Truckstop

I prefer to gig with whichever bass looks like it suits the music. I used a blood red Washburn in a death metal band, my vintage white Jazz in a motown covers group and my blazer for everything else pretty much! I use the EQ on the amp and/or the bass and adjust my playing technique to get the sound right. All of basses have been comfortable to use, so that's never been a factor in deciding which bass to use more! Luckily, Im at an age where I dont really need to worry about weight yet so I can take whatever I feel like safe in the knowledge that I can play with it standing for 3-4 hours. Truckstop

PM'd mate! Truckstop

Axes r us do a few fairly cheap models. I got a chrome jazz bass assembly to use on my jazz, but never fitted it because I didnt read the description properly! Needs space for 2x9v batteries and also needs an external jack socket as all the holes on the assebly have knobs on them! Cost me £36 in november, I never fitted it and it seems a decent bit of kit. You can have it for £25 posted if you like? Heres a link to show you what it is: [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axeWiringBass.htm"]http://www.axesrus.com/axeWiringBass.htm[/url] (it's the one at the bottom) Truckstop

I'd persevere with it. Original K5's are great basses that are getting rarer and it's just showing signs of its age. Replace the pots and from what I can tell of your post that should clear up any lingering issues you're worrying about! I was seriously close to buying one of these when one last came up for sale. For a week I kept looking at the listing trying to decide whether it'd be a good thing to buy! Lovely necks and being Yamaha, great build quality and a lovely natural woody sound. Truckstop

Lovely, thanks for that! I love DEP and its nice to see the Liam get a chance to talk in depth about the band, the songwriting process and shizzle. Surprised to learn that he uses a nice big valve amp. I always thought he'd use something a little more hi-fi! Truckstop

Love the upside-down headstock! Shaping up to be a lovely looking bass there! Truckstop

+1 My old band only ever had full volume rehearsals about 20 times over 3 years. To write songs and practise riffs together we'd all play in someones bedroom extremely quietly. In fact, we could hear the clicking on the strings more than the amplified volume! We got so tight because any mistakes were instantly audible and immediately sorted out! Drummer used to tap away on a silent drumkit (those weird mesh ones) in the corner. But when we did have full volume rehearsals, 400w through 8x10! Truckstop

How much??!!! Truckstop

Depends on how you play things I suppose. I often switch from 2 to 3 for no reason. Sometimes I just get bored of just using the first and middle fingers and just mix things up a bit! Im pretty strong with my third finger and I use it in a lot of my exercises to keep it strong. I practised to a lot of Meshugggah to get my third finger strong enough for triplets and things but I don't play anything anywhere near as much triplet heavy music as I used to so now I just use it to make things more interesting for me! So yeah, listen to a lot of Machine Head or Meshuggah and practice practice practice!! Truckstop

Keep it, you'll never know when you might need it! Unless you really need the cash or you really need to upgrade your gear, there's no point in selling it. Just keep it in good nick and then maybe in a few years time it'll be more useful to you! Truckstop

£300 is plenty to get a really decent rig for pub and rehearsal work. As previously mentioned, cheap cabs can be got for almost nothing as heavy gear is seriously unfashionable right now! Personally, I'd be looking at the Gallien-Kreuger MB-200. It would be plenty loud enough for pubs and rehearsals and they can be found second hand for around £170-180 (or £210 new!!!). Spend the other £100+ on a decent 1x15 or 2x10 Peavey/Ashdown/Trace Elliot cab. On eBay you regularly see Peavey/Trace 4x10s going for peanuts. Speaker configurations are tricky. I've been playing through head-cab rigs for nearly 10 years and I still havent found a configuration of speaker numbers and sizes that I would call ideal. It really is a case of trial and error, and at least I now know that I don't like/need 4x10s and I dont like Trace Elliot or Ashdown cabs. Personally I dont use combos because I like mixing and matching heads and cabs (its fun!) but that's the only reason. They're practical as they're more compact and you also have the knowledge that the speakers and the amp were built to go together. Good luck! Truckstop

I love my Firebass 700! Been looking at getting a Mark III too, they look like they'd be a decent bit of kit. Truckstop

Thank you for taking the time to respond to our criticisms, Im sure some of the Basschatters that live nearer to you will be contacting you soon to take advantage of your offer to come by and have a go! Cheers Alex

Oh dear, I was going to say get a Blazer, but I've been looking for another one for a few weeks and havent seen any crop up! But seeing as you don't want one of those, nevermind, eh? See if you can find an OLP Stingray. They're normally really good and I've seen a few go for around £150 leaving you with a bit of cash to get a better pickup innit. Truckstop

Aw, you're joking?! I had the Corvid for sale not so long ago! Well, Im glad no-one bought it though because it is an amazing fuzz. Nice soft warmth all the way to a badgers face full of wasps. Truckstop

I'd commission a 5 string Fodera P bass and use that for the rest of my life. Sorted! If that's against the rules, I'll go with the Fender. Truckstop