MichaelDean

I've also used and would recommend Flight Case Warehouse. It was a few years ago, but they made a custom case for my Mustang, turned it around in a couple of weeks, including me posting them a tracing of my bass. It protected my bass perfectly while flying to Japan and back 👌

I got a Harley Benton Tele (TE52) earlier this year. Great value for money, really pleased with the purchase. Based on that, I'd feel pretty happy trying just about any of their stuff. 

The SC550 II Les Pauls are a bit over budget (≈£240) but seem to get great reviews (have a look on YouTube) and have some great features including stainless steel frets. If I could sneak another guitar into the house, one of these would be on my shortlist! 

I've never had a d tuner, but I've been in a originals post-rock band where swapping from drop d to regular tuning was required. I just turned on my tuner and retuned between songs. Didn't seem like a big deal at the time. 

I also spent time in a hip hop covers band and a function type band where a 5 string made a lot more sense.

It's all horses for courses.

If you picked up a second hand 4 and have a hunt for a d tuner, and it doesn't work out for you, you could probably pass it on again without losing much. Just don't necessarily get rid of the 5er straight away. Or at all. I like having different basses around that inspire me differently. I feel like sometimes the limitations of a 4 make me play a certain way. Other times, I want a 5 to expand my options. 

Link to the listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Mustang-Bass-vintage-1973-1974-matching-serials-on-neck-and-body-plate-/133850670529?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

For context, I've got a 76 Mustang I refinished about 10 years ago. 

I think it's had a refin on the body and headstock at some point. The logo looks all sorts of wrong. Based on the pictures, the paint doesn't look thick or shiny enough for the poly used in the 70s. The type of wear on the poly looks odd to me too. 

For that year, white is the correct pickguard colour. Seems very white to me, but there do seem to be age related marks on it. Like someone has tried to adjust the trussrod without taking the neck off and some discolouration around the screw holes. Might be an oddly well preserved pickguard. 

The pitting on the tuners looks authentic to me and the bridge has the mute bars that reissues don't have. 

It also has the brass shielding plate in the control cavity, which are only in vintage instruments. 

The wiring looks familiar to me too. 

All in all, I'd say it probably is a 70s Mustang. 

About 10 years ago, I bought an older version of this from ACS. They were awful. Sound quality was terrible (harsh treble, crappy bass response) and the cable was super microphonic. I'd hope they would have improved by now, but I'd buy proper IEMs everytime. 

Another vote for the Polytune Mini. Great tuner. 

I'd second trying to play a few different options now that you've made a start playing bass. You'll have an idea for what might fit your hands and trying different necks/pickups might reveal something tonally you haven't thought about.

I reckon that the best bass for you right now is the one that makes you want to pick it up whenever you look at it and feels good in your hands, whether that be the Ibanez, some P Bass or a Bootsy bass!

My brother wanted to learn guitar, so decided I should play bass. He got a Marshall starter kit, but I decided that I hated the shape of p basses at 13, so didn't want to get a Squier affinity starter kit. Some of my friends had them and some real issues with the necks. So, I bought mine from Noteworthy Music in Chippenham a good 20 years ago. It was an Aslin Dane jazz bass copy (sold with a really crappy starter amp, but that's another thread). Solid ash body, Canadian maple neck with a phenolic fretboard. With the hubris of youth, I decided that it wasn't a very good bass and I wanted to move on to something else quickly. I played it so much when I first got it though. The pots died after a while and then it sat unused for about 18 years until I finally rescued it this year. I replaced the pots and changed the strings for the first time since I bought it (gross I know...) and did a little setup. I took it to a jam earlier this year and it played well, but it was as heavy as remembered and didn't sit where I wanted it to in the mix, so I sold it in March this year to someone who will hopefully feel inspired by it. 

I got one made about 10 years ago by Flight Case Warehouse when I had to fly mine. I sent a tracing of my Mustang and then they made a case to fit. Looks like they're charging £180 now... The thing is a tank though and really well made. 

https://www.flightcasewarehouse.co.uk/industry/product.asp?item=bass-guitar-flight-case-fits-all-3140-3980

10 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Re the 4s - I picked one up yesterday to gauge the action height and it was like a childs toy, how I ever thought a 4 string Precision neck was fat I don`t know, it was like a toothpick!

I feel your pain!

My first 5er was a SBMM SUB Ray5. Really nice thing, and I played that almost exclusively for a few years while I was in a hip hop band and a function band after that. Then I got my Dingwall and the neck on that is so much wider than the Ray 5 as you go up the neck (still comfy though). Thing is my main 4 stringer is a Mustang. As long as I play them both regularly it's fine, but the Mustang is tiny in comparison!

