Ou7shined

My Nanowebs start to "fray" (not sure I've ever seen them flake or chip) after about a 9 months to a year of VERY heavy finger playing. Oddly enough DR's start to go at the frets after just a few plays for me.

Love 'em. They are my string of choice now. Although there was a run in period while I got used to the frictionless feel and the wee overshoots when jumping many frets at once. Prefer the nickel over the steel but there's not much in it.

Would like to know too. I too don't like the feel of the BB's so went with the smoother feeling (and cheaper) Rotosounds. However the coating showed visible signs of coming off about 3 gigs into it... finger style.

In Scotland we call them "chancers".

[quote name='The Bass Doc' timestamp='1384884998' post='2281889'] Looks to me that the one in the video has the pickup a bit nearer the neck than the one shown in fareastguitars? [/quote] Yep the vid one has the DG bit swapped over to the other side of the EA (like my Pingray) while the OPs one has them both switched vertically.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1384869687' post='2281630']..... As to an order from a US court, the technical term for that in Britain is "toilet paper". [/quote]

As above.... but if it persist and you have access to the pole pieces from below, attaching strips of conductive (incl glue) copper tape along them then earthing them with wire should fix it for sure.

I fabricated a 3+1+0 a few years ago. It was my crafty solution for the big assed tuners not fitting the standard headstock without sticking out over the edge.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1384785415' post='2280652'] Or they could simply be waiting to see if your band is going to be worth suing... [/quote] Haha maybe. Although considering their latest ad campaign about Jack being there during all the greatest rock moments they might be glad of the association by that time.

[quote name='Mr Arkadin' timestamp='1384782834' post='2280607'] I have a 4003 exactly like gsgbass', really nice, but I do the whole thing a bit OTT. This is how companies get bad reps - just look at Monster Cables and their tireless cease and desist orders. Seems actually that as UK law is different to US it might be worth ignoring them and seeing if they really want to spend the dosh hiring hiring a UK solicitor and taking it to the high court. Unless they want to try and extradite the shop owner so they can deal with it in the US. I doubt anything would happen. I'm not even sure what standing a cease and desist letter has anyway, especially when issued from a different country. You'd have to get a judge to issue a Cease and Desist Order for it to be legally binding, which would mean RIC proving their case that these basses are illegal under UK law. [/quote] Our band started using a JD inspired logo/sticker. We received a cease and desist. After thinking about it for a while we respectfully decided to tell them to them poke it. The sticker campaign continues and we've not heard anything back since. Of course maybe they found out that we are personally responsible for a large amount of sales.

[quote name='roger' timestamp='1384692258' post='2279474'] Arghhhh why did i forget to say: "please don't say gig it for 20yrs"etc etc [/quote] Doesn't take 20 years either mate. 2 years gigging (and playing) will take its inevitable toll... depending on how many gigs you do a year I guess.

Gig it. That should do the trick.

That's because not all Rics are created equal. If you are dead set on getting one, try a few .... maybe a lot.... you'll eventually find the one that suits.

I love my Ric and I love my 'ray. Being comfortable with one doesn't exclude me from the other. They are just two very good tools getting me from A to B. Like riding a bike one day instead of taking the car. I get flies in my teeth with one but not the other... it doesn't mean I should never use it. Of course some days there are very real reasons why you shouldn't take the bike - for example they don't sound right for RATM.

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1384601350' post='2278532'] From what is probably a biased point of view seeing how I own one, I have found only that the pickup cover is in the way for my playing, so I removed that and [b]the surround is a tad sharp on the old digits[/b]. I find the build quality is exceptional, [b]the feel of the neck is great, I can set it up exactly how I want it and it'll always stay in tune and the intonation is great on it.[/b] .... [/quote] This (referring to my '72 4001). However the bridge (while functional) is a let down.

[quote name='lee4' timestamp='1384199943' post='2273972'] .... If you want to build a body from ply,get something that is hardwood throughout and not softwood with a hardwood veneer.There will be less defects in hardwood ply. [/quote] It's a pity Squier didn't know that.

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1384178908' post='2273568'] My prototype bass made from 18mm low grade ply: In a blind test you wouldn't have known what this bass was made from! [b]The only serious limitation was that because the body was only 18mm thick it started to bend![/b] [/quote] That and you put it on backwards.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1384178168' post='2273556'] I think you could screw a musicman neck to a square sheet of ply then as long as you put the preamp and humbucker on it with the correct scale length and pickup placement it would sound just like a stingray? The body edges would be more like a Ricky granted [/quote]

I have a lovely old stripped ply 70s Jap P bass body in my workshop that I'm dying to turn into something one day. You tap it and rings out loudly because of it's dense mass (not weight). I'm not saying that it will impart anything substantial to the final tone but it definitely would be a solid starting point for a tight sounding bitsa build.

[quote name='mr pablo' timestamp='1384100889' post='2272743'] I've had a look online at some photos of gibson tbird control cavities and the pick up wires come in to the cavity from separate holes, on my epi tbird they come through tje one hole to the cavity,[b] so could the sheilded wires touching be causing the low output or am I talking s****?[/b] [/quote] Yes and no. Among the first thing to check for with low output would be to ascertain if one of your HOT pup wires was making earth somewhere.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1384098880' post='2272712'] Yes, I'd agree with you there. The artists we still listen to from the 60s sound great playing 50s/60s Fenders and Gibsons, but I'm sure at the time there would have been a whole load of also-rans playing the same instruments and sounding like nothing special. [/quote] +1

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1384097624' post='2272687'] A few of the pickup companies have tried this approach already, and it can indeed make for a slightly mellower "old sounding" guitar. I had a guitar for a while with Seymour Duncan Alnico II pickups. Alnico II even when new is weaker than the standard alnico V magnets, approximating an older partly demagnetised pickup. [/quote] Yep I agree (I've used them myself) but I refer you to BRX's post above. This is a reasonable process to recreate what a vintage instrument sounds like now.... but what made them sound vintage when they were new? I'm still gonna say it's in the fingers.

Surely components and construction techniques available nowadays can be better or (giving a wide benefit of doubt) at least equal those from 60 years ago. It's bonkers to suggest that the holy grail in tone is exclusive to a quantity of mass produced instruments from a decade in the middle of the last century. For my money there's still no argument to beat "it's all in the fingers". People are desiring to emulate great players who back then had very little choice of where to go to get a playable bass. Alas there's little point defining the leading brand's superiority over other very similar examples as their mystical powers are so deeply rooted in our culture now. The only proof is in a blind test, however very few vintage experts will capitulate to scientific proof. Reminds me of a famous book by Richard Dawkins.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1384084107' post='2272499'] In my humble opinion it's simple. Fender, until around 1966, used excellent quality woods and vintage Fender pickups from that era were better made and now have demagnatised poles which make them sound different to modern ones and very pleasing to my ear. I don't feel the woods age and change the sound dramatically, but the pickup does. [/quote] So to nail the vintage sound we just need to use weaker magnets. Seems a far more pragmatic approach than spending thousands.

The problem with microfiber cloths is that they hold tiny grains of scratchy dust. You go wiping your bonny new guitar with it and suddenly the lovely finish gets all swirly. Not a problem on old basses though. I use microfibre on my main gigger after every gig - I don't have to worry about swirlyness on it.