Scoobs

Hello Folks, so after some brief and unsuccessful negotiations with Higher Command it seems I am only allowed a second bass when it is going to earn me money, this is unlikely and she has a point. So my plan to keep my Farida jazz and get something precision-ish and stick flats on it is scuppered. Comfort wise I don't really get on with the Farida and prefer the MIM P that I used to play at church, I think the neck on the P is wider and thicker than the Jazz but I am happy to be corrected? Budget is £300 plus whatever I can get for the Farida. So I think my options are just buy a Precision of some sort like the one in the classifieds that warwickhunt is selling or a vintage V4 or a G&L, or some sort of PJ - there's a modded Squier in the classifieds. Other PJs would be a Yamaha BB - two old ones in the classifieds or a BB234. Then there's the Sire p7 that seems very popular on here or something Harley Bentonesque. Is flats on a PJ a thing? Final option I can see is a Sterling Sub4. Anyone have any other ideas or thoughts / experience of any of these? My limited experience so far is the MIM P, my Jazz and a noodle on a Musicman which was gorgeous but was about £2k. With luck I will be able to play a Sub4 and Squier CV in a shop next week in Bristol but limited other try out options that I can see. All thoughts and experiences appreciated.

That’s brilliant it worked. Thank you very much 😀

Can anyone help. Set up as above and things are not right. The amp will buzz/ crackle sometimes when I move and or the cable moves and occasionally I'll be playing nothing moves and the amp will start to buzz for a bit then stop, sometimes on its own and sometimes if I wiggle the cable or jack plugged in to the bass. To a complete amateur these seems bass related. I've tried a few cables and they all do the same thing. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Judging by the other forums which flats looks like another can of worms altogether! But yes I'm planning on putting some on whatever I end up with. (best budget for them too)

Thanks for all the replies folks they really are appreciated. I'm a bit spoilt for choice at what feels a relatively small budget. In terms of tone if I said Jamerson and Dunn I'm guessing that would be vintage? (I wonder if they would play P Basses if they were around now though?) I like the feel of the neck on the precision I've played - I've got big hands so the thickness doesn't bother me. Yamaha do get a lot of love and have a great reputation for reliability. The idea of two basses is great and a SUB does seem like a good cheapish start down the Music man route however the idea is a bit optimistic as I don't think higher command / swmbo would cope with 3 basses in the house as the Jazz is staying for now. The Black precision does look like a good option at a good price however knowing junior's taste he'd be all over something that black. In terms of aesthetics I'm a sucker for sunburst and a tort pick guard and it just so happens there's one for sale on here that's not that far up the M4 from me.... Lots of choice and once again thank you.

HI folks, this has probably been done before so apologies if my use of the search function was poor and here goes. Currently I'm playing a Farida Jazz bass and I'm after something else (looks like junior is keen to learn the bass which is convenient as I can pass the Farida on to him). I think I'm after a more PBass sound. When I listen to comparisons and watch stuff like the bas whisperer I'm always drawn to the P Bass / MM sound. I play a MIM Precision at church which is ok, never have time to play with the amp much to change the tone and if it was mine I'd change the strings but hey ho. I also played a friend's MM stingray which was lovely then I looked at the price which explained things, out of budget by a country mile. So my questions is if I can get about £500 together what other options are there. There's a lovely looking MIJ Fender in the classifieds, I know there is a Yamaha of sorts, what about the G&L Tribute. I'm not fussed about the name on the headstock, I am finding the Farida a bit heavy so weight is a consideration, not sure I want anything active unless it was in the realms of the Stingray which may be optimistic given my budget. So I'm after words of wisdom, any advice, other options pros and cons of new vs used and I'd appreciate any ideas. Thanks folks.

I bought the mibass combo from Joe. Exactly as he said it was. He drove way more than half way to do the deal, a very genuine pleasant chap. Enjoy making some noise with the bigger rig. Pleasure doing business with you sir.

Thanks guys, two more questions. The GB contours that bass direct have got, are they the old mark 1 which are apparently a bit unreliable? I've read an enigmatic comment on another thread along the lines of " if you want to know why they are so cheap ask Fred at bass direct" or is this all tied up with selling out to Fender? Second q what do you folk think I should look for / expect second hand with a £300 limit? Buying amplifiication makes buying a bass look easy! Thanks again.

