ThomBassmonkey

[quote name='270degrees' post='1198981' date='Apr 14 2011, 03:53 AM']Would the 2 parties be happy with a 3rd person going round to collect either cash or amp, have the other person send what's due and then forward the outstanding item? eg. someone takes money from Geester, tells Oldman to send amps. Amps arrive, Geester is happy with them. Cash gets sent to Oldman. Or vice versa.[/quote] While that would generally be a good idea, Geester wants the amps back to check if they've been modified (which is fair enough), what happens if he declares they have, the person holding money would suddenly become responsible for sorting out the mess because it would be up to them to decide where the money goes. Not a fair position at all.

I find it odd how he's covered the end of the headstock in a closeup of it, but there doesn't really look anything wrong with it as far as I can tell. What looks wrong with it?

That could be down to all kinds of things, I'd definitely try out your pedal with other basses and amps. Anything from knackered pickups to dead strings can reduce the difference your tone pot will make or make your bass sound muddier. If you have any way of doing it (i.e. two amps), you could try bi-amping your signal too and sending your clean to one amp and distorting the other signal, that way you should keep the clarity of the clean but have a distorted sound too. What kind of bass/pickups do you have at the moment (that you're trying to distort, your Sandberg should sound fine distorted, I distort my JJ5 all the time and it sounds great and you shouldn't have any problems with a Streamer Jazzman either)?

If they were buying bits for themselves to use in other bands, that's fair play. Endorsing companies can't expect people to have two seperate sets of gear for different bands and obviously if people have the option to buy through an endorsement, they're going to get what they can, while they can. If they were buying the gear for other people, I understand why they would, but it's not very honest when a company's put it's faith in you enough to give out an endorsement. Good luck in your new band, I hope it goes well.

I believe that Sandbergs are rear routed anyway, so without a pickguard shouldn't cost anything. I know my JJ is at least and the plate on that is probably standard (though I bought it 2nd hand, so it might not be but I'd put money on it being original).

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1197594' date='Apr 12 2011, 11:15 PM']This is accusing someone of dishonesty, my thread was about a messed up order.[/quote] I don't think anyone's said Mark's been dishonest. He's made a mistake (everyone does it and I think everyone in this thread agrees that that's probably the case here), the problem Truckstop is having is with wanting a refund because the bass was mis-sold (whether deliberately or not).

The underlying point of this thread is that the facts are out in the open and agreed on by buyer and seller. If that was still being debated, it shouldn't be done publically as people should know both sides of the story before forming an opinion. It's a discussion on whether or not we feel either party did the right thing. If they're both still talking then there's still a possible good outcome waiting to happen and the mood of the thread could shift a lot. However you look at it, both parties have made where they stand clear and it's up to readers to take from that what they will. No one's saying Mark's deliberately tried to mis-sell the bass or that he's deliberately trying to cause problems.

[quote name='RichardFoggo' post='1197483' date='Apr 12 2011, 10:27 PM']all good points. However I am not sure why this is playing out in public. What many people say is a reliable business and individual are taking a battering here without all the facts out there, and quite frankly it's not our business (when tied to an actual single sale, rather than evidence of regular misselling or fraud).[/quote] With all due respect, I completely disagree. Mark is no different to other retailers, places like GAK (rightly IMO) take a pounding because of various reasons, BassDirect shouldn't get any special treatment. As I said in my last post, Mark undoubtedly does well out of his reputation on this forum, that's all the more reason that we should get a completely unbiased review of how he conducts business. I agree that it should've been sorted out in private before coming to light publically, but it obviously wasn't and Truckstop posted his case quite factually without aimless flaming or accusations so it's simply presenting the facts. If it was resolved, he wouldn't have felt the need to post here about it. The fact is that if people aren't public about their experiences, other people don't know if they've had the same problems. There's been posts on here before about BC members that are awkward to trade with (privately), then when someone's posted bad feedback, they've had people PM them saying they've experienced the same thing. It's only fair that people are presented as many facts as possible about where they buy (whether professionally or privately) before they make a choice.

