Conan

Our second gig at this illustrious and historic venue in the Toon! Our material is about 80% original and our style is kind of surfy, punky, rocky, Americana... hard to describe really! £2.50 on the door - or, for Basschatters, an exclusive "Buy One Get One" offer.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1354624882' post='1888236'] Or get the right bass in the first place. [/quote] OK... but how do you find out which is the "right bass" without trying lots out first? Any maybe adapting them to suit your own individual preferred sound, look or playing style?

The problem, IMO, with the "flat rate selling membership" (whatever it is set at) is that it becomes proportionately more expensive the less stuff you sell. Some members sell several high-end basses and amps on here every year, so £20 would be a negligible expense for them. Others (like myself or younger members) who only sell low to moderate value items might well think twice before paying a flat fee just for the privilege of advertising items. It's hard to see how that would benefit the entire community. Maybe we just need more donations? On that note I'm just off to make one!

Well I thought it was funny...

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1354626097' post='1888265'] Yep - pay per ad is the fairest way. If someone only sells one item within a year, the suggested £20 fee may be off-putting. If they sell 10 items the £20 fee would be very attractive. How about £5-10 per ad? [/quote] But if you are only selling a set of strings, for example, that price would be excessive and offputting. Maybe just charge a joining fee for the site itself? Then everyone pays a small amount rather than hitting the sellers disproportionately.

I personally prefer the old system and I find some of the discussions about items to be helpful - but some do get out of hand so I can see how this would be a pain in the butt for the mods to police. I must admit that I never saw any real problem with the 36 hour bumping thing either. Was it ever a really big issue? If sellers consistently break this rule then they should be banned from the marketplace surely? If they are not prepared to bide by the rules... We've already discussed the possibility of only allowing sale access to members with more than a certain number of posts - is this worthwhile? An annual fee might be a bit unfair as some people sell far more than others. But maybe charge per insertion in the way that many newspapers do?

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1354568354' post='1887588'] it's mine gosh darn it, so I'll fiddle with it until the cops come! [/quote] Exactly! Too many people on here spend too much time worrying about what other people do with their own possessions! My Geddy Lee had already had pickups replaced twice by the time I bought it. I have replaced the scratchplate with a black one and added a rear-routed double battery compartment to run the EMGs at 18V. I couldn't care less if it devalues the bass as it is (apparently) a 2009 and will not reach the holy grail status of "vintage" until I am in my sixties. I have no intention of selling it - so it's my business what I do with it!

Rosewood is warmer. I always find maple feels cold on my fingers...

IMO the Japanese Geddys (or should that be "Geddies?") represent one of the best value Fender products out there. OK, they are not cheap when new, but compared to some of the US models they were still pretty reasonable. Build quality excellent and playability outstanding. If the Mex versions are as good then they are still very good value - just not as good value as the Jap ones. If Fender moved production to Mexico to lower production costs then you might expect the quality of the basses to drop slightly. If they don't, then they are still great basses at a good price. If quality falls then Fender have shot themselves in the foot.

What a bizarre sense of "taste" he has. It's almost as if he got his wishes in some rooms and his missus (or grandmother!) got to choose the decor in the others... I wonder if he employed barstaff to work in his bar. Not much point if you have to serve yourself really.

This is a sign... But yours is a better one.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1354200150' post='1883467'] No city offers a life like Newcastle. [/quote]

I took up bass because I liked bass. I still do! First thing I listen to in a piece of music is the bass part. If it has no bass part, I tend to be less interested (bear in mind that the bass part can be sung or played on another instrument like a keyboard). My fingers are big and I always struggle to play guitar cleanly so I'd rather not bother. I like keyboards and dabble a bit but bass has always been and will always be my main instrument - because I want it to be!

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354186519' post='1883160'] A shops first priority is to make money after all, and that is at the customers expense. [/quote] Any shop with exclusively that attitude is not going to last very long, in any market sector. A good shop can be many things to many people. Yes, nobody is going to open a shop with the intention of losing money - but profit is surely only one factor in running a successful shop? Caring about your stock and your customers. Providing good service. These are the things that earn you a loyal customer base. It can still happen, and I can give examples - but sadly none of them are music shops...

Of course, if it is a good bass at a good price then it is a good deal - regardless of all the other stuff! But you'd have to play it to know if it was a good 'un.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1354181639' post='1883048']avoid Saturdays. That is the day for penniless teen wannabees to practice their metal riffs and mangled RHCP licks on gear they can't even afford the case for. [/quote] Ah, you say that but... Once (when I was a similar teen) there was a lad of about 13 who came in with his mam. He asked to try a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top. He played Whole lotta Rosie and Smoke on the water very badly for about five minutes, until his mother said "We'll have it please. Now, can you recommend anyone who gives guitar lessons?" That particular guitar cost £1500 in around 1981 But yes - your point is generally valid!

