Changing basses (and deciding too)

[LukeFRC]

Short question:

How do folk decide to change basses, or sell ones that they love?
I don't mean move ones on that you don't really care about - but ones that you still like but want something else?


That's the short question.
The longer one is...

The second bass I ever played was an older friend's 1992 Warwick Thumb 5 string. I had recently been shown my first ever song on another friends bass (a 6 string oddly enough) and the friend with the Thumb got this very expensive and wonderful looking and smelling bass and gave it to me and told me to show what I could do, then gave me some tips and techniques. That was the start of me playing bass. And I've just had something about those early warwick's ever since.

I picked up a Status shark and learned, started playing in bands, bought a P bass cos it was so so so much better for the band.
About this time I sold the shark and got one of Warwickhunt's streamer stage one's- amazing to own a Neck through Warwick. Over time that SS1 got swapped for another one (my main bass today) and the P bass got upgraded to the JV P bass I have now- the best Fender type bass I have ever played bar none.

I went through a phase of trying out other stuff, jazz basses, T40 and a few others, mostly they came and went quite quickly- picked up a jazz in a trade recently that's a keeper though and great fun to play.

But still part of me wants a Thumb, it's the one bass left on my "would like to have" list. and I've found one- a nice looking one, at a good (but not amazing) price- but (and herein lies the rub) to buy it I would have to sell something.
The SS1 is going no where, I need my amp, and the jazz and my Yamaha SG combined wouldn't make enough. Which leaves the JV.
Which I love as a bass- but on the other hand selling it would let me get the Thumb. Do I play the JV much anymore? -not really. Would I cope without a P bass? Eventually. Do I want to sell it? not ideally. So all this is playing over in my head, do I start dropping the price I'ld ask for the JV in order to free up cash for the Thumb - or do I just forget it and keep what afterall is an exceptional bass.

So all that going around my head - and this thread isn't really hopefully about me and my situation, it's not a "what should I do" type question - more - how do you decide?

[Lozz196]

I`ve recently sold my 77 Precision, and am currently selling my 78 Precision. Was a difficult decision, as I love the two basses, but for my needs, having two instruments worth £2500+ was not practical. Plus, with the gigs I do, I was always a bit worried about them, as we`re one of those bands that do the "4 bands on the bill" type of gig - so concerned about accidents/keeping my eyes on them at all times. Plus, selling them I can clear a bit of debt as well.

So for once in my life, I`ve allowed my head to rule my heart. It`s the better practical decision, but it was hard seeing the 77 go the other night.

[pietruszka]

Good question! I've never bought/acquired a bass for a sound for a particular band, in all honesty I can never be arsed with that whole area of choice, too many factors involved in my opinion.

I have 2 basses I play, a StingRay and a Sandberg fretless, both 4 strings and both have that MM humbucker style pickup, both also have the same woods though I think the fretboards are different? The StingRay I got from my dad for my 18th birthday, now I know that can come across as a bit spoilt but he always told me that it was the best thing he ever bought me. Now when I was looking for another bass (the fretless) I got the Sandberg Basic because it had a very similar pickup set up and very similar woods, I would have an idea of how it sounded. Thats about it! I largely go on how the neck feels, if it's thin and comfortable, then it's a win! Lets face it, with the money you know you'll spend, it's going to sound great so it's a matter of which great sounding bass you'd want.




Dan

Edited December 8, 2012 by pietruszka

[gjones]

I've bought and sold a lot of basses but I hate the nasal sound of Warwick thumb basses, so it wouldn't be a difficult decision for me. I'd keep the JV.

[megallica]

I have sold and traded basses that I miss later but it keeps things fresh.
e.g. I owned three chunky neck Corvettes over the last five years and last year bought a Fortress which sounds great but I sold it because the neck was a bit too skinny for my tastes.
If I had been in a position to try the bass out first I probably wouldn't have bought it but it was one of the basses I always wanted to own.
Also I bought a Schecter Custom 5 after owning a few Schecter four strings but the string spacing on the fiver was too narrow for me to play comfortably so had to sell it on again.

