mcnach

[quote name='Steve Browning' timestamp='1496134411' post='3308941'] ........... but not your third sock I hope! :-) [/quote] our singer kept insisting about doing the sock thing... fortunately the others were more sensible, so we never did

[quote name='jimbartlett' timestamp='1492066036' post='3277535'] I have done exactly as above. I had to get a sharp blade to score around the glue on the SUB pickup but it can out easily and I swapped it over with the white cover off the cheaper pickup. [/quote] looking good!

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1496092159' post='3308762'] Going for a jam with a guy next week and Under the Bridge is on the list of songs he'd like to do. I've always hated it with a passion. I remember listening to it once about 10 years ago and vowed to never listen to it again. But, being an adult, I decided I'd learn it for this jam and then make my excuses in the future. Gave it a quick spin and it was as I remembered and feared. The shrill, jangly guitar tone. The dull, atonal vocals. Four sections to the song, which are all very plain in their own right, just shoehorned together. Meandering, needlessly complex, and poorly constructed bass line which totally dominates the song rendering it almost unlistenable, and my god does it drag?! Feels like it goes on for 10 minutes! And the drumming! It's like the guitar, bass, and drums are each playing a different song! Dreadful song. No idea why it's so highly regarded. The only redeeming feature is Flea's tone, which is sick. So I've learnt it and I'll give it a run through, but hopefully it'll sound terrible and we'll never have to play it ever again. [/quote] well, I love it I find the bassline very cool. And when you play it in a full venue and people sings it back (I used to play in a RHCP tribute band for a few years) made my arm hairs stand up...

Last night... gig in Coventry (The Arches Venue). Quite a drive from a band based in Scotland. We had a great support band... great because they were great guys&girls and they did a fantastic job, and great because they stayed to see us, and they became about one third of the crowd... the place was so empty... disappointing. There was another event, outdoor, less than 500m away with The Levellers, Level 42, and UB40... and I suspect that must have hurt the evening at this venue... Still, it was a nice pay after expenses, and the hotel was pretty decent... but it feels bad when you know the promoter took a hit to have you play. He wants us back... fingers crossed!

[quote name='beely' timestamp='1495974591' post='3307835'] A little back-story to last night’s gig. Hope this is not too long-winded but, bear with me. On Tuesday I was contacted by a local venue to see if we could play on Saturday as the band they had booked couldn’t do the gig. Before I confirmed we were ok, I texted each band member to check they were available. Within twenty minutes I had replies from everyone to say they were free. So far, so good. I confirmed with the venue, The Twa Tams in Perth, that we were good to go. I then set off on the drive down to Northumberland to spend a couple of days with a musician buddy who moved there a few months ago. About an hour later, the lead guitarist texts me. “Really sorry man, just realised I’ve got something on that night so I can’t make it.” My reply ( the printable one) was, “The gig is confirmed, we are playing.” However, he insisted he can’t make it so now, I’m faced with a problem. Gigs are hard enough to come by as it is so there is no way I am giving this one up without a fight. Cue much texting and phoning to see if I can get a dep. Everyone seems to be playing this weekend. I eventually get a reply from a young lad who I know from open mics in the town that he can play with us. Bit of a result: he lacks neither talent nor confidence. Next thing: we have a new guitarist joining the band and this will be his first gig with us. He has had one rehearsal so you can imagine how he feels. He tells me he will get down to work and should be well enough sorted for the gig. Starting to feel a bit better about things as we all seem to be taking the view that, actually, this could be fun. Both new guitarist and dep learned thirty-one songs in three days to at least giggable standard. Absolutely fantastic. It turned out to be probably our best gig/performance to date. The crowd were up for it, right from our vocal sound-check, a three-part harmony of “When will I be loved” and continued throughout the whole evening. Everybody in the band were totally relaxed and, despite a few missed cues and a couple of other daft things, played exceptionally well. Really gratifying to see hard work paying off and turning what could have been a difficult night into a bit of a success. Also nice to get a few more dates in the diary. First topic of conversation at tomorrow’s rehearsal? We have a band Google calendar: use it! [/quote] so, is the new guy your new guitarist substituting the one who created the problem? It wasn't clear to me. If yes... then I like your style: ruthless but fair. I hate being left to deal with crap like that when someone comes up with "oh I forgot..."... easy for them because they never deal with promotors or have to negotiate anything... or be the ones looking like an idiot.

