Jack

There are loads of bargains to be had second hand even if you're into different stuff. I picked up a Steinberger XT2 for £180 and a Tanglewood Curbow for £50 in this forum. Neither are your typical P/J beginner bass.

Why did you sign for the bass and agree to accept it if it was damaged? I have to agree with the 'chalk it up to experience' boys and girls. I've had to turn away a few items that were delivered damaged and once paid £40 (thankfully not any more) to a guy on another forum and never did receive my graphics card.

I know money isn;t a problem for him but as has been been said he's known for being frugal. Maybe he's just not as into gear as those nerds who sit around talking about it on the net ( ) and he's just very happy with his current rig?

IME stay away from the goldline, tough the Backline is good enough. Bob Gallien said the 600 is their best-selling amp, and it's not without good reason IMO. Personally, I'd recommend a second hand RB amp. The 700II is more than enough for most situations and the quality is hard to beat at any budget.

[quote name='phatbass787' timestamp='1323977526' post='1469505'] Im pretty sure with the Ashdown MiBass you can turn the EQ off and then you will just have input gain and volume... [/quote] Depends if the amp still imparts it's own inherent voicing. You can set the eq flat on any head, but they still don't all sound the same.

This comes up quite a lot, I'd certainly want one. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/20284-compact-power-amp/"]I want this one.[/url]

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1323690925' post='1465761'] Yeah sorry, cheers. I'm in a very dark place regarding this forum at the moment. [/quote] It's a forum man. Walk away and go outside. Hell, even play some bass.* * As long as it's a 5 string coffee-table bass through a micro head into Barefaced cabinets.

Always, and I'd consider it unprofessional not to. (So, if you're not getting paid, doing this for the fun or whatever, then I guess you don't have to.) Yeah strings can be dealt with in under a minute, not that I've ever broken one. What happened to me was a very drunk (though admittedly very pretty) girl decided to stand on my cable and rip the guts of my Fender out. Cue no bass at all and certainly nothing that I could fix in less than a minute or two. A bad workman blames his tools, you've got to be pretty lousy workman to not even bring the tools. [IMG]http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g40/sparkythebunny/FenderDamage2.jpg[/IMG]

Some SS heads get damned close, not properly though. There is a massive size/weight trade off that may make tube amps seem unnecessary in a gigging situation, but for some nothing else will do. A lot of 'that' sound comes from the power amp, the way they break up when turned up at high volumes is much more pleasing then when SS amps start to break up. This ability to be fully cranked and still sound nice (better in fact) is why a lot of people will try and convince you that a 'tube watt is louder' or some such rubbish.

There really is no substitute for having someone help you chose. My dad (guitarist) played every Squier in 3 cities to find the best when I decided I wanted a Black P-Bass for my first bass. I have been with both a friend and my younger brother when they were looking for theirs. Pay a local tutor (who isn't linked with a shop) to go with you or maybe offer to buy one of our Essex-based Basschatters a pint and pack of strings if they'll go with you? As you are clearly looking for basses to google, then I'll add my +1 to both the Ibanez's mentioned above and the idea that you should get a better second-hand instrument over a worse new one for the same money. That way the inevitable resale won't hit you as hard.

After far too long searching, my new Ray 4. [IMG]http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g40/sparkythebunny/DSCF2123.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g40/sparkythebunny/DSCF2134.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g40/sparkythebunny/DSCF2140.jpg[/IMG]

Necks can often be found on ebay as many people upgrade Ray necks to carbon fibre ones. As far as electronics go, I'd be really tempted to go for one of the DIY 2-band kits, especially if you're on a really tight budget. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIY-Ref-Music-Man-Stingray-Bass-Guitar-Preamp-Component-/110630954658?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item19c21e66a2"]These[/url] get great reviews from the people who've used them.

Thanks!

[quote name='eddiehoffmann' timestamp='1322271326' post='1448916'] [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/index_home.html"]http://www.status-gr...index_home.html[/url] Go to 'on-line shop', 'bass strings' and check the custom options. You can make a set with any gauge you want. The best bit is the strings are great! Can't use anything else these days. Hope it helps. [/quote] Wow, never seen those before. If I'm buying a standard set do I want Long or Medium scale? 34" necks.

