Burns-bass

13 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Thanks, but for £235 there's a fair amount of choice out there. 😂

 

I like the sound of the 411 fitted to my Kolstein, and they used to sell for c.£120 new. I'd quite like to source a spare for non-silly money.

 

I guess if you’re not worried about sound quality then all good!

All joking aside, I’ve not seen many magnetic DB pickups for sale. I’m off to see some DB people so I’ll ask if they do.

I had mine made to order but you can buy them off the shelf

https://www.thomann.de/gb/krivo_pickup_for_upright_bass.htm

I’ve got one of these: https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p6/The_Legendary_Krivo_Pickup_for_Upright_Bass..html

It’s like the Schaller pickup but better made and better sounding. The guy also shapes it (within boundaries) you your DBs board.

I’m 100% happy with mine:

20 hours ago, Ramirez said:

I'm thinking of picking up the old DB again, after neglecting it for a good while.

 

My current cheap Stentor Conservatoire is in dire need of a set-up, so that's the first call, but I can see myself being tempted to sell it on and buying a better model if all goes well.

 

I'm drawn towards buying a brand new bass instead of used - does £5k get me a considerable upgrade on the Stentor (bearing in mind they seem to be over £2k new now!)?

 

What are your recommendations?

 

Aled

When I was cycling seriously I went into a bike shop and asked what performance upgrade a new (and hugely expensive) bike would give me.

The advice of the guy in the shop was to save the money and ride more.

While it’s your money, I’d suggest that it’s probably worth persevering with the Stentor you have now and then look to upgrade when you know what you want.

You may want a reliable gigging instrument or a vintage instrument with lots of character. If you’re in and out of pubs playing gigs, the Stentor would be fine. I had a £5000 bass that I never took out of the house as I was too worried I’d damage it. 
 

There are many other posters here with much more knowledge than me, and if you’re set on spending the cash there are loads of options. But I’d give it a year and invest in something that you’ll cherish and invest a lifetime in.

Any offers? Need these gone

Bump

If you start swapping decals it’s a good idea to mark it somehow to avoid future potential purchasers mistaking it for a real one!

19 minutes ago, Rick05 said:

Thanks, that’s really helpful. Could you elaborate more on what you mean by moving my fingers too much on my right hand? 
 

Also in terms of my thumb, do you mean anchoring it instead of swapping strings? 

So, when you pluck the strings you’re arching your fingers round and grabbing the string. You don’t need to do this, it’s wasted effort.

Instead, you can play more lightly which enables you to play faster. It’s hard to explain but your right hand is in control of dynamics. 
 

Your thumb anchor is fine. I meant your thumb on the back of the neck. Ideally you’d find one place (slightly under the mid line) and keep it there. Moving your thumb all over the place is likely to get you into trouble on faster passage.

To be honest it’s minor things as your playing is great.

You’re moving your fingers on your right hand too much. This is a common thing but it’s wasted effort. As you play faster, you’ll struggle - but by straightening your fingers and focusing on economy of effort will help. That’ll help with the articulation, too. 

Your left hand is good. I’d work on getting more dexterity and finger independence. Loads of good exercises here.
 

Also, watch your thumb. You’re moving it a a lot, but you don’t need to. I used to show my students that you don’t even need your thumb to fret notes. In the end it’s there to guide you to the right position, not drag or inhibit movement.

On 21/04/2024 at 21:02, Cato said:

Basket Case and I think most of the rest of the Dookie album by Green Day.

Those are fairly tough with the palm mutes and accents. 

I emailed about this a few months back and believe it was sold locally. The seller hasn’t been on here for a few months so I’d assume he dipped into sell, succeeded and has moved on!

39 minutes ago, Kev said:

Can you quote some?

 

I'm not seeing anything that would differentiate AI over just bad unoriginal writing borrowing pieces already written.

It’s hard to explain but we see it loads in my job. AI writing programmes don’t really “write” anything, they spin existing content (essentially reconstituting in a new way so it reads like original content but isn’t).

So it will copy and subtly change whole sentences from publicly available websites. 
 

Heres one I asked GPT to write and it’s strikingly similar. What it lacks is the care and attention of a real human being/bass player.

