Jolltax

I travel a lot on business, and sometimes live in hotels for extended periods. To be more clear I spend literally half my time on the road or away from home, so its not just the odd few days. When I am away I like to take my beater-bass (a Harley Benton) and enjoy practicing along to YouTube videos or mp3's. Carrying the bass, my suitcase and my hand-luggage is bad enough so I have been through a lot of iterations in pursuit of a cheap light-weight options which sound reasonable, this means headphones : I first bought a Sonicake Bass Headphone amp and tried it once, I have never used it since because the first time I tried it the sound quality was so terrible that I never plugged it in again. You get what you pay for I guess .. For a while I used a laptop (I always travel with 2 Dell laptops) and a Behringer UMC204HD audio interface, this works OK but its clumsy, latency can be a bit of an issue once you are running a DAW plus other apps and you need power supplies for everything. It also takes a long time to get setup which is annoying and has spaghetti problems. I tried using iRig Amplitube on my iPad Pro, this proved fruitless as I never managed to solve the latency issues, Apple devices are also devoid of any ports so powering an interface, plugging in headphones etc is a pain, you have to use an adapter and the battery is not really up to it I tried using so called 'ultra low latency' AptX wireless bluetooth headphones to reduce the spaghetti, forget it ... (latency again) In one hotel I was able to my Zoom B1 four into the line in on the Bose bed-side clock radio as a speaker and this worked surprisingly well, lol, not sure what my neighbours thought was going on. Full credit to Bose on building a very robust bedside clock! Currently I am using my phone for music source, a Zoom B1 four powered by a USB power supply and headphones, its OK but not brilliant, the sound quality / effects are adequate but even with IEM's it doesn't really deliver the volume and has limited options to mix music and bass. Its probably the lightest portable option so far though ... For someone who is only making the occasional trip I think this setup is a reasonably priced / average performance option : For me though, I think I have run out patience and fed up with the cables and fudges, I can't do it on the cheap and live with it. So I am going to have to spend more money and get something better. Open to ideas / experiences but these two seem to be well recommended and its my birthday soon https://ashdownmusic.com/products/tone-pocket-bluetooth https://www.boss.info/global/products/waza-air_bass/ I particularly like the look of the Waza, completely wireless, no spaghetti! Only issue is I have never yet found a wireless solution that doesn't have latency issues (to my ears), so I need to read up a bit more, expensive too. Unsurprisingly I could have saved myself most of the above learning process by following the advice on these forums in other threads, duh. Maybe another traveller will find / read this and it will resonate ... Hate spaghetti .. Cheers J

After a lot more (too much) thinking and searching : Musicman Sabre - seems to me that this is the fantasy / unicorn bass I should find , shame they are no longer made, virtually unobtainable and consequently very expensive. I just don’t get why they stopped making them, they seem so cool. G&L L2000 - guitarguitar have one on order in Birmingham, but colour not my thing, which I will go and have a look at when it comes in, long order times though if I want one Sandberg TM2 / Basic / Ken Taylor - am still phoning around to find a stockist near me, Sandberg seem like they have some very nice options if I can find some to try Custom build - is it a crazy idea to have something made? A custom made bass is comparable cost, I am just worried about resale value e.g. I really like the look of Manton’s Paradigm bass I’m going to have a twang on some in shops, narrow it down, then post a wanted ad as I much prefer second hand Cool beans! J

Really cool build! I was very interested to find this project / thread as I have also been toying with the idea of building the DIY stingray preamp and am also really keen on the idea of stingray-sounding basses hence this thread : Inspired by your post, I think I will to order some components and make a few of the pre-amps, probably start by making putting one into an external box. Did you get your PCB's from OSH Park? Would love to see the completion of this project, which seems super cool, especially would like to know how close you can get to a bass which can sound like a stingray and a PB. J

Thanks for all the comments, being somewhat of a newb I didn't know about G&L basses, or rather that Leo Fender was the designer, so I started watching a few videos online, so I know a bit more about their evolution. As it happens I also didn't know that MusicMan did a dual pickup line of basses (HH). Really appreciate the comments! J

