solo4652

Hi, 7.4 Lbs on my kitchen scales.

Got this a couple of days ago. I've been looking for a cheap 'n' cheerful short scale Precision for a while. Such things do seem to be rarer than Jazz's - don't know why. First impressions are pretty good. Solid Alder body is light, and nicely finished in metallic blue. Good tight neck pocket. Maple neck feels smooth. 39mm at the nut, so a little narrower than my Squier Vista Musicmaster, but on a par with my Lakland Hollowbody. Bass hangs well on ta strap with no obvious neck dive. Fingerboard is, I think Rosewood, but looks and feels a little cheap compared to the rest of the bass. Couple of small surface nicks around frets 5 and 12, but nothing serious, given the price. Tuners feel a bit flimsy. Controls work well enough, and I'm particularly impressed with the tone pot which does have a useful sweep of tones. Both pots and jack socket are quiet - no noises or crackling at all. Very thin gig bag. Pickups: Hmmmm. Too early to say, while I'm still experimenting with strings. They're not especially high output, but that's not a big issue. I'd describe the tone as balanced between mud-thump and modern hi-fi, perhaps lacking some low-down richness. I think I'll be changing them soon. I'll be looking for a fairly deep, rich tone but without any muddiness. I've had the Entwistle's before and they were loud, and a little in-your-face/"modern" for my tastes. So: Wilkinson Anico V's for £23, or Toneriders for £40, or Kent Armstrong ceramics for £50 - worth the extra?

I made this so I can play the cajon standing up. It's, errrm, .......Homely. Upcycled. Eco. Cheap 'n' cheerful. Rough 'n' ready. Shabby chic. Shed chic. Cute. Endearing. Unpretentious. Honest. Workmanlike. "World". Cross between a child's easel and deck chair. Conversation piece. I'm particularly pleased with the G&L-inspired micro-tilt adjustment system which you can see at the bottom. "Cough*

I've been looking for a half-decent short-scale P bass for a while - pretty rare beasts! Anybody have hands-on experience of the SX?

Poking around the web for some inspiration, I came across this video. Firstly, it has really clear explanations, including diagrams, of the main causes of hum. Secondly, it has lots of easy suggestions for curing hum, including twisting the pickup wires around each other. A peek under the pickguard of my Squier Musicmaster revealed pickup wires not twisted together. Hmmmm - surely can't be that simple, can it? Easy fix, worth a try. Quick twizzle of the pickup twisted the wires together. Result was a much-reduced level of hum! Not really believing this, I fired up the washing machine, and was surprised to find that the the bass really was much quieter. Not only that, while getting all of my washing out of the laundry basket, I found a five pound note. Ha!

Useful thread on Talkbass: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/replacement-pickup-for-fender-musicmaster.282173/

Just spotted this. Don't know whether it's humbucking. Anybody have any experience of them? https://www.mojopickups.co.uk/product/4-pole-musicmaster-bass/ Edit: Marc at Mojo says they're single coil, not humbucking.

Thank you - excellent advice.

All of my efforts have certainly reduced the single-coil hum, but it's still there, especially when the washing machine's on. So, I'm looking for a drop-in replacement pickup that's hum-cancelling. Unlike the Fenders, the Squier Musicmaster basses have a bass-specific 4-pole pickup, not a six-poler derived from the Strat pickup. All suggestions gratefully received.

Excitedly buying a lovely-looking Stingray, only to discover when I unpacked it that it was fretless. It never occurred to me to ask about that when I bought it. Twonk.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1980-Alembic-Series-II-SSB-Short-Scale-Bass-the-Ultimate-Stanley-bass/174034172591?hash=item28853ebaaf:g:qisAAOSwaPNb6Zzs

Sonny T on the bass. Good Lord. Marvellous musicianship and groove.

Sold for £560. Blimey.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Squier-Musicmaster-Vista-Series-Short-Scale-Bass-Rare-Great-Condition/323915307030?hash=item4b6adb5816:g:MLsAAOSw1vtdfOZq

Errrm, you lost me with " iOS iPad drum apps"! We'd like to keep the performance as live as possible; "Everything you hear is being played by us, here, now, and live" - that's why I'm looking for an "instrument" that the audience can see being played in front of them.

I play with a 3-piece trio, switching between (electric) bass and miced-up cajon, depending on which song we're playing. I'm looking for something just a little more advanced than the cajon to extend the beat sounds we have available. Shopping list: Table top drums or drum pads. Portable. Can gig it be playing it through the desk, or my bass combo. Simple - I am a beginner with drums! 4-pad to begin with, maybe. Simple - probably no need for foot pedals at this stage. Simple - no need for loads of complex samples and built-in rhythms. Inexpensive. Budget is £100 max. First web trawl throws up these. Any other suggestions? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016KNIJHG?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAIDFS7VHPOOMSWYMA&linkCode=gs2&creativeASIN=B016KNIJHG&tag=edadvisor-21&creative=165953&camp=2025 https://www.gear4music.com/Drums-and-Percussion/DD40-Electronic-Drum-Pads-Pack-by-Gear4music/16DR?origin=product-ads&campaign=PLA+Shop+-+GENERIC&adgroup=GENERIC&medium=vertical_search&network=google&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=54927d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=582794439500&gclid=CjwKCAjwtuLrBRAlEiwAPVcZBqjvgzCr86dOkjCI5OYL4ZfMz3qVSTosEt2t_eO6VgiRb9eM5MUKfRoC-TYQAvD_BwE

I've asked the seller, and he says it's 175 cms! I've sent instructions explaining how to measure it, but seller doesn't seem to understand. Can anyone hazard a guess at the scale length from the photos, please? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401868085337?ul_noapp=true Update: Problem solved. Seller has successfully remeasured, and it's a 34" scale.

Thank you!

Just to say, Si, this was filmed at a rehearsal. Thank you for your kind comments! Steve

I've just looked inside my cajon - professionally built, don't know the make. Peering through the sound hole, I can see a 10" length of drum snare held onto the striking face of the box in a vertical orientation by metal clips at the ends. The snare is positioned in the bottom LH corner of the cajon. I can see a small wooden block pressing a foam strip onto the snare, held in place by a length of elastic stretched between the metal end-clips. Clearly, the idea is that the small block can be slid along the snare wire to change the tone. No idea how you actually reach it, though! I've attempted to photograph it. On a seperate note, I found it very uncomfortable sitting on top of the box and leaning forward. This playing position really hurt my back. So, I knocked together a folding stand that enables me to play while sitting on a comfy chair, with the striking face of the cajon at an angle between my legs. See photo.

Have you tried micing the cajon? I always do, when I'm not practising at home. Main reasons: it means you don't feel the need to hit the box hard, quite possibly hurting your fingers and wrists in the process. Micing also greatly improves the depth and spread of the tones you'll get. Lots of mic options - you could simply use a vocals mic lying on a cloth inside the cajon. Or, you could get a clip-on drum mic. I use a £20 Yoga D-606 - http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=352730741518&category=29946&pm=1&ds=0&t=1565797779000&ver=0 through either the desk, or my Eden 10 bass combo.