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I realised this evening that, possibly for the first time I can remember, my (one) Ampeg/Mesa bass rig is worth more than my (five) bass guitars put together. This is largely down to my having spent about two years building, unbuilding and reconfiguring Fender-fit bitsas, usually from Warmoth, Allparts and similar parts bought used either here or on eBay. It also got me to thinking that I've now got a pretty clear system for my gear, that certain things really matter to me and that certain other things really don't. Thought I'd share the list Things that really matter: 1. Neck: the neck to me is the most important part of the whole system; if it doesn't feel right, I don't play right, and I don't enjoy playing. I'm a better player on basses with necks I like. I play 1-11/16" nut Precision necks on both Precision and Jazz basses. Jazz Basses are a different beast with a substantial Precision neck. 2. Strings: wrong strings, wrong tone and more effort required, making playing less fund. Nothing else in the signal chain makes up for it 3. Tuners: doesn't matter how good the tone and playability if it creeps out of tune. Amazing how many tuners can't hold tuning, even some quite expensive ones. Amazing how irritating an instrument going out of tune can be. 4. Amp head: wrong choice can make an expensive bass sound crap. A good choice can make a relatively cheap bass sound good. This is not the place to skimp on cost. Or weight. 5. PUPs: it took me a long time and a lot of convincing that PUPs define the tone almost as much as the head and the strings, but the right PUP for the sound makes playing effortless and puts a smile on the player and the band's faces. Things that really don't seem to matter: 6. Cabs: never seem to make as much difference as the head, differences between expensive and cheap never seem to justify the cost of the former 7. Circuit: with a decent bass, strings and head, I just don't use the circuit on any of my basses, might as well run the PUPs straight to the output jack! 8. Bridge: despite years of trying them all, the only thing that matters is that you can get the right action and alignment. Tone metals? High mass? Never noticed an effect. 9. Body wood. Still find it amazing that people talk endlessly about tone woods. Change any of the neck, PUPs, strings and the tone changes significantly. I've yet to find two different bodies that sounded significantly different when fitted with the same components, and I've done a lot of experimentation. So, looking at my current basses, I realise that about 50-60% of the total value is in the necks, around 20% in PUPs (which I tend to buy new as I've found too many PUPs bought used have issues), the rest split variously between bodies, tuners, bridges, circuits etc. As mentioned, I've five basses, three Precisions (one fretless) and two Jazzes (again one fretless). Total cost was a tad under £1500 for the lot. I'd put most of them in Fender MIA territory in terms of build quality, playability and tone, with two in CS territory (the two fretless). Makes you realise just how much we pay for the names on the headstocks. Having said this, I have to thank Leo Fender however for making it so bloody easy to mix and match parts of Fender-alike instruments

Jeezz. . . . there's some arrogant twaddle being posted on this thread. Do any of you know what this guy does or has done? Obviously he has a Youtube channel, but what else? (cue lots of internet searches!) He is plainly an excellent player, with superior technical ability. That isn't magicked out of thin air, so he's paid he dues in one way or another. So with no knowledge of the guy and not knowing what else he does, you feel you can make unrealistic assumptions, negative comments and pronounce this guy as unworthy. Listen to yourselves!!

The band is called The Dolomites and we are basically a 50's/60's party band. To be honest, our guitarist is just really good at getting us gigs and its also worth mentioning that this is our first year together so not bad for a new band. We do have a few promo videos but we dont really use them to get gigs. This first one we recorded at the start of the year. It us miming to our own studio recording on top of a pub roof 😁 Cost us £50 as well 😁 This second one we did a few months back in an amazing American diner in Horsham. About a third of our gigs are acoustic so we wanted to try and capture this by doing a rough live acoustic "around the campfire" type video. Also worth saying that this Kala UBass I also bought in 2018 and is certainly a best buy for me. You can also see the Fender Mike Dirnt in the background so both of my 2018 best buys in one video 😁

Didn't have a chance to try... luckily I have fairly long arms and fingers, so long scale lengths and wide string spacing work for me. Tbh I just totally love the simple physical *presence* of long-scale basses. A while back my then 4yo grandson was standing in the middle of the semi-circle of my basses on floor stands - their headstocks well above his head - and my one "normal" guitar. I tried to explain to him the differences between a "guitar" and a bass guitar, and play them for him to hear the difference in pitch. He listened for a minute and then grabbed my Aerodyne saying "I want the big one!" The lad has good taste already. If he lives up to early promise he'll get that Aerodyne for his 18th birthday. Sorry, ot but can't resist:

Best: Smith BT5. I put a wanted ad up here and was lucky that I got talking to a brilliant BCer. I’ve wanted a Smith for the longest time but got very much sidetracked buying and playing Vigiers. Finally I arrived at a lout where I was so happy with my number one Vigier that I was able to think seriously about a Smith. After getting in touch and negotiating a price I suddenly lost most of the money I had fenced off. The seller was a legend and waited for me for a few months and I was finally able to buy it. I had to sell a few bits including a couple of fantastic basses but it was well worth it. The sound is exactly what I wanted; ever since playing Kiwi’s Smith several years ago I’ve admired the feel and sound of them. It’s got that plinky tip end and juicy bass sound that just is so recognisable. It’s immaculately put together.

Indeed. Always entertaining and awe inspiring. 👏👏👏

Big thanks to Andy for sharing this revamp, really enjoyed it, superb skills as usual, and of course congrats on getting YOUR dream bass Eude, it looks great ;)

After 7 dry years, finally scratched the itch and got this Gen 1 Sire V7 vintage in Ash and maple. I popped in to Andertons Guilford and tried several. I was going for one of the Gen2 models in Alder, but ended up walking out with this. It had the nicest feel and tone and was noticeably lighter at 9.2lbs than the others. I've heard about Sires being weighty. I've fancied a natural blonde for a while, but didn't think I'd get on with Ash/Maple combo as I prefer a darker tone, but this one has a nice thick tone and beefy mids. Just shows that while there are some general characteristics with woods, every bass is different. They had more Gen2 models in ash/maple at the warehouse, but given the nice weight and vibes, I figured a bird in the hand... Needs a minor setup, but I think we're gonna get on just fine. I've got some nice US made basses for reference that I couldn't even afford at today's prices and this sire is a LOT of bass for the money.

must be the maple sunburst Jazz I bought off @Chiliwailer who also converted me to flat chromes. It doesn't clash with it's new best mates

I stopped watching, or actually spending as much time, on you tube after clicking on what I thought was a comedic video about flat earth. Turned out this guy was real, believes we are being tricked by nasa and when someone intelligent commented, giving scientific evidence as to why he was wrong, poor chap commenting got absolutely roasted by half a dozen or so idiots who also believed we are living on a disc. He remained composed and tried to logically explain his point, but never argue with an idiot. They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. I actually think we might have peaked as a species?

Sorry I did not mean to upset or offend anyone .... and I don't think I did . As I ve said in the post above I ve said that he is talented ! i never offended or said that the guy is not a talented bass player does the guy know how to play his instrument ? Absolutely ! He s he talented ? Absolutely can I play like him ! Not in a hundred years does he move me ? No does he inspire me ? No did I learn anything ?no all I meant to say is that make a living as Ytouber or make as a musician are 2 different things ! Take for instance Jesus Rico from this forum he is also making video on YouTube ! He writes is own music has couple of albums out but he's video they are not edited like Davide does jesus knows how to play bass ? Absolutely does inspire me ? Hell yes does it move me ? Hell yes do I watch his videos ? All the time again I'm sorry if offended anyone

DOLOMITES - that's bad No hand rail on that roof 🤸‍♀️ If you had used music stands you could have put some warning tape round the band, oh sorry that's a different thread 👍

Please join another forum 😴

Sorry to be a pedant, but you spelled "misery" incorrectly😂

OK, I'm gonna be the first to say it: if I don't like how a bass looks, I won't engage with it, and I'll sell it. Woods (with the influence of the above - for example, I don't like the look of rosewood boards) aren't important, mostly everything else is, in one way or another...

Appearing tonight 'absolutely nothing to do with Monday' I like it. Catchy.

Having been brought up on valves I have perpetually had a hankering for an all-valve head. Over the years I tried Marshall, Laney, Orange and Mesa. They were all OK up to a point but apart from the Mesa they were all far too bulky and heavy. Following WoT's recommendations this year I bought a Handbox WB100 and I love it. Fantastic tone and I can carry it in one hand, even though I'm a 70+ 5'6" midget. Things got even better when I acquired a Bergantino NV115 in a trade to partner it. What would it sound like with two of them? Not really worst but most mistaken purchase was probably the 2 x10" cab from BC's favourite supplier. Nothing technically wrong with it but it just didn't do it for me. It must be my defective hearing.

