Matt P

my parcel made it to the national hub at about midnight and is now loaded for delivery at my local depot, the trouble is that the parcel force delivery to work never arrives before 2 and is usually about 3, that seems like an age! unusually it took nearly 4 days to get to Koln then parcel force took under 24 hours to get it over here and onto the local delivery van. hopefully It will arrive before i finish today, as it's coming to my work address it's very likely to arrive (difficult to claim no-one was In when we have a staffed reception during office hours) i'll get a polite message from our wonderful reception team when it arrives. Matt

as a markbass/barefaced user myself I have to echo that the combination is very good indeed, a 2x12 barefaced with a markbass head is a great match and I doubt you'll ever fail to cut through (I've drowned out the whole band with a single midget and witnessed a single midget standing up against a pair of marshall half stacks and a drummer with no issues at all) I would have quoted Alex but this browser doesn't let me or some reason! Matt

I think the soldering iron line was a nod towards how easy this job is to do yourself, the tools will cost you about the same as the job will and you'll end up with a useful skill at the same time. there are plenty of youtube tutorials to teach you soldering, or there might be a helpful Basschat member locally who would teach you. if you were local to me then I'd happily teach you the skills and help you swap out a pickup or two. Matt

Have you got a makerspace/hackerspace/community workshop nearby? they might have some CNC machinery that you could use, probably not for machining bodies but making templates should be possible. Matt

I think that most of the custom builders just use the handheld router and template method, CNC machinery is so expensive that you have to either be building huge numbers of instruments or charging incredibly high prices to make the machine pay for itself. unless you fancy building the CNC machine yourself? [url="https://buildyourcnc.com/default.aspx"]https://buildyourcnc.com/default.aspx[/url] Matt

I've got the Kala Fretted, I tried a Korala one and an ohana one at the same shop and the Kala came out on top, the other two each had little things that didn't quite sit right, one had no access panel in the back for string changing, the other had the panel but it was held on with screws which weren't flush to the body (in at the wrong angle) I played them back to back over the space of about 40 minutes and the Kala was the most rounded so I bit the bullet and paid the extra money. i've used it plenty since and haven't regretted he purchase one bit. I did try some fretless ones a good while ago but I'm just not a fretless guy. Matt

What about this stuff? http://truetrim.com/epages/42340869-907a-48f9-b50d-659447fb8071.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/42340869-907a-48f9-b50d-659447fb8071/Products/54.2&Locale=en_GB Matt

This is a completely different option but what about a maple neck and a new pickup for the mex precision you have in the cupboard? the Fender basses are the easiest to get parts for and a breeze to work on. Matt

Ahh I didn't realise that it had separate standby switches for each side, very cunning! Matt

hopefully the previous owner didn't try the y-cable trick as it could have damaged something, if this was me then I'd be looking to swap it out for a mono valve power amp, your cab isn't ideal for stereo as Dad3353 has already pointed out, and running just one side at 50w is a bad idea too as it may damage the amp (valve amps are supposed to always be running into a load when switched on) Matt

I completely forgot about this thread, I bought my Kala u-bass from the store in Newcastle (tiny shop but they had 3 different uke basses in store) the guy was super helpful and I happily handed over my money and went home a very happy bunny. Matt

Conan beat me to it, I've got a couple of the 2nd generation barefaced midgets that you'd be welcome to try, I've heard them with a bass terror and it sounded great (plenty of volume to keep up with a loud drummer, I've witnessed a single midget keeping up with 2 marshall 4x12 half stacks!) the TKS cabs are pretty darned good too, there are a few of them in the north east. keep an eye out for he north east bass bash, I'm not sure when the next one will be but its a great chance to try out some fantastic kit. Matt

have you tried the Gen 2 midget? it pairs wonderfully with the original compacts and might give you the definition that you need, really small as well, perfect for tiny stages in small clubs. The midget+compact stack is a real wonderful rig ( I would have gone for it but there wasn't quite enough space In the spare room) Matt

You guys are not helping with my GAS for a sonic blue p-bass! I think another North east Bass bash might be in order so that we can drool over these basses in person! Matt

I'm not joking about the les paul uke bass, there are strings available that will go to 26" scale and I've always wanted a double cut les paul, I'm still skint though, maybe if I manage to get a few things sold then i'll give you a shout. Matt

the real problem is that I don't actually have space at the moment for another bass, and in reality the spec that seems to creep into my mind ends up exactly the same as my Letts 5 string! Maybe in a year or so if he gigs pick up and I need another 5 string as a backup (unless you fancy building a 24"scale solidbody bass uke in the shape of a doublecut Les Paul junior?) Matt

I'm really loving this, the cap on the back of the headstock is just beautifully done, I'm now wondering if I can afford to ask you to build me a bass! Matt

having done this a couple of times (stupidly I didn't learn the first time) I'd go for a respray in a more appealing colour, far less work and probably about the same price once you factor in all the sandpaper. Matt

I'm loving that little fillet. Really works.

looking good! I think the curve on the fretboard will really add something to the overall look, is the jack going to be front mounted? could it not be hidden on the back to keep with the smooth minimalist look of the front? some kind of angled cover/ socket? like a strat jack plate but inside out and made of wood., I know I've seen something similar on a guitar or bass but I can't find a picture of it. EDIT! I've just remembered where I've seen it, GUS guitars! Matt

I'd have a look at TKS cabs, the ones that I heard were superb and they're very well priced, do you really need 2 cabs? from my experience the modern 2x12 cabs are very efficient so you might only need 1, also quite a few are 4 ohm so unless your amp can run at 2 ohms then you will be limited to a single cab. Matt

if you decide to sell on then I might be interested, mainly in the tuners and the electronics, and probably the strings as well, (I've got the ideas for a build and these would be good donor parts to get me going) Matt

another vote for a 500W head and 2x12 cab (or 2 1x12 cabs) I've yet to run out of volume with my rig and my bandmates are noisy so-and-so's! I quite like the modular approach with 2 1x12", I use one for rehearsals and smaller venues and then the pair in bigger places, if I get to the point where I don't have enough from my rig then I'd be expecting a decent PA to DI into and my cabs will be for stage monitoring only. I've played 2 gigs now where I took both cabs and forgot to plug the bottom one in, only realise when I check my rig before the second set. the modern 12" cabs are streets ahead of the old 4x10's. Matt

I've got 99% of my kit stashed away, there is a shelving unit in the spare bedroom that has the bass cabs, a couple of 2x12 guitar combo's and my acoustic amp on, all behind a nice curtain, the cupboard on the landing has another couple of guitar amps and the PA desk, then the study (my Den) has a big double height rack with all the instruments in their cases, there are always a couple out on stands in the study for practice. the only instrument on display is my McIlroy acoustic guitar which is on a hanger in the living room. (actually bought this while out shopping for the wall hanger for my old Yamaha acoustic! went in to spend 15 quid, end up spending nearly 2k!) Matt

I was going for a fairly standard precision type bass, I'm leaning towards torty for the plate, and probably just dots on the board, something along the lines of a '63 p-bass but as a five string, I think I'm going to have to start saving/selling stuff to get the money together, I've just had to fork out for a new car as the old one fell to bits so it will be a little while before i can pull the trigger on a new bass. we'll need another north east bass bash when your Jake arrives wateroftyne ! Matt