Cieran

Anyone?

I've been playing bass for just over a year after upgrading from regular 6 string guitar. Decided to go for a shortie as I guessed it would be a fairly easy transition for me and then went through the process of buying different types/brands of strings - testing feel, sound and string tension; until eventually I settled for some D'addario's. I typically only played each set of strings for a few days before I decided if they were right for me or not. So....

For sale are 5 x hardly used, rare and hard to find short scale strings including some custom made Rotosounds.

These would be perfect for someone like me who wants to try out lots of different short-scale strings. As any shortie owner knows the selection of short strings available is pretty limited - I had to order these hard to find strings from abroad (US & Germany) and even arranged for Jason How at Rotosound to make me 3 custom sets. Their details and pictures are:

Optima Gold (formally Maxima - used by John Entwistle) - 50/65/85/105
La Bella Hard Rocking Steel's - 54/75/90/111
Rotosound Swing 66 stainless steel custom - 50/70/85/110
Elites custom bass series stainless steel - 45/65/85/105
D'addario EXL170M nickelwound - 45/65/80/100 - only the E string in this pack has been used.

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Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.

Cheers,
Cieran

Ok folks this is a bit of a long shot but I thought I would give it a whirl in case anyone is interested.....

I bought this bass last week as I have had my eye on it since Squier announced they were producing them. Finally came into stock at Andertons last week and I promptly placed my order. It arrived friday afternoon and after playing about with it over the weekend I have decided it is not for me. I can easily return it to Anderton's under their 7 day money back guarantee but unfortunately they charge £15 for it to be picked up and sent back.

This isn't a problem but I would obviously rather not have to pay this if it can be avoided. So I thought I would list it here to see if anyone living near me in SW London is interested in buying it and would like the opportunity of trying it out without ordering it over the internet. It goes without saying that I am looking to recoup the money spent so the asking price is £190 (same as Andertons).

No worries if not but I thought it was worth a try. You can find more information here:

[url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-guitars/pid20675/cid560/squier-jaguar-bass-special-short-scale-bass-in-candy-apple-red.asp?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=pricecomp&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping"]http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-guitars/pi...=GoogleShopping[/url]

And heres a quick couple of pics taken on my iphone:

[attachment=80587:IMG_0209.jpg]
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Thanks for looking!

[quote name='untune' post='1224065' date='May 8 2011, 12:43 PM']I'm having a custom humbucker made by Allan at Catswhisker for my build.

Can't comment on the tone etc yet because it's not been made, but I can say he's a lovely bloke, incredibly helpful and knows what he's doing. If you've not spoken to him it might be worth sending him an email to see what he can tell you?[/quote]

Would you be able to tell me about the tone when you get around to finishing your build? I am not looking to do my own build for a couple of more weeks so by then you might have completed your build. I have already emailed Allan a couple of times making initial enquiries about a P/J combination and he has been nothing but helpful but I was curious if any BassChatters had any real experience. It might be worth me emailing/speaking to Allan about the specific tone I am after and see what he says.

Thanks for your help.

Anyone?

I'm thinking of swapping out the P/J pickups on a short scale bass I have my eye on and I have narrowed it down to Wizard or Cats Whiskers.

After doing a search on the BassChat forums I have found plenty of complimentary feedback for Wizard pickups but nothing for Cats Whiskers?

Has anyone here had any experience using them and willing to share their thoughts. Would be much appreciated.

Ta
Cieran

It's a Gretsch G2202 which was originally a 30" scale but I have since put a badass bridge on it which has actually increased the length by about an inch. If I approximate from the saddles to the nut (as opposed to the bottom of the bridge to the nut) it measures about 31". You can see a pic of it here:

[url="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6464/copyof1001523tez.jpg"]http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6464/copyof1001523tez.jpg[/url]

I am guessing that the short scale set will probably just fit which I would rather get as I can get these in a heavier 107 gauge which will help with the floppy E string. However I have also read that GHS Boomers are quite stiff so the 105 medium scale set might do the job. I currently have D'addario nickel EXL 105's on it which are great apart from the E string not having much definition....

