Marc S

When you first start playing DB it's difficult to know what feels right, and what feels good
as it may feel quite un-natural to begin with

When I was thinking about buying, someone suggested trying my local council
to see if I could hire one
That was a dead end for me - but maybe it's worth trying a local school orchestra?
They may let you have a go on a bass?

Also worth asking for tutors who have a spare /second bass
Must be one or 2 of those around?

Again, good luck & keep us posted
I'm so glad I got my first DB
Can't imagine being without it now

I was never a huge fan of UFO,
but did like them & get to see them once...

"Lights out" is indeed great
Hope Pete gets well soon

For a short while, Paul Gray (Hot Rods, Damned) also played bass for UFO
He too has had cancer - throat
Paul has always been a huge influence to me - and a great guy to boot
(I just turned up on his doorstep one day, out of the blue
and he invited me in! - he gave me a few free lessons in my early days of playing - what a star)

Paul is on the road to recovery, thankfully

Ironically, Bryn Merrick who replaced Paul on Bass for the Damned also has throat cancer

I just hope all 3 bassists pull through
Good luck to them all

Definitely insulate as much as you can...
As others have said, especially the roof space
I recently converted my garage too

I laid laminate flooring, on top of Foam insulation board
and it feels much warmer underfoot....

I'd think twice about using parafin type heater
There's always a risk of fire,
but just as importantly there are also fumes to consider
I think you'd need vents installed.....
Could be wrong there - but check first

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1384174086' post='2273478']
Interesting concept. Poor execution though. IMHO
[/quote]

Yes, my thoughts too.....

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1384077290' post='2272407']
I'm think jason newstead used a fretless on several recordings. Enough said really....
[/quote]

+1 to that!

Welcome aalam

I started playing when I was about 19
but then I got married, had a kid, got a mortgage etc etc
I gave up playing after about 4 or 5 years

But hey presto...... I started playing again after over 20 years!

I do sort of regret ever giving up
but I'm determined not to do that ever again....
And I'm enjoying my playing more in my middle ages than I ever did before

It's never too late to start mate....
Just have fun playing bass

Marc

Hi, I'm interested
Did you get the neck set-up, or was it a straight swap?
How is the action set?

I'm not too far away, in Cardiff
So maybe I could collect / meet somewhere nearby?

Cheers
Marc

EDIT: I was just a bit concerned about the "issue" with the trussrod
Can you expand on that? Thanks

Hi Ricardo, and welcome to basschat

Hope the weather in Barcelona is better than it is in Wales today!
Rain, rain & more rain

I recently played a Mexican Jazz, and it was brilliant!
Having previously played a MIM Jazz and a couple of P's
I didn't think much of them...

....but the one I played last week was amazing
.... and it was bought by a drummer lol

Anyhow, my Indonesian Squire P, with J neck & 2 pickups is pretty darn good too...

Try them before you buy them, I'd say
Mind you, that drummer pal bought his J online....

Looks like you did a good job
Hope it holds out for the gig

Is the bridge looking warped / bent now?

Cheers

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1383816183' post='2269370']
Quite. And if you get one with sufficiently bold lines, it looks like one too
[/quote]

Hi again,

I know what you mean - I didn't really know just what to look for either....
It's a tricky game really
But I think that by going for a 2nd hand DB, you should get better value

Also, several BC'ers on here advised me to steer clear of G4music
as their basses may be problematic
I can't confirm that, but I did buy a case from them, and that was not a great service

I've heard people say that Thomann are better
and some have had good experiences with Geddo - their basses do look good!

I'd just say go & try a couple if you can
That wasn't easy for me, because not many shops stock them in my neck of the woods

You may also want to consider buying an electric DB to start off...
My 1st DB was a Stagg EDB
They are cheap, and you get a lot of instrument for your money!
Plus, I'm keeping mine for;

a - backup - in case of disaster
b - flexibility - I could play half a set with bass guitar and half with the EDB
c - I actually like it anyway
d - it folds down to a very portable size

I've seen them go on here in the for sale section for about £200
One was even going for £170 ish

Anyhow - just a few more thoughts for you

Cheers, and peace to you too

Marc

I was looking for something with more of an "acoustic feel" to it
Something which picks up more of the natural sound of the bass

I've got a piezzo pickup fitted to the bridge
and I just wondered whether these acted more like using a microphone...

Did you go for the Stentor in the end?

I too got into the world of DB fairly recently,
and I love it

You won't look back, I'm sure
Let us know what you opted for, and what you think of it so far...

Marc

Sorry, forgot to add,
they're made by "Myers"

Anyone used them?

Marc

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1383685634' post='2267757']
guitarists?
[/quote]

No, everyone except bassists!

Hi there,

Just looking at pickup options available to the DB'er
And I came across these on ebay
Haven't seen one in the flesh
On ebay, they only seem to be available from the US

So I just wondered if any BC'er has / had one
and how they found they perform?
Are they any good?
and if so, where did you buy yours from?

