Marc S

For me, it's commitment from other musicians And always has been I first played bass many years ago, and on coming back to play much later - things haven't moved on much in that respect I get into a band, learn a whole load of new stuff, and then someone else leaves or the band just seems to disintegrate Re the OP's original post It also depends on which city you live in I'm in Cardiff, which is a fair size, but venues for bands to play are a bit thin on the ground There are big-ish concert halls, and pubs - with few venues of an in-between size Most original live music you'll hear tends to be small open-mic affairs, or festivals Most people who are out for the night seem to want to hear songs they know, and can sing along to I'm sure this is similar in most other towns & cities in the UK EDIT: I know several local musicians / small bands who are trying to play original music mostly, and they are struggling to make ends meet Of course, if original music is the way you want to earn a living, it's hard - there are times when you have little or no income You need a big savings pot beforehand....

Re the Steinberger, I always thought their old 80's / 90's basses looked great, and as others have said - they're a bit of an icon Not sure about the Synapse, but I played an old 80's Steinberger, and here's some more food for thought.... Even though I am tall-ish, and have a fairly long reach I found the far end of the neck to be a bif of a reach, to get my left hand in what I'd consider a good playing position So this cool bass was a bit tricky to play So if you do opt for something with a small body, or cut down the body of an existing bass If it's long scale, you might find the same issues when playing F, F# & G Just something else to think about (apologies if that muddies the water even more) PS. I can't recall the sustain on my Ashbory, which I sold It did sound like a much bigger instrument when amplified though.... As ever, let us know how you get on.... I'm intrigued to learn what other players find, and when you play DB - anything that helps reduce the size, bulk, and weight of gear you carry about is important Marc

I was in this situation a while back I had bought my Stagg EUB, which convinced me to go ahead and get an acoustic DB But none were coming up anywhere near me, in Cardiff I searched high & low, and waited and waited, but I was getting impatient Anything that turned up, seemed to be the other end of the country and I wasn't very experienced, or even quite sure what I was looking for I got very lucky with my Boosey & Hawkes, Sarah, who sold her to me was obviously a very honest person, and good Bc'er I took the plunge, and went for it, only to find 2 DB's come up for sale locally!! The gist of what I'm saying, is that you just need to be patient, It's difficult, I know - especially when the GAS is so strong Try a few basses if, when & where you can.... If there are any other BC'ers near you, perhaps you can arrange a meet-up, if there's no Bass Bash imminent Maybe you could arrange a mini DB bass-bash? Have you discussed options with any luthiers yet? Maybe the mods will not be as expensive as all that - it's worth a try.... Good luck in your search, and having been in a similar position, I really can empathise For everyone else looking for a DB out there, I always did like the look of Artisan's lovely blue Db and another shameless plug - my Boosey & Hawkes is for sale on this forum - it really is a beautiful instrument, with solid ebony fingerboard, and a lovely sound apologies, but if you've got DB GAS - it's incurable At least you have a bass in the meantime - and it has given you a good idea of what you want next....

Yes, it's good to see the pics and great that you had good reviews

Playing live, different set-ups, acoustics, and sound engineers - it's always different I'd definitely take a cab along There have been times when I haven't been able to hear myself in the monitors on Double Bass So I'd always take an amp & cab along - just in case Sometimes, during the soundcheck, you'll hear everything fine, then, come the gig, something has changed Don't leave it to chance mate I've got a couple of amp / cab combinations, and I'll usually take at least my PJ head, and one PJ 4x5 400W cab - that way, I can at least control some element of what I can hear Somehow, it seems more critical on DB, than Bass Guitar Let us know how you get on Marc

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1408801268' post='2533603'] MB1. Yellow Unpunk? Are you sure? [/quote] hey, I'm an old school punk, and I've got a markbass amp Saw the Damned many times, and one of my fave bass players, Paul Grey Had a bright yellow Rickenbacker Nothing wrong with yellow in a punk band It was never supposed to be about a "uniform" or a standard of dress code If it sounds good - that's all you need Plus, as others have said - they're much, much, much lighter than Trace Elliot, Ampeg & the like.... EDIT: If you paint the speaker, you risk damaging it - or at least affecting the sound in some way....

Hello Miguel, Welcome to basschat Don't worry about your English skills Just join in and enjoy the forum - I'm sure most people will understand, and be helpful whenever they can Marc

Hi again Pete, If you're getting a good sound from your Antoni, then maybe it isn't a "pretender" among other basses at all.... I've said it before, but there is a lot of snobbery in this game Much of it is self-imposed too So often I've heard people say they love their Squier P or J Bass, but they trade up for another, more expensive bass, then miss the Squier! It's not about what brand your bass is, it's about how it feels, sounds & plays Getting the neck trimmed may be the best advice, because you are already getting the sound and it's a bass you know etc So if someone can help make it a little more comfortable, then all the better Another factor to be considered when buying a new, more expensive bass is that you may end up being more "precious" or over-cautious with it and even scared to take it out & about (I know, this has happened to me too!) My wife won't listen to me talking about basses either - but it's a good way of convincing her to go out & do some gardening or shopping, when I want a bit of peace & quiet! lol

