MarriedTheBassist Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Hello all. My husband is a bassist in a local covers band, and they are getting a lot more gigs to play .The bass he currently plays is quite old and holds a lot of sentimental value. He's been wanting to buy a new one for a long time as he wants to keep this bass in perfect condition. I've decided it's time he got his well deserved new bass so it's going to be my gift to him! I know it's a very personal item to buy and he needs to play and choose the right one for him. I have a budget of about £300 and am looking for the most helpful place to visit. Can anyone point us in the right direction, and even give some ideas on basses within the budget? Many thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) Old is not a bad thing with guitars. Actually the older they get the better they tend to be. As production levels soar, the attention to quality falls. What bass does he have? how old is it etc. You may well find that a new bass within your budget will not compare with old faithfull. You could start by checking the for sale forum right here. There are a lot of second hand deals that will put most 'new' basses in their rightful place. Edited August 29, 2012 by lettsguitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 What bass does he currently play? My idea would be to get a similar, albeit newer model of that bass, as he is used to playing one, and knows what he can and cant do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarriedTheBassist Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thanks! Perhaps its not 'that' old, got to be about 15 years at the least. He loves playing it- just super worried that something will happen to it whilst travelling to pubs etc,and prefer to play at leisure at home I suppose. Will point him to the for sale section thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarriedTheBassist Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) Oh and I don't think it's particularly popular make- aria I think! Edit- its actually a Yamaha. Oh dear not a very observant fan obviously hehe Edited August 29, 2012 by MarriedTheBassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) £300 budget should get him a nice Squier by Fender, best place in London, is the Bass Gallery in Camden, a friendly chap with tattoos called Alex will be happy to point you in the right direction. The Gallery Bass Merchant: 142 Royal College Street, Camden Town, London NW1 0TA Telephone +44 [207] 267 5458 / 267 5258 [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/"]http://www.thebassgallery.com/[/url] Edited August 29, 2012 by Grand Wazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixdegrees Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Last time I was in the Bass Gallery they had a Squier Matt Freeman Precision, which may fit the bill. But if hubby's a Yamaha man - you won't go far wrong with a Yamaha BB424. A really solid reliable bass that's ideally suited to rock pub gigs, and a shade over 300 quid. A little extra money gets the 'X' model with upgraded pickups and through-body stringing. I can only recommend from personal experience - Digital Village have stores across London and have a vast stock. If you see something on their website that you want to have a look at or try out (and it isn't in stock) they will order it in within a few days. The staff are very laid back and helpful, and my local store (Romford) has a sound-proof room full of amps where you can take basses for a test drive in privacy. [url="http://www.dv247.com/search/0/0/Relevance/Descending/yamaha+bb424/1/"]http://www.dv247.com/search/0/0/Relevance/Descending/yamaha+bb424/1/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkG3 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 There's a DV247 in High Barnet which had a decent range, but if you can get to central London get down to Denmark Street there's about 5 music shops!! One in particular is Wunjos Bass Guitar Centre had a decent range in there. But as already said, a decent Squire would fit in your price range, check the for sale thread here there's always good bargains happening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I would recommend going out and trying a whole range of basses without the view of buying to begin with. This way you can try a range of basses above and below your price range with no pressure on your shoulders. Once your hubby has found what he does and doesn't like out each bass he tries then post back here and I'm sure we could point you towards a "combination" of your favourite parts of the basses. As has already been mentioned here, the forum has some excellent basses 2nd hand at very little money (and you won't be paying any kind of markup for it being in a shop). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarriedTheBassist Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 Thanks all- the barnet store is not so far away so we can go there for a play. I originally searched denmark street in google and found this forum by clicking on a link to an old thread (2008) completely slating one particular bass shop! We had visited it before now but just for a browse so no experience of the service- which judging by the posts at the time of the thread seemed very poor. might visit the shops closer to home first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 [quote name='MarriedTheBassist' timestamp='1346309926' post='1787643'] Thanks all- the barnet store is not so far away so we can go there for a play. I originally searched denmark street in google and found this forum by clicking on a link to an old thread (2008) completely slating one particular bass shop! We had visited it before now but just for a browse so no experience of the service- which judging by the posts at the time of the thread seemed very poor. might visit the shops closer to home first. [/quote] Denmark Street was terrible for a while, things seem to be slowly improving. Wunjo are very helpful though and they've recently opened a bass only shop so they've now got a lot more choice. Also, don't be afraid to haggle / ask for a discount... particularly in the West End as some of their prices are rather high compared to online shops. If you're fairly close to Barnet you're probably fairly close to Electrohill in Palmers Green, they don't have a great selection but they're mostly in your price range and can be found here: [url="http://www.electrohill.co.uk/acatalog/GuitarsBassGuitars.html"]http://www.electrohill.co.uk/acatalog/GuitarsBassGuitars.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Another vote for the Gallery and Wunjos. That kind of budget also gets you one of the new Sterling by Musicman SUBs. http://www.thebassgallery.com/product_details.cfm?ID=2340&type=Bass%20Guitar as favourably reviewed in this month's Bass Guitar Magazine and receiving some love by BC members too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 (edited) Big props to this loving and lovely wife! I'm sure your hubby realises that he's a lucky chap Be prepared to see pleasantly surprised staff when you go to the shops with him. I remember buying an expensive EQ module as a birthday present for my ex a few years ago: we went to the store and tried a few, he chose the model he liked best, we went to the till and I produced my credit card, to which the (male) sales assistant said: oh, your lady's paying for it?? Me: Yes, b-day pressie, y'know. Him: Wow, I only get socks...! Edited August 30, 2012 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 DV247 in Barnet is fairly good, and they`re also quite happy to get things across from their other shops, if you`ve seen something on-line you want to try out. But, once you`ve established the right bass, look for a 2nd hand one on here. You`ll save a fair bit, and there`s a good chance it will have been set up properly as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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