Ou7shined

[quote name='Skol303' post='1080160' date='Jan 6 2011, 05:29 PM']Yeah, this is probably a dumb question, but heh! I'm just wondering how important pickups are to the overall sound of a bass? I'm currently working on an old second-hand bass as a DIY "do-er upper", and I'm considering replacing the pickups (once I've learnt how to solder a bit better, that is!). The bass in question is a Hohner Rockwood LX90B - it's a cheap P-bass copy, with split-coil passive pickupsI'm just wondering how important pickups are to the overall sound of a bass?....My limited understanding of such things mean I see pickups as being little more than lumps of magnet wrapped in copper coil - I know there's more to it than that (!), but at the moment I don't understand what I'd be paying for if I invested in a pair of sw***y new pickups (e.g. a pair of P-bass pickups via evilBay or similar). Given this is a cheap bass (less than £100 brand new), is it really worth replacing them or should I stick with what it's already got?...[/quote] Pickups are very important, they are the voice of an instrument. Arguably the worst thing with cheap basses/guitars are their cheap pickups and not necessarily the rest of them - because the rest of the hardware should actually be able to do what they are designed to do to for the most part. If you name a crappy bass people immediately associate with the tone they are renowned for (which is why selling on a modded or upgraded bass rarely gets you back what you put in - people can't disassociate their preconceptions from the original) and that's down to the pups. The plus side is that it is not very hard to get yourself a killer sounding bass. My first ever project bass was to all intent and purposes made from crap (Chinese mass production body and neck) but incorporated Lindy Fralin pups and an Aguilar OBP-3 at 18v. The thing has a dynamite tone - seriously I would be beaming right across my face at gigs just listening to my own sound. I would get feckall for it if I wanted to sell it because it doesn't have a name on the headstock although to me it sounds better than many top production models. In short, if you can find a cheap bass with a good neck on it, throw some good pups (and maybe a pre) at it and you will unleash it's potential. You may have to tighten up on some of the sub par build quality but overall it should be a good performer.

Fave. There are a myriad of bad AC/DC bass covers out there but this one takes the biscuit. I love how he's so laid back and confident that he doesn't even have to look. I couldn't find any Brian Fox for some reason.

quick update: That's the body all prepped for full body spray take 2. The temperature still only rose to -1C here today but I'm hoping that it will be warmer tomorrow and decent enough for spraying. It was a tad soul destroying undoing all that lovely polishing I'd previously done but there was a silver lining in that now that everything has settled (wood and paint) I have managed to get rid of a shallow split line that ran up the body, visible on both sides. Fingers crossed it stays away this time. The neck has been receiving some extra TLC too : a couple extra buffs to keep the shine up and an almost weekly oiling of the fretboard to slowly re-moisturise it from the toasting the blow torch gave it. She's been a thirsty beast but the oil is taking longer and longer to absorb now so I think we're almost there.

SB-2 Tribute -> [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120667537127&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123"]linky[/url]

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1078754' date='Jan 5 2011, 04:29 PM']...It was on two different basses i had the dull E problem...[/quote] Hmmmm that would make the common denomiator... you. Are we talking finger style playing? If so do you change the angle you fingers pluck the E compare to the others? If we're talking slap style then I'm out of my depth. New thumb?

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1078672' date='Jan 5 2011, 03:34 PM']nope lakland 44-01 no thumb rest[/quote] Yep thought so. Put one on and take your thumb off the E.

Is there any chance you could get a washer under the adjuster nut so you can eek out a few extra turns?

Sussed it. Does it have a proper thumb rest fitted?

Does it change if you apply downward pressure behind the nut?

I doubt if intonation has anything to do with it. Does the string rest firmly in the nut and saddle?

I was doing ok until you said the bit about the soldering iron and a hammer and screwdriver. What you read on the net was all well and good in the bad old days before you could get real fret pullers over here without importing them but they are readily available on the bay these days, and not too dear either - they will remove the stubbornest of frets without leaving a mark and in a fraction of the time. 60 grit seems a tad harsh for a neck but I guess it helped speed up the process. I use between 120 (for stripping) up to about 800 (for spray prep) then 1000-1500 (at the buffing/polishing stage). You should expect the wood filler you used to shrink over the next wee while as it continues to go off fully. Using filler need to be done in long repeated stages to get it right. That's another advantage with using veneers - once they're in, they're in. As you said, a great project for a first timer though. Now let's have some "Doom" pics then mate.

