Conan

Five grand can buy a heck of a lot of bass (sadly less than half of a new Fodera though!) - but not much when it comes to holidays of a lifetime, cars or houses. Which is quite depressing but at the same time rather cool. Buying basses is a far less expensive habit than cars, for example. Which can only be good news. If someone gave me £5000 and there would be no comebacks, I'd quite like to try a couple of Rickenbackers - just to see if I really could get on with one. It would also be really cool do have a "Wayne's World" moment. After a while noodling around on a bass in a music shop, turn round and flash your wad saying "I'll take it! Do you accept cash my man?". [i][size=2](Edited for being an idiot)[/size][/i]

[quote name='merello' timestamp='1334775661' post='1621177'] [url="http://www1.rollingstone.com/hearitnow/player/rush.html"]Click to listen to Rush's 'Headlong Flight'[/url] [/quote] Sounds like a decent track to me! Slightly reminiscent of the Foo Fighters perhaps? Could possibly do with a bit more "light and shade" though? Dymanic range is a bit "compressed" too - which seems commonplace these days. For a long track it comes across as a bit relentless to me... but that's after only two listens. Certainly better than their (for me) low point of Vapor Trails. Snakes and Arrows is OK, but they are a long way off their creative zenith of the late 80s and early 90s IMO. Some tasty playing from wor Ged there Can't wait for this album - pre-ordered it on Amazon yesterday

It's down to the physics in part. Electromagnetic induction generates a bigger electric current when the movement of the coil (the string) is greater or the magnet (in the pickup) is more powerful. You can make the magnet "more powerful" by decreasing the distance between the string and the pickup. The string vibrates more further from its anchored ends. The bridge is one anchored end and the nut is the other. So there is more current generated by the neck pickup - so it sends a "hotter" signal to the amp unless this is compensated for by less windings in the neck pickup, or reducing the volume.... Blah, blah, blah! But yes - the neck pickup always seems to sound louder. Different harmonics too.

Many businesses are having to cut costs. Why would musicians be any different? It's all very well holding high moral values and never getting any work, but who does that benefit in the short to medium term? Decent quality music gear is, in real terms, now as cheap as it has ever been. As this forms the basis of our "outgoings" maybe bands should actually be reducing the price they charge? This is a very complex debate that too many people seek to simplify. For each musician, each band and each venue it is different. Whether you agree with that or not, it is true. Perpetuating the divide between "amateur" and "professional" musicians in pointless. By definition, anyone who has been paid for the services they offer is no longer an amateur. In response to the OP - charge what you like and think is appropriate. It's no business of anyone else's except the people you play for.

It's worth about £300. And I'll have it thanks Remember though, the market is in a rather depressed state at the moment, so whatever its "book value" might be, you could well struggle to get anywhere near that if you choose to sell

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1334692922' post='1619959']But I would not waste time with Wilkinson, GFS and many others. [/quote] [quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1334698233' post='1620079']The GFS bass pups are good value for money too.[/quote] Just goes to show that we are not all dealing from the same deck!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1334692922' post='1619959'] But I would not waste time with Wilkinson, GFS and many others. [/quote] Interesting! I wouldn't put GFS and Wilko in the same category and can only talk about my own experiences. I really rate the GFS pickups, but I guess it depends on what you are expecting and which bass you put them into. A lot of people talk about the level of output as if it is a measure of quality. It isn't. It's just volume. That's what the amp is for!! What's much more important is the [b][i]tone[/i][/b] that the pickup produces and it's dynamic range. High output can be useful in terms of signal to noise ratio, but it's no good having an average tone at high levels!

Trillians!! How the mighty have fallen! I saw them at the old Riverside back in 1991...

My brief foray into the world of five strings came to and end for two main reasons. 1. The various fives I bought were never as good, quality wise, as my fours. As a result I would always keep reverting to the fours. 2. Although I loved the concept of having the extra low notes available, when I used them in my current band they just didn't fit with the band sound. Too low, and therefore too "sonically distant" from the guitars. Like others have said, I just feel more comfortable on a four. It could be argued, though, that I never really gave fivers a proper chance...

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1334661086' post='1619218'] Professionalism isn't just earning a living. [/quote] Exactly! Some "hobby" bands are very professional and some "pro" bands are not. It's a state of mind.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1[/url]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1334654831' post='1619076'] if you want 'Quality' pickups you have to pay more What can you expect for £10 each?[/quote] To an extent... but are £200 pickups really ten times better than a £20 set? Dunno about the Wilkinsons as I've never tried them, but when I put a GFS P pickup in my Squier I was really impressed and that only cost about thirty quid. I think there is a certain amount of people hearing what they want to hear when they install really expensive pickups...

