Dom in Dorset

Update on finding my sound: I couldn't quite get the ooomph out of my Jazz, I'd fiddled with amp settings, the knobs on the bass etc. Sometimes it would sound great at home , but with the band it would fade away or just sound ropey. A new set of D'addario nickel strings and the bass has twice the output, twice as much bass, twice as much trebble and 99% more va va voom. Best £18 I ever spent.

I recently had (still on going) a similar mountain to climb, a set full of show tunes and songs from musicals. Although I've had a longer time , I've also had to learn to sight read. I just played through the set as often as possible, don't worry about getting it perfect for now, just try and get some improvement each time you play the tunes.

The Fast Food Rockers song is one that I've had to learn for a pantomime after Christmas. On the good side, it's the most challenging thing I've ever done (lots of sight reading and playing stuff that's outside my comfort zone) , I get to play in a 9 piece band, the band is hidden in a covered orchestra pit and I'm getting paid.

When you're short of cash do you sell a kidney or ...

I recently got a US standard , it's a delight to play. We gigged on friday night, I tuned up before the hour long first set , played the set and put it straight in the case. got it out for the second set , plugged in the tuner ... still bang on. I'm still trying to find "my sound" , it's there but there are so many variables I just need to experiment.

The slots would be deeper on the fretless. I've never seen a nut for sale specifically for fretless, it's easy enough to file out the existing nut.

There is a review of Wizard jazz pick ups in the reviews section at the moment.

These guys will send you a paper template to check if it fits before you buy: http://www.guitarselectric.co.uk/USAMex_PRECISION_BASS_SCRATCH_PLATE_in_7_Colours/p207303_2960412.aspx You can always keep the original should you ever decide to sell the bass

My first bass too! Mine was new, weighed an tun. I remember it being pretty good (not £300+ good) I tried one recently and though the neck was a bit bulky compared to modern P copies. If I wanted a cheap p bass I'd get a westfield (I've heard of them for £65 new) The Kay is a cheap bass with some upgrades and a high price tag. "Vintage wood?" - an old cheap bass.

Once the frets are gone the strings have to go down further before they hit the neck. If you don't adjust the nut , the action is too high.

I take it that any long scale ones will do? The difference in length looks like about 1/2" on my Jazz.

To do a good set up you'd need to modify the nut, I've never heard of an off the shelf fretless nut but I would expect to have to make adjustments whatever i used.

Have you thought about doing it yourself? I've done a couple and it's not that tricky, plenty of people here happy to advise.

I was after an Aerodyne (Japan) they were all over the for sale section and ebay while I was saving , when I had th[s]e [/s]money ...nothing! The US turned up on budget just as the money was burning a hole in paypal.

Congratulations! I was in a similar situation earlier this year when got bought a Fender Jazz, I still can't stop looking at the headstock "Fender USA" - and it's mine. I love precisions too, next on my list (one day)

One of a bizarre selection that I'm learning for a pantomime: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmKfHixGYwc[/media] Don't knock it, I'm getting paid and it's forcing me to sight read.

Lemmy's White Line fever is quite good, get's a bit repetitive in the last few chapters but still pretty entertaining.

It's truth or dare in this thread.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1323178221' post='1460136'] A 'beginner's bass' and a 'bass for a beginner' aren't necessarily the same thing... If someone wanted to learn to ride a horse would you put them on an arthritic old nag? OK, strange analogy. [/quote] You wouldn't put them on a thoroughbred race horse either.

If set up well the old passive Epi is a great bass, however next to a Gibson the output is more subdued. From my brief comparison I found that the Gibson had more treble response and more focused tone low down, more powerful and aggressive all over. If you've already had a series of £400 basses maybe this is the time to go for something extra.

I think I've been lucky, as far as I remember the worst accident I've had with a bass was a few months back... I was looking at my Epi T bird , I was going to list it for sale , I was thinking I'll try starting at £140, it's in great condi......it fell from my hands onto the tiled kitchen floor. I listed it for £100 because it had a big chunk of varnish knocked out of it. Can you do better?

Another thing to remember is that your first bass is the one that falls over after you leaned it against an amp, or falls out of a case that wasn't closed properly , gets 3/4 pint of Stella spilled over it etc,etc.

Most of my concerns about spending £1500 on a bass for a beginner stem from my personal circumstances , I just don't have that kind of cash (also my father was Scottish, I'm naturally tight fisted) If spending £1500 is something you can afford to do with ease and the recipient is going to really appreciate the quality of the instrument, then go with your first choice. I usually recommend a budget P bass because it's the nearest thing to an affordable "one size fits all" that would give an inexperienced beginner an introduction to the instrument. A Westfield P is under £100 and IMO is better than many basses in the £2-300 range ( search the forum to see how many devotees they have) . In this case money doesn't appear to be deciding factor, as long as the bass in question isn't too "Marmite" you might as well go for it.

£1500 is about ten times the amount I'd recommend spending on a first bass. 1- it's a lot of cash to spend if you aren't 100% certain about getting on with the instrument. 2- as a beginner you have no idea about what type of bass give you "your" sound, no point buying a £1500 Fender delux P if in a years time you decide that you really wanted a passive jazz. Just get a budget P copy, clock up some playing hours, learn more about the different styles of bass and playing styles before committing to anything more serious. I've been playing on and off for 25 years, my most expensive bass is second hand £600.

I approve.