Skinnyman

I don't think you'll go far wrong with this approach. I wouldn't agonise too much about the practice amp - avoid anything super cheap but anything with a 10" or bigger speaker should be fine. Effects are nice but unnecessary at the stage and if you can find a second hand Roland bass cube or a fender rumble at a decent price, jump on it.

Excellent. Do you ever actually do any, like, real work?

Is exactly what I was trying to say but much more succinctly put! 😁

The bass itself is lovely and I'd highly recommend it if they fall within your budget. But would I recommend one for a beginner? Hmmm, I'm not sure. Pros - shorter stretch to the frets especially at the low end. Lighter (generally) so easier to manage when you're practising for hours. Cons - shorter stretch to the frets which means you don't start building up the reach in your own hand. As a simplistic analogy, it's a little bit like learning to play tennis with those oversized kiddy rackets and balls and then trying to play with a regular sized set. It might have the advantage that it makes it easier to focus on learning to play the instrument and worry about the stretch later when you're proficient. Or it might restrict you to playing short scale only for a considerable time. Personally, I'd go for a small, light full sized bass - the Yams you mention are great (i started on a Tanglewood and would recommend that too as a starter bass) and only consider short scale (at this stage) once you've got used to full scale. Others may chip in with more compelling arguments the other way (they usually do around here!) but that's my two penn'orth. Whatever you get, enjoy playing it - and feel free to contact any of us for advice or tips....

Strange but true..... It's odd how, with some things, these flaws are "character" and with others they're just unacceptable shoddiness. I had a Laverda twin motorbike which oozed character. Literally - all over the drive. It was so lumpy at idle that it would rock itself off the side stand. And yet.... It had an undefinable air about it that made it a joy to ride. Taking a corner at sixty put a grin on your face even if you knew that a Ducati or Honda - or anything, really - would have cruised through easily at 90. And Rics make me feel the same. They have "character" that would fail QC in any modern factory and you have a horrid feeling that you'd never get anything other than derision if you made a warranty claim. And yet.... On the right night at the right gig, you can make it thunder like Thor and it makes you feel fantastic. Like my Laverda, they're not for everyone and any right-minded person would run a mile and I wouldn't criticise anyone for not liking them. I like mine and that's really all that matters 😀 IMHO, obvs. YMMV

Hi Alan Whereabouts in the wolds? I may not be too far away from you on the Lincs coast if you fancy a jam some time. Or just chips... Youll find a wealth of knowledge on here and not a few opinions on most subjects... Welcome!

This entire thread reflects my own feelings exactly. I think I'm now down to my 'ideal' herd - although there are a couple I could get rid of without too much of a problem (my Sandberg, for example. It's a brilliant gigging bass - lots of tonal variety, light, etc - but now i don't gig as much I could easily let it go). But, like Rich, there are a couple that will be buried with me... My big problem is guitars. I'm a crap guitarist so why do i have so many? And why can't i get rid of any of them? I need to be strong and cull the herd. Must.....be......strong......

Shame it's not a bouzouki....

I think it's one of the Cathedral Cities. You've Gouda admire whoever thought of it. You couldn't do it with a Limberger - sorry, Steinberger but there's Stiltons of other things you could do with it. Like putting a trap in the bridge pup position. Whoever did this must be crackers. Or playing at the Ritz....

If it's not been mentioned already, we've had some success with Feliway....

True. And in my case, be pathetically grateful for any and all favours bestowed. The age difference between Mrs S and I is a little larger than any of those quoted so far and, again, I'm neither a millionaire nor am i the world's most attractive man. And bits of me are laughably small. But while she needs help getting up the stairs, I'm here for her....

You’ll need to plough quite a bit of cash into it..... I’ll get me coat....

Harley Davidson is a very good comparison - thank you! And talking of cool, I am now seriously lusting after a Walnut 4003s. In fact, I might go have and have a little browse through the Marketplace to see......oh, hang on...... d’oh.

I sold mine recently having got rid of the original strings and replaced them with Labella flats. Nothing floppy about them things - they’re like baler twine. Makes a fantastic noise with them on as well. Not the thing if you like bright, zingy sounds - but a nice, deep, rich thudding note on the E that sings as you climb up to the higher strings. Hmmmm, nice. Mine also needed a set up as the factory set up is dire. I also added a Staytrem bridge which also helped. But the strings and neck relief were the things that made the biggest difference....

It actually looks like a young Bonnie Tyler on the bonnet making the whole thing perfectly feasible. For once I believe you, Ricky....

...And three quarters of a double bass

You just described my teenage years. Well, apart from the word 'pretty'

Weirdly there does seem to be a hint of the Alfa MiTo in that shape. You could never drive one though - you'd never see past the lady footballist on the bonnet. The wipers must comb her hair when it rains and the screen wash must be like a bidet. Not the most practical of accessories.....

What?!!! Nine pages of it and we still don't know if he's gone?

Indeed. I'd sleep with him if he was carrying cash....

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

I hate it when people summarise my ramblings into one pithy sentence. But basically, yes - well put 😀

I’m not sure about the drooping sock headstock on the Maverick either. Actually, I am sure - I think it’s horrible....

Agreed. The Zoom recorders are excellent for this and give surprisingly good results. They also highlight situations where the whole band - or even just one offender - are/is too loud.

I spent a lot of time yesterday sitting in waiting rooms for one appointment after another. As I had time to kill, I spent a lot of time on the RIC, RRF and TB forums, searching for posts made by Mr Hall. I did this to supplement the opinion of the man that I've formed from this and other threads on here. Now, I've had no direct dealings with John Hall and certainly not the direct and aggressive interactions that Nik and others have had. I also recognise that some contentious material may have been deleted from forums so i am not looking at the total picture. And i haven't read every single post the man has ever written - there are thousands of them. But I've read enough to build a picture and the impression that I get is of a man who has inherited a small (about 200 employees) family business and who is passionate about preserving the legacy that was handed to him. I suspect he's not the easiest person to work for. I am sure that the factory production process could be more efficient. And, for sure, the products he makes have "character" (to put it kindly). But the reality is that over the years of his tenure he has maintained a profitable, debt-free company which makes a niche product for which people are prepared to a) wait and b) pay a premium. To do this, he's flown in the face of the generally accepted "best practice" of the last thirty years. He has resisted the temptation to devalue his brand by moving some of his production to the Far East. He has made small, incremental changes to his product range rather than continually chase new markets and growth at all costs. He came through the worst recession of recent times with a profitable company and a larger workforce than he had when it started. He protects his brand passionately and in doing so has avoided the fate of Fender and Gibson who saw their products' value being undermined by hundreds of clones of varying quality. I've never met the man so i don't know if I'd like him or not as an individual. I suspect not. I think there are certainly character flaws and the apparent copying of the treble bezel appears to be a huge error of judgement at best, if not completely and idiotically hypocritical. As an analogy, if Fender are the guitar equivalent of VW/Audi and Gibson are like Fiat/Chrysler then Rickenbacker remind me a lot of Chapman-era Lotus. A small company led by a flawed but dedicated individual producing a flawed but charismatic product that has a small but passionate customer base. In a world of global mega-corporations all in thrall to their investors and the demand for continuous, unsustainable growth, there is room for companies like Rickenbacker - even if their CEO is a bit of an a*se at times. (All of the above is personal opinion based on the reading i did yesterday. Others will have more knowledge than I do and yet others have had direct (and sometimes contentious) interaction with Mr Hall and i don't wish to contradict or undermine them in any way. These are just my opinions, nothing more)