[hamfist]

I think a huge amount comes down to available finances. The poorer you are the more ruthless you need to become with one in/one out etc. I think a good test is seeing really how much, if at all, you actually play a particular bass. Individually we are the only ones who really know about how our finances and situation stand, and whether it's reasonable to buy/sell/swap or whatever.
To be honest it amazes me how well off a lot of people must be, to be able to own so many basses.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1354983550' post='1892639']
I think a huge amount comes down to available finances. The poorer you are the more ruthless you need to become with one in/one out etc. I think a good test is seeing really how much, if at all, you actually play a particular bass. Individually we are the only ones who really know about how our finances and situation stand, and whether it's reasonable to buy/sell/swap or whatever.
To be honest it amazes me how well off a lot of people must be, to be able to own so many basses.
[/quote] Yeah, I think if I had the money to own both for a while it would be easier. Buy the JD thumb, play them for a few months, sell the one that Idon't like as much. As it is not much money.

[RhysP]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1354983550' post='1892639']
I think a huge amount comes down to available finances. The poorer you are the more ruthless you need to become with one in/one out etc.
[/quote]

This.
I never thought I'd sell my Zons, but I was made redundant & for the past 8 years I've had a crappy poorly paid job & no sign of anything improving financially for the forseeable future.
There was no way I could justify having a few thousand pounds worth of basses stuck under the bed & only rarely being played.

The thing that really made my mind up about getting rid of the Zons was buying a Spector Euro 5LX for a great price earlier this year. It's a fantastic bass & does everything I want so the Zons became even more of an unjustifiable luxury.
One of them was a fretless & I've decided that I really don't like fretless bass at all anymore, so that one was pretty easy to let go of to be honest.

[Dingus]

Good basses that you like / love are not that easily come by , and if you like your P Bass then I would keep hold of it and make picking up a Thumb a long term project . There are loads of them about and you might see a bargain if you wait long enough. You will almost certainly miss your JV Squier , and you might not be able to sell it for as much as you might hope to in the current depressed market .

[lowdowner]

Ah the Thumb - I've thought about the other way around (selling a thumb and buying something else) but I just don't think I could do it. The Thumb is perfect (to my ears and hands anyway)... go for it

[neepheid]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1354983550' post='1892639']
To be honest it amazes me how well off a lot of people must be, to be able to own so many basses.
[/quote]


I'm not some rich toff! I happen to live in a two income household. No kids and no other hobbies to speak of. Don't smoke and don't drink half as much as I used to.

Also, my collection has evolved over 5 years. I didn't just go out and buy these basses in a big burp of inconceivable expenditure. It's trading - once you have a bass you have an asset that you can put against something else. If the thing you want is more expensive, you only have to find the difference. I've probably sold around 20 basses to get to where I am now.

[KingBollock]

I had a Bass that I absolutely adored. Unfortunately we got in a bit of a mess financially, and I had to sell it and my amp. I basically had to give up Bass with no prospect of ever being able to start up again. Completely shattered my heart it did. 6 months later we discovered that the financial mess wasn't our fault and we were given a lump sum that if we'd have got it when we were supposed to have it we wouldn't have got into the mess we were in, so I was able to buy a new Bass and amp. Anyway, now I have a different Bass that I had been hankering after for over 20 years. It is a far, far better Bass than my old favourite (though I'd still love to have that Bass back) and there is no force on earth that could make me sell it now.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1354984701' post='1892664']
Good basses that you like / love are not that easily come by , and if you like your P Bass then I would keep hold of it and make picking up a Thumb a long term project . There are loads of them about and you might see a bargain if you wait long enough. You will almost certainly miss your JV Squier , and you might not be able to sell it for as much as you might hope to in the current depressed market .
[/quote]

agreed I prob wouldn't get as much as I might hope for it. And yeah would probably miss it- the thing I didn't put in the OP was that the thumb in question is a JD thumb so not as common as a normal one- though not as uncommon as a 1st ed JV squier

[Pinball]

For me a bass is safe if I'm playing it. I'm not loaded and basses that are just sitting there are a bit of a luxury. That means in theory-because of my needs I should have about 3 or 4 basses and three guitars-I justify the extra bass because I have a fretless. If I was a pro I could maybe justify more.

