Cat Burrito

I have different experiences to the above posters - I wouldn't say I disagree with the others completely though. You need to exercise caution when buying an acoustic bass and certainly don't buy one you haven't played. I had a great Aria acoustic bass which I only sold when times are hard. I've played some good cheap ones. You just need to trust the seller has given them a decent set up. My Aria was great & is one of my bigger regrets from all the kit I've sold on over the years.

Been jonesing for a new P-bass (I know what I like & I like what I know) and today I finally got what I was looking for. It's a brand new (but old stock) 2007 60th Anniversary orange sunset Fender USA Precision Bass. Pics attached. I plan to stick a torteshell pickguard on it & chrome ashtrays. Gonna be sweet. Enjoy It plays well and sounds as it looks!

I'm always up for a nice secondhand bargain (I've never owned a brand new bass amp in 20yrs of playing) but it totally depends on what's on offer and is very difficult to comment without seeing / playing the goods. It's a minefield out there - people get great deals and people get ripped off.

Thanks for the replies. I tried a couple out today and found that mildy disappointing but wanted to offer some further thoughts; [quote name='Badass' post='527508' date='Jun 29 2009, 10:41 AM'][url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=81"]Perfect 10[/url] I use an Ashdown perfect 10 for acoustic rehearsal. 30 watts and it has power to spare. £80 from Dolphin music I think it was. Bargain ![/quote] I like Ashdown, they sound good on YouTube so [b]could[/b] be a go-er. I need to try one first hand though as YouTube isn't always the best to fully appreciate all tonal aspects. [quote name='chris_b' post='527563' date='Jun 29 2009, 11:36 AM']If you don't want to spend much.... take your amp and turn it down! I know it's the heavy option but it saves you the cash and the hassle of finding the right amp! I use an LM2 (300 watts) with my acoustic duo. Works fine on 2![/quote] My first thought BUT with a car full of band members, I want something portable. I keep it down at home but it is a bit of a beast transport wise. [quote name='chris_b' post='527656' date='Jun 29 2009, 12:41 PM']+1 for keeping the amp volume up and turning the instrument down. If your band is doing acoustic rehearsals will they be doing acoustic gigs? If so a 20 watt combo isn't enough. You might as well get a good neo 112 and a 300w (at 8 ohm) amp then you'll be good for rehearsals and the gigs.[/quote] In terms of acoustic performance, I'd just go through the P.A. - every time! Electric wise I have my amp so it really is just a case of something light & portable to kick around with. Got to say the 15w Fender Rumble was especially poor though. I appreciate the replies though so if anyone has any thoughts they want to share on light portable low watt combos, I'm happy to listen. Cheers, BB

I'm with the others - a tweaked bass turns a good instrument into a great instrument that is customised for your tastes. Just don't expect to make your money back if selling it on in a few years. I'm quite traditional (which always fits a number of styles) so a Fender hi mass vintage bridge & some retro spec (Seymour Duncan) pickups more than does me.

I own a Roland DB700 which is seriously loud and quite heavy. My band are now doing some acoustic rehearsals and I want to pick up a cheap practice amp that will hold up with 2 acoustics and a bit of percussion. So it doesn't need to be loud, heavy or complicated. It's not for playing live so I am not looking for something that has the best tone, just a no thrills amp. Am I right in thinking 20watts would more than cover it? It has to be new as I need to pick it up today or tomorrow so second hand on these pages is out. I'm looking to spend as little as possible as it's only an acoustic rehearsal amp. Any pointers will be gratefully received. I just want a no thrills package that I can just throw in the car.

It completely depends on what you want & what you hope to achieve. Personally I use Seymour Duncans - SPB1 & Antiquity are my personal faves but that's just my tastes.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='527030' date='Jun 28 2009, 08:24 PM']Ottis Redding - Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Not sure if that counts.[/quote] It's a Stax classic so it ought to! For me (& it [b]will [/b]change tomorrow!) Get Ready from the Motown vaults & Green Onions from Stax

1532 now thanks to my two

Both are brilliant. I don't buy into this Jamerson being bass & Carol Kaye being guitar theory. Nice idea but it is a bass guitar after all! Leo Fender designed it to be an accessable way for guitarists to play bass. If we are taking bass surely it'd be a double bass to be true proper bass? Both have done enough quality recordings to earn a place up there with the best of them. 'Nuff said!

