Leaderboard

Elixirs. I love them. A set lasts me a year and they come in the gauges I like. I do think they’re well worth the price. I used to avoid noodling on my bass at home because I didn’t want to ‘waste’ my strings!

Today I glued in the MOP blocks. I used West Systems Epoxy which is great, but is a pain if you are only using small quantities, as I normally do. So I've started using medicine syringes to meausre out very small quantities, taken direct from the can. No waste, no scales, no hassle. I use a children's Nurofen syringe for the Resin (half a syringe is 2.5ml) and a Vitabotics one (0.5ml). It really works great, and a vast improvement over the pumps that West Systems sell that only measure out large quantities and leak all over the place. And cost twenty quid... I started off with some rosewood sanding dust (400 grit) but on my test piece I found that it was a bit light. So I added some black powder, in this case Behlen's black furniture powder. It's been sitting on a shelf for years and I've never used it. No idea why I bought it, but this seemed like the ideal time to bring it out. Anyway, I added maybe 20% black to end up with this... Then I syringed on 2.5ml of resin onto the top of the sawdust, mixed it well then added 0.5ml or 205 hardener. Mixed it well for a minute or two, then glued on the blocks... Following @Christine's advice, I just held them in using finger pressure, no clamps or anything. Tomorrow I'll sand, and judgement will follow😲

I've used my router table and trimmed the neck. I must improve my technique here as the router (again) decided to have a little nibble when going across the grain. Nothing major that can't be sorted but annoying all the same. Next task are to put the side dots in and sort the logo inlay thing for the headstock. I'm going to use the same shape logo that I have on the two previous basses of this shape. I'm wasn't entirely sure on whether to use plain ebony or to use a lighter wood with a veneer line around it so I made both to see. First off, I got made a photocopies of a previous spare logo and stuck these to some slices of ebony and a slice of the birds eye maple from the neck. I used a fine saw to cut the bulk of the excess off. I've mounted my Dremel like a mini router table to trim the edges of the logos tight to the photo copy lines. For the lighter coloured one I trimmed it further as this will have veneer glued around the edge. I used superglue to stick two layers around the logo - not the easiest job as the superglue wants to run and the veneer wants to split, but with a bit of patience I ended up with these: I'm going to use the light one with the veneer edge - I think that will look the best when fitted.

Metal Work 101, prototype to production. Steve Soar of ThunderBucker Ranch who makes most of the pickups I use is also collaborates on my bridges and tail pieces. Clockwise from bottom left: Prototo tailpiece from aluminium stock, ThunderBucker supplied nickel silver blank, drilled and polished, NS bridge channel with .020 AL insert. Assembly begins.

Yup - happy with that: What with all the dashing up to Aberdeen and such, have only just ordered the trussrod so can't fit the fretboard and carve the neck yet. Still, plenty more to do in the meantime - not least the final sanding and finishing on the body, which needs to be done in any case before the neck and bridge can be fitted. As always, by the way, thanks for the great feedback

I played a Dimension 4 a while back and liked it so decided to look for a black or red 5'er and have been looking for one in my budget for at least 6 months! I got there in the end though. I mainly use active 5 strings but the Dimension Standard V HH is passive, with a cool voice of it's own. It is strong, yet musical and distinct from Jazzers and Precisions. I love it, as it just talks to me and wants to be played! I'm still in the honeymoon period as you can tell but I'm pretty blown away to be honest. It handles really well for a five stringer too. It is such a shame that these aren't more common. Does anyone else play one of these and if so is it working for you? Note: Mine is like this.

Solid brass cnc machined 5 string high mass bridge, string thru body or top loading option, brass saddles, stainless steel screws.

A lot of the groups had 3 Vox AC30 combos with the vocals doubling through the rhythm amp. And don’t forget the Watkins Copycat sitting on top. Later all sorts of crude home made pa outfits appeared. My dad liberated a whole lot of old ‘music while you work’ speakers from the biscuit factory. Brother gutted the 9”x 4” elliptical drivers and put a whole load into a column, major axis vertically. As you can imagine the distortion was a bit challenging but bro’s finest hour came when the Stones ran Mick Jaggers vocals through them at Reading Town Hall. Jan 1962 I think. As OBBM will no doubt agree, there was neither money or availability around back then. You made a lot of your own kit.

