mcnach

[quote name='arthurhenry' post='1225495' date='May 9 2011, 08:03 PM']I agree with most of what's been said, but there's some concern about over-reliance on tuners. We should all be able to tune up by ear without a problem. For me, I can only recall one tuning problem onstage in 24 years of playing. If you put your strings on properly and stretch them out enough, you can give the strings a fair bit of abuse without going out of tune. If I need to adjust my tuning during a song or a gig, I'll usuially do it by ear. I check with a tuner during the break.[/quote]

You can't always hear yourself well... and tuning *in silence* is much better for the audience

[quote name='gizmo6789' post='1224884' date='May 9 2011, 11:07 AM']If you're like me, then you tune up before you head off to your gig thinking, that should do it, or at least be close enough that you can tune by ear with your guitarists at the venue.
But i noticed that my bag is turning the machine heads so much that my CGCF tuning ends up BFDE or any random combinations.

So has anyone had the same issue and found a way to prevent this from happening?[/quote]


I guess I am not like you. And -no offense intended- I would never play in a band with you... I have a strong dislike of out-of-tuneness, to me it's just lazy.

I normally have a tuner in my gigbag or pedalboard, whichever is appropriate for the gig. Fellow guitarists have theirs, so I can borrow if I fail. My phone has a tuner app I can also use.

Yes, during rehearsals sometimes I'm happy to just tune by ear and I'm pretty sure 9 out of 10 times it would be passable for a gig. But... come on!

One band I joined, with 3 guitarists, they didn't have but a single tuner that they shared. After first gig I said "hey, how about we buy 3 new tuner pedals with the money of our next gig?". Fortunately they saw it was a good thing and that's what we did. We sounded better after that.

My main bass (MM Stingray) does not go out of tune, only very slihtly, it's great. But I still check and tune up properly for a gig. Several times, during the gig too, just to be sure.

Come on, tuners are cheap!

I would not play in a band where players didn't bother to tune up.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1223697' date='May 7 2011, 09:48 PM']
Who would that be then?



Anyway I don't hold exclusivity over the idea, someone has made another Pingray since the first one (it's in the build diary section somewhere). It's a winning combo mate, I say go for it.[/quote]


delicious looking. Not that that eat basses, but you know what I mean.

I think P-bass pickguard with the metal control plate is what I'd go for, I just love that combination with black and chrome. Your "backburner" one looks really good too!

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1223553' date='May 7 2011, 07:05 PM'][url="http://www.axesrus.com/AxePlatesBass.html"]http://www.axesrus.com/AxePlatesBass.html[/url]

Precision bass metal control plate ?[/quote]


oooh!!!

Now, this would work beautifully thank you!!! I think I should get one of these soon...

[quote name='Soloshchenko' post='1224124' date='May 8 2011, 02:17 PM']In my experience, I'd say the necks on the 60s CV precisions are among the thinner/smaller P bass necks you'll find. I've played some absolute bloody logs in the name of P bass necks in the past, both Fender and copies.[/quote]

I was going to say this. I'm surprised anyone would think the CV P-bass neck is big.

It does look like the OP could use a Jazz neck instead.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1225145' date='May 9 2011, 02:37 PM']But,on a 34" scale instrument a string has to be a specific tension over that distance to produce the desired
pitch. If the tension is increased,the pitch will change.
Going from your example,yes you have to press the string down further if you use a higher action,but the tension
of the string(assuming you keep the string gauge the same) will have to be the same.[/quote]


true, that's why I disagree with those who feel having more string behind the nut or whatever makes the string have more tension...

by the time the string reaches its desired pitch, the tension must be the same, but with low action the string is nearly there and it requires just a bit of help to fret it. With high action we need to push the string longer. It's true the final tension should be the same but maybe it's that "pushing for a longer distance" that makes it feel harder.

I don't know. Perhaps what we feel is not so much the final tension or total pull, but the relative change between resting and achieving the desired note. After all, it's not like we require a lot of strength to push a string... so it could be that it's not so much how much we have to press, absolutely, but the fact that we have to go from X-10 to X, or from X-20 to X, where X is teh final tension...

just thinking out loud...

to be clear, yes, I am on the "same pitch = same tension" camp.

[quote name='Wil' post='1224844' date='May 9 2011, 10:34 AM']Apparently tension remains the same when raising the action (otherwise I suppose the strings would no longer be in tune) but there's a definate change in... stiffness? Fnar.[/quote]


NOt sure how much this contributes... but it contributes some, for sure:

if the action is high, the string has to be pressed harder, to cover a longer vertical distance towards the fretboard. The more you push a tense string away from its resting position, the harder it gets: increased tension. This is reflected in teh readjustments in the saddle positions (intonation) necessary when changing the action.

