Marc S

I like tort anyway, and think it looks great on that colour bass. But I think black would work well too. Also agree that Pearloid would look great as well, especially if it's a yellowy aged tint.

I once had an Ibanez SR500, which I paid around £200 for, second-hand. It was a really well built bass, if you like slim necks. Superb pickups and electronics in it too, with Mk1 Bartolini pups. Albeit, the bass had a distinctly "modern" sound, if you like that sort of thing. I sold that bass for pretty much what I'd paid for it, and there were times when I'd wished I'd kept it (Done that many times lol) So a while back, I was looking for a 5 string bass, and had a couple of stipulations: I wanted it to be as lightweight as I could get (for around a £500 budget), and I wanted a slim(ish) neck, but not so slim for the string spacing to be too tight for the plucking hand - so I needed a slim neck, with a degree of tapering, to be able to get my fat fingers between strings.... Anyhow, I picked up the SR505 and it felt a lot like my old SR500. I instantly felt I could get used to it (I don't play 5'ers much - I just "noodle" at home). Again, quality build, great pups & electrics, very controllable tonally. It's also pretty lightweight for a 5'er. They tend to go very reasonably second-hand too. Mine was new, but in a sale - so I had a good few quid off IMO the SR500 and SR505 are rather underrated basses. Another recommendation from me, would be the Squier, early China-made Classic Vibe basses, if you're looking for more traditional instruments like a P or J bass. My 2008 / 2009 CV Precision is a superb bass, and there are times when I wish I'd kept my 2010/11 CV P in Fiesta Red. That said, the newer CV range made in Indonesia are pretty good too. I tried one of their earlier Jazz basses, and that was OK - but I've played a couple of the more recent ones and I think they've improved.

Here's a video, comparing the tone from 4 different string types

Hi Yotter, I find the same thing really. So I tend to mostly gig with my EUB these days. I did once own a Kala U-bass. Lovely construction / quality, nice sound, but I really struggled with the rubbery, low tension / floppy strings. Also, it was some shift to play something so short scale. After an initial period of playing it as much as I could, I found I wasn't playing it much at all. Those strings really did get on my nerves. I even swapped them at one point, for another plastic / rubbery type of string - slightly higher tension, but still lots of "drag" for my left hand. Plus, both sets seemed to need retuning every 5 minutes. They do seem to take an age to settle. However, there's a thread on here (started by yours truly) about the newer Kala - the Journeyman. This bass seems to come fitted with metal Flatwound strings, which may be a better option. You can also get rounds for a Kala these days - but there are several models of the bass around, and I'm not sure whether they all have truss-rods. So I wouldn't want to fit higher tension strings to a bass without a truss-rod. There's not a shop anywhere near me which stocks a Journeyman or any other U-bass with metal strings, so I can't give one a whirl. This is a shame, as I fancy getting a Kala again, as long as I can get strings I like. At the time I had mine, I didn't know that such strings existed, or I might have kept it. Other than that, of course, a U-bass is a heck of a lot more portable than an acoustic upright. And it may depend on how quickly you can adapt to a much much shorter scale. Good luck with your quest - let us know how you get on. PS. Taking my EUB to gigs, I get a heck of a lot more comments & discussions about that than I ever did with my acoustic upright. I love playing it too.... but that's a whole other topic

Thanks for your thoughts @vmaxblues re the strings - do you know how the strings on the Journeyman compare to the Rubber strings that usually come on U-basses? And for that matter, are they markedly "floppier" than standard bass strings? Sorry for the questions - but I'm beginning to think I "need" a Journeyman! lol There aren't any in shops local to me - so I can't try one out.

They last longer. I find rounds get dull after time, due to the build-up of dead skin & grease in the windings. And it's not the same sort of "dull" or "more dead" sound as with flats. Also, I've yet to break a Flatwound, and I know I broke quite a few rounds over the years. Perhaps this is due to the way they're made? Perhaps it's because there's no way grease & gunk can get in between the windings? Many flats users will tell you they've had some sets of strings on a bass for years. Some will tell you the sound improves with age and wear. So they may be more expensive, but cheaper over time. I've had flats on one of my P basses for around 3 years, and I think I'd probably have gone through 3 sets of rounds in that time (I was playing that bass all the time, as I was in several bands, and playing regularly). My first experience of Flats was years ago, and they were very high tension, which put me off them for years. Then I started playing upright, and you don't really get rounds on an upright (though I'm sure there must be some, somewhere). Playing upright got me used to playing with flats. I tried the TI Flats, and they are indeed low tension, but I didn't like them on my Fretless - they just felt too floppy. So I swapped them onto my P bass, and Bingo - They just felt and sounded right. I've tried several flats over the last few years, and it's strange how some will suit one bass and not another. I recently got myself a bass which came with Fender Flats... and I'm really loving the feel and sound of them. I'd say get yourself a set to try, and if you don't like them you can sell them on without losing too much. Go for it - I haven't looked back (though I do still have rounds on one bass).