I'm thinking about trying out some of these but I am unsure what scale would fit my bass. I am stuck between getting the short scale - Fits 30" - 31" according to the GHS website, or the medium scale - Fits 32" - 33".

The distance between the bottom of the bridge and the nut is a fraction under 32", but I know that scale lengths are unreliable and manufacturers use different ways to measure them - for instance my bass is apparently a 30" scale according to the official specs.

Has anyone got a set of either the short or medium scales that they could measure for me? I would be extremely grateful as it will help me decide which set to go for and stop me wasting much needed money!

Thanks in advance

Changed my mind unless i can be persuaded otherwise......

Ok folks here goes. For sale is my 18 month old Squier Affinity P Bass in black which is surplus to requirements. It was my very first bass and I quickly realised that the length was too long for me and I then went on to get a short-scale Gretsch which I love. In that time I have hardly played it and it has never even left the house. It's a great bass and has a really nice classic P tone - I was intending to keep hold of it as a backup and for detuning etc... (which I can't do on my short-scale) but unfortuantley needs must.

I'm sure it's not neccessary as it's a fairly well known bass, but you can see more info/ specs here where I originally bought it from:

[url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/squier-p-bass-guitar-black-rosewood--2307"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/squier-p-bass...-rosewood--2307[/url]

All the electronics and pickup are in full working order and overall the bass is in good condition. There is a couple of minor dinks on the front horn - nothing major and I have highlighted them in the pics below. The only other slight issue is that it has quite a few light scratches on the back which is due to me sliding it in and out of it's original box packaging which I kept under my bed. It took me a while to notice it was doing this as they are only really noticable when reflected in the light at the right angle - you can see the scratches in the pictures below, 1 of which was taken inside as these showed the scratches more clearly. It doesn't currently have any strings on it as 2 of the La Bella's I had snapped so I took the other 2 off - however I am happy to put these back on if needed.

I have tried to provide detailed pictures but my camera skills are not the greatest, so if there is anything specific you would like to see please let me know. Some of the pictures are darker than the others which seemed to be a result of the combination of the camera I was using and the jet black colour of the bass. They are pretty decent quality though none the less and show what the bass looks like.

I am looking for £80 for the bass including standard delivery for mainland UK or £70 if you want to meet in person. If you want additional services such as tracking & insurance it will be a bit more depending on what you want. Alternatively if you are happy to meet somewhere in or around London I should be able to meet you in person. It does not come with a gigbag/ case but it will be well packed and will be sent in it’s original box packaging.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.

Cieran

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Posting this for sale on here and musicradar after taking advice from other basschatters....

For sale is a Fender CDN-240SCE electro-acoustic hybrid classical guitar, in a natural finish. It is a unique and top quality nylon string guitar which is easier to play as it has a nice low action, thinner neck, and cut-away body. Here’s the blurb from the Fender website:

[i]“The Fender CD-N240SCE is quite an interesting instrument; a hybrid nylon-string that actually isn’t a classical guitar, strictly speaking, because it has a soft cutaway and a slightly thinner neck profile that’s easier on the fretting hand. Other CDN-240 SCE features include a solid cedar top, rosewood back and sides and built-in electronics.”
[/i]
I have owned it for approx 18 months and the only reason I am selling it is I have hardly played it, as in that time I decided to take up bass and that has become my primary guitar passion. It is in excellent condition, has been well looked after and has never left the house (apart from my garden!). All the on-board electronics are in full working order and it also has a set of top quality Albert Augustine strings on it. You can find more detailed info here:

[url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/fender-cd-n240sce-electro-classical-guitar--41513"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/fender-cd-n24...l-guitar--41513[/url]

Sound samples can be found here: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_cdn240sce_na.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_cdn240sce_na.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/search.php?partno=0972405021"]http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/searc...rtno=0972405021[/url]

I have tried to provide detailed pictures but my camera skills are not the greatest, so if there is anything specific you would like to see please let me know. I have included some pics taken from inside so you can get a sense of the finish in natural and artificial light. Some of the pictures taken outside appear to show blemishes on the guitars finish but this is just the reflection of trees and grass showing up in the gloss.

