mcnach

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1472897045' post='3125140'] I assume top ones are. Seems like a good idea until you think what you would have and then realise it's taken you several days to decide on the colour! I will - I am having a rosewood neck with block markers so I could see it no issue, normally, but I did do a gig in the dark and although I don't normally need side markers, we do alright now now, and it is harder on a 24 fret bass! [/quote] Yeah, I agree... I don't need top markers at all, and the side markers are not a *must*, but they do come handy at times so having something you can see is handy. Years ago I had a Warwick Corvette, very dark neck and tiny markers and I did couple of gigs with very distracting lights... so I bought some glow in the dark paint and powder, and mixed both to make a thick paste and added small blobs on the side markers. It served two purposes: it would glow brightly if there was any UV light on stage (or if I charged them with a tiny uv torch) but even without glowing the 'bumps' were very handy landmarks. Not the prettiest solution but it worked... and could be removed easily too without marks.

Does it need to be true bypass? I've used the Boss LS-2 for the purpose you describe for years. I started because the EHX micro Q-Tron has a noticeable volume boost and that was the envelope filter I used at the time, and using an LS-2 allowed me to tame it. I no longer use that pedal, but I still keep an LS-2 for when I have difficulties with loud/quiet pedals. It seems to work fine. There are other similar pedals with more features (polarity switch?) but I'm not sure any of the ones I know are true bypass, and the LS-2 works well in my hands and it's cheap.

[quote name='Stefanogregori' timestamp='1471216724' post='3111374'] I love the zing of new strings but my fingers and body chemistry usually kill the tone I like after just 1 gig. I usually use d'addario exl165s and while they are relatively cheap, they aren't cheap enough to discard after one gig. I saw a set of generic nickel strings on Amazon for £4.05. I'm sure they aren't fantastic but as long as they last a gig I'd be happy to chuck them at that price. Does anyone have any experience with cheap, generic strings? [/quote] I used Coban stainless steel strings, for about a fiver on eBay or amazon. I'm sure they do nickel too. They are not bad for the price. They are not as zingy as others, even from new, but they still sound like new strings, they just don't have as much of the extra brittle zing that stainless steel strings often have during the first few hours of use, which was a good thing. They'd last more than a gig, and they felt good. I don't use them as I prefer the sound/feel of other strings and I don't mind it when they start deadening a bit... I'd try the Coban ones... they felt fine. If you like them, they'll definitely last the gig and they're dead cheap.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1472893649' post='3125085'] Not that sofistika ... sophissti ... sovietis ... clever. [/quote] damn spelling (original edited with excuses )

Patience, grasshopper, patience.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1472857969' post='3124935'] This is a 5 string, so 45mm nut is fine (which is what theirs are anyway). Bring the neck down to 20mm and 22mm and that is what an ibanez is, although I can't imagine I would be able to tell the difference between 22 and 24mm am I. Has anyone had custom fret markers done? I would imagine something like that would be expensive. Or luminay side markers? [/quote] I don't think side markers are expensive, not sure about top ones. I asked for wide 3mm black markers for my red Jake. On a maple neck it makes it easy to see where things are in a dark stage. I am not sure it added much (or anything) to the cost. He mentioned he could use Luminlay too but I doubt that would be a more costly option: I bought Luminlay rods and they cost me around £10 which with plenty left over... so if Luminlay is what you want, go for it without fear

[url="http://www.rondomusic.com/product8875.html"]http://www.rondomusic.com/product8875.html[/url] I first discover SX back in 2005 when I had a bit of unexpected cash in my pocket and saw a cheap set neck Les Paul with P90 pickups that looked great, and being a big P90 fan I thought I'd order one and at the very least it would look great on the wall. It was only £124 delivered from Germany. It arrived and I was ecstatic. The guitar needed some very minor adjustments, but it felt and sounded great. I used it soon afterwards at a "Guitar Bash" where I performed with it in a couple of songs and it attracted some attention, all positive, and actually compared positively against a Gibson Les Paul Junior reissue... When I eventually decimated my guitar collection, I let go everything except three guitars: a Floyd Rose stratocaster, a standard stratocaster... and the SX. Now, I don't need any instruments, but this bass... If I were in USA, I'd get one. $159!!!

