TheButler

Great advice, thanks I'll get going on it. We have a fair number of well-paid gigs lined up. We have never worked to full capacity, and feel we could do so much more, hence getting new singer to make it work. Even as it stands we would each make a good supplemental income; but we all have full-time jobs complete with responsibilities...

[quote name='ChunkyMunky' timestamp='1452459811' post='2950168'] The Facebook groups for deps, perhaps? [/quote] I didn't know these existed. Indeed, I didn't even think about Facebook groups!

I just bought a Deko Harley Benton Jazz bass. £38 shipped. It had a hairline crack in the lacquer on the back of the body, about 2 inches long. £38! It plays better than most basses I've handled sub-£250. It comes well setup out of the box, D'Addarios and Wilkinson pick ups, which sound great for the money too. I'm very fond of it already, and can see me holding on to it. Even at the full price of £120 (?) it'd be worth it

I don't just mean to find as an obscure recreational activity, I mean to track down a good singer for a wedding/function band. I've never had to rely on [i]finding[/i] someone before, they've always just kinda been [i]known[/i] to us. We did okay as a band in our last incarnation; a few well-paid gigs a month. However, this coming year is (was) looking pretty good gig-wise. (Un)fortunately, the previous singer left just last month, and we've exhausted all avenues known to us to find a replacement - we've truly expended our network of fellow musicians. So, where does one find a singer? It used to be that you'd maybe just put a wee poster up in a studio/rehearsal space, but we have our own now and rarely venture into other ones.

So Thomann have made 'arrangements' with eBay to minimise the reselling of these items; it should make things more difficult for our friend. Not to mention they're giving me free stuff for 'grassing' on him!

Also screws our chances of picking one up. Probably sitting there sweating in front of the deko page hitting F5 when i'm busy at work making sure kids aren't chewing gum and swearing.

Is it the bloke off here?

The LH jazz that was up earlier in the week on Thomann: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Harley-Benton-Jazz-Bass-In-Natural-Ash-Left-Handed/262013707642?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3Dff34daae0b3b4b009fcd9d8efe4d4db1%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262013670968"]http://www.ebay.co.u...%3D262013670968[/url] The progressive... same seller [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Harley-Benton-Active-Bass-In-Black-Right-Handed/262013670968?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3D32cb50003745409489a4d13352d6cce1%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262013707642"]http://www.ebay.co.u...%3D262013707642[/url] The acoustic bass...same seller [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electro-Acoustic-Bass-Guitar-Left-Handed-/262013733006?hash=item3d013c488e"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3d013c488e[/url] "There is a mark on the back of the body which I have tried to show in the last photo."

eBay has more than double the amount of these deko basses than Thomann has... for more than double the price. Nothing in description to say they are seconds/B-stock. What a shyster.

He's good, but I am put off by the "try hard making a living from youtube subscribers vibe".

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1440225839' post='2849169'] This particular example came to a wapping £30.48 ...can't complain. I think they are less than £100 at full price and I'd feel I'd got a bargain if I'd paid that. [/quote] Just how quick do you need to be to snap one up? Are you sitting on the page pressing F5 for 23 out of 24 hours?

I have page alerts enabled. Need cheap jazz fix.

Looks fantastic. Always like the 'feel' of Sandbergs; good necks, well-balanced/good weight.

How many of our bass heroes do you think suffer GAS? They were bitten by the reward they got by making people happy playing their music - that is some kick that I have seldom experienced! Also worth mentioning I spent MUCH more money on gear when I had MUCH less money to spend on it. I signed up here when I was 17. I'm 25 now with a decent job and income and yet find myself unable to spend like I did when I was a 'lad'. I look at my historical posts with a great deal laughter. And I need to make it clear that I am currently GASin' for a new bass, but it has been 5 or 6 years since buying my last! The prospect of a nice new bass is feelin good, heck I have new strings coming in the post today and I'm basically peeing myself.

