sammybee

Whether you plan to spend £150, or £1500 on your first bass.. it doesn't matter where on that scale your purchase is - find someone IRL who can help you test drive the bass. It is so easy, even on the marketplace here to get ripped off buying second hand. An experienced player with no vested interest in the transaction will be invaluable for spotting problems that you will miss as a beginner. Basses are very individual creatures, so try to buy the actual one you get to hold in the shop.

But for your first (and hopefully your only bass for awhile) buy something that will inspire you to play. Make sure it is comfortable, suits you physically, a nice weight and looks the way YOU want it to look. I don't think that bass lives amongst the Harley Benton's of this world - but it might for you. A lot of GAS that people talk of is the result of people making compromises when they buy.... there is no real reason to go through the ladder of acquisition that so many speak of. Especially if you have a decent budget to start with.

1 hour ago, knicknack said:

I think it has to be Thunderbolt 3/USB-C to power it I'm afraid!

Thats a shame, my mac only has Thunderbolt 2 ports - best of luck with the sale!

Will this work with a thunderbolt 2 or is the thunderbolt 3 mandatory ?

8 hours ago, T-Bay said:

He has got back to me and doesn’t have any spaces at the moment unfortunately and has a waiting list. Nice to be popular! He said he charges £15 per half hour, not sure how that compares to other teachers. He said the best way to find someone if you are interested it to look on saxophone cafe which is a UK based sax forum, sorry I can’t be more help. Good luck.

ah never mind, seems to be the way with Sax teachers - all the decent ones are full or retired! £15/half hour is reasonable I think for music lessons. I'll take a look at Saxophone Cafe. Best of luck with your Sax journey!

10. Act Like You Know - Fat Larry's Band (the bass is from another track, that escapes me right now)

Mine are on stands, so I can play them. I do have an acoustic guitar in a case stored vertically in the corner - never gets played

6 hours ago, T-Bay said:

 Just had my first lesson from my mate over face time (a first for both us) and, apart from some quirks where face time decided my playing was noise and cancelled it out, it went very well. I have some great exercises to work on over the week. Next week we are going to look at some bits from one step beyond as a simple pentatonic practice. Very happy.

How much does your mate/teacher charge for facetime lessons? I have a sax gathering dust & I'd like to give it a try ... cant find a local teacher here for love nor money.

Before I invested a penny in a bass, I'd find a local teacher or local player who could let you have a try out on their bass(s) first. Lots of bass players have multiple instruments, and most are friendly sorts who would gladly let you 'try before you buy'. You'll find a 1000 different opinions on the internet about which is the right starter bass - only you'll know what's right for you when you try it in person. A Squire precision might work for one person, but not necessarily the next. Don't discount bricks and mortar music shops (I like PMT and there are several of them dotted around the country), most of them will price match the internet and give you invaluable 'hands on advice'.

I've had a guitar and a drum machine from them, no problems whatsoever.

Great video - im sure far beyond my fretless abilities, but you make it look effortless.

It's a USA made, 1999 reissue of the 1975 Jazz bass as the name suggests. As far as I can tell, all features are period correct. 3 bolt neck, bullet truss rod, 1970's pickup spacing, ash body, maple neck and finger board with black block inlays.

I traded this for a Marcus Miller (Jap) Jazz (and a tiny bit of cash) - which build wise, is a very similar bass a few years ago. It's my main recording bass now, and earned its place in my studio as I have thinned the herd to this and one other bass (Stingray). I also stumbled across one of the last (new) Badass Bridges and a East J-Retro Pre-amp which I fitted. These upgrades are non-destructive and you can just replace the originals if you want to resell. It's come full-circle, but I don't have to put up with that f-ugly MM scratch plate.

What's it like to play? Well if you like to stand-up and play - forget it! It must weigh at least 11lbs and even with a nice MONO strap it get a bit uncomfortable after 10 mins! As I just use it for recording at home, it balances nicely sitting down. The neck is very comfortable with a poly finish, fairly slim - if you like/are used to Jazzes you'll get on well with one of these.