Thanks folks, your answers are pretty much confirming what I thought. I'm not averse to second hand, or buying amp and cab, the for sale section on here is a bit confusing when you don't really know what you are looking at, plus it seems to have a lot of stuff that is a bit rich for me - I can go to £300 but no higher. I found an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 on ebay but I have no idea whether it is any good, how old it is or anything. Any pointers on what to look for or avoid if I go second hand? Thanks for the heads up on the GAK one Grangur by the way it's definitely on my list but don't hold back on my account - I'm not desperate. Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

Hi folks, so here's the thing. I have an Ashdown after 8 15w practice amp. It's been a long time since I played with other musicians and I'm wondering if I need a bigger combo. Does practice mean practice on your own at home or with a band. I'm sure it depends on the band to a point and how loud they practice but would this amp be any good for anything other than home practice? If as I suspect it won't be loud enough then I have my eye on a Genz Benz contour combo, if bass direct still have them at £299 they look like a very good deal. If I do go that way the Ashdown will have to go as space is at a premium so if I'm practicing at home will the GB be useable without rattling the windows and annoying the neighbours? SWMBO did make a good point that it's a bit daft spending £300 just in case I need an amp to play with other people, but on the other hand if I do find some like minded consenting adults to play with will I then have to say hang on I need to buy an amp first?

Ok I think I need a new set of strings for my recently acquired bass as above. I think it has the factory issue strings on, they are definitely roundwound... I have been wading through the forums so I have put what I think are the answers to the questions below from what I have read so far! First question how do I know if the strings are knackered. Unless they snap mainly preference, loss of brightness. Mine are certainly a bit rusty.... If I do change them what for. What is the difference between nickel and stainless steel roundwounds? - can't find an answer to that one. Any big disadvantage to half, ground or pressure wounds (the half way house ones) I can't see any. What do I lose / gain if I go to flatwound - clangy trebly brightness, finger noise? Sustain? Gain a nicer tighter sound? Longevity? I have a bad feeling the answer to these is it depends on a lot of other things ??? I think I started out wanting a set of new strings, and now want a p bass to put some flats on and something roundwound to put on the Jazz - uh oh...... not quite going to bring that in under budget am I!

So just to round this off I am now officially back in the deep end. Farida FJB-6 and Ashdown after 8 practice amp are in the house and I'm playing again - hurrah. Bonus is the kids like it when I play too even if they do only want another one bites the dust! Best news is I still have half the budget for a proper amp for when i need one - result! Now all I need to do is practise, learn some songs and find some like minded individuals to play with.....

So I am about to go and pick up the new to me instrument which is cool -barring unpleasant surprises..... Now I need a practise amp. Not sold on the mixer idea as don't want to be restricted to headphones. I will need the option though. Any suggestions anyone? And anyone know a good teacher around Bath Bristol area. Or how does a lesson on Skype work??? Thanks for your help folks

In case anyone is wondering - I hadn't refreshed this page so didn't know Conan's post was there when I posted mine!!!

What's a PS3? I'm of an age where I know what it is but wouldn't know what to do with it - plus if we had one my son would be on it all the time!! - I'll think about the mixer thing but in the meantime I have news... I played a Squier VM Jazz today and a MM SUB - the shop didn't have a precision and when I got to PMT some young whippersnapper was still noodling when my time ran out. Anyway felt very comfortable playing the Jazz (well as comfortable as it could be with my lack of abilty) - no problem with the strings at the neck, nice range of tone and compared to both the SUB and the Yamaha it just felt right - am I missing anything?? Even worse news is there's one for sale in the classifieds and I'll be in its vicinity this weekend uh oh! Hang on no it's not it's a classic vibe not a VM - I'll just trot off and try to figure out what the differences are between the two then...