[Dingus]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1354990511' post='1892752']
agreed I prob wouldn't get as much as I might hope for it. And yeah would probably miss it- the thing I didn't put in the OP was that the thumb in question is a JD thumb so not as common as a normal one- though not as uncommon as a 1st ed JV squier
[/quote]

You could , when your finances allow , get JD to make you a Thumb to your dream spec . He is a fantastic builder and a wonderful bloke too , and considering the superb quality of his work , very reasonably priced . A Precision Bass is a pretty essential tool for any bass player in my book , and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush , as the saying goes . This bass is a good 'un , whereas the Thumb represents a gamble . Ideally ( stating the obvious ) you would add to your existing basses rather than trade one for the new addition . Hold your fire a bit and you could still do that in the not- too -distant future .

Edited December 8, 2012 by Dingus

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1354991652' post='1892779']
You could , when your finances allow , get JD to make you a Thumb to your dream spec . He is a fantastic builder and a wonderful bloke too , and considering the superb quality of his work , very reasonably priced . A Precision Bass is a pretty essential tool for any bass player in my book , and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush , as the saying goes . This bass is a good 'un , whereas the Thumb represents a gamble . Ideally ( stating the obvious ) you would add to your existing basses rather than trade one for the new addition . Hold your fire a bit and you could still do that in the not- too -distant future .
[/quote] sorry a Warwick "JD Thumb" bass- they were originally named after some american player called John D-something-or-another

[Dingus]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1354992380' post='1892799']
sorry a Warwick "JD Thumb" bass- they were originally named after some american player called John D-something-or-another
[/quote]

Now I'm confused . I think JD ( Bimingham U.K luthier) did make at least one Basschatter a Thumb Bass style bass , but I have never heard of any Warwick Thumb signature model except Jack Bruce's . Do you know what the difference between this JD Thumb and a regular Warwick Thumb are ? Are they useful to you or is it desirable just for rarity value ?

Edited December 8, 2012 by Dingus

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Don't sell the P bass. I speak from personal experience. No matter how good the Thumb may be, and it will do amazing things, but it will never do what the P can do.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1354993648' post='1892823']
Now I'm confused . I think JD ( Bimingham U.K luthier) did make at least one Basschatter a Thumb Bass style bass , but I have never heard of any Warwick Thumb signature model except Jack Bruce's . Do you know what the difference between this JD Thumb and a regular Warwick Thumb are ? Are they useful to you or is it desirable just for rarity value ?
[/quote] so a bit off topic.... Nothing at all to do with JD the UK fella. Not so much a signature model but designed for him way back. How it differs depends which era of regular warwick thumb you are talking about!

Quoted from the Unofficial History of Warwick Bass (Novello, Huygen) PDF

[quote]THUMB JD 1985-86
The Thumb is the first bass designed by Warwick, if we exclude the Nobby Meidel. The initials JD on the first Thumb represents the initials of an American bassist, who played an active part in the creation of the Thumb. (John Davis)

John Davis is a U.S. military serving in Germany. John was a professional player and he was quite „busy‟ on the stage. Because of this he wanted a bass that was small and easy to play. He heavily influenced the shape of the bass resulting in the Thumb as we all know it now.