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1408695742' post='2532540'] I can't imagine getting a huge improvement in this price range from your antoni. Could you have the neck taken down and chamfered a bit? [/quote] Good suggestion I haven't played one personally, but Antoni's seem to be well accepted as a good beginners / intermediate bass Finding a luthier you know you can trust is the key to getting that neck trimmed... I'm sure there'll be plenty of advice on this forum, as to who is best to do that your area Let us know what you decide & how you get on

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1408694799' post='2532522'] ...... I have spent a small fortune trying all different basses but have finally found 'it' - an '84 MIJ Squier medium scale Precision. It says Squier on the headstock, I don't care. If you find the label does matter, stick a Fender one on it for your own benefit ....... [/quote] Spot on! Keep that P bass copy Years back, I flogged a Shaftesbury Ric copy A brilliant bass, wish I never sold it - it might have been a cheap copy But I can't get one for love nor money now......

Cyfarchion Phil, and Bore Da from a rather damp South Wales (hang on, I can see some blue sky too) Welcome to the forum, and welcome back from the upper registers Good to see you have returned to the low end Hwyl Marc

Hi Pete, I'd just say, keep your eye on the For Sale section on this forum I've bought several items - incl 2 double basses!, a bass guitar, and an amp All the stuff has been great, and the BC'ers I've dealt with have been great nice people, honest and a pleasure to deal with As it happens (lol) I've got one for sale at the moment too Although it might be a bit out of that range, and I'm a bit of a trek from Manchester Good luck with your search Marc

[quote name='razze06' timestamp='1408629733' post='2532004'] I rotate my basses almost religiously: every practice session I take a different one. I do the same for gigs, but a little less strictly. If I find that a bass no longer works for me in these situations, goes on the market, no matter what! [/quote] I like razze's approach - but I probably wouldn't be able to do this myself Which one I use depends partly on which band I'm playing in If you really like the sound of your cheap P bass copy, then keep it! There's often too much snobery involved in basses and guitars - as with many other things in life too, of course If it plays well, and sounds great, what more do you want? If you trade it for an expensive Fender, you may be a bit more "precious" with that - being more careful with it, re playing live etc So you may end up being less comfortable with it I've got a Squier P bass (admittedly, a 2 pickup version) and you know what? It sounds amazing, and it's the cheapest bass I have! I had a German Warwick Corvette, which was lovely, but there was too much fussing around with too many controls for my liking If you sell your P copy, you may find another one cheap enough in future, but you can't guarantee that it will sound & feel as good - it's luck of the draw As others have said, try some different strings on your Streamer But keep that P bass copy - if you like it - what does it matter what's on the headstock? If I had a comfy pair of cheap trainers, why would I trade them for a pair of Nike £100+ shoes that weren't so comfy?

[quote name='gadgie' timestamp='1408448128' post='2530187'] I think there might be something about the new music medium...ie MP3 downloads, iTunes etc etc. Kids now have access to 1000's of tunes all quite cheap if not totally free. So they load up there pod/phone whatever they have with all this stuff and hardly listen to a fraction of it. Where as when I were a kid, or at least a young teenager, I had very few records...... [/quote] I think gadgie has a fair point here MP3's are relatively cheap, and many people will be able to get hold of them for nothing... As a lad, I had to save my pocket money to buy records I even had to take the long, 5+ mile walk home on several occasions ... because I couldn't resist buying another single, or LP in a sale Even when I started work, records were relatively quite expensive (certainly on my starting wages) - so i couldn't buy a fraction of what I wanted at the time Maybe we appreciate the music more if we had to save hard to buy it? Oddly enough, I can still recall where I bought quite a lot of my vinyl LPs and singles ..... saddo, I hear you say lol

Ah, we'll be converting you completely on this forum Papa J You'll be selling your guitars before you know it Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the low end of the music

Hi again, Not seen those Ibanez micro basses before Yes they do look sort of "cute" I'm generally a fan of Ibanez - they are usually well built Re the Kala U-bass, I had a very similar "Ashbory" mini bass It did indeed sound "big" and was really surprising, and quite a lot like DB to my ear However, I didn't get on too well with the spacing / intonation The tuning seemed to go out a lot too (though that may have been more to do with my brand new strings) I also didn't get on well with the very chunky rubber strings I found there wasn't enough space between them to play finger-style The E string also popped out sometimes too, when playing vigorously (ish) A 2nd hand Ashbory would set you back less than a Kala, and you might be taken aback at the sound you get from such a tiny instrument But it may take you some time to get used to playing one

Hi folks, Anyone know if there's a DB luthier who can supply me with a Centre Screw for a Strunal Tuner? One has dropped out of my David Gage bass, and apparently, the tuners are made by Strunal... Any ideas folks? Cheers