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1472835509' post='3124680'] also, if you were of the theiving persuasion, surely the first thing you would do after stealing a bass would be to take it apart to make sure it doesnt have one of these TrackR devices in it - i mean there are only so many places you can "hide" one of these things in a bass... [/quote] your typical thief is not that sofisticated ;-) [1] but the problem I see with this is that until they're widely used they don't really do much... [1] edit: of sophisticated, even - Spanish spelling creeping in...

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1472834200' post='3124667'] I never got that far, that would be good to ask, but he has stopped talking to me now, I think I asked too many questions! I think I need to make some specs and ask for prices on those. I guess I can measure the ibanez neck and that will tell me what sort of size to go for as thats my perfect neck. [/quote] His communication style is direct and to the point. What I did was list clearly and concisely the various alterations to a base Jake model that I wanted, as a check list almost. Where I had doubts or wanted input I indicated it. That worked well for me. I think if you write long emails it just gets on the 'for later' pile

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1472826221' post='3124580'] Nut width, and front-to-back depth at a couple of points along the neck... [/quote] That. He usually asks for width at the nut and depth at 1st fret, but that's just a rough description, you can give a few more measurements for a better defined neck profile.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1472776153' post='3124246'] So specify the neck dimensions, they can work to exact measurements! Si [/quote] indeed! That's the first thing I would do, in fact. My first Maruszczyk was pretty much a stock Jake, only I specified the neck dimensions and finish, that's all. I don't think it added to the cost. The finish did, marginally, but not the neck size specs.

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1472654723' post='3122966'] One band I play in occasionally gets too too loud, and a couple of times now I've been faced with a) turn up further and compete, thereby making the noise even worse, or b)turn the bass completely off and mime for the audience's sake. B wins each time, as it also removes a bit of sound pressure, but it's usually about 3 songs before the buggers notice! Maybe next time it happens, I'll be armed with an orange. [/quote] I like your style

[quote name='zonular' timestamp='1472623835' post='3122616'] Hey folks, long time lurker, first time poster. To try and cut this short, I've picked up a bass a few years ago in a trade. Played guitar for years....bass to me is far more satisfying. The bass in question is a Ibanez atk400, its a beauty, I can get a lot of tones out of it feels great. Looking to add to the collection, which would you consider first. Simple p bass, a short scale, five string or fretless. I would add I do have smaller hands and I'm only playing with friends nothing major, although id love a cover band. What's in your collection? [/quote] hand size is not very relevant. Some people have smallish hands yet prefer wider necks. I initially liked thin Jazz bass necks, as I was used to guitars, but after a while I found the bigger necks more comfortable. I'd suggest a Precision, because it produces classic tones you cannot get close to with your ATK. But don't get the first one that comes across. Try many until you find 'the one'. I thought I didn't like Precision basses until I found a good one The fretless would be a cool different instrument to have, but it depends on how much you like the fretless sound. I have one, but I don't use it all that much. I would not worry about 5 strings until you find yourself needing one. Switching to 5 string is not difficult once you find the instrument with the right neck for you, but I find the effort unnecessary if you don't need a 5-string and you love the 4-string you normally use.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1472558329' post='3122066'] Right, experiment conducted (swapping the constant thickness full shim with a partial shim) and I've got some interesting results (assuming it isn't me fooling myself). The Curbow has a very long neck pocket that extends all the way to the pickup (which I think is in the Stingray position) so I ended up using a relatively thick shim of about the same thickness as the original full pocket shim. As expected it changed the neck angle a fair bit (not stupidly different obviously) and I got a greater range of adjustment available with the saddles. I'd previously got the G and low B saddles pretty much down to the deck so my action has now improved a fraction, in that it's lower (the bridge itself is angled back so you get less height adjustment per turn of the saddle screw than you would with a conventionally situated bridge). I think I might be getting a little note choking at the very highest frets because of the change in neck angle - I haven't changed the neck relief. This very minor note choking doesn't bother me. I don't see much change in the dead spots; I don't think they're any worse. The biggest change to my ears is the sound seems somewhat harmonically richer - this is a GOOD thing! I might just be hearing a bit more noise from the frets with the change in neck angle but I might well have changed the way the neck/body combination vibrates because there's less of a connection between the two with a partial shim. I've read more than once that bolt on neck instruments often sound brighter than neck through designs and some believe it's because the fundamental is stronger with a neck through... in other words the neck/body junction of a bolt on can favour the harmonics a bit more. I'm wondering if this is what I'm hearing? I can see why people use partial shims - they're easy to fabricate and install but I really didn't expect to hear an improvement in tone! The partial shim will be staying! [/quote] I think your change in action may be more responsible for the changes you hear. If there's minor choking on the higher frets, there will probably be other effects with strings vibrating and hitting the frets at other locations in ways that are not obvious 'choking' but resulting in a change of the sound. The bass will probably be more responsive to how light or hard you pluck too, because of that. Do you notice something like that?

