martin8708

Perhaps if you asked to try one out ( I assume they still have the basement area ) and got chatting with the sales assistant , you may have improved your chances . Selling techniques work both ways , if you are short or brusque with a shop assistant , they are highly unlikely to give you any discount . If you chat with them , tell them your not from London , it tends to break up their tedious day , especially if you have other common interests . Offering to buy both would probably increased your chances of a good deal as well . As some-one who has worked with the Great British public for 35 years , I will always help out pleasant , good natured people. Still , it's a pretty good price , so you haven't been overcharged if you bought them .

A good guitarist will know when he is out of tune by just playing an open chord , G seems to be the best for my ears ( not that I am a good guitarist ) . If the chord sounds good , we dive into the next song . Obviously ,he would probably tune up after a particularly energetic " Pete Townsend-esque " rendition of Mustang Sally or sets his guitar on fire a la Hendrix stylee. Worst offender was when I was playing in a band with a guitarist who would never pay more than 50 quid for a guitar , he had 5 such beauties , combined with a permanently whistling H/H combo amp , it was truly an audio nightmare , or just very avant guarde playing .

Had a great run of about 30 years in Pub Rock / blues / cover bands , lots of gigs and great memories . Last decent band folded about 4 years ago ,and it's been a real struggle to get in a band that doesn't implode or break up before we get out gigging , musicians these days seem less tolerant,or more selfish and will quit a band for the smallest of reasons . I love gigging , but band politics really sucks the pleasure out of being in a band. When this happens ,I just pick up the classical guitar and play purely for my own pleasure.( and the cat likes it too )

Sold some strings to Brian , very quick and easy transaction and excellent communications . Many thanks again Martin.

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1473862586' post='3133656'] Whom ever can afford it works well [/quote] Pretty much this for me ,as the band member with a "proper " job , I funded the EV cabs , all mics, power amp , and leads / cables / stands . A Allen + Heath mixer seemed to come from somewhere ?? After I had poured hundreds of pounds into the sound system , the guitarist and singer left ,so I was left with 3/4 of a PA system. Thanks to eBay ,I have recouped most of my outlay, but valuable lesson learnt , SINGER PROVIDES PA . And drummer provides his own kit (and transport )

Most common reason for being sacked - having a daytime job . Auditions seem to go OK , initial rehearsal seem to go OK , then suddenly said band want to do festivals / stadium gigs / world tours and we haven't even played down at the local Spit and Sawdust Pub . As I'm not prepared to give up the day job ( sorry chaps , I have a mortgage ) my " commitment " to the band comes into question , and I know it's just a question of time . I have also been replaced by another bass player " who has a bigger amp " than me . I received a phone call 3 weeks later asking if I would consider re- joining the above band when they found out the big amp guy was cr@p and unreliable .

I rarely play bass at home , only to learn new songs or practice difficult bass lines which need a bit of homework. I do pick up an acoustic guitar every day , be it steel or nylon string , much easier on the ears , and great for trying out new song for either my own enjoyment or for the band.

I love the look of a Ric , but I just find the neck difficult to get to grips with . Stingray's , as previously said , just too much , quite powerful active pre-amps . The pick- up is quite close to the bridge , which I use as a thumb rest for finger style playing , the strings seem to shred my finger tips .

A 59' sunburst P-bass is cool . Fano basses are pretty cool ,too.

What will take the place of gigging ? There has always been a small percentage of people ( musicians / actors / musicians /comedians ) who feel the need to perform in front of people . There has also been a large percentage of people who feel the need to be entertained . Since medieval times ,and even earlier , jesters , jugglers , minstrals and acrobats have entertained the crowds ,the very same thing goes on in Covent Garden today . Take football for example , few people actually play it , but millions watch it on TV . I don't think gigging will ever go away , good bands with good showmanship will always be in demand . As a frequent visitor to the Isle of Wight festival ( it's on my doorstep ) , the best gig I ever saw was Tom Jones , purely for the showmanship ,professionalism, interaction with audience , he just had the audience eating out of his hands . Tom is no spring chicken , but he knows how to put on a show , something the younger bands with their sulky sullen faces can learn from .