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1495968676' post='3307791'] Is your original neck for sale ? Les [/quote] No, I'm going to keep it, I'm sorry. Despite being rosewood and Jazz-like in dimensions, it's not like I cannot play it and it's actually one of the very nicest Jazz necks I have ever played. I want to keep it for as long as I have the rest of the bass.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1495804735' post='3306756'] I know that pubs tend not to be on the dimensions of the Royal Albert, but 10x15 feet? Meters yes, but feet? My car wouldn't fit in a garage of that size. [/quote] yeah, 10x15 feet was probably a way to say "it's small" rather than the actual measurements of the bar. If you have the band playing, there would only be room for two customers at a time

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1495799627' post='3306704'] There can't be many necks in the world with a fake Squier decal! I hope the quality is good - my £30 Chinese guitar neck has fretwire that seems softer than the good stuff. [/quote] "Genuine fake Squier decal! L@@K!" Yeah, let's see how it goes. Going by what different people say, some are very decent and some not so much. There were some for £25. I saw what these guys were selling and they *looked* reasonable and the way they described things made me feel they were above average. But for all I know, they might be buying the £25 necks and selling them to me for £60 Postage will be slow, so I don't expect to have news until another 2-3 weeks from now. Oh, and I'm going with purple

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1495789058' post='3306545'] I think Cort have upped the game with this one and I am looking to demo the 75JJ or possibly the 75HB that look cracking. [/quote] label the reviews clearly so that I can avoid them... the temptation may prove too strong

[quote name='BassApprentice' timestamp='1495789215' post='3306549'] £60 for a neck made to your spec with a decent looking logo. Not bad. [/quote] It'll need a nut, and expect to take care of fret levelling etc... but if it's half decent that's nothing. It was worth a shot. I'll report back when I receive it. I'm also repainting the body... fiesta red? purple? I've got both colours... decisions decisions...

I have a '94 Korean Squier Jazz, a battered thing that sounds fantastic (the electronics are all replacements, however...). My favourite Jazz of all the ones I have owned including 3 75RI Fenders... the thing is it's a Jazz neck (I like chunkier ones best) and rosewood for fingerboard (while I prefer maple). So I ordered a new neck for it... and it would need a logo. I simply had a replica made, down to the serial number:

I've got a ridiculous Squier Jazz, a '94 Korean one from the Cort factory. Why ridiculous? Because I've owned more Jazz basses than I remember, from £40 Westfields to several 75RI Fenders. And this is my favourite. I bought it here for the princely sum of £75. I wanted a cheap Jazz bass at a time when I was Jazzless. This one was offered, the electronics didn't work properly and it was not cosmetically in the best condition, hence the price, but it was ok. I fixed the electronics, cleaned it... and loved it. Well, loved it after I replaced the pickups, they were terrible. After a while I realised that this thing was here to stay and I added a J-Retro preamp. Essentially the electronics are worth several times what I paid for the whole bass But nothing sounds like it, for whatever reason. With Labella White Nylon tapewounds this thing is just fantastic. Except... I really don't like Jazz necks. Or rosewood. So I thought... I don't really want to spend a lot of money on something that is not *necessary* and which if not right might just change too much of what makes me love this bass... but for £60 I might just give it a shot. £60 being the price of some tasty looking Jazz necks advertised on AliExpress, all maple, lacquered (as I like) with a yellowish/vintage tint... I contacted them and asked whether they also have some Precision necks to sell. The ones they had were all 38mm at the nut. The answer came almost immediately: "no, but we can make one for you. what do you want?" So I specified a 42mm nut, etc... oh, and logo... their necks show no logo, but they do mention in the blurb they'll put a logo of your choice. Presumably that means Fender for a lot of people. I said I'd like a replica of the original Squier logo, down to serial number etc and sent them a picture. The answer came again fast "yes, we can do that, we charge $10 for the logo design work"... That sounded great as I thought I was going to make the logo myself, with my limited ability for these things. I found a font that was relatively close and so I could make a logo that would do the job, but if they can do it for $10... let them. They will send me pictures before finishing it, and will change if I felt it needed modification. That was March 22nd. Time started to pass. Time continued to pass. Time had children, which grew, and then they passed too. - "Hi, how is that neck going?" I asked in mid April. - "Next week" was the, again quick, reply. Next week made a whooshing sound as it passed by me (just like deadlines, love you Douglas! ) - "Hi..." - "Next week" 3 times. Now, AliExpress have a very good buyer protection program, from what I hear (I never needed it, I only bought a couple of pickguards and a preamp from the place before)... but it has a time limit, and that time limit was 26th of May for me. It seems that AliExpress gets the payment when you place the order, and they don't release the funds to the seller until the buyer confirms it's received and ok (or a certain time passes after confirmed delivery by the postal company if the buyer doesnt bother to reply). So that makes it much easier than dealing with individual sellers. The last time I heard "Next week", I waited the week and another one without making contact, and I just said "Squier, you're keeping your old neck" and opened a dispute at AliExpress to get a refund. I explained the issue, with copy to the seller, and as indeed there was no tracking number or evidence of shipping anything nearly 2 months after the order... AliExpress quickly refunded me. A day or so later, the seller emails me a picture of a neck and says "we'll be working on the logo tomorrow and will send you the picture in 2-3 days". Then, with a choice of words that sounded almost like they were broken hearted added a question about why did I open a dispute? It was in a nice tone, sounded hurt I replied stating why: "next week" promises unfulfilled and coming to the end of my buyer protection period. Because they sounded nice and genuine, just... slow, I added "the thing is I would still be interested. If you finish the neck, and put it for sale as a new item, please send me the link and I will buy it". They said ok. They will send me pictures when finished "next week" and if it's right, then I can buy it. "Next week" was actually going to be next week, but I got the picture today. My new neck, Precision dimensions, for the Squier... Let's see how it goes!

