Anyway. I inherited a 3/4 French bow that was cheap. It’s not great but it’s ok while I learn. I want to invest in a good mid-price bow and I would like your advice. I’m currently motoring through the grades and want something for me to use as I push on to more complex and involved music. I want do buy new and my budget can cover anything currently sold brand new. I don’t want a vintage or used bow.

Zelensky is a strong chap, I get that. The problem is he and his government are mired in corruption claims and have links with some very dodgy characters. He's not universally popular or a Churchillian figure (and even Churchill wasn't universally popular, of course). He may wish to fight on, but we don't really know if that reflects the current views of his country. (This is a point Trump made in very crass terms.) I think we fundamentally disagree about the future. Russia has been portrayed as an expansionist regime that plans to roll across Europe and threaten the UK. If that were the case, then I'd 100% support putting the UK on a war footing. I simply don't think this is ever going to happen or was ever Putin's plan. I think we're being pushed in a very dangerous direction and that Starmer even threatening to put UK troops into Ukraine massively increases the risk of escalation and all the horrors that brings. Diplomacy means making deals with the wrong people for the right reasons. Guess we see what happens. Perhaps I'll meet you in the trenches somewhere over there. (Although at 44 and asthmatic, I'm not sure I'd be much good.)

Edited.

This is Starmer's moment. The guy is massively egotistical and loves the spotlight. He's also in a great position to be seen as an honest broker between the US and Europe. The problem will be if he's called upon to make a choice between the two. Given Ukraine's attempt to join NATO was given as the main reason for the war, I can't see Putin signing any peace deal that sees European or US troops on the ground in Ukraine. The neutrality of Ukraine will be the basis of a peace. When this is signed (which it will be) Starmer, Trump and the rest of the Europeans will be accused of selling out the Ukranians who will be stuck. As much as we're offering protection, we're not providing a roadmap to becoming part of the EU (a step toward becoming a part of NATO).

I think all this is performative, too. My reading is that the deal between Putin and Trump is probably already done and that's going to mean all the current territory gained is going to be claimed as Russian. The idea that Crimea was ever likely to be reclaimed by Ukraine is fanciful. Zelensky can bash the table as much as he likes, but intransigence is exactly why a peace deal hasn't been signed yet. Starmer knows that. I think the Zelensky humiliation was probably a tactic to publicly put him in his place. Trump is trying to stop the conflict appearing like a US v Russia proxy war, which is actually a good thing for future security.

None of this will happen without American backing. It’s all performative for Trump, of course, but could work in our favour as the US probably likes Starmer acting this way.