Threads like these highlight two common but unfortunate facts. 1. Ebay is a minefield, and that the default mindset appears to be "believe nobody". 2. Buying "older" or even "vintage" Fenders is a total nightmare - and should not be approached by anyone except existing experts. The main question is my mind is [i]why[/i] would you buy a 34 year old bass? If it has investment potential, and you intend to put it away for another 20 years in the hope that it will make money, fine. But this instrument, with it's bizarre machine head downgrade, is surely unlikely to do that! So It's an old bass that is being sold for a similar price to a brand new one. But from an era when the Fender "quality control" (sic) was notoriously variable. Several people have already questioned the presence or absence of certain "key" features, and others have confirmed or denied that their assertions were correct! Jesus. Is it really worth it?

Sadly, I really hate going into music shops. I often get the impression that the staff think that the shop is only there for [i]their[/i] convenience, not that of the potential customers. Yes, it must be difficult trying to compete with the online warehouses, but other indistry sectors have similar competition and have raised their game in order to offer something that an online retailer can never offer - genuinely personal service. Pete's story about the Epiphones is amazing but all too common. Instead of trying to offer something different to the Thomanns of this world, they badmouth them (which is probably bordering on slander) as they know that they cannot compete with them on price. In the last couple of years I have bought quite a bit of gear, but most of it has been bought second hand from here or a couple of other similar sites. I realise that I am not helping music retailers much, but then again I am happy to buy used gear. It is really only strings that I buy new and once again I have found that the online traders like StringsDirect and Stringbusters offer great prices and good service. Why would I go to a shop to be sneered at because I am not spending a grand on a new guitar? Imagine if other high street retailers showed such a snobby attitude to their customers? If the butcher laughed in your face because you only wanted a pound of mince and some chicken bones for stock! Or the fishmonger ignored you because you didn't come in to buy the whole tuna from the window display but only a couple of haddock fillets for tea. I think some music shops deserve to be experiencing hard times. Unless they respond to the current market with more sensitivity, they deserve to go under.

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1354113901' post='1882217'] That said, lesser equipment will always have niggles and compromises that will, in time, lead to frustration, and everyone knows it is lesser equipment. Keep the best equipment you own[/quote] Yes - there is that as well.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1354112385' post='1882202'] If the P is not selling right now keep it, if you can sell the other stuff, and you want to sell it, then do. Think of it as an investment, not just in terms of the increase in value (this may take some time) but also having a quality gig-able instrument - from which you can earn money. No bass = no gig = no money. [/quote] That's a good reason to keep [i][b]a[/b][/i] bass, but surely the CIJ and even the Squier would fulfil the same criteria? They should be more than giggable. If money is tight it does make sense to sell your highest value bass (as long as you get a fair price for it). It's unlikely that the US P will appreciate much in value for at least 15 years, possibly a lot more than that...

[quote name='Joker2807' timestamp='1354098300' post='1881944'] you can kill someone with bass frequencies can't you ??? obv i talking about a lot lower signal and with a lot more power than our basses lol [/quote] Still... it's something to aspire to!

Well. Just got my Geddy back from the Bass Doc yesterday and used it at rehearsal last night. It now runs at 18V following the installation of a rear-routed double battery compartment. BD did his usual immaculate job of course! So I've reduced the future value of my bass. Who cares? It's a keeper anyway. The key question is has it made any difference to the sound? Not really. To qualify that comment, I would say that it was a low volume rehearsal and I was playing through my 12 watt Marshall practice combo which is over 20 years old. I also experienced a bit of a volume-drop problem that seems to be related to a bit of a dirty gain pot... BUT (and that's a big but) I was rather disappointed when I failed to notice any increase in presence, tone, clarity, crispness, whatever... My ears are not at their best due to a hard-to-shake-off head cold, but still. So overall I would say that the doubling of the voltage has made little if any difference to the tone of the EMG pickups. Full volume rehearsal on saturday though, so if there [i]is[/i] any difference, it should be revealed by the combination of my Hartke and BFB! Can't help feeling slightly disappointed though.

[quote name='John Schoen' timestamp='1353780942' post='1878448']The bass is a bit neck heavy but nothing that a good strap won't cure.[/quote] [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1353781388' post='1878456']I believe you'll have to pop a FatFinger on it.[/quote] Add more mass to the headstock of a bass that is already neck-heavy?!?!

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1354023359' post='1880929'] Partner wants me to hang on to the USP till after Xmas to see if the market is better, [/quote] Which implies that [i]she[/i] wants you to sell it. How you respond to that knowldge is up to you...