What does it sound like ? Like a Marcus Miller, but on Steroids...with the J-retro East pickup fitted. The 1970's pickup spacing gives it that characteristic 70's jazz sound too. Sounds great in passive mode too.

What does it feel like? Very high quality. The Japanese Marcus Miller I had was exceptionally well put together, but this raises it up another level. Everything on it fits perfectly, and it just feels right to play.

What does it look like? It looks like it was stolen from Marcus Millers hands!

Would I buy another? Yes! Although I could of saved a few quid by keeping my Marcus Miller (and ended up with a very similar flavoured bass), this is a 'forever' bass that will not leave me.

I'd recommend UPS via Interparcel, never had to make a claim on them though - but musical instruments are definitely covered. 

I would seriously avoid Parcelforce at the best of times. Especially now in these present times, as we are having loads of our parcels not delivered or seriously delayed - strange how none of the other couriers are affected like Royal Mail are.

I've got one of those TC Electronic Polytune clip ons. Works without fail everytime, although they are a bit pricy for what they are. Works great with a low B too.

I've always used UPS via interparcel with good results & they do insure instruments. Keenly priced too

1 hour ago, ambient said:

I think it needs separate power.

Obviously you need separate power - but any interface worth it's salt needs separate power anyway, so it's not like it's an additional requirement

You can use just about any class compliant USB interface to link to an iPad.. You just need an adapter/cable that will reverse the gender of your lightning charge cable and your good to go...

3 minutes ago, paul_c2 said:

How long did you take?

Well there is the thing. The buyer raised the case, and in the space of 2 mouse clicks - escalated it to eBay. I think if it is more than 10 days over the expected delivery date they don't have to wait for the seller to respond. The item was delayed by eBay's global shipping hub ( we do about 15-20 ebay sales a day and ship the same day for all orders received before 5pm, next day for after)..All tracking details are automatic through the API

Be warned of eBay's global shipping service. I just got scammed by a buyer using this service. Sent my parcel (recorded and tracked) to eBay's global hub in Staffordshire, duly received and tracking updated. Item sent overseas, tracked every step of the way, including delivery to the buyers door step, where he signed for it. 9 days later he filed an 'item not received' and instantly escalated it to eBay to resolve. eBay sided with the buyer, even though the parcel was tracked every step of the way. Appealed the case immediately, pointing eBay to the evidence of the tracking (which ironically was on their own system) - got an email 10 minutes later saying the case would STILL be in the buyer's favour as I had not been quick enough to respond to the original case with tracking info. They instantly took the money back from paypal. I was able to get it all sorted - but it took a good 1/2 hour on the phone to get a human to look at the issue.

Jamkazam works well apparently. Very interesting concept

If it's already been refinished, the 'devaluing' has already been done. I'd get it refretted by a decent luthier and enjoy it!

I don't understand it, if you're 50 years old, why not work and save up like the rest of us mere mortals?

Give the guitar a try, you might love it. If you don't you'll regret not trying it. And as everyone else suggests, there is no law against playing both.

It's time to let go of my TC Electronic rig. It has lived in my practice room for the past 3 years, without a single gig. Amp is working flawlessly, and speaker is very clean (just a couple of marks on the tolex),

Need to reclaim the space & I can't justify something so meaty for a practice room. Unlikely to entertain a trade, as I'm more into my guitars these days and have all the gear I really need - you can try me with desirable synth stuff though. You're more than welcome to come and try the rig out and shake my neighbour's fillings out! 

Collection is from Northampton, or I can meet in central Milton Keynes during the working week by prior arrangement. Sorry I don't have any boxes big enough to ship the cab in & I've no idea where I would get such a thing - so postage isn't an option.

RD-8 arrived on Friday, and I took it out of the box this afternoon. My god, this thing is as much fun as legally possible with £200! After about 30 mins, the kids arrived .... ",....whats THAT??? "... they took over and I didn't get a look in. Looking forward to recreating all the 80's soul classics with this one. 

Any chance of postage?