As I understand it, Davey504 has made over 1/2 a million quid from YouTube so is probably way more successful than anyone posting on here! Fair play to him I say, if he's making a living doing something he enjoys then surely he's doing it right?

Only in your opinion. That this video has over 10 million views would seem to indicates this guy certainly does have an audience, and it's more people that have been bothered to listed to any of us!

I recently acquired an Orange Bouncer Bass 1x15 from 1971 off eBay. It’s been modified in its past. The angled batten to the front inside edge has been removed at some point and then painted black. Thanks presume it’s bee part of an install as the back was still orange. Id bought the Tolex but it’s sat for a couple of months then last week I decided to buy the new corners, piping and timber and made a start. The Tolex came off without any problems whatsoever, nice large strips. Today I’ve added the timber profiles to the front and done some filling of that but the cabs had a lot of damage and will need a second fill all over to get it ready for the Tolex. The badge had also been painted black but came up ok with a soak in warm soapy water and an attack with a nail brush.

Just three weeks before this year's out, so for anyone in BC land still looking to make their mind up on what to ask Santa for (or to plead with him to definitely avoid) what's the thing that has bought the biggest grin to your face and is, for sure, going to be a keeper and what got the thumbs down big time? Only "house rules" are that it's bass gear and something you bought it in 2018. Let me get the ball rolling best purchase: it's going to have to be one of three basses - either my Ibanez SR1825 with it's very well balanced (and not too heavy) body, playable neck, 3 band EQ (with variable mids) and last but definitely not least "to-die-for" Nordstrand big single pups with their trademark growl, or possibly the fantastically good value Yamaha BB1025 P/J which, with its treble tone dialled off on pure P or combined P/J, is just lush! And then there's the Yammy BBNE2 (I fortunately managed to pick up used 'cos they're definitely not cheap). This matches everything the Ibby has to offer, including individual bridge string pieces, and then adds a sculpted body (to thoughtfully accommodate the older less-slimline gent such as me), a lovely neck-through and has one of the most more versatile EQs (this side of a Status with a full parametric set up!) sporting a variable freq. Nathan East mid-cut to overlay it's 3 band EQ which incidentally delivers a beast of a low bass! Hmmm...well today it's gotta be the BBNE2 My worst - well my 'meh' prize should probably go to the EHX Bass Microsynth, which was just very 'meh' in everything it did and lasted all of couple of weeks in the Krow household (Aside: if you want a gig-able, excellent bass synth pedal the best out there IMO is still the Panda FI** and I'm very grateful to my mate @bassfan for making his available to me!) ** Update 16/12: if you're a Panda FI owner, then @Quatschmacher is currently producing some cool patches in his Quatsch-lab and if you ask him nicely...

Really sorry to see the big Hughes and Kettner Boba Fett combo leave this week. The pain has subsided... New Ashdown RM EVO II 500 combo has arrived fits in the stupid small boot in my Volvo...and sounds great - and loud. had the rm800 head and 210/115 cabs I wish I’d never sold. Tgis is a great 1 box solution, and the sub is better on this too. not promising a 115 won’t happen...

Greetings from The Netherlands.

.....ahem! I beg to differ. I find most of this guy's YouTube videos pretty annoying if I'm honest. But there's no denying. Damn he can play!

Hello, everyone - New member here, just heard about basschat today. I've been playing bass since I was 14, and I'm 66, so here goes...Played for a living from 1974 to 1985, all kinds of music, studied upright bass at Ball State University. Mostly play in church these days, but do the occasional fair/festival gig. I think I'll cruise around the site and see what's happening.

+1 ^^ Teebs has pretty much nailed it. My only variation on his suggestion would be to go for the 210 version of that particular combo rather than the 115, as it will be a little tighter / punchier. In particular the Yammy BB424X is a fine bass and the Ibby SR500 pretty decent => spend your budget on a decent amp and cab with more headroom / power. If you can buy good quality used (check out the FS here to give you an idea of what is available), then you'll be able to get something very decent for £600 in terms of amp and cab or combo.

Just a word of caution ⚠ : Some will tell you that you need some sort of new bass: eg. 7 3/4 string with a body made from The One True Cross, a fretboard of pure Sonicperfectionwood, diamond strings with a wiring loom & pickups designed by Einstein with hardware made from metal melted down from the casing of the Manhattan Project atomic bomb. And then blessed by The Pope. You don't need any of this.

