robbo400

@Norris Thanks for the suggestion and I do love the look of the Bass VI's offset body. It was actually one of my first thoughts but I struggle when I attempt bass lines on my guitar with the strings being close together (I know a lot of this will be my poor technique as it didn't seem a problem for George Harrison lol). So I thought I'd be better off going for a short-scale traditional 4 string - as the "real thing" if you like. I've been looking at the reviews of the Squier Paranormal Rascal which is short-scale, apparently the same body as the Bass VI, as well as having humbuckers so it ticks a lot of boxes for me. Yet somehow, it doesn't look as good to my eyes. Maybe it's the green and black colours that change it's appearance from the Bass VI. On the other hand, i love the look of the Jaguar body but it's 32" so not sure how cumbersome it would feel to me. As many have advised me, I need to actually try one and see them in the flesh

@ The Greek. Yes, am in London so a shame I missed it. But thanks for the heads-up. I'll keep an eye on the Events thread @ Paul the Plug. You have read me like a book! I rate H-B too. I bought one of their Telecaster copies for £133. It was great but I went to town on it and spent much more than that on parts which was really ridiculous self-indulgence rather than necessity. We bought 2 together and my friend has gigged with his with no upgrades, just adjusted the action and saddle to intonate so as it suited his style. He gets sarcastic comments from people who are like that but once people noodle with it, everyone agrees that it's at least as good as most Squier Classic Vibe Teles. From my guitar experience, I think HB are great quality and VFM and that we're lucky we can still get that quality at that price before the inevitable price hike or buy out by a large corporate etc So Paul, am I right that you don't feel a hollow-body is a "no-no" for beginners? I keep thinking of Chas Chandler walking around with his (I think) Epiphone Rivolta following Hilton Valentine in the House of The Rising Sun video. Good enough for Chas, certainly good enough for me. Talking of Chas, Jim Lea of Slade (whom he later managed) was also a great bassist imho. That Greg Bennett bass looks gorgeous. Shame about the scale length. I've no real knowledge of what's out there bar the usual suspects and what I've seen iconic bands play, so thanks!

Budget per se (within reason up to say £600-700) is not an issue. It's more I was persuaded against the semi-hollows as a beginner and didn't want to spend a significant amount on something that I couldn't get on with. Whereas in today's mad world of mixed up priorities and rip-off costs, I can justify taking a punt on the Harley-Benton if I have to write it off/sell at a loss as it is literally the price of 2 parking tickets. If I hadn't got advice from friends, I'd have definitely gone for a Hofner. The Club and the Verythin really appeal to me aesthetically. I'd be nervous about playing the Violin bass - almost like riding a race bike with a yellow jersey on! I would have considered the Club Contemporary but hearing them back to back on Youtube, it's the hollow sound of the Ignition that appeals to me more between the 2 versions. The Verythin looks fantastic to my eyes and if I get a chance to try it, that will help my decision making. If, as some have predicted, I find the Hofners too fragile and unsubstantial, I think I'll follow Pea Turgh's advice and go with the Gretsch. My electric guitar is a G5220 Electromatic so I have affinity with the brand image and like the "Les Paul" cutaway shape. Although, I think I'd be silly not to try a Squier before pulling the trigger given what Fender are to the bass world in terms of iconic instruments Once I get the bass, I will go for some much-needed lessons. Whilst I may have a slight advantage over total beginners in that I have a reasonable knowledge of the fretboard, scales and how to follow chords in a bass line, I have so so so much to learn. My right hand has zero bass technique and I can see from watching professionals that I am plucking the strings incorrectly. Also, while following chords might be a good way to start and add bass to a track, I am acutely aware that it's no more than dipping your toe into the ocean of the bass world so I'd like to quickly get a step further and add some more involved basslines to my playing. Really looking forward to getting the bass. It's such a beautiful sounding instrument. I know very little about classical music but just listened to a Bass Matrix Youtube video of 2 Hofners playing JS Bach. How beautiful! I love that mellow sound of the bass. Slapping is not the sound I'm after and the heaviest stuff I'll play will be Eddie Cochran and some late 1970s New Wave/Punk like The Clash. I'll see if there are any tutorials on learning stand alone melodic pieces on a bass. That video blew me away.

Hi there I only started playing guitar in my late 50s a couple of years ago. I'm not very good at all but really enjoy it. I am now at the stage where I'm trying to put full songs together for my own amusement and am slowly progressing using technology to do it - a variety of pop records from 50s rock 'n roll through the decades to 90s indie sounds. I want to buy a bass to add to the acoustic and electric guitar parts. I have decided on short scale mainly as it's more similar to a guitar and also the sound is more what I am looking for from the YouTube reviews I have seen. Here is my shortlist: Hofner Club Ignition SE Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet ii Harley Benton HB-60 WB I had initially also thought about the Hofner Verythin shortscale, a Chowny CHB-1 and the Hagstrom Viking but others have told me that a larger size body is not a good place to start, although for the very reasonable price of the Harley Benton, I'd still chance it. So many have tried to steer me towards Fender (or Squier to be more accurate) for quality and reliability. I have thought about the Affinity and Classic Vibe Jaguar but recently found out that the scale length is a medium 32" rather than the short scale I'm looking for. The Mustang look is not for me unfortunately I am lucky to know a luthier fairly well who has told me that while the Hofners have a fantastic sound, based on the Ignition models he's seen, he'd recommend replacing the bridge in addition to a normal set-up. He suggested the Gretsch as a solid body which gets closest to the sound I want and is more bullet-proof. I've seen such varying reviews of the Hofners and none are neutral. It's either love or hate in terms of quality but, like me, everyone seems to love that sound - I guess 50,000 screaming American teenagers at Shea Stadium were attracted by something 🙂 I'm going to try a few out tomorrow but just wondered if anyone can steer me in the right direction or suggest other alternatives. My friend who has also just started playing bass at an old age bought the Ibanez TMB30 which is comfortable to play and sounds good especially for the price. I looked at their Artcore semi hollow models online but they seem hard to find. Thanks