wishface

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1347713890' post='1804262'] I will not give examples. They are everywhere. [/quote]Of course you won't. This is what happens; you resort to ad hom attacks and then decide that the standards you want to apply to me don't apply to you. You criticise my behaviour, using ridiculous and nasty hyperbole such as accusing me of calling people 'assholes', but not once do you criticise anyone else for theirs. It's ok then to fill a thread with silly provocative nonsense like popcorn emotes, or silly internet meme pictures, or whatever else people want to use to troll threads they obviously don't like but can't stop involving themselves with? Nice standards you have.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1347712983' post='1804250'] If you really believe that, then there is no hope. From your very first post, you have spread - negativity, - your defeatism, - a total lack of friendliness, - short and stiff politeness, as if it hurts you to even have to say thanks - ditto for gratefulness. - extreme stubborness and a will to have arguments Best case scenario: You have no idea about style and how people respond to it You are very ill or gravely disabled and lead an isolated, sad life with virtually no social contact with people. Each time you enter a forum, after a short time everybody is wrong and an asshole, and makes you feel unwelcome. End best case scenario. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. bert [/quote]Provide one example of any such thing. THis is just pure character assassination.

[quote name='Talon' timestamp='1347711219' post='1804216'] After reading through this thread it seems people are bending over backwards to help you....you seem to have an answer to everything. [/quote]What on earth is this supposed to mean: 'i have an answer to everything'?

[quote]It starts of with a fellow Basschatter asking for help and advice, nothing unusual in that, and in true Basschatter's fashion, the replies come flooding in, all offering sound advice, and even offers of going to the OP's residence to fix the bass personally.[/quote] And yet despite claiming to be an expert, you cannot for one second understand that might not be appropriate. Nor, even then, can you respect my feelings in the matter and continue to push the issue to score points. [quote]And yet we find that twelve pages later, the bass is still [b]unplayable[/b], [/quote] You've not read even the first post I made. Either that or the point of that post escaped you completely and you lack the courtesy to ask for clarification. I cannot discuss things with people that wilfully miss the point and then use their ignorance to criticise and castigate. [quote]it has a [b]cheap[/b] and [b]nasty pickup[/b], [/quote] That's your inferrance. I didn't use the word nasty. I said it was a cheap pickup. Of course it is. There is no way a cheap bass is going to have more expensive parts. Since the sound comes from the pickup it is entireluy reasonable to assume that, failing all else, that is the source of th eproblem. Instead of even considering this, you again use it as a means to throw your 'help' back in my face. Your attitude is a joke. I had been nothing but polite, friendly, courteous and grateful until now, and at each turn as this thread has gone on (as if there's some unspoken limit to how long a thread should be), that has increasingly been thrown back in my face with greater opprobrium. [quote]it has [b]fret buzz[/b], [/quote] fret buzz that didn't exist until I adjusted the truss rod, on the advice of people here that knew I had never adjusted a truss rod before. [quote]the[b] bridge [/b]can't be adjusted properly, [/quote] I didn't say anything of the kind. I said that the saddles didn't move when screwed and that the screw wound through instead. [quote]the [b]truss rod[/b] can't be adjusted properly either, [/quote] Didn't say that either. I did say that it was stiff. [quote]the bass is [b]too heavy[/b], [/quote] Nope, that would assume an objective standard I didn't make. I said it was a heavy instrument which it is, something that you are in no position to disagree with as you aren't me and don't own this instrument. [quote] the neck is [b]too wide[/b], [i](I've copied and pasted the next line, just so I don't get accused, like so many others have, of misquoting him)[/i], [/quote] The neck is wide, and I qualified that statement quite reasonably. Something you fail, again, to address. So instead we get more crap. [quote][b]E string isn't just it's disproportionate volume. It's that the entire string just feels disproportionate: heavier, harder to play, higher than the action allow[/b] At first, some thought that maybe he had a duff E string (which does occasionally happen), but he's now fitted a new E string, ([i]which was kindly donated to him[/i]), and yet he still thinks it's not right.[/quote] 'kindly donated' - a charming way to snipe at my character. Why don't you ask the person that donated the strings about my level of gratitude and whether he, the only person who's opinion matters here, felt I had displayed an appropriate level of gratitude, bearing in mind that private messages, that you will not have seen, were sent. I think it's pretty piss poor to make this kind of snide and cheap comment. I explained how the E string felt; either counter the argument or don't. Anything else is just cheap abuse from someone that should know better. [quote]If I had a bass that bad,[i] (although we all know that it's not really, and can easily be fixed)[/i], I would sell it, buy a ready made replacement for less money than he would get for the [b]"cheap"[/b] Spector, and get on with actually playing the thing![/quote] Fortunately this discussion forum isn't predicated on what you think other people should do. YOu are now making base assumptions and using them as a means to criticise. Saying 'oh i would just sell it', as if that itself were a simple matter, is ridicdulous. Even if i were to sell it that would leave me with potentially out of pocket with not enough money to buy something better, and what would I buy? Wouild I have to beg you for your opinion as to what constitutes a good bass even though you don't have the first clue about this one? What is gained by participating in an economy of loss? How does that help me? Swap one cheap bass for another and hope I get a decent deal? Who's to say i'd even get half what I paid for this? So what next; suggesting i just give this away? 'get on with playing the thing' just says it all really. A remarkably crass, stupid and wholly ignorant comment not worth addressing. If you don't understand why this is a ridiculous comment then I can't explain it to you. Don't bother responding to this thread anymore, I shan't be reading your comments.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1347700677' post='1804097'] then it is your lack of ability that stops you setting it up correctly. By now you will have realised that you are out of your depth. Save up 30 or so it takes and pay a tech. Its a 30 min job [/quote] I was advised to adjust the truss rod by people that knew full well i was not an expert in technicl matters. I made that f***ing clear by explaing it multiple times - and got criticised for not following advice. Advice I had actually already followed. I expressed reticence in certain activities and then get told im not following the advice of people who feel, somehow, that they should be listened to above all esle just because they think, however misguidedly, they are trying to help. Absolute bullshit; that's emotional blackmail.

