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The screws were from a kit I got off ebay. There were long neck fixing screws and shorter neck fixing screws, these are the shorter option. So when it was all back together the end of the neck sits a little bit proud of the body:

Now I want to know if Sting ever gigged a Stingray

So, I had the neck clamped up all night and the bow seems better, if not entirely cured. This morning I decided to tackle the concealed fixings for the neck. I drilled a hole in the body using a 4mm bit and then the last cm into the heel of the neck, a 3mm. I then used a spare screw to thread the holes (in the neck) and make it easier to get the proper fixing in. Here's a pic

There is a whole thread on mandolin playing, here.

Remember that to just play the stuff you like is a bit self indulgent. It's good to play stuff that you wouldn't normally consider. You can expand your range and appreciate music that you might have passed over before. Playing ensemble is definitely better than playing to backing tracks. I'm not knocking the tracks because they're good for practice. It's just that the dynamics of a recorded song never vary. Band mates can be more responsive and will help you to become a well rounded player. Open Mic nights are always good for meeting local people too.

I Will Fix You - Coldplay

Unlike the wonky, malformed lumps and blobs that make up the majority of 'unique', 'hand-crafted', 'custom' & 'one-off' basses, it does at least seem that this is what the creator intended it to look like. Perhaps, like the work of numerous artists in a variety of other disciplines can, this artefact offers us a glimpse into the unique mind and tortured soul of a profoundly disturbed creator.

Dowland on the bass! I never thought of that. I’ve played most of his works on the lute, where it sits perfectly of course. Never thought of it in 5ths tuning, let alone on a bass. Kudos for exploring that! Any online recording?

The first set I had was the first recording of all six by Anner Bylsma, which I still love some 45 years later. Not so much his second recording of all six. Not sure why. I have his book discussing the suites, and his approach to them which goes against what everyone else does 😆 I don’t know of Queyras. Interpretations tend to fall into two camps: Romantic/Heroic or Earthy Dance Music. Sometimes a combination of the two is attempted. If you can stand listening to the tenor banjo, here’s my take on the first suite: and the 2nd suite on a classical guitar tuned a fifth lower, with special strings from Aquila: Through illness these last two years I now find it very difficult to play fingerstyle, so am spending more time with a bow on my viola da gamba - as close as I’ll get to playing a cello. I find I can also play bass with thumb and index, which explains my investigation in how to transfer Bach to that instrument. It has been useful reading all the comments here.

Your ability to highlight in such straight lines is extraordinary.

Following on from my SillyStratocaster Bass hack. Picked up an Applause (by ovation, allegedly m’lud) P Bass for £50 at a junk shop honestly I nearly didn’t buy it because that was the food money for the week, but I thought it was Worth a shot and I could probably explain to the wife why we would just eat porridge and beans. The Fretboard was partly delaminated but truss rod sound. Now to ruin it with my epic luthier skills that i got for xmas. 1- re fit fretboard and see if it plays. It does neck is nice but the action is vile 2 - will it play nice? hmm not really, better but still a bit shit frets are all over the place. 3 - de fret, because re fret is just silly. And I really fancy a fruitless because I used to own a Warwick fretless in the mid 80s which I had lost at a gig because I got so drunk I left it there idiot. Some of you might remember this bass from the “has anybody got a scratch plate” in wanted ads. well i got the scratch plate sorted (link) I just went old down the wormhole and went full project on it… idiot. had a busted 80’s Benedetti from a Viger had that rewound by Bloodstone (Dave is great). Got a veneer sample from ebay for £3 (good shout from a basschat thread (link) ) watched a bit of YT and procrastinated for over week. I then bit the bullet and took all of the frets out carefully after learning that patience was key and I’m not a very patient person so I was very patient or as patient as I could be took the frets out waited about a week for the maple to come the Maple didn’t come then I asked the guy where my maple was and he said oh I’ll send you another bit and then he didn’t send me Maple he sent me Royal Ebony instead and so I used that, because serendipity. Griller glue and super glue! Who knew! Finished with Gun oil because it was there. when I put it back together again, I think the old wiring loom was really shot. It would not stop buzzing no matter what I did and the pots were just dead really so I just wired in series the pick ups directly to the Jack while I save up for a @KiOgon Loom it works okay it’s a bit weird not being able to turn your base down or adjust any other tone, but it’s quite liberating in some ways not having to fiddle with your knob all the time 😁 routing for the B was a bit scary but i managed it with out too much damage. now I have a pretty well playable fretless PJ hybrid thing and yeah it is a lot of fun actually but I’ve gotta get some flats for it because all my other basses are two aside and I don’t have an old set that fits and so this is currently sporting a totally mismatched set of horribleness. Again I gotta save up because I don’t have any money to buy strings. I have to buy food and pay the gas bill.😩

I'm living even more in the sticks (well, 300 yards from the sea!) in West Bay (Bridport) and I feel lucky that there is a basic music shop here for those odds and ends like picks, stands, etc and beginner instruments but TBH they and any other small town shop couldn't survive cashflow-wise holding high-value stock hoping for that one customer wanting a '63 Precision to wander in. I've mainly bought and sold through Andy Baxter for more expensive stuff. and through BC for getting rid of some excess gear (eg my Bassman 135 cab sold here for just £1 to make some garage space!) while buying buying some very nice effects and less expensive basses on here too...