HowieBass

It's OK to use a pick, honestly!

Do you get the 'beating' happening if you mute the other strings? I'd suspect sympathetic ringing from the other strings (especially the D). If muting the other strings cures the problem, maybe try something like a fret wrap just behind the nut?

First time I saw one of these was by the bass player in Little Dragon... https://youtu.be/X0IslF4nSSk

That'll teach me to drop straight into my fantasy without reading all the rules! 😁 I bet I'll even have to buy a damn Lottery ticket too 😂

A year-of-birth bass, exactly like this... 😁

I've always liked Barry Adamson's work with Magazine...

I use metal polish to get rid of all manner of residue/marks on a variety of surfaces.

More likely the truss rod isn't tight enough... it sounds to me like you might have a tad too much relief...

Because if you do it based on recommended measurements (I use the Fender guide) you have to set relief first because string height above the frets is affected by how much relief there is. Refer to any bass setup guide and it'll advise you to set relief first. If, after correctly setting relief and action, you find that fret buzz still occurs, then it's time to start checking for high/uneven frets.

A business card (cardboard) is the thickness you're looking for with neck relief, a plastic credit card is too thick. Fret buzz near the nut suggests there's too little relief; fret buzz at the dusty end suggest there's too much relief. You should only set the action (saddle height) once the relief has been set correctly.

You might have a touch too much relief. Try reducing it a little and see if that cures your problem.

Regarding re-stringing... I normally go through a setup routine to check if a change of string has affected the relief and intonation and that's even when it's the same gauge. As I said earlier, buzzing high up is usually due to too much relief. Clearly whenever you fret a string you're eliminating any problems with the nut. If you've reduced fret buzz with the old strings that you've now put on then I suspect they're of lower tension (than the original set) so the neck now has less relief.

Fret buzz that high up is usually a sign of too much neck relief. If you like a really low action you might be better trying for a flatter fretboard/less relief.

I can't see having only two strings on it helping any with a twisted neck problem; if it was mine I'd remove the remaining strings and see how it responds.

That'll be just their normal quality control procedure before they get sent out surely? 😏

So, the couple of minor OMFGs for me were... I'm at a gig in a club in Manchester to watch Pete Shelley (then solo following Buzzcocks going on hiatus) and I'm standing close to the sound engineer at the mixing desk. A little while later two sharply dressed guys come and stand next to me for the whole gig and they have two big heavies keeping everybody else at a distance. It was Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton from The Jam. Back when I lived in Highgate whilst studying at University College London, I'd go drinking with fellow students in the local pubs and one night was in The Angel Inn with a few mates. We spotted Graham Chapman (of Monty Python) who was a regular and was with a small crowd of young men (yes, well...). We try our best not to start talking in loud Pythonesque comedy voices when in walks this chap in a very smart suit indeed, walks over to join Chapman's group and I'm thinking he looks really familiar... then I twigged that it's only Keith Moon!

Magic Touch had lost its magic! 😅

I heard Stanley Jordan when he first became known in the mid 80s and I bought his first album 'Magic Touch'. I've been upgrading my hi-fi the last year or two and hadn't listened to Magic Touch in ages... so I decided to play it again to hopefully be astounded at how much better it'd sound with my much improved system. Couldn't stand it, his guitar tone sounded horrendous so I took to my local charity shop! Ah well...

The first was John Lennon, then Ian Curtis and most recently Bowie. Strangely enough I was moved more by the death of Ayrton Senna as I'd seen him race several times and it happened in real time on television.

The stock white Squier active jazz 5 that they're selling has escaped the clutches of the mad modder and looks OK for the money! Somebody buy it quick to save the poor thing, it must be worried sick in fear of losing its head! 😂

Always good to see an interview with Class (A) 😎

I'd be inclined to set it flat, just as you'd do when dressing the frets.

Hmmmm, looks like a cross between a Spector and an Ibanez. The description for the pots doesn't match the photos (text says two stacked pots but there's only one).

I've read a couple of articles in The Guardian and just discovered that he suffered from stage fright and used drink to help him get up and perform, which did surprise me - I thought he just drank because he liked his beer! Last time I saw The Fall was in Wigan and he had to be dragged out of the boozer next door to the venue when it was time to take the stage. RIP MES.

You could drive a bus under those strings!