Funky Dunky

Looking for a dark grey pickguard for a Fender Am Std Jazz bass. Tried eBay and a Google search, but eBay had nowt in grey, and.....well....I'd prefer it not to cost £50! Anyone know where to look for an inexpensive pickguard? I'm after a very specific look for my JB and so far all I can find is pearloid grey. I want flat, dark grey, charcoal, just shy of black.

Just Googled it.......now to YouTube!

Does it have the same settings as the Boss?

Also - the frets are officially medium-jumbo, going by the Fender website.

Okay, I have used Grangur's frankly brilliant guide (thank you!) And have learned the following: Neck relief - I have a little bit of clearance at the 12th fret on the A, so I'm going to leave it be. String height - does not pass the pound coin test. Pickup height - passes the pound coin test. I will therefore go with a simple bit of tweakery at the saddles, and report back the results.

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1465661302' post='3070068'] That's interesting. Are you sure the strings aren't hitting pickup poles? [/quote] Yes, absolutely certain. Was the first thing I checked. It's definitely fret clack.

As far as hand position goes, it's always around the bridge pup. And the clack is horrendous when slapping. I fancy the truss adjustment may be the answer. Won't get to it until tonight now but I'll let y'all know.

I'll change the strings. I reckon it must be the Pure Blues - lower tension. I'm actually gonna throw some flats on it, and will take it from there. Thanks, guys, and Grangur - thank you for the in-depth tutorial - I'll run that test and take it from there.

My touch is in between light and heavy, not particularly one or the other. I fancied trying flats anyway, so I'll likely go ahead. Truss rod adjustment terrifies me. I really need to find my measuring tool before I attempt any adjustments though.

I spent ages on YouTube last night, watching demos of synth pedals, and have come to the conclusion that none of them really do what I'm looking for. They all sound more filtery, vowelly than what I'm after, which is more of a thickening fuzzy effect (but not fuzz). The Adam Neely video I posted in a separate thread was the closest I've seen/heard, but he has a Line Splitter, Octaver, Digitech Bass Synth Wah and a Zvex Mastotron hooked up to get all of that happening. Pricey pricey. BUT..... I then found a Scott Devine video where he talks about his two favourite pedals, a Boss SD-1 and a Boss OC-2. He gives a quick demo, and lo and behold, that's the sound I want. Whodathunkit? To Ebay, then, and I find a Boss SD-1 can be had from between £20-£40. The OC-2 is somewhat more expensive, around £80, but maybe I could substitute this with a cheaper equivalent, and Robert is your mother's brother!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1465638435' post='3069808'] That 'clank' is caused by the way you play. If you don't get on another bass, then I'd bet the action and set-up is higher. Basically there is too much input into the strings so I'd say the only way to stop this is to up your action, or, longer term, refine your technique so as not to cause it. [/quote] This makes sense. The action is higher on the Sterling, and the strings higher tension. No clackage.

I'll change the strings. I reckon it must be the Pure Blues - lower tension. I'm actually gonna throw some flats on it, and will take it from there. Thanks, guys, and Grangur - thank you for the in-depth tutorial - I'll run that test and take it from there.

Okay, a few notes first: 1) It's not a Stingray, it's a Sterling Sub Ray4 2) I know there are a few fixes for a hot Sterling Sub Ray4 preamp, one of which is to lower the pickup (can't - the screws are chewed and I can't turn them) and another is straight fix (I would rather upgrade). 3) I imagine I could use the search function and find recommendations, and I imagine this topic has been covered 47 gajillion times, but new gear is currently emerging so maybe there are new options that haven't been covered in previous threads on the subject. So without further ado........can anyone recommend a good replacement preamp for m'bass under £80? I love the Aguilar OBPs but they're a bit steep. The only other one I know of is the Retrovibe Stinger, which seems to get good reviews. It's jumpes up in price for some reason but it's within my budget and that's grand. But what else is good?

I can't abide it, sadly. I think it makes my instrument sound cheap. I know a lot of players like it, but it's just not for me.

Tim - Sterling Sub Ray 4, same amp, no clack. Dazed - strings, but want a laugh? I can't remember what's on the Jazz. I use DR SunBeams on the Sterling. I can't remember if it's SunBeams or Pure Blues on the Jazz. Setup hasn't been touched since new. As for the setup, I can't find my measuring tools but it hasn't been adjusted since I got it so it should be around Fender's standard measurements.

I have a Fender Am Standard Jazz bass and no matter how I play (unless I play with an insanely light touch) I get horrific clack (strings against fretwire). This can be remedied with frustratingly light attack, so we could chalk it up to technique, but is there anything else that could be causing this? Strings? Setup?

Good suggestion! Thing I like about Adam Neely is that he clearly knows his stuff but can go quite in-depth without becoming boring. Yeah, we need more of this.

https://youtu.be/9jUxFWvCCvk Adam Neely is one of the most interesting bassists to follow on YouTube. He teaches a lot of things others don't, goes beyond the playing of the instrument, and he really knows what he's talking about. I keep confusing him with Adam Nitty, though, and Nitty is a great player but not nearly as amusing as Adam Neely.

Thanks for replying. By coincidence, I just finished reading a thread a few pages back about the Dirty Robot. Seems alright actually, worth a look, but I was put off by the estimates of the RRP. I will see how much these go for online and then maybe arrange a wee trip to test one out. I will look into the Korg as well. I quite like the idea of combining pedals to get a good thick sound, although it seems like it would be a veritable mushfest which required much twiddlage to get right.

Mine arrived a couple of days ago - I bought second hand and it's in 'like new' condition, with all instructions, box etc. Only gave it a quick whirl to make sure it wasn't goosed, but noticed that it instantly beefed up my sound. Heftiness! Also, I now have a DI box. Win/win, and only £16. I don't imagine it will have the toneshaping capabilities of a more expensive pedal, but it's a welcome and useful addition to my rig, for sure.

Without breaking the bank, can anyone recommend some good synth pedals for bass that can be picked up for under £100 second hand? I want to explore this sonic territory on bass, I see a lot of potential, but it's getting the 'right' synth effect which is the biggest problem. I've checked out some of the pricier pedals like Markbass and Zvex and thought they sounded kinda silly. As a frame of reference, I'm thinking that 'Deeper Underground' type of sound (although I thing that may have been an actual synth which the bass doubled - although I'm probably wrong). Thanks :-)

MINE! Still can't believe I got this for nothing. She gets a costume change every now and again. Sometimes I whack a tort pick guard on 'er, sometimes the black.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1465383441' post='3067664'] On another note. Some of the guys in his band played with him for years (Steve Marcus twelve years), who claim the musical experience helped them a lot. It wasn't all bad. [/quote] Steve Marcus......just an unreal musician. Terrifyingly good.