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I’m going to start filing grooves into all my frets to get my action lower 😂

There is a fair bit of misunderstanding about a zero fret in this thread. (& also a healthy amount of fact also) I'd encourage anybody who is interested, to research thoroughly on reputable sources. *Especially before filing slots it a zero fret to lower the action

I'm still very taken with my Lakland DJ5 Though, I think you were saying before you prefer a 34" scale?

Sad for anyone to have hearing damage, but for him to blame others seems way off to me. Cheap good quality hearing protection is easy to come by and works well. I use some that cuts the volume but retains the sound spectrum and I play in loud rock bands. I can see this opening a huge can of worms re the ambulance chasing lawyers. If he thought the rehearsals were too loud he could have said something, or walked. His choice.

From this it looks like you are right. "Carpenters’ version was punchier than the original, with a swinging harmony and shorter pauses. Richard used a click track to synchronise the vocals (masterfully arranged into four-part harmonies tripled into 12 overdubbed vocal parts) and achieve the right effect. It took 47 takes just to get the extended “wahs” the way he wanted on the closing chorus."

No need for guilt at the pleasure of brilliant arranging, brilliant singing and, if that wasn't enough, brilliant Joe Osborn on bass.

Happy to get the (pin) ball rolling for you Here's mine - Yamaha BB 1025, which I'm loving: And here's a nice little review from @CameronJ who took the trouble of letting me have his thoughts on his BB1025'X' (i.e. with pickguard) version a while back, before I bought mine. My experience has been great so far. How does it feel to play? Well neck profile, string spacing, action and the actual finish of the neck all come into play here and these are the first things that attracted me to the BB, before I even plugged in. I got to try one out almost by accident at the Yamaha Music Store in central London and comparing it to the other bass models on the wall (TRBs, Attitudes etc) this one immediately felt so good. Very easy to play. For me, the BB ticks all the boxes comfort-wise. The body is fairly big (especially in comparison to my Ibanez) but I don't find it uncomfortable at all. In some ways I actually find it more comfortable than my Ibanez because the body shape is more rounded at the edges. Now, the sound. I don't think YouTube demos can really do this bass justice. This is my first ever passive bass and I was surprised to discover that it has a hotter output than any of my active basses. There is definitely some magic in those blade pickups! Obviously tone is so subjective but this thing definitely recreates "the sound in my head". To give you an idea of what I mean, I was lusting after a precision before buying this and now my lust is pretty much satisfied. The P-pickup definitely hits the mark for me, but with seemingly more grunt. I've read elsewhere that in basses with a P/J pickup arrangement the Jazz pickup at the bridge is often regarded as poor on its own, only useful for blending with the P pickup for a more defined sound. That really isn't the case with this J pickup. Again, like the P, it has more balls than a typical single-coil in this position so is actually quite useful musically on its own. The thing to be aware of about the controls is that instead of a pickup blend knob you've got a pickup selector SWITCH. I've got basses with blend knobs and basses with selector switches but my first ever bass was a Yamaha with a switch so I guess it feels like home to me. Some people prefer to have the specificity of a sweepable knob but to be honest I really enjoy the ease of having 3 distinct sounds available to me so quickly. The tone knob is so useable across its entire range and that's all I need for additional tone shaping. I never thought I'd say that...I used to be an active-3-band-EQ kinda guy but this bass may well have turned me into a passive convert! These are my personal opinions so take them with a pinch of salt but I love this bass!

This is a difficult question to give a single definitive answer to, unfortunately! I'm sure that the likes of 51m0n and Skol can give you some far more informed advice than I can here but here's a few pointers/guidelines to help get your started. There are many variables that can have an impact here e.g. the instrument you play, the type and amount of compression you want (i.e. just a touch of dynamic control, some tonal shaping, say a punchy mid-range, the other instruments you're playing with etc.) Setting up compression can be very difficult especially if it's just the bass in isolation and not playing along with other instruments. This is where I suspect some people think it's not doing anything and then set up so they can noticeably hear the squash, but by that time you have killed all of your dynamic range. Try setting it up at a rehearsal when playing along with other people as it'll be easier to get it right without completely flattening the bass dynamics. The main thing to listen out for is a consistency or evenness of the bass throughout its range in the mix, so the low notes are not overpowering and the higher notes stand out and are clearly audible too. Your lowest notes will will be as even as the highest ones. The Threshold is the point at which the compressor starts to squash; anything exceeding the threshold will be compressed, anything that falls short of it will remain uncompressed. For me, I like to have this set so that the compressor kicks in on the lower notes to stop them overpowering the higher notes. The Ratio is the amount of squash that is applied to the signal once it passes the threshold. Too much and your bass gets too squashed, too little and you may find that things are still uneven. Getting the Threshold and Ratio right are the main things to focus on for now. Try experimenting with the extremes of the range of both the Threshold and Ratio so you get a feel what each of them does. Once you understand what's going on start backing them off until you find the point where they are enhancing the bass and making it more consistent in the mix but you still have dynamic range and subtlety. It's not an easy thing to explain what exactly to listen out for but once you have found what works for you, you'll start to be able to hear and feel it when setting it up for another bass, for example. Things like attack and release times and hard/soft knee setting are also important but I'd focus on the threshold and ratio for now. Hope this helps