If you trawl through the many pickup comparison threads on here you will probably find that Wilkinsons have their devotees but generally get a mixed press. Hard to find anyone with anything negative to say about Wizards though! Bear in mind that Wizard do a number of different J sets and will wind to your specs too... On the cheap side of things though, have a look at these...[url="http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-JB-Pro-Jazz-Bass-Style-Alnico-Pickups_p_318.html"]http://www.guitarfet...kups_p_318.html[/url] at thirty dollars they are about the same price as the Wilkos. Also, look in the for sale threads on here - lots of good pickups for good prices!

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1334587609' post='1618055'] Also be careful of no-name cheap strings you can pick up for £5 a set. Like most metal things from the far east the regulations are rarely adhered to and the content of lead and other undesirable things can be astonishingly high. If your skin is going to be in contact with the metal (whether its a counterfeit watch or bass string) be warned! [/quote] Crikey! I'd never thought about that! How do we know that the "quality" brands contain less heavy metals?

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1334606389' post='1618520'] Just buy one! I bought a Sandberg...[/quote] Oh? What kind?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1334599144' post='1618333'] I wasn't talking about the musicianship. That's not what is being discussed, it's the proffesionalism I'm talking about. [/quote] In most cases, I think the two are linked - but it obviously depends on genre and other variables....

[quote name='gub' timestamp='1334599427' post='1618341'] Cheers guys what we are charging is about right then for pubs ,just think we need to charge more for the private funtions ,i think the idea of 10 ph pp from when you leave the house until you get in sounds about right . [/quote] Maybe.... but I would also talk to other bands in your area about what they are charging. You don't want to price yourselves out of the market based on someone else's principles!

I think we might be talking at cross-purposes here! For a start, I'm not sure what some people mean by "professional". Are we talking about arriving on time? Being dressed suitably for the function/venue in question? Playing a well-rehearsed set of well-chosen material? Interacting politely and respectfully with the organisers/managers/owners etc...? If one has a "day-job" and plays in a band in the evenings and weekends (therefore a "hobbyist") and does all of the above, does that make you "professional"? Discuss..

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1334587254' post='1618048']You can tell hobby bands a mile off and they deserve to be paid £200 a gig. [/quote] That's an extremely patronising and sweeping generalisation. It is also inaccurate if you are suggesting that bands that play "for fun" are somehow less worth their wages than a so-called professional outfit. The differentiation is not in quality but in outlook. So "pro" bands I have seen were awful, whereas some "hobby bands" as you call them are brilliant. The only difference is their motivation.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1334577270' post='1617819'] Do you seriously think £10/hour is greedy? But what I'm saying is the value that a lot of places put on the service provided is not very high, if the band does a good job they will get punters in, and keep them in. Its not greed, its business sense. [/quote] Hmmmm. I think the problem here is that most of us treat playing pub gigs as our hobby - and do not look at it in a very businesslike way. I am not arguing with you on the value of what we provide, and I agree that most pubs get more than their fair share of income when a good band with a good following of heavy drinkers plays... However, I'm not sure you'll convince many pubs about your "hourly rate per head" pricing structure. Why would they hire a six piece if they could get a three piece for half the price? I think there has to be a bit of give and take here. Many pubs are closing and others are struggling. They do not have loads of funds to throw into live music. We should be glad that there are still those that are prepared to take a risk and book lesser-known bands, with no guarantee that they will recoup the payment.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1334574644' post='1617750'] Even at £10/hour on the night you don't get paid for time/money spent practicing, preparing 2+ hours worth of entertainment. Or money spent on equipment (how many min wage jobs do you have to bring your own tools?) even a Squier P and a Secondhand amp will run to a few hundred, not to mention the PA you have to bring, lights etc. Is it any wonder musicians are poor in this country? [/quote] A pub will pay you for the entertainment you provide. They judge the quality for that from the number of punters and the bar takings. If you're lucky the manager might know something about music too... It's up to you how much you spend on gear - and it's not their job to pay you back for that! Being "professional" is one thing, being greedy is another.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1333967911' post='1608776']see if you can tell the difference between a cheapo GFS P-Bass pickup and a 'booteek' Lollar at many times the price. [/quote] Totally. I was really impressed with the GFS I put in my Squier P. Quality sound from a very inexpensive upgrade. Highly recommended.