itsmedunc

Bought a Squier VM Precision body and neck from here for cheap. Had tuners and guard too. Put some unknown pickups and a loom in it and it's superb. Become number one bass in one band. Altogether cost around £100. If you are capable of putting one together, it's worth thinking about. Think I was very lucky with that one but on your budget I'd definitely look at second hand. Squier Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified series both are great value for the money. Secondhand bass, pro setup and you are away with money to spare! If you need any advice on building / buying you have definitely found the right place! Maybe try putting an ad in the wanted section on here before buying new and see what happens? Good luck with the search.

We've found a great rehearsal room (Cathedral Studios) in Blackburn, Lancs. Now that is a rare thing around these parts indeed. It's central with parking, great PA's, drum kits, guitar and bass stacks included in the price in each room. More than a fair price, clean, tidy, brewing up tackle, the works. I've rehearsed there with a few bands and every member of those wouldn't go anywhere else now. Went there last night and had a bit of a chat with Pete (nice guy) who runs it and he showed us round the newest room that has been built. In there is an Ashdown RM head (I think it's a RM) and an 8x10 Ashdown cab. One look and I got instant GAS? 😉 Why oh why? I didn't even try it out! Awesome thoughts popped immediately into my head! For years I've made it my mission in life to minimise gear (bad back etc). In ears or 1x10 combo for onstage monitoring. Lightweight Barefaced, RCF PA that will handle any bass scenario. I've already got everything (ish) I'll ever need and this evening I find myself looking at 8x10's!!! What the fek! I'll need a plumber to sort me out if I lift one of them! I'm even having thoughts on how I can persuade Mrs itsmedunc to sell the car and get a van! It's spiralling out of control!

Matt bought some tuners from me. Instant payment and a nice guy to deal with. Have no fears, deal with confidence. Thanks again Matt. Cheers Dunc

Initially, I was going to say that looks how Mrs itsmedunc would play bass but after seeing the other pictures, I'm not sure which one looks more apt! 😂

Just read the description for all his other items for sale. It's a good read. If anyone has any uncertainties, all will be revealed. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/mdphillips1956mark/m.html?item=192616601936&hash=item2cd8d81950%3Ag%3AndcAAOSwqDhbKWzF&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

In the interest of science. To boldly go...

Think mine will be at least 6 years old now. I've had the bass about that long and didn't change them when I got it secondhand. They sound great live with a bit of drive but to be honest, they won't cut it anymore for recording. Just decided yesterday that perhaps it's time to change them. May try boiling them first before putting new ones on though. I might get them back to how they sounded 3 years ago!

Can't listen to the song without being reduced to tears! Love it! That's really not like me either! 😭 You may suspect I'm listening to him again!

Have you any sisters? 🤐😂

Fender Classic, CIJ or a JV 57. Had them all and they were all really great basses. Kept the JV though. It's tremendous!

Really don't think that will be nearly loud enough for most gigs, apart from coffee shops etc. Many many years ago I had a small but heavy Carlsbro 60w combo. Can't remember the model but it had push button presets. That was one of the loudest combos for size I've ever used. Think it was a single 12. Not saying the sound was pretty but definitely deafening. Watts were watts then! 😂

A mate of mine works stages in Europe and was privileged enough to watch Jimmy Cliff live recently and said he was brilliant. I'm more than jealous! Thing is, I'd really forgotten how brilliant he was and still is! Had a Jimmy Cliff evening and how wonderful he is! How lucky is my mate then!

My old Scottish mother used to say "Son, is this yer plooktur?" I think I know what she meant! 😂

It's a tricky one. Lots of folk want the cheapest postage and expect the best service. The two do not equate in my experience. The likes of MyHermes have been awful in the past and I wouldn't use them again. However, you still see folk complaining about the price a seller is asking for postage and saying that Herpes will do it for half of that price. If I sell something and post it (after a few problems with postal damage which definitely was not my fault), I state that an item is posted at the buyers cost and risk (but everything gets properly packed for transit). If the buyer doesn't opt for insurance, that is up to them and loss or damage is not my fault. To be honest, most folk do opt for insurance. Funnily enough, I bought a bass from BC that arrived wrapped in a bin bag and it was perfect! Guitars and more expensive items, I often ask the buyer to arrange their own courier, collect or meet up. In the post, they pay exactly what it costs and they can choose to take out adequate insurance if needs be. Trying to get a company to ship a bass and insure it without a hard case is virtually impossible now in my experience. Check the small print as they will take your money but the item will not be insured. I did find a company but the price was around £37. Folk often don't want to pay that much, plus buy a hard case. Probably in this case, both parties should have checked the the postal terms and come to an agreement but I'd more than likely side with the buyer if no disclaimer was added to the initial sales thread.

Ask for a discount. Keep the bass and maybe get a few quid for another shiny thing. Everyone's a winner!

The video link is worth a watch too -

You are invited to message him with any "thoughts" that come to mind... 😂

My 57 has a maple board. It's not the Fender logo though. I thought all the 57's had maple boards?

I'm amazed by this post. In all my yeas of playing, I've only ever had time to change my shirt once from the clothes I arrived in. By the time the PA is lugged there, set up and everything sound checked, there's only a few minutes before we go on. All the others are shining like new pins and I'm the scruffy silly billy with jeans and a black shirt on!

Having read the whole thread, I find myself confused too! Am I right in thinking that your existing combo can compete with the un-mic'd drum kit onstage? If not, upgrade. If so, I would have thought that the problem lies in another area. If the drums and bass have good level mix together then, apart from environmental factors, I would look at EQ (previously mentioned) and then at the levels of the other members. I've used a 1x10 combo pushing around 200w for onstage monitoring with PA support for years and never had a problem. Well, apart from with a guitarist who likes to play at Shay Stadium levels down the local pub. If you can all get a good level in rehearsals (be honest with the others about their levels), you should be able to do that as your onstage monitoring mix. That is your starting point. Then move onto what folk hear out front. Many guitarists whack their volume up as it's a bigger venue but as they are going through the PA too, there is really no need. If this is the case, you are competing against the onstage volume and then the PA. No wonder the bass gets 'lost' in this scenario. By boosting your volume to "fix" the problem you will more than likely get a 'mushy' overall sound and give yourself and others tinnitus. Danger that an already loud guitarist will turn up more too. 😂 If you sort the above out and you still can't be heard FOH then look at having the bass going through the PA too. If the onstage levels are good, you may well find that the PA speakers (depending on their spec) will take a bit of bass. Failing that (in order of cost), try adding a 2x10 to your setup (spread the sound a bit not the volume) or add a pair of decent active PA cabs to the existing PA setup. This could help you far more than replacing your bass gear. The beauty of adding active PA cabs is that, with a preamp you can use them as a pretty impressive bass rig if needed. They will have lots of other uses too (there's a huge thread about FRFR setups on here). Whereabouts are you? I'm sure a local BC'er would be more than willing to help you out if you needed to try an extension cab out. I haven't even mentioned Ohms!