To be fair, this bass actually looks better than the legitimate AVRI 74 sunburst. It's a nicer 'burst and the tort plate makes it look like an early 70's model. It will not have any negative effect on the resale value. I've got one of these basses and they are smashing instruments. The chunky neck feels good and is surprisingly easy to play, probably due to the very narrow nut width. The 74 pickups sound suitably nasty too. Hope you get a lot of enjoyment from your lovely new bass.

I think the mis build aspect doesn't detract from the future value at all. The communication from fender in writing is contemporary with the receipt for the bass, so is sufficient provenance. Keep the paperwork safe !!! wicked looking bass, btw.

Personally - I wouldn't be deterred on resale. There are people (like me) who would see it as an interesting, good thing (since that's backed up by Fender now). A prospective/new owner can also get the bass re-verified by Fender at any time. I love the look of it personally! A little envious, in fact and glad you're really liking the bass, in any case!

I find it difficult to come down after a gig, however small (and most of mine are very small!). So yes, sleeping is usually difficult. I used to get this when I did a lot of amateur theatre - but that would be for a week at a time 2-3 times a year. So I would try to take the week off work and then sleep in late. Now with the music, it's just like a series of little 'highs'. And sometimes I can't concentrate too well the next day, as I keep thinking back to it. Anyway, I have found the solution - I'm retiring from work at the end of June! Hurrah!

After the recent North West bass bash, lurksalot commented that I should start a build thread for my small battery powered amplifier in case anyone was contemplating a similar folly. Some of this has already been posted on another forum, but since photobucket has blanked out all the images, it seemed to make sense to start at the beginning with a new thread. I play a lot with acoustic guitarists, either busking, or at open mic nights, and my existing combo, a Hartke Kickback 10, was adequate, but rather heavy, and limiting because I had to sit by the power socket so as not to trail cables across the floor. My initial specification was based on the Hartke, with a bit of Phil Jones Briefcase thrown in - about 100W, one 10 inch speaker, one 7 AHr 12 volt battery and 2-3 hours of use per charge. I had already built a couple of Jack 10s. so I had a 10 inch speaker to hand - an Eminence basslite S2010, and for a small box, WinISD suggests a volume of 0.9 cu ft (25.5L)and a port tuned to 58Hz. Eminence offer similar figures on their website. The Mk I was a simple reflex box with the preamp, amp and battery mounted on a plywood plate that could be carried separately, or bolted onto the back of the cab. The amp is a Kenwood car stereo module, containing a switch-mode power supply to give positive and negative voltage rails, and a 60W @ 2ohms pair of class AB amplifiers, so it gives a genuine 120 W into 4 ohms bridged. It was unwieldy and cumbersome to carry when bolted together, and a pain to work with in a crowded room when loaded in in bits. Also, the battery life was OK for an acoustic evening, but for a day of busking I needed more power, so I had another think. The MkII had the same volume and porting, but incorporated the amp in a recess in the back, space for three 7 AHr batteries in the base, and a space for the preamp in the front. The woodwork suddenly became a bit more complicated - And the final result. This one was easier to carry, but the amp, which normally runs cool to the touch, now runs too hot due the lack of circulating air. At this point I started wondering whether I could find a class D amplifier module, and redesign the cab around that. The Mk III used a class D stereo amplifier chip on a ready made pcb - readily available from ebay. Just for a change, I made the cab smaller to accomodate the amp and speaker in the same volume as the Mk I speaker. Having recently aquired an Ashdown MyBass 550 in a trade, I was keen to be able to use it with this pair of speakers, so I added extra speakons and switches to the back of the cab so I could connect either the internal amp or the external amp to the speaker, or connect the internal amp to an external speaker. Almost inevitably, while setting up in a hurry on a dark stage, I managed to connect the output of the MyBass to the output of the battery amp - the MyBass won. At that point I decided that I should go modular, and have separate heads that clipped onto the top of the cab. No more switching options to get wrong, just clip the head on before you leave home and you're good to go. This is the Mk IV - the current version. The Mk III cab was butchered to convert it into a MK I style cab, and kitchen-cupboard kick-plate fasteners were fitted to anchor the clip-on amplifier modules The battery combo: The mains combo: This is the battery powered amp and battery with an earlier version of the preamp. I need to take some more photos before I post the next installment. David

With the wife in favour of a drum kit at home, It could spell trouble. At least with basses it feels 'forbidden'.

