80Hz

All good inspiration, the creating (recreating?) community aspect especially. I say “recreating” as lots of shops used to do much of what you’re saying. But I think any good offline operation has to have a seamless online presence too. The online customer has to feel that they’re somehow part of that in person community experience. This is something Andertons have done particularly well imo, not to say there couldn’t be other ways of approaching it.

I’ve been on a bit of a flats mission over the last few months and have likewise come back to rounds with a couple of exceptions. Overall I feel it very much depends on the instrument and the pickup pairing. I play with amp models and headphones (Sennheiser HD 600s) so I’m basing this off DI tones and how they mix. Can’t comment fairly on live scenarios. A few months ago I bought a Paulman copy of a 1960 P bass from a forum member that came strung with Dunlop flats. These sound really excellent to my (admittedly noobish) ears. The play/polish feel is smooth but not quite LaBella DTF smooth. Tension feels quite low. But they have a good mid range which, to my ears, differentiates them a bit from DTFs, while retaining a bit of DTF thump. They’re keepers for sure. I wasn’t as impressed with TI flats, they do have a very mid focused sound, but did not pair well with the bass I tried them on (Ibanez SR). I also am not a jazzer so I’m probably not doing them justice. I made the noob error of trimming them down for the Ibby SR, so now they won’t fit a Fender style headstock. Anyone care for a cheap set of lightly used TIs for this size of bass? 🙄 I found Fender flats to be good value to dip one’s toes in the water. Yes they are high tension but I thought they sounded great with a pick (on another P bass). Good choice for classic rock. I had great fun playing along to Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benetar with this combo. 😆 I’m mostly back to Fender, D’Addario and LaBella nickel rounds. The other learning is that neutral or slightly treble boosted DI tones/amp models work best for me. No need to do much low passing IMO. And depending on the cab IR it can become very dark and woofy very quickly. So I can appreciate why a Sansamp would be a satisfactory combo. All genre and taste dependent of course.

There’s a nice looking Tribute L-2500 in tobacco sunburst on Reverb. Looks like used prices on those in particular are trending upwards, which might be a 5 string thing, as there’s a bit more used supply of L-2000s.

Yeah I totally appreciate that Matt. Probably just bad luck. Your SB-2 was very nice. Not trying to dissuade anyone from a Tribby.

Funnily enough @GreeneKing your L-2500 has been on my mind since the NW Bass Bash! I think because the Tribute and US models have the same bridges and nut width, string spacing should be the same. (G&L now have the series 750 L-2500 which has a special wide bridge giving 19mm string spacing on the 5er). One suggestion I'd make is if you go shopping for a Tribute series, have a look at it in person. I'm in a minority of people who wasn't impressed with the build quality of a Tribute series guitar I bought. Admittedly that might be comparing apples to oranges, but it has made me a little shy of buying one sight unseen. It may not be what you have in mind in terms of a backup, but I've also been looking at a US L-1505, which has a single MFD humbucker in the Stingray position. There's a couple of them out there for sale in the UK, not so much on the L-2500 front.

What makes the Line Audio stuff good and bargalicious is that (from what I've read) the builder is careful to test and only use components that meet his tolerances. So there is a level of care going on in manufacture more associated with high priced gear. My experience with the Line Audio mics (OM1s) are that they are voiced quite neutrally. IMO this is good as they avoid the brittle/hyped high end that is a common feature of cheap mics, but it may translate as less apparent "detail". Oh and Pinknoise are all good to order from, they're more oriented towards production sound than music that's all.

I’ve been trying to come up with an unpopular opinion here, but the truth is I pick up my Jazz and say, ah, this sounds nice and plays great. Then I pick up my P and say… well, sounds nice, plays great! There’s a lot to be said for knowing each sound well and when to deploy it. There’s so much territory can be covered with two pickups (or one!) with different strings and playing techniques. It’s also fine to stick everything on full and not overthink it😁 This reminds me that I’ve never actually had flats on my Jazzes. Some homework to do there.

Next gig I’m going to is Shonen Knife in York on 6th June. Any Basschatters going to Saxon + Udo Dirkschneider later in the year? I’m considering doubling up with a trip to Ireland to catch one of those shows. Dublin or Belfast hmmm…

Oooohh, this’ll sit really well alongside the Greco! And I know of no better justification than it was there and you fancied it 😄

Thanks for the thoughtful and thorough review! That’s a very good looking bass, but with some nice design choices that differentiate it from the many slightly tweaked but essentially Fender copies out there. I particularly like how the headstock has been done - it has a sense of proportion and the modern retainer plus careful tuner layout looks the business.

