artisan

Much as my GAS is still driving me i think common sense has prevailed (for now) so i will be keeping the Strunal for a while & will buy a Duke when i can better afford to. This is a real shock decision for me as i am vey impulsive normaly.

Wowsa wowsa wowsa now that is beautiful Andy,i am envious Very very nice indeed,i really need one of those babies. Thanks for the value info too,if i decide to go ahead i guess £550 would be about right. Enjoy that lovely new bass.

OK So would i be greedy listing my Strunal 50/4 at £600 ? If so what would be a realistic price.

Thanks guys for your kind words re my Mum,i really appreciate it.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1395787700' post='2406438'] I lost my father recently and, perhaps in a similar mindset to the OP, bought my Martin DB. It was the right decision, and because of that, playing it has an extra level of personal meaning and emotional salience. Don't let pragmatics guide you here, it's not about the qualities of the instrument per se, but about the association and meaning. Sorry for your loss C [/quote] another great post. This is what i am feeling at the moment. My Mum was cruely & suddenly snatched away,she was very fit + healthy for her age. It has made me realise that you just don't know what is round the next corner & that nothing can be taken for granted so if you really want something or want to do something you should go ahead while you can. Having said that i do like my Strunal it is a very good student bass but what i really want is a Duke bass. Sorry for your recent loss too Chris.

[quote name='Rabbie' timestamp='1395787852' post='2406442'] For what it's worth: I have played ply Strunals as borrowed basses on tour. Nothing wrong with them at all and you can have a very happy career playing one as ultimately it is your fingers that make the sound. However, there is no comparison to my Duke. Bearing in mind that my Duke was one of the very first Thomas had sold, and it has had time to settle to me and viceversa. The differences are enormous. Strunals, like Shens and other well made plys are produced like their solid and carved wood basses, only with cheap plywood as opposed to wood. The result is a constant awareness you are playing a student instrument. The Duke is the rolls Royce of plywoods in 2014. It is made specifically to highlight the characteristics of a plywood for roots music (yes including trad jazz, swing, bop). It is a professional instrument and unless you want to join a philharmonic, you will not fancy anything else if that's the kind of sound you love. Everyone who loves basses or works with basses, players, luthiers, sound engineers, have told me they have never heard a better sounding, louder and darker bass. My gigging bass is now a Chadwick Folding bass, which is excellent, but acoustically it bears no comparison to how good my Duke is. Recently I got rid of a lovely carved Wilfer bass, which was beautiful bowed, but for pizz and slap was not as good as the Duke for my purposes. It had a carved bass sound, fine for most, but if you want to swing and thump, you just cannot beat the direct oomph of a great ply. Taking a Fiat 500 to the best mechanic in the world, will not make it compete with a Porsche...So, Duke all the way for me. I think I'm actually gonna ask Thomas for commission! Most importantly of all, very very sorry indeed to hear about your loss mate. [/quote] great post indeed. Thanks Rabbie that pretty much sums up what i was thinking,my GAS is now all consuming

[quote name='AndyBass' timestamp='1395695540' post='2405285'] At the minute I'm still in that honeymoon period where I'm beyond realistic comparison. A quick summary of the obvious stuff though: The Duke is noticeably lighter. The 50/4 is solid as a rock but is arguably a little unrefined The kit on the Duke is noticeably better, end pin particularly but also tuners etc. I'm currently using the Gut-a-like strings that came fitted (which have a wrapped E). And I may actually keep them on rather than switch for my Lamberts as they work with the bass for a great old school "thunk" when slapped And of course it looks extremely sexy, which shouldn't matter but totally does So basically it does the same as a 50/4, which is a great bass, but with a bit more polish and pizzazz. In terms of tone it's tough to AB them as I have steels on the Strunal which have a very different sound anyway. Likewise I've yet to have a proper setup on the Duke, so differences may become more pronounced after that. [/quote] you're not helping my GAS Andy

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1395692893' post='2405240'] Have you thought about maybe having some work done. Having the neck taken down and chamfered can really change a bass and make it a lot faster and easier to play. Probably wouldnt cost more then a 100 or so. [/quote] That is an excellent idea as i can't really afford the Duke without hitting the credit card,so i may look at that thanks for suggesting it Although the Duke is so pretty i just can't stop drooling over it,i just love violin shaped basses.

[quote name='AndyBass' timestamp='1395690777' post='2405204'] Just to add to your GAS, my Duke turned up last week and it's proper lovely... [/quote] oooohhhhh congrats Pic's & review please. How does it compare to your old bass.

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1395672144' post='2404869'] Why do you want a duke and what can it do that your current bass can't? [/quote] good question. I love the look of them & they get very good reviews. Rabbie has one & rates it very highly indeed both soundwise & for build quality. There is nothing at all wrong with my bass i just fancy having a "nice" bass.

I really fancy a Duke DB,actually i have accute GAS for one I can't really afford it but with the sad loss of my Mum last week i have realised you can't wait forever as you never know what is going to happen in the future. If i decide to go ahead i will have to sell my beloved Strunal 50/4 (Thomann Europe blue burst/ebony/adjustable bridge) which brings my question - How much would i list it for ? (I would only sell through the for sale section on here btw.) I honestly have no idea what to price it at as there are no Strunals for sale on here. Would it be worth £600 ? Of course i would only sell once i had bought the new bass.

I absolutley love my SG to bits. It sounds ace & is a total breeze to play.

Clarky is indeed an all round top bloke,my strings arrived good as new,dead easy to deal with & generally nice guy too.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DX26-The-Doghouse-Doctors-Seven-Silver-Dollars-2013-DJ-CD-/360828802203"]http://www.ebay.co.u...D-/360828802203[/url] just spotted this,very strange & also more expensive than we actually sell it for too i wonder who the seller is.