Drum GAS. It's an addictive mine field 😂 I bought a cheap Pearl Export from a BC member. £125 I seem to remember inc some useable cymbals. However, a double DW5000, two K custom crashes, a full set of Remos and a Turkish ride and pair of Turkish hats later.....be very careful my friend, it's worse than basses😂

Maybe add 'Solved..!' to the title of this topic..?

Have to agree with all .. i've known JE personally for well over 25 years, and he's a class engineer. I'm pretty sure he was on the crew that developed Peter Grabriels outrageous desk You cant go wrong with an E-pre. Bit of useless info - bumped into John at our local jam bar 6 days ago and managed to get a pint out of him. Happy days

The zero fret on my Basic 5 Ken Taylor is 0.4 millimeter higher than the other frets, it has the same grooves in it and given this appears on quiet a few other Sandberg's I assume it's standard for Sandberg.

Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre. An excellent show and surprisingly enjoyable experience c/o ms emg. The singer's voice was spot on. Snag was, she looked and was built like Lisa Riley, which I couldn't fit to Karen's anorexic tradegy.

I also went to the Yamaha London store today to take a look and try two out bearing in mind I have a BB1024x at home. The first was the all Japanese BB P34 which looked great and sounded pretty good even through the Hartke. But I found the neck a bit too big for my liking so I put it down and tried the BB234 which again looks great and plays great but found the neck a little to big for me. Unsure what the difference in specs/radius are but my BB1024x trumps them all.

Fair enough , I hope whatever you ended up doing served you well What about just playing in bands for fun , I think the majority of the people on this site are weekend functions players , self funding hobby types , are you involved in that at all ?

For me it's all about scale length. I'm not happy with a 34" low B, and yes, I do know that good ones do exist. It's just that I haven't really found one. Now 35" low B is a whole nuther thang, and it immediately means that Mike Lull, Lakland and MTD are all in the frame. My main squeeze? http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/library/Basses CURRENT/Mike Lull T5 2014 CURRENT

The kind of detail I love! Well done.

BB1025X BB1025X BB1025X BB1025X BB1025X

Here are my two. The brown one is my first bass, bought in 1981.....although everything except the tuners has now been replaced in a 35 year attempt to create a Wal/Warwick/Fender hybrid!! Currently passive (JB standard wiring, with an additional series / parallel switch) as when the latest pickups arrived I was too impatient to solder up the electronics. It's had a new lease of life since I fitted a set of EB cobalt flats and will probably be going active again soon. The Wal is ... well, a Wal, just like all the other Wal Customs in the world.

Paging @Dad3353

A similar thing happened to me just over two years ago. Genuine sixties band, band member getting treatment for cancer - the singer this time - the others wondering if they'd have to find a singer as well as the other three roles they were looking to fill. Just to say before it is forgotten, the singer made a full recovery and is back singing. When you get to that age, you have the stamina to fight back. I was offered the role and accepted but then they went with someone else before my first practice! Later they contacted me again with the same offer. I am not one to wallow in self-pity and hold a grudge but my carer duties had grown significantly. This meant I could not deliver the commitment expected. I had to turn it down in fairness to the band. I just didn't want to become known as a flake if I had to cancel at the last minute for another domestic crisis. I wish I had thought of your job share idea then. It might have worked well. The core of band comprised of drummer, singer and guitarist. They were there playing the sixties hits as soon as they were released. They were in their late sixties and seventies too. It would have been a magnificent education for me. Ah well. I hope it works out like that for you at least.

They are the best for original stuff , people go to see what they will see , most of the pub venues want either a genre, rock covers mainly ( saddle, foxes etc) or a party mix of classics (kings head, church etc ) though thinking on , I think the golden eagle occasionally puts on some new stuff , might be worth a punt .

I bet they'd sell more sets if they changed the string model number to SH666....

No that's not normal unfortunately! It should be unmarked and the nut holds the strings in place. Your zero fret is wearing out. Lots of manufactures use stainless steel zero frets to stop this happening so quickly. Those grooves will effect open notes, so you'll get buzzing when playing opens soon (if you aren't already). The fix is to pull and replace the zero fret.

Cor! That's a big 'un!!!