[quote name='cana.dan' timestamp='1472554375' post='3122008'] It's ready! It will be in my hands tomorrow! [/quote] ooh! very nice!

That's an awesome looking rig!!!

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1472500372' post='3121650'] Not sure. Just play it? [/quote] no, the obvious third choice, and the reason I did not vote in your poll as that choice was not included, is "selling the Ibanez and getting a 5 string with a spacing that you find familiar already". That would be my choice, and if I need a 5 string (I decided I don't), I'd get another Lakland 5502... as it made the switch between 4 and 5 string much easier. I'm not against putting effort on things, but I am against putting more effort than you need. Dealing with different string spacings etc is all perfectly doable, but why put up with that if I don't have to?

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1472080728' post='3118431'] I recently got an Ibanez SR305 in a trade. For the price point, it's an excellent instrument. Well put together with a nice array of tones. My only gripe is the string spacing at the bridge, just 16.5mm. After years of play four string basses spaced at 18-20mm, the Ibby feels alien to me. In every other way, it's great. Even my band mates like it, but as soon as I put on my Jazz bass, it's like taking off a pair of new shoes and putting on a pair of comfy slippers. I'm almost certain that if I were to play it exclusively, eventually the muscle memory would kick in, but that would mean leaving my four stringers in their bags and weeks/months of discomfort and hard work. I'd be interested to know what other BC'ers would do. Would you spend time, exclusively playing the SR or would you put it up for grabs in the 'For Sale' section and stick with what you feel comfortable with. [/quote] I was the same... until I tried a few 5-string basses with 19mm string spacing. As long as the neck is reasonably shallow I find them very comfy. The Lakland 5502 was the best I've tried and playing it was very very easy (for me) compared to most other 5-string basses, so I only needed to worry about remembering the thickest string being a B and not an E So... I'd sell and get something with wide spacing... but try as many basses as you can, as neck profiles vary a lot, it's not just the spacing. The Lakland was the best by far, for me. But the Squier Jazz V DeLuxe, despite it's chunkier profile, was not bad at all and well worth checking out too. A lot cheaper too, if that matters.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1472549555' post='3121950'] Just for fun Jack - install LAME for Audacity in one click via this URL: [url="http://tinyurl.com/makejackhappy"]http://tinyurl.com/makejackhappy[/url] You'll have to do use IE or Edge though unless you have a ClickOnce extension installed for Firefox or Chrome. (btw if you don't have Audacity installed it will try to install it and fail as the package in the repository for it is currently broken, just ignore the errors!) [b](for anyone interested in how this works, check out [url="https://chocolatey.org/"]Chocolatey [/url]and [url="http://boxstarter.org/"]Boxstarter[/url])[/b] [/quote] oh, pretty cool, thanks!

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1472489047' post='3121514'] If you want to convert a WAV file into MP3 in Reaper you simply choose one of the variations of 'render to MP3'. At this point a window will open in Reaper saying 'mp3 encoder not loaded'. Then you go to lame and download the codec and stick it in the appropriate directory. It's dead easy; if you've used Audacity you'll have no problem. [/quote] Really? It's been so long I forgot I had to do that! ah well... it is really easy and a one-time operation, which is why I must have forgotten I did it... but if not downloading additional software is a must, then that rules out Reaper too I suppose!