In my (very) humble opinion, the gear that you mention is all decent quality. It depends on what sort of gigs you want to be playing. From my point of view, the basses sound fine - providing that you're comfortable with them. I would look at your amplification - possibly something in the 250/300 watts area, posdibly something like this: https://www.tcelectronic.com/Categories/Tcelectronic/Bass/Combo-Amplifiers/BG250-115/p/P0BRL#googtrans(en|en) or something of similar power. Another route could be an amplifier head & separate cabs, again of similar wattage. I have mainly used an Ashdown MAG250 or Eden WT264 head with an Ashdown ABM-115 mini, and if I needed more, an added Trace Elliott 2103h cab. If you like your basses, keep them. I'm sure other more experienced Basschatistas (?) will be along shortly with their views.

The Flat Earth Society claims to have 20,000 members globally.

My woodshed, a G&L Tribute L-2000, an Ibanez GSR200EX, modified for BEAD tuning and a cheap Chinese P-Bass copy. My son plays the guitars. His newest, a Fender Strat. is missing in this picture.

took delivery of this yesterday, I suppose it's not a bass but I've changed the tuning to 4ths starting with a G

Snap - well, kinda! Got mine as a bit of a beater/project off a BC member about 6 or 7 years ago, the finish was somewhat the worse for wear so gentle application of a heat gun persuaded it off. Interesting to find there's a clear basecoat with quite a nice satin finish over the wood, so no need for a refin. Yours is interesting - I've never seen an active Cort before, the electronics do look to be the same as the Hohner's. I have a B2A as well as the Cort, and the original Hohners were from the same Cor-Tek (Cort) factory in Korea. Curiously though, the necks are entirely different, the Cort's being more of a flattish Precision shape, while the Hohner is narrow at the zero-fret and very round-feeling. I'd assume the Hohner is modelled on the original Steinberger, as it's a licensed copy. This might interest you - Cort were clearly determined to get as much mileage as possible out of that Steinberger licensed hardware!

YouTube comments don't really bother me. It's just the flotsam and jetsam of free speech on the internet. What really does get me, though, is the passive/aggressive down like. Take one example. I subscribe to a channel of a performer who posts beautifully produced arrangements of traditional songs played on the Appalachian dulcimer. She has a lot of loyal subscribers who post supportive comments on her arrangements. But it's not exactly the white hot centre of the YouTube universe. So what exactly takes you to her page, listen to a piece of music and then down like it, without even commenting? You were looking for videos of cats playing with a ball of wool were you? You feel cheated so you hit the down like button? I just don't get it. At least with a comment, someone has taken the time, whatever they think. But that's just me. Weird like that.

A child infiltrating a bass forum as an adult

Best purchase was the Elwood 5a from here, as photographed for it's Basschat ad, now wearing flats and I love it to bits. Only got two basses, the other is a blue Jake 5a+, must take some photos of them together sometime. Not really sure I've got a worst this year, done pretty well. Got a nice MIM Tele as well, that was about it.

Stay out of that too then. Or think before you post. Last warning. ⚠️

I used to have a Microsynth... loved it, but ended up not using it much and sold it... 10 years ago. Back in 2015 I bought a Future Impact. Impressive range of sounds. As a 'synth', it is superior, no question. But as something that goes with bass rather than substitute it, I prefer the Microsynth. That's why the Future Impact was sold after just a few months and... I've just bought one of the newer EHX Bass Microsynth pedals that run at 9V. I just wish it could store presets. Seriously funky pedal. To me, obviously Now, to the point... best 2018 purchase? It's got to be the Schecter Model T bass... The worst... the little Eno TC-61 envelope filter. Just... terrible on bass.

I have never experienced anything like that. Like all the other graphite-necked basses I have owned, the Bogart has been uniformly stable. I've went through several sets of strings (following some great advice from another Basschat user on using pliers to pull the strings taut before locking them). I never take the strings fully off any instrument though, changing one for another as I go through the pack. However, I can understand the issues you have had. A few years ago, SKC Bogart folded. It has since been resurrected by the original builder, Stefan Heß. I have read posts from one Bogart owner in America who could not get some parts for his bass whilst the company was inoperative. They have been back up and running for a few years now and have expanded their model range beyond the Blackstone models that seemed to be their sole product the first time around. I have heard of graphite necks shifting, though it's very rare. Anecdotally, I recall accounts from Talkbass about a Zon and a Modulus (both pre-truss rod) where the neck had 'shifted' after fitting and produced an unacceptable bow. Certainly in the case of the Zon, the neck was replaced and the instrument went on. With the Bogart being a bolt on neck, I would imagine a replacement neck would solve the issue, as would the solution of having the instrument fitted with a truss rod, though neither is ideal. My bass is almost 25 years old so I think it will be alright. For the price I paid for it (£950) I think it's just sublime. The tone is just gorgeous and it sits really well, being articulate and clear without being too prominent or obnoxious in a mix.