Unbelievable. The amount of trolling, rudenes, misrepresentation and bullshit from people who then, in spite of being corrected multiple tiems, then chuck their toys out the pram is pathetic.

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1347567939' post='1802644'] Absolutely. Mods, lock it. [/quote] If you don't like it, why not leave?

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1347548084' post='1802306'] As far as I understand, we've never established whether the neck is slightly twisted or is irregular. Have we? Since I'm a newbie, I can't delve into this, but my Axl's neck was twisted, and no choice of action would make it silent. Many decades ago, I was also trying to play a guitar that had a bump on the fretboard. Thought it better to mention it and be wrong than leaving it unmentioned. best, bert [/quote] The neck wasn't really twisted at all. Certainly not to the naked eye.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347547065' post='1802277'] My point was that while it is entirely possible that you are in possession of one bass Spector made that lacks in many respects... that seems to be a not very convincing explanation. Why? because the sort of "problems" you describe can be attributed to other reasons than "build quality". The thing is that these days it's hard to find an instrument that is truly terrible. When you said in one of your first posts that you adjusted teh action to x level and, ah well, not as low as you'd like but it's what you can expect from a cheap bass (or something loosely along those lines)... that comment made me join in and write. Because I routinely take cheap basses and make them play nice. I don't accept the limitation you imply. As long as the neck is straight, etc... an electric bass, especially a bolt-on one, is a ridiculously simple object (although tricky to set up just right, in some ways). It's the kind of object that you don't need ultra high precision manufacturing to make right. But if it makes you feel better, I'll just say you are right and that your bass is crap and that's all you can do about it. I have nothing to gain either way. [/quote] You didn't answer the questions at all. Telling me you've played gigs on cheap guitars is irrelevant if none of them are the same as this bass. I also asked you what was not set up correctly and you didn't answer, you just repeated what the problem was. I know what the problem is. What I don't know is what cuases it. Frankly the signal to noise ratio in this thread has become impossible.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1347535964' post='1802055'] E string not loud... just a thought.... what amp and cab are you using here? [/quote]You've got it the wrong way around. I don't play through an amp/cab. I play directly into the computer I have. The problem with the E string isn't just it's disproportionate volume. It's that the entire string just feels disproportionate: heavier, harder to play, higher than the action allows. I can't explain why this is other than the symptoms of a cheap bass. Playing on the low E is uncomfortable, possibly because the bass is heavy (it is) and perhaps unergonomic (ymmv), but even with it slung high (i don't like it that way, but it's impossible to play slung low), my hand is in an uncomfortable position when playing around and beyond the 12th fret on the E. No problem with the A, D or G.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347446660' post='1800826'] nobody asked for an address, or a name. A town, an area is enough. I find it strange, amusing and a little sad at the same time. It must be terrible to live with so much fear of... of I can't imagine what, really. [/quote]I live in north somerset. I don't care to be judged by others as well and I choose not to reveal every portion of my personal details online. I happen to think that's eminently sensible.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1347550998' post='1802360'] The half mm I talked about is the neck RELIEF gap - when the string is pressed down at the first and last fret, not the distance between the strings and the fretboard when the string is plucked. What you're talking about is the ACTION height and it should be 2 - 3mm at least If you have a RELIEF gap of 2mm you will have a banana shaped neck and it will make the bass difficult to play. Also if you go for a low action you will definitely get fret buzz. [url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/"]Here[/url] is a link to a very useful setup guide which explains everything I've said. I know its for Fender but the same applies for your bass. [/quote]what is neck radius? That guide references stuff I don't know and have never heard of