[quote name='daz' timestamp='1322257956' post='1448804'] You did a 9 on Talkbass ?!! A [b]nine[/b]!!! How did you stand the Cliques and all the [i]my Sadowski is better than your custom shop Fender, [/i]and the, [i] Nothing cheap is any good. S[/i]nobbery and guff ?? [/quote] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/member.php?find=lastposter&t=821013"]Yes sir.[/url] More like 8.5 it seems. To be honest I frequent there more than here. There is a fair bit of snobbery but come one, Basschat has it's own favourite basses, amps and passing fads as well. Amazing how you can ask two brilliant forums with expert members and get two completely different answers, usually depending on what that particular board is raving about or slating at any given time. [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1322260548' post='1448830'] If anything BassChat promotes affordable gear IMO, how many of us rave about how good our Squiers or Bitsa basses are compared to our more pricy versions? I think almost every member that has £1000 plus bass has a sub £200 bass they love and use regular, I know I do I joined the EBMM forum recently and so far I cant see much happening at all, its way slower than BC although it is different in some way compared to when I first joined, maybe its all my fault? [/quote] Meh, a lot of the time cheap gear is rubbish. I know I own a brilliant Tanglewood but I've also owned a god-awful Johnosn and a worse Squier. To say nothing of the various Vintage/Encore poop that's out there. There are some really good finds if you know where to look mind, and, with the exception of either really really really rubbish or barely-working gear, I'd never judge anyone based on theirs. Can we all agree the EBMM forum is just bad? Ran with an iron fist and very slow moving, to say nothing of the narrow-mindedness of the regulars.

It happens, I'm reasonably new here* but I've served almost 9 years on Talkbass and more like 11 on the Age of Aquariums board. You join and there's the 'old crowd' that have either been there for ages or joined up at the same time as you. Over time they either drift off to find a new hobby or even just stop posting because they reach a point where they're generally happy with their setups. It's a mix of that and also you start to notice the same old threads coming up time and time again on any forum and feel the urge to participate less and less. * EDIT - Just looked and I've been here 4 years. Longer than I thought.

At the end of the day, you're only limiting yourself by not using a pick. Saying 'Oh, picks aren't for me' is fair enough but (as has been pointed out) maybe the song actually would sound better with a pick? People tend to be as opinionated with picks vs. fingers as they are with valve/solid state or 4 strings/extended range when the truth is it's nowhere near as serious. They're pennies to buy and are a very useful tool to have in your arsenal. You're a bass player, why limit your technique to a small facet of that? I assume you can slap? On the other side of the coin, is someone ever seriously told me to use one technique (rather than a friendly helpful suggestion) he'd find my fingers being can be used for stuff that isn't strict pizzicato. I'm the bass player, thanks.

You only get one set of ears. 24dB!

I've always wondered if manufacturers actually know what they're doing with strings designed for their own basses. I love Fender flats on my Fender (admittedly it's currently sporting Rotosound flats) and nothing gives me the bright zinginess from my 'Rays quite as well as EB Slinkys.

Aside: I love Dave's stuff but I wish it would be a little more restrained visually. Would he do you one in solid black with typed letters if you asked? I just think they look more 'homemade' than 'handbuilt' which is a shame considering their quality.

I was considering selling my MXR M80 box recently but didn't because it's not worth it for me, they can be had for £50 used. Moral of the story is it might be worth looking at those preamp/pedal/di boxes that you can get these days. Most places hand me a Samson DI that's pale blue (circuit diagram on the top) and I know for a fact they're pretty cheap. I've never had any problems with them but then again we don't really hear our own FOH sound so I'm finding it hard to properly recommend them!

We did a family shot between me (Stingray, Fender P, Squier P, Uke, and the classical acoustic and half of the Tanglewood Curbow), my brother (the other half of the Tanglewood and the Steinberger) and my dad (the rest of the guitars).

Either a 30ft or 20ft, and both Planet Waves.

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1320838661' post='1432013'] P or J or P or J type? I've never turned up to a studio or session gig with a Fender bass. Most of the time I used a cheap Yamaha BBG5 and got nothing but good words from engineers. Most of the session musicians I know use Sadowskys or Custom builds. One in particular has an original 60's jazz and wouldnt dream of using it in a studio setting. [/quote] That's the point I was making (albeit not very well!). You really need a P or J type bass, and if Fender doesn't do it for you then this way we have options.