Jonesy64

BassDirect has a sunburst in stock. I tried it out yesterday. Has a nice feel to the neck profile that I liked a lot.

That's it, i'm sold on the head and cab route, I have always preferred them for the reasons mentioned. At one time I had a 1x12, 2x12 and a 4x12 for different size venues and to mix and match with my Matamp and Dr Z heads. Are there any good lightweight 2x10's to consider? Really, really liking the GK MB heads, I guess the 200 is the most practical and certainly the logical choice solely on budget constraints. Is this one of those situations though where we always regret not pushing the boat out and getting the next one up?...in this case the 500? I think i am going to put my efforts into finding a GK head plus lightweight cab and a sub £250 used bass along the lines of those mentioned, Yam, Squire Vibe, MIM Fender etc., Thanks for all the great pointers, it has helped no end. Re' loud bands....Mark at BassDirect was talking to me about it and was actually something I understood from my own experience...and pleaded guilty to participating in!! Les, I'm keeping this idea under wraps until I know what's happening with the band. I don't want them using me as an excuse to break up, it'll die of natural causes soon enough, of that I am sure :-) I guess I should start asking for specific questions if I have them in the amps and bass sections from now on. Thanks so far guys!

One of my favourite band names is a Pink Floyd tribute, Dark Side Of The Room! Dizzy Lizzy is another that used to do the rounds. The worst one I can think of is The Jamm. A lot of effort went into that one:-)

Hi chaps, appreciating the replies, thankyou! To answer a few comments and questions I feel like I will be able to make the transition but I am not under estimating it. I have a lot of work ahead to give myself a chance when replying to some of the 'bassist wanted' ads :-). I am really looking forward to it though, I feel like it's the kick up the arse I need to get interested in playing again...thats the drummers fault as well playing his boring song choices! My current gear is quite traditional hand wired tube amps, Matamp GT 50 watt head into Matamp 2x12. I also have a Dr Z Remedy head which might be the sacrificial lamb if I need to push the boat out further on my budget. My main guitar is a Les Paul Standard. It's fair to say then that I am no stranger to head and cab arrangements and was looking at the bass combo's from the practical angle. If a head and cab is the way to go then I am more than happy to look into those options. As for musical style and tone, there isn't a particular bass player who I am thinking of and as for the kind of music I would be playing first and foremost I would look at classic rock as I would have a good starting point having played all the usual stuff over the past 6 or 7 years I think it's been. If a punk covers band should advertise then I would be all over that like the proverbial rash :-)) I remember Yamaha Basses have a good rep from donkeys years ago, I will def add those to the search. Oh, and yeah I have been a constant visitor to the bass and amps for sale sections for the past couple of weeks....been mighty close to picking something up off there but have resisted so far....absolutely no problem buying second hand though.

Hi guys, new poster here, pleased to meet you all! I have been playing rhythm guitar in a few rock covers bands down the years and the one I am in at the moment I think is coming to an end...I blame the drummer! I have a real hankering to move across to Bass and have been doing a bit of research to see what I could get my hands on with a tight budget, prob £700 absolute max for guitar and amp. My intention is to find a band quite quickly (and after a lot of practice!) should this one break up so the bass gear needs to be good enough for the usual pub/club venues and maybe an occasional festival without me needing to upgrade further down the line. Space at home and in the car is also at a premium so a lightweight combo is top of my list. I am looking closely at the TC BG250 combo and the Genz Contour 115 or 210 combo. Both can be had for £300ish. I think the Genz has the ability to run an extension cab which is why I am tending to sway towards one. Should I be looking at other options besides these two? I am a bit stumped on guitars, I have no experience of the manufacturers line ups and would love to get some guidance....after the combo I will have around £300/£350 left. I have been to BassDirect and tried out a Sandberg Electra which had a really comfortable neck, the Spector Legend looked smart but both are still £150 plus above my budget. Ibanez looks to have quite an affordable range and I assume there are others to consider? No problem looking at used either. I would really welcome anyone's thoughts and advice in getting this idea off the ground :-) .....and apologies for the long-winded first post! Cheers, Mark.