randythoades

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1390145671' post='2341886'] If you wanted to bring it over to Farnham I'd happily have a look for you. [/quote] I may have to take you up on that! Thanks so much. I am only in Woking so only about 20 mins away. I thought i would open it up and have a look, it may be quite obvious. I am not very keen on doing anything if it is PCB mounted as i don't know what i am doing, but i do like to learn new skills...

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1390128570' post='2341647'] Undisclosed reserve on that TSB so unfortunately it's not going to go for any £250. Ask him what his reserve is, for a laugh - chances are he won't tell you. J. [/quote] I didn't notice that, doing it on my phone. Very true, too much for me. I am only interested out of curiosity, i prefer single pickup instruments but interested to see how the through neck has an effect on the instrument compare to a bolt on or set neck. I am really looking for the single pickup TSB 350 or 550 models which are single pickups.

Nice looking Aria here. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-TSB-650-Bass-Guitar-/121257151823?hash=item1c3b7d4d4f Been looking for one of these in good condition for a few years so i may be tempted to have a punt if it stays at this level, but quite a big starting price, not worth any more than this i wouldn't say. It is a bit of a drive for me to collect though for not really a bargain.

Hi guys, just thought i would ask for advice. I have a fender super champ X2 head that i bought second hand about 18 months ago. Recently i have started having problems with the speaker output jack either cutting out out not making connection. I have been getting round it by trying to wiggle the cable into the right place but now it is pretty much shot. I am pretty good at soldering etc when it comes to my guitars and basses and happy to replace or completely rewire my instruments but never tackled an amp. Is it along the same lines or can i do some real damage? Is replacing the jack something i can attempt or is it a service centre job?

I have 2 self built / parts basses and 2 self build guitars. Great fun to do the project, and a little frustrating at times, but you are able to choose things just the way you want them. Go the self build route, you can always sell the parts off at a later date if you don't like it. Be warned though. Self building is quite addictive. There is always somethig not quite right and needing changing.

Back in my 'yoof' I played guitar and bass relatively low slung with no problems and found no issue with dexterity and did this purely because I found it the most comfortable, not for any feeling of coolness. However, I did find that after several years of doing so, I had developed joint pain in both my fingers, hands and elbows due to strain on the muscles. I tried several remedies, but the one that worked was raising the strap 4 or 5 inches so that is is directly over my tummy. I can now play almost pain free but I actually find that I can't play the more complicated lines with the strap higher, my elbow always seeems to be getting in the way and hitting my body and it feels all cramped in. And I think that Mark King and Duff McKagen both looked cool in their own way so I am not sure it matters.... Do what you like and what suits your physical frame.

Hi all, just after a bit of advice regarding strings for my EUB. I have a Bassix EUB and am looking to experiment with strings. It is currently strung with a steel string although i don't know the make, i think it to be a basic D'Addario set. I am playing old time rock and roll, not exactly full on rockabilly but i like the idea of lower tension string and getting a click from the strings but don't intend to get into full on slap bass. I don't bow at all. The bass has Piezo rather than magnetic pickup and ebony fingerboard which seems quite resonant. My dilemma is the length of the string. The bass has a 41" scale length from nut to bridge and an extra 12" from the bridge to ball end. I bought myself a set of Innovation Silver Slaps to try. Cautious before fitting i measured them first, but the string measures approx 51.5" from ball end to the winding, making them about 1.5" inches to short if fitted. Would i need to source 4/4 length strings to fit? Any suggestions?

Wiring corrected and sounding good (almost hum free). Like a dork i wired the output jack the wrong way round... Doh.

I spent years trying to emulate the sounds on the records I was hearing, trying all sorts of combinations of amps and pedals, complicated racks and floor processors. I always sounded like me! Then I took 2 routes, one being a simple to programme old Zoom 1010 floor processor with minimal effects to programme 4 sounds (clean, slight crunch, more crunch and solo boost) and plugged into the PA. I used the same sounds for whatever style song we played (in a classic rock covers band at the time and an old time soul/ r+b band) and just slightly changed my playing style to compensate individual songs. The second was purely straight into a Fender valve amp. I couldn't get the variety or consistency I needed (was ok for the soul band but not for the rock) to jump from Chuck Berry to Ozzy Osbourne with pedals but once I realised that I could make guitar adjustments on volume etc to control gain it all made sense to a degree. Volume as the issue there though as the amp sounded and reacted differently at different levels. I still prefer the simplicity of the Zoom though. 4 presets, always consistent at any volume you like. So, in a roundabout answer to the question, with any amp or effects unit I now try to find my "signature sound in my head" and just make small adjustments and stick to 3 or 4 similar patches.

Sounds like you have found your sound. I couldn't get on with the Orange Terror, the fat, warm, dirty 70s tones were great but I didn't really like the clean with a touch of grit tones so went back to a Fender amp. Horses for courses as they say. Maybe it was my cab (with Eminence Wizard driver).

