Hi... as the heading says... raw newbie. So raw, in fact, that I haven't yet bought my first bass. A few words of explanation might do well here....
I'm in my mid-50's and always loved music. I've played guitar for years (reasonable standard rhythm - I've never wanted to make it cry or sing, if you get my drift). I've also played keyboards to a certain standard although a lot better when I was a teenager and got as far as Level 6 before I changed to the guitar. I stopped knocking about with local bands in my twenties and for many years was happy just to occasionally play the guitar at home, then decided I would learn to play the saxophone... Big Mistake! - I simply can't make the embrochure so I'm never going to be Clarence Clemons (except, perhaps, in body weight.... ) And to compound things, I made the classic newbie mistake of not realising my limitations early enough... I managed to persuade myself that the Alto I had bought to learn on was no good and it was the instrument that was holding me back, so I got a better Tenor sax...... You will not be surprised to learn that I've now got two saxophones at home that I can't play.
The other instrument I always fancied learning was the bass. Now I'm warming to the idea of getting a bass and a little practice amp but the saxophone debacle has made me wary of spending too much cash. I was thinking of getting one of the el-cheapo beginners kits you see on ebay for a ton or so and if it doesn't pan out for me I'll donate it all to the local school. Does anyone think this would be a good way to start? I don't want to play like John Entwhistle or Mark King - I just want to get to the level where I can play along with a few country, rock& roll and blues tracks so my aspirations are reasonably modest. One thing, though, I learned with the guitar is that a beginner will find a decent quality instrument much easier to learn on than a poor quality instrument with a high action. Is this equally true of the bass, please?
Grateful for any thoughts/advice.
There is a simple answer... You must know your bottom line price.. that's the price at which you think to yourself... "Bollocks, I'll keep it rather than sell it for that"... And the top price is the new price of the instrument plus a premium for the signature. Let's say you hope to get an extra £50 due to the signature.. Simply put it up for sale here at the new price plus £50 but make sure you say you will accept a close offer. That way you stand a chance of getting a good price. If there's no interest at all it's obvious that you've overpriced it, so you can easily repost it at a lower price saying you were over-optimistic the first time around. That way you stay within the site rules and still maximise your chances of getting a good offer.