Muzz

Welcome to the low end world! I'd say a rough rule of thumb is 300w should be enough for the sort of gigs you're talking about, there's a lot of combos around second-hand for that sort of money, it depends on what sort of sound you're after, and how important size, weight and portability are to you - the heavier they are, the more likely you'll find a bargain, as a lot of us are looking after our backs these days! From personal experience, the best combo I've used around your budget is the Roland D-Bass stuff. Light for a combo, a very wide range of sounds, very well made and plenty loud enough. They both have tweeters, if bright is what you need. They're just not very fashionable, which makes them a serious bargain. The 2x10 or the 1x15 are both good, and can be expanded with the 115X powered extension speaker for 660W of righteous stackness.

On a much lower level of complexity, but with a similar unfamiliarity, I struggled with something as simple as Galway Girl (seemingly random root and fifths and inversions of the same) until I'd listened to it enough that it just 'clicked', as you say. I think there might be a Folk Bass Threshold

I was dubious until I tried one: I'm not a 5 player, so I'd presumed the main point would pass me by (and I suppose it actually does), and I'm not even into particularly modern-sounding basses but I had a good play of a 4-string ABZ at Bass Direct, and I'm a convert. A lovely bass, the build quality is spot on and the neck and fanned frets feel completely instinctive after a couple of minutes. I love the look, too. If I'd have had the money (or less self-control with the credit card), I'd have had it like a shot. If I can sell a couple of basses, I may well still do so.

Yep, still got mine, it's been gigged a few times, but it's now in the house because my lad (who's 6) persuaded me to let him have it as his bass 'to learn on', and he's not letting it out of his sight!

The Precision (with some bright rounds), have a play with the tube amp sounds from the Pod/Zoom (and the Genz) - I'd start with an SVT kinda thing and push the mids, add a good amount of drive and compress the cack out of it. Oh, and use a nice thick pick with some violence...

Yeah, I heard that, too...if it'd had been a new one I wouldn't have it for another year...

I've had a few boutique basses which I've subsequently moved on, some sooner, some later. I find that after the sting of spending the money has faded, you can fall out of love with them just as easily as a £200 bass. The only difference is the hit you'll take financially if you've bought new, or unwisely. I'm digging my bitsas these days, mostly because they do what I want them to, partly because they do this for so little money. Having said that, I do have a Shuker still, and it's very very nice. I wouldn't have paid what it cost new, though - I picked it up for a third of that.

My Shuker Horn is very very very nice, the build quality is up there with anything I've played, but I couldn't wait that amount of time for a bolt-on P/J build - I'd have gone to Warmoth for the bits, had my local luthier finish it off, and been playing it for more than a year! If I hadn't picked up a gorgeous Lakland birdseye neck recently which means I have to have the body custom-built, I 'd have done this already. I guess I'm just too impatient...

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1327159803' post='1507213'] ... high mass bridge (fitted one to same model and it brought the sound alive in a way I didn't expect it to) new pickups (wizard for value, nordstand if I had the money, EMG if I liked that kind of tone) and maybe tuners or nut if it needed one, prob not. [/quote] This, in spades. I'm a terminal fiddler these days, and that's what I'd do. Then there's different strings you can experiment with...

[quote name='LeftyBiskit' timestamp='1326843240' post='1502828'] The staff in the Manchester Branch are particularly helpful,(a pleasant chap by the name of Tony couldnt have been more helpful) I bought a Squier VMJ last year-got a good deal and with a price match they even took it into the guitar tech for a set up while i was there for a bit of tweaking to my taste. I've been in a few times since,sometimes just for a mooch or a purchase. [/quote] Tony's a great bloke, always helpful and cheerful, which, as has been said before, can't be easy to maintain in the face of the general public day, day out... The tech is Steve, and he's done some great work for me before now, and will again shortly...

Bobby Vega's yer boy for watch-and-learn stuff: a really lovely feel with a pick. Not sure about any tutorial stuff from him, tho. Doh! Vega cross-post!

The cabaret/pub/function band I dep for never rehearses, we just have an iPhone/iPad app which downloads the setlist from the band leader, and it's turn up and get it right first time - can be tricky when it's "perm any 30 from 75 in a week"! On the other hand, when the originals band need to put a cover together, we learn the notes beforehand, then we kick it around for maybe an hour in rehearsals until we like how we sound playing it. If we don't, it gets binned. Generally, a good song is a good song no matter what the genre - we knocked out a decent version of Mamma Mia recently, which went down well.

...and completely hideous. Amazing how opinions vary, isn't it?

Yep, it turned out the intonation on my first fretless was a mile off, I spent several months wondering why I sounded so bad. Now, of course, I've no excuse...

Naah, not sad here -I had hair down my back for 20 years, then moved on when I was ready. Luckily for me the late 80s and early to mid 90s were receptive to ponytails, so I could hold down a decent job as well as the hair for a good while. Glad I did it, tho. Comes to us all, one way or another, and there's nowt sadder than some bloke my age trying to hang on to his hair in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.

Went for the full number two (har har) for the first time last week. The proper long hair went a few years ago, but it's the first time I've gone this far. Cold weather, chilly heed!

No, really - I hate the shapes. I couldn't look at one knowing I'd paid a shedload of money for it without thinking "well, that was an expensive mistake". I don't care what they sound or play like. Horses for courses, tho: glad you like yours.

Works of art, but nothing I'd want to own or play.

I've frequently come back from a gig, having run some EQ tweaks (frequently mids boosted) on the fly to get the sound right for the room and what the rest of the band are sounding like, plugged the bass in (usually the following day) and thought "Holy cow, that's harsh". So yes, I do.

I've got Hipshots on more or less everything, and find the low D is as low as I need to go - can't recall ever needing those bottom notes a 5 would offer. I like a slim neck, too, so that rules virtually all 5s out (with the exception of a BB5000 or SR505). Still YMMV.

I think there's something missing from this discussion - where is VibratingGString? He must be on holiday still... Personally, I think there's a list of factors which influence amplified tone, in descending order: Pickups/placement EQ Strings Wood/Construction Now we can all have a nice big row about the relative proportions of the above - I'm going for 50/25/20/5. I'm prepared to negotiate on the first three...

I think it's horses for courses in lots of ways - I use the 3-sets-for-15-quid Hartkes on my Fortress, because they suit the bass down to the ground, but I've just put a set of Elixirs on my Shuker, and they're surprisingly good - a real improvement. I've got DR Sunbeams on my FrankenP, and they suit that very well (and have mellowed really nicely), and my Fenderbird has D'Addarios, which are nice. I've been through lots of different strings on different basses, and there''s only a few which I universally don't like (Rotos, Elites and Warwick Reds), and a couple which I'd use more if they were cheaper (the DRs - I'd have them on my passives like the FrankenPs and Fenderbird). Snake Oil is only effective if you're of a mind to accept it - and IME a bit of open-minded trial and error usually proves the thing one way or another. Never had an unbalanced set or dead string, either.

Phone Steve who works out of PMT in Salford. Top geezer, very good work and very reasonable. I think his site is theguitarrepairworkshop.com or somesuch. He's done some great work for me, including a really outstanding neck rout for my Fenderbird. He's on 0161 877 4962.

Fair enough - this [i]is [/i]a 38lb 2x15 we're talking about, though.