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACOUSTIC-BASS-PICKUP-UPRIGHT-BASS-PREAMP-PICKUP-VIOLIN-PICKUP-Myers-Pickups-/111207405657?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e47a5859"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACOUSTIC-BASS-PICKUP-UPRIGHT-BASS-PREAMP-PICKUP-VIOLIN-PICKUP-Myers-Pickups-/111207405657?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e47a5859[/url]

I'm not a huge fan of Fender basses, as a rule
I've owned 2x USA vintage basses,
and I have a Squire, which IMO is better than any USA fender I've played

But the other day, I played a Mexican Fender Jazz
and it was a delight!
I'd played Mex Fenders before, and not been impressed

but this Jazz just blew me away
The neck was nice & slim, the action was really low
with no buzz, it was a delight to play

The guy bought it online, for a little over £250
and I'm sorely tempted to get one myself....

EDIT: Meant to add - It was really lightweight too

[quote name='bbrich' timestamp='1383254114' post='2262319']

.....For me though you'd have to go a long way to better a Westone Thunder IIIA for the money at that time.......

Mine's a red one by the way and, according to a listing published in Guitarist magazine back in the late 80's, there were only a very limited number (60 I seem to recall) of red ones imported into the UK. I remember seeing its "brother", a red Thunder IIIA Fretless, for sale on Denmark Street years ago and even now I'm kicking myself for not buying it. They were really well-made basses.
[/quote]

Yes, Westone were great for the money at the time
I've posted this comment before, but I had a Westone Thunder Jet
The 1st 24 fret neck I'd seen
A great sounding bass, nice & lightweight too

But the bridge was uncomfortable - the grub screws used to dig into my right hand
Easily fixed though.....

I had the chance to buy a fretless Thunder 1A a couple of years back
And it was cheap - wish I'd bought it now

At the time, I also recall seeing a make of guitar called "Westbury"
They looked very similar to Westone - anyone on here know if they were made in the same factory?

If the bass was a cheap one,
maybe give it a go yourself?
After all, you wouldn't want to be learning these things on an expensive model...

Mind you, that gig is looming - maybe see if there's somewhere local you can hire one for a week
just in case.....

Good luck with fixing the bass
and with the gig

EDIT: Let us know how you get on
I'm interested, as I'm fairly new to the world of DB as well....

[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1383131688' post='2260504']
I have two squiers already but SERIOUSLY tempted by this ......

[url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/basses/precision-bass/vintage-modified-precision-bass-pj-rosewood-fingerboard-lake-placid-blue/"]http://www.fender.co...ke-placid-blue/[/url]

These basses are going to be classics in a few years the quality is so good.
[/quote]

It's like the one I have, except mine is white
It is a really nice bass
Good quality, it's fairly lightweight
and has a really nice sound

Go for it

If you like it - go for it........
I've got a Squier Precision, with a J neck and additional pickup
It's Indonesian built, and a better bass than either of the US Fenders I owned,
it's more playable, and it sounds better
and I'm not as precious about it at gigs, as I am with less expensive basses

And yes, it's funny how the most expensive bass isn't always the best sounding, when recording
if you like it, get it, and don't be afraid of letting a more expensive one go, just because this one is a Squier

[quote name='EddyGlee' timestamp='1383048568' post='2259453']
Identical spec fan for Markbass Littlemark etc (not easy to find) .. still available
[/quote]

Hi, I'm interested in the fan
I've got a CMD102P combo
Does it fit that model?
and how much inc P&P?

Cheers
Marc

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1382620895' post='2254513']
I still have my Shaftesbury 3263 Semi-Acoustic Bass.

Here's a pic of Bill Wyman playing one.

[url="http://shaftesburyguitars.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/shaftesbury-bill-wyman-bass.jpeg"]http://shaftesburygu...wyman-bass.jpeg[/url]
[/quote]

Very nice, can't be many of those still left either?

[quote name='gsgbass' timestamp='1382670223' post='2255278']
The Markbass Mini CMD 121P Combo. A 1X12 Combo with 300 watts @ 8 ohms. You can plug a 8 ohm cab into it, and it's 500 watts. The nice thing about the Markbass Mini CMD 121P Combo, it only weighs 29 pounds.


[/quote]

I'd go for something along these lines
I've got a Markbass 2x10 combo, which is 300W on its own

For flexibility, and use at larger venues I also have a Markbass 1x15 cab
and this takes me up to 500W

They're both pretty light to carry
but if I was starting again, I'd maybe opt for the 1x12 combo - it's lighter still....

You could always add a 1x15, instead of another 1x12 extension cab
to give you more grunt at the lower end
The beauty of this approach, is that you can tailor your rig to the venue
and add the extension cab a few months later, spreading the cost

Pubs vary in size and layout
So in the smaller venues you may only need the combo....
I'm using Markbass, and I'm really pleased with their stuff
There are other adaptable rigs out there....
Phil Jones and Gallien Krueger to name a couple

I know what you mean about the weight
As I get older, it's becoming more of a factor for me too - I'm not gettting any younger, or fitter
and don't forget, you may be playing upstairs in some places too

There are some really nice lightweight bass amps available these days
Good luck with your search
and let us know what you decide

Marc