HowieBass

My old Westone Spectrum LX (it's a super PJ) has a coil-tap switch for the humbuckers which gets it close to a single coil sound (without introducing noise and the volume drop isn't that much) though the bridge pickup doesn't really sound like a Jazz should - probably a result of the placement and pickup aperture. I keep wondering whether I should change the 3-way pup selector to a blend pot...

Fingers crossed the next one will be fine - the Squier VMs are very playable basses.

Not just me then who's irked by poor grammar and misspellings!

Has the saddle for the low C come all the way back? If it's a Fender BBOT style bridge where the intonation screw passes through the saddle then you'd get to a point where the string break angle becomes quite severe as the saddle approaches the back of the bridge which might impede adjustment. If it's like the situation I encountered (where the screw disappears into a chunky saddle) then shortening the intonation screw by a millimetre or so will help. You'll find that pushing down on the string as it crosses the saddle will create a witness point and the string will then probably intonate correctly - thick strings don't develop as sharp a break angle over the saddle so I've done this with mine. I wouldn't get a new bridge if your low C is only a fraction out of tune because I think you'll only really notice this higher up the neck.

Glad it went well. Now, what bass related goodie will you buy with this spare cash?

The original bass is now long gone and I'd be inclined to buy another P bass. The cost to try to return the instrument to its factory configuration whilst keeping the reliced aspect and also trying to fill in the old side dots and installing new ones in the right places (assuming you keep the original neck leaving it now fretted) might well cost as much as a new Fender. I think you'd certainly be able to get yourself something like a Squier CV Precision for somewhat less than the cost of the work involved. All IMHO of course!

Does it make the pickups noisy? I'm assuming that running them in single coil mode puts it into traditional old school J bass territory.

Just watched the two reviews... hmm a bit odd that a bass he's putting his name to (the M3) isn't in the configuration he'd prefer (fewer frets, slimmer neck). The V7 J bass sounded good in his hands, maybe closer to what he's used to using; didn't hear enough of the M3 (rear pup soloed, front pup soloed, blended together) to know whether I like the tone.

It might be worth checking the speaker connection cable is sound as well just in case that's caused a short.

You don't say why you can't get the strings intonated properly - have you run out of adjustment on the screws? I have a Curbow 5 and the B wouldn't intonate correctly, it was always a tad sharp when I had the saddle back as far as it would go. The intonation adjustment screws disappear into the block design saddles meaning the intonation screw was too long for that string so I took a hacksaw, cut a couple of millimetres off it, cleaned the sawn end up with a file and got the saddle back on and now get the B intonating correctly pretty much all the way up the neck, certainly to the 12th fret. One thing I would say is don't change the neck relief to adjust the action - set the relief according to what Schecter advise - I set my basses up with about .012" relief at the 8th fret and the action is usually 6/64" at the 17th fret for the low E and 5/64" for the G, so I've got a touch more than 6/64" action for the low B on my Curbow. Hope that helps. Howie

Bugger, just when I thought I had my GAS under control - that twin humbucker M3 looks very tempting for the price!

Depends how far off kilter it is; I bought an old bass off eBay and one pot had a similar issue but it was only a little off true and I bent the spindle back vertical - the pot itself worked fine which I assume is the case with yours too? Anyway, since yours is new and just in case you make things worse you're probably better telling Thomann - they might suggest a discount if you accept the instrument as is or send it back and wait for a replacement.

Mine always seem to go off in the same way across the board (neck?) so in the past I've only ever replaced the set. I have however boiled a couple of old sets (roundwounds) which breathed a bit of life back into them. I'd be a bit worried the new string would seem really bright compared to the older ones.

I use Halfords own brand Electrical Contact Cleaner spray and have used it inside pots and toggle switches (sprayed in from the toggle side for the sealed units I've encountered) and it's been fine. The can is marked thus "Safe to use on metal, most surface coatings and plastics" and it evaporates fairly quickly.

I don't want to sound alarmist but it sounds odd to me - why have a Polish collection agent when the buyer resides in the UK? The foreign collection agent situation sounds much like an eBay scam that I've heard about - definitely check the notes to be sure they're not counterfeit. Hope it all goes well!

Nickel is ferromagnetic so I don't know why you'd have a lower output than say nickel plated steel... note that stainless steel isn't usually ferromagnetic so won't contribute to volume with stainless steel roundwounds - it's the steel core doing all the 'work' as it were. I'd be interested in knowing whether you find much difference between the nickel plated and the pure nickel.

I think it's true to say that you never stop learning which is the reason why I decided to get back into playing only fairly recently - I really enjoy setting up basses and I found all of my information online so hopefully you'll be fine... and welcome to Basschat... let the GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) begin!

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1420412795' post='2649216'] Howie Sorry Man. I'll get on to the Curbow tomorrow. [/quote] Thanks mate

I've read more than a few times that bone is supposed to be the best material to use... but I don't have any basses with a bone nut so it's hard for me to say what, if any, difference they make to the tone of open strings and tuning stability. TUSQ is supposed to be a good bone substitute for those who don't want an animal product. Of the nuts fitted to my basses I prefer the graphite one on my Westone which never seems to go out of tune.

Those infill veneers are great, the fingerboard is looking really neat and tidy. Very nice job! I haven't used them but the Entwistle pickups seem well liked, especially the JBXN neos (though I believe they're a bit taller than a stock J) and very reasonably priced. There's a thread on here about them.

... or ask Bill Fitzmaurice on here!

Your best bet is get it back up for sale - nobody on here wants it? You really only need something that's say 25 to 30W per channel for a hi-fi stereo amp and if possible get something that has a dedicated phono input alongside the conventional line level stages (so you don't need to fork out for a separate phono pre-amp unit).

You can use linseed oil on the fingerboard - I use raw linseed oil on my rosewood boards. I'd just use a slightly damp cloth on the body - it's already taken the hit from being reliced so as long as you don't use anything that's going to dissolve the finish I'm sure it'll be fine (oh yeah and make sure any stands you use are ok with nitro finishes).

@kodiakblair - out of interest, how close in character do you find the Evo and Curbow with both seeming to place the pickup in the same place as a Stingray? Granted that the Evo is passive and the Curbow active so obviously quite a bit of a difference but I've wondered for a while about how much of the Curbow sound comes from pickup placement (seeing as I have a Curbow 5).

Yeah I'm also glad you're back contributing Vail. I saw the thread in question; I've also felt a bit hurt by some comments on threads I've contributed to in the past but I guess we all need to remember that internet based communication is a poor substitute for what we'd be doing in a face to face conversation. So yeah, hang on in there!