I don't see any point at your stage of life of rushing through ABRSM grades. You don't have to pass Grade 8 by the time you leave school 😄 The experience of growing through music should be positive, so if rushing towards grades is impacting your enjoyment and adding unnecessary stress, absolutely kick that out of your way. Learning, actually tackling any large task, for me has become about playing mental games with myself. It can only be done incrementally. I now understand that when I'm angry or frustrated with whatever I'm trying to tackle, it's time to step away. Make a cup of tea. Lie on my bed for 10 minutes. Read. Take a walk. Pick up a bass - or sometimes put it down! Whatever it takes to reset the brain chemistry. That doesn't mean that learning shouldn't be challenging. All the "mechanics" of practise are important - scales, exercises, playing with a metronome, etc - but I'm now sure that it has to sit within an overall approach or attitude to growth. In terms of learning strategies I found "A Mind For Numbers" by Dr. Barbara Oakley opened some doors for me. It's about maths, but the "learning how to learn" aspects, understanding how the brain learns, can be integrated into anything. (Learning How To Learn is also a Coursera online class by the same author, which IMO is well worth anyone's time.) Reading back this sounds like a load of influencer woo, but it's taken me a long time to actually understand that I have to work with my grey matter.

Interesting that that was also my general perception, can't say I was paying too much attention to overall weight (I expected it to be light!). My theory (and it's just a theory) is it has a slightly deeper neck than I was expecting, yet still very slim, coupled with that tiny headstock - so the weight of the instrument is more "centered" than other small body designs. I could be talking absolute nonsense 😆

I had the distinct pleasure of a brief noodle on this bass yesterday. Being tuned BEAD it felt a bit like the time I tuned my baritone to Bolt Thrower tuning (whatever that was). My point of reference for basses of this era is my ‘94 Ibanez Soundgear (also a PJ). In comparison the SB310 felt a little bit more substantial (perception more than reality I would say, maybe a slightly deeper neck profile) but both seem to spring from the same design brief. Anyway I appreciated the chance to play something a bit esoteric that I’d hitherto only read about!

For context @bigthumb was giving my G&L JB a workout this weekend - he’s a monster player and humble about his slap technique 😀 Now it’s complaining that I only tickle it!

Indeed wow, this is amazing stuff. I appreciate the care taken to integrate it into the room (I particularly like the design of the grille screens). Nice little bit of Bach's Passacaglia in C minor at the end there, one of my all-time favourite pieces. One to practice! Hope you enjoy it 😄

Great to meet you all and put usernames to faces, really appreciated the opportunity to see and play so many lovey basses, and talk music. Another big thanks to @rwillett for organising!

Metal is a tough one. It’s kinetic. It’s hard to do without proper practice space and being somewhere you can play loud. Hope you live somewhere that you can still get to shows and find other ways to be enthusiastic about the music. If so you might circle your way back into playing.

Well I impulse bought that black one which popped up on Andertons, so thank you to @Harps for the heads up! It’s an eye catching bass and the metallic black is flawless. No rippling or other tell-tale signs of “budget” finishing. I basically concur with @HeadlessBassist on tones - my favourites are middle switch position with the neck in single coil mode, bridge in series or bridge in series on its own. But lots of options to play with. Pickups are pretty neutral voiced but nothing a bit of EQ or careful choice of preamp couldn’t add character to (I did particularly well with a Sansamp profile on ToneX). Lovey neck, profile is very comfortable. My first roasted maple neck, really like the deep caramel. Nice piece of rosewood too which will get better with a little oil or Montys relic wax. Frets are great with just a slight hair of sharp ends here or there. A quick dress and it’ll be fine. I would concur on weight too, probably in the 9 lbs area but nothing out of the ordinary. Overall it’s got a bit of personality and nice to have a twist on the traditional formulas. Even if it is strongly inspired by a RB! Hopefully not the last bass from this brand that we’ll see in the UK.

Welcome back! I can relate to falling into periods of playing lots then not so much. Good on you though for only selling one bass and acquiring another in the intervening nine years! Glad also it was a G&L 😀

Brilliant, looking forward to this very much. I should be there around 10:00AM or perchance a little before depending on when I can prise myself out of bed.

Very nice - thanks for the observations on the weight. Can't argue with just a bit oil!