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So Mrs B and I are having a drink and a chill, and out the blue she says ”Can you build me a bass..? I quite fancy one to learn on” ! Is this a trap?

It'll be 8 years tomorrow. Eight. And there's still a Simon-shaped hole here that will never be filled. Luv ya mate.

Hi I know you are moving on but, as a bass builder, just to put your mind at rest: it is exceptionally unlikely that the twist problem is anything you've done. My reasons for saying this: As folks above have said - with a single truss rod neck - in my view, the truss rod does not do anything about twist. It does not cause it and it cannot cure it. I'm pretty sure the Jazzus is a single truss rod neck. The truss rod adjustment is a routine event - especially with changing weather conditions. Adrian M explains this himself in Part 1 of his YouTube set-up guidance videos (which are good, by the way). He himself in that video adjusts the truss rod under full string tension. Adjusting with no string tension is also OK. Unless a bass has been left in exceptionally poor storage conditions (eg, I make an assumption it hasn't been left in a car in full sun in recent weather or anything of similar extremes) twist is usually an issue whose causes would have been already present in the timbers or construction at the time of building. It is entirely possible that this would have been undetectable at the time of making so it is not necessarily a sign of poor quality control. As the neck moves, through playing or through weather changes, those underlying issues can sometimes start to show. On a relatively new bass, therefore, I'm surprised that there is any argument other than to replace the neck FOC (I think the neck is bolt-on?). It is usually no-one's fault - but it is, in most likelihood, a fault in the bass.

Look, I don't profess to being a Nirvana, Foo Fighters, QoTSA, The Crooked Vultures or Probot fan, but I do find Dave Grohl somewhat endearing. This has just dropped on YT. The first eight minutes is documentarist, the final 23 minutes is an instrumental track wholly recorded by Dave Grohl. It's pretty intense. It's also pretty good.

😂

Not a lot to report today, got the last three coats of nitro onto the backs and the neck. Tomorrow weather permitting I'll finish off the fronts and let them hang for a while and move on to the next project

Here's mine which I still own: It's Burns Sonic from the early 60s which I got second hand in 1981 for £60 including the original Hard Case and a Fender-branded strap thrown for good measure. It's far from original, although most of the modifications were done before I got it, and all of what I have changed - replacement bridge, machine heads potentiometers and capacitors were done to keep the bass playable as the old parts had worn out. I used this with the first two bands I played with including the demo recordings that nearly got my second band signed to CBS records! It doesn't get much use these days as I play 5-strings and Bass VIs, but I'm toying with the idea of using it as a basis for a custom Bass VI build.

In my head, the lower (bass) strings should be fretted and the higher (treble) strings should be the fretless ones ...

Swindon? Why such a roundabout place? OK I'll shut up!

If you'd like an objective road tester , i'll volunteer. I'm prepared to drive to Swindon if you can too

Neither did I. This is of course a lie to make you feel better. I did. And I neeeeeeed that tube sound for recording.

Sage advice. I will wait for at least 50 more replies before even vaguely going near a “buy it now” button

My motto is 'Procrastinate Tomorrow'.

Yes, high-level GAS is when ignition occurs, your buttocks get singed and you leap up and get the credit card out! I'm down to two, but trying to justify a Vintage 4V MN purchase. It's very affordable, it's the right colour combo (no refin needed), the hardware and electrics are of sufficiently good quality to make upgrades uneccesary, it plays very nicely, it sounds great, it looks the business and... you just can't have too many P basses! Have I sold it to you yet?

Just following on, XLR cable arrived and all connected up. Definite difference from the treble perspective. Whereas via the 1/4" jack output I rolled the treble back to the 10 o'clock position, with the XLR, the same treble response is closer to the 3 o'clock position. Much better.

I must add, and its by no means rubbing anyone's face in it; my Maruszczyk that arrived two months ago was beautifully built. There are clearly issues with some that are leaving the factory, but they're not all bad so don't be put off or disheartened.

It wouldn't all fit onto a dvd. It would have to be a streaming service

The blooper reel?

quite clearly you are wrong, why are you visiting drum and guitar forums? You can't be a real bass player, you must be one of them musicians I keep reading about

I'd have no problem with 200w and a 1x12 with no PA for that gig. You really need that much kit for a wedding band? Who are you covering? Sabbath?

wow I'm knocked out by the response - thanks @SpondonBassed, @TheGreek, @Dad3353, @bigsmokebass, @Teebs, @Misowaki, @Grangur, @BaggyMan, @HCC - there's lots here for me to try. First up I lowered both the neck and bridge pick ups under the G string and noticed some improvement straight away (hats off to @TheGreek!) - I ran out of adjustment pretty quick, so also raised height of the string a little. End result, definite improvement over most of the fretboard. I still don't think there's as much punch as from the other strings, but I'm encouraged now to tweak some more based on the feedback and see how much more improvement I can get. Will feed back. Thanks again, glad I joined. And @TheGreek - your joiner joke, oh dear 🤪

Buy that bass. That'll do it!

Hi I’m John been playing bass for many years and based in Letchworth, Herts, bass player, songwriter and teacher of bass for over 20 years if anyone’s interested in lessons give me a shout 07525 063874 🤓🎸 thanks for reading John

Anybody remember the flying V saga? Short version, i still aren't happy with it. So i found a cheap les paul guitar body on ebay and am transplanting the neck and most of the electrics to it: Here we go!