Nice one, I had one of these, excellent guitars whatever the cost, great pickups I thought. Ahead of several Mex fenders I have played and above both USA teles I owned. I am ashamed to say that I got rid of mine when I got the slight mickey taken out of me after turning up to an audition / jam for a new band. Put me right off my playing! Went on ebay the next day

Right, all wired and put together. I think it looks great, feels balanced on and plays nicely (although it is flipping heavy).... Problem: must have a ground loose or a dodgy solder because it buzzes like a complete B%&*^%. Need to take it apart and redo the joints. Everything works as it should so I have wires in correct places but it is just massively noisy so can't really hear the tone yet! Not sure how to post sound clips either but when I get it sorted will record some onto my soundcloud or something.

Forgot to say that I also routed the pickup cavity to be slight angle, more neck orientated on the D and G strings to try and balance the tone better across the strongs, particularly with a guitar pickup. not sure if that is going to work, but it seemed like a good idea at the time!

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1389631164' post='2336327'] Great idea! Any pickup lined up yet? My guess is that an overwound job would work well, unless you want to get really twangy with it. [/quote] Cheers for that, it is coming together! My first choice pickup is a handwound strat bridge pickup from Catswhisker pickups that I used in my strat until I converted that into a Stratotele... (another cut apart and "improve" project) It is a slightly overwound bridge pickup but with fatter polepieces and a whacking great magnet on the base so that it acts more as a P90 and a much fatter tone but not distorted compared to a standard strat pickup. I don't want super twangy but I am looking for that kind of slightly hollow, more vintage tone. Beauty is that being a standard rout, I can try all sorts of pickups until I get where I want to be! Hopefully wire it up tonight but only got roundwounds to test it on, need to get a fresh set of flats to give it a roadtest...

Update; Routing all done, old cavities filled and stared fine sanding. Decided that as grain was so attractive both on headstock and body that I would just use a maple tint Briwax wax coating to keep it tactile and smooth rather than paint. my inspiration was keeping with the Aria theme and the old SB1000 Arias of the 80s. Ready to start wiring and do a scratchplate to hide the old filled cavities which came up a bit darker than I liked with the wax.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1389355942' post='2333174'] Thanks for the info on your Cardinals. Interesting looking El Maya here. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/El-Maya-Ibanez-active-bass-made-in-Japan-1981-/271364720733?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3f2e99085d"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3f2e99085d[/url] [/quote] No problem, I like to share my love of the Arias! This El Maya looks interesting. Great looking body, not keen on painted necks myself though...

I have used several Catswhisker pickups in both guitars and basses. Allan is a great chap to deal with and always happy to help where he can. Just tell hime what you want to achieve. I wanted to get precision sounds out of a Jazz bass so we spoke about the options and he eventually hand wound me some slightly hotter J pickups but using a different gauge wire and magnets. Not sure the exact details but the neck pickup full on with a hint of bridge had the precision sound nailed. Unfortunately I didn't get on with the body shape so moved it on. I still use his pickups in my strats and tele though. Really cost effective too and I found certainly better than the likes of SD and Dimarzio. One warning though, becasue of them being handwound to your spec, make sure you talk though the options (unless you plump for a standard model) as you may find that what you thought you wanted didn't quite work out as you thought and the resale value is not as good as regular brand. I fell foul of this by asking for effectively a hotter 50's strat tone, when what I really wanted was a clearer rich vintage tone. He is generally happy to take them back and rewind them for you but it is annoying!

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1389347757' post='2333041'] I don't know exactly how much the various flavours of Cardinals go for, but I hope you're happy with your sale. It looks a very nice instrument, and I'm sure the buyer is happy. [/quote] Buyer seemed really happy, and they should, a lot of instrument for the money... Cardinals don't go for that much really, unlikely to get one reaching much more than £200 unless on a really good day, they don't seem as popular as the Thorsound versions, although the Black and Gold versions I have seen do well on ebay. I swapped my TSB for a Cardinal when I was playing classic rock - the ash body was lighter and it had a slightly more aggressive sound. Really miss it now though as I don't like the SG body shape for playing blues and vintage styles. I have gutted one of my Cardinals and trying to build it into a Telecaster body for a more vintage looking instrument, the neck has a 57mm heel which fits nice and snug into a Fender guitar neck pocket... Great basses though, especially for the price!

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1382983924' post='2258803'] Red cardinal bass. Low starting bid. Free delivery. Very blue lined hard case. What is there not to like? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1981-Aria-Pro-II-Cardinal-series-bass-guitar-Matsumoku-made-CSB-450-/141102323585?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item20da5a9781"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item20da5a9781[/url] [/quote] That was mine, before I realised you could sell on BC. Doh!