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1347550998' post='1802360'] The half mm I talked about is the neck RELIEF gap - when the string is pressed down at the first and last fret, not the distance between the strings and the fretboard when the string is plucked. What you're talking about is the ACTION height and it should be 2 - 3mm at least If you have a RELIEF gap of 2mm you will have a banana shaped neck and it will make the bass difficult to play. Also if you go for a low action you will definitely get fret buzz. [url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/"]Here[/url] is a link to a very useful setup guide which explains everything I've said. I know its for Fender but the same applies for your bass. [/quote]i have set the neck relief as instructed, as near as I can measure. Then i got fret buzz. That didn't exist before I adjusted the truss rod.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347546480' post='1802267'] you have made up you mind that you know what the issue is, just because it makes sense and you can't think of anything else. It is possible that you are right. However, a lot of other people with extensive experience think that there may be other issues rather than the pickup itself. You have tried to follow instructions, but clearly you are inexperienced and as well-meaning as most of us are, it's very difficult to be comprehensive and explain everything in such a way that you will get it absolutely right, without prior experience. One thing is to know how to do it, another to be able to explain it. As for your "straw man" argument. I will insist: a cheap instrument will show its cheapness in many ways... but as there's nothing terribly hi-tech in these instruments, even the cheapest one is *functional*. I've owned -and gigged some of them for fun- some very very cheap instruments. Instruments of lower quality than yours. And you know what? They sounded perfectly fine. NOthing amazing, but fine. However you seem to have made your mind up that because your bass is not terribly expensive, every problem you find with it is something to be accepted and par for the course. And that's where you are wrong. Sadly you will not let anyone *show* you just how wrong you are and give you the chance to improve your bass. Yet you still argue. It's a shame, because I am positive you could have a beautifully playing bass in your hands if only you spent some energy doing something about it. Someone local could give you a hand, for free, but you will not accept that either. You do realise that none of has have anything to gain by arguing with you, don't you? If people keep chiming in is because... I don't know... I'll speak for myself in this case as I can't presume to know what's on everybody else's minds. I keep checking this thread because I *love* bass, and I derive some kind of strange pleasure from contributing to somebody else's enjoyment of their bass. When someone has problems with their bass, and I think I may be able to help, I try. I know that I learnt a lot in fora like this one over the years, and I'm happy to soend soem time trying to help others when I can. I am sure many others feel the same way. But you are becoming irritatingly frustrating in your stubbornness (I say this with a smile, please don't be offended). I wish I knew what's wrong with your bass. I would have to have it in front of me at this stage. But when it moves like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc... A bass is a simple instrument, yet there are a bunch of things that all have to work together to make it function nicely. It's extremely hard to troubleshoot and set up a bass by proxy, especially when teh person who will do the actual manual work has no experience. get help in person, and stop blaming the price of the bass for a bunch of things that most probably have nothing to do with the cost of teh bass. [/quote] i have done exactly what i was instructed to do on this thread and you accuse me of being stubborn? You are either trying to take the piss or you can't read.

A gap that's less than half a mm will be problematic as the string vibrates furtgher than that when it's plucked so it will come into contact with the fret.

[quote name='GregBass' timestamp='1347547080' post='1802278'] I use a feeler gauge. You can buy them pretty cheap from car parts stores like Halfords. You say you have followed all the suggestions, but I posted the first of a set of four videos earlier in this thread. If you had watched that, you would have actually seen an expert luthier tweaking the truss rod and measuring string height.The series then goes on to show you how to cut the nut correctly, set action at the bridge and adjust the intonation and pickups. A full setup, with demonstrations - and it's free on YouTube. [/quote]if i tell you that I have done what was suggested you can take that to the bank, my friend.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347545199' post='1802235'] how about the fact that it buzzes, for starters? the kind of issues you seem to have are issues I don't have with £60 basses... if set up. There is only so much people can do from a couple of pictures and at a distance, unfortunately. The inexpensiveness of your bass -which is not that inexpensive, anyway- has nothing to do with your issues. You should see teh first MM Stingray I ever tried when I was looking for one to buy ... [/quote]I think you are missing my point. I called it a straw man argument because what other bass guitars, regardless of their price, can do has no bearing on what mine does. It is entirely possible that manufacturer X can make great £60 basses just as Spector can make the instrument I have - not even the entuire line - less great.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1347534895' post='1802039'] SO, ignoring the buzz for a minute, check that you have adjusted the truss rod correctly (press down the string at the first fret, and at the last fret at the same time with your thumb on the other hand) and look at the gap between the string and the 12th fret. If there is no relief gap your truss rod is too tight, if there is a huge gap its too loose. Aim for between .25mm and .5mm relief gap.[/quote]First things first; how do I measure a gap that narow?