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1472468123' post='3121272'] Please DON'T immediately jump in and tell me I need Audacity. I already tried it. Twice. I have no interest in an editor that omits vital files & plug-ins due to "copyright issues" and invites me to source them elsewhere and plug them in. So, once we step away from the Audacity base-camp, what's out there? My needs are VERY simple ... take a WAV file from a rehearsal or a gig (perhaps 2Gb, usually less), save individual tracks as mp3 files, maybe apply some amplification, maybe opt for a fade-in & fade-out, erm, that's about it. Free would be nice but NOT essential. I've spent far too long looking through obviously fake 5-star reviews of crap features and virus-ridden malware, and I'm well aware that almost all of the 'free' downloads are a disaster waiting to happen. I just don't know which ones (if any) are safe to use. I'm talking Windows here, not Mac. [/quote] Reaper! Not free anymore, but only $60 and it's very very good. You can download and try for 60 days without feature limitations: [url="http://www.reaper.fm/download.php"]http://www.reaper.fm/download.php[/url] It does a lot more than you say you need... but it's really simple to use. There may still be places where you can get their older 'free' version before they went fully commercial. I used to have version 0.999 or something like that, the last one before going commercial, which already was stable, takes up next to no space, light in resources usage, and does all the basic editing already. If interested I'll look for it and I can send it over, but you will probably find it online still. If you like it, the $60 is worth paying, in my opinion. They did a great job and provided a serious DAW for almost no money compared to what other bigger names wanted. I like supporting that if I can.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1472511400' post='3121773'] I can see your thinking behind liking the idea of the full-contact of the full pocket shim. I don't think this is a problem with a partial shim as long the connection is solid. The difference between a full pocket shim and a partial one is with a full one, if you effectively want to lower the bridge 2mm, then you will need a 2mm full pocket shim. [b]If you, instead, used a partial shim, you would only need something like a 1mm shim[/b]. Also, if you use a full shim, this is visible as a gap a the the place where you look at the neck in the pocket. If you've used a partial shim the neck touches the bottom of the body in the pocket and nothing is going to be visible. [/quote] probably quite a bit thinner than 1mm. I have often used business cards, which may not be the best choice as they do compress over time, but with a business card thick shim you probably get those 2mm or so already. A little shim goes a long way!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1472415542' post='3120994'] Sounds like a cool weekend. Fun, great story. Blue [/quote] Thanks, it was fun and a video that I cannot find how to embed here: [media]http://www.facebook.com/rob.bache/videos/1504131166267545/[/media]

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1472490389' post='3121531'] Thanks. It's the first time I've done this sort of thing on a bolt-on. My other basses are all neck-throughs and my guitars are all set-necks. Everytime I buy a new bass or guitar I promise myself that I will leave it as it is - I think I managed to last about 30 mins before giving in to the overwhelming urge to give this one a thorough set up! Maybe next time. [/quote] Ha! but that's the thing, if you can set it up nicely, why not? And in bolt-on basses it means you have to consider neck angle as yet another variable to play with. Glad it worked out!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1472465992' post='3121236'] The only time I've played with an electronic kit the player didn't have proper monitoring and I was straining to hear him from the PA speakers. That was a very poor stage sound. It's left me with an ambivalence towards electric drum kits. This is one of those "if it ain't broke. . . . " subjects for me. I love the physicality of a well played traditional kit right beside me. I used to play with a very loud guitarist who insisted that my amp was equally loud. I used 6 10's and had FOH in that band. I was happy with a level coming back through the monitors, but he wanted to [i]feel[/i] the bass behind him. I've just done my first gig with the drummer to the side of the stage facing me and now I get it. The feel (the Oomph) of the bass drum pointing right at me gave a huge boost to my playing. [/quote] Yeah, I get that we're used to having that loud thing making a racket next to us, and it feels a little disconcerting at first... but your bad experience above wasn't the kit's fault! It's like saying I broke a string on my white bass and ever since I feel weird about playing white basses... If you have an electric kit, then you must have it through the monitors, otherwise it's pretty crap. I played a 'quieter' type of gig at a local bar where they specified we should use their Roland e-kit so that they can control the levels completely. The drummer did have a small monitor pointing at him, but there was precious little monitoring for anybody else, they relied on our own backline turned down a lot. It was hard to play when you can see the drummer make movements with his arms from a corner of your eye, but without the usual accompanying sound... it was hard to keep time. But that wasn't the kit's fault, it was just a badly thought set up.