Black Coffee

Dung. Avoid due to awful necks. Any cort i played was dreadful. Anything other than cort will do. Curbow shape looks good though, shame.

Queen without JD ?

I will maybe take my chances and hold off for the 2013 model. Maybe it will have long sleeves free - in some strange German finish that nobody has heard of before for an extra £2,500. Also with 5% added on just so that I can say it was made in the land of ze volksvagen.

[quote name='jaydentaku' timestamp='1355996896' post='1905368'] You vill be shot. [/quote] Do Warwick do kevlar t-shirts ?

On a further note . If i planned to put guitar hooks on the wall like that i might end up hanging from them myself.

Thats a lovely bass. I wish i cud afford impulse buys like that. The management usually cuts me off mid sentence when it hears bass and buy in the same sentence.

Mmmmmmm. Might have to agree. The brand name has been less exclusive since mass production began. Its just another really expensive bass now. Just because its from the old volks homeland isnt enuf anymore.

Yamaha, Peavey and MIM Fender are excellent value basses for your budget , bought secondhand from here on basschat is likely a safer bet than ebay. As for amps, buy as big as you can afford and then you wont need to buy again in 3 months time when you discover your gleaming 15 watt marshall has less power than a sparrow fart when someone else is playing with you. I wish someone had told me that when I started. Various opinions on 4 or 5 string; none are totally right or wrong. It'll depend on lots of things, if you have smaller hands you will struggle somewhat early on to get over a 35 inch scale and 5 strings. I had a Peavey Grind 5 string and they are a fantastic bass. I'd buy another no problem. Most people probably started on 4 then the GAS starts and its all downhill from there. 5 strings, 6 strings, fretless, double neck and on and on. Either way it should be fun and not a drag, enjoy it.

This is classic. Surely this guy isn't seriously believing all he says. Pure entertainment.. Especially the white felt from Holland. That was a gem. I'm sure the Dutch are as bewildered as I am.

[quote name='BassPimp66' timestamp='1355777298' post='1902701'] What's stupid and expensive here? (1) the guy wearing 2 straps, instead of 1 (2) the guy buying hair conditionner to take care of his incredibly long goatee [/quote] It's just all wrong looking. If it was scratch and sniff would it be head and shoulders and goat ?

Would nirvana have missed krist?

I have bought and tried some gimmicks in my time. Some massively expensive string manufacturers materials which are plain useless and never stay in tune. Some seriously awful basses which cost more than a months pay (Rickenbacker 4004), and are a struggle to get to sound different to a bass half the price. Felt short changed after that one, not because the purchase was bad, just the bass wasn't as good as the price suggested it should have been. What is the greatest gimmick and waste of money in bass land ?

[b]Active / passive . . . . . ?[/b] [b]I like to tell my wife it's just another reason to own another bass and have the choice. [/b] [b]But. When the Death Metal bassist is thumping the life out of his B string all night long among a screaming lunatic singer, double-bass drumkit taking a beating and twin drop D tuned guitars, do you really pause to be sure you get to savour the clarity or scooped mids or the active benefits proclaimed by the preamp on board brigade....? MMMM. Its all personal choice.[/b] [b]I still could do with a lot more practice no matter what bass I play. [/b] [b]No quick fix for fudgy fungers. Smelling pistakes and bum notes all sound the same no matter if its active or passive. [/b]

Dingwall Z3 5 string in buckeye burl finish. (in bass direct currently) G . A . S . overload. Rickenbacker 4003 in fireglo. Fender 60th anniversary bass, Musicman 5 string HH stingray with maple neck, in Tobacco burst body finish. G+L ASAT 4 string bass Ken Smith 6 string Fender custom shop badly battered old 50's P bass would be the cranberry sauce on the dinner. Finally, a house in the country with intravenous coffee feed in every room and a 5000 watt Genz Benz bass rig to play them all through. Thanks Santa.

Interesting posts guys. Anybody consider The Police without Sting. . . ? I can't believe I didn't include Lemmy in my opening post. Only one of my favourites . . . . Totally unique voice, style and that overdriven 4003 Ric pickup. Not saying Motorhead or Lemmy are the best at anything because there are too many variables to consider, but would it be fair to say that Motorhead simply wouldn't be Motorhead without him? I saw the posts about PL and Thin Lizzy, I love Thin Lizzy and deliberately have stayed away from recent gigs because it's just not gonna be the same without that Lynott voice and stage presence. I'd do the same with Motorhead. As for Metallica, I was a fan of Jason but I can't help but wondering what might have been if Cliff has been still around. I saw them on Death Magnetic tour and they are really really good live, but can't help thinking they lost their way in full albums of quality songs after CB. Big loss, still reverberating.

