Funky Dunky

Go to YouTube and search for the Bare Knuckle 58 Split P. There's a video of a dude playing a red P bass equipped with one. Let your ears be the judge. I would personally go with that, or the Fender CS. It all depends on which Precision sound YOU like - there are subtle and not-so-subtle differences (Steve Harris as opposed to James Jamerson, for instance). The Fender is arguably the best for authenticity, but the Bare Knuckle has an X factor about it which I really dig.

Hello, sorry to resurrect an old thread, I was a-googling bass mutes and stumbles upon this, does anybody have an idiot-proof method of making a home made mute? I tried to make one a few months back and it went badly. It"s getting it cut to the right thickness so it stays in place but doesn't over or under-mute the strings. My first attempt was too thin, my second attempt was too thick, and then I ran out of foam. Which begs the question, where can one buy a wee bit of foam? And what's the deal with the piece of felt? Can anyone help please?

My family are harassing me to tell them what I want for Christmas. I'm not a material bloke really, but I would love a ton of bass-related stuff and would orefer it to be useful (Gruvgear Fretwrap) rather than gimmicky (bass-shaped bottle opener). So, what could I ask for? I am going to request a Fretwrap actually, but apart from strings or a polishing kit/toolkit, what else is there in terms of stocking fillers for us guys? I would like a foam mute for to go with that Red Hot Chili Peppers song on my Stingray.... (I mean under the bridge :lol) I will get my coat. Erm...yeah....so....any ideas?

Anyone tried a Stellartone Tonestyler?

I'd take the crowd, every time.

I always used to, but now I just make sure to keep the strings pulled taut as I'm winding them round the capstan. I use DRs and they tell you not to stretch them. I did find that doing so stopped them slipping out of tune, though, so from my experience it was worth doing. Or is it all just hocus pocus?

A 5 string MusicMan Sterling HH in black.

[quote name='Oldboy' timestamp='1479251970' post='3175167'] Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I have recently been given a Jim Deacon as a gift. It's in need of sorting but after I found out they were an "affordable" make just left it in a corner of the sitting room. MR Funky, did you find out if the JD uses standard sizes? My one is black with red tort guard. The strings are too big for the nut and so sit on it rather than in it..... that's how it came! [/quote] Hi Oldboy, I did not. I hit cashflow problems - dire ones - and it's been shelved for a few weeks, sadly.

Ignore it. It's nonsense.

Thanks for all the input on this, the videos helped and I'm making good progress.

Immense. I want one. Tonally superb, but with a remarkably (to me, anyway) thick neck which is surprisingly not as awkward to play as you would imagine (and I'm fussy). I highly recommend them.

The issue of replacement P bass pickups is an ongoing conundrum - a new thread pops up on the subject every couple of weeks. I'm going through the same agony as you at the moment with an old Jim Dunlop P copy. Most threads offer the same recommendations. Here's a definitive (ish) list: Fender Custom Shop '62 (reasonably priced and great authentic P sounds) Dimarzio Model P/DP122 (reasonably priced, really high output) Norstrand NP4 (pricey but great) Aguilar AG-4P (very pricey, but imo one of the best-sounding) Lollar (pricey, but nicey) Wizard Thumper - now available as the Hot Rod Thumper (really cheap and by all accounts really good) Wilkinson Alnico P (even cheaper, and pretty decent) Tonerider TRP1 (cheap, and allegedly what Squier put in their awesome CV Precision) Seymour Duncan Antiquity (upper end of reasonably price, IIRC) Lindy Fralin P (highly rated) .....and one nobody recommends, but I checked it out and was highly impressed: Bareknuckle 58 Split P (but again not cheap at just under £100. As for circuits and whatnot, I can't be of much assistance here unfortunately, but maybe KiOgon of the basschat brethren could help - he has all manner of ingenious kits available which are really reasonably priced. Get thee to YouTube and listen to some samples. Let us know how you get on. Hope this helps in some way - it's a bloomin' minefield of sorts.