OK dopey question probably coming up - what do you mean by a mixer and how much might one be? If I could do without a practice amp that would be good and if it saved money it could go in the fund for something I could use when playing with other instruments

Been advised to post this here - thanks MoJoKe. Played bass in a previous life 25 years ago and want to again having had a go on a Mexican Fender P bass a couple of weeks ago. Since then I've had a go on a yamaha which was passive and I can't remember the price - south of £200 in the shop I think. I was surprised how easy to play they both were compared to my vague memories of my CSL (I think it was) from the previous life. So here's the thing. Budget for everything is £400, bass, case/bag, strap, lead, amp and headphones (otherwise I'll never be able to practise!) Anything else I've missed, set up maybe? Not worried about second hand or new. How should I split the budget up between those things? Sound I'm after? First bass lines I'm going to learn are good times, le freak and master blaster cos I've always wanted to play them properly, after that I'm not really sure. I want a bit of flexibility really as although I won't be playing any heavy metal I don't know what I might end up wanting to play. Neck width - I have big fat fingers so want a bit of space between the strings - does this vary a lot between styles and makes? A lot of questions I'm afraid and all thoughts are greatly appreciated. Part of the problem is the amount of choice and my limited knowledge! Plus it isn't that easy to get round shops to try things out. I'm aiming to get to Bristol to try a few - any basses I should look out for or avoid while I'm there? I have already had some helpful pms thanks. Thanks for reading..

So do I ask this here or somewhere else. Budget for everything is £400, bass, case/bag, strap, lead, amp and headphones (otherwise I'll never be able to practise!) Anything else I've missed, set up maybe? Not worried about second hand or new. How should I split the budget up between those things? Sound I'm after? First bass lines I'm going to learn are good times, le freak and master blaster cos I've always wanted to play them properly, after that I'm not really sure. I want a bit of flexibility really as although I won't be playing any heavy metal I don't know what I might end up wanting to play. Neck width - I have big fat fingers so want a bit of space between the strings - does this vary a lot? A lot of questions I'm afraid and all thoughts are greatly appreciated. Part of the problem is the amount of choice and my limited knowledge! Plus it isn't that easy to get round shops to try things out. My first planned trip to Bristol didn't happen cos stuff got in the way. Maybe next week eh? Thanks for reading..

OK it may have taken three reads to sink in but BT that is funny right there!! (as Mater from Cars would say for any parents out there). I haven't even started thinking about amps yet - which is probably why I thought there was an Utange made by Orange...... oh dear. Until very recently Orange made mountain bikes in my world.

OK so I've been into a music shop and had a go on a Yamaha something or other, they didn't have much else so I didn't try any others - I'm going to have to go to that there Brizzle to try a few others out by the looks of things. I can't remember exactly what type it was but it £230 on the ticket (I think) and it was passive not active. Sound felt very bright to me so what does the active stuff do apart from give me batteries to worry about!! I've just used the search function to find out about the active passive thing so I have a little light reading! Thoughts were: very forgiving, no buzzes from the frets like I remember in the old days from my (CSL I think it was) Jazz bass. Other thing was the bass felt really small (I am 6 2 with arms like an Orang Utang and big hands) It never occurred to me that size matters - insert appropriate gag here oo er missus etc - when it comes to basses but does it? Finally any other music shops to visit or avoid around the Bath area? Thanks folks

Thanks folks - I'm wading slowly through the mass of information on the site before I start another which bass should I buy thread. I had a go on a Fender P made in Mexico which felt and sounded nice. I'll have to check what the amp was. I'm still in a bit of a state of shock because either my memory is failing me or the quality of practice bass amps has gone up hugely while price and size have both reduced since I were a lad. And don't even mention what you can buy a bass for these days!! Budget - depends on higher command and how good I am between now and Christmas, second hand would be fine. Other questions I haven't got answers to yet are what sort of music do I want to play and who do I admire and aspire to play like. I don't think I'll be playing any punk or metal but anything from funk soul blues ska reggae or eighties indie disco would be fun to play. Off to get educated now.

Hi Folks, Thought I'd come here first to say hello before I trot off to ask about what to buy. I'm currently not playing any kind of bass guitar and have nothing bass related. A long time ago (25 years) I played bass but life happened and I stopped playing in a band. Then on Saturday I plucked up the courage to ask for a go on a bass just to see what happened..... and here I am. It was great! I can still sort of play it, the fingers may be slow but that will come back - I hope! All I need now is something to play.