Gothic

This thread inspired me. I'm selling all my basses and getting just one. We'll see how that goes...

Same tuners for other basses as well. Maybe they are indeed different. Who knows. Seem quite the same to me. As for the ash, in my experience so far, whatever type of ash is used in budget instruments, tends to be heavy. That is all.

If it's one of those rock bands that only want a bass player to "fill out the bottom" and just stand in the back root pumping then no thanks, I'd rather not, get a backing track. But yeah, most PA handlers (I dare not call them sound engineers) are used to just providing undefined boom and mud and call it a day.

I don't gig anymore. Last one was January 2020. After covid, the scene here's pretty much dead if you're looking to start a new band. The older bands are creeping back out but there are, what, two or three viable places to play, people outside of friends aren't likely to show up and money's laughable. Not great prospects, sadly.

The tuners on most basses under ~500 of whatever your currency is are pretty much the same. I needed a new tuner for a Talman TMB100 and the item's code was the same they use on everything from Ibanez and Jackson to Harley Benton and classic vibe Squiers. Most of them are indeed soft metal and the teeth on the gear can get really mangled if there's the slightest misalignment from the factory (there usually is) but they are serviceable and a touch of grease and some care can definitely help. Never changed them out on any of my basses (other than the one that was literally mangled) and haven't had any issues with tuning stability. But then again, my perspective is that stability comes from a properly cut and lubricated nut and bridge. Oh well. As for the weight, cheap ash (not swamp ash) is usually on the heavier side and at those prices, you're not getting swamp ash. I'm gonna bet those are heavy. Perhaps not as heavy as the Enhanced series or the JB-75 due to the slightly smaller body but still, heavy. Apart from that, can't say that I like the body shape very much. They're obviously Aria bodies, copies of F bass bodies (as discussed in other places as well) but they're just unappealing to me.

Well I used to throw dried figs at the drummer whenever he was rushing... 😁

I can't say I hate note for note covers but I do like to add my own spices on whatever I'm playing if it's not outside the song's vibe. If I understand your post correctly, however, I agree that there are some parts that band members kinda have to stick to the original recorded version, at least for the first few times you play the tune, until the band really has it down pat. I've been in a few situations where the drummer missed a change or the guitarist skipped a "signature" lick and the whole band was derailed.

You guys are too kind!

Thank you so much man!

I kinda sorta agree and kinda sorta disagree as well. Budget instruments nowadays are much better than what they used to be in the past. Better construction, better quality control and with the advent of the internet, fora and social media, it'd be pretty much financial suicide for even a budget brand to consistently offer only "lemons". Sure, there are some "misfires" but for the most part, even the cheapest instruments are at least serviceable. Now, myself, not being a pro, am mostly resigned to harley bentons. I know the brand, they have relatively consistent QC and offer stuff I like at prices that enable me to have five different instruments instead of one. Do I want a 51 P but lack the funds to get a fender or a sire? Here's the HB PB50 (honestly, one of the best, despite the extremely low price). Do I want a stingray but don't even wanna shell out 500 for a sterling? Here's the MB. Now this is not an ad for harley benton but I am considering diminishing returns. Do I really get 3, 4 or even more times a better bass with some other name brand? In my experience, usually not. Granted, these cheaper instruments do need some work and are sometimes lacking in certain parts; say electronics, for example. But I do dare say my 90 euro HB precision plays much nicer than a lot of fender player series after I've worked on it. Are the fenders better quality? Absolutely. Better woods, better pickups, etc. Are they 7 times the price of the HB better? Not for me. And considering I can do the work myself, the choice is pretty easy for me. Having said that, I would love to have a few expensive basses but I've found that, the point where you do really get a much better instrument for your money is somewhere above the 1000 euro mark and that kinda money aren't peanuts for yours truly. Hell, I got my car for 800! 😁 I'd still gladly spend that but that would be on something more "special". Say a human base or something, not another FSO kinda thing. In any case, long winded way for saying "do whatever makes you happy".

I like gigging but had grown to hate it during the last few gigs, back in '20. Relationships between band members had become tense, recording new material brought about lots of issues and disagreements and the gigs themselves were disappointing at best. We were playing to very few people, making virtually no money and by the last one, it was honestly not worth the hassle. In all honesty, I do miss the stage and the packed bars/clubs and the band hangouts and everything but the times have changed and even if I got back into it, it's not going to be the same and there are times when I fully feel that "I'm too old for this "$#@%" line. Plus, I am older, crankier and play way less nice with other kids. 😁

At one point I was penniless and had none. I had to save up to get the cheapest harley benton. So, for quite some time, I had one bass. Got me through a lot of gigs and honestly, it was fine. Hell, I even got compliments. And that was a 90something euro bass. Now I've got more. Would I want to be back to one? No. I like variety.

You guys have nice cars! I got an old fiat brava, fit a couple of basses and guitars in the boot, despite me having a bunch of tools, spare parts and other junk in there. Never had to carry and amp but I'm fairly certain it'll fit most ones without a hitch. I doubt you'll want a fiat brava but oh well, my 2 cents.

I had one of these. While they are extremely good basses (not just for the money, mind you) I'd advise against getting one if you're planning on gigging with it. They are boat anchors. Mine was about 6kg and some change and it got really tiresome after a while. Since you're planning on doing this as a project, I'd suggest you get the HB JB kit. The head's a paddle so you can give it whatever shape you want, they're MUCH lighter and you can slap any color you want on it without having to strip off the original paint. Might need a pickup change if you're not fond of the Chinese ceramics (they're not that bad, really) but the hardware is serviceable. Certainly not the best out there but they do their job as they're supposed to.

Quite interesting! I had the opposite experience! I tried the Tech21 stuff and just found them too harsh and fizzy, couldn't really like any of them. Which led me to the DG stuff which I very much like! Surprising to hear that the VMT got lost in the mix.