Black Coffee

So i visited denmark street in london.
Cudnt get time for bass gallery.
Have to say that i cud have browsed for hours. The only thing stopping me buying was i cudnt decide in all the time i had and i didnt want to impulse buy. Wunjos was the best i thought by quite a stretch. Very chatty , patient and eager to get you to play the goods instead of just looking. I was impressed with it and will likely be back next time im in london. Great selection of basses.
As for the others ; their enthusiasm ranged from "allright there mate" about evry 2 minutes; to looking at you like a fresh skidmark on a hotel towel and being generally uninterested.
The "eh , dont touch that unless ur planning on buying it" shop will remain nameless but i am at a loss as to why anyone wud shop in it with an attitude like that taking the cash from you.
All in all, alladins cave street for the bass gasman.
I'll be back.

Geddy lee jazz. Thin and fast. Dream to play.

Ive just recently acquired one of these and i am really impressed by everything about it. The neck is as thin as anything ive ever played on any bass. As far as im concerned if you like fenders you cant help but love it.
Simple and effective. Does exactly what it says on the tin with little effort.

Im ok for cabs and amps. Love my genz kit.
Thanks for the offer though.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1359584434' post='1957223']
I think that may be part of the problem. Once you get past 40 you tend to get rid of these thoughts. Most of my friends who are in their 40s and 50s wouldn`t worry what anyone else thinks, whereas the ones in their 20s and 30s do seem to care about other peoples impressions. So wait a few years and then buy it when you realise you just don`t care anymore
[/quote]

That is pretty sound sensible advice. To clarify , i am 40 now. Like i said, not quite past forty yet. Maybe guilty of splittin hairs here.
Im not that bothered about what people think too often. Maybe its because ive read it somewhere before that a tbird is a tool of youth.
I know i should just please myself and that will likely be that.
London this weekend with the wife for a break. Bass shops in ireland are awfully non existent so who knows wot will happen......

I cant believe nobody has flagged this as a discussion point before. Class topic.

I learned on a bass which was advertised in Kerrang magazine in the late 80s. I bought it around 1988/1989, the make was Axe. Any body suffer the same pain please let me know....!

The ad in Kerrang was awful, bass being played by a huge bloke in a stage-esque setup - plugged into a battery amp 6 inches high with less power than a rooster fart.

It was all I could afford at the time as I was working as a part time fish gutter ; and second choice as I wanted the Axe drumkit but my folks just said "not this side of eternity Ringo"; (it was probably crap as well).

Looking back, bearing in mind I was literally just picking bass up from scratch - the sound was grim and never changed no matter what the tone control was set at, the bridge was held down by only four small screws (one in each corner) and when you brought it up to tune it came away from the body; I played out of tune as I learned on floppier strings than usual. The strap button on the top horn fell out after a month and got screwed back in to the back of the bass. I eventually stuck black insulating tape over the name on the headstock I was so embarrassed to be seen with it. I stopped short of wearing a brown bag over my head as I played it, but only because the drummer's kit was actually worse than my bass.

I really wish I had a photo of my early garage days . . . .. . . . . .you would laugh your ass off. Especially at the night we were raided by the police following neighbours complaints; they just left after laughing at the singers bad Axl Rose copy of Welcome to the jungle. 1 - 0 to the NWOBHM

My dad put me out of my misery after 12 months and picked me up from school and took me to the big guitar shop in the city and said pick one..... I got a gleaming frosted white Charvel/Jackson 4 string. Talk about parking a Robin reliant and driving away a Ferrari.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' timestamp='1359539970' post='1956194']
It's obviously giving you a stiffy so you're not past it yet.

Treat yourself
[/quote]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was thinking the same but its a lot of money to regret because people think "thats a young guys bass and you look like a guy reliving his youth".
I aint past 40 yet and my wee wife keeps sayin go for it. Feels too wrong to be right. Im for London this weekend to browse at bass gallery hopefully. Maybe do some damage to the credit rating when im there and pull the trigger on something.
It is a beauty. GAS is a curse. Bein skint is like rubbing salt in the wound.

I am falling for the mike lull t-bird 5 string bass.
Just loking at it makes me start thinking, how can i possibly afford that. Sell my car, wifes car......
Then i remember i am not as young as i used to be and it might look wrong. How old is too old for this absolutely mutts nutts piece of kit?
Ive never really been a fan of tbirds but this is calling me........

I'd agree with the previous post for the second hand amp.
What you may need to consider though is the neck width as a smaller hand will find the playing of a bass a little more work.

If you are familiar with guitars you will know by the feel of the neck and stretch what I mean by this.

My son had a basic ESP ltd 4 string bass and it had a narrow enough neck that he could play easily from about 10 yrs old; it did the job until he learnt a bit more then he upgraded to a Fender Precision. I think ESP do a starter pack which consists of a bass and an amp, strap, lead. Something like that would set you back around £200 I'm not endorsing ESP specifically, just suggesting the idea of the option of a starter pack where it all comes as one. Gear for music, or GAK maybe do these. But they are that price for a reason and you will likely need an upgrade if she progresses quickly and interest thrives.

Its like everything in life, you get what you pay for; but its a buyers market for secondhand basses at the minute and you can get a serious lot of used bass for £300 these days. If you then get a reasonable quality amp secondhand which is around 50 watts or more it will provide some use as a small gig amp rather than just practice.
Small scale bass is a good idea for a younger student too, maybe of the smaller Fender / Squire models.
Try them out for weight etc.
Maybe someone on the forum could offer one to you.
Good luck.

That is an amazing colour on the body of that bass.
I keep coming back to stare at it.

Interest in any trades at all....?

