kevbass Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 The way I see it is this, you get good basses and not so good basses, regardless of who its made by or how much it costs, Ive spent a lot of money before I finally learned this. Ive picked up USA fenders that played like lemons and Ive picked up cheap 200 quid peaveys that played smooth as anything. I also think that there may be a bit of a sour attitude towards brands like SX because with a few simple mods you can get a pro sounding bass at a fraction of something boutique and those that have spent far more on something that sounds only slightly better. I aways found it ironic that over the years I have spent all this money on basses, warwick, fender, Ibanez only to settle down and feel more comfortable with something far cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='163450' date='Mar 25 2008, 11:23 PM']Not a clue! Unlike yourself I did not spend a fortune on custom basses to play cheap planks instead. But then I never do gigs where gear is shared and never have. Anyone who turns up for a gig without a bass should f*** off as far as I am concerned. It maybe that these really are cheap planks as good as stuff that is 3 times the price. But I am a cynical old bastard who thinks that if something is too good to be true then it is not true.[/quote] Please yourself mate. Love is all around and I hope one day we can have a drink together and discuss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 [quote name='fifeq' post='163458' date='Mar 25 2008, 11:38 PM']I reckon OldGit thought about Jam Sessions:)[/quote] Zactly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc B Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I've had a black Jim Deacon MM copy for 14 years and it's served me well both live and recorded. It's had different necks and bridges but the only mod that's stayed on is the Kent Armstrong soapbar I got with my Bassist sub years ago together with the series/parallel miniswitch installed at home. The original scratchplate had to go when I changed the pup but it looks much better with it's custom made tortie one compared to the original white. The KA pickup is a monster , higher output than many active basses. It'll have to go soon as I've modified it to the point of destruction as I've used it to practise modding for the past few years. I think I must have got a good one to begin with though. Are Jim Deacon the same as SX as they look very similar to me? TBH the current Yamaha BBs and Squier VM series are the only cheapish instruments that have made me want to pick them up in years. I still haven't seen anything for £400 that is better made than my Warwick Streamer Std IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 [quote name='Doc B' post='163569' date='Mar 26 2008, 09:13 AM']Are Jim Deacon the same as SX as they look very similar to me?[/quote] No one knows for sure but they are very similar ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee4 Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I have recently sold my Warwick with the view to buying a P bass.But as my son now needs a new car seat I am left with perhaps £230 to spend on a new bass to act as a spare.I am hoping that my budget restrictions mean that I buy a bass owing to the sound and comfort of it,not the name on the headstock. I would be quite happy with a Squire or SX providing they feel and sound OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 [quote name='lee4' post='164661' date='Mar 27 2008, 06:00 PM']I have recently sold my Warwick with the view to buying a P bass.But as my son now needs a new car seat I am left with perhaps £230 to spend on a new bass to act as a spare.I am hoping that my budget restrictions mean that I buy a bass owing to the sound and comfort of it,not the name on the headstock. I would be quite happy with a Squire or SX providing they feel and sound OK.[/quote] You should certainly also look at the Yamahas, specially if you don't mind used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 [quote name='neilb' post='161644' date='Mar 21 2008, 11:57 PM']Does this look like a Trabant? No, thought not! [/quote] you need more imagination, just think of it with some wheels and a tinfoil radiator and before you know it you're in Dresden 1965... Am I the only one who can see this...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilb Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='165993' date='Mar 29 2008, 06:01 PM']you need more imagination, just think of it with some wheels and a tinfoil radiator and before you know it you're in Dresden 1965... Am I the only one who can see this...?[/quote] Probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='165993' date='Mar 29 2008, 06:01 PM']you need more imagination, just think of it with some wheels and a tinfoil radiator and before you know it you're in Dresden 1965... Am I the only one who can see this...?[/quote] Oh hang on I think I did see something like this on stage with U2 in Cardiff many years ago ... Was that a Trabant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifeq Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 wooden body plastic body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 [quote name='fifeq' post='166177' date='Mar 30 2008, 12:11 AM'] plastic body[/quote] nah... they had papier-mache bodies... the paint protected them from the rain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifeq Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 [quote name='Paul Cooke' post='166490' date='Mar 30 2008, 07:45 PM']nah... they had papier-mache bodies... the paint protected them from the rain...