Don't beat yourself, it's a proper 'psychological' thing. A quick wee read here sums it up: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ambigamy/201110/gear-acquisition-syndrome-lustily-buying-more-tools-you-need " I've followed my father's advice. I've always pursued mastery, but always distracted by the search for better tools. Shopping has paid off, but with diminishing returns. My musical instruments are more than adequate. It's time to just woodshed-the musician's term of practicing, isolating yourself in the woodshed to hone your skills. I've had what we musicians call GAS: Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I'm not alone. There are millions of us "weekend warriors" as the music industry calls us, folks who spend lustily on unrequited dreams of musical mastery, folks who keep the dream alive but unfulfilled by shopping for instruments more than they practice them. " Another group that suffer bad GAS are photographers. One of which writes incredibly well about the neurological reasons behind it here: http://petapixel.com/2013/08/03/the-fear-to-photograph-and-the-gear-acquisition-problem/ Also, if you're more stressed you have weaker impulse inhibition. A simple thing such as having concerns of failure of your next musical endeavour could be enough to see you seek out a means to alleviate this through the buying of 'stuff'. The manufacturers produce nice things, forums sensationalise these things and before you know it your plunged into a stress reward cycle. Spending money is incredibly rewarding in the short term, but evidently it is not in the long term and breaking the cycle is difficult. One method I used was simply getting better, playing more, playing with a broader range of people (all of whom are that are infinitely better than me and don't seem to suffer from GAS as it happens) noticing that no one cares if I am good, but really only cares if they are, or indeed if the sound as a whole is good. Then again, I would only advise against banishing GAS if it genuinely makes you unhappy. Perhaps just controlling it by putting in place rules and some will power? Or get a wife that is very... strict and... unreasonable. That helps control GAS. Or just try having no money. That also worked for me.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1439757978' post='2845587'] I'm not a trendsetter. [/quote] Not sure if it matters whether [i]you[/i] think you are Anyway, it was merely an inaccurate/misused figure of speech. I, for one, greatly appreciate your reviews/opinions (and many other's) - including on these and the Maruszczyk's).

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1439731478' post='2845272'] The thing with Limelight is that they're meeting a demand in the marketplace. If you want a certain-spec bass, with a particular level of relic'ing that appeals to you, for a reasonable price, there's just nowhere else to go. As for Marusczcyk, I just find them remarkable. If there's another builder who can compete with them, I don't know who they are. [/quote] To what extent do you think you're a trend setter? Much power to install GAS comes from being a highly regarded and respected forum regular.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1439668423' post='2844891'] Do you know of any upcoming Sales..? [/quote] Oakfurnitureland. Sofaworks. Currys. And that there bass is nice. Not sure on the PG, but otherwise purdy.

I fancy getting him to build a 60s Shell pink Jazz. Between getting one of these or a Maruszcez (can't spell) thing.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1439580212' post='2844214'] When you receive a bass you've been excited about, and it is not how you expected it to be (whether your expectations are reasonable or not), it's normal to feel quite disappointed. Basschat is only a few clicks away, so we pour our thoughts/experiences onto it. I don't think it's that unusual. The OP was asking for our collective opinion, as many do every day about other things. I don't think it's fair to pick on him I'm glad the issue seems to have a happy ending. I cannot say I know the seller that well, I only exchanged a bunch of emails with him, but for what it's worth, he comes across as a very genuine guy. He's been very good with me during the order I placed for a bass a few months ago, and the bass was just exactly what I ordered. I was so happy, that I have placed another order, this time specifying a greater deal of details. I'm happy to hear that he continues to try to make his customers happy, whatever the issue. [/quote] I agree, I misunderstood the OP's initial issue/concern, owing to the direction discussion went in. No intention to offend/annoy/agrieve etc.

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1439574550' post='2844139'] For the reason clearly stated in the first post - I was torn on whether to keep the bass and was looking for some advice from more experienced people to help me make my mind up before messing the seller around with a return. The point of the thread, which I think is pretty clear from what I said, was to ask for advice and not to complain about my experience. [/quote] Very well then, go on about your business. Touche.

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1439565261' post='2844016'] I really must state that I do not feel that I was duped or otherwise badly dealt with, and the seller has been very good to deal with regarding returning the bass and ordering a different model. This was no doubt an honest bit of miss-communication and nothing more. [/quote] So why make a thread about it? If I made a thread about every time I have returned something this place would read more like Money Saving Expert.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1439549543' post='2843764'] it could be structurally compromised [/quote] I think this is the key thing really. £400 isn't pocket change and this bass wasn't, I presume, sold as being anything other than 'lightly' used? I think people are jumping to the defence of the seller as they '[i]know[/i]' him as the type of guy that wouldn't knowingly rip-off, or ship out a bass that is a joke. Word spreads fast, evidently, and I don't think someone would want such bad press associated with ripping off customers when they're clearly experiencing a huge wealth of interest from this source. There seems to be an odd conflict, that only arises on internet fora, that is that people pit the accusor (with little to no reputation as such) against the good reputation of a seller that people [i]want[/i] to trust, as there are far too few folk out there doing what that guy is doing (providing quality hand-built bases at a fraction of the cost).

And here's me thinking I was the one sad enough to be on here at 1AM.