HowieBass

I'm with 3below on this - try shimming the neck first - quickest fix is a partial shim at the back of the neck pocket.

Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone

@lacopo San - have you managed to resolve the intonation problem yet?

And now there's a new limited run of Fenders emphasising blemishes... like this Strat http://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-fsr-limited-edition-59-american-vintage-stratocaster-natural

[quote name='Greg.Bassman' timestamp='1485981654' post='3228294'] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Hi howiebass. That[/color][color=#000000]’[/color][color=#000000]s an interesting idea. What model would you recommend?[/color][/font][/size] [/quote] There's a thread discussing medium scale (32") basses here http://basschat.co.uk/topic/219311-medium-32-scale-electric-basses/

And with perfect timing, from one of my favourite YouTubers: http://youtu.be/ZjOcLWRxqS4

Ideally you get one of the straight edges that has indents for the frets and use that to check that the neck/fretboard is straight by adjusting the truss rod. Then you can go about levelling the frets. Once the tops of all the frets are at the same height it's time to crown and then polish the frets. Then you set the relief after the bass is restrung.

What gauge strings are you using? A lighter gauge might help (but expect some change in tone). Does the action seem too high for you all the way along the fretboard or worse say nearer the nut... you mention your bass has been to your local luthier so I hope they've got the nut cut correctly (because if not that could be part of the problem if you struggle in that area). If you're struggling with fast runs I wonder if this could be anything to do with having to stretch alongside what you say is too high an action - maybe a shorter scale instrument might suit you better?

Not keen either - if it bombs he's only got himself to blame! EDIT: Just gave this another couple of listens... well, it's a grower! Can't stop tapping my foot to it now; just wish there was a nice electric bass creating the groove instead of (what I assume) is a synth.

I'm not really picking up the 'metallic twang' character that you're hearing. One thing you might experiment with is string to pickup gap as this can influence tone.

It shouldn't do - but make sure the string isn't twisted or kinked in any way. Bear in mind it's likely you'll need to check/adjust the relief as most flatwounds have a higher tension than the same gauge roundwound. If you're noticing this twang when you play the E higher up the neck then it could be fret buzz which I'd expect if you now have more relief than factory spec (but that would normally affect all strings to a similar extent). Also check that you have a good witness point over the saddle though I wouldn't expect this to cause such a difference in tone (more likely to affect intonation).

That's a really nice looking bass - Sire are turning out some really good instruments aren't they?!

By the way, regarding setting up the turntable, and anti-skate in particular, I've got a Project Debut III SE turntable and I've taken off the fiddly weight on a fishing line so there's no anti-skate force being applied. There's a lot of information about the subject online but I've followed this bit of advice: 1: Set the anti-skate to the same force as the tracking force. 2. Set the arm down in the middle of the record, and sight straight on at the cartridge, so you can see the cantilever. If the bottom of the cantilever points toward the centre of the record, the anti-skate force is too high. If it points to the outside, the anti-skate force is too low. If it appears to be at a 90 degree angle to the record, it's nominally correct. 3. Play the last band on a known good pressing and listen for distortion on the high levels. If you hear distortion or the highs sound mushy, increase the anti-skate force slightly. At the centre of the record the angular velocity of the arm increases and more anti-skate may be needed. With no weight hanging off the anti-skate arm the cantilever stays nicely central right across the width of a record for me. I'd previously seen the cantilever aiming inwards when I had the anti-skate set at the minimum setting available (first groove on the arm). Ideally you'd use a test record and take the output to an oscilloscope to check (that left and right channels are equally matched) but my eyes (and ears) are telling me to leave the weight off.

As suggested run the turntable into the phono preamp then straight to the A7 speakers. If you decide to get a stereo amplifier some time in the future you don't need one with a phono stage - you'll run the CP1 into a line level input (and definitely do not take the output from the CP1 into a phono input on a stereo amplifier). You'll need conventional, passive speakers if you decide to go the conventional home stereo route with a stereo amplifier. The turntable should come with instructions in how to set the tracking and anti-skate.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1484525744' post='3216160'] When you move the saddle to the left, the string pitch will obviously go down as the string is shorter. [/quote] Surely the pitch increases/gets sharper as you shorten the string?

Just in case there's some oddity with the tuner (though I can't think what) you might try a tuner app if you own a smartphone. I've got this on mine and it's good for a free app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bork.dsp.datuna&hl=en_GB otherwise the only other thing I can think of that affects intonation is that the affected strings have kinks in them.

Just out of interest is everything else within spec for the bass - correct neck relief, correct action, correct string to pickup gap? Intonation is the last thing I check when I do a setup. It makes no sense to me that the fretted notes at the 12th/octave stay sharp regardless of whether you move the saddle forwards or backwards.

If the strings are sharp then you need to lengthen the speaking length, move the saddles further back rather than forward as you've been doing.

How many wraps of the string have you got around the tuning peg? If you've got enough (usually 3) then there ought to be enough friction to keep it up to tension. I'd also check the string isn't twisted as well... thinking about what you're describing I wonder if there might be a problem with the core itself?

Maybe you can put a little 'time capsule' inside one of the cavities?

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1484221107' post='3213619'] it could just be the photo but it looks to me like you need to remove the scratchplate to access the trussrod? please tell me that isnt the case! [/quote] Isn't it like the Music Man spoