Terry M.

Yes I won't disagree with this as I'm aware how trading works. It's just when you see how individual pieces change hands and the profit margin involved sometimes and how it can skew the market overall. This is why I'm grateful the lower end of the new market has really upped their game. Spending £1.5k over £500 on its own won't make me a better bass player which is all I'm really concerned about at the end of the day.

This is so true. I've lost count the amount of reasonably priced used basses I've seen on say,Gumtree or eBay that get snapped up only to reappear almost immediately on commission sale on some well known site at sometimes double the price. I lost out on a bass last year on Gumtree and before I knew it there it was on Bass Direct at quite a price hike. Definitely has an impact on players without much cash from taking part and finding good deals. I heard this happened to the house market some years back with people buying cheap property with the sole intention to let it out. No idea how true that is but I'm digressing now so...

Hope you bond with it. I've seen the £1.4k price also elsewhere. You sound like you're a fan of passive basses perhaps. How does the wide pickup spacing affect things,is there an inherent mid scoop when they're equally blended?

Ah no worries mate 😊

Markbass preamp? Are we talking about the Cort Rithimic V? 🤔

Reidys Music right? I saw it also. They were that price new not that long ago. They're really expensive now so well done 👏

Ironically it was just yesterday I called Peach Guitars to make an appointment to try one. They let me know that their one had a technical issue so that was that. How are you finding your one so far? I'm a fan of 19mm bridge spacing on fives so really wanted to give it a spin. How do you find it with the pickup spacing distance also?

Are you quite fussy with regards to features or not really? If so you can eliminate quite a few basses based on just that and see what's left.

Apologies for that. I've edited my post and removed the links 👍

No such thing as objectively better in this context. Maybe subjectively is a more appropriate term. We all have different tastes and expectations. You find your sweet spot and hopefully everyone else finds theirs. Play your Dingwall in good health (if you have one)

This all day every day. Even though I've experienced great B strings on 35" scale I do believe there's a certain degree of marketing hype built into the concept based on a previous post of mine here.

Not in my experience. I've yet to play a German Warwick or an EBMM 5 string with an unreliable B string. One of the best I've owned was a Japanese FGN Jazz bass,all 34". I've even played a 33" ACG with an immense B string. The bad rap in my opinion comes with basic construction and design flaws and neck pocket tightness or lack of. I've played Laklands and Ibanez BTB basses with shockingly bad B strings and wait for it...a Dingwall I briefly owned had a B string that was nothing to write home about. Again this is my personal experience only so take with a pinch of salt.

Please bear in mind (if you haven't already done so) that B string quality isn't dependent on scale length. Design and construction methods come into play more. So on your budget I wouldn't discriminate against other scale lengths especially if you go the used route.

I shared the link to my strap because it may be of interest to somebody else. For example I'm intrigued by the Italia strap idea shared by TrevorR.

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/maruszczyk-pes50/ My personal favourite. 4 and 7/8" width of real comfort to a heavy axe. I wouldn't be without it.

Very true. However I researched SVT-7 Pro issues back when I had mine and the results were staggering. I know this is a different model to the OP's question but I can't get it out my head how common a complaint it was.

Thanks. I only asked because I once had an 11 pound plus bass that had tone for days and I often wondered if it would have sounded like that if it were say 2 pounds lighter.

But did it change it? Whether good or bad?

I've learned what MTBF means only now. Every day's a school day 😂

Saw her live at the Jazz Café in London back when she was already in her 60s. What a performance. She also came across as a very nice person which is equally as important.

Outside of getting rid of the bass this is the solution in my books but the OP doesn't like wide straps so...

Why don't you like the wide padded straps out of interest?

A bass is only worth what someone will pay for it. I've seen basses in certain stores sit on the wall for literally over a year and counting based on that theory. There's been a Yamaha RBX765a on Ebay for the LONGEST time in fact it's still there. It's had simms led's fitted and the asking price is £1,260.00!!! Maybe I've missed something there 😅

Check the two listings yourselves chaps 😊 And my favourite colour happens to be the cheaper one.