neepheid

I'll be damned if my Gibson Victory Artist is getting burned again after all the effort put into restoring it!

Nope, yet another fail for me.

[quote name='DaveB' post='1219898' date='May 4 2011, 02:35 PM']Right folks i'm gonna need to get my only 5 string bass fixed or get a new 5 string bass as i've been called up for two bands, like buses none then 3 came along, had to turn one down due to lack of time! Anyway the bass is a Yamaha RBX375 which some of you may have seen my rants about it. To cut a very long story short the barrell jack is knackerd yet again on it, the electrics inside have been bodged once already and are on the blink again. Basically the bass is ungigable. So i'm thinking: *Change the jack barrell for one of those ones that's actually screwed into the body on a plate *Rip all the electronics and pickups out and replace with decent pickups and EQ board. My question, is this actually worth it on a £300 bass or should I use it for firewood and look for another bass? I'll do the jack socket anyway as i'll then be ok to practice with but the electronics will need to be sorted asap. This only needs last another year till the Roscoe fund is ready so I don't know what to do [/quote] Worth is a relative, personal thing. I put the best part of £200 worth of EMG stuff in an Epiphone Les Paul Standard I picked up for about £170 if memory serves. Am I mad? Maybe, but it turned out to be one of my favourite basses. If you like the neck and the basic sound of the pickups then it's probably worth trying to fix it up. The most cost effective thing to do in the pursuit of reliability is probably to rip the EQ out and rewire it passive VVTT. Next up is replacing the EQ. The pickups are more than likely working fine and it would probably push the cost way beyond what is sensible (although see above) to replace them, not to mention the ballache of trying to find ones which fit in those particular holes. If you're firewooding it then I'll give it a home

Gibson basses have never been in fashion, strictly speaking. Small pockets of resistance against the mainstream out there, like my bedroom

To remove excess relief in the neck you tighten the truss rod, yes.

I know your predicament, been band-less since August last year. Ultimately it's been a good thing - I kept busy with two or three random gigs in the down time and embarked upon bass lessons. I think I've just about joined a new band, so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Hope you find something soon mannie.

Chord progression app for Android/iPhone: [url="http://chordbot.com/"]http://chordbot.com/[/url] There's a free and paid version. I think the paid one has more comping styles and the automatic "random" generator.

[quote name='silddx' post='1213713' date='Apr 28 2011, 12:16 PM']Who wouldn't have GAS for this [/quote] Me

[quote name='Ross' post='1213686' date='Apr 28 2011, 11:59 AM']Update: I have a lead, my mates reckons his dad has one I can borrow, going to investigate for me tomorrow. Cheers for the guidance, what about neck holes? How do I get those right? (Also need to drill holes in the neck baring in mind)[/quote] Is this all Fender style stuff? If so, use the neck plate as a guide. Place the neck plate where it ought to go, mark the holes on the body with that. MAKE SURE YOU PUT SOME SCRAP WOOD IN THE NECK POCKET IF YOU'RE DRILLING THROUGH FROM THE BACK OR PUT SOME SCRAP WOOD UNDER THE BODY IF YOU'RE DRILLING INTO THE NECK POCKET FIRST. I wrote that in caps for a reason. You could get some horrible splintering when the bit breaks through if you don't give it something to drill into. Drill the holes. Once you have the holes in the body, put the neck in the pocket and put a neck screw into each hole in turn until it makes a mark on the neck heel, hence marking the location for drilling the neck. Be careful of the radius of the neck when drilling, it'll make it want to rock slightly. MARK THE DEPTH CAREFULLY on the drill bit with something obvious and visible like insulation tape - you don't want to drill right through! Choose your drill bit size carefully - test by drilling into some scrap wood and screwing the neck screws into that. You want it tight, but not so tight that you risk chewing the head when you screw it in, or worse splitting the wood when trying to force a screw into a too small hole. Obviously you don't want it to be too big either, or the screw won't bite! Good luck

Not saying you should buy this as it's a little dear for a one-off fix, but it might give some ideas on how to try to resolve the situation without truss rod removal or neck replacement: [url="http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Truss_rods/Truss_Rod_Rescue_Kit.html"]http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_...Rescue_Kit.html[/url]

[quote name='Ross' post='1213656' date='Apr 28 2011, 11:26 AM']I don't want them to do it for me neccessarily, maybe loan me the drill/ show me the proper way to do it? Seems daft to invest in a pillar drill to drill these few holes, if I can't find a kind person to loan me one what about using a spirit level, taping the bit to show where I stop drilling, and [b]hoping for the best?[/b][/quote] To answer your original question ("Any way to ensure the holes will be straight?") - with all the best will in the world, you can't stay 100% still. If you're willing to accept your place as the weak link in this setup and prepared to make mistakes and deal with the consequences (which basically involve drilling out wrong holes to the size of whatever (hardwood) dowel you have, filling with dowel and trimming flush) then go for it. As far as the bridge positioning goes this is how I understand it (no doubt someone will be along to correct me if I've got this wrong). Fit the neck first. Only once the neck is fitted will you be able to determine the correct position for the bridge relative to the scale length. Assuming you're going for a standard 34" scale then you measure back 34" from the edge of the nut nearest the fingerboard (or 17" back from the 12th fret) and mark that. Adjust the bridge so that the G saddle is as far forward as the adjustment screw allows safely, then wind it back a small amount (let's say leave it at 90-95% of its full forward travel to allow for possible oops). The point where the string would go over the G saddle should be at the 34" mark you made. All the other saddles will be further back when you adjust for intonation. For sideways positioning, I would refer you to a trick I've seen my mate Rich use - run a length of sewing thread through the E and G nut slots (anchor it at the headstock with blu-tac or loop it through a tuner hole and tie a knot or something) then use these threads to show were the E and G saddles on the bridge ought to be.