Well... I started this thread and I changed my mind entirely by now. Not that these cobalt flats are not nice, they are... but I found something (for me) a LOT better. [b][color=#ff0000]Labella White Nylon tapewounds.[/color][/b] They are surprisingly bright, for that type of string, although nothing like the cobalts... but not all thumpy like as a typical flat/tapewounds string. They have very low tension, which actually feels pretty good and you find yourself bending strings a lot more (if you like that kind of thing)... but above all, the sound is just... that kind of punchy mids-rich almost rubbery kind of tone... On a Jazz it's... intoxicating Not cheap... but I suspect they will last a long time, and the sound and feel are worth it.

[quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1495612616' post='3305200'] It must be me, but I have totally lost the plot on this thread. What are we talking about? [/quote] what's the best bass for metal

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1495566751' post='3304949'] Nah, can't be any good, he's got a music stand in front of him [/quote] It was probably the guitarist's, not his, so it's ok

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1495547887' post='3304654'] Ugh, hate this guy and his attention-seeking clickbait channel. I'm sure he's great, but he comes up on every bass related search on YT, and it's always some awful novelty party trick, he creeps me out massively. [/quote] can't please everyone, and that's ok

[quote name='Cairobill' timestamp='1495544391' post='3304605'] I'll add my vote to say get a Stingray Classic fiver - they sound amazing and look fab. Beautifully built too... [/quote] and have you seen the coral red ones??? !!!!!

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1495534678' post='3304471'] Mick and I are getting close to finalising the headstock shape and in the meantime I've been starting to round the edges: Mick has asked that there are no flat surfaces anywhere so the headstock will also be radiused and rounded. In the meantime I've just head that the custom pickup coils are ready [/quote] aha, so invisible to radar?

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1495529247' post='3304418'] What about a P Bass with a MM pickup in the right place ? [/quote] You mean with just the MM pickup? I'd take it! In fact... that's what (eventually) my 5-string bass will be. edit: if you meant having both the P and the MM... both overlap, but moving the P slightly upwards would not hurt too much, it would still sound pretty P-like. But I would not go for that. Two MM right by each other, ok... otherwise, just one MM would do, thanks

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1495522485' post='3304344'] I've never really understood the problem, there must be a hit record from every genre recorded on a Stingray, if you want to play with one technique and try and make the bass do the work maybe it's a problem? Play near the neck, play near the bridge, use a pick, use your thumb, give it a slap, cut the treble, if you are still getting one sound out of it before you've even started using the active eq then I'm not sure what's going on User error [/quote] I think user error is as harsh as one-trick-pony... I cannot imagine a situation where I could not make my Stingray fit in, but it clearly has a type of sound (which is why I like it so much) that others may not prefer... just like any other bass, really. Is a Precision a one trick pony too? I wouldn't say so, but whatever. Give me a Stingray or even a Precision ahead of any twin pickup bass, but that's just what I prefer.

[quote name='DDR' timestamp='1495476918' post='3304060'] Heya I have been thinking about 5 strings but don't have the budget and quite frankly I'm just not in to buying anything that isn't a keeper so I got excited when I read a comment in a discussion on here about stringing a 4 string B E A D. Has anyone got any thoughts/advice for me on this? Would the bass need adjustments to welcome the B? I've got a '50 classic precision & it has become my spare recently. Thanks! [/quote] Just the nut slots, probably requiring widening up a bit. The tension is likely to be similar or a bit lower, actually, than your existing strings so you may have to loosen up the truss rod *a tiny bit*... and that's it. If you have very low action, then there may be a bit of buzz because the thicker strings vibrate with a larger amplitude so you may need to raise the strings a *very tiny bit* but that's only if you're already having very low action... chances are it'll be ok as is.D Do it!

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1495446942' post='3303710'] Brilliant sound! Wouldn't want to have to tune it mind... [/quote] That's what I thought too

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1495400442' post='3303519'] The band I play guitar in has only one guitar, yet the ad I answered was specifically looking for a rhythm guitarist. Apparently this is because they'd already audtioned five or six insatiable widdlers. Several years later I still haven't tried to squeeze in anything resembling a solo (though I do play some melodic parts), and they seem to like it that way. [/quote] Your guitar playing in NUF is very tasty

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1493735242' post='3290263'] Dave Wilson - [url="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002025970885"]http://www.facebook....100002025970885[/url] [/quote] Absolutely! No question, beautiful work, great guy, and you will like the cost more than SIMs. He did a Jazz body of mine, and also lacquered the neck of my Stingray. Superb.

Sounds about right to me. I have a bit more than 5mm on the E side, and less on the G side of my 4 string Stingray