fatboyslimfast

And welcome from another BrisTle boy here, albeit one with about 1/40th of your experience...

Think it's probably just AGAS. I'm getting to the point where I'm about ready to start playing with other people now (need to get out there rather than being a spare-room-bassist), and didn't think a 25w practise amp would be enough... ...and (if I'm being more honest) didn't want to turn up to anything looking like the newbie who has bought a £100 starter "kit" of bass and little amp! Maybe I'll take a trip to the talent store before worrying about the amp!!

And I suppose the next Q is, is a £75 12/15" combo going to be much better than say my 10" 25W Marshall? I'm seeing things like Ashdowns, Peavey TNTs for that sort of money - any good, or should I wait and save up?

Ok, before I get shot down in flames, this is only a hypothetical. Lets say (because it's the truth) that I have three practice amps. All around the 15-25 watt mark. None have line outs, but all have headphone outs. If I modify the headphone sockets (or run another socket from the headphone feed) so that it doesn't cut the power amp section when a patch lead is inserted, could I daisy-chain them together to get all three working at once? Like a mini, crap-looking stack with 75ish watts? Am I going to run into any issues doing this? Or would I be being daft and would be more sensible spending £75 on a cheap 15" combo or similar... Any thoughts, (or flames actually - it's been a slow day), welcome.

Following on (or through, as seems to be the case for me most of the time ) I echo the comments about learning by ear, but I would say that tabs can be useful when you just can't quite hear what is going on in one section. Look at a few different ones for the same song, and try to use them to work out the missing bit (they'll normally all be different!!). Also, as mentioned before - play every day. Even if it's only a couple of songs, keeping your hand in daily is better than a marathon weekend session. If you want to start on some easy but worthwhile bass lines to give you a sense of satisfaction, look at early Beatles. Finally, try and get a few lessons locally before you get too far in, to try and avoid any bad habits creeping in. Enjoy it - it's a great hobby/skill to have.

Hi Fez, welcome along! Depends on what you have really. But nice work in introducing yourself on here before going headlong into the sales section. If you give us a little info about you, you might find selling a bit quicker. So... whatcha got, whatcha play, whatcha listen to?

Welcome along Marc! I'm another home-bassist (for now at least...there might be a chance for me to play with a few others shortly, but I'm not holding my breath). You'll get lots of advice on here. Some of it may be more useful than others, but it'll always be well-intentioned!

Hi Louder... Another west country boy here, but Bristol-based so not quite somerset! Welcome along - we're a good bunch here I reckon...

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1327612430' post='1514319'] I'd sell one of them and get a G&L L2000 Tribute. Great basses, and you have the best of both worlds, as you can go from active to passive at the flick of a switch. [url="http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/L-2000/index.asp"]http://www.glguitars...-2000/index.asp[/url] [/quote] Hmmm, nice idea - but I doubt that even selling all four of my basses and all my amps would get me near the price required for a G&L...!

You might have something that sounds a bit like a Sadowsky, but it probably wouldn't play like one. Note that I'm not saying it would play worse. That's purely down to personal preference.

Ah, I see. So as the standard mono plug only has the tip live, both the sleeve and gnd connectors on the stereo socket bridge using the gnd of the mono plug. Got it. Very elegant solution! Just have to see if I can get a stereo jack socket that will fit into the body of the SB301, as it's a side- rather than front-mount jack. No worries re the 9V battery though - there's plenty of space inside the back panel for one (I think it's the same routed shape for the SB310 which was active anyway). Edit - I wonder if it already has a stereo socket, given the SB310's similarity. Time to get the screwdrivers out when I get home...

Mornin'. I've been wanting to "go active" for a little while, to see what the fuss is about and whether I prefer the active sound over a passive. The most cost effective way seems to be something like an Artec SE2 or similar - I'm quite handy with a soldering iron and am pretty well versed with audio circuitry. But my dilemma is... which bass to activate? I have a choice of four - as in my sig. I don't really want to muck around with the Jazz, as it's still in original condition (and was my first ever bass), so that narrows it down to three. Any views on which bass is likely to benefit from the conversion the most? For reference, the SB301 has a P/J config with balance/tone/tone/volume pots (would prob suit the SE2 best), and the Aria has a MM pickup with a volume/tone/split switch (so would probably need the SE2-A, as would the P-bass). Also, what's the deal with power (i.e. on/off) - will I need a special jack socket? Or should I hang the idea, sell one of them and buy an active bass instead?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1326327733' post='1495683'] Valves are more obsolete for hifi that they are for MI, and there is still a market there. [/quote] Indeed - and these sort of things are becoming more prevalent in the consumer hifi market (as opposed to high-end audiophile) as well... http://www.fat-man.co.uk/docs/product_07/iTube_ValveDock.shtml

I've mentioned it on here before about an ebay bass that was "nearly new" and turned out to have a few dings and a broken nut. So now I always phone first and politely ask questions that can't be glossed over - "Are there ANY scratches, dents or cracks", "is ANY of the metalwork rusty", "do the controls make any scratchy sounds when they are turned". I then justify this by telling them how far I'm coming, so I want to get a fair idea before travelling - and that if it isn't as described it'll be wasting both our times. If I get a "Don't really know much about it mate", or "I'm selling it for a mate/brother/sister/great aunt" etc, unless its less than 15mins drive, I pass...

Another vote for a VM Jazz. My '77 (style, not year!) plays beautifully and has great tone. Seems to be built to withstand a nuclear war as well. I've also not heard of a bad example - the QC seems pretty tight on the VMs. It isn't the lightest thing in the world - the Squier affinity basses are a good couple of pounds lighter - but sits comfortably with a decent strap. You should be looking at between £150 and £180 for a decent one. Mine was a minter from crackconvertors and cost me £175.

Looking good... how's it sound?

Here are my lot, all budget basses and I love em all. Details in sig. Whisper it (don't want to offend the other basses), but the Aria (that I got recently for £120 bundled with a Laney RB1 amp, case and other bits) plays fantastically well and could well turn out to be my new "go-to"...

Not a lot that are truly gems. You can get the likes of Harley Benton from Thomann and Stagg, but the reports I have heard are a bit hit/miss even considering the same model - some play excellent, some don't. You pays your money etc... Up it to £170, and there becomes a whole host more options, from the Yamaha RBX, Squier affinity, Ibanez GSR180 etc. But I would really consider 2nd hand. For £100-120 there are some crackers out there. Only my VMJ cost me more than £120 as this was virtually brand new, and all of my basses (all 2nd hand - see sig) play well. You can pick up a decent Squier precision for around £80 normally, so allow £20 for a new set of strings and you have a totally reliable backup bass. As an aside, check out the "buying your first bass" sticky at the top of this section. It covers this sort of thing pretty darn well.

Here's my clan (two are on chairs - does that count?). L-R, Squier Affinity P-Bass (2001, black), Aria IGB-55 (2003ish?, Trans blue), SGC Nanyo SB301 (late 80s, black), Squier VM Jazz '77 (2010, black).

3 - (see below). Would like to have a play on a Rick though. Just out of curiosity.

Where is the doomhaus MrF? Have a feeling I don't work a million miles away (on the old market/temple way roundabout)...

There's other websites for that sort of thing... Back OT, my P's neck changes considerably when I move it from my server room in work to outside (probably humidity), needing a good tweak on the truss rod to take it back how it should be.

I've been playing with both recently, but find that on my '77 with Roto Steels, unless I use a cheap plastic pick it sounds really scratchy. the P (with flats) sounds fantastic picked with a thick tortex. I'm sure it's because I'm not picking perpendicular to the strings, more on an angle, but how do I fix that - any tips?