+1 for the Hartke strings - pretty bright for nickels and nice feel - not too rough. I use them pretty much exclusively these days.

[quote name='Ross' post='1213641' date='Apr 28 2011, 11:14 AM']Main idea of this project is to learn how to do these things though, hence the asking. Maybe I'll see if someone on here can give me a hand, title changed.[/quote] I just said find someone with a drill press, I didn't say get them to do it for you

Got a few basses on my mind so I thought I'd see what everyone's current GAS status is. Simply list the basses you're currently fancying Gibson RD Artist (1979 onwards with two mini toggles for the Moog rather than a single 3 way) - financial pipedream at the moment Yamaha BB (active/passive like a BB1100s or a BB614 with a replacement preamp - probably can't afford one of the posher thru neck jobs) If a Gibson Ripper came along at a knockdown price (a cosmetic restore job maybe like my Victory?) then I'd take it. And anything else that makes me go "ooh, that's interesting"

Seriously - find someone with a drill press - you'll struggle to get the holes straight doing it freehand.

I feel like buying a bass this week, it's going on the credit card, and I don't give an actual damn

I just read the date of the thread. Doh. They probably asked for the post to be removed after they realised they'd just bumped a two year old problem, which we're now exacerbating by this continued conversation, oops

[quote name='Beedster' post='1213541' date='Apr 28 2011, 09:29 AM']Why was the post from P4D removed?[/quote] Yeah, that was weird. I don't get that either. What's going on today?

[quote name='fede162162' post='415660' date='Feb 20 2009, 07:33 PM']DHL has arrived just now...1h and 30m in late...but it doesn't matter, i'm happy! =D[/quote] All this fuss over an hour and a half? I don't get it. Day(s) I could understand. Explain it to me like I'm a four year old.

[quote name='RobJF' post='1212383' date='Apr 27 2011, 10:21 AM']But I'm inclined to believe the professional when he says it's beyond normal adjustment.[/quote] Of course, but as I said - you can't make it worse by trying. The conversation suggests that this bass is bolt on, so at least you have that get out of jail for a price card

[quote name='RobJF' post='1212342' date='Apr 27 2011, 09:37 AM']I got a used Warwick Streamer LX a few years ago but never got into playing it and it lay in its gig bag in an unheated room for a long time. Recently I got it out and found it had developed a badly bowed neck. I took it to a local guitar tech who says the truss rod was loose but the neck's too far gone to be corrected using it. Then I contacted a Warwick dealer who says it might be worth trying to straighten it by clamping and steaming, otherwise it will need to be replaced. However, given typical prices in the used Warwick market, I'm doubtful whether that would be a sensible use of the money, though I haven't actually had a quote yet. I'm fairly ignorant about all this sort of stuff and would appreciate any comments.[/quote] I'll buy it for a fiver Seriously though, am I getting the story right here? It was stored for ages with strings at tension and a loose truss rod? Meaning you have some major forward bow? The first thing I'd try is slackening off the strings and tighten up that truss rod, see what happens. It sounds like you can't make it any worse by trying.

It's probably a prototype. The advert spiel talks of pickups designed specially for and only for the Ripper, which the actual ones of course were. Sales - "Where's the Ripper?" R&D - "Here it is but it's not quite..." [i]Ripper is ripped out of hands and away[/i] R&D - "...ready. Oh well."

[quote name='stonecoldbass' post='1211493' date='Apr 26 2011, 10:14 AM']Why should you get unlimited, on demand, hi quality streaming music? What right do you have to be upset by any limitations put on this usage!? i think we forget how fortunate we are to be able to access such a vast array of music at our fingertips. I think most people would agree that they couldn't believe spotify when it first came out, nevermind that it was free! I pay the £10 a month gladly, I set up my account in the UK but now live in Australia. I think of it as similar to a venue paying a 'PRS' licence or something similar, spread out between all the artists it isn't much but it's a fair price to pay for the privilege of enjoying an artists work. You really can't complain about this, and for those of you who are bitter about it, grow up. If you are in any way a 'musician' you should be supporting the industry you love and are a part of.[/quote] It was never unlimited - the adverts were supposed to help pay for it. That doesn't seem to have paid off for them, and that's a shame. As I've already mentioned I have no problem with the monthly time limit - it was inevitable. What I do object to is the 5 play limit PER SONG FOR ALL ETERNITY. This is a braindead move. Not only does it negate the usefulness of playlists and means you can't have favourite songs, it also stifles Spotify's usefulness as a song learning tool - my principal use for it. So I'm going to take matters into my own hands as I have already intimated. If you continue to judge me and question my support of music then I will pummel you with my scrapbook of ticket stubs, wrap you in some band t-shirts then bury you under my CD collection

The day we stop looking is the day we die.

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