<\\== left-handed and agree with the above statements. The added dexterity of the dominant hand on the fret board will make playing much each easier, especially with big ass strings.

Yeah, it worked out for McCartney.

Also, by y'all's rationale, all right handed people should buy left handed guitars.

Just fucking stop it already and let lefties be lefties for fuck's sake.

That's a heck of a lot of money to drop on an amp for a beginner. Seriously, wtf is wrong with a nice baby amp for now. Sounds like she got a good deal on La Fender. If she's not gigging or playing in a roomful of other folks playing various instruments, she should go compact and cheap. Also, look at your area Craig's list and buy one cheaper from someone who thought they wanted to play guitar, tried it three times and gave up and is now selling their amp. The Fender Squier BP-15 Bass Amp is a good practice amp and can be had for $100 or less depending on where you get it. Also it works for right-handed or left-handed girls :p

I'm trying to let lefties be lefties. And yes, right handers are doing it backwards. That's why there are hundreds of millions of guitarists and most of them are mediocre.

Look, do whatever is right for you, and how about I don't shut up cause that's what's right for me, and in the meantime go ice your pussy.

So I'm thinking about getting my dad a new bass amp for christmas. He used to play bass 4-6 nights a week--put himself through college and dental school playing band jobs, but its been years since he played regularly and his current amp head has fallen into disrepair due to lack of use (he has a 60s Guild Thunderbass amp head).

My question is, what would be a good amp (or amp head) for somewhere in the 200-500 dollar range?

Also, I'm thinking about going halves with my brother and getting him one of these:


Its a Hofner Icon Series Violin Bass. Made in China but it gets pretty good reviews, and he would mostly be playing it around the house anyway. But my dad has always talked about wanting to own a Beatle Bass so I thought it might be a nice gesture if nothing else.

And if you're wondering what he has now...

63 Fender P-Bass

In that price range, I would think only used.

Oh and that 63 is sweet. Damn.

So he has a cabinet and you want to get him a new head or are you looking for a little combo?

Also, before Phil says it: Send me that Guild Thunderbass!

Oh wait - why didn't I think of this sooner - don't buy him another head, get the Guild repaired. Things this route has going for it:

1. It gets a useless piece of gear working again
2. He knows and likes the Guild, assumably, since he bothered to keep it all these years
3. The repair cost will be within your price range
4. He will feel "young again" or some other sentimental bullshit when he hears that amp kickin' again after however many years it's been
5. Tears of joy


Speaking as one with a fucked up amp sitting in the closet that I used to use every week for years, sneak that Guild out of the house if you can but get it repaired even if it's not a surprise before-hand. Get it to a tube amp geek and put some fresh caps and tubes in it and it will sound better than he remembers. I did this with my 66 tremolux and bejeezus did it come back sounding GOOD. I remember cranking it up and thinking "so THAT's why I bought this." And that guild is a better head than anything else you can afford, anyway.

Read my mind.

And if you do send bloor that guild, then send me the P-bass, bloor can't play it anyways.

Look, here's the straight poop on your situation.

Fixing the guild should be crazy cheaper than buying an amp that's worth it's salt.

The icon isn't pure trash, but it's close. The real steal in the hofner line up is the contemporary series also labeled CT.

They are the step in between the icon's and the reissues, but i played a CT and while it doesn't sound as good as my 66 it FEELS alot more like it than the icon. It also sounds as good as the 2K-3K hofner re-issues. The icon is all chinese parts assembled in china. The CT series are german parts assembled in china, so the same staple pickups are in the CT as in the re-issues. Best part...

Icon ~ $400ish
CT - $762 list, can often find new on ebay for cheaper
reissues - $2K and up

now when he wants to ditch that p-bass, let me know

that p bass makes my britches tight

Makes sense. I'll have to root around to find a decent repair place near here to get that Thunderbass head fixed.

But I guarantee my dad isn't ever going to ditch the p-bass. He's been given offers on it at least 2 dozen times over the years and turned them all down. And I expect it to be passed onto me someday, and I'm not about to sell either. Sorry fellas.

I'll trade you a sweetsweet '91 stingray for it.








c'mon

It's shit like that that makes me want to have a kid, just to get his hopes up and dash them.

Everything I own i got myself, and my parents aren't interested in anything cool to pass down anyways.

You get that bass, you'd better play in some bands or god will strike you down.

Relax man, I've gotten nearly all of my guitar gear myself also. And quite frankly, I hope I don't get that bass for a long time since I want my dad to be around for a long time yet. I want him to start playing more again, hence the whole "me getting his amp head fixed" discussion.

Mostly I was just trying to emphasize that my dad isn't about to ditch that bass anytime soon, which is a good thing because my dad's crazy gig stories are some of his best memories and one of the few things that still makes him smile. And with all the troubles we've been subjected to in the last year and a half, I'm glad for that.

Sounds like a cool guy, Vanlandy. Anybody with the sense to buy, use, and hang onto a 63 P bass all these years has got to be pretty ok.

Agreed. Mostly i'm just pissed that my parents aren't that cool. AND that you'll get that bass someday.

Piece like that, it ought to be on albums and stage.

Also, this is supposedly THE place to go in Jersey for amp repair.

http://www.sommatone.com/services.html

news you can use

did you check out their client list?

truckers and ex-truckers

Yeah this looks like the place to go. And luckily Bound Brook is only a 40 minute drive from my house so that should work out all the way around. Thanks for all the info fellas, I really appreciate it.