Jonesy

Yeah, I think you're right to look at a PJ for the versatility, as has been mentioned - MM basses are worth a look at too and fit what you're after. Sire basses have a really great pre amp in them and you can get a wide range of tones from them. The G&L L2000 Tribute is extremely versatile, but worth playing one just to see how you get on with the neck as it's a chunky one, the main selling point with these is you get exactly teh same pick ups and bridge that goes into the full fat USA version. Where abouts are you? Just thinking we may be able to throw some decent shops your way so you can get a feel of the different necks and their profiles, or throw something 2nd hand near you your way. TBF, it's pretty hard to find a crap bass nowadays and you can still get some decent gear (like Harley Benton, SX or Revelation) at the lower end, so I wouldn't go into this thinking cheap = crap. I regularly gig a £300 bass over a £2k bass and there is some great value to be had out there at the minute. On the amp front - I'd look at something that's about 15w for home use, Fender, Ashdown, Orange & Ampeg all make great practice amps for home use. I have a 15w Fender Rumble and don't need to go any way near above 9 o clock for home use, I'm always well under so 15w is loads. Depending on who else is in the house and how much you like you neighbours, the main thing to make sure it has is a headphones out for silent practice and an aux in so you can jam along to mp3s. If you haven't got a clip on or some sort of app then a tuner is a nice to have too. Or you could pick up something like a Zoom B1 Four. It's a great little pedal with a few decent effects thrown in and you can use it for completely silent home practice. I have an 8 month old daughter in the house, so have to make time to play around her naps. This is a great bit of kit for me! This is great advice and is what I'd do too. If you don't mind losing £300 or so if, in a few months, you've had a go at bass and want to shift that thing in the corner that's just gathering dust, then buy new. Otherwise, look second hand as you'll make your outlay back and be able to invest it back in a more expensive bass if you really want to upgrade later on. The only issue is that the Model T isn't that common and don't come up loads second hand, so if you have your heart set on it and don't want to wait then new might be your only option. Can't say I've played one, but I do like the look of them, and they come with decent EMG's from what I've heard.

You've got quite a wide range of styles of music you want to play and also quite a wide variance in price from the basses you've listed as possibilities. I'd definitely be looking at a J or PJ to cover the difference between slap and the grunt you want from metal and I'd stick to a 4 string for now. What's your budget and do you need an amp as well??

Just play whatever you enjoy the most, I wouldn't worry about any 'rules' around what basses work for specific genres. Although if it helps and you do think about these sorts of things, the bassists from Ash and Placebo both used Thunderbirds. Problem solved! Oh, one more thing....... Give us pics of your t'bird!! ☺️

I didn't know that Cass played with Gary Moore, I'm just giving the monsters of rock album a listen now though. Great stuff! Does anyone have any other recommendations of albums he's played in outside of Skunk Anansie?

I caught them about a week before Glasto at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank and they were excellent then too. Cass sounded huge and he seemed like a really nice bloke. Half way through the second song, Mark somehow broke the skin of his bass drum. Fair play to him, he didn't drop a beat though and just signaled to their tech, who rushed on and took the drum away to replace the skin. He carried on using his floor toms for the boomier bits and the band jammed until the drum was back in place and good to go. I think that's the only time I've ever seen a drummer break a bass drum skin (unless you're including Keith Moon playing with explosives!). I was a bit skeptical about seeing them at a seated venue, but as soon as they came on stage everyone stood up. At the end Skin remarked that they were nervous about the venue too, but they were happy that no one knew how to use seats 😂

Yeah, I guess these ones are up there with the MIA in price. They are the equivalent of Vinteras though, so higher spec and vintage features compared to standard MIJ models. Last year, just after Christmas, they put a load of basses on eBay in an auction rather than BiN and they went for more reasonable prices, so it might be worth hanging on if you get the cash around the back end of the year. If you're around North London then Richard at Electrohill (in the same building), is worth a look if you're looking for anyone to do setups etc too.

Ah, Fender Fever aren't too far away from me, I bought my current MIJ P from them (in an auction on eBay). They're a good shop and have a nice collection of MIJ basses too. As for the price, MIJ basses (along with everything else!) seem to be creeping up recently and shops like FF or Bass Bros seem to have them at around the £1k-£1.2k mark for the non export or rarer models. Personally I'd keep an eye out for a second hand private sale and would look at spending £600-£800ish depending on model and condition.

No worries! This site is pretty handy for looking at the different models, though I'm not sure on how up to date it is with newer models etc https://japanfender.wordpress.com/ The easiest way to tell (stock) import vs non export is the machine heads. Export will generally have a smaller base: And non export will be bigger Some non export models will have spiral spring saddles in the bridge too.

