marvin spangles

I have a bass that I got here in Ireland made by a Luthier from Oregon called Seth Kimmel. You can google him and check out the bass Gallery . Mine is the 3 rd avenue model. If I didn't need (want) a really good arco sound then I wouldn't have gone for such an expensive bass. For Pizz only work a quality hybrid bass well set up will give you everything you need. There's heaps of pros out there who play on good plys and hybrids.

The price of a bass is different from its value imo. While it's true that certain names do carry a certain cache that means they will hold their value it doesn't necessarily mean that the bass is particularly good. One of my basses is at least three times the cost of the other. Is it three times better. No way! Is it worth what I paid for it.? This is a difficult question. When I consider the skill and effort of the luthier I know I've got a bargain. Are there better basses cheaper than mine. I'd say most definitely. It feels like it's [b]my[/b] bass and that's where the value comes in. It's value to me is what's important. I would say that the Martin Concerto Bass I heard (pizz only) was as good a bass as mine and certainly better value as a jazz bass. I didn't hear how it played arco. Which is why I bought the bass in the first place. It just turned out to be a great jazz bass to0. I think there are good basses to be had in the £1200 - 6000 range . Find a bass you like and play the sh*t out of it.

As I said earlier I had an opportunity to hear and play one of Thomas Martin's basses . John Goldsby played on it too. He thought it a nice bass too It would be an excellent jazz bass. Huge quality tone. Judging bass on a brand name is probably not the best approach. No two basses made by the same luthier will be exactly the same. That said there are many higher end Chinese carved basses that are pretty consistent. Perhaps your question might be better answered by playing a load of different basses at your price point and lower. .

[quote name='SevenSeas' timestamp='1380309148' post='2223732'] D) Thomas Martin Bass, I emailed Tom and he said his basses were 5k + Vat so basically 6k. Parts of the basses are made in the workshop but some parts are made in Hungary. (I think it was Hungary?) What are they like as jazz basses though? [/quote]

...so I contacted Acoustic Image about the possibility of a repair with no expectation as the amp was at least 7 years old or maybe more. Rick Jones replies ...it's still under warranty ...send to us and we'll repair it. Now that's what I call customer service! Thanks guys for all the sympathetic comments! Regards Peter

Spiro weichs on hybrid bass Sonores drago basso on carved

A decent instrument and loads of practice!

She's a real head turner!

There had been some "cracking ' coming from the pick up and I should have acted on that . The white cable on the FC was clearly making a bad contact due to overactive grandchildren pulling on the cable. I 'twillgled' it and it worked fine. Then last night on a gig it went again. I attached the sm58 and carried on the gig as you do. I didn't disconnect the PU from the amp. After a while there was the unmistakeable smell of electrical circuit burning. I don't know if the faulty pick up could have caused this or if it was an unfortunate coincidence. Yes Geoff Fishman replaced a damaged PU for free on a previous occasion . I think I'll get a replacement and get the old one repaired as a back up. I'll contact AI and enquire about repairs. Luckily I have an EA micro as back up. In fairness I have had a run of 5 or so years of stress free gigging with all gear holding up . The AI amp has served me well. I think I've had it since 2004.

Both my pick up Full circle and AI Focus died on a gig tonight. Ended up attaching a sm58 to the bridge with gaff a tape. Survived the gig ...only just. Judging from the burning smell from the Amp I don't hold out much hope. Does anyone in the uk do repairs on the FC pick ups? Last time this happened Fishman repaired it for free ... I couldn't possibly ask them again

Hi Andrew You seem to have your mind made up re buying an Upton Bass. They certainly have a great reputation. I myself have imported a bass from the us. However there are great basses to be had here too. I had an opportunity to play on a Thomas Martin Concert model earlier this year. It was a fairly big bass . The owner said it was a 4/4 model. I found it very playable. The sound quality was excellent. The only downside was the Bridge was a little too high and needed adjusters. However I thought it was a quality instrument with a huge sound. The advantage of buying locally of course means that at some point in the future you may decide to trade up. And of course the valuable relationship you form when buying from a Luthier that takes pride in his work.

Hi Pedro Looks like you've got a load of good advice here. I'd go along with a lot of what Geoffbassist says. Another way of looking at your problem Set aside £200-300 for a good pick up. Eg Full circle £500-1000 for amplification £300 for set up. £200 for strings That leaves up to £2700 for your bass. It would be my opinion that you should get the best ply bass you can for this money. A lot has been said about the Thomann basses. I have no first hand experience but I know of at least one pro that uses a basic ply with a good set up. I have played some Shen basses and can testify to their superb build quality and value for money. Good luck in your quest

Hi Fatback I did grades 5-8 one grade per year starting when I was 52 approx. It was a great move for me. I fell in love with the bowed sound so much so that I formed a string ensemble and we do a couple of concerts a year. It gave me a lot more confidence in my intonation. . Bizarrely I wasn't nervous at all because I went into the exams with nothing to lose. It opens a whole other window on bass playing.

...and there's always the option of going direct to the PA via your preamp and back to you via the vocal monitors if they use them.

Hi Clarky I'm bewildered why you sold your crazy 8 which seemed like the perfect speaker for coffee shop sized gigs. Chuck it in a Cajon bag with an EA micro or doubler and you're good to go and only one trip from car to gig.

Looks like you've got a lot of helpful advice there. Tuner, arco drones etc. all valid and useful ... at the end of the day a good technique and attention to your intonation is the basic mantra here. Good luck and enjoy.

Learning classical arco is invauable. Wish I'd started that way . A good technical basis takes a lot of the wasted trial and error time out of practice. Check out the vid below for a good approach to Jazz pizz. Playing the same music pizz is fine but do work with the bow. It will really help your intonation. http://youtu.be/IvbNifnccis

I'm afraid so Geoff. Keep your spiros in the string drawer you might need them. £220 for a set of Dominants on the String Zone website. $250-270 in the US . Hey Clarky I would have thought the Thomastik prices would depend on the Euro. What we bassists need is for the Euro to go in to meltdown so we can stock up on a lifetimes supply. I have a set of Spiro's Weich's on my La Scala and they're staying there for the forseeable future.

Kudos to the String Zone they are honouring their advertised price.

Just ordered a set of dominants from the String Zone yesterday . Price inc pp £143. I looked at the site today and the price is now £228 . I've already paid via PayPal . I just hope that they honour the original stated price. That's a hike too far ...