[/quote] wiki says: "The Trabant was a steel monocoque design with roof, bootlid, bonnet, [b]fender[/b]s and doors in [u]Duroplast[/u], a form of plastic containing resin strengthened by wool or cotton. This helped the GDR to avoid expensive steel imports, but in theory did not provide much crash protection, although in crash tests it has actually proven to be [u]superior [/u]to some modern small hatchbacks.[3][4] The Trabant was the second car to use Duroplast, after the "pre-Trabant" P70 (Zwickau) model (1954-1959). The duroplast was made of recycled material, cotton waste from Russia and phenol resins from the East German dye industry making the Trabant the [u]first car with a body made of recycled material[/u].[5]" so only pros!! haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJ1200 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 (edited) [quote name='bass_ferret' post='163450' date='Mar 26 2008, 12:23 AM']Not a clue! Unlike yourself I did not spend a fortune on custom basses to play cheap planks instead. But then I never do gigs where gear is shared and never have. Anyone who turns up for a gig without a bass should f*** off as far as I am concerned. It maybe that these really are cheap planks as good as stuff that is 3 times the price. But I am a cynical old bastard who thinks that if something is too good to be true then it is not true.[/quote] Personally - I don't give a rats. I don't have a fortune and I have other priorities. And to some people £200 IS a fortune. If that's what floats your boat and you have that money available then fine. Personally, I enjoy looking at exotica but owning one..? I think I'd be constantly worrying about it in case it got damaged. My Aria cost me less that £200, has P and J pickups and I don't worry about chipped laquer or the odd ding (or 5) here and there. Ok, it might not sound as good as a £2000 bass, but the neck is fairly narrow and the body is fairly light (I have had shoulder problems) and I'm perfectly happy with it. Might change the bridge and pups eventually, and intend to try lighter strings, but that's all. And I can shape the sound with the POD XTL. I have no great desire to play a 6-string, 7-string, 20-string or whatever - and the guys who do get my respect and I enjoy listening to them - but I would like to try an 8-string out. I'd like a 5 as some of the stuff we do has a low D and dropping the E down a bit doesn't sound that great to me and anyway I get confused with what I'm doing. But then I'm not a top player. I like the attitude that the US blues bassist had in another post elsewhere on this site - "Don't know or care what they are - I just pick 'em up and play 'em". Why do people buy mega-expensive basses anyway? Kudos of the name? Impress other bassists? as an investment? Or the unique shape/sound/feel? Would Joe Public know/care any different - especially after a few pints? I know that YOU'LL know, and I fully understand that and I'm the same in some respects - it matters to ME how it sounds. Last Sunday I messed up more than a couple of times but people said it sounded really great afterwards. Nice to hear but shows how much they know. (Now where's me flame-proof suit gone then?) Having said that, if I [i]had[/i] a fortune I'd probably get something custom made. As would we all. [size=1]Or a Rickenbacker 4001.[/size] [size=1]Or an Aria Pro II.... Or, or, er..... I feel an oncoming GAS attack.... Oh No! Not Now!! [/size] Edited April 1, 2008 by FJ1200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 [quote name='FJ1200' post='167506' date='Apr 1 2008, 11:11 AM']I enjoy looking at exotica but owning one..? I think I'd be constantly worrying about it in case it got damaged. [/size][/quote] Hear hear! My point exactly with my cheapy upright - it's covered in dings as I try and drag it through the house. If it cost me thousands, I'd be a nervous wreck. Until the lottery win, it's the best for what I can afford at the time, which is usually nothing. Unfortunately bass guitars do not insulate and board your loft or provide a solid driveway surface for your cars to park on (two expensive jobs coming up!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 [quote name='FJ1200' post='167506' date='Apr 1 2008, 10:11 AM']Why do people buy mega-expensive basses anyway? Kudos of the name? Impress other bassists? as an investment? Or the unique shape/sound/feel? Would Joe Public know/care any different - especially after a few pints? I know that YOU'LL know, and I fully understand that and I'm the same in some respects - it matters to ME how it sounds. Last Sunday I messed up more than a couple of times but people said it sounded really great afterwards. Nice to hear but shows how much they know. (Now where's me flame-proof suit gone then?) Having said that, if I [i]had[/i] a fortune I'd probably get something custom made. As would we all. [size=1]Or a Rickenbacker 4001.[/size] [size=1]Or an Aria Pro II.... Or, or, er..... I feel an oncoming GAS attack.... Oh No! Not Now!! [/size][/quote] Why have an FJ1200? A Puch Maxi will still get you from A to B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJ1200 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 (edited) [quote name='bass_ferret' post='167634' date='Apr 1 2008, 01:59 PM']Why have an FJ1200? A Puch Maxi will still get you from A to B.