SumOne

Their new Album 'This is what we do' has just been released. These are a couple of my favorites from it: ...nothing groundbreaking, could've been released 25 years ago. Still good though.

^^^ £100 in 1990 is now worth £225 due to inflation though (and the v2 can be got for £253 from GAK, with £150 still roughly the going rate for a good 2nd hand one), so not as much of a cost increase as it might seem. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

Complete! Wiring done and pleasantly suprised when plugged in and it sounds like a decent P Bass, controls working as they should, grounding all good etc. and the neck/frets/action are all good. Quite lightweight at 3.7kg. And I guess lightweight tuners could get it down to less than 3.5kg. I'd say it is somewhere between Squier and Player series quality, and it cost about £350 in parts so not too bad value for money (if you don't consider time as a cost!). Possibly will get some volume and tone knobs but I quite like it as it is. And might go for the 3+1 headstock reshape if I get bored/brave. And I might get ultralight tuners, hipshot xtender and a fancy bridge if I feel flash with the cash at some point. But for the time being - job done!

I find something appealing about the simplicity of a Precision, it is difficult to get a bad sound out of them. They have been used on so much recorded music that they almost seem to just be the default sound of a bass - I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I like the shape of the body on them too. Some can have necks that are a bit too chunky for me but it seems that lots don't (the Japanese ones and the Player series seem to pretty much be the same as Jazz necks). I'm doing a home build Precison with a Jazz neck. I do like Jazz basses sound for the neck pickup and plucking by the neck for Reggae/Dub though, so in-fact at the risk of ruining the simplicity of a P perhaps I'd like a weird PJ with the Jazz neck pickup. That doesn't seem to be a done thing so I suppose it doesn't work, I might give it a go if I feel ambitious with my build though - something like this (just a cut and paste I did, not a real bass). ......I assume it'd be good for Reggae by playing by the neck to produce a lot of low-end from the neck pickup mixed with the P bass pickup to add low-mids and growl.

That's what I started with. That and YouTube can teach all the theory you need. After about 6 months I think I paid £100 for 3 lessons with someone local. He pointed out a couple of bad techniques I had picked up (bad muting, and plucking strings with inconsistent volume) so I think it was worthwhile before they became too ingrained. Then I found jamming and playing songs with real people very beneficial as bass tends to be a much more 'social' instrument (tying rhythm and harmony together) than instruments like guitar and piano which work okay practiced/played solo.

Thanks for all the useful information. It is taking shape with a Precision body and Jazz neck: Felt a bit nervous putting the full tension into all the strings - a test if the parts can all take it without the sound of cracking wood! But all good, it sounds and plays fine acoustically and everything seems to be lined up as it shoud with what already seems like an alright action before adjusting the truss rod and the frets all seem to be the right height. Tonerider TRP1 pickups (just resting in the cavity to check they fit) and I also have the electrics (from Northwest Guitars), and have some black strap buttons and a string tree to fit. I'm just waiting for a cheap black scratchplate now which seems to be on a month long voyage from China. For the time being I'll just stick with the natural wood, will see how it looks with the full scratchplate or perhaps cutting that down to just cover the controls. Once I've got it making amplified Bass noises I might give painting another go (if I can be bothered taking it all apart again!), probably white, but as I can pick and choose perhaps should go with something a bit more unique like purple. If I feel brave I might drill a hole in the headstock to move the G tuning peg to be facing down (like a Stingray's 3+1) and cut off the end of the headstock just because it seems a simple way to make the Bass a bit more compact and save a bit of weight at the far end of the neck, would make it a bit more unique too. Total cost looks like it'll be a bit less than £350 for parts which is okay if it sounds and plays something like a Squier. If I really like the way it plays then some hipshot ultralight tuners and an xtender might be on the shopping list at some point, but that adds about £200.

Yeah, there is that, but the flipside being that it sort of does. If you wanted to make money from music you got off your backside and headed to your nearest music hall to give a performance and get paid. You couldn't sit on your warm settee and have money roll in without having a physical product being sold.

Like others have already said, I find the main benefits of a 5 are not so much the occasional notes below low E, it is the additional playing positions/efficiency and not having to use the open E and the tone of notes above the 5th fret on the B string. I don't think they are necessary much harder to play than a 4, extra muting but easier to directly transfer playing positions. I do find 4 strings better for slap, and generally more comfortable and lighter though so an ideal world is to have both.

I'm absolutely loving a lot of Nigerian pop music lately. Positive vibes for winter days!

It sort of goes back to being like the days before recorded music - musicians still managed to make money.