I am looking for £190 for the guitar including standard delivery for mainland UK or £180 if you want to meet in person. If you want additional services such as tracking & insurance it will be a bit more depending on what you want. Alternatively if you are happy to meet somewhere in or around London I should be able to meet you in person. It does not come with a gigbag/ case but it will be well packed and will be sent in it’s original box packaging.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.

Cieran

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Mike bought some more short-scale strings from me.

As before he was a pleasure to trade with and I would not hesitate to do so again in the future.

Top bloke.

Bump

As the title says I am selling 2 packs of Newtone strings which I have owned for just over a week. They were custom made for me by Malcolm & Neil at Newtone strings to fit my short-medium scale bass. One pack has been unopened and the other set was strung up on my bass for the last week so that I could get a feel for them before I decided that they weren't for me. The core of the string measures approx 32" as this was the distance from the bottom of the bridge to the nut on my bass. The used set was strung on my Gretsch which has 2+2 tuners on the headstock (as opposed to 4 in a row), so this is worth keeping in mind if you are interested as they have been cut to fit the tuners.

They are excellent and well-made strings that have a nice bright zingy sound to them. The heavier gauge is perfect for shorter scale basses as they provide the same amount of tension that you would find on a regular/ long scale. Only reason I am selling them is they are slightly too bright for my liking and I found the extra tension to be too much for my puney fingers (you can tell I was a guitarist before I took up bass!) Heres what the blurb says on the back of the pack:

"These strings have been individually made from the finest materials available. Our small workshop was set up to bring together traditional craftmenship and the very latest ideas in string design and materials. DIAMOND BASS: Are an excellent quality bass string featuring outstanding sustain together with long life. These strings have been designed with live performance in mind."

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Looking for £25 for the unopened pack and £15 for the used set. Am happy to sell them individually or together - will knock of a fiver if bought together.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.

Cheers,
Cieran

[quote name='MuseMatt' post='1162265' date='Mar 14 2011, 08:03 PM']Hey, quite interested. Where are you situated? I'm currently in Worcester. If not we'll just have to sort this out through post.
Matt.[/quote]

Hi Matt,

I'm in London so I guess it will have to be done by post. I will make sure it is well packed and I was going to have it sent via recorded delivery to ensure it gets to it's destination safely.

PM me if you are still interested.

Thanks,
Cieran

For sale is a Zoom B1x effects pedal which I no longer need. Most of you probably already know about the excellent quality and reputation of these Zoom pedals but for those who don't you can read a comprehensive review of it's features here:

[url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/zoom-b1x-bass-pedal-includes-power-supply--54016"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/zoom-b1x-bass...r-supply--54016[/url]

I originally bought this from fellow BassChatter Gareth (garethvox) just over a week ago for £30, as I wanted to find out more about various effects. Being a relative newbie to playing bass I wanted a quick and easy way to find out what I did and didn't like, and it turns out my tastes are pretty simple - I am only really interested in EQ, compression and possibly reverb.

Item is in good condition - few minor dinks and scratches and comes with power supply (see picture below).

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Selling it on as money is a bit tight at the moment and as I have explained above it has served its purpose. I'm sure this will find a good home and would be perfect for someone who likes to experiment (unlike me!). Only looking for £30 so I can recoup what I originally paid for it.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.

For sale is my Akai LPD8 laptop pad controller which I have owned for just over a year. Excellent bit of kit that allows you to send midi data to your computer and also has 8 cc assignable knobs (see picture). Mainly used it to play/record midi drums using the EZdrummer vst plugin

Only selling it on as I am upgrading to Akai's more expensive MPC range and this will be surplus to requirements. It is in excellent condition and comes with all orignal parts - usb cable and driver/software cd (see picture below). It did not come with a manual as it is included on the driver/software CD as a PDF file. Did not originally come in a box as it is sold in blister packaging but I will ensure it is well packed before sending.

The only similar bits of kit on the market at the mo are the Korg NanoPad and the Korg NanoKontrol - both £30-40 each. The Akai LPD8 combines both of these in one handy package! You can find out more information by checking out the product specs on the Akai website: [url="http://www.akaipro.com/lpd8"]http://www.akaipro.com/lpd8[/url]

[attachment=74004:Copy_of_IMG_0069.jpg]

This fantastic device deserves a new home and would be perfect for someone wanting a simple to use, rugged and good quality midi pad controller. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.

