TheLowDown

With a lot of basses you're going to be paying for the name of the brand, player associations for signature basses, and gimmicks. Some *cough* Fender *cough* will hike their prices up enormously for just a mediocre product. It's about what the brand believes that they can rip you off with reasonably charge you, and for a brand name like Fender how could anyone possibly think they won't get anything other than a top notch quality product given their history. Fender, for just one instance of a large number of similar brands who play the same tricks, charge that much because people will pay it. Not because it's worth that much or you're getting a quality product. It's really that simple! Another reason for high price is custom made. Some people like that human, personal, one-of-a-kind touch. But in a contest for accuracy and precision between a robot and a human, I know who I have my bets on. This is why I have bought inexpensive basses. I know how business works and I'm not taken in by brand names, marketing tricks("tonewoods" on solid bodies instruments, anyone?), or other tomfoolery. I know that many people believe that the more they pay the better quality they will get, and that basses that are cheap(ie reasonably prices) will be made by some sort of slave labour by workers getting whipped if they work less than 23 hours a day. If a bass costs you above £400 and isn't diamond studded or laced with gold, you should question what you're getting for your money.

New order - Blue Monday

This is why American English was designed to be greatly simplified for you over the pond

I sometimes hear of bassists like that who only play the 5 string because they honestly believe that they're making their bass life "easier". Their rationale being the economy of movement and that learning one type of bass can cover all ground. Many do, however, eventually realise where they're going wrong. There are some notable disadvantages: -it encourages a lazy box-squatting approach to the bass. No need to be creative or explore their instrument, just stay in the same box and play there every night. -some go to great lengths to torture their poor instrument to make full use of the B string on every song, even though it doesn't call for it most of the time. -many don't appreciate that the rumbling unmuted B string doesn't make a good recording or live sound, even when they're using it as a thumb rest 90% of the time. Both 5 string and 6 strings and even 7 strings have their rightful place, but it's best to use the right bass for the job.

I would go the 5 string route, but don't go torturing your 5 string to play songs that can be played much more effectively and efficiently on the 4 string, though. Best practice is to use a 4 string as standard because that's all that most songs require, and only use the 5 string when you absolutely have to. It's about using the best tool for the job.

I don't believe in effects for bass.

Incidentally, depression frequently leads to shopping to give people that dopamine hit. A bass arrives in the post and they will feel good, but only for a moment. This is a slippery slope because it means that people will keep hitting the BUY button to feel good, and the more they buy the more they go into debt or worsen their finances. The worse they feel, the more they hit the BUY button. Goto 10. A much better and long term way of getting that dopamine hit is to practice on the gear that one already has, improving skills, learning new theory, feel more important as a bassist and musician, and selling the gear that you no longer need.

I've only bought what I've needed. I don't get GAS unless it's a bass or equipment that serves a purpose and fills a need. There's always a danger of spending more time buying equipment than actually playing it.

It's actually about 1.5 because while I play bass as my main instrument, I dabble in piano too. So I rounded it up to 2.

I wonder how much less likely I will ever want to listen to her songs as a result of this.

Or perhaps, the wood type/species doesn't have much effect on the tone of a solid body instrument at all.

I was expecting to see one of those harmonica type thingies that paints the walls, makes the tea, strokes the cat, and does the dishes in accompaniment to the different notes played, except this one would play the bass.

I never aim to find The One because it doesn't exist. With changing tastes and requirements, what may appear to be The One now, may not be even in a few months time. I find I have less anguish if I just choose what i need or like now even if it's a mistake, then sell them all when the time comes. Whatever the case, I've learnt from the experience. New basses is all about discovering what you like, don't like, and what's available, so just see it as a journey of learning and improving. Don't see it as searching for that perfect one because it doesn't exist.

This is quite true. Anyone that could answer the question easily could easily sell their others because they're not needed, and the only reason why the other basses are kept is ONLY because people want to own them. People like to own things. People keep basses, ornaments, pens, figurines, and so on because they want to own them for the sake of owning them. It's how I get rid of anything when I'm thinning the herd of things that I may have too many of. I may mass buy things up to a point, BUT only for the purpose of learning from them. Once I've learnt from them and have decided on what I like and don't like, then they have outlived their usefulness. I then sell everything until I have the minimum number. I'm really quite ruthless like that. I always ask myself the question: "would I be happy if this [item] was the only one I had?? If the answer is no. I sell it because it means that I don't need it, but I only think I want it. Honestly, before selling it I think that I will miss it. Some things seem so beautiful and precious, but it's usually an illusion. In reality, after I've sold them, I never think about them even once! I see the bass as a tool to achieve something, so I didn't answer with just 1 bass , but 5. Those 5 basses include: a 4 string fretted and fretless, 5 string fretted, and a 6 string fretted and fretless. Brand, colour, electronics are unimportant, but weight, balance, and comfort are. My ultimate aim is to always get down to owning only one of whatever it is. I may be related to Marie Kondo.