Er . . . free bump

Yamaha BB 415, or Peavey Grind 5.

Been there,
done that,
got t-shirt,
cheap as chips,
sound excellent for the price.

Well within your budget secondhand.

I have an old ESP bass that I want to try to strip the black paint from and leave a natural finish.
What is the best way to do this ?

I have searched the net and there are so many different opinions on this that frankly I am at a loss as to where to start as so many opinions contradict each other on the chemical / endless sanding / scraping methods.

I have the neck off and the bridge etc all removed and ready to go but this impass has halted progress.

Is it as simple as using paint stripper carefully and following this with sandpapering or is there more to it ?
I see this as satisfying my curiousity after reading other peoples home based attempts, I have never been handy with woodworking before so goodness knows how this will turn out.

Help

My price of £2,200 is already a massive drop from what i paid for it new a few months ago. If u look at the bassdirect site u will see they are around £2,800 new which is less than i paid for mine. I hope this explains the price to anyone looking. Am i still being unrealistic??
If anyone is interested just make me an offer. All i can say is yes or no.
Thanks for looking.

Could be that the only reason Fender are gettin a bit of a kickin on here lately is that they are held up as an industry standard and so many people have played so many of them.
Have the same number of bassists played the same number of Ibanez, Yamaha, Warick etc ??

I have just bought yet another Fender bass this week and am well impressed with the sound, finish and playability. It's a Geddy Lee signature; and the neck is incredible. Probably going to be a better player than my custom shop bass I had once I get to grips with it.

I like to play devils advocate amid debate; but amid it all it is fair to suggest that there are good and less good of everything, but when you pay good money for something; it isn't unreasonable to expect consistent quality for your cash.

Im sure the Queen is miffed at Bentley . . . . . . . where was that wagon made ?

Received Geddy Lee Jazz bass in post from Ted.
Well packaged.
Bass in excellent condition, good setup; ready to go.
Can't wait to get busy with it.

Great to do business with.
Thanks.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1358003795' post='1931697']
This probably should be in "Off Topic" really though...
[/quote]

Sorry to the admin crew if I am indeed in the wrong place for this post. This was more an impulsive post as we were discussing it at home here.

If you could have been there and played a part of a famous bassists career. Who would it have been ? 5 examples....

John Deacon following Queens resurgence in the 80s after Live Aid ?
Sting during the Police.
Cliff Williams, to watch Angus Young up close for so many years.
Lemmy...... all the time but mostly during the manic louder than everything else Ace of Spades era.


Or for me. Steve Harris during the Powerslave world tour around '85.

See the world, play music you love with a first class band on a huge stage production which was watched by thousands of people.
And be an encouragement and inspiration to so many people.

That'll do.

Thats a beauty....

Peavey grind 5 and 6.
Owned both. Both are regretted sales but necessary at time for upgrade.
Wud recommend. Neck slim.

Thats gorgeous.
Havnt seen a pair like that before.
I cud sit and look at them all day trying to decide where to start.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1357651011' post='1925951']


I don't think this is accurate in any way shape or form. This post, to me, says more about the poster than the reality of the situation.
[/quote]
Does it make it wrong though?
I know i had a dreadful car.
Sorry im a disappointment to you.......

My first MM bass was a blue SUB5 string with the rippled metal pickguard made in San Luis Obispo.
It was a beast and I saved like mad to get a full stingray 5.
I have never owned a lower end MM since that one, but anything with Sterling on it that I have played in shops feels strangely light and underpowered compared to the SR and this first SUB I owned. Maybe its just me liking to feel the weight of the instrument; its like reassurance or something - just my thing.

My attitude is to always try and stretch as far as you can up the tree when buying basses as too many times I have bought the cheaper production version to lose money parting company with it several weeks/months later and buying the dearer one anyway.
Might not always be possible but if you can afford it (given the state of the economy), I'd reccommend trying to pick up one of the older SUB or a cheap 4 str ray.
It's a buyers market.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1357635461' post='1925551']
Fender are selling by the container load and ford are in massive financial trouble having to sell off their best bits just to stay afloat!
[/quote]

Yep, but they did manage to finally build a car that I wouldn't have to park at the top of a hill each night to have a fighting chance of getting to start each morning by pushing it down the other side. Shame they bankrupt themselves doing it.

Fender will have an aisle in Tesco and Asda soon ; somewhere between the deli counter and the deoderant. . . !!!!

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1357596210' post='1925228']

Find a bass [i]you [/i]like and forget names and image.
[/quote]

Excelllent advice.

If i was a director in Fender i would be reading this thread with one of two reactions.
1. This is a wake up call and our name is no longer fit to be on our products because the basses are so hit and miss and the sales staff dont help. We gotta geta grip of this and maintain our integrity . For the sake of the legacy of the man whose name is on the headstock. If leo was here would this be happening..?

2. Ha ha ha ha. People, kids, the dogs in the street will buy our bass no matter what. Because we are fender. Not because it is a good bass every time.

At the risk of starting something. Henry ford invented the car and they went through a time when the only thing they were good for was pushing downhill to start on a wet winter morning. Now they have got their act together because the competition get better evry day and after my fiesta mk2 misery i wud consider one again. I owned a fender usa p from 1994 and only sold it recently to upgrade out of need. Having spent some time shopping recently id say the same spec usa p bass aint as good.
Hit and miss is the norm . Try before u buy. Never buy a fender u havnt playd. Sound familiar?

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1357422155' post='1922558']
lol two different views there
[/quote]

Im lost now and cant find my way home.
LoL
Will read up on it and try it. Cheap bass to try it on so dont matter if it a goes south.
Thanks guys.