“As an American musician renowned for his prowess on the electric bass, Pastorius’s style revolutionized how the bass guitar is perceived in jazz music. His tenure with the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1976 to 1981 solidified his reputation, but his contributions extended beyond with collaborations with artists like Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, and his own band, the Word of Mouth.

“Pastorius was known for his innovative techniques on the fretless bass, which included lyrical solos, bass chords, and the use of harmonics. His approach combined elements of funk, R&B, and jazz, creating complex bass lines that were both intricate and rhythmically powerful. Despite personal struggles with mental health and substance abuse, which affected his career and eventually his life, Pastorius’s influence on music and bass playing remains profound. He was posthumously inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, a testament to his lasting impact on the music world.”

1 hour ago, Kev said:

There's nothing too glaring there really, to me anyways.

I run a content agency for brands and businesses and this is AI content. Red flags all over the place.

Genuine vintage can be problematic. Sometimes they’re light, play great and work flawlessly. Others are dogs.

Dont ever buy one without trying it.

The recent US 70s jazz basses are all ace and I’d spend my cash on that if I needed a reliable working instrument.

Vintage for show, modern for dough (etc).

The Geddy Lee Jap jazz bass is exceptional if you can find a good one.

4 hours ago, Nos said:

Thanks guys for the really useful and constructive feedback.

The kit I bought SH in the 90’s I still play, doesn’t feel old, until I have to carry my TE amp and cab about but knowing I’ve had it 30years and looking at the gig scars from youthful exuberance and stupidity I know it’s old.

Sounds like it’s worth going for and factoring in a good set up/check over/strings etc 

I really want a historic Warwick. I had a 1986 Warwick one that I played at some monster gigs, but I sold it (like an idiot) for about £900 at the dawn of Basschat.

3 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

 

In my 45+ years of playing bass and buying them, I've rarely (not saying it doesn't happen) seen a retailer that will specifically set up a bass for a customer... and that is new instruments never mind used.  I know of a couple of bass specific retailers who say this in their info but without a customer sitting next to the guy setting it up, I don't know how that is achieved.  

 

To answer the OP - all frets wear but Warwick frets do better than most but be aware that they are a wide(ish) low(ish) fret when new and some folk used to tall skinny frets can get jittery and think they are in need of a refret; as a generalisation, if the bass plays OK, leave them.  Barrels are £5 - £10 so no big deal and if it is 30 years old it'll likely have been done any way.  Electronics are standard and shouldn't be an issue.  However, check the preamp works OK as 'sometimes' they can die but if it operates normally don't worry about it.  Battery compartment lid WILL be broken but a strip of gaffa sorts it.  Truss rod shouldn't be an issue as shonky ones should all be sorted by now but worth looking at the nut/adjuster to be sure someone hasn't been chewing away and rounded it with a non metric key.

Interesting. The OP is worried about technical issues (bowed neck, dodgy electronics and poor fret work). This is all stuff any retailer should be checking out and fixing it would be part of what I consider a set-up.

String heights, less so, of course. I know Bass Bros will do it and the last Fender I bought was set up from the shop by someone who really did know what they were doing.

Treat buying a bass like a used car!

Always factor in the price of new strings and a full set up into the purchase of every used bass.

It may play perfectly when it arrives but in my experience, I’d say 75% don’t. Plus I like the peace of mind that comes from having it fully checked out, cleaned and set up.

I’d say this will cost about £150 (depending on strings).

if you’re buying from a shop of course they *should* (but don’t always) set it up to your requirements.

if buying privately, then pay PayPal proper so you have some recourse if it’s not as advertised. Tell the seller you’re going to get it checked out and set up by a professional and you’ll chat about any issues.

I’d just like to resurrect this and say thank you for creating such a wonderful resource. 

Now £60 delivered to your door

3 hours ago, Chiliwailer said:

The itch gets scratched… then the reality of the cost sets in? 
Was often my dilemma anyway when owning old gear and the prices went north. 

Was easier when the market wasn’t full of dealers buying up all stock and then rising prices every few months.

Or private sellers trying to charge shop prices for their gear.

Or “all original apart from a few changed bits” or “as far as I know it’s all original (but I won’t take it apart to prove that).”

@GuyR had it nailed.

Simandl and walking bass sold.

Will sell the others for £35 delivered.

£30 delivered 

Will post for £75 in the Uk.

I had one of these and I really liked it.