Jono Bolton

Would you wrap the tape around and then glue it in, or would you just add enough tape so that it's a snug fit?

I've got a set of Hipshot HB-2s but the press-in bushings are too small for the holes in the headstock by about a millimetre or so. What would be the best way of fixing in the bushings? I've previously tried glueing them in but the tension of the string on the tuner post has caused a couple of them to start pulling out.

I had an American Fender P that I bought second hand in mint condition from a fellow Basschatter, but it seldom got played as I was too worried about it getting dings. While it's nice to have new gear, I would rather have *slightly* used gear, a few bumps and scratches are no problem for me. I usually find that as used basses have been played in they're more comfortable to play. A big no to relicing for me though, I don't see the point.

I have a Jazz with a set of La Bella Deep Talkin' Flats that I had set up in standard tuning, which I detuned to Eb a few months ago, and I've had no trouble at all with the action or the truss rod. If you're having problems I would think it might be to do with the strings you're using, maybe you need a higher tension string?

Garrett Tierney of Brand New, particularly on the last two albums. Usually just a P Bass through an Ampeg SVT but he manages to get a huge range of tones from it. Nate Newton from Converge has a pretty great sound too, there's a reason why a Fender P/SVT combo is pretty much a standard in rock music.

I sold a Fender 09 American Std P Bass because I didn't play it, it was absolutely mint and I was too worried about scratching or damaging it, stupid really. I used the funds to buy my Marcus Miller and a WD neck, which was sh*te. I've since put a Mighty Mite neck on and I love it. If I'd waited a week though I could've had a 70s Classic Jazz in sunburst off here for only £400, I was offered first dibs on it. Suffice to say, the MM body, 2 necks and the cost of having 2 necks fitted was significantly more than £400, but after all that I wish I'd kept the Precision I also once traded an Epiphone Gold Top worth £500+ for a Squier Tele worth less than £200. Gutted. Oh, and my MIM Jazz is sage green, because it was the only one they had in the shop and I was too impatient to wait 3 days for them to order in a black one.

[quote name='henry norton' post='788547' date='Mar 28 2010, 03:07 PM']Brass didn't make much, if any difference to the standard plastic job fitted to my Precision - it's also easy to forget if it [i]did[/i] make a difference it would only be on the open strings. (Hope I'm not sounding too condescending). [/quote] Not at all, it's a good point, something I hadn't thought of. I would say though that the Tusq nut I've got on my basses have made a noticable difference over the bog standard plastic ones I've had previously, I found that the notes tended to die quite quickly. I'm mostly curious to find out if brass would make enough of a difference to justify the money.

[quote name='lojo' post='788513' date='Mar 28 2010, 02:06 PM']Can anyone comment on the quality of MIMs in 2002/03 in general, I may buy one blind[/quote] I had a 2000 MIM Precision that I picked up on ebay for £200 a couple of years back. It was pretty well made, nice and light, but the hardware/pickups were a bit rubbish, they went quite quickly. I bought that blind, and I can't imagine the quality would be that different to an 02/03 model. That said, QC at Fender Mexico wasn't too tight back then, so there's some decent instruments around from that period, but some shockers as well, but they're generally few and far between.

Hi I'm thinking about having a brass nut fitted to my Marcus Miller to increase the sustain. It already has a Badass bridge on it, but I'm looking to fit a brass nut to really get it ringing. I'm currently using a Graphtech Tusq nut on it which isn't bad for only six quid, but would it be worth the expense of having a brass nut made and fitted? The tech I normally go to charges £45 for a new brass nut. Would a brass nut be a significant enough improvement to justify the outlay? I use D'addario Prosteels strings as they're the brightest sounding strings I've found, so I don't think a change of strings would be enough. Has anyone else had a brass nut fitted, and what are their experiences? Cheers Jono

I've just had a Mighty Mite neck put on my Marcus Miller Jazz and it's excellent, really nice and comfy to play with the satin finish. The only issue I had was that the heel of the neck was too big for the neck pocket on the body, so I had to have a tech widen the pocket to take the neck. There were a few sharp fret ends and the tuner holes were slightly too big for the Hipshot bushings I had, but they're great necks and a total bargain to boot.

[quote name='HarryPotter' post='732225' date='Feb 1 2010, 09:08 PM']Oh yeah, and where do you order a new neck for a Marcus Miller from?[/quote] It's not a Marcus Miller neck sadly, it's just a maple Mighty Mite one. Taking it to the shop to have it fitted on Friday.