I have 6 Precisions at the moment . How do I justify them all? Simple , they are all different colours , and I still haven't got the full set yet . ( that's what I tell the other half )

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1452607945' post='2951554'] I'd say in the case of signature basses it can even have the opposite effect. For years I wanted a Yamaha Attitude Ltd but always felt that if I turned up at a gig with one, people would be expecting masses of two handed tapping through a stereo rig at 500mph! [/quote] Pretty much this , I played a Attitude Ltd 3 which felt and sounded great , with the normal high quality finish of a Yamaha . Would love to buy one , but probably won't, as I feel I don't match up to the legend of Mr Sheehan himself .

If the shop is one of the big 3 ( bassdirect/ bass gear/ the gallery ) you probably stand a good chance of securing a sale as these shops have a high level of Internet presence . If it's the local village music shop at the end of the High Street , ( bit like here on the Isle of Wight ) , instruments can sit on the rack for years with the occasional plank spanker trying it out with no intention of buying it . I have had good results with Gumtree and eBay , I wait till eBay have special offers on final sale fees before listing the big stuff. Gumtree is free , attracts all sorts of tyre kickers , but occasionally a good result comes through . eBay opens up your market to Europe and beyond , I have sold guitars to France / Spain /Italy / Holland and shipping is no different to posting to Wales or mainland UK.

If we are talking about the world , I suppose F / Mac's The Chain and Queens Another one bites the Dust are top contenders . If we are getting to the end of the night at a gig and the guitarist is scratching his head about what song to play , the bass line to Sweet Home Alabama seems to be instantly recognised by a lager swilling audience .

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1450999785' post='2937841'] The influence of the singer dosen't bother me - so long as I am not on the boot list..She wasn't asked to find a new Sax player - I guess she just mentioned to the situation to her Sax player friend etc. [/quote] I'm with number6 with this one , she may have another " friend " who plays bass ( better than you ? ) As a previous post says , it's a dog eat dog world out there .

Second Guitarist - that means your in a four piece band , if not more . What do the other members think of the over all sound , especially the first / lead guitar ? Last band I was in the guitarist used to play with a £50 guitar that never stayed in tune through a collection of pedals that did God -knows -what into a trannie amp that whistled like an old kettle . He was a really nice bloke , and the band was never going to really take off , so I just got on with it and made occasional jokes about his use of "alternate tunings "

You can get a good JV Squier Precision for around £6 -700 ish , that would be my choice .

Start me up . Keef and the Rolling Stones . The way Charlie Watts seems to come in slightly too late , but pulls it back in , great timing by Mr Watts . Also probably THE most botched opening chord by cover bands .

Best opening chord . B flat sus 2 - Prince - Purple Rain , great great intro .

I joined basschat in 2010 , I think we were well into the recession by then , ( property prices peaked in sept 2008 ) . The basschat market was still very vibrant then , with certain members seeming to keep the whole market place afloat single handedly . I never struggled to sell basses back then , Ok , they were fenders , but they sold in a matter of days / weeks . I remember any Barefaced cab would last for an hour or two , sold for nearly new prices. I think stuff still sells , it just takes longer , and you have to work harder at it . As Karlfer says , good ads , clear / sharp photos , willingness to ship or travel and setting your price at a realistic level . Everytime I phone Mark at Bassdirect or Rudi at the Fellowship of Acoustics , they always seem very busy , so someone must be buying guitars . My take on the mega-bucks basses from EU from low post members are they very nice to look at ( window shopping ) , but it must take huge amount of faith in humanity to bank transfer £5k plus to a bank account abroad , and have that agonising wait for a shiny new bass in the post a few days later . But that Carl Thompson 4 looks absolutely stunning , nice to see one in the market place .

When I get bored with bass. I pick up the guitar , where the scope to " learn more " is probably greater than on bass . I'm always surprised to find the amount of stuff that applies to guitar can cross over to bass in some way or another , especially rhythm guitar technique . Improvements to your playing seem to happen at snails pace ( for me anyway ) , but if I think back to 1 year ago , I always seem to find a few chops or fiddly bits I can do now , that I could not do previously . I think finding a good bass tutor would be the way forward .