Muzz

Erm, you do know how much a DB900 weighs? It's only 20lbs short of the full Ampeg fridge. The 500 combo and the extension speaker together are about 40lbs less. I tried one once, liked the sound, but couldn't move it myself, so I passed on it. For a residency/rehearsal room, it'd be OK, though.

I loved mine back when I was younger, fitter, and much more enthusiastic about lugging massive kit around - there's an amount of kudos in some areas (mostly non-bassists) about turning up with an SVT and fridge. I genuinely find my lightweight rig produces the same effect live, with 90% less mither. The RH450 reproduces that power amp breakup very nicely, too - I preferred it to a lot of the other lightweight stuff which actually have preamp valves. I thought the Ashdown Drophead sounded absolutely lovely, mind. Shame they don't do it as a separate head. For less money.

Triggers Broom you say? Hmmmm....let's see - new neck, new tuners, new bridge, new wiring, new knobs, new D'addarios.... nope, you still win Wait till my Nordies arrive, though...

Warwick Fortress - the neck's great, sounds great now I've ripped out the stock setup and put some Wizards in, balance and weight are great, but the colour...what's it meant to be? It's not green, it's not brown, it's not grey, it's...bloody awful. Seriously considering stripping it, if it wasn't for the fact that Warwick finishes are legendarily thick and stubborn. Previous basses 78 Jazz. Looked the business, sounded...dull, weighed more than a ton. Ok, two ounces short of 12lb, but that's close enough. Stingray - poor G, just couldn't get along with the sound, heavy, clunky neck. Overwater - desperately wanted to love it, as an instrument it was gorgeous, just couldn't get on with the the super-hi-fi tone. Spoke to Overwater a couple of times, no suggestions there, so I sold it. With hindsight I should have just pulled the pups and EQ and put something Nordy in there. There, I feel better for that.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1323264135' post='1461187'] Those Supertone bridges aren't cheap - I looked at getting one for mine but sanity kicked in. I'm not going to pay out half the cost of an instrument just to upgrade the bridge Ignoring this design flaw (not manfacturing), I do enjoy playing it and it's looks and sound make up for the setup issues. [/quote] £65 or so delivered from the States via EBay. Unless, of course, you only paid £130 for the bass (I did for mine), in which case it IS half the cost...

Yep, I've had a couple: the one on the Fenderbird (see left) is a MM P, and it's really, really good. The J I bought after that needed a fret dress and a bit of TLC but it's now also fantastic. A great buy - the only other neck I'd consider would be a Warmoth, but they're in a whole other price range.

Ok, if you haven't got a particular image/sound/style in your head, and you just want a good quality bass with a range of sounds which is comfortable and easy to play, I don't think you can do better than an Ibanez SR500. They just feel so ergonomically right - the necks are slim and very easy to get around. Less than £500 if you're buying new, £300 or so for a decent secondhand one. They come with Elixir strings, which are coated and very slinky if you're playing fingerstyle. Just the easiest playing bass I've tried.

[quote name='Alfie' timestamp='1323166764' post='1459905'] When I was a teenager beginning to play I really wanted a Rickenbacker, but I couldn't afford one, I still can't. But that was my dream bass. [/quote] Funny things, dreams - my first 'proper' bass was a 4001 I got for my 18th. Loved it at the time, but with hindsight it wasn't a great bass, and I can't be doing with them now... Still, if you're young, get what makes you feel good if you can afford it. Sensible is for later in life... To the OP, I'd say - what do you want to see yourself holding when you look in the mirror? Get that one - with your budget, you'll be pushed to buy a 'bad' bass. Secondhand will save you money, though...

+1 for Wizards, I use the Big pair (Thumper and 84) in two completely seperately basses and they're great in both. Very reasonably priced, too. P/Js sound like P/Js, rather than Jazzes - I like to think of it as a classic P with the option of adding another pickup into the mix (however you find it sounds, it's certainly different). The 84 is one of the few J pickups I can use soloed - it's got so much presence. For another slightly odd option, I've got a pull-pot wired to put them in series, too - not the most subtle tone, but useful in a live situation for a mid-boost.

I used a Korean one as the basis of my Fenderbird, and it was pretty good, and they're the best of the Epis - I'm still using the pickups, although in the longer run I'll be replacing them with Nordies. Side by side with a Gibson, it's immediately apparent (apart from the obvious bolt-on neck) which is the better quality bass, but then it should be. The Gibson still uses that three-point bridge, though.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1323112662' post='1459493'] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3][size=5][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Another view to sling on the pile... points about how well you play independent of bass value duly noted.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]Written from experience of buying new and used in each price range except last. My view of playability which is correctly intonated, low action and low to medium tension. (I know strings affect this a great deal.) Excludes vagaries of fashion (Wal anyone?), unfortunate exchange rates (how much for that Ibanez!?), E-bay chancers with yet another Rick, etc.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]Up to £100 – Rudimentary instrument/toy/wreck (sorry ‘project’), pure luck, occasional bargain, difficult to tune, stay in tune, play in tune[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]£100 to £250 – Basic entry level instrument, things have improved in this band over the years but still highly inconsistent, perhaps one usuable tone if you’re lucky, could have decent playability but may still have serious production flaws limiting a good set-up. Should intonate up to the 12th fret at least.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]£250 to £500 – Student/amateur level. Gains in playability and tone, finish and woods improving too. Can find the odd great instrument in this band. And complete dogs too.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]£500 to £1,000 – Should have a good range of usable tones, good playability. Semi-professional grade. Should be highly adjustable to most playing styles. Good standard of fit and finish. consistency (still check – some Fenders in this range come with almost unusable set-ups out of the box, badly cut nut slots, etc)[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]£1,000 to £2,000 – Professional. Gains in tone, range and exotic finishes/woods, etc. Playability no longer an issue for most people & situations. In tune and intonated all over the neck. Studio quality tone and signal. High standard of fit and finish.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]£2,000 - £5,000 – UK/EU custom band or top of the range US factory-mades – whatever you want to a very high standard – either yours or someone else’s name on it[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2A2A2A][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]£5,000 plus – US custom/hand-made band/fashion market quirks/collectables – fit, finish, tone and playability improvements purely subjective. Note some quirky designs and vintage instruments in this bracket can be back in the lower bands in terms of finish, playability and signal quality but hopefully they’ll make up for it with some sort of mojo.(Note: Opinion only – no experience of buying or playing instruments from this range!...)[/size][/font][/color] [/quote] Don't agree, especially with the lower end comments and 'one usable tone if you're lucky'. What? Sounds well out of date to me, given the improvements Far Eastern standards of the last few years.

Now, I don't like Jazzes, I don't like Cherryburst, and I'm not even keen on blocks, but I LOVE that. Wow. Tell me it weighs a ton (my old 78 weighed 11lb 12oz) and I can relax and stop GASing...

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1322848145' post='1456697'] I like my warwick. want to put new pickups in it I think. What will as streamer stage 1 sound like with nordies? [/quote] If my experience is anything to go by, it'll sound very much like whichever Nordies you put in it. The Fortress couldn't be a more different bass* than the P/J I've got but now you'd be hard pushed to tell them apart through an amp. * With due deference to BigRedX, who's our resident expert on Really Different Basses