sammybee

I'm now down to three basses, a strat and an electro acoustic 3/4 (for the inner Ed Sheeran). Totally content with what I have, no GAS, no desire for any more

SBL isn't for me (prefer face to face lessons), but if it works for you, great, and it's great for Scott that he can make a crust from this & reach so many bass players across the world. Why do people always want to knock others that make a success of something?

From Norfolk? Or the Fens?

Is it my eyesight? or can some Basschatters not count ?

Agree with this, UPS via Interparcel. They will insure (or they did the last time I shipped something) musical stuff.

I bought a MM 5'er as an Xmas present to myself. It has a couple of very minor flaws (see my review in the review section here), but on balance I am really happy with it. You should be able to get one for much less than £500 leaving you with some change. Mine was £383 I think from Thomann

I'm happier jamming with others, without an audience - or recording. For me, the learning is about the journey rather than the destination.

I've never had the balls to play bass or guitar live - I'm too much of a perfectionist and happy just playing for myself. But I'm particularly proud of my daughter who played her first gig in a pub at the age of 9 (just before xmas). She played bass and 6 string in the same gig. Proud dad. https://youtu.be/ikq0479EkM4

Does that mean you can buy the preamp separately (arguably the best bit of the bass) for a mere £50? This could be very interesting!

I bought this at a very decent price (£383) from Thomann to dip my toe into the water with a 5 string after exclusively playing 4 strings for about a decade. It arrived quickly, and the bass looks stunning out of the box. The tobacco sunburst is a really stunning finish with the maple neck (10/10 for looks). I had read that these had a reputation for being quite heavy, so I was pleasantly surprised that mine was a very manageable weight (a shade under 10lbs). She balances nicely on the strap - either sitting or standing. Action was low from the box, but intonation was slightly out when you get up to the dusty end of the fretboard (nothing that a quick tweak wont fix). Being used to rather slender Jazz necks, I was surprised how comfortable I found the Sire to be when playing & very quick to adapt to. Overall the bass felt very comfortable and familiar to play unplugged - which was a relief for my first five string. The tuners and bridge (both top and through loading possible) do a good job - but we'll have to see about the longevity of the finish. On to the pre-amp and electrics. WOW, just wow - this thing has power. 18v preamp, with a master tone, 3 band eq and sweepable mids. You can get a real variety of tones from this bass. Even small adjustments make a big difference. I understand that all the sire V7's have the same preamp, so you will get the same if you go for the 4 string. Sound wise, I can't fault the electrics, but the knobs are built to a price point and there is a couple millimetre gap between the bottom of the knob and the body - which is a bit disappointing. Overall, I would say - as others have, this is a good bass 'for the money'. When I get my American Vintage RI 75 Jazz out alongside (or I recall my Jap MM signature Jazz), they cannot compete with the quality or fit and finish. The pre-amp is awesome sounding though, and you get a very playable bass for not much ££. For me, I'll keep it for awhile, but if I decide to stick with 5ers I'll be saving my pennies for a Sadowsky or a USA Fender Marcus Miller 5. UPDATE. I've been playing this for about a month now, and while it is really comfortable and I enjoy playing it, I know that 5 strings are not for me (nothing to do with the SIre - I just prefer 4s). The small niggles I mentioned before, I've learned to live with. As a lifelong gear snob, I never thought I would see the day I'd own a Korean bass - but this Sire is staying in my rack.

When I first bought my Stingray, it took me a long time to 'gel' with it, having only played Jazz basses. I'd say for the first year I would have sold it if anybody had made me a serious offer - I was that unimpressed with it. Fast foward a few years and now I'm in love with the playability, the build quality and the sound. Try and stick with it.

I second this, managed to score a 61 key mk2 for £40 off a facebook group - brilliant controller

If there was one lesson, look at this video from Devon Bradshaw - don't worry about the notes, just listen to what he has to say about space and feel - the 'kotch'.

No experience with the Orange Crush, but I used to do the same thing with my Ampeg combo. Used to run my Akai MPC 2000xl through it. It used to bang hard!

I think my local shop know what they are up against (internet sellers), hence they will go the extra mile to give excellent service and get the sale.

I've also got no excuse not to use the local shop (PMT Northampton), they price match anything on the web & if they don't have it in stock, they'll get it for me. For my last 2 (largish) ticket items, they price matched the first & gave me interest free credit, and for the second, they were a hundred quid cheaper than anyone on the internet.

Likewise, I happily pay a little over the odds for much the same reason. I think it's important, not just for my own selfish needs - but for the younger kids and those who don't/can't want to order from an anonymous German box shifter that we keep our local music shops viable and open. They're a resource that the local scene needs.

Thanks Martin - never thought of a keyboard amp. Great idea!

It's a pretty specfic use case. I dont want separate units (I have no problem finding separates) for aesthetic reasons, hence the original question

I was wondering if anyone could recommend an active PA speaker with a built in mixer that could take a bass, guitar and mic. Just looking for something to sit in the corner of our extension, that we could plug in for a jam/small parties. I really dont want to lug a bass rig and guitar combo out from our 2nd floor music room when we just want to jam for an hour or two.

If you actually read the article, they say they have fixed the issue. Making this even less of a problem if indeed it ever were

I just think it's great that a British manufacturer (and one from Northampton no less) is releasing new bass gear in 2018!