[quote name='hoiho' timestamp='1389014702' post='2328742'] Nice Aria Cardinal - a 450 (as it says on the truss rod cover), which you don't see too often. They're supposed to have a carved ash top, but it still looks pretty slabby to me, albeit a bit less angular at the flat chamfers than the 380. The 450 also has a set neck, where the 380 is bolted. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1981-Aria-Pro-II-Cardinal-series-bass-Made-in-Japan-Matsumoku-CSB-450-/251419143177?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a89bfac09"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3a89bfac09[/url] [/quote] I have had the CSB 450 and it does have an carved top which initially makes it seem slightly less angular but it is slightly uncomfortable to play as the carve ends abruptly, almost as if it had a binding. The flat chamfers on the 380 are more comfortable for me to play. Also, the 450 has a different pickup and is less aggressive and a touch smoother, good for 80's pop and soft rock, not so good for classic rock and punk though. I sold my 450 and kept my 2 x 380s in preference (one which is a generally poor state so I have dismantled it to use the neck on a custom build bass). As a guide, I bought my 450 with hard case for £170 in Summer 2013 and sold it in the Autumn on ebay for about the same.

I play guitar, bass and DB but not in a band any more, never really enjoyed gigging. I actually really enjoy just playing along to stuff I like, generally a mixture of new songs and ones I know in my sleep. I use one of the Tascam Bass trainers to plug into whilst my wife is watching Come Dine With Me or something on TV, I can just go into my music room and disappear for half an hour: - no arguing, no learning material you don't like, no politics, no lugging your rig out and about. Occasionally I will go and do a bit of jamming with mates and I do a bit of songwriting and recording at home but that is about it. My ideal would be to join a local band who just did it for the fun and didn't worry about gigging, just turn up to a studio once a fortnight, turn up the volume and have a blast for a couple of hours then go for a beer... The biggest downside is trying to justify to my better half my habit for buying or improving all of my gear with no band.

Project all well underway. Laid everything out and took some measurements. Intend to strip the body and neck and either paint or tru oil but figure I had better see if it all works before I put in the elbow grease to take off the poly laquer... Pots and wiring done just waiting for pickup, ground from bridge and output jack. Finished the measuring then started routing out a recess for the bridge and for the new pickup... Checked the position so need to finish the cavities. [url="http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0402_zpscac2cde4.jpg"]http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0402_zpscac2cde4.jpg[/url] [url="http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0413_zpsabfa11c8.jpg"]http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0413_zpsabfa11c8.jpg[/url] [url="http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0405_zps94710fde.jpg"]http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0405_zps94710fde.jpg[/url] [url="http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0414_zps1614817a.jpg"]http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz351/randythoades/IMAG0414_zps1614817a.jpg[/url] Still got to worry about a new pickguard shape now but that is further down the line.

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1389104612' post='2329982'] Good man! Yup, the costs of importing what is technically an overpriced instrument make it silly. And yes, that Pawn Shop Jag really isn't to my tastes either. If they had made it "non-reverse" I might have even bought one, but not in its current guise. Eude [/quote] Same as me!

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1389102730' post='2329929'] Nice sounding project mate, look forward to seeing it come together. No actually useful input from me, bar a moan about Fender not making any mainstream medium scale versions of their basses... Good luck with the build! Eude [/quote] Cheers, that is exactly my reason for doing it! I have a fondness for the Medium scale and bar importing a Jazz bass from japan or one of the new (really ugly in my opinion) Pawn shop jagar basses there doesn't seem much available! I would stick with the Aria stock except that the body shapes scream "rock" and I want something a bit more vintage looking... I will probably start stripping and measuring this weekend so will post my progress.

Hi All, I have a new project that I am finally getting round to (New Year Resolution) and I would like to know if anyone has tried anything similar and has any advice on pitfalls... Background: Effectively, I like to play bass more as a rhythm guitar than a true bass (a bit like Lemmy but without the distortion) and always turn the bass right down on my PBass and up the mids to get a slightly growly voice. I also like old MIJ Aria Pros, especially the medium scale ones. I have done several guitar builds and bass builds but mainly from standard parts and am not scared of getting the router out! The project: I have a spare early 80s Aria CSB380 bass neck and bridge, 32" medium scale neck which doesn't flare out at the end like a fender bass and has a very convenient 56mm heel. I also have a spare homebuilt Tele / Esquire body. My idea is to marry the two and create my own single pickup 'Telecaster' bass, but medium scale and use a spare vintage style strat or tele pickup for that 70s Musicmaster feel but use Esquire wiring and have 3 way switch with different tone cap and tone bypass, volume and tone. I will have to rout a new placement for the bridge, pickup and a new pickguard but hoping to create something individual, quirky and relatively vintage sounding. Any thoughts?