Bought a Yamaha bass from Tiernan and all was good - good communication and all as described for a decent bargain bass. Deal with confidence. Thanks! Ben

Nice one, you are probably right about the oil. I did a sand>tung>primer>paint and I don't think I gave the oil long enough to fully cure (and I guess it probably wasn't actually needed at all). I only gave it a few days which is aparrently okay for each new coat to dry but I've since read that it can take upto 40 days for it to fully set (particularaly as I left it in a cool and damp garage). So right now I have sanded it back more so there is none of the white visible and have added a couple of layers of tung oil (about 3 days apart) and it is getting a bit darker. I'm in two minds to either keep adding layers of oil or to leave it in the airing cupboard for a few weeks before painting again. It looks okay bare but is still soft enough that the wood can be dented with a fingernail so it'll either need more layers of oil or some sort of clear coat or paint to give more protection.

It seems like marginal gains, for quite a lot more money than the player series the USA ones are a bit better. But they hold their value well (if bought second hand), so if you have the spare £ it probably is 'worth' it. A browse through prices of alternative brands can make Fender USA prices seem reasonable. (Warwick Streamette 5 £3,500, MM Stingray £2,700, Rickenbacker 4003 £2,700. Etc)

A good thing with bass gear (especially second hand, but potentially sale stuff) is it doesn't really depreciate in value much. With close to 10% inflation and low interest rates on savings it could even be an alright investment....that's what I'm telling myself anyway!

Perhaps I'm too smutty but I can't understand why everyone doesn't notice that and think it'd be a bit embarrasing to be seen on a stage with. Along with Gus and some of the Spectors. I mean, it might be practicle but it isn't subtle! ....and MM Bongo's look like toilet seats.

PMT selling Yamaha BB435 £494 is tempting. That is over £100 cheaper than GAK, Guitar Guitar, Thomann, or Yamaha. (A bit cheeky to list 'was £894' though, even direct from Yamaha is only £645 without any mention of a reduction). They also have the catchily named Yamaha TRBX605FM-TBL for £516, most other shops sell it for about £600 (£689 from Yamaha, so again PMT with their 'was £966' seems cheeky).

Nice! I'm starting to feel the GAS for a Dingwall again. I had owned a Combustion, but it was quite a heavy one and the Ibanez EHB 1005MS seemed a decent lighter and cheaper alternative...and it was good but but not quite as good as the Combustion which just felt like a better made instrument (albeit more expensive and bigger and heavier). If Dingwall make a headless purple sparkle Combustion or NG I'll be selling a kidney to get it.

Inspiring stuff! I had my eye on that bass when it was at Bass Direct and was wondering how I'd go about repairing it - it looks great the way you have done it.

I've now got something that resembles a Bass! Northwest Guitars body and neck fit together perfectly (the body needed the truss rod access drilled out though) All the painting/stripping/re-painting/re-stripping I've done so far might have been a waste of time as the natural look works quite well with the almost matching neck. I'll stick with this look for the time being (at least until it sucesfully makes Bass noises!). Tung oil layers are currently being applied - something I've learned (if internet commenters are to be believed) is that it is a slow process and in some ways might not be easier than painting (certainly not quicker). It takes 5+ layers, each layer needs to be sanded in and left for up to 3 days to dry, and a full cure can take 15-45 days (longer for cold damp conditions). Then I guess a top wax layer might also be needed as the wood is soft and porous, or clear coat......so actually, trying another paint job might be easier (third time lucky!). I've got the electrics (from six string supplies), and the remaining parts are probably on a boat from China right now: Tonerider TRP1 pickups, black scratchplate, black tuners...I think chrome hardware might have looked better if I go for the natural wood look though. I have a normal 57/62 type scratchplate on the way but as the pickup to controls routing is a drilled hole rather than being cut out I'm thinking perhaps cutting the scratchplate to just cover the controls could be a good look (bonus being there are no scratchplate holes in the body yet). Something like an aneamic version of Leland Sklar's (but without the extra pickups and famous signatures!)

Headless Dingwall

I think both Johnny Cash and Gil Scott-Heron did it well, their last albums were some of their best music. Artists need to make music that fits their age and voice rather than trying to poorly reproduce what they did 50 years earlier.

^^^ Aparently the SR300 'E' has upgraded pickups and electronics from the older SR300, so hopefully they sound okay without mods (I am usually more a fan of passive though so I might consider that) https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2016/03/04/ibanez-introduces-sr300e-with-upgraded-electronics/ I'm in the process of selling off my more expensive gear and downgrading everything in preparation for a house move (to get some £, reduce amount of stuff being moved, and as I'll need to quit bands for the time being - so only need a cheap bass for home practice and no need for most pedals and amp&cab), so it is probably a bit of a short-term thing....although hopefully it is actually good enough to keep as a long-term bass, at least as backup. My setup will be about as cheap as it gets: SR300E + Zoom B1-Four.