Grangur

Hi Ray, I'd stick with your nice new Paypal account if I were you. Plus.... derm di deerrm!! I just paid you some money into your Paypal! Cheers Rich

[quote name='Ghosts Over Japan' timestamp='1377701557' post='2190549'] Honestly, I've been blown away by some basses that people would turn their nose up at, I've also played high end basses that have been perfection but if I were starting again and I didn't have the gas I have now I'd just get one of these: [url="http://www.gak.co.uk...CFUuWtAodaW4AZA"]http://www.gak.co.uk...CFUuWtAodaW4AZA[/url] Because for me, it's built well, it's going to have more tones than most of us are ever going to need and it looks fantastic too, and at that price I wouldn't be crying my ass back to the music shop if it got a bit scuffed up! Cai [/quote] Yes. It's a good looking bass. Isn't it crazy though how we spend so much time [i]looking [/i]at basses. Weighing up costs and aesthetics. If we went to see a major bass player on stage and saw he was playing a Wesley/Squier/Encore/etc our dreams would be shattered. We spend ages on ebay (some do at least), looking for bargains. (As if we're going to find a bargain that the other 530,000 ebay viewers have missed) - but again it's all visual. We look at the bass in the link above and like it's looks, but dismiss it cos it's less than £400 from new. But before we dismiss it, what does it [i]sound & feel [/i]like? Isn't that what it's about? Many of the "bargains" on ebay are probably there because some poor mug (includes me) bought a bass on looks alone and found it's not for him because of sound or feel. My gripe is the lack of honesty on the reviews on Youtube. I love those by Ed Friedland - "The Bass Whisperer" He's about the best reviewer on there IMHO. They're clear and not over the top. They seem honest, but when you think about it; when have you heard him say, "this bass isn't for me, the neck's too thick", or "damn this thing's like lead" ? I'm not asking for reviews to slag stuff off ruthlessly, some critical points would be interesting. And another thing - why do reviewers insist on slapping the damned thing!?!? I need to hear a long sustained note to hear the gravel in the tone.. Rant over.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1377673530' post='2190055'] Can they drop any lower than 195 quid? [/quote] Actually this one makes me laugh. All that relicing and then "no fret wear". How can that look genuine? I wouldn't pay 195 for this myself. But I was thinking generally.

How long do you folks recon the fashion for wrecked instruments will last? Will they always sell, or will they drop in price? Thoughts?

The one thing I'd add it you'll save a lot of money if you only buy a bass after you've actually had one just like it on your hands and played it for half an hour, even if it was only acoustical. I've bought far too many instruments and found straight away that it's not for me. "Bargains" on Gumtree and Ebay that will lose you a packet if it's not right for you.

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1377086801' post='2183131'] Ah well. The great guys at Rothko and Frost informed me that all the bright solid colours are based on a white resin so getting an exact daphne blue translucent would be next to impossible. He did say he would try to get as close as possible with a custom mix but couldn't guarantee it would be exact. Also, as the colour coat would be opaque so it would be difficult to keep the grain showing anyway due to the coats it would need for coverage. Fair do's, Simon at R&F REALLY knows his stuff about the history et al of the trad Fender finishes and the rest. We were chatting for ages about it all, so defo gonna shop with confidence there. They are the real deal. I think I may just do the body in Tru-Oil then clear sanding sealer with a can of satin clear nitro on top. Should look nice and most importantly give the body more protection than before without compromising the tone much. If I do get bored of the natural then it'll be prepped ready for a colour coat anyway so won't be too much of a headache.....mmmm that Daphne Blue though.. hmm. Seafoam green is pretty sexy too... oh god! Sanded it back now: [/quote] Just a small point... you're thinking of using Tru-Oil, and then spraying? I've never used "Sanding Sealer" but unless it's got some amazing properties it wont stick to an oiled surface. In fact if you oli the wood nothing much will cover it without it staying as a sticky mess. Before painting with anything to seal the wood you need to get rid of any remains of oil on the wood. Before painting/spraying any oiled wood you need to wash the wood in loads of white spirit and then sand down the wood to get a smooth finish. Finish off in 400grain sandpaper (or finer) before spraying.

Hey! It sounds like we have another "experienced" member in our ranks? I'm sure you'll find lots of inspiration for GAS here and the Aria will soon have company. It's good to hear from you and to BC

How about a Fender Jazz? See my sig...

Mine plays well. It would sound great too, if only it had a good bassist to play it.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1377511711' post='2188229'] .... You'll not walk alone. best, bertsteve [/quote] That's true; LiverpudlianSteves as well

Hi Steve, I started really getting into playing bass when I was onlt a youngster of 50ish as well. I'm now pushing 54 or 55, I forget. Welcome buddy. Richard (can answer to to Seve if it helps)

+1 on the comments above. I had one as a travel bass when I was driving up and down the country and I didn't want to risk damage to my main bass. If you're doing one up, be careful how much you spend. Costs of parts can stack up fast.

The OP sounds like a retailer justifying why: 1 - He wont carry too many high priced instruments in stock - that would give him cash-flow issues. 2 - You should buy what he has in stock - moving his stock. That said I think there can be cases where poor players can hope expensive instruments provide a short-cut to playing better. It won't work, of course, but it won't stop some of us..

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1377198647' post='2184751'] Possibly a damaged string core? [/quote] Many thanks, but it's on all strings. [quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1377361571' post='2186750'] That sounds like the signal processing of a modeling amp. I think they all do it to some extent. The signal processing probably "gates" itself once it decides there is not enough signal to process anymore. I've certainly noticed similar on a Line6 Studio 110, can't remember about the cube, that was too long ago! [/quote] You're probably right. It's probably me being to critical. It's not really noticeable unless you stop playing and really listen. In a gig it wouldn't notice. Thanks all the same guys.