Since starting to play 16 months ago I am (slowly) improving as a player and am considering upgrading to a new bass in the medium term, wife permitting. I decided to limit myself to a total of 3 basses so I will probably offload my H-B 75 JB copy, which is great for practice but very heavy (and currently living in North Africa for me to use when at work there), leaving me with a Sire MM M2 and my Ibanez Roadstar II and a gap on the wall .... In a new purchase I am hoping to find something with a conventional shape but also schizophrenic i.e. has a growling Musicman-like alter-ego. I love the sound of MM and have considered buying a Musicman (seems obvious) but I haven't warmed to the looks and ideally I would like an instrument with an additional pickup located where I can play whilst resting my thumb in a similar place to my Ibanez. My teacher suggested I consider a Sandberg with dual pickups, I have looked at a VM4 online which has a PB-like pickup, and also humbucker like a MM and seems to be a very nice instrument with a reputation for being very well made. In this video it seems to be able to be quite flexible tonally. Can anyone suggest other alternative basses (absolute max £2k or less) that are light(ish), can do growly well, and are conventionally shaped (other than Musicmans obviously) that I should consider? TYVM J

Hi NT1991, as a bass newb that first Ibanez looks more like a spaceship to me than a bass, wowsers

Hey Dod 👍

HI Fats, you are rehearsing for gigs after one year of playing, blimey I have also been playing for a year and freak out playing in front of my teacher, lol I also recently started watching Joe Dart and am now a fan ..... 👍

Hi Paul,welcome and a nice looking bass! I am a beginner also, so no authority, but if Mr Google is correct you got a bargain!

Hi Chazzy, we have a lot in common, I recently started playing (February), am more 'mature' than you 👴! I also decided to build my first ever cabinet using a guide from here and support of members instead of buying one ( I did the lockdown build 10"one) Only tip I would give you is don't wait too long to find a teacher, I learnt for the first 7 months on my own from video courses online and have got into some bad habits out of ignorance. Stay funky bro!

Hi @Biscuit_Bass I recently took up bass also, I am 55 yo - I have a bit of arthritis in one elbow (and my knees), playing bass hasn't really made anything worse (I always play sat down) and the soreness / aching I get in fingers after a big practice session is really just the result of me training my fingers / muscles to stretch so I think you can probably expect a bit of that! I found slap a bit uncomfortable so I just play finger style currently (probably because I have zero technique) Only tip I would give you it try not to accidentally buy a very heavy bass, I have one (a Harley Benton) and it makes surprising difference from a comfort perspective. J

Not that another example is needed, but I also have a Harley Benton JB-75MN and much as I enjoy playing it, I have to agree that it is ridiculously heavy, mine is completely stock, I just weighed it at 5.5 kg (12 lbs). My Sire MM M2 is 3.5 kg ( under 8 lbs) by comparison.

@BassassinI am very happy with it, thanks for the info and I have saved the catalogue. I am also kind of puzzled why it is in such good and apparently original condition, the only thing I can think is that the original owners didn't use it / travel with it. The description of the pickup is really interesting and explains why the output is high for a passive bass, it certainly surprised me when I played it for the first time! J

I went to look at a Peavey Zodiac bass advertised in a local shop window for £99 and the guy showed me this Ibanez Roadstar II as well, according to Dr Google its a RB620NT from around 1983 (but open to advice on this). I am a beginner player and don't know much about gear but whatever it is, it spoke to me, and so I went home to find the cash, google it and went back today and got it, very grateful to the seller. I paid £180 It seems in strangely good condition for its age, better than I was at 38 years old, maybe it has been worked on? One of those situations where I don't really know what I bought ... but I like it 🤨. It seems pretty genuine, but again, I have no idea ... I took the photos straight away when I got home before the light left, still undusted, as I wanted to post this and see whether people think I made a wise choice. I practiced with it this evening and it surprised me how lively the output is, for a passive bass it seems to have quite a kick compared to my (one) other passive bass, I love the feel of the neck - it is a P-bass type? No idea, lol. I think it needs a setup and some strings and the neck looks a tiny bit torqued / twisted, is that usual for an old instrument? Plays ok to me, though. I get the impression it has been stored and unplayed for a while 5-10 years, any advice on what I should do with it to restore to full health? Anyway, I am very happy with it, I feel like I need to get some flares to wear while I am playing it to properly do it justice, here are some pics : Groovy! J

