M-Bass-M

I'd add my voice to those suggesting either the Mazda 6 or the new Mondeo. They're essentially the same car, but they do have by far one of the largest boots of all the family saloons out there. The Mondeo is great to drive, and if you get the 2l diesel, then you get some good fuel economy too.

Thanks for the info. Up to £220 now with 5 days to go, I wonder whether the "Vintage" tag may add a bit of a premium to the final price. I'll certainly pass, but it's interesting nonetheless.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-PRECISION-FRETLESS-BASS-Vintage-1974-/400358192979?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5d37353753"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-PRECISION-FRETLESS-BASS-Vintage-1974-/400358192979?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5d37353753[/url] Any Fender experts who would like to comment on authenticity of the above? Not sure I understand the modifications that have been made. It appears the scratch plate has gone, and that a StingRay-style control plate has been added. Currently at £47 + shipping, worth a punt as a first fretless? Mark

For any of you interested in picking up some high quality plugins at a very low price, then Waves are offering a 30% discount on their bundles: [url="http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=351"]http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=351[/url] From what I can see, UK retailers are matching this - I've just ordered the platinum bundle for a mere £365 from DV247.com Cheers Mark

I'm sort-of there. My main practice / gigging set up is my Status, GB Shuttle 6.0 and Barefaced Compact. However I do currently have a retro 80's TE rig in development, which currently consists of an MP11 pre- and an AX500 power-amp...

Funnily enough, I've been in the exact same situation as the OP. I had a desire to dabble in the world of 5-strings, and bought a nice cheap SUB Ray5 a few months ago. Since then, I've been using the 5 string exclusively for practicing and gigging... ...until last night. I went back to my beloved Status. I ultimately realised that I wasn't getting enough of a benefit from the lower B-string to justify the hardships that I was suffering - i.e. wasting all that time I'd invested in getting comfortable playing my Status. But I'd never have found that out unless I'd bought a 5-string in the first place. So my advice is give it a go. I could probably do you a good deal on a good-as-new 5-string Black SUB Ray5

So my list is: Encore P-Bass (Candy Apple Red) Fender MIJ Precision (Fotoflame Blue) Fender MIJ Precision Special (Sunburst, had a scratchplate like a '51 Precision, P/J pickups and stacked knobs). Bass Collection SB311 Fretless (Black) Status Empathy 6-String Status Shark 5-String (Sea foam green) Status Shark Active 4-String (Sunburst) Fender MIJ Jazz (Lake Placid Blue) *Status S2 Classic EBMM Stingray (Natural) *Sterling by MusicMan SUB5 Asterisked are ones I currently own. With the exception of the Encore and possibly the 5-string Shark, I regret getting rid of every one of those bases - particularly the Fotoflame Precision!

Thanks for all the feedback, looks like a Levi's strap it is then! For those who are interested, the strap in question is a Mono strap - won't be getting another of those again!

How long do your bass straps usually last? I ask because the strap I currently use is getting dangerously frayed around the holes, meaning that a new one is required, yet I've had it for less than two years I think. Just feels a bit of a short life to me....

If you're looking for finger strengthening / dexterity exercises, then take a look at Hanon: [url="http://www.hanon-online.com/"]http://www.hanon-online.com/[/url] Not the most exciting thing to do, but valuable nonetheless.

I've been in exactly the same situation, and just this week opted for a Yamaha P-95B. It's probably the cheapest 88-Key stage piano that you can get with a reasonable weighted action (I paid £480 inc free stand, stool and headphones), and while the response feels a bit heavy, it's far better than taking the 88-key midi controller route. The piano sound is reasonable enough, it's got a midi out so I'd always run it through a grand piano plug-in when recording. The other option I considered that seemed to be reviewed quite well was the Korg SP250. It's a bit pricier at £599, but I think the key weighting system is a bit more advanced than the Yamaha.

*ahem* there's also this:

[quote name='wriggers' timestamp='1351160229' post='1847996'] Thanks for that M-Bass_M. That's reassuring to know. I'd already checked out their site but knew nothing about them. I take it that you rate the SUB? Paul [/quote] I've added my thoughts on the SUB Ray5 to the main thread about it here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/166112-sterling-by-musicman-sub-basses/page__st__80__p__1841591#entry1841591"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/166112-sterling-by-musicman-sub-basses/page__st__80__p__1841591#entry1841591[/url] If you can stand the weight, then it's probably good value for the money that you pay. With my other bass being a Status, the difference in quality is probably a bit to much for me personally to put up with! Mark