I had owned a MIM lined fretless jazz and it did exactly what it said on the tin. I parted company with it for only £285 as it was fast becoming a furniture fixture so I reckon if you persisted in patience you could get something similar on ebay / gumtree maybe. Lot of bass for little money as the demand isnt as high as for fretted versions. I don't play a lot of fretless so I will not dwell and waffle, I am sure someone else can add plenty to this for you. Go lined fretless for the first one to find your feet on intonation; that's about the only other thing I would say.

Who would be irreplaceable as a bass player ? Im not suggesting irreplaceable means the best; but would the band be the same without them; eg stage presence, unique sound, particular skill in technique. Would the chillis still be red hot without flea? Would maiden still gallop without Harris ? Would Mr Big sound the same without Billy ? Who never got over their bass player moving on ?

Is there any fun in having a bottomless pit of unlimited money to feed the need to expand the bass stable? Regarding prices on basses, I dont think Warwick and Stingray are in the window alone here on price. Rickenbacker are falling in price for new models. Several years ago when I dabbled in three different Rics in a nine month spendingasm the tag was £1850 ish for a new 4003. You could get a new one now if you do a bit of research for about £1500 I have to say that over the years I have lost a considerable amount of cash on buying and selling basses; lets be honest - who hasnt. But; I have had a blast of a time playing some beautiful basses and don't regret any that I have sold except one Stingray 5 that was better than even the 25th anniversary SR I had for a spell. It's a fact of life at present that all goods are worth only what someone is prepared to pay for them, not a penny more. Going back to my first line in the post - unlimited cash would take the fun out of buying, playing, looking, lusting, selling, buying, playing etc etc etc and on and on. If you peak without the experience of ogling and drooling over other kit for months before getting your eager mits around its neck there's no fun and no anticipation and excitement. This philosophy has worked for 25 years until now when I bought a really expensive bass (£3000 roughly) and an unanticipated incident meant I needed cash in a hurry and now I can't sell it because it's so much that the number of people with a larger amount of disposable dosh is smaller than the collective who would deal in smaller amounts. As a breed, bass players have GAS. GAS is infectious and it is a lifelong affliction. GAS will get your pulse rate up, and make you ignore your wife (much to her frustration)while she is asking you where the car keys are while you read the small text about the 18v preamp and the abalone fretmarkers. GAS is the reason why the basschat forum exists and in answer to the original question - is why the SR is the new Warwick pricewise.

I have played both and I think for the previously posted already reasons they are both excellent basses. It's a personal choice when to comes to picking one over the other; but if I had to pick one I would go for the Stingray. To me it just felt more comfortable to play, and I just have always liked the look of stingray basses. Best thing is to go and play both of them ideally one after the other through the amp you would use and decide yourself. If you can find one of the earlier MM SUB5 basses second hand (they don't make these any more), it would go a long way towards saving a few pounds and they sound just as angry as a stingray. I owned a 5 string of one of these in blue finish with the metal pickguard and upgraded to a SR5 only because I got an offer I couldn't refuse for a second hander. Have some fun playing them before you buy and let us know what you think.

This is all personal taste, choice and the sort of music you play. Or you can call it natural curiosity progression in your bass trade. Some big bassists always go 4 string (Steve Harris), others are 5 string full time. Personally I think when I play the low notes sparingly and as extra features of the music rather than the normal it adds more to it. Again, just personal taste on my part; it doesn't mean I dont like listening to someone else moshing away all day on a low D. I flip between 4 and 5 depending on what I am playing but it took me a while to get my head around the B string being there and tripped over a few bum notes when whatever part of my head was learning to deal with - multi string dexterity I'll call it. It bugged me quite a bit at times but if you persevere and get through it it's nice to be able to alternate without missing a beat / or note for that matter. I find it's most beneficial when someone hands you a music sheet and it's got a lot of E flat in it. Good not to have to retune to have a low option. Personally - I think Dingwall are the best 5 string basses. Pricey, but if you can stretch to it they are worth a try. Enjoy.

Yep. They are a classic bass. You cant help but love the MM SR sound.