I bought the Ibanez, very happy. I will post some pictures in a NBD thread The guy is still selling the Peavey (which looks in fantastic condition) and the guy is also selling an Ashdown head unit (Evo ii 600W he says) and cab, both look like really good deals to me, if anyone is interested in getting his contact details then PM me and I will pass them on and you can contact him

Starting to panic that you might live near me ... I am sure the other Shetlanders would have noticed 🐑

@kodiakblairI'm going to get back in touch tomorrow and if I decide not to buy the Peavey and get the Ibanez I'll ask the guy if he minds me passing on his phone number. It does looks hardly used and in great condition, as you mentioned I don't think its a DE Scorpio signature model, I think he mis-googled.

Hi guys, I went to look at the Peavey bass and its in fantastic condition and looks like a great deal, the only reason I didn't buy it is that the guy showed me an old Ibanez Roadstar II in very nice condition especially considering its age, it looks a bit like a P-bass and is more expensive but I really liked it so I had to go away and sleep on whether to spend the extra cash on it instead. It looks like this one, was thinking about selling my Harley Benton Jazz bass to offset the cost difference. Aargh

OK cool, if its still for sale I think I'll go check it out. It's a poor photo of a photo but checking online I see what you mean about the scratchplate

Saw this is my local shop window and was wondering whether it is a decent instrument, had no idea who Dave Ellefson is but according to Google is / was a Megadeth bass player, seems like a pretty low price - are they usually this cheap? I don't know hardly anything about Peavey and never seen one in a shop, is it just a cheapy or worth having a look and making an offer ?

Wow, I completely missed those, thank you - its a lot to go through, fantastic. I will make a donation Is there an easy way to download them ?

I am a beginner and trying to wean myself off TAB and use 'proper' music notation. Based on my teachers recommendation I have been working my way through the Hal Leonard Bass Method which I have found useful (especially the accompanied pieces). My sight reading is making decent progress. I mainly like contemporary music (soul, rock, some blues). When I practice after working on my latest page of Hal Leonard I like to chill out by trying to play along with my favourites on Youtube (e.g. currently trying to learn 'Its my life' by Talk Talk which so far I can only play at 75% speed and 'Aint no love in the Heart of the City' Black Pumas version 🙃). The issue is that its amazing how many songs I can find in TAB format but I am finding it challenging trying to find contemporary stuff in sheet music format. I don't necessarily expect it to be free, and don't mind paying for it. I wonder if there is a music publisher online selling sheet music for stuff like this? My question is : Could anyone recommend a good source of sheet music or good compilation books for Bass beginners who want to play contemporary music? J

I also used to use direct monitoring for the same reason (horrible latency) but (on my PC) I eventually worked out how to solve the latency issue by ensuring I was using the right ASIO driver and adjusting the buffer settings in the software. The main advantage really is that you can then use all the software pedals, emulators and effects in your DAW which is kind of cool, and of course you can record directly into the DAW if you are composing (not something I do) I'm sorry I wouldn't know where to start on an Apple computer but my guess is its probably solvable in the software if you know how. Anyway, hopefully my pre-amp / Zoom thing will hopefully give my JB a bit more juice plus a few cool options J

Not silly at all. I can use direct monitoring but my current Focusrite interface doesn't have a blend knob it just has a switch i.e. 100% raw signal. Using it means I also can't apply any effects in my DAW - unless I use 'Direct' when the audio comes via USB to the PC it is already mixed I do also however have another audio interface (a Behringer) which does have a blend knob - it still means I can't apply any effects. I was thinking the same thing and almost pushed the button on this as I know its a bargain, after a lot of thought (and googling) I decided to instead buy a Zoom B1 four and try that, its a bit more expensive but for a first pedal it has a few other very cool features (tuner, looper, drum samples). Something like this look right? I really appreciate all the helpful replies, thanks so much! I'll let you know how it goes if the DPD guy ever finds my house (this is a bit of a lottery) J