Grangur

When they're about to start, it could be interesting to announce to the band, "OK, let's make this a 1-4-5 12 bar blues starting on G", and see what their response is.

It's not impossible that the guitarist is simply rolling out his riffs he plays at home and hasn't a clue what he's playing really...  but then again, I might be wrong?

What are you wanting to achieve by doing this?

If what you're wanting is hum-cancelling. Jess Loueiro  have a set of jazz pups with "spilt coils designed to keep the clarity and dynamics of a single coil but without the hum associated. Lead wires with 4 connectors that allow to use the coils in parallel or in series to get a thicker sound (P-bass® sound)."

http://jlguitars.eu/shop/index.php?id_product=26&controller=product&id_lang=4

If you want a single one for the bridge, drop me a PM. I've got one in front of me now. It's brand new and never been fitted.

Tom bought a pickguard from me. He's a real gent, as we all know already. It all went very easily and I'll be delighted to buy/sell/trade with Tom any time.

Many thanks Tom

Happy Christmas to you and all the family!

In the body, I think the most important thing is the fit of the neck in the pocket. Comfort is important as is "how it makes you feel". If you feel good about it, it will affect your own mood. But I don't see how a slab of material 300x450mm and 45mm thick is going to resonate that much. Especially if you're looking for a difference by having burl wood tops 10mm thick.

There has to be more chance of resonation variance in a piece of wood 550x40x25mm.

I like through necks. I think this is the ultimate in having a good neck/pocket join. So the resonance can carry down and it might affect the body length a bit. But strings, pickups and positioning of the pups is important.

Interested, @noise_art to hear about your like of bolt-on necks adding attack? I guess this because it may cause the strength in the note to die quicker immediately after the string is plucked, maybe? 

@Marcoelwray, I have played about with bridges on some basses and changing from a plastic nut on a Warwicks to the brass Just-a-Nut 3 and I did find these made a small difference. But then when changing the Warwick nuts, this has been when the side tabs were broken - so not good nuts.

Bargain price for a lovely bass, but alas, fretless is a dream for me too.

I have a similar fretless that I should face reality and move on too.

This is a "breath of fresh air" @noise_art, @Marcoelwray. So many folk go on about the tone-wood in the body. Surely, isn't there more chance of the neck wood having a variance in the resonance?

Love the sound of the Corvette, @noise_art. What strings are you using?

Love the groove too. Your playing is cool. Many thanks

Hi @Marcoelwray, I apologise unreservedly.   

Very embarrassed.       You aren't an idiot. I know you're better than that. I'm an idiot for jumping in with both feet.

Sorry, @Marcoelwray but I don't like that video. He starts by using 400 grit on 1 fret. Doing it on 1 fret will cause that fret to be lower than the others.

If you're going to use 400 grit, you should use this on a levelling beam and level all the frets at the same time. Also, 400 grit is too harsh for getting rid of dirt - so is wire wool.

The way he used the sanding block is AWFUL!!!  You can see in the video, he's also sanding the fingerboard at the same time. But he's not sanding with the grain. He's sanding across the grain - no wonder the wood looks awful. 

When he's finished block-sanding the frets he says "you can really see the difference". Yes, you can. Those frets are lower than the others!

He then uses the Sidol. But he doesn't mask the wood. This is why the fretboard has all the white stuff in the grain of the wood. Using masking tape, prevents this.

Sorry Marco, I would never let that idiot near any bass of mine. 

Edit: Sorry for the harsh comments, but watching that video made me cringe!

12 hours ago, Marcoelwray said:

Ok , ok I seeeeeee! I used to use same kind of thing (or the same, anyway it was 3M) for wood finishing..

Here mine:

https://www.wholesalemarine.com/3mtm-sanding-sponge-cp001-fine.html

I use it with sand paper and as a bare finisher... Very practical to hold compared to the "sheets" like you....

I use these for wood, but often use them, wrapped round with fine grit (1000 - 2500) paper. The sponge molds to the curves in the wood more than a cork block.

If I need to clean up the wood between frets I use a  sharp blade and scrape the wood. Then I polish the frets with Crimson Guitars' Fret rubbers.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161779971122

18 minutes ago, Marcoelwray said:

@Grangur @dyerseve 

I just can't take decent bass pictures.

Even harder to judge glossiness (is that word ok?) on a picture.

 

All good here too. We're all wanting the same thing.  Somehow a nice satin looks more stylish than high-gloss. I'm sure sanding to a really fine finish increases the glossiness of the finish.

Sometimes I don't even sand, but use a blade and scrape the surface to get a good smooth finish.

I agree, @Marcoelwray, I don't like the really shiney finish some people get when finishing Warwicks with lacquer.