I had a TU2 for about 10 years until the output jack failed last year and I botched the repair. Picked up a Polytune 3 mini and I think it's better. Quicker to pick up the notes (including a B string) and a much brighter display. Always thought the TU2 was fine till I got that. I find the Polytune ability a bit of a gimmick when I use it with a guit*r though, I prefer doing it one at a time. I want to get a TC clip on tuner too now to have around the house.

Happy to be proven wrong here!

You might have better luck sending the little stubby out via the effects loop send (still with a load on the speaker) and feed that into the return on your class D head. The manual says that the send comes after the preamp, so accomplishes the same goal and you only need jack cables. 

I thought it was great when I played in Japan. Every venue had an 8x10 with an Ampeg SVT450 or Hartke HA3500, drums minus breakables, a guitar combo (usually a Roland JC120) and a Marshall half stack plus keyboard stands etc. It made it really easy to play there because we knew we didn't need to bring amps, plus the sound guys know all of the foibles of the equipment. I guess if you trash the gear, word gets round and you don't get invited back too! Seemed like a really efficient way of doing it. Not sure you'd convince many venues round here to do that though!

11 hours ago, Chrisan2 said:

where do people set their input and master for gig level volume ? 

The input should be set to match your bass and how you want to hit the front end of the amp. Ashdown recommend just tickling the red zone on the VU meter when you dig in. Try different settings to see what you like. 

For the output, it's so dependent on the room, your cab(s), if there is PA support. It isn't really a setting that ought to be replicated. Use your ears and guidance from the sound guy if there is one.

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Yes, must admit after having had to set it this way I’m going to take it to Ashdown for a service as my first one didn’t need this amount of input gain and it seemed a lot louder as well, I rarely took that amp past 10 o’clock on output/volume.

When I got mine back from Ashdown the other week, I did notice that it needed less gain on the input than before. Sounds like a good plan. 

I want to second or maybe third the Planet Waves string winder with the cutters. I never wanted to spend the money to buy one, but always wanted one. I ended up getting one from my wife for Christmas and it's great! The cutters were much better than I expected them to be. If you're difficult to buy for, stick it on a list and let someone else get it for you 👍

Another idea (in addition to lightweight gear to help with your back issues) is to get a sack truck to help with not having to carry long distances. I got one from Aldi that I can put my pedalboard (one of these), cab (Zilla, vertical neo 2x12) and head (Ashdown ABM600) on. Bass is on my back in a gig bag. It's a game changer and I'm only 33. I can move it all in one trip!

No worries! 

6 hours ago, Sweeneythebass said:

So NBD update!

Still enjoying this bass but the knobs are probably the worst part! The stacked knobs especially the volume and tone pot are stiff and when you move one on the stack the other moves with it! I’ve never changed tone/volume knobs. Any recommendations/suggestions/dummies guide to removing/replacing? 

They might just be pushed down too far on the pots. Try pulling the top one up a scooch. Might be all you need.

Edit: I saw you say dummies guide, when I say pull it up a bit, unless there is a grub screw on the knob, it'll just be a friction fit and a pull should have it sorted. If there is a grub screw, back it off, pull the knob up a bit and then tighten again. 

Ooooh, fancy! What will it be?

On 16/04/2021 at 22:31, Cosmo Valdemar said:

That's a typo.

😁

Happy new bass day!

Yup! And covered under warranty 😁

I dropped them another email, posted it off to them last Thursday, it got back to me today! Just need to wait to be able to jam again now!

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

So they are doing the vat again now on less than 135? I looked and it was just listed with its ex-vat price so I thought maybe they dropped it.

I was looking recently as they had a very good price on something, but checking everything on the net, effectively it is a 25% import charge plus a fixed fee on top (still a good price but my wife had one of her items she ordered from the EU take just over 2 months to get here).

 

Certainly if it comes in at £90 its not a bad deal.

Yep, if the net total is less than £135 (excluding the £8 delivery charge), then they add VAT in the checkout and UPS don't charge anything extra. I had a guitar delivered from them a couple of weeks ago. There was a couple of "Brexit related delays", but I got the order a week after it had shipped 👍

Nope that wasn't it. I swapped the tube and no change. The noise also wasn't present when I went from the DI to my audio interface, just through the speaker out and it starts whenever I hit the tube button. Doesn't seem to be related to the position of the pot for the tube drive. Sounds like it is a job for @Ashdown Engineering!