I've ordered from them must be a dozen times, never a problem & always bang on the money. Can't fault them. They even have the 0% finance deal right now so you'd be a fool not to check out the website

Thanks guys... still never got that promised call from MIJFenders!?! Hmmmn! Nice guy on the phone but if you say you are going to call, you call - or put in a courtesy message if something comes up. Very poor customer service.... well I look unlikely to be a customer now! Guitar Emporium may be worth an investigation if I don't come up trumps with the guys on this site. Cheers If anyone else has any thoughts on companies offering MIJ Fenders, I'd love it for you to share. Ta

Just wondering about different companies offering MIJ Fenders. I'm after a 62RI P-bass. There are a couple on the forum that I'm interested in (one especially) but if they don't happen for me I've been checking out other stockists. What are these guys like? [url="http://www.mijfenders.com/frmframe.htm"]http://www.mijfenders.com/frmframe.htm[/url] I emailed them - no reply. Phoned him & he said he'd get back within 24hrs and then didn't. He sounded helpful & like he knew his stuff BUT did state the prices on the web were "an older page"? What are other people's experiences like? If anyone knows any good stockists of 62RI MIJ basses, I'd love to know about it. Cheers, BB

Just as an observation (not having seen your ads) one problem people have with ads is narrowing their scope too much. I did it myself when I was younger - insisting people being influenced by a lengthy list of obscure acts, being in a narrow age bracket & meeting various impossible targets. If you sound like a laugh (albeit a focussed one) in the ad people are more likely to call. There are loads of acts out there (bass players are rarer than Hen's teeth around my way) so I'm sure something will come up quite quickly. In addition to the excellent sites mentioned some sites are genre specific. If you google around band search country or musician search jazz etc you'll be surprised what comes up. I play in 3 acts and every band contains people found online, as did every band I've played with this decade!

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='519548' date='Jun 20 2009, 08:11 PM']If you are talking about the new model, yes it will. Here is a pic of my 2008 model with full covers, since traded. Jez [attachment=27429:SUNP0044.JPG][/quote] Thanks Jez & very nice bass too!

I have ashtrays on both my basses & have done since the late 90s. Out of interest, does anyone happen to know if the bridge ashtray wll fit over an American Standard P-bass High Mass Vintage bridge? I assume it does because of the use of the word "vintage" but wonder if anyone has first hand knowledge.

Sounds like you'd be better off knuckling down as opposed to being on here! Ha! Joking aside, you sound like you'll be more than equipped to do the job at hand. I'm just in the process of getting my first double bass. From talking to friends who are further down the line with it then you or I, they seem to adapt quite quickly. I'm (slightly) more concerned about my left hand technique for any audience members who are perfect pitch but then I think I'm happy to learn by my mistakes. With your references to Americana / country / rockabilly it sounds like we're doing similar stuff. Best of luck with it.

I don't know about a famous bassist's bass but I'd like an early 70s P-bass - I enjoy the fantasy / the hunt & am in no hurry to get it. I have a lot of flexibility in colour as it changes every week!

Seriously worth doing - I got a load on EBay myself a few years ago. I don't like Grolsch so it cut out the middleman nicely!

A long time ago in a Galaxy far, far away (well 1995 somewhere in the West Country) my wife said I could get a double bass. Nearly 15yrs later this finally looks like it's going to finally be happening. I've traded in some old kit at my local music store & this [b]will[/b] now be a dream come true. It got me to thinking, what do you guys play & who actually wants to play stand up bass as well as a bass guitar? Are you happy with where you are or do you stretch yourself (quite literally!)? Just not looking forward to lugging it about! BB PS Apologies for those who's lifestyle choices are not covered by my poll.

To be blunt, you are in the wrong band! If you are not a full time professional musician this [b]has[/b] to be about FUN! If it isn't, you have to ask why you are doing it. Don't give up - just get your name back out there & another act will come along. Best of luck.

Gotta love a good P-bass. My main workhorse is a 1990 MIJ in the aforementioned sunburst & maple. May I apologise in advance for any drool on your keyboards?