Yes, I think BC members could collectively compile a booklet of the best Service stations in the country ha ha ha The Czech Ease is staying put, at least for now. (Mrs S got upset when I thought about letting it go previously).

Nice collection there Nick I managed to thin my collection down.... and then bought a couple more! Sigh, when will I ever learn? lol Anyhow, what I have done, is acquired another light weight cab, and a couple of basses that are also lightweight (around 3kg) and are compact & portable. I've done several gigs over the past few months - nothing on the immediate horizon though. But since the pandemic started, I note that I'm not as able to stand for long periods of time, with a heavy-ish bass. Perhaps this is a combination of lack of going to the gym, fewer long rehearsals, and of course, my age I like the look of that 4003. That's a great looking P bass, and the colour of that Lakland is cool too

Bought a Yamaha BX1 headless bass from Lawrie. I've actually bought, sold & exchanged several times with him over the years - so I should have left feedback for him before now. Anyhow, it was a pleasure doing business with him once again, and I wouldn't hesitate in dealing with him anytime. Great to catch up with you again @Burns-bass hope to see you again soon. Oh, PS. I also got some nice strings at a good price from him too

Yes @Len_derby that's one of the reasons I asked the question (s). I can't recall whether my old Kala did have a truss rod... My dodgy memory is telling me it might have had one. I Wouldn't consider putting higher tension strings on one, if it didn't have a truss. I must say, I like the look of the journeyman anyway - so I might be tempted in future. I looked up the Kala flatwound strings, ànd they're rather expensive.

Hello and welcome to BC @Stuey3D First of all mate - sorry to hear about your woes and mental health issues. I'm glad to hear you've got past that initial phase, and most importantly - you realised it at the time, and you did something about it. Also, it's good to hear that you have a supportive wife, and that she is also helping - even just talking about it is a great thing. Welcome to the wonderful world of bass. We all play for different reasons, and owning a bass for noodling & fun is perfectly justifiable. You don't have to play professionally or in bands etc. For me, I'd miss playing live. I used to play as a younger man, and then gave up - for almost 25 years! In fact, I only started playing again as my son had a bass for Xmas, from his Mum. This coincided with bumping in to some old band mates, and we decided to give it another whirl. Years on from this, I hadn't realised how much I enjoyed jamming with mates, and gigging. Re your Ibanez Mikro - I had a 5 string version, and I sold it a while ago. Now I sort of wish I hadn't.... but you can't keep them all (and I've owned a few basses I can tell you lol). Also, there is a neck for sale here on BC - so you might be able to get Danni fixed Here's the link (I don't know the seller - but it seems to me that these probably won't come up for sale very often). Cheers now, Marc EDIT: Apols - I see you have actually replied to this very thread! Doh

Hi @Velarian yes, I saw that one too. Impressive sound indeed. As I mentioned, I did once own a Kala U-bass. That sounded great too. It was quite DB-like in tone, and sounded huge when plugged in. However, those rubbery strings really did put me off playing it. The Journeyman doesn't sound like the Rubber stringed Kala - but I still like the sound. I'm now trying to recall whether my old Kala had a truss-rod? Just wondering whether the strings on the new Journeyman would be suitable for the older U-basses, or other makes of U-bass. With decent strings, I'd definitely consider getting a U-bass again to keep at the side of the sofa

Just wondering whether anyone on here has tried the newer version of the Kala U-bass - the Journeyman? I had a Kala a few years back, and it was a fun little instrument - but I didn't like the very low tension, rubbery strings. I did try a different brand of strings on it, and they were a bit better... but not by that much IMO Anyhow, I just chanced across a YouTube video of one of these, which I think are a newer design, and seem to come with metal flatwound strings. Just wondering whether the string tension is a bit more like a bass guitar. If anyone on here has one of these, your thoughts would be much appreciated

I use a Bose S1 Pro. It's got two inputs, so you can plug a Mic or a guitar into the other socket. It also has a 3rd input (mini-jack) for phone / MP3 player etc. It handles bass really well. I've played Electric Upright through it too, and it sounds great. Like the Roland mentioned above though - the S1 isn't cheap. I also have a Boss Micro Bass cube, which is powered by mains or battery (AA's) and that's a really nice amp - but nowhere near as loud / powerful as the Bose. Recently did some busking with a singer-guitarist, and we put his guitar through the Boss cube, and it sounded pretty good through that, and being guitar it was louder. Boss also do a "Street Cube" battery bass amp, larger than the Bass Cube, and that should handle bass OK, as it's designed for vocals & guitar, or vocals & keys. I once owned an Ashton wedge-shaped busking amp - it was OK, but not the best of sound, and a tad heavy. I think it was only 15W.