I haven't tried a MIJ 51 or 55, but I've owned a MIJ 70s and have a Hama Okamoto sig (which is essentially a 60s P body with a J neck) and can't rate the MIJ stuff highly enough. Build quality, fit and finish etc has been excellent and on par with any MIA basses I've tried (which, admittedly, isn't loads!!). I've read that some people find the stock pups/guts to be the weak point, but the models I've owned have been the non export models that come with US hardware/electrics and I've been more than happy with them. I think the 51 comes with the SD Bassline SCPB-1? Or at least a version of it did at some point.

Most shops I've been into are great. I used to spend hours in my local shop (Harrow Music) when I was a teen chatting to the staff and they were all really sound. The worst service I've seen was down on Denmark St. About 10 years ago a guy asked to play a Gibson LP and the guy behind the counter said he could play an Epiphone instead to see if he likes the feel of that and make his decision to buy based on how the Epi felt. Maybe they're sick of people coming in just to noodle on nice guitars, but that was terrible. I really want to like Andertons, I love their YT channel and content, their site is easy to navigate, range is ace and prices are decent too.......but every time I've gone there or talked to them on the phone it feels like they're too busy to care or just aren't that knowledgeable. I get that they're busy, but I'm not a fan of their service level. PMT and GuitarGuitar on the other hand I think are great from a service point of view. I was with my mate the other day when he went to drop his strat into PMT for a setup. The tech looked at it when he handed it over and said he could see where it wasn't setup properly, tinkered with it for 10 minutes then handed it back for no charge.

I was in the exact place as you about 2 years ago. I went to Andertons and tried a Squier, Sire and G&L and ended up with the G&L. I really like the feel of the neck, the bridges are great and I preferred the sound. I did end up putting in a pair of the Fender 74 J pups in and a ki0gon loom. It sounded good before, but it sounds amazing now! The Sire sounded good too. The preamp in them is great and can give you a really wide range if tones, but the G&L just edged it for me.

I prefer the neck of a J, but the sound of a P. J's are a bit too thin sounding for me, but a series/parallel switch sorts that out.

I always used to think P's we're really boring. Everyone had one and they were just a bit big standard, so I generally stayed away from them. My first bass was a Squier affinity P bass, complete with machine heads that rattled, a crackly jack, scratchy pots and strap buttons that didn't like being attached to the body. So that was probably why I wasn't too keen on them. Then I picked up a really nice one (MIJ PB70US) and came to my senses. They just fit perfectly and there's a reason why they're a standard.

That's what works for me, so hopefully it does the trick for you too. If it does and you're ever caught short then you can pick up solpadeine or boots own version of it over the counter too. Anything that is a mix of paracetamol and codeine will do the trick, I find the effervescent ones most effective as they act quicker. I was just scrolling through FB and found a for sale post where some bloke was selling a snakepick and said it's the only type of plectrum he can use since getting arthritis. I've never used one, but it might be worth a look if it works for him? And if you play with a pick?

100%, it comes with its own health warnings but, if you follow your doctor's advice when taking it then you should be fine

Ibuprofen is a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug, so is good for reducing swelling and pain relief. At least that's my understanding. I'm not a doctor, but have been using it to help with gout for nearly 20 years (along with a few other meds). Gout is a different type of arthritis, so I'm not sure how sage this advice is, but......diclofenac is the most effective nsaid for me and I find soluble pain killer like solpadeine is good for pain relief when it's bad. The boots own version is good too, essentially anything with codeine in it is what I look for. I've tried a few natural remedies like turmeric and cherry and they don't work for me, but I do know people who swear by them, so they could be worth a go for you. When I have a flare up I generally try to rest, elevate and ice the joint as much as possible.

Ah, didn't even know such a thing existed.......... probably better to get them rather than bodge some tape around a case 😂

I've got a couple over the summer. Skunk Anansie at the Southbank Centre. I've never seen a band there, so am pretty interested in what it'll be like Pearl Jam in Hyde Park, supported by The Pixies and a few others. I've had tix for about 2 and a half years and OJ are one of my favourite bands, so I'm very excited!!

Or a Boris Rickenbecker

Thought I'd share a bit of bodging in case anyone else finds it useful...... Carrying around a hard case with a plastic handle isn't the comfiest thing in the world. Top tip - pick up some tennis racket handle tape and, hey presto, you now have a case you can carry without without having to change hands every 2 minutes 😊

I have a short pair for home use and a long pair for gigging. The long pair I've had for about 8 years or so and they're still going strong. 2 guitarists in my bands use them too and they really rate them too. The only thing I'd change about them is the colour choice. Fender have that vinyl covered line in their pastel colours (she'll pink, seafoam, Daphne blue etc) and it'd be nice to have those in tweed!

Lovely stuff, that finish is great. I have the maple board version and the neck on these is one of my favourites, feels slightly chunkier back to front than my Fender. The gloss feels really nice too. Enjoy it!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Koko Taylor, what a voice! I love the bass line for 'Trying to make a living' and there's a handy little vid on YT with someone playing it..... The original line was played by Cornelius Boyson, which I think we can all agree is a cool name and the dude looked even cooler......