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1478797810' post='3171744'] Do you mean a trill (swiftly varying between two adjacent notes a semitone apart) or actual vibrato (where pitch usually varies by a lot less than a semitone)? If you're talking about a trill, strike the note and hammer on and off (either a fret up or a fret down) swiftly. There's a limit to how long it will sustain, but it works. It's very tricky to slide between two fretted notes - buzz is almost inevitable as you cross the fret and the pressure on the string is released momentarily. Applies especially if you use roundwounds. Vibrato much easier on a fretless - you mention Sting. He plays fretless and would, I suspect, use one for a song that demands vibrato. [/quote] I can trill fine, and for now that's the closest I can get to a sliding vibrato so I do that instead.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1478620951' post='3170362'] doon [/quote]

I just can't do it, Captain! Specifically the kind where you very quickly slide between two frets. I get lots of string noise and next to no notes! Any advice, links or videos to help with this, please? I'm trying to add some soulful feel to my playing and being able to do this would help. I'm sure the problem is in my wrist action and I don't know what exactly I'm doing wrong or how to correct it. It's getting beyond frustrating.

Stu was something special. Truly gifted. You can't teach what he has, or had at that age certainly. That feel and creativity are just in the DNA. EOPE is a Bible of funk bass.

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1478646331' post='3170679'] I loved them actually and I spent a LOT of time playing speedy runs. I was kind of noted for it in those days. ;-) I play with a pick and both pick and fret extremely lightly; I found them very expressive and am actually thinking of going back to them. [/quote] How did you set your action, and was fretbuzz/flapping a problem? Which brand did you use? I imagine they'd be great for slap bass.

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1478630333' post='3170477'] Used 35-95 strings back in the day according to interview, same as I used to use. [/quote] Good grief, they must have been hellish for any kind of speedy runs and such, no? Can you tell me a bit about what they were like to play?

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1477696572' post='3163967'] Is it just me. Or does Paul Turner lack a bit of soul in his bass playing. It's almost like he's been to music school, but never really had that something. [/quote] I respectfully disagree. Listen to All Good in the Hood, for example - or some of the stuff he did with Shuffler. I think he has excellent feel, but once you've heard Zender's playing, all others pale by comparison. That kid had funk deep in his bones, at a crazily young age.

I mistakenly thought Sterling Rays had a 38mm nut width - apparently it's only the Ray34CA which does. Slightly offputting. I do love the neck on my SUB Ray4. Why in the hell is it called a SUB? Sports Utility Bass? Really? Where does Sport come into it? I'm going to experiment with my BD121 and see if I can get a sound from the SUB which pleases me more. If so, I will look at getting the setup adjusted and keep it. If not, then I'm probably going to punt it.

Fabulous bassist is Nick. Zender and Turner get all the platitudes (fair - they're both brilliant) but Nick is up there. His playing on Synkronized is fantastic - that Canned Heat bass line is a real workout.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1478464200' post='3169241'] What you doing up there? I suppose it could have limitations with the neck, what's the truss rod like? Do they adjust like the ebmm ones? [/quote] It's a bar which inserts at the bottom of the neck. Really really easy.

Hmmm....it seems you can't get Pacific Blue Burst over here.

Dead spot at the 17th fret on the D string, can't get the action decently low without fretbuzz and my setting up skills are not terrific. But hang on....I just saw the full range of colours in the Ray34....there's a blue I didn't know about.....

I have a Sterling Sub Ray 4 in trans blue. I think it's absolutely stunning, especially for such a cheap bass. However, I find myself falling out of love with it lately as I've made several tweaks to the set-up, but can't get it playing the way I want it to. In addition, I'm starting to find fault with the sound of the thing. So here are my options - keep it. Pay for a pro set up. See how I feel after that. Or Flog it. Buy a Sterling Ray34 or 35, putting me a few hundred quid down, and of course the Rays only come in about three finishes, none of which particularly butter me parsnips. What would you do?