Although obviously the legalities are important (it shouldn't even come to that stage on a community forum like this IMO), the moral implications are strong too. Mark has a very good reputation on this forum, a lot of people that wouldn't buy vintage instruments because of this kind of thing may be (possibly past tense if this doesn't get resolved) more inclined to from him because of his reputation. There's no denying that this forum will be bringing him a lot of sales, both because of his reputation and general publicity (people will often talk about it in various threads suggestion others go see what he has in). Mark's always come across as a very knowledgable guy about basses and very happy to help, in a situation like this, he stands to lose up to a couple of hundred pounds by admitting a mistake and taking the hit, or potentially losing out on hundreds of sales (without even looking at the legal side, where he may be forced to pay up as well as losing the other sales). People shouldn't have to double check everything they're told in shops by anyone, it's never a bad idea because anyone can make mistakes (I honestly doubt that Mark deliberately mis-sold the bass) but what happens after is every bit as what happens before the sale if there's a problem. If the person that sold the bass to Mark is "a good customer", as Mark said, surely Mark can go back to him and try and work something out at that end too, so he might not even lose as much as he thinks. Personally, I think Truckstop has potentially (depending on how it works out) had a lucky escape. A LOT of people (me included) never take necks off their basses, if I'd have bought a "vintage" instrument that turned out fake, I'd probably never have known. If I was buying from someone like Mark, I'd have taken his word as fact as he has a good reputation that I don't expect him to take advantage of. Not pointing fingers, just saying that from a moral standpoint, Mark has a lot to lose. From a business view, he could potentially lose out on a lot of sales if he's deemed untrustworthy by the community (a few people have already said on this thread that they won't be buying from him, so potentially he's already losing sales). Legally, I can't say as I'm not informed, but from what others have said, so long as Truckstop's not had the bass too long, it looks like it'd go in his favour anyway as the bass is clearly not as described.

I'd take a look at your pedal first, there's not a lot of good fuzz/distortions available for bass. Most will either sound thin or muddy.

Did you manage to pick up some nice Orange gear before you left? That's the trick with endorsements, you get everything you can before you leave the band, depending on the endorsement you might even make a profit selling it on after you've used it a bit (most small endorsements have a contract that says you need to be buying for personal use, don't know if Orange is the same).

A while ago, I was playing with an inflatable santa on my amp, I thought it sounded better at the time but I've just been toying with the idea and I've decided that the air inside give a slight valve effect, the sound vibrates through the top of the head into the santa, then is picked up again by the head, giving it the natural warmth of being bounced around inside the rubber inflatable. Your turn, the more rediculous, the better.

You [u]WILL[/u] love it and be after another straight away. Since I started playing bass, I've played everything from Squiers to Ritters and my JJ5 has cured me of GAS (I had my beloved Warwick up for sale within a month of getting my JJ5). The only reason I'm looking at another bass at the moment is for a backup and hopefully I'm sorting myself out with another Sandberg. I still can't believe they're so cheap for the quality that you're getting. I honestly think that anyone that buys a USA Fender new is barking mad when you can have a Sandberg.

What bass and amp (and EQ on both) are you using? Some basses (specifically Stingrays) are prone to lower volumes on the higher strings anyway, usually only G and D to some extent, but it could be a problem with the bass. Could also be something to do with the EQ on your amp. Also, what height do you play at, if you're over-reaching, you might not get the right angle to pick the higher strings with enough strength. As others have suggested, try anchoring your thumb on the pickup. When you pick a string, you shouldn't be pushing directly towards the body, try about 45 degrees, on the higher strings you should be picking through the string so that your finger comes to rest on the string (tonally) below it. Don't be afraid to do things like hike your strap right up while you learn, practice sitting down etc. It's better to get the technique right then adapt it to how you want to play rather than struggling to do it in an uncomfortable position. It sounds like you should have a one off lesson to have an experienced player (get a proper bass lesson, not a guitarist that thinks he can teach bass) look at your technique and give you tips, there's only so much we can do on here without seeing you play.

Let me know how it goes, I'm trying to find a nice 2nd hand Sandberg, but failing that I'll be looking new.

Was it sold as an '83 P bass or was it sold as a P bass that Mark thought was from '83? If it was sold specificially as an '83 and there's hard evidence that it's not, then it's not as described. If Mark said he thought it was an '83 when you talked to him, but it doesn't properly say it anywhere (website, price tag etc), then there's nothing binding him to it. How long have you had it?

I love my Sandberg and GK setup. If I knew that nothing would ever go wrong with them and the GK was more practical, I'd never get anything else. As is, I'm getting a lighter GK rig and another bass (maybe another Sandberg, maybe something else) so that should do me for life.

If your head is putting out 300w at 4Ohms, that's the maximum power you will have. Theoretically, your speakers will be able to handle 410w before they blow, though with most they sound terrible and risk damage a long way before you put max power through them. Head ratings is your power, cab ratings is how much power your cabs can handle (unless they're powered cabs, but that's something else.).