I just don't know how much this effect contributes to teh total perceived stiffness... but it's the only one I can satisfactorily explain and understand.

If you have a dynamometer, hook it up to the E string, and pull sideways

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1224854' date='May 9 2011, 10:39 AM']It's called "compliance". It's affected by what happens to the string between the witness points (nut, saddle) and the string anchors (machine heads, tail piece) for both the break angles and the length of extra string.

Raising the action will alter both of these factors - the angle will be more acute and the string length slightly longer.[/quote]


I've heard that term "compliance" used before... but I can't make sense of the idea when thinking about the physics of a string held in tension, vibrating or not.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1223187' date='May 7 2011, 01:45 PM']Thats what I think but it would mean Gareth taking the bridge off to check which until any arguments are sorted might be best left alone (I know me and you would of had it in bits by now in fact you would of de fretted it and put a john east in too )[/quote]

ha ha not sure about defretting it, but I think I'd have certainly opened it up. No need to lift the bridge, just get the multimeter out and check for continuity between the bridge and the ground in the control cavity.

Speaking of defretting Stingrays... you know how I took that blue OLP, defretted it, put the 2EQ preamp from my Stingray and a Nordstrand pickup... Now I'm looking at every "for sale" ad that mentions Stingray and fretlessness. This OLP is sweet but it is not cutting it. So if you see any cool ones around...
There's actually a nice 3EQ honeyburst/rosewood on the FS section right now... tempting, although not a big fan of honeyburst. Also a lined white fretless SR5... yum

Hmmm...

I have to think about it.
I want to take a bass to leave in Madrid with my brother, but I don't want to part with any of my current ones and don't want to spend a lot either... This Cort looks quite interesting but I never tried these ones... however you are local so maybe we could meet and have a little try?

have a bump anyway while I decide what I want/need

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1222661' date='May 6 2011, 10:09 PM']I have never known any more silent basses than single pup Rays even at high volumes with the treble boost up they are fairly hiss free. I presume the earth is behind the bridge as normal but I have never took one off (never needed too) I bet thats all it is , Bridge off, bend the wire over double and move it to a fresh position to make a new contact, Job done. The shielding paint wouldnt of been missed surely? The earth wire could of sunk into the paint finish between QC and you receiving it in fairness I have seen that before but the tech should of sorted it really either way.[/quote]


My 2002 Stingray has no shielding paint. Cavity control is clean. It is quiet too.

May be worth checking the ground cable from the bridge is actually grounded/touching the bridge.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1222639' date='May 6 2011, 09:40 PM']The mute pop may be normal[/quote]


I don't think so.

I don't think it would be acceptable on an amp of this quality/price.

My RH450 is certainly pop-less.

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='1222963' date='May 7 2011, 10:51 AM']Been curious lately having noticed weeks going by without CV Precisions even being mentioned.

Seems not that long ago that almost every other day, someone had one for sale, or was buying one, or just generally dicussing the pro's / con's of them. But lately, they havn't even been mentioned at all (until today as an also- ran in another thread).

Has the love just dropped off or are they just out of fashion now ? have they stood the test of time and been revealed to be as good as every first thougth they were ? Just a thought.

What do you think ?

(BTW enjoy the gig if you've got one tonight)

T[/quote]



I think what happened is that they're getting played now, so less time to write about them

I use mine a lot, although live is still my Stingray because it's the sound I want with the band(s) but I haven't changed my mind one bit about what a great bass it is.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1222731' date='May 6 2011, 11:19 PM']i liked the p bass plate with the chrome of the mm control plate.... and had an idea.... a straight chrome plate and a pickguard like the '51 P bass.... but around the mm pickup not the p bass one...[/quote]


Hmmm, I like your thinking!
That idea is certainly tasty (according to my own taste, which is -of course- the correct one )

Unfortunately the vertical plate would not hide the existing control cavity
Also, the routing for the split pickup is very large, so it would be ugly... It would have to be done on a blank body, or fill the gaps and apply a solid finish.

But it would be a great look for sure! Thank you for the idea. Keep them coming!

[quote name='steve-bbb' post='1216323' date='May 1 2011, 08:37 AM']you want me to drive all the way to dundee AND only cash on collection or bank transfer ?

1110681310198 on fleabay[/quote]


and why not?

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1222738' date='May 6 2011, 11:25 PM']Saw one in Denmark St for £850[/quote]


Well, yes, but we know that the usual laws of physics that apply to the rest of the Universe don't apply in Denmark St.

