EssentialTension

[quote name='Musicman20' post='599501' date='Sep 15 2009, 06:51 PM']Well guys....here is a lowdown on what happened today. I am disappointed yet again. I do not like picking fault with stores, but this wound me up a lot. I don’t want a fellow bassist spending his hard earned cash and getting ripped off. Short story version is, GuitarGuitar have these advertised on their site for £1085. Cheaper than normal? Yes. A pretty alright price for a retailer to expect a potential buyer to pay considering it’s a shop floor highly expensive boutique amp that’s been sat around a bit? Yes! So, the Newcastle branch say they are in via email. I email and ask if it’s the newer version with one input. They call me, and say they checked, and that they ASSURE me it is the latest model. The amp is based in the Glasgow. So, they put me onto them, telling me its NO MORE than 6 months old. Glasgow store say its new stock, not ex-demo, and definitely a brilliant amp that isn’t just an old shop floor one. Guess what; I ask for photos, it’s the OLD model….with two inputs. It’s dusty as hell, and the corners have all kinds of scrapes on them. Still looks awesome as Mesa’s do, but I am NOT paying that kind of money for something that isn’t the latest model. £1085? No thanks. Ill be wary of them from now on. This is why I hate ‘general’ music store. Ive never had these problems with the Bass Merchant. This is just the same as my problems with PMT in Leeds when they sold me a ‘new’ Jazz bass that was actually a demo, marked to hell, dodgy paint, etc. I took that back as well. I reported them to Fender and Orange, as they tried to sell me a battered OBC115, and said they were not allowed to order a new one in. Guess what, I ask Orange, and they will always supply fresh stock to customers at the same price. The lesson? Don’t trust certain stores without checking the items! The only exception ive found so far is my small local Orange dealer, Bass Merchant, and Bass Direct. So, let this be a warning to you. They did just email to apologise and then said their best price is now £1450! Nope thanks, not after all that! Rant over. Sorry to bring the thread down, but it needed saying. Glad no-one went for this particular combo on a GAS attack.[/quote] Well a sad story but at least you didn't fall for it. I felt myself there was something wrong with their price - probably that it was an older model, shop-soiled etc or that it was a return with problems. And they couldn't even be bothered to dust it before they photographed it. Useless.

[quote name='samej' post='599231' date='Sep 15 2009, 02:10 PM']Could you not just get a Baritone Uke and put some silicone or polyurethane strings on it for the same effect for much less money?[/quote] What's scale length on a baritone uke? These are 20". Would the poly strings fit through the tuners on a baritone uke?

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='599433' date='Sep 15 2009, 05:22 PM']this was featured in guitarist this month. the retail price is given as £429, and is available from sutherlandtrading.com apparently[/quote] £429 sounds about typical if they are $599 in the US. Still expensive.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='598892' date='Sep 15 2009, 12:35 AM']£599 on US eBay - fretted and fretless. I fancy one but not at that price.[/quote] I should have said $599 not £599. Still expensive.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='599043' date='Sep 15 2009, 10:56 AM']It might be an idea to try an MDF bass though and see how it sounds.[/quote] That'll be a Danelectro then.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='598943' date='Sep 15 2009, 08:38 AM']Why buy an expensive bass? Well, all the reasons given on the last few pages I guess. But why do you think it's "expensive"? Buy a £300 bass new, then try to sell it a few weeks/months/years later. You'll be very lucky to get £150 back for it. Now [i][b]that's [/b][/i]expensive. Buy a pre-owned, pre-depreciated £2000 bass, and try the same thing. Assuming you chose sensibly in the first place, chances are you'll at least get your money back. Do it on a rising market and you'll make a handsome profit. The cheapest bass I ever owned cost me £565 to buy and I sold it for £1200. So owning that "expensive" bass cost me ... erm ... minus £635. During a recession. Once you've reached the point where you can afford a high-end bass then you should be able to avoid it costing you any significant amount of dosh. Sometimes, the trusty old car analogy (Lexus -v- Ford) just doesn't work ...[/quote] This is a good post - calling basses 'expensive' without this kind of analysis is meaningless. And anyway, one person's 'expensive' is another person's 'bargain'.

$599 on US eBay - fretted and fretless. I fancy one but not at that price.

[url="http://www.kalaukulele.com/Kala%20Ukulele%20uBass.html"]Kala Site[/url]

I've never been able to tell the difference between through-body and through-bridge.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='595494' date='Sep 11 2009, 11:03 AM'][/quote] Very nice trio.

[quote name='chris_b' post='598841' date='Sep 14 2009, 11:21 PM']a didgeridoo player[/quote] [quote name='RhysP' post='598846' date='Sep 14 2009, 11:24 PM']Oh Christ.[/quote] Don't judge people before you've met them.

There are never any strings on his basses either .... probably 'cos they're still drying from the spray can.

[quote name='RhysP' post='598837' date='Sep 14 2009, 11:18 PM']Talking of Hell - I was in a Pret a Manger in Oxford St on Saturday buying some sandwiches & a coffee. My bill came to £6.66 & the guy that served me laughed & pointed to his name badge - it said "Damien". [/quote] :ph34r:

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='588094' date='Sep 2 2009, 10:21 PM']The one exception would be "disco octaves" - I find these easier to do if I anchor on the pickup.[/quote] Yes, I find those quite difficult without an anchor.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='589752' date='Sep 4 2009, 03:16 PM']IIRC, it's from back in the day when nobody was sure how the new-fangled electric bass guitar was going to be played. A lot of early players plucked with their thumb (or a thumb-pick) -- the thing below the strings was a [b]finger[/b] rest.[/quote] Or 'tug bar'.

[quote name='YouMa' post='598818' date='Sep 14 2009, 11:04 PM']He would probably get barred for putting up some weird installation art in the beer garden.[/quote] I thought that was the smoking shelter.

My alder fretted Precision is 8lbs 5oz. My alder fretless Precision is about the same. My mahogany Lakland Decade is 9lbs 2oz. I had a Jazz that was closer to 10lbs. None of those are/were at all problematic.

[quote name='lee4' post='598784' date='Sep 14 2009, 10:23 PM']Add a bridge to neck thumb rest and I might be tempted.[/quote] Do you mean a B string?

[quote name='RhysP' post='598786' date='Sep 14 2009, 10:26 PM']If you detest the blues as much as I do then most jam nights are the Seventh Circle of Hell.[/quote] Seventh Circle of Hell - Middle Ring: Anyone recognise the gig?

[quote name='Doddy' post='597585' date='Sep 13 2009, 07:06 PM']The technique,the expression,and most of all the music, comes firstly from the player.[/quote] I agree with 'comes firstly from the player' but I'd add not only from the player.

[quote name='Doddy' post='598734' date='Sep 14 2009, 09:36 PM']a place for acoustic guitar playing singers to get up and sing their 'original' songs,solo.[/quote] Those 'original' singer-songwriters nearly always remind me why playing covers can be great.

[quote name='YouMa' post='598739' date='Sep 14 2009, 09:40 PM']it would be nice to have oblique strategy cards at jam nights where the next band can for instance only play reggae,the next funk,folk,etc.[/quote] I like that idea with a second card for the key. Reggae in Dbm ..... mmmmmm.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='598706' date='Sep 14 2009, 09:09 PM']Ok... next question then... does anybody know of any in the Glasgow area? I found a list of what was described as 'jam nights' but [b]they all turned out to be 'open mic' nights which I'm guessing is just singers.[/b][/quote] Not necessarily. You need to go along and see what happens.