The James Warner Prophecies release their BRAND NEW single 'YOU ARE THE SUN' via Animal Farm Records on SATURDAY 16th APRIL 2011! (This will be available through all download stores including iTunes and Amazon. Hard copies will also be available on the night!) * THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR THIS SONG IS ALSO BEING FILMED ON THE NIGHT, SO MAKE SURE YOU COME DOWN AND BE IN THE BRAND NEW VIDEO!!* The band are fresh from just winning best... single/EP for their release 'FELL' at the London based 'Pure Rawk' awards, and are hungry and ready to tour the UK promoting the single release throughout the next few months. To celebrate the release of the single, JWP will be doing a VERY special SINGLE LAUNCH SHOW at their favourite Venue, THE OLD BELL HOTEL IN DERBY. JWP are also very proud to announce their good friends Patchwork Grace and Teenage Casket Company as support! Links to JWP stuff can be found in my signature. PATCHWORK GRACE ( [url="http://www.facebook.com/patchworkgrace"]http://www.facebook.com/patchworkgrace[/url] ) and TEENAGE CASKET COMPANY ( [url="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teenage-Casket-Company/8335221799"]http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teenage-Cask...pany/8335221799[/url] ) We are told to expect some special things from these guys too, so make sure you get there from the very beginning of the night as it will be a busy one! This will be one of the most EXCITING shows that JWP have EVER done, with more show stopping visuals than ever before, DO NOT MISS THIS!! Thank you for all of your support, it really does mean a lot to us. Come Down and PARTY WITH US!! JWP xx

Thanks icastle, was so amazed by the basses I didn't even look. [quote name='BigRedX' post='1195360' date='Apr 11 2011, 08:03 AM']The One-String "Kinderbasje" is owned by BassChat's 7String. I've looked at buying one of his basses but he never seems to make one with all the features I want in one package... If the McDonalds Balie was a 5-string with a 34" scale I'd probably own it by now.[/quote] Yeah, I'm looking at them in English now, they're actually very reasonable prices. The MIDI bass looks really nice. If I had need for a MIDI bass (obviously it works without MIDI too, but that would be the deciding factor) then I'd definitely get more info etc with interest to buy.

I just stumbled across this site, it's all in Dutch (I assume) so I don't know what it actually says, but that only adds to the strangeness of it. They're amazing pieces of art though and well worth looking through. Not sure how they'd all work as basses though... [url="http://www.bas-extravaganza.nl/?page=bassen"]http://www.bas-extravaganza.nl/?page=bassen[/url] I always wondered if this would work, but never seen a bass without a neck actually made: A one string bass: A two string bass with some of the craziest fretwork I've ever seen:

If you can stretch up to £500, that's quite a nice budget for a 2x10 (and you probably won't need more than that if you're only playing small gigs), or even a 2x12 cab. Without knowing what kind of sound you're after, it doesn't really narrow it down still though. There's nothing wrong with the Ashdown cabs that would match that head, but I think if you're working with a £4-500 budget, you could definitely do a lot better. As always, I'll recommend GK gear if you can get anywhere to try it out. The NEO210 is about £400, the NEO212 and the 210RBH are about £500. Any of those would do you fine for a gig, the neo gear is fairly lightweight (it's not uber lightweight for neo gear, but it's not heavy compared to the RBH cabs) and they all sound awesome IMO. I currently use two 410RBHs and hopefully I'll have some NEO212s turning up next week.

Some things people always seem to overlook with a "shall I buy a head or cab for my upgrade" type conversation are: Generally your cab on stage is only for monitoring. This is always brought up when people ask how big an amp they need, but always forgotten for this kind of discussion. Therfore a nice bass tone on stage is good, but unless you're being micd (very rare at most types of gigs) then your cab is your own personal monitor and won't affect what people hear out front anyway. i.e. getting a good cab is only beneficial to you. Getting a head with a good post-EQ DI will let you retain more of your sound and control over your sound than using a DI box before your amp. I played a gig a while ago where I was talking to the engineer, he looked pained when I asked him to DI my amp instead of a box in front, then as soon as I said I was using GK, he was fine with it. Apparently he has so many people use Ashdown DIs that he's had lots of problems with being noisy etc that as soon as someone says they have it he refuses to DI the amp, thus removing their entire rig from the signal chain going out front. Also if you use two channels (as I do) then DIing before the head won't let you switch channels through the PA. If you're using the DI in the FX loop to avoid the amp's DI but keep channel swaps, then your head could probably do with an upgrade anyway. If you turn up at a gig that has a cab share, you're going to sound better if you upgraded your head than if you upgraded a cab that you'll then have to leave at home for gigs where you can use another cab.

I wonder if it would be possible to combine a torzal twist and novax fanned frets and how playable it'd be. Or at least how long before it'd make you feel sea sick.

Budget? What head are you using? What style do you play? There's quite a lot of 210s out there.