2nd May 1997

Good evening, JP, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

After using my Hofner President guitar as bass, I finally invested the princely sum of £20 for a Vox Clubman ... Supposedly new, from a sort of pawn shop in Addlestone, Surrey. It had an odd socket, rather like a TV aerial socket, on the pick-guard, not the side as in the photo, which I had to change. It got little use, and was taken in part exchange for a Vox Continental organ that my good lady at the time was to learn to play. That, too, had a short life with us, being traded for a Hohner Pianet M. It mattered little to me at the time, as I was already playing drums by then. Do I regret that bass..? Not one bit. The Hofner President, yes. I was a fool to let that go (I've been looking since for another: Hofner President, two pick-up, single Florentine cut, violin burst...).

That's a beard? I thought it was something off a Pink Floyd album cover No, I want to do a fretless sometime but I want to do some Thunderbird type things or Fire Dragons as they're going to be called.

Next coat on. Looking darker and more defined.

Apparently it’s not a trap.. she’s picked a body shape and everything. Cor.

Love the idea of a little PF-20T for recording... if only I ever did any recording! 😁 £299 seems like a good price (https://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/ampeg-portaflex-pf-20t-20w-bass-amplifier-head), though "Available to order" might mean "no chance".

They do in the RM range, I had the separate cabs in that formation - with the RM500 head - and they sounded very good together.

Mine lives in the lounge, running through a Crazy 8 cab. Overkill? Of course. But then so is my main gig rig (GB Shuttle 900W through either a Markbass 210 or a Markbass 410). I like headroom ...

So far (touch wood) I haven't had anything stolen. The guitarist forgot to lock his van one night and both his Strats were stolen. Was that a coincidence or do these people try the doors of every vehicle every night? I've noticed that the other guys in the band leave their car doors and tail-gates open when they're loading in and out. I close the car when I'm ferrying gear in or out of the gig or home and the car is always unpacked after every gig. The basses go in last and come out first. I have left my cabs in the car only a few times over the years. I reckoned if someone wanted to run off down the street with a 95lb cab then good luck to them. I wouldn't be heartbroken if I had something nicked. Bloody annoyed with myself for letting it happen but that's all. Loosing the cash would smart, but nothing is irreplaceable and I'd be looking to make the replacement an upgrade.

😖 Is that what they mean by thick as thieves? Maybe he just needed a hard case though...

Hi kieran i think it’ll simplify things if the bass is shipped as a purchased item, in other words decalared at full value with the relevant forms. You’ll have to pay duty and handling but it’ll be a small price to pay. Undervaluing the item will likely lead to it being ‘inspected’ and delayed, gift or not.

It was a red Sunn Mustang precision, the one that looked more like a Yamaha RBX than a Fender. I had it 3 months before moving up to an Aria Pro MAB20/5 5 string with my 16th birthday money. I spent most of my formative years playing the Aria and still play it on occasion. Sold the Sunn. Never really missed it. It may have been my first, but the Aria is the one I'm sentimental about!

A nice idea, but the bow's ruined after just a few hits. ...

In this very forum a thread was started 15 hours ago re a stolen Phil Jones bass amp, anyone notice that?

I'd be happy with a curve like that in my room The caveat is that I've got a massive dip in the lows. I've not measured it but it must be -15db or more. As a result I can't mix anything with bass on my monitors and have to rely on headphones. I'm sure Sonarworks would sort your dips and peaks out. If I can catch the upgrade from headphone edition (that I have) to the studio with mic in a sale I'll share my measurements on here.

Just to follow on from this, I asked on said forum whether Richard Barbieri had any formal keyboard training pre-Japan. Now what follows is quite brilliant. Rob Dean (Guitar/Japan) confirmed Mr Barbieri was working in a bank when he joined Japan. Interestingly, Richard Barbieri also chipped in - and he's in hospital today having his gall bladder removed - and remarked that he 'was just getting the hang of it when [we] split up'. What a bloke.

I've watched most of Davey's videos - they're mostly pointless but fun nevertheless.

Burns Nu-Sonic looks as though it will be fairly close: https://www.thomann.de/gb/burns_nu_sonic_bass_trans_red.htm

When i've had the need for a modification to one of these things (I own one of the models on the far right in the picture), i've taken it to a good luthier/guitar repair man and got the job done by them. I think the simplest thing would be to have such a person make you a new brace that fits into the holes already present in the instrument.

Perhaps a bit more detail..? What's the band's composition..? What style of repertoire..? No PA, even for vocals..? There was a time, not so long ago, that bands were all acoustic, with brass sections, drums and pianos. The bass players had their place in the mix. As an extreme, you could just play as best you can, and if it gets drowned out by the others, one would ask why they require a bass player at all. If you're playing acoustically, the others will have to 'suck it up', too, I'd have thought. Just my tuppence-worth; I'm probably wrong.

Your wife has installed a special browser plugin that marks everything 'Sold'

[url="https://flic.kr/p/C6VKEu"][/url] My Maruszczyk Elwood 4p in Black burst. It's a 30" scale and weighs in at a delightfully pleasing 3.47Kg Although it's not really a 4p anymore because I added an East J-Tone pre-amp. It sounded awesome before the change, now it's awesomer. I hope this post works as I need to find a way to host then post my music photographs all over again. Fingers crossed...