But, I too have worked on a few Warwicks and I'd say the finish that @dyerseve has is about the same finish as I've had. I sand to about 1500 grit and use Boiled Linseed Oil, which I wipe off and buff up, then use beeswax to finish. I don't get a gloss finish, but there is a silk-sheen to some of them. The actual finish is dependent on the type of wood.

Ash stays very matt, yet Bubinga, Maple and Ovangkol get a bit of a sheen.

Hi @naxos10, regret to say someone has beaten you to it. 
 

If it falls through, (unlikely) you're next in line.

Cheers

Here are 4, chrome finish tuners. These are from China, but ever used. Never been out of the packing. 

Nothing wrong with them, I just never put them on the bass they were intended for, before I sold it.

£12 posted to your door. Or you can collect from Bishops Stortford for £10.

Just having a clear out and this came to light.

It's a new pickguard that I was going to use on a project. It never got used in the end, but it has good, brand-new pots, an orange 0.47uf cap and the cling-filmy-plastic is still on the front of the PG.

£19 gets you this sent in the post.

Dan bought a Squier Standard Precision PJ bass from me. It was all pretty straight forward, until Parcel Force dinged the @#~*?"£$ bass.
Having successfully posted over 40 basses in the past, Parcel Force did what no other courier has done to me before!

Still, Dan and I came to a mutual agreement on it and I'd happily deal with him again.

Many thanks Dan.

Richard

On 13/11/2018 at 18:22, AndyTravis said:

As a point - due to time constraints, I’ve stopped doing repairs and set ups now.

Many thanks Andy.

2 hours ago, Jakeyc said:

Oh cool  ill have to look at the cubes. I had one for guitar years ago

I've had 2 Roland Cubes; 100w and 30w. Both were good and, at home they sounded fine with a 5 string. Yet, as @dannybuoy says, you need to be sure about if you're ever going to have to keep up with a drummer, you need to make sure you have headroom. I would say a 100w Roland would be fine at upper volumes with the B string, but not you would need to check out if a 30w would be ok. I can't remember if I ever tried turning up the volume.

It's probably worth taking your bass along everytime, whatever you try. If they won't let you turn up even a bit, then probably best to walk away.

7 minutes ago, pecodk said:

Thanks Grangur - I'm sure I will enjoy what I bought (sounds great even at moderate volume). Now it all comes down to practise I guess. I cannot imagine I will be in a band - but as others said: you never know 

Exactly. Amps have volume knobs.  
What I've also found is small combos sound naff. So, don't be frightened to have power in the house.

Hey @pecodk, I was in a similar position to you 9 years ago. Started at 50 and play at home, never have gigged, but tried being in a band and come to the conclusion that it's not for me.

I play using either a MarkBass LM3 and a Barefaced One10, or a Hartke B70.  I have a Zoom B3, but not into playing through cans. I guess it does depend on your style of playing.  Thrash Metal at a polite domestic volume won't really cut it. But I'm happy with what I have.

Good luck with the new gear and enjoy the bass-journey!

Having tried a few, I'd say avoid the small 15-30w end of the market. Most sound naff IMHO. 

Roland are good. I'm using a Hartke A70 right now. Other recommendations above are good too.

Edit: should have read the OP properly 

They're only too pleased for you to try basses out.

All instruments are fitted with new strings and they're thoroughly wiped down after you've finished playing. It made me feel guilty for causing them work to do.

The problem I had was I hate the tinny sound from the new strings they use. So, they all sounded equally awful to my ears.  Each to their own.

I guess, what matters is the "feel" of the bass, not the sound.  But if that's so, why plug into an amp?

3 hours ago, dyerseve said:

or use warwick wax. i know that this is only typically applied to the Warwick bass bodies to "feed" the wood but Warwick also use it to finish the necks - they apply it melted and then rub it in and then rub off an excess afterwards. leaves a nice protective finish that is lovely and smooth.

This will be Bees wax. It's debatable how "protective" this is, but it's better than being left to soak up the sweat and grime from you hands.

Don't think any of the folk on the list have dropped out of being pretty regular readers/posters.

On 08/11/2018 at 12:41, Dad3353 said:

Unless one is playing only 'open' strings, the 'sweet spot' and 'string node' positions will change as the string length gets shortened. There is no one spot for every note, so it's a matter of best compromise. One option is to provide for a movable pick-up (s'been done before, on sliding rails...). If you're building from scratch, I'd suggest doing a 'plank' mock-up, and moving a pick-up around until you find the spot that pleases most for the styles of music to be played. Shouldn't be too difficult; worth a shot..? 

Hope this helps.

What some folk have done, to do this, is get a cheap bass and rout out the body for almost the whole of the space under the strings. You can then move the pups anywhere and find what you like.

(  @Dad3353, already knows this, but it's useful to quote it so you know what I'm on about)