There needs to be a Channel Tunnel Deux for your Harley Benton deliveries, Stew. It needs to be made large enough for such throughput, and tariff/VAT/handling charge/custom charge-free.

I see the bass as a tool to achieve something. While I can't understand the point of owning lots of different brands with the same number of strings, I wouldn't have "just one" bass because the basses that I have serve different purposes. I currently have 8 basses, but one is old and senile, one is back in its packaging to be sold in the future because it weighs more than a house, and the other is an unsellable 5 string fretless that has no use (I have a 6 string and a 4 string fretless, so the 5 string is no use). The 5 basses I have and need are a 6 string fretted and fretless, a 5 string fretted, and a 4 string fretted and fretless. The policy is one in one out. They have different needs and they're the minimum that I need. I use a 4 because that's a standard bass, but on rare occasions I need a C or a B string, but it's a bad idea to use more strings than you have to so I only use what is necessary. I'm not a collector and I don't believe in pretty things. Basses are tools like a hammer or a wrench, but I don't see myself supercharging any of my hammers or buying a screwdriver in blue any time soon.

Knowing the fretboard intimately, awareness of scale shapes and how the intervals(chord tones) relate to the root over the fretboard. After that it's just developing confidence from practice and jamming to a metronome or backing track by yourself.

Np. Scales are best for musical context and ear training, chord tones always are where it's at. As for slap, I'm allergic and it will never be on my agenda.

"out of stock". This seems to apply to around 99% of everything on Andertons website at the moment.

if it's made in Indonesia, the chances are it's made by Cort. Nice basses. I think Cort makes some great basses and I very nearly bought one as my first bass, many moons ago.

I think the 4 string P bass is the perfect bass. It's got that one perfect tone that sits in the mix better than any, and the passive pups with "only" volume and tone is all that's necessary. Lots of basses these days have controls for mid sweep, bass crunch, treble pizzazzz, and mid-bass whump, but I have never found a reason to change the dials after I've found a tone I like. In a gig or a recording, it's the sound man who's going to be largely responsible for the sound, so as long as I have 1 tone I'm happy with during home practice I don't need anything else. Active pups just increase the chances of something going wrong so that I can have my amp attached to my bass. That's how I see it.

Welcome to the world of 6 string, Stew. As a daily exercise it's useful to go up and down each string singing each note immediately before you play it. There is also a scale exercise by Jon Packard that many find useful, but it's time consuming and not much fun. A much better way of doing the exercise though is to only play the root 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the scale. It's more difficult, but it's a good way for getting to know the 6 string fretboard in its entirety(rather than seeing it as a 4 string with 2 strings either side) and for learning the inversions and intervals around the neck. Doddy is right about the fret wrap. It's a crutch and diverts attention away from developing the best technique you can. Even on 4 string, it's ideal to develop good muting techniques. If you're normally a 4 string player, a 6 string will make you a better 4 string player and will give you a more fluid way of understanding scales and the fretboard. Everyone who wants to be the best bassist that they can should swap between basses of different strings now and again.

He may be referring to when the more deadly types of asbestos were banned, which was indeed in the 80s. White asbestos wasn't banned until 1999 as you quite rightly state, and this meant a complete ban.

VAT is added no matter the price. It's not a new tax. Previously the displayed price included VAT but now it doesn't.. If the net value is above £135 then it's handled by the couriers, which means that it also included handling costs. If equal or below then it's handled by the retailer and there is nothing extra to pay I think it's safest to choose items below or equal to £135 because, in theory, the couriers could charge whatever they like for the handling costs, and you never know beforehand at the time of purchase how much you're going to have to pay.

So true, many people confuse being a great bass player with being a great teacher. They are entirely separate skills. Always choose the one who is more skilled at teaching and that you have a rapport with.