alicedear Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Hi all! Having already incurred the wrath of the team by posting a message elsewhere before letting everyone know who I am, I'm sneakliy taking time out at work to remedy the situation! I'm a fifty-one year old languages teacher who plays bass in a covers band, Bigshot! based in the Berks area. Ideally I'd drop the day job and devote myself to the playing-but then, wouldn't we all?! I got into playing bass only four years ago, when I finally decided to fulfil my boyhood dreams of being in a band; until then I saw it as something other people did while I looked on from the sidelines. It has to be one of the best things I ever did! I have met some of the nicest people around, including, of course, the members of my own band! I am gradually becoming more interested in the various aspects of bass-playing; until recently I just showed up with my gear, pluuged it in, turned it up and thumped away. My playing is based on my classical guitar playing style, something I have played for years, so secure, technically, but with no real bass-playing emphasis (must learn to slap and pop one day...). As for the equipment I use, I think I've been lucky, purely by chance, in the guitars I have acquired: a second-hand store in Reading yielded a Gibson G3 from the '70s and the loft of a chap emigrating to Australia a Hayman 40-40 (the latter now sold). My amp is a Warwick combo, and is becoming too small for my needs-at least in my mind-so will soon go! Ive also had thoughts of buying a decent 5 string-Warwick if I can afford it. So that's me. Any thoughts on the merits of different amplification or the best 5 string basses for around £500 would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading this! Kevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoop Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 welcome. There are lots of good fivers out there for less than £500 and both the Warwick Corvette and the FNA can be found for less than that regularly enough in the forum's market place. Despite your initial "wrath incurring" previous post you'll actually find this a really friendly and helpful resource and information forum. I have no idea of the context of your previous post but as a *relative newbie myself* (I've been registered a while but lurk rather than actively posting too much) I wouldn't read too much into it. As I say, friendly place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) Welcome along Kevin People can get funny about sale threads, and understandably so. A personable introduction goes a long way to making prospective buyers feel at ease. Best of luck moving the gear on and finding new equipment for yourself. The Corvette $$ is a favourite, but watch out for weight and neck chunkiness. Perhaps an MM SR5? I say stick with your grabber Loads of amp stuff comes up on BC, only a matter of time. Checked out your site too. Very profesh. paul. Edited March 17, 2008 by paul, the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Bass Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Good to have you here. Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthewalrus Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Hi Kevin, Welcome to Basschat - was good to see you at the gig on Friday night in Wraysbury. You'll get a lot of good advice from the members on here whe it comes to gear - everyone has their own take on things, & it's all part of the community spirit on the board. When it comes to 5 string basses - the world is pretty much your oyster, & it just really depends on trying out a lot of different basses & seeing which one takes your fancy. £500 will buy you a good 5 string. In terms of amplification, my rig is quite light but that's mainly due to the fact that I suffer from sciatica occasionally. Stuff like Warwick, Peavey, & Laney is usually sturdy gear but at the other end of the scale, Markbass, EBS, Eden, Epifani, Accugroove & Schroeder is lighter but more expensive. It really depends on how much you want to spend & how much gear you need for the gigs.... Hope this helps a little bit - take care. Cheers, iamthewalrus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicedear Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 [quote name='paul, the' post='159162' date='Mar 17 2008, 08:09 PM']Welcome along Kevin People can get funny about sale threads, and understandably so. A personable introduction goes a long way to making prospective buyers feel at ease. Best of luck moving the gear on and finding new equipment for yourself. The Corvette $$ is a favourite, but watch out for weight and neck chunkiness. Perhaps an MM SR5? I say stick with your grabber Loads of amp stuff comes up on BC, only a matter of time. Checked out your site too. Very profesh. paul.[/quote] Thanks, Paul, I appreciate the swift post; it seems everyone here is very supportive! In fact, I have already had enquiries about my friend's guitars, so my initial fears were unfounded. As far as new gear is concerned, it appears that the best advice is to go out and try it out for myself-there are worse ways to pass the time, that's for sure! Our website is looked after by our lead guitarist, Ian Legge, a top man in all respects-I shall pass on your comments! Thanks again! Kevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicedear Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 [quote name='iamthewalrus' post='159374' date='Mar 18 2008, 08:33 AM']Hi Kevin, Welcome to Basschat - was good to see you at the gig on Friday night in Wraysbury. You'll get a lot of good advice from the members on here whe it comes to gear - everyone has their own take on things, & it's all part of the community spirit on the board. When it comes to 5 string basses - the world is pretty much your oyster, & it just really depends on trying out a lot of different basses & seeing which one takes your fancy. £500 will buy you a good 5 string. In terms of amplification, my rig is quite light but that's mainly due to the fact that I suffer from sciatica occasionally. Stuff like Warwick, Peavey, & Laney is usually sturdy gear but at the other end of the scale, Markbass, EBS, Eden, Epifani, Accugroove & Schroeder is lighter but more expensive. It really depends on how much you want to spend & how much gear you need for the gigs.... Hope this helps a little bit - take care. Cheers, iamthewalrus.[/quote] Why, thanks, young Louis-as I have begun to discover, everyone is remarkably friendly, without actually knowing anything about me or my amateurish playing! The general gist of the replies so far seems to be: go and try out lots of gear and work it out for yourself-very sensible! I shall do precisely that and enjoy myself! Although I don't suffer from back pain, I think I shall go down the 'as light as possible' route eg Ashdown Superfly or such like! Take care, see you soon, Kevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybassplayer Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Hi Kevin and welcome to the site from a relative newcomer. Like you I am a bit of a late starter ( 49 years old and only started gigging about 6 years ago ) and would love to be able to live cheaply and play for a living rather than doing the day job ( I keep dreaming ) I visit the site on a regular basis and it is an excellent way of picking up info etc and filling the time between practising and gigging Regards Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieC Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 [quote name='alicedear' post='158769' date='Mar 17 2008, 08:33 AM']My amp is a Warwick combo, and is becoming too small for my needs-at least in my mind-so will soon go! Ive also had thoughts of buying a decent 5 string-Warwick if I can afford it. So that's me. Any thoughts on the merits of different amplification or the best 5 string basses for around £500 would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading this! Kevin.[/quote] Welcome alicedear, I'm also fairly new to the site, but amazed at the friendliness and good advice on this site. I'd thoroughly recommend the Phil Jones Bass 'Suitcase' combo if you're still looking for a new amp. It's rated at 180 W and sounds really punchy despite the small size and weight. (Easily fits on the back seat of my Suzuki Swift) You can, like I did, purchase the matching 4B extention cab, which brings the output to 300 W which IMHO is ideal for most gig situations. The amp has two channels, which is great for twin-bass situations. As a matter of fact, I used to own a Warwick Corvette 5 String, and really wish I'd held on to it! Bye for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Hi Kevin. Welcome to the family. Hope you enjoy the trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weird War Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 [quote name='tonybassplayer' post='159931' date='Mar 18 2008, 10:13 PM']I visit the site on a regular basis and it is an excellent way of picking up info etc and filling the time between practising and gigging[/quote] Or for some on here, practising and gigging is an excellent way of filling the time between Basschat visits... Welcome aboard, Kevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Blimey - so many friendly people here! I can feel the love flowing out my monitors. Welcome Alicedear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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