[/quote] Will a Puch Maxi get me from Peterborough to Portsmouth and back in one piece? On the same day, mind. Or to Sheffield and back? Or Leeds? Might make Northampton and back. Just. What about Sunderland? See, a 1200 sports tourer will do those journeys effortlessly again and again, a Puch Maxi will blow up after a few miles up the A1. Which is why I bought the FJ. With a full 3-piece Givi hard luggage set. See, I travel a fair bit every now and then for work, and at the time we didn't need 2 cars and I've always been a biker. And doing the maths, it actually cost less than a car to run it and it's fine for what I needed. And I always wanted one and it was reasonably cheap. If I needed the car to move servers around, I'd borrow the Scenic and my wife would use her mum's car. Happens rarely. I have a Fiesta now to move my gear around and circumstances have changed and I need a car. Still got the bike too. So not [i]quite[/i] the same argument really, but I can see where you're coming from. So why buy a Ferrari when you can't legally use it's full potential in the UK on the roads? Edited April 1, 2008 by FJ1200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 [quote name='FJ1200' post='167656' date='Apr 1 2008, 01:17 PM']So why buy a Ferrari when you can't legally use it's full potential in the UK on the roads?[/quote] Well .. a custom bass is related to the Ferrari except that when you play one the general populace don't notice whereas they will think you are a chavvy flash lottery winner [rhymes with] banker when you drive by in a Ferrari - or the ones aged mre than 13 anyway ... There are many reasons to buy a custom bass, not least of which is that some don't cost a lot more than a stock Stingray ... The reasons are largely selfish and only appreciated by a very, very small % of the population, most of whom were in that room on Sunday. As for sound, well I've seen people get great sounds out of crack converter reject gear and others make an awful racket with a signature bass and reams of top notch amps cabs and effects .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJ1200 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 (edited) [quote name='OldGit' post='167695' date='Apr 1 2008, 02:13 PM']Well .. a custom bass is related to the Ferrari except that when you play one the general populace don't notice whereas they will think you are a chavvy flash lottery winner [rhymes with] banker when you drive by in a Ferrari - or the ones aged mre than 13 anyway ... There are many reasons to buy a custom bass, not least of which is that some don't cost a lot more than a stock Stingray ... The reasons are largely selfish and only appreciated by a very, very small % of the population, most of whom were in that room on Sunday. As for sound, well I've seen people get great sounds out of crack converter reject gear and others make an awful racket with a signature bass and reams of top notch amps cabs and effects ..[/quote] Which luthiers will do 'lower-priced' (he says choosing the words [u]very[/u] carefully) custom basses? For those of us who don't have a fortune to spend. Won't be getting one just yet, though - I have a house to decorate for starters. Then an acoustic to get repaired. As an engineer by trade and compulsion (and nearly 20 years in industry as a fitter/machinist/toolmaker before constant redundancy got the better of me, and my dad was a cabinet maker) I love and appreciate craftsmanship in all its forms. Some of the custom basses on Sunday were stunning, and sounded great. But they'd be wasted on me at present. I'd love to have one, but have other priorities. Maybe one day.... when the kids leave home perhaps. Edited April 1, 2008 by FJ1200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 [quote name='FJ1200' post='167712' date='Apr 1 2008, 02:34 PM']Which luthiers will do 'lower-priced' (he says choosing the words [u]very[/u] carefully) custom basses? For those of us who don't have a fortune to spend. Won't be getting one just yet, though - I have a house to decorate for starters. Then an acoustic to get repaired. As an engineer by trade and compulsion (and nearly 20 years in industry as a fitter/machinist/toolmaker before constant redundancy got the better of me, and my dad was a cabinet maker) I love and appreciate craftsmanship in all its forms. Some of the custom basses on Sunday were stunning, and sounded great. But they'd be wasted on me at present. I'd love to have one, but have other priorities. Maybe one day.... when the kids leave home perhaps. [/quote] [b]Preface: Other luthiers are available![/b] So rather than flame me for mentioning Shuker again just chip in with your own recommendations. I just don't know about the others OK? ----------------------- Jon Shuker's standard (custom) jazz basses can come in under £1100 depending on options. This stock J bass is £950 - you can ask for a change of pup and electronics on his stock stuff. [url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/stock.htm"]http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/stock.htm[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee4 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='164800' date='Mar 27 2008, 10:12 PM']You should certainly also look at the Yamahas, specially if you don't mind used.[/quote] Looked,tried,deliberated,bought.One new Yamaha BB414 in Vintage White is running into my open arms as we speak. I just wish that I did'nt try it through a Mark Bass head though,as it has given me bad GAS. Oh,the price?£199.Bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 [quote name='lee4' post='167847' date='Apr 1 2008, 06:05 PM']Looked,tried,deliberated,bought.One new Yamaha BB414 in Vintage White is running into my open arms as we speak. I just wish that I did'nt try it through a Mark Bass head though,as it has given me bad GAS. Oh,the price?£199.Bargain.[/quote] £199 new? Excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee4 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Go to GAK (Guitarampkeyboard).Shipping was only £10 too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifeq Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I have this yamaha bought it last year new one from Gak for this price plus i think 20 for P&P sounds very good i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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