Me too actually. He's probably one of my favourite singers.

Love JB. There's a great CD/stream/download called 'Spirit'. Takes you through a lot of BBC live stuff right through the 70's. Really good, and broad as well. Bass work is, as you'd expect, a lesson from start to finish. I've been working my way through his solo records since I first heard it. Up until that point, I knew about Cream and his early work, but was quite in the dark about how much he'd packed in since. Very eye-opening. I'm a big fan of his 'How's Tricks' album. The title track alone, is sublime.

Here is my Fodera Brazilian Hickory Emperor 6 Elite. I know and acknowledge that they're not for everyone but I'm so excited about collecting this instrument. https://fodera.smugmug.com/Newborn-Gallery-Vol-V/Newborn-1810/

A Warwick Dolphin. My GAS for these is transient; I always want one but at times it's stronger for some unknown reason. I will have to get one some day.

I would not get too hung up on labels. Granted, they can be useful in some circumstances. "Jazz" IMO is an "umbrella" name for a vast variety of music which has been constantly evolving since around 1900, and is still doing so. Generally, people have an era preference in this evolution.

Ambient I'll recommend to proceed with *extreme* caution regards WD40 , wear gloves if you try it, and don't blame me if your hands fall off after using it. Though *I* have not encountered any problems, this may or may not be the case with any one else so... if in doubt just buy proper string cleaner or new strings and be done with it! And don't get it near rusty nuts... or drink it. I think that's all the Health and Safety stuff covered then. 👍

I remember playing one that was 3.5kg

-

Man that's some movement! Big shame.... I would DEFINITELY email photos etc to Fender UK and copy in your dealer, be up front and say it's over 2 years, but ask them if they would be willing to help. You may then have a spare new neck for it.... I think there is a guy called Matt Davey at Fender UK/Europe...

Tone? Did anyone complain at James Jamerson's lack of tone? Get yourself a set of flatwounds, leave 'em on for 14 years and think of the money you've saved....😕

I’ve found that soaking strings in methylated spirits works far better than boiling them to oblivion.

well I use these at £4.40 a pop, but you may not like the tone, I find them fine for pub gigging, nice and snappy cos they're always new, 10 sets for the price of a set of La bellas? Possibly worth a punt? https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_valuestrings_bassguitar_medium.htm

Having received this by PM this afternoon, may I congratulate OH and his collaborators for having created a splendid little 'Real Book', even as far as adopting some of the typographic aspects. I've not played through all of the pieces, but they are very well laid out, clear to read, even with my duff eyes, and well chosen as fine pieces to listen to and/or play. Warm thanks for making this, and the mp3's, available at such a bargain price. An enthusiastic 'Thumb's up' from me, then. , followed by a hearty 'Thank you'.

A bit more progress on the neck. Lots, and lots, and lots of tape.... Then on to sanding the radius.... Man I love rosewood. It's just so beautiful to work with. I know the CITES restrictions are for our own good, but every time I think about it I feel genuine sadness. 😢

So Finally got the sander and 10 minutes to myself! I had to drag my Peterson to rehearsal last night, and it reminded me why I need to get this one finished! Also have a gig on Saturday- will I make it? Lots of sanding to do, but I’m looking forward to the results.

It's a massive yes from me. However, just as rock had a 'golden period', for me, jazz did the same. Late 50's to mid-70's. I loved it when it was pushing the boundaries - Coltrane, Miles, Mingus, Albert Ayler.....other day I was jamming with Cannonball Adderley's 'The Black Messiah'. There is so much amazing jazz, but I think perception tends to put a lot of people off....the polite, Pizza Hut stuff. That amazing period of innovation, that's where I like to be. I have enjoyed Marcus Miller's recent records, and Victor Wooten....Stanley Clarke's new album is pretty cool. But I personally don't think they're in the same league as say, 'A Love Supreme'. Same as most, if not all modern rock records don't come close to 'Who's Next'. I'll leave you with this -

I have modelled my sound on the sound JB had on Cozy Powell's Over The Top LP. Bought an Aria SB700 because he endorsed the range (before I knew how all THAT works). Just a lovely musician.