[url="http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html"]Here's[/url] another good guide too.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1076342' date='Jan 3 2011, 03:02 PM'] J.[/quote] Hotness.

[quote name='Talon' post='1076044' date='Jan 3 2011, 07:41 AM']I'd be wary about going to view it...given his/her other items for sale [/quote] Aren't those the mags used by Kurt Cobain?

[quote name='tom1946' post='1076048' date='Jan 3 2011, 08:09 AM']G&L FTW [/quote]

Just don't leave it alone for any length of time in the same room as a loaded shotgun.... btw : lol at playing the Wii in the living room with your pet dragon while hubby takes pics in the kitchen (pic 8)

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1075842' date='Jan 2 2011, 10:35 PM']Its a shame about the vintage truss rod and like others have said the EB wheel of fortune really is good even the EBS_freak likes them! Its not something I would give that much thought to if I liked the bass I would buy it but I can see it being a bit of a fiddle and the neck bolts in and out all the time isnt the best method. Hopefully after this initial tweek it will stay put for a while my 02 EBMM had its first ever setup this year in 8 years [b]which is a bit longer than ou7shined 2 month checkups. Maybe I just got a good one?[/b] The new Ray 5 setup isnt quite right yet but until I change the stock strings to my normal gauge I cant really get it perfect, When I say I cant I meen my personal bass tech guru EBS_freak will be doing it while I clatter his GB's [/quote] I have guitar setting up tools out every day of my life for whatever bass job I'm involved in so do it whether they need it or not - mostly it's the latter but at least I know I'm always on top of it... like checking yer baws for lumps or whatever.... which sadly I do less often than I check my guitars healths.

I'm going to go for point 2 - but it is important to remember that wood is a material which is constantly on the move so how you set it up in July probably isn't how it needs to be set right now. I give my most played basses a fresh going over at least every 2 months and it keeps them happy.

There's an honky honesty in Geezer Butler's early tone that I love, which could never fit in in any modern setting but seeing as we're playing the "if" game...

[quote name='redstriper' post='1075599' date='Jan 2 2011, 06:55 PM']It shows the value of the brand name - lots of punters just want Fender on the headstock, regardless of the sound or feel of the instrument....[/quote] Ain't that the truth... and not just with Fenders.

[quote name='JimBobTTD' post='1075431' date='Jan 2 2011, 04:20 PM']...with the string thoroughly loosened or taken off first....[/quote] It makes sense... although I don't usually bother just in case the release of tension plays havoc with the neck and you have to wait for it to "settle" again.

Yep to all what Pete said there. I don't know this bridge intimately but often when adjusting the intonation on a bass where the saddles haven't moved for some time they will need some additional pressure from your screwdriver to assist the screw back into the bridge after lengthening the screw. Alternatively you could tighten the screw up to free the saddle that way.

It would seem that they came with Lace Sensor pups. [quote]Fender Lace Pickup and Piezo bridge with Volume, tone, and blend controls This is an amazing bass. It almost sounds like an upright with the straight piezos and the treble rolled off a bit. It's an electric bass with a fixed bridge and uses nylon wrapped strings. It's semi hollow so it has a nice wood sound to it. It's the only one like it I've ever seen. Fender only made these for two years and there aren't many around. It has a clicky sound if you blend the pickups which probably turned a lot of people off, but pure piezo or pure lace both sound great. Cutting 2Khz in the EQ takes a lot of the clicky piezo sound out. They should have built in a better blend switch, but other than that it plays like a dream....[/quote] [quote]Made by Fender for a limited run in the early 90's, this bass features a mahogany body with a beautiful blonde spruce top. Pickups include the solid Fender Lace Sensor P, and a Piezo bridge pick-up which allows for an incredibly smooth and deep tone[/quote]