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Sheldon fretted my neck, even though it isn't a complete Dingwall, it is a half-fanned P/J, a few years before he made his own Super P and J.
More here:
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/174777-and-now-for-something-completely-different-in-a-pj/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/174777-and-now-for-something-completely-different-in-a-pj/[/url]

The problem is that for a 12's set, a plain G would have to be something like a 20, which has absolutely no flexibility and just goes "clunk." I even tried one as the octave E string for my Rick 12 to try to see if it would intonate with the wound low E, but it was a mess tonally.

D'addario makes their 11-49 set with either an 18 plain or a 21 wound, the EXL115 or EXL115W, and as a bassist I have found this to be the most versatile set for general electric guitar work without having to worry about "feel" switching back and forth.

A great balanced flats set is the one that changed me from rounds to flats: Fender 9050CL, in 45-60-80-105. This is the most balanced and consistent set, both up the neck and string-to-string, I have played in all the 36 years I've played electric bass.

The most famous one is the EMG HB:
[url="http://www.emgpickups.com/products/category/26/2"]http://www.emgpickups.com/products/category/26/2[/url]

I absolutely love the Fender flats in the 9050CL set (custom light) 45-60-80-105. It depends on what kind of tone you want. If you lean towards the Rick "clank," but want flats to feel better and take a little edge off, these are your strings. If you want the Sir Macca tone, like off Sgt. Pepper, then the TI pure nickel jazz flats are your string. D'addarios and the other brands of "chrome" strings will give you hollow deep tone. Supposedly the new Optima strings are similar to the old Maxima strings that were OEM for Rickenbacker way back when, but that is one string I haven't gotten ahold of yet.

Except for some of the nylon tapewounds, which may be nylon over roundwound, the brightest true flatwound strings I have tried, and I've tried them all over the past 36 years I've played electric bass, are the new Fender 9050CL set, 45-60-80-105. They have it all: bright when you use a bridge pickup, growly when you need them to be, mellow when you want them to be, absolutely consistent in tone both up the neck and string-to-string. They're economical, and they last nearly forever as bass strings go. These are the strings that switched me from a roundwound bloke. When you really did into them, depending on how you pick, pluck or strum, you can get a subdued growl that is not that far removed from Rotosound Swingbass.

When I have a tune that burns me or is so simple on the chart I almost fall asleep in the middle of it, since I do know the songs so well, I use it to clear my mind and focus on the next chart that takes more focus. Some outthere still likes it, and that same someone is paying to hear it, and we have to deliver.

Thanks.

I'm glad you asked me that question. Actually, the first fret is also fanned. Think about the math and it has to be. It's just that like everything else in a progression, the first one appears subtle.

I designed it myself, acted as my own general contractor, and did the electronics work myself. My old left arm and hand injuries have haunted me. So about twelve years ago I set out on a quest for an instrument that I could play more than 20 minutes without cramping up. Nothing commercially worked, of course. Then I stumbled across the Novax site, with links to Sheldon Dingwall. But fanning both ways made it worse, not better. Then I stumbled onto an etching of a 16th century lute called (translated) "Pandora's Box," with a square nut and fanned frets forward. I was off and running.

I measured my hand very carefully at rest to arrive at a 1.67 nut width and 2.38 (1/8 narrower than standard) heel. I like the full 34 inch for tone on the low E string, but the 33 1/4 Rick scale for feel on the G string. Under the bridge cover is a repro "bolt stock" bridge cut in two with half of it moved up for the G & D strings, narrowed to 2 1/16 overall spacing for my right hand; crown radius 10 inches; .875 thick @ the 1st fret, C profile with rounded edges.

The P position pickup is a Rickenbacker HB-1 measuring at @ 14kohms. The J pickup is a DiMarzio UltraJazz neck version to match the narrowed string spacing. (Since both bridge and neck UltraJazz pickups are wound the same, they sound the same from neck to bridge). The HB-1 is placed proportionally in the position of the GD segment of a traditional P pickup, and the J pickup is between the '60's and '70's position. Notice the angles are different to match what would be the continued fanning of the frets if carried through.

The strings are through body, with the G string at a perpendicular angle down from the bridge saddle for maximum sustain and the E string as shallow as possible to retain as much brightness as possible. The alder body was from a no-name bass I was just going to use to whittle on to make sure the neck worked until I could get a better one, then I bumped it against the Am Std P-bass I had at the time. They tone-tapped the same tone, and I got lucky when I got under the paint: real 2-piece alder, well seasoned, not too heavy. A friend routed the pickup routs for me.

The neck blank, traditional maple w/ rosewood, came from an east coast wholesale supplier custom milled to my width & thickness, and was fretted by Sheldon Dingwall with Dunlop 50X100 frets so I have a lot to crown over time with wear. The tuners are Hipshot Ultralights, which weigh 1/2 as much as traditional Fender-Schallers, so no neck dive. I shimmed the neck on both sides of the heel for a really tight fit in the neck pocket.

