Marc S

[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='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

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1382611313' post='2254282'] Learning to play DB as well as BG is a guaranteed way of getting good bands interested - you will always be in demand if you can play both ! [/quote] Here's hoping so ubassman... No one biting yet though.... TBH - I bought the DB just because I wanted one anyway I'm so glad I did - it's lovely

[quote name='Nick Riffed' timestamp='1382609865' post='2254255'] Bass? [/quote] Lol

Back in the 80's I owned a Shaftesbury Rick copy It was a really nice bass too I only got rid of it cos it needed re-fretting and I didn't have the dosh for that Now I'm sure many of you are thinking they certainly aren't a rarity! But I haven't seen one in years When I started playing again a few years back, I searched high & low they would get pulled off ebay now anyway but the last one I saw there fetched almost the same as an "original" Damn good basses those Shaftesburys too - apart from the tuning pegs... Folk reportedly stripped them if they couldn't get spares Just wondered how many would be around now, as I say, I haven't seen one since the 80's I wonder how many have survived

Sorry to hear that mate... I was having a far too hectic time of it in the summer I was in 3 bands, and it was all a bit much ... ended up ditching the one band - with all the apologies in place etc Then, a fortnight later the other 2 bands I was in folded!!! Both for very different reasons - neither of them anything to do with me But in the space of about 3 weeks, I went from 3 bands to none It had all been a lot of work too and one of the bands had some big bookings.... I don't like fishing, but I bought a double bass and that made things a little better

Hello Adam, Welcome to the forum and good luck with your grades & your bass search

Looks incredible, as everyone else has said I want one, I want one.... Please don't go as far as the matching codpiece tho......

[quote name='keeponehandloose' timestamp='1382006682' post='2246573'] no , but you can stick a piece of the special tape across your face for the pirate look.. [/quote] Lol

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1381762104' post='2243285'] Well, just as I was about to open a case with ebay, I get an email notification that the seller has refunded the full amount to my Paypal, with an apologetic note accompanying it. At least I got my money back without having to go through official channels. However, I'd rather have had the goods lol. Im happy though. My cynical side says he was disappointed with how much I won it for, and got a better sale elsewhere, and couldn't work out how to get out of the sale with me. Jus' sayin'........ Cheers guys Geoff [/quote] Could be that, as you say But who knows? Anyhow, yes you'd rather have the goods but at least you got your money back - so you can buy it from somewhere else Whew! sigh of relief Cheers Marc

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1381929726' post='2245612'] The single best thing you can do for your bass playing is join a band. You don't even have to gig. Just get some like minded individuals in a practice room together and make a nice racket [/quote] I'd definitely go along with that There's nothing like playing with other musicians to hone your skills Although, I'd suggest you do play a few gigs too Sure, you don't have to gig but there's nothing like a bit of pressure to tighten up your playing Doesn't have to be a paying gig, or can be something you do for a charity but it all helps, especially if you get people up & dancing, or get good feedback from your audience

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1381927833' post='2245574'] Potentially a good idea. However IME some of the BBC regional presenters/shows can be very partisan about which local artists they choose to support and which they simply ignore. [/quote] Indeed, but that probably happens on the show already A producer may have or not have a liking for a particular band / act One positive thing is at least it's what a completely different producer thinks is worth supporting.... Gives the viewer access to bands they may otherwise not see.....

I use a markbass CMD102P - think it's the newer model? Not 100% sure as I bought it S/H and I think it's great A pal of mine has the older version, and I used his once, for a gig What was definitely noticeable to me, was his older version was cutting out when the amp was turned up We think that was because my bass is active, and when I turned the volume control down on my bass, and turned up the gain & vol controls on the amp, it was better Maybe there are a few subtle differences like this in the electronics? Marc

Thanks for that link ubassman Useful info there, in plain English too The post has been moved, at some point in my own DB You can see the position it used to be in It's more toward the G string of the bass, and a bit further toward the tailpiece I think this bears out, according to that illustration, in terms of the sound I'm getting I'm quite happy with it the way it is, but I have wondered whether, because it has been moved, whether it could "fall over" Seems firmly enough in place.... And just what would happen if a soundpost did fall over? Cheers again

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381914091' post='2245223'] How would you improve it (apart from having your own band on, obviously)? [/quote] Oh, I wouldn't recommend my own band playing on it for a start For me, it's been the type of bands they've had on there lately nothing much inspiring, and all a bit "bland" There are plenty of great musicians and bands out there, but whoever is scouting for them or selecting them may be where the problem lies You know what I'd like to see? I think they could easily have a live link-up with another, local BBC studio somewhere, and have a new bands slot.... or an unsigned acts slot somewhere in the programme perhaps the camera crew could go out to a gig, or session somewhere on location? Why not have a special edition of the programme, recorded live at one of the lesser known festivals? Difficult, what with time constraints, I know but a fresh approach to the format might give it a bit of a lift.... I do like Jools, as a presenter, and as a musician - top bloke And I'd hate to see the show disappear - but I've heard a lot of people say they think it's not as good as it once was I had an OMG moment, a few years back, when Jools had Seasick Steve on the show Never heard anything quite like it before! great stuff I suppose I'm really looking for one of those moments every now & again ? Marc

[quote name='madshadows' timestamp='1381337259' post='2237847'] Hi Folks I'm John and live in SE London on the borders of Blackheath/Lewisham, played bass many, many years ago in my teens and early twenties but stopped when I got married and started raising the kids .... See ya John [/quote] Hi there John, and welcome to the forum I too gave up playing after getting married & having my son I really regret that now - particularly as I didn't play for a long time However, I started playing a few years back, and I'm just so glad I did Oddly enough, my ex-wife bought my son a bass one Christmas and that spurred me on, to pick up bass again, and give him a few pointers He's now a better player than me, but the key is that I'm enjoying playing again, and never looked back Hope you get a bass soon and welcome back to the world of bass playing Marc

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1381910658' post='2245160'] .....At least it's a live music show though instead of autotuned singing to a backing track. [/quote] +1 indeed Any show which promotes live music is a good thing Although I have to say, I used to watch it more regularly Now I watch it rather less frequently Last nights' show was probably the worst I've seen To me, the quality of the show has taken a complete nose-dive Shame, as it could be so good

Reading this post got me interested in the position of the sound post As a relative newcomer to the wonderful world of DB's I started to search for issues on the position of the soundpost, and can't seem to find too much info How did it effect the sound from your DB ubassman? and how did you move it? I understood it to be rather tricky, and a task really only to be undertaken by an experienced luthier Cheers again Marc

As others have said, there's lots of choice Not tried a barefaced cab, I use Markbass gear, and I think it's awesome It's also relatively lightweight Phil Jones also do some really small amps & cabs, which although they're tiny, pack a real punch Definitely keep your eye on the secondhand section on here Enjoy the forum

I've got too many basses, and not enough time to play them I really should sell 1 or 2 of them But, as others have said, two really is the minimum a gigging bass player should own When gigging, I always take a spare - I've never needed it but you just don't know what could happen; a string snap, the electrics develop a fault, or the battery go dead (if you've got active pickups) A guitarist pal of mine always carries a spare, in case of strings snapping The one time he didn't, we was playing in a rough-ish pub some drunken eejit was dancing & fell on him, breaking the jack plug & damaging the socket... .... he did manage an on the spot repair - but it was touch & go... You could always try & seek out a Warwick fretless, if your heart is set on fretless only - then do a trade in if / when you find one.... Me? I'd keep the vintage Warwick