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mcsdan

New bass and amp day!

Never played bass before! When I started guitar about 12-13 years ago I got a squier starter pack guitar to begin. My wife has alway gone on about learning bass so I got her an encore bass starter pack. She's never played it of course! It's been sitting around for a while so I've been having a go here and there. Definitely a guitarist playing bass!!

I've decided to give it a go and have been playing the encore for a couple of months here and there through a "smokey amps" linked to a spare cab. Really enjoyed it and with my birthday coming up next week I've decided to get a proper starter rig to learn.

So I've gone for the newly released squier classic vibe 60s jazz bass in daphne blue. For amp I've selected the orange crush bass 50w. Having some great fun learning tracks and playing along with these two.

JezWynd

Very nice. Tortoiseshell, rosewood and Daphne Blue were made for each other.. Would the chrome covers impede play on the Jazz? Such a cool look.

fretmeister

Nicely done. 

mcsdan

Thanks

Fretboard is laurel not rosewood but feels fine and tbh at this price point perfectly acceptable.

Don't have any covers but feels comfy to play atm so happy with that.

ICBM

Nice choices - solid gear which will be fine even if you start playing in a band - you *might* need a bigger amp for gigs, but these days you'll be DI'd into the PA anyway so it doesn't matter if the amp is just a monitor really.

That tort plate is a really nice colour - they always look cheap when they're that more typical far-east orange/brown colour, but that's a proper darker colour. The chrome covers do impede playing a bit, which is why 95%+ of players always took them off even when they came as stock, so I wouldn't bother personally even though they do look cool.

mcsdan

Thanks. Yes did consider a bigger 100W amp but wanted to just dip my toes into bass playing to begin without too much spend. (100W was another £160).

The squier Cv series is really good value for money and doesn't feel cheap.

Happy with what I've selected and playing tunes which is the main thing.

Funkfingers

JezWynd said:Would the chrome covers impede play on the Jazz?

Yes, they would.

ICBM said:

tort plate … look cheap … far-east orange/brown colour

For me, the tell tale indicator of Cheepnis is the three-ply tort/white/black plastic where there ought to be a fourth (white) ply.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

For me, the tell tale indicator of Cheepnis is the three-ply tort/white/black plastic where there ought to be a fourth (white) ply.

Yes, that too - the same with the white pearl ones. A very long time ago I wanted a white pearl guard for my Tele but it was hard to buy proper 4-ply ones back then, so I settled for a 3-ply pearl/white/black one, and laminated a sheet of white model-makers Plasticard onto the back of it using MEK solvent adhesive, and pressed it on using an old cast-iron bookbinder's press... it worked perfectly, but I ended up hallucinating from the fumes .

It's still stuck though, I saw the guitar again recently and you can't tell the guard wasn't made like that.

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

it worked perfectly, but I ended up hallucinating from the fumes

Finally, I get closure on your inexplicable love for Rickenbacker basses...

Funkfingers

Bridgehouse said:
... ... ... ...

Who are you, again? 

Bridgehouse

Funkfingers said:

Bridgehouse said:
... ... ... ...

Who are you, again? 

Steady now, I have to keep a low profile these days in order to complete my tasks as a modmin.. 

fretmeister

Don't put covers on it. If you don't like them you'll have drilled holes in the bass.

They can also add a pound in weight to the bass, and they get in the way.

Funkfingers

fretmeister said:

Don't put covers on it. If you don't like them you'll have drilled holes in the bass.

As a Fender AVRI owner, I resent that remark. I had to pay extra for those holes. 

JezWynd

Covers didn't cramp James Jamerson's style but I'll agree, they're not for everyone.

ICBM

JezWynd said:

Covers didn't cramp James Jamerson's style but I'll agree, they're not for everyone.

Nor did dead flatwounds and an action you could put your hand under...

Genius accepts no limitations.

Funkfingers

Jamerson was, first and foremost, an upright bassist. Compared to the physicality of playing that, electric bass guitar would have seemed a doddle.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

Jamerson was, first and foremost, an upright bassist. Compared to the physicality of playing that, electric bass guitar would have seemed a doddle.

Having once tried to play an upright bass, I completely agree...

Whistler

mcsdan, can I tell you the one really helpful tip that a bass-playing friend told me when he saw me, a guitarist, playing bass? He said not to fret notes with the tips of my fingers, like we do on a guitar, but rather with the pads of our fingers. It was awkward to change at first but in hindsight was the most helpful tip.

mcsdan

thanks @Whistler that's a great tip. I've just had a look to see how I fret it and certainly not using finger tips like playing guitar.

Really enjoying the change of playing atm