The bass has allegedly made it back to Scotland safely. I’ll have it safely back in my possession on Monday when we are back in the office.

somebody few days ago posted this........ that is a video that deserve million and million of views , they deserve making a great living with music

My best purchase this year should have been the Alembic Epic I bought in June, best bass I’ve ever played. Sadly, a couple of months after buying it, I contracted a bad case of six string GAS and sold the Alembic to pay for my current family of three Ibby sixes. As Al Krow says, my most recent is a 1206, too soon to if it’s my best purchase aa haven’t played it out of the house yet. Apologies for typos, using my phone in a castle on a very windy bit of north west coast!

He's not got a hope of becoming a drummer has he?! 😀 Fyi - I went for a SR 1206 which I've been pretty happy with. If you get a chance to try one out you might just find you want to add it to your herd, although if you prefer a more civilised tone then the Barts on the BTB will give you that compared to the rather gutsy growl of the Nords on the SR Premiums (which I love). Young master @FinnDave has also realised this year that having tried just about everything under the sun that true happiness lies with an Ibanez in his hands (and a SR 1206 also, as it happens ). Probably time for a gratutious Ibby herd pic and then I really should then stop preaching about these wonderful basses...

I've had exactly that same Warwick journey, except with 5 strings variants. In my case Warwick $$ (German) --> Ibanez 1805. Both have a delicious growl, but the weight and balance of the Ibby just make it a delight to play in a way that I could never quite get comfortable with the Wick. I also recently tried out a Wick Streamer 1 GPS and, as nice a bass as it was and despite being double the price (new), for me my Yammy BB1025 as a P/J knocked it out the park. Woody has raised a good point about the string spacing on the BTB; that (and the lack of the Nord pups) are the key reasons I've steered clear and stuck to the SR Premiums which just seem to tick all the boxes - although I do love a neck through design which only the BTB (and some of the older Prestige models) have in the Ibby range. Yes, yes and yes!! (Apart from the 30 years of bass playing, which I certainly can't lay claim to )

ok - Well the zoom h2n is used for every rehearsal & gig while I’m playing bass & practicing to the recordings seems to improve my playing. If I have to pick one ‘best’ purchase It’d have to be my wonderful JMJ mustang bass which is pretty much my ideal instrument. The hipshot lollypop tuners & the Seymour duncan pickup are particularly good. You can tell that when JMJ was designing it with Fender everything about the bass was considered in great detail.

Definitely more than anyone’s ever paid me to play bass! Although - probably a few quid less than many on here earned over the same 7yrs, in significantly more boring jobs. One of the neat ironies being a YouTube success, people that watch your videos and don’t like you, earn you money too.

Worst (for me) - Warwick Thumb 6, an impulse buy on BC Marketplace because I wanted a 6 and it was there and it's a legendary model. I wouldn't have bought it if I'd tried it out first. Too heavy for me, the shape of the back of the body doesn't fit mine, and that classic Warwick thump / growl sound with not much sustain just doesn't suit my style of playing. I should have known better. It's now up for sale in my local independent guitar shop. Best - Ibanez Premium BTB 1406, also bought on BC three months later (for 1/3 less), and instant love. Super-light, fits like a detachable body part, lovely clear tone on the higher strings and good punch on the lower. This will almost certainly become my main gigging bass once I've completely adapted to it. Strangely the thing I'm finding hardest to get used to is the amount of taper in the string spacing between the nut and the bridge - much more than on any of my other basses. No problem in the left hand with the extra string (I'm used to 5), but my right hand is still all over the place string-skipping. I'll get over it. She's worth it 🙂 ps I'd also include lessons as best.

On the face of it, and from a distance, this bass may look like a standard Squier P But it's an A-Series, MIJ early 80's Japan market medium scale 32" bass. The bodies of these fine instruments are proportionally smaller too. It's very lightweight indeed This one is also in an unusual finish / colour - it's Dichroic Metallic Green It's really hard to photograph, but the colour changes, depending on the light and angle of light on it It's a sparkly finish, and it changes colour from Dark Green, to mid-Green, to Black, To Purple.... Not seen another one of these

I'll actually say what this is, but i'm sure many will know this beast