£700 BIN??? That's optimistic

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120720991274&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123"]MusicMan SUB[/url]

I have considered the veneer route... for another time. But it would be wrong on this bass. It's got to be a simple non-fancy construction... yet awe-inspiring

Body will be raw, naked, just oil finish. I wanted it to stay a P-bass in shape (despite the pickup situation), and the pickguard is an important detail of the P-bass identity. I only thought of the Stingray control plate because I thought of the Musicman Sabre, and I recently saw a custom made bass that blended a pickguard very nicely with a similar plate. By the way, the one in the picture came from a Stagg MB300/5. A 5-string Stingray style cheapie I bought a while ago, not quite sure why

The MM scratchplate is something I thought of very early on. It's nice that the control route and the pickup cavity are separate on the Sue Ryder basses, as it will allow you to use separate pickguard and control plates, like on a Stingray... (My Squier CV60 has a continuous route, so it's not possible there). However, you can't use a Stingray plate if you want the pickup to be located at the correct position (20 vs 21 fret necks mean on the P-bass the pickguard would start too high up), so you need to make a custom one anyway. But I admit it does look good. Ou7shined, of this parish, built a very tasty bass along those lines.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='1222623' date='May 6 2011, 09:28 PM']It may work better, hard to say, as the setup is already knackered by the horizontally placed drivers in the 410.[/quote]


ah!

but... they're not horizontal... it's TWO vertical ones side by side!

hmmm, what is the routing like under the pickguard?


edit: oooh, and you're local too!

not having much luck with gear lately eh?

that's very frustrating. I hope you get a replacement quickly.

I read about your RH750 problem. To give you some hope... on my 3rd gig with my new RH450 nearly 2 years ago, it went puff with white smoke during soundcheck on a Saturday night gig. Fortunately there was another head at the venue and I used that... On Sunday I emailed TC and also posted on Talkbass about it (I didn't know BC yet ) On Monday I got the customer service from TC contacting me both through my original direct email and my post on Talkbass! On Monday afternoon I am told that my local dealer did not have a replacement, but they had arranged to send one from Denmark for me. On Wednesday morning they tell me it arrived at my local Guitar Guitar. At lunchtime I walked in with the old one, and walked out with the new one.
I don't think they will leave you hanging very long.

I must say I mentioned to them how I had a couple of gigs that very weekend and that I had had a few people asking me about the amp and how well it sounded, and that it would be a shame to play witha different amp.

Good luck!

[quote name='gjones' post='1222465' date='May 6 2011, 06:30 PM']The Squier I had was just a standard from 2002, probably Agathis. Bodys are made from alder, walnut, swamp ash, basswood etc. As long as it's not plywood it will sound fine.[/quote]


Plywood guitars can sound mighty tasty indeed. They just don't look as good...

The problem is plywood is used mostly in the cheapest of the cheap... so it's low quality all around. But you can build a pretty good sounding guitar with a plywood body. I did. What I don't like (apart from looks, unless it's some fancy "laminate") is that the plywood is not as solid when routing etc...

I'm not saying "let's go plywood!", just that the actual material of the body has a (small) effect in the sound, and that "bad wood" does not necessarily mean "bad tone" in the end.

[quote name='EskimoBassist' post='1219682' date='May 4 2011, 11:44 AM']+1 I've never really seen the point of putting effects pedals through the effects loop on an amp, especially for bass. Bass Big Muff works perfectly inline with my other effects.[/quote]


well, if you use the FX loop you put effects after the preamp. That means you apply the effect before all the tone shaping... whether you like it better after or before the preamp is a personal matter... but you get a different sound.

A bit like the eternal "wah before or after distortion"? The correct answer is: whatever you like teh sound of better. They *do* sound different.

For gigs I often use a 410 with a 210 on top... I think I will try putting the 210 vertically next time and see what happens...

would it make sense to align the speakers with the ones below... or not really bothered?

[quote name='mr.gritstoner' post='1222391' date='May 6 2011, 05:17 PM']thanks for the advice,im arranging to audition a trace elliot combo atm.

ive also seen that you can get a behringer head with plenty power without turning the pockets inside out,but ive also heard that behringer are cheap and nasty. have you had any experience with such a brand? or is that just an offensive question for you?[/quote]


The Behringer BX3000 head is not bad sounding, although it's heavy and the fan makes a lot of noise (ok live, but if you ever think of using it quietly at home...)
I bought s/h that head and a matching Behringer 2x10 cab for £100. Not the best, but it worked well and I didn't go without food.

However... if you can afford a bit more, I'd look at a used Peavey Tour 450 head. Used they're around £200. They are well made and sound great. But you still need a cab. Well, the good news is that there are lots available and in particular Peaveys are usually decent. I bought a used TX410 off another basschatter for £75 (he was local). I would say that for £300 you will be able to get a decent head (seriously, try that Tour 450) and a 4x10 cab, and it will be a rig that you won't feel you are really compromising. It will not be the loudest, but it will be more than loud enough... it will definitely not be the lightest or smallest, but it will work well and it will sound good.

That's what I would do, personally, if I found myself amplifier-less and had £250 to spend.