TheLowDown

A high stool would be best. It replicates standing up. An office chair or similar wouldn't be a good idea.

I'm not sure what you can't agree with in what I've said. Take 2 basses, one long scale and the other the equivalent short scale. The short scale will have less chance of neck dive. What part of that do you disagree with?

Glarry have a P bass for around £78 if you want to get your feet wet. I've considered it recently but the chunky neck puts me off, and it has some neck dive which I'm not keen about. Should be ok with a wide strap though.

After a full sniff investigation, your dog gives his approval.

Just to address the above highlighted points: This is what i was confused about. I've not seen any real world experiences on this from others who can say how much they've actually been charged, but I think it's most likely that there will be no handling charge if all the VAT business is handling their end (ie if the price shown on the website is less than £135) It's my understanding that if the net value of the goods(ie what's shown on the website) is below £135 AND the final price after VAT is added by Thomann afterwards is greater than £135, then we will not be charged a shipping fee. This leads me to believe that the sweet spot for avoiding as many different extra taxes(eg handling costs and shipping fees) is when we're buying an item with a net value of less than £135, but when the final price after VAT is added is greater than £135. In other words anything on their website between £112(ie £135 / 1.2) and £135. The "1.2" is "100 + 20%VAT / 100". UPDATE: apparently the shipping cost is added before the VAT (ie final price= (net price + shipping) x 1.2) . This seems strange given that the £8 shipping already contains VAT.

Thanks guys.

Thanks for the update. So it will be around £12 more expensive than before Brexit if buying goods at £135 or above. I don't recall paying any UPS handling fee beforehand when I bought a HB 6 string together with some strings from them.

Thanks, Steve. I was hoping for some real life experience of these 2 scenarios so they can reveal what extra costs were involved, if any. This is so that I can decide, from an economic point of view, where it's worth buying a bass between £100 and £135 on it's own, or bulking it up so that it exceeds £135.

There's 2 real-life case scenarios I want to hear about.: 1) what happens if your spending is a net total equal to or less than £135. In this case I believe that Thomann calculates the 20% VAT themselves and then adds it on before you pay for it. Brexit is a tariff free deal so there is no 2% tax involved. There may be some courier handing fees and other unknowns to pay. 2) what happens if your spending is a net total greater than £135 20% VAT is paid by the courier and then that is paid by you when you receive your bass. Again, there is no 2% charge because there are no tariffs. There may be some courier handing fees and other unknowns to pay in addition to the VAT.

I've not heard of covid having any effect on tinnitus, but stress and anxiety can make it a lot worse.

Same study from PNAS.

I may be looking at a lightweight 4 string SX bass in the near future. I've heard that they're decent, but their price may be slightly at the top end of what I'm looking for. Can't find anything about their weight of the different models though which is one of the main factors for me. Anything above 8lb and it's a "next?".

The military may find a good use for these sonic weapons.

Science has something to say about why the bassist may be the most important member of the band. According to research carried out by PNAS, people are more likely to respond to the rhythm and the lower frequencies of the song than they are the melody and higher pitches, such as played by the vocalist and the guitar. The bassist provides both the harmony - the arpeggiated chord tones - and the rhythm of the song. So I would say that we're at least as important as any other member of the band.

Chris, me old China. I'm very serious. Sorry to hear about your job, but those opinions expressed by you there are very out of date and out of touch with reality. It's not 100% about the cost. I suggest you do your research instead of judging by outdated stereotypes and what you read in the tabloids.

A lot of people fall for this old chestnut and actually believe it to be true. The reason why manufacturing has shifted to the East is NOT primarily because of cost. That's just one factor. The main factor is the availability of talent and the value chains within a small localised area. That doesn't exist in Europe or the USA. Another old chestnut that people, even now, continue to believe, is that products made in China/Indonesia/Vietnam are of poor quality. The truth of the matter is that the quality is determined not by where it's made, but by what the (Western) parent company has asked of it. If they ask for low cost skimping on this and that, that's what they get. If they ask for a well made product, that's what they get.

If you go to your basket on Thomann in now says this:

I'm not going to bother with Thomann or any overseas companies for a while, unless it's necessary. Basswise, I think it's now a good idea to take stock and appreciate more the things that I have.

My fretless(es) are mostly lightweight(around 7.9lbs) unlined Harley Bentons for less than £150. Spending a lot of money is best if you have specific requirement, so I would get something that's cost effective until you know what you want.

One of the above posters suggested one to one lessons. It will make lessons more interactive for you, providing instant feedback, and most importantly of all they will provide some direction, inspiration, and hand holding which is important when you reach a plateau. I probably wouldn't recommend this method forever because of the prices, but they're a good way of getting you out of a rut so that you have a clear direction of where you want to go next.

Wait until the plateau arrives, and then you will start to question if the guitar is for you in the same way that you questioned about the bass. It won't always be about progressing. I get the feeling that the underlying reason for you playing bass/guitar is only to achieve something with it rather than to simply enjoy the process. The bass or guitar is just a vehicle for you. That's where you're going wrong. At the end of the day it sounds like this instrument switching is about frustration rather than some deeply felt realisation.

I think you learn a lot more by having to research (on the net or otherwise) what you need to learn, and then forming your own practice plan. I believe these hand holding courses are mostly a waste, and are only useful to certain people.

The underlining is not being aggressive, it's a link to Thomann's website showing the delivery costs.

Worth bearing in mind that there is no delivery cost on items above £135. Just to be clear.

Well the amount appeared to be around 19.2% anyway, which also happens to be the German rate. Not sure how it all works yet. What's this "£25 delivery cost"?