BadHands

Also, silver paint + black and white video + memorable bassline

I particularly like John's reversed dancing during the reversed guitar solos.

1 hour ago, chris7273 said:

I had a similar surprise with an Ibanez Blazer : the saddles were very high and It was buzzing when I tried to lower them for a decent action... there was a shim in the neck pocket. I removed it and I was then able to lower the saddles (2.5mm for E string at 12th fret). 

I think that some people put a shim because "I read it on the internet"... even if there's no need for

That’s what I'm wondering. All depends on the advice they got at the time, but as long as it works! 

Smack my b*itch up by Prodigy is a favourite. If you've not seen it, watch until the end, whatever your opinions on them. 

For me, my switch gets flicked when I want to dig a little deeper - learning a rhythmical lyrical phrase, being on time to tap along to some interesting rhythmic sting, or harmony line - and obviously if the bass does something interesting. 

I've even managed to let go and accept 4-chord-loop-pop and occasionally find something interesting there. 

I do like learning the story behind things, and I'm enjoying chart-grime, partly because I know it's new-ish and uniquely British. There's a bunch of research on stories effecting how valuable we perceive something to be, so I'm aware of the bias, but when there's levels to something, it just captures my imagination. 

2 minutes ago, dudewheresmybass said:

That’s totally up to your preference. If you’re happy to play along in the spirit of the song, that’s great. Equally it’s great of you want to play it to perfection 👍👍

Of course - I'm asking what everyone does

4 hours ago, fretmeister said:

For band use - Depends entirely on the song.

For a youtube bass cover it has to match the thing you are playing along to otherwise it won't sound quite right and you'll get armies of commentators complaining in the comments. Even if you play a line that the band did, say perhaps from a different performance of the same song the YT crowd will still have a go.

This is my thinking - if I'm playing to a recording of the original, to NOT play it as the original will create clashes. 

I asked it as I'm going to start with Cant Stop by the Chilis (because there aren't enough of those on YouTube) and I heard a mistake in the bass which I'm going to reproduce, and I'm sure THAT will elicit comments. 

Can't win! 

1 minute ago, dudewheresmybass said:

Cover bands - spirit of the song, mostly as accurate as needed

tributes- as accurate as poss

But what about when learning something on your own just for the fun of it? 

Interesting answers. Obviously if you're playing with others, they have to be factored in because if adjusts, everyone else HAS to - But what about if you're learning and playing something for the fun of it? 

Hi everyone!

Was telling a drummer friend of mine how I'm going to start recording bass covers and it caused a massive discussion, so NATURALLY I wanted to put it out there to get everyone's opinion:

When learning a song, do you learn every bar as it was played originally or do you get a feel for the main musical ideas instead and stick with that, and why? Does learning every single deliberate (and accidental) note take the fun out of it for you? 

Obviously this is entirely subjective, I just wondered where everyone lands on it and their thoughts behind it. 

On 24/10/2020 at 22:48, PaulThePlug said:

If the saddles were at the top... did the neck go back on without the shim, in order to drop the saddles a bit? So didnt realy need a shim?

Correct! I'm assuming whoever put it there thought it needed it for whatever gauge of strings they were using, but for mine it doesn't, so the action is nice and low and the saddles are as low as they can go (I might have to raise it a little now, but THAT, I can do myself)!

Thanks for everyone's input on here, I really appreciate it  

Update to proceedings!

I took the Stingray to a local-ish guitar tech for him to look at as I didn't want to risk my first truss-rod adjustment on something that wasn't textbook. 

He took the neck off to have a look after some nasty fret buzz to find.... A homemade cardboard neck shim! 

After putting it back together it made a huge difference, so he's letting it settle overnight to assess tomorrow. 

1 minute ago, Beedster said:

In the meantime, I'm going to start a "How many times should I wind a string around the tuner?" thread just to see how many of us can agree and disagree at the same time

On this note, I was actually surprised that the Ernie Ball FAQ page says "Once"  

Uh-oh, that bad? 

If anyone has any suggestions in Staffordshire, I'm certainly all ears

7 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Might be worth checking whether the neck has been shimmed? People do funny things with basses

Ah, don't give me another variable to worry about!  No obvious sign of shimming at the neck joint though. 

1 minute ago, warwickhunt said:

Good call to let it settle.  Not all necks respond straight away and being a natural material, wood needs to find its own way and different cuts/timbers/constructions do it at different rates.  MM necks are pretty consistent and good quality so hopefully it'll not be an issue.  