The electronics are straightforward Jazz wiring VVT, with a .033 orange drop tone cap and a .01 inline cap to the J pickup to eliminate phasing and comb filtering with both pickups full on. CTS pots, of course.

Let's see: there are four actual Fender-brand parts on it: the string tree and the three knobs. I've added bone intonation shims at the nut to eliminate string stretch pulling sharp at the 2nd & 3rd frets.

How does it sound? Huge. It's not just deep in the groove, it's digging it deeper. Even though I've played everything from Friday night to Sunday morning, the best way to hear it is my one lucky gig: the last Lawrence Welk Special, "Precious Memories," which was taped a few years ago and airs occasionally on PBS fundraising week. I'm straight into the board with just a touch of compression for broadcast and a slight broad dip of a couple dB at 1.3khz to even out the response of the pickup. It's been posted in eight parts on YouTube. I play everything from opening credits to bonus outtakes, except for the obvious orchestra overdubs.

The pickguard started out white, and has patina'd nicely. This is my #1 electric, and if anybody is interested, I have a hardtail 2-HB Strat-style guitar to match and another guitar with active minibuckers in the pipeline.

My custom fanned fret P-style bass:

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1335371146' post='1630101']
Fab post!

I wonder if number 4 is related to my tendency to cut certain frequencies to find a live tone that I like? I know my bass has naturally got a lot of bottom, and that can sometimes cause a poorly-defined tone in rooms that are naturally a bit boomy.
[/quote]
Thanks. It can be anything. We could all go on with "war stories" all night, but most of my gigs are in rooms that are moderate size, and I am always having to use a tight parametric to cut a standing wave somewhere between 75Hz and 200Hz.

For general "boomy"-ness, I use an adjustible buffer/high pass preamp called the "HPF-Pre Series II." I don't know if Francis Deck, the manufacturer, ships to the UK (he says no outside-USA sales due to the cost of CE compliance) but here's a link. If he can't or won't ship, he posts the entire schematic as open architecture online so a DIY or favourite tech can build one for you:
[url="http://personalpages.tds.net/~fdeck/bass/hpfpre.htm"]http://personalpages...bass/hpfpre.htm[/url]
[url="http://personalpages.tds.net/~fdeck/bass/hpfpd.pdf"]http://personalpages.../bass/hpfpd.pdf[/url]

Tuba! Yes, I "triple": bass guitar, double bass and tuba. Tuba is the natural "double" for gigs, not guitars or keys. Where I live, albeit a lot of the gigs are amateur/community, but with good musicianship, I could literally play every night if I wanted to, although my wife and son would not approve. So I actually have to limit the number of gigs and ensembles I play for fun.

I recommend anyone who wants to seriously gig for pick-up bands, jazz/dance bands, the occasional brass band gig, etc., play tuba as well.

1) Make sure the instrument is set up properly with all repairs from road wear done, the pickup is properly installed and functioning, strings are in good order, and there is a good clean line out.
2) Make sure it has the proper impedance buffering for the type of pickup so a clean signal gets to the board.
3) Start flat and run a test pattern up and down the neck to see how the characteristics are coming through so everyone can get an idea of what kind and how much eq may be necessary.
4) Usually less eq is better, but some basses, some rooms, and sometimes the desired characteristic for the track will indicate more.
5) At least some compression is a must, but it should be used just as a salt shaker. A little really enhances the flavor of the track, too much and it, well....

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1334870158' post='1622810']Daf suggested I tuned everything down a 4th and stuck a C on the top for a G to get the low tension thing. I did that tonight and am really digging it. The bow "grab" is slightly compromised, but I will let them settle before coming to any conclusions really.[/quote]
On this side of the pond, that is called, "Bumping," and it is also really popular to get a soft feel with slap for both bluegrass and rockabilly. You may have to raise the action slightly for good clean intonation and a crisp slap.

I gig regularly with a Fishman Full Circle and buffer preamp.

"Gut-like" tone with tuning stability, easier arco, and a little lighter tension? Innovation 140B and Velvet Blues come to mind.

In my Chevrolet Aveo hatchback, also called the Kalos, made in the old Daewoo factory, I routinely carry to gigs (with the rear seats folded down): double bass, Carvin MB-12 combo, 1X15 extension cab, electric bass, stands, music, etc., and after one gig in particular, I even was able to fit another bass guitar and a 3/4 BBb tuba that I brought home to work on for a friend!

I have had the best luck with a Fishman Full Circle. I play several different gigs, and the Full Circle holds up very well indeed. I have it installed "upside down," and this takes a little bit of the edge off the attack, but allows the full "bloom" of the bass. My bridge came like this, but most people might have to have a new bridge fitted with the sockets reversed.

Being in the USA, I buffer it with a fdeck preamp/high pass filter into a Carvin MB-12 combo.