First the neck through neck is made with 7 stripse of wood instead of 5 on the Streamers. The foils are separated by 3 edges of Wenge and Bubinga (the latter is larger than the 2 sheets in Maple / Cherry of Streamer). The neck provides 26 frets like Nobby Meidel, and the neck is concealed from the front through the body. (a feature that will be reused in the near future with the Streamer Stage II and the Dolphin Pro I)

In practice, the neck-through thins considerably when it enters the body, when it is applied to a block of Bubinga. This block houses the pickups and the bridge. Bubinga is also used on the wings of the body. The neck is slightly wider at the nut than the Stage 1: 40.5 mm against 40.0 mm nut, both measured at the 24th fret instead of 60.0 mm.

For pickups the J + J configuration is chosen, however, the positioning of the pickups is not standard, because the bridge pickup is placed sideways, with the aim of increasing the blow of high strings and the growl of low ones. Apart from some details, this first JD has all the specifications as a contemporary Thumb.

In terms of sound, the Warwick goes firmly in the path already taken by the Streamer. The use of Bubinga wood instead of Cherry makes the Thumb a much naughtier cousin, resulting in a much harder sound. Low midrange growl at his maximum improves the overall sound with great projection in the mix.

Playing this bass hard accentuates the mids even more, resulting in a auditory mix like few others. In short, the Thumb sound is sort of a Jazz Bass sounding very hungry. The Warwick Thumb soon becomes the Warwick par excellence, helping to give some visibility or face to the brand.[/quote] Note in the comparisons to the streamer they are refering to a wenge neck/cherry body streamer (stage one)

[uke]

Just sold my Tokai CAR 84 Jazz..., and I'm gutted! But I don't need so many basses!

Mid life crisis.....?

Could be worse, could be Motorbikes, my brother has about 30 of these! And that's high maintainence.

[Guest]

Get the Thumb dude, they're amazing.

[Dingus]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1355014546' post='1893078']
so a bit off topic.... Nothing at all to do with JD the UK fella. Not so much a signature model but designed for him way back. How it differs depends which era of regular warwick thumb you are talking about!

Quoted from the Unofficial History of Warwick Bass (Novello, Huygen) PDF

Note in the comparisons to the streamer they are refering to a wenge neck/cherry body streamer (stage one)
[/quote]

I am actually old enough to remember these early Warwick basses arriving in the U.K via the Bass Centre , who were their U.K distributor . Barry Moorhouse ( who owned The Bass Centre ) really helped Warwick establish themselves as a brand by using the shop and his contacts to introduce Warwick basses to the pro players who frequented it . I've got a soft spot for Warwick basses despite never having owned one , and the Thumb sounds and looks amazing , but has never felt particulaly comfortable to me . In fact , it has always felt distinctly uncomfortable - heavy and poorly balanced with a long reach to the lowest frets - so my bit of advice would be to make sure you try it on a strap before you committ yourself . I always find going back to a Fender a breath of fresh air when it comes to ergonomics .

Edited December 9, 2012 by Dingus

[hamfist]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1354986043' post='1892680']
I happen to live in a two income household. No kids
[/quote]

Sorry neepheid, but you sort of prove my point. Your description of your situation sounds really quite well off compared to an awful lot of other folks. Are you trying to say that if your financial situation went to the dogs you would not consider moving on some of your collection ?

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1355042682' post='1893171']


Sorry neepheid, but you sort of prove my point. Your description of your situation sounds really quite well off compared to an awful lot of other folks. Are you trying to say that if your financial situation went to the dogs you would not consider moving on some of your collection ?
[/quote] i don't think that was his point. It would be possible to have two folks on min. Wage, in a cheap house with no kids, low out goings, no drink or fags, shop in lidl and have a reasonable amount of free cash for something like basses.
Equally you could have an income of 100k, 6 kids, drink a fair bit and live a high rent area and shop in saimsburys and be really hard up for cash.

[mike257]

I've always seen my music gear as a long term investment and try to avoid offloading it if I can. All my big purchases were made before I had kids and most of them were second hand deals anyway, but I'm reluctant to move any of it on. I did sell a lovely T-40 that took me ages to find when I had some bills to pay, and I still get pangs of guilt now.

Having said that, its a bit easier to justify if you're earning from gigs - got to have the right kit for the job!