1 minute ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Yeah, let it settle and go back to it. Completely different strings/tensions. Where are you based?

Thanks guys; I'd much rather be over cautious than risk any damage. 
I'm in Stafford. Bit of a drive but I might get a quote for a set-up from PMT in Birmingham; I figure at least if anything goes wrong I'm protected by a big-box music shop. 

Thanks for all the information guys! There's a twist in the tale..

After taking the flats off that came on it, I put my usual gauge (45-105) on and the action is INCREDIBLY low, even with the saddles at their maxed out height, so I'm assuming this has been done to make up for the fact the neck needs relief. 

The low E string is buzzing a little, so I'll let the neck settle for a couple of hours with the new gauge and check the relief as per the Ernie Ball website. If I'm feeling brave I'll adjust it then.

Hey everyone,

Recently came into position of a Stingray (It's gorgeous and I'll be posting pics soon!) and I've been researching how to set it up - I've been on the Ernie Ball site and read their specs and EVERY resource I've seen says to begin by checking neck relief via the string tension method and adjusting the truss rod, HOWEVER when looking at the saddles today I noticed they're almost as high as they can go. Should I lower them to their mid-point of travel (So they can mover either way) before adjusting the truss rod, or will this not make a difference?

Obviously a string under tension wont change and neck relief should be the same regardless, I just want confirmation that I'm ok to crack on as I've never adjusted a truss-rod before and I don't want anything to go wrong. 
Thanks in advance!

Mallett

Gorgeous bass. Have a bump!

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On 08/05/2020 at 07:47, LukeFRC said:

How similar to a Pedulla Rapture shape do you find the Shuker Uberhorn or horn shapes?  Or Sei Bass Original . They are in the same ballpark to my eyes.
Sei is in London, and Shuker in the north Peak District. 

Both good Luthiers and people  someone you can trust too in terms of being an established luthiers who knows their stuff.  I'm sure you've read the threads on here and Talkbass where people have got their dream custom build and had it made and it hasn't been what they expected. Sticking with established maker's and variants of their designs hopefully could cut down on the risk of it not working out. 
Of course if you want a 50 inch fan fret with strings on both sides of the neck or something they are less likely to be interested, but it doesn't sound like what you've planned is super crazy? 

Absolutely.

I've got a Pedulla Rapture 5 string now that I bought to have all the work done to it, but I just don't play the 5-string enough, and I've been struggling to find a 4-string Rapture, which is why I'm looking into a full build. I'll end up selling the Rapture to part fund this project. 

But in short it really is an all or nothing thing, as I know the look, sound and playability I like. That not-being-what-they-expected thing is actually the reason I held off on having it built from scratch, as I know what a Rapture neck feels like, it's just the hardware and finish I want changing. The only problem is, finding a 4 string is difficult, and it might actually be cheaper to have it built from the ground up!

On 08/05/2020 at 07:30, Maude said:

It sounds like you need a quick chat with our own @Andyjr1515.

Check out some of his build threads. He's made all styles and shapes so definitely not in the 'my design or nothing' camp. 

Thanks, will check his stuff out!

Hi all!

Long time lurker. I'm looking for recommendations for luthiers for a custom bass that I designed 12 years ago and am finally in a position to look into seriously. I've seen the sticky-luthier-list, but out of the 6 or 7 I've clicked on, none actually build instruments, and those that do only seem to offer variations on their own designs.

Originally my plan was to get hold of a 4 string Pedulla Rapture bass (I adore the design and a "Fast" neck), and change almost everything about it apart from the shape of the bass and the neck. I'm talking new pickups + preamp (and routing), changing the bridge to string through (and drilling), complete respray of the body and headstock, and depending on what I could source, probably a new pickguard. 

I realised that if I can find a luthier I can trust, I can probably have it built from scratch perfectly to my spec for a similar price, so..

Who would you recommend that offers a range of different options for building that you would recommend? I'm willing to have work done from different places if needsbe(Such as neck and body made by one luthier, and finished and wired elsewhere), but would this be considered disrespectful? I don't want to waste anyone's time; but I've got a bunch of specs that I don't want to compromise on, but have to think of the price. Also, location is a big one as I'm based near Birmingham, and would have to think of getting there to try whatever instruments they have, and shipping/collecting factoring in to the total price.

ANY advice/help/sarcastic remarks would be appreciated!

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