Thanks!

Just bought a Zoom B1x effects unit from Gareth and it was an excellent sale from beginnning to end. Item was exactly as described and arrived in a extremely quick time. Gareth is a top bloke who was extemely helpful and provided great communications throughout - he even paid a few quid more to have it delivered by courier at no extra charge - so that it could be tracked and would arrive before the weekend. Would not hesitate to deal with him again.

Thanks all once again for the info.

Will def consider both 'regular' and 'lightweight' setups and weigh up (no pun intended) the associated pros and cons. Lots of brand names to check out and look into further so i'm really pleased. As I said I don't have the readies at the moment but at least I can do lots of research before taking the plunge. I'm leaning towards Hartke and Ashdown rigs at the mo - that JJ signature head sounds particularly good.

Jamesrt2004 - thanks for the info but I doubt I will go down the custom route as I wouldn't know where to begin! Scopped mids & lows means absolutely nothing to me - I understand the theory but I have no practical experience hence the reason I am after something tried and tested.

lloydbent - I had already made the precision connection. However I have spent the best part of the last year customising and upgrading a short scale Gretsch G2202 (see my avatar picture). I had never attempted any modding before in my life so I relied on a lot of internet research and the gold folks over at TalkBass (before I was even aware of the existence of BassChat!). It has it's own unique sound but I was using the P-bass tone as a guide for what I wanted. Nearly drove me mad at times but I am really happy with the end result, plus I have learnt a hell of a lot in the process - hey I even know how to solder now!

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1145221' date='Feb 28 2011, 11:09 PM']They're all decent bits of kit, but none are lightweight (other than the Ashdown superfly, which doesn't get much respect). however, those heavier things can get you a great sound for lesser money.
For lightweight, I'd look at offerings from TC Electronic, Genz Benz, Aguilar & Markbass to start with.

As predicted, I can recommend the Markbass CMD 102p 2x10 combo that I have, but that's not because I have one, it's because prior to getting it I researched just about every combo & amp/cab thing I could find for less than £1k & it ticked every box (& still continues to do so nearly 3 years on).

My best advice is to go & try as many things as you can so you can find out what sort of kit you like.
And, have fun doing so! [/quote]

Thats some useful information about the lightweight options. I will bear that in mind when making my final decision. I was planning on spending approx £1k so I will def check out the Markbass setup that you mentioned.

I guess nothing beats plugging in and trying different rigs out which is quite a difficult task as I have nothing to compare to. That's why I am looking for suggestions that are known to give a decent output and it sounds like Hartke falls in this category.

Will also bear in mind that size doesn't always equate to more depth. I was a unsure about posting this topic originally as I know what a varied subject this is but I am glad I have now - I have a much better understanding of the various options available to me

Sorry for the late reply all - i've been out all day.

Really, really grateful for all the helpful advice - plenty of food for thought. Just spent the last hour googling all your suggestions and I definitely have a much better understanding of what I am looking for and likely to need.

At present my budget is pretty much non-existent but I should hopefully have enough cash together within 3-6 months which is why I am starting to look into this now. I will definitely take my time before parting with my hard earned cash and make sure I try before i buy! Ideally I would like to forward-plan a bit and get a rig that will be fine for garage/rehearsal rooms for now, but also up to the task of gigging small-medium sized venues in the not too distant future.

From what i can gather it sounds like it might be a good idea to get a 2x10 to begin with and then if and when I find I need more oomph I can always double up. It also seems like I can't go wrong if I went with any amp/cab configuration or combo versions of Ashdown, Hartke or Marshall products as I am guessing these are tried and tested. Portability was also never a consideration but I can see the advantages of lightweight cabs if I can stretch my money a bit further.

I agree that it is best to concentrate on amps before effects but I have the opportunity to get either a Zoom B1x or a Behringer Bass V-Amp for under £40, so I am going to grab one of these now to play with and then concentrate on getting an amp/cab. Which of these 2 is considered better?

