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Thinking about bassing - comments/advice/etc invited.

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    WhyIoughta...
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    Sporky said:
    TTony said:
    If not, I'll watch out for a cheap, but not nasty, s/h bass to learn the trade on. 
    No.

    Buy something decent.

    And a decent amp.

    "Cheap" would be in the £250-£400 sort of range, for which I'd expect to get something decent.

    @Bridgehouse lent me one of his for the jam session which ticked that box, so they're out there ...
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • TTony said:
    Sporky said:
    TTony said:
    If not, I'll watch out for a cheap, but not nasty, s/h bass to learn the trade on. 
    No.

    Buy something decent.

    And a decent amp.

    "Cheap" would be in the £250-£400 sort of range, for which I'd expect to get something decent.

    @Bridgehouse lent me one of his for the jam session which ticked that box, so they're out there ...
    You know, that could refer to one of two scenarios, and I'd either be highly insulted or actually quite flattered..

    If you mean the pre-CBS then humph. 

    If you mean the green machine then yes, that's within budget and I'm glad you think it was decent ;)
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24579
    edited September 2017
    As an aside, I got my MiM classic 50s lacquer for £100 over your budget and it's actually a lot better than that price suggests it should be.

    Actually @TTony, in all seriousness, if you liked my 64, the MiM classic 50s is very similar in feel but for about 1/15th the price...
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  • TTony said:
    "Cheap" would be in the £250-£400 sort of range, for which I'd expect to get something decent.
    How about a beaten up Squier Silver Series P Bass with Fender AVRI '58 pickup, USA red torty pickguard and USA pots? ;)
    Be seeing you.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    Get a good one!
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    TTony said:
    Roland said:
    @TTony Why don't you treat this as a journey? Start with a cheap Precision, get used to it, and then think about where you want to go next.
    Because I generally prefer to get to the destination rather than suffer the journey to get there

    I would submit that you don't actually know what the destination is yet. This project needs a scoping study, where you spend a couple of months playing and learning bass on a common as muck instrument, before launching into making your own.

    Anyway, what happened to "it is better to journey hopefully than arrive"?
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • Roland said:
    what happened to "it is better to journey hopefully than arrive"?
    Neil Peart stole it for the song Prime Mover.
    Be seeing you.
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  • If you're on the fence re P/J you might want to consider 2 J pickups but with a push-push switch to put them in series, which gives you much more thump and a bit more of a P flavour, but retaining all the lovely inbetweeny J-type subtleties when disengaged. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    TTony said:
    Sporky said:
    TTony said:
    If not, I'll watch out for a cheap, but not nasty, s/h bass to learn the trade on. 
    No.

    Buy something decent.

    And a decent amp.

    "Cheap" would be in the £250-£400 sort of range, for which I'd expect to get something decent.
    Ah - gotcha. Different interpretation of "cheap".
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • rprrpr Frets: 308
    As an aside - I've got a bunch of bass tab for fairly well known songs if you want copies.  May not be to your taste, but their easily avaible to play along with - Stuff like ABBA, Bad Company, Oasis, ZZ TOP, some soul stuff, etc
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  • If you're on the fence re P/J you might want to consider 2 J pickups but with a push-push switch to put them in series, which gives you much more thump and a bit more of a P flavour, but retaining all the lovely inbetweeny J-type subtleties when disengaged. 

    I keep meaning to do this and then never prioritising it.  I think it used to be a stock option on some Fenders via the S1 switch.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    If you're on the fence re P/J you might want to consider 2 J pickups but with a push-push switch to put them in series, which gives you much more thump and a bit more of a P flavour, but retaining all the lovely inbetweeny J-type subtleties when disengaged. 
    Good idea, but I think you've got to know how a Precision and a Jazz feel and sound and respond before starting to experiment.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    Sporky said:
    TTony said:
    If not, I'll watch out for a cheap, but not nasty, s/h bass to learn the trade on. 
    No.

    Buy something decent.

    And a decent amp.
    You say that, but I spend quite good money on my first bass, which was a Fender Japan Precision.  Being a guitarist, and not knowing much about basses, I thought it was a safe option.  With what I know now, I'd take the Squier in the cupboard at my church any day.  There was a proper bass player at church who preferred that Squier to my Fender as well.

    If you go four string passive, there are some very good budget basses out there - especially from Squier.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    crunchman said:

    If you go four string passive, there are some very good budget basses out there - especially from Squier.
    I think it's an interpretation thing - to me, "cheap" means sub-Squier.

    Most of the Squiers I've tried have been perfectly good.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • I tried a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz recently and wasn't that impressed, whereas a classic vibe 60's Jazz in the same shop was excellent.
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  • IIRC there are two Vintage Modified Jazz basses that look similar but have different specs.  There's one that's all maple, maple body maple neck.  I've played one of those and it was pretty decent.  Then there's also one with an Agathis body, I've played one of those and it wasn't quite as good.

    Also from what I remember they all have the 60's spacing for the pickups.  Actual 70s Jazz basses had the bridge pickup closer to the bridge, which changes the tone a bit.  The 60s spacing is the standard spacing on most Jazz basses (the MIM and US Standards)
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    OK, an amp question.

    Hartke a70 for £20.

    "Crackles a bit at first but fully working"

    Can I go wrong??
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    TTony said:
    OK, an amp question.

    Hartke a70 for £20.

    "Crackles a bit at first but fully working"

    Can I go wrong??
    Not as long as the speaker is working properly!

    Sounds like it may just need the pots cleaning. From what I remember these are pretty decent little amps. I think I've worked on one, but no more than that - it might even have been for a broken pot or something that wasn't really the amp's fault.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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