I've moved onto to stuffing my ears with jelly fruit and custard, as i'm a trifle deaf

I've always liked Laney stuff for both guitar and bass, and recently went back to their gear for bass after a few years using Ashdown dual tube series. My main gig rig is now a Laney R500H and two R410 cabs, and I'm more than happy with it. Works well for me and gets the sound I'm after, I find there's so much volume and headroom to spare even playing with a very loud drummer It's barely breaking a sweat live, immense ability to fill a venue with bass and the tone is more my cuppa tea than the Ashdown too :-) I definitely like the new Richter series now!

I think the main benefit of a 5 string bass is not the extra lower notes, but the ability to move across the fretboard as opposed to up/down... A lot of things become a lot more comfortable to play on a 5 string, without changing positions so much. The lower notes are nice sometimes too

aha! Brilliant! well done

Some time ago, FDeck (of HPF fame) suggested that if you knew what kind of sound you wanted, and didn't need a lot of fundamental (e.g. for DB) you could do your back a favour and use smaller cabs. This was one of the triggers for this design. I used the HPF of a Fishman Platinum Pro, and the HPF of a graphic EQ to identify how much bass loss was too much, and concluded that provided that the response got down to 70 Hz, it did not sound bass-lite (to me). Having identified the cutoff frequency, the next problem was what to do with the frequencies below the cutoff, where the speaker would be unloaded. After a few more evenings playing with WinISD, I found that a 12dB/Octave filter at about 55Hz would reduce the cone excursion below the resonance and keep it within Xmax, even with an input signal equivalent to 120W on the output. This WinISD screenshot shows the frequency response of a 25.5L box, with (red) and without (green) the filter, and two larger boxes for comparison - maximum bass extension (blue) and optimised by WinISD (grey). This WinISD screenshot shows the cone movement for a 120 W signal. Everything without the filter overloads above 40Hz. Given that a bass note is a mix of fundamental and harmonics, this may not be a problem, and I have played bass through these cabs without the filter, but I feel safer having the filter in circuit. Finally, this WinISD screenshot shows the power handling of the various cabs. the two 25.5 L cabs have identical traces, but the other two both have considerably worse power handling in the 50-100Hz region, where most of the energy of the note is likely to be. This prompted me to stay with the smaller volume cab with an HPF. I hope this image contains all the information required to build a cab. If not, please let me know. David

No you don't pay extra, you just get to specify the colour, fretboard wood, neck type etc that you can get already on shop models. MM don't have a custom shop. Was it worth it? Definitely, I really want this bass so that's why it's not a whinge. If I'm going to drop that much on a bass I want it in my spec. I particularly wanted an SLO special which are a bit harder to find than a standard neck model.

Many thanks. You have it in 1. My comment wasn't an attack on anyone, least of all @Hellzero all I was saying is I would bet my Granny that neither Warwick nor Fodera actually make strings. I stand corrected about the makers being the same. But hey, this used to be a friendly chat forum. Now @Hellzero insists we have an environment of "facts only or shut up". Sorry for breathing.

From personnal experience, the time not to move to a five is half way through your honeymoon necessitating a 3 hour detour and going straight into a gig when we got home thinking "the extra string cannot be THAT tricky".

That way madness lies. As to the votes: I can't bear the suspense. The results may polarise before the end, but there's a pause in the voting, it seems. 10 votes so far..? A grizzly turn-out, certainly, but maybe some have simply furgotten the poll..? We don't panda to folks' tastes, s'all. Did we make a Boo-Boo in choosing this photo..? We need a steddy floe of suitable subjects to break the ice; the koalaty has to be maintained. I'll stop now; I've a head cold, so cub along, go bearzurk and listen to the compositions, then vote, please.

I bought some confectionary described as mint, every single one had a bloody hole in it!

I kind of agree with this. You’ve done the right and noble thing by getting this chap his bass back; through no fault of your own you’re a high value bass down. Well done on doing the right thing though, even if you’re taking the hit.

Ear plugs? Of course it's someone else's fault because he didn't put them in.

Thanks all for your thoughts on this. I'm going with the glass half full view on it. I love it, plays like a dream and looks awesome. And I've got the cover note from Fender if I decide to sell in the future.

At some point in the mid 90s I was fed up with my Wal and tried to sell it. Luckily nobody bought it, so it stayed with me, sitting unused in the corner. Three years and a Musicman and Precision later I rediscovered the Wal and play it as my main bass ever since. So my advice is that if you think everything feels right with your Wal then go cheating, but keep it.

My Fenix by Young Chang Jazz ..now with a lovely French couple

Andy is a top guy and I never expected to see the bass again after 2 years - to say it made my week would be an understatement! My lesson learned is always unload the car post practice and gig regardless of whether you're knackered and it's chucking it down and get insured..... the other guitar, an ACG, was returned in similar circumstances a year ago by a great guy in Hebden Bridge As Andy says bass players are a fantastic community of like minded souls - my faith in human nature is reaffirmed! Cheers Justin