Recent content by MusicBear

One caveat about Ampeg. IMHO - Try to avoid one made during the period when Ampeg was owned by Loud Technologies / Loud Audio. That was a dark period in Ampeg's history. Before (SLM ELectronics) or after (Yamaha) are better...

If you don't want to worry about having your bass intonated accurately (or setting the intonation on a fretless bass because of touch sensitivity and muscle memory), play slide bass (a la Mark Sandman) or washtub bass... :)

If that bass unboxed in uncomfortable or unplayable condition, a purchase would be less likely. The stores I worked in were smaller and we were not busy with customers from open to close. UPS deliveries arrived in the morning, shortly after we opened. There were routine chores to be done -...

Intonation should be the final step of a setup. If you try to set intonation before the topnut, frets, and bridge saddles are correct, you're just wasting time. Using an accurate electronic tuner helps finesse the intonation adjustment. When all is done, it should be possible to play chords...

The very first tool one needs is a generous helping of patience. It's free, but too many overlook it.

I hope it works out well for you.

Having worked in several stores over the years, I disagree. Inspecting instruments before putting them on display catches most potential issues and gave us time to correct them before a customer would even see them. The inspection and associated setup was a value add that our customers may not...

I've worked as an electronics tech for over five decades. In recent years something has changed with Duracell batteries such that I no longer use them. I've had instruments come in for repair when the whole problem has been a bad batch of Duracells. At the least, they do not last. At their...

I'm not sure that they don't try - it has been a few years since I stepped into a GC store. (Recent big box purchases have come from Sweetwater.) The last time I was at GC I found an Ibanez 6-string bass that I was interested in, enough to wheel and deal (and play hardball) for it. By the...

Any instrument, not matter the price, will settle and move once it leaves the controlled environment of the factory. Higher priced instruments MAY settle less than lower priced instruments, but they are not immune to environmental changes. I have seen mistakes from everyone from the lowest...

It took me years to be able to play an instrument and appreciate it for what it is, rather than comparing it to other instruments, or measuring it against its price tag. I own several instruments, of various prices - some very inexpensive, some not. If they can deliver something I need AND I...

My thanks to everyone for your replies. I think the answer distills to "Yes." If a baritone guitar is used as a bass, then it is a bass. ;)

Aprod: Alright. To split hairs - If someone hires me to show up with a "traditional" bass (4-string, 5-string, ... [don't jump on me for this generalization]), I will do so. Hopefully there will be some discussion before the session which will help me choose the correct bass for the session...

If I am hired as a bassist, I will show up as a bassist. If whoever is hiring me knows that I have other instruments I can play and hires me to play them, there will be no issues or surprises.