The kit is here! Cant start it till the body is routed, holes filled and painted but it seems quite good, neck joint is tight, neck isn`t a baseball bat which is a bonus. Turns out my pickups are Kent Armstrongs passive Alembic pup and theyv`e supplied me with a wiring diagram for coil tapping etc, may look into that but i`m definitely no electrical genius.

Nowt wrong with that action. A proper "man's" bass right there.

Well those were work in progress pics. I think it turned out a little better in the end. But considering the break was not just one clean snap and had multiple places that needed attention I was pleased. Especially as the break was right over where the truss rod acts! If it was a painted or heavily lacquered finish the repair would be completely invisible. Anyhow glad I could help. And get a very good action to boot.

Well my neck has been fixed! and good. Setup with a low action, plays perfectly. I would just like to thanks Twincam for all his hard work in saving this neck, I'm blown away with his expertise, highly recommend him. Thanks Aidan.

When I was a long haired 20 year old, my main, in fact pretty much only, interests were playing the bass and trying to get young women into bed. Forty years later, as a long haired 60 year old, my main, in fact pretty much only, interests are playing the bass and trying to get the bed to myself so I can get a decent night's sleep.

I wish there was a "Thank You on Steroids" icon along with the like, thanks and other post reactions that could be made to Dad3353's post above. Means a lot since it took a lot of work to put it together. Interested in hearing other reactions, good, bad, ugly, or suggested improvements from others who received a copy of the book. As this is our very first release. We have three more songs in various states of production awaiting formatting and integration into the book as well. Please let me know if others want the book and the free, downloadable Mp3's with no strings attached...

I had a WHUFC Steve Harris bass with the same problem. Under warranty it was replaced with no problem. Tell us how it sounds with the status neck

You know what they say.... "...you can never have too many clamps."

Cheers Ped. So excited about playing this bass!

Very classy. It's a 6 so my back has gone into spasm just looking at it, but nevertheless it looks brilliant.

Having tried many different strings over the years I am currently using Sadowsky Blue Labels. They have great tone and medium tension. However in that everlasting search for the ultimate tone I'm always interested to try something new. Maybe NYXL strings will take me to that tone nirvana. I will only know if I try them.

Apparently!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks a lot. I’ve got to wait until December to pick it up but it’ll make a nice Christmas present I guess. Brazilian Hickory is pretty hard - I googled it when ordering the instrument and it said it was a dense wood.

Just wish I could add more "LIkes"... Randy Crawford has an amazing voice. "One day..." was one, and still is, of my favourite tunes .

This?

Life’s too short. As the late Tony Wilson once said: “Jazz musicians enjoy themselves far more than anyone listening to them”. *Other opinions are available.

This bass is a prototype and a chance to do some minor house cleaning. My TBird style designs are based on Peter Cook's work with John Entwistle. The ONLY FenderBird (JAE's spelling). The Gibson original body shape was slightly modded to make it compact enough to fit in a Precision sized case when mated with a Fender neck. This is my workhorse, a 35 year old overarm pin router, bought used in 2010 for $700 and a 900 mile round trip to North Carolina. Pedal actuates the hydraulics that lower the pin while simultaneously raising the cutter. Safe as milk. With it and shop made mdf templates plus some other bench and hand tools I can make consistent pickup, neck pocket, and control cavity routes with the aged 15 amp Bosch router (110 volt). This bass doesn't get one of my scratch built bodies. Instead I'm using a Korean made bolt on Epi body from a bass I bought mainly to get a TBird case for one of my Gibsons. Prototypes for me are basically proof of concept before doing production templates. I'll just give this one a respray. Wider, shallower neck pocket routed, masking tape to draw critical measurements for bridge and tailpiece. Then, semi-instant gratification before the real work begins.

Haven't been on BassChat for a while and just stumbled across this thread today. Westone Thunder Basses? I bought a Westone Thunder IIIA from the Bass Centre in 1986. I think I bought it because it didn't look like a P-bass and it was red. I'd been ripped-off by my local music store when buying my first bass - a Squier JV 57 Precision with a twisted neck. So I decided I'd go to the top. I figured the Bass Centre couldn't afford to damage their reputation by selling me a lemon but it took some courage to go in to their shop as a novice bass player. But I did and boy was I glad. They treated me with respect and dignity and gave me the best advice they could based on my playing abilities and my budget - and for 360-quid I wound up with a red Westone Thunder IIIA plus gig-bag. That was thirty-two years ago and its still my main gigging bass today. The gig bag died years ago though. I wouldn't class it as a cheap bass either. 360 quid wasn't cheap in 1986. Mid-priced would be more accurate. I haven't seen too many red Thunder IIIs... well three to be exact. Mine, a red fretless in a second-hand shop that I should have bought and a picture of a red one online somewhere. The rest seem to be walnut brown colour. The red ones are louder! Years ago Guitarist magazine published a list of all the guitars and basses imported into the UK over a certain number of years. I can't remember how many years the list covered, nor can I find any reference to it anywhere but I DID see it. On that list it showed that there were only 20 (I think) red Westone Thunder IIIAs imported into the UK. They were imported by FCN Music of Tunbridge Wells who went out of business a million years ago. I didn't dream it, I definitely had that copy of Guitarist mag but its long-gone. So, in the UK at least, I would rate my red bass as fairly rare. I've had various modifications made to my bass over the years (all done by the Bass Centre). Badass Bridge, EMG pups, EMG Bass Tone Control, Gotoh tuners, Schaller strap-locks, replacement pots, jack sockets, control knobs and switches, fret polishes etc. but I've kept all the original parts safe in case I ever feel the need to put it back to its original spec. Its a fantastic instrument. Incredibly well-made and very stable - thirty-two years remember. And I play it in incredibly unforgiving circumstances at outdoor gigs in the Middle East and in my freezing cold air conditioned apartment. It thrives in both environments with an occasional tweak of the truss-rod. Good piece of kit, shame they went out of business.

Thanks all for the input. I'm going to use the MOP. I spent most of today routing out the channels for the blocks. More or less I used @Christine's method, ie: 1. Masking tape on the back of the blocks, and the fretboard. Use centrelines to line them up. Thin superglue them in place. Score round the edge with a blade. Then VERY carefully prise them off. Very carefully. I had the corner of one break off because I went at it too quickly. 2. I found it useful to use masking tape to make clearer where the edge of the block is. Being a bit ditzy, I can very happily rout away, completely forgetting that I'm supposed to be stopping at the line. So the pink masking tape is there as a reminder! I then routed with my palm router (not a dremel) and a 3mm mill bit. I thought this stage was going to be the most difficult. Actually it wasn't. The router rode on two stacked pieces of 18mm mdf, either side of the neck and it went very smoothly. My palm router (a Dewalt, the best designed tool I own) has a light underneath so I was able to see pretty clearly. I hand routed to within 0.5 - 1mm or so. 3. Chisels to then cut up to the line. This was....less easy. Other than for prising templates off😲, I've never used a chisel in my life. I'm not even sure quite how to use them. Am I supposed to be hitting them with a malet? Just pushing then to sort of slice wood off? I used a combination of both techniques. I found that the most important thing was that they were sharp...(I'm a slow learner!).....I sharpened them before I started and half way through. Actually I think I should have sharpened them 3 or even 4 times. This was the end result... Not perfect, (and this is the best one) but I'm pretty happy. I'm hoping that epoxy and sanding dust will make up for my sloppy work....

There's been a bit more progress over the last couple of days. A lot of the techniques I've covered in other threads so I'm not going into too much detail. But if anyone wants a bit more just let me know. First up, threaded inserts for the neck bolts: The neck pocket is cut, and very very nice it is too. Even if I do say so myself. The neck falls in with minimal pressure, but no visual gap at all. Happy days! I cut out the body and rout it to size with the template. Then time to stick it together to make sure everything is in approximately the right place. It is. Hurray 😀

His reworking of the bass line to Labi Siffre's It Must Be Love is just great, tho I notice in the vid he's playing....a Rick? Blimey... It is black and white, though