Let me pose one more question: If i could choose 1 and only 1 combo or amp/cab setup which is tried and tested and provides good bang for buck what would be recommended?

Once again thanks for all your help with this - I really appreciate it.

Cheers,
Cieran

EDIT: removed the questions regarding effects as I felt that I was asking too much in one go. Concentrating on amps and then will tackle effects at a later date

Ok here goes....... I need some help understanding the basics of playing live. I have owned a bass for just over a year - getting the hang of playing it but so far I have only heard it 'plugged in' through a Vox amPlug mini headphone thingy and directly through my laptop. So far so good...... Now I am looking to step up and purchase my very first rig equipment so that I can play live with a few friends of mine. Problem is I have zero experience whatsoever! I have read through the Wiki pages which has made things clearer but I still need some help.

I thought it would be best to summarise my questions so here goes:

1. Can someone explain the difference between amps, cabs, heads & speakers in layman's terms?
2. Out of the above what am I likely to need to start out with - size, brands, specs, any suggestions etc.......? Presumably I don't need anything too big to start out with but eventually I would like to get a full sized rig.
3. I was intending on getting a Zoom pedal as I thought this would be a good way to try out a variety of rigs and effects. Is this a good idea?
4. This question is for a little bit in the future but what type of problems are normally encountered when plugging into house mixer/ pa vs directly into an amp.
5. Anything else I haven't thought of!


Sorry if this seems disjointed but I have done my best to be concise with my confusement! I also understand that there are infinite possibilites - I am simply after a very simple A, B, C type of advice if possible. Essentially I am after the most simple & bare setup that I am ever likely to need.

If it helps with rig selection the bassists and bands I am mainly inspired by/ looking to emulate are:

The Stranglers (JJ Burnell)
The Jam (Bruce Foxton)
The Clash (Paul Simonon)
XTC (Colin Moulding)
Television (Fred Smith)
Talking Heads (Tina Weymouth)
Also....Gang of Four, The Strokes and The Specials.

As always any help, advice, suggestions or pointing in the direction of resources is welcome. I realise that this is not your average straight-foward topic so I appreciate any help in trying to educate me in the wonderful world of bass!

Thanks
Cieran

For sale are the stock machine heads from my Gretsch G2202. I have owned this bass for just over a year and these machine heads are in good condition. Slight scratches and dinks in the ferrules from where I have taken them off using pliers, but apart from that these are as good as new. Only selling them as I have recently swapped them for Hipshot ultralites.

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They come with ferrules, bushings and screws and they seem to be a standard Fender mount. No branding on them but I imagine they are either Grover/ Wilkinson/ Gotoh. The Gretsch that they came from was made by Fender in the Far East if this is of any help. Am happy to provide exact measurements if needed.

Please let me know if you have any questions or queries.

Thanks for looking at this sale!

Found a buyer in the US who is prepared to pay $60, so if anyone else wants it for the same price or more - speak now or forever hold your peace!

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1107651' date='Jan 29 2011, 09:35 PM']Having had Baddass bridges on my Fenders for a while, I had to get different versions of the Baddass for the string-thru bodies with 3 holes, as oppose to the 5 hole bodies, as the holes are spaced differently. So what yr after won`t work I`m afraid, without mods to your bass.[/quote]

Thanks for the info Lozz.

Thats what i suspected so it was good to have it confirmed and save myself money and alot of messing about!

Cheers

Been searching the BassChat forums and I have found conflicting information about this.

I currently have a Badass II on my Gretch bass which was a straight swap for the stock bridge. If I swapped this out for a Badass III would the 3 screws line up with 3 of the 5 holes currently on the body, or would there be a need for modification?

Also I am after any opinions on the advantages of using the Badass III over the Badass II. The main reason I am considering this is that I have read that the through-body stringing can increase the string tension a little bit higher which would be a bonus on my shortie bass, which has a tendency to have a slightly floppy E string.

However I know the whole through-body/top loading thing is a potential can or worms and I have also read that the string-through tension argument can be negligable. If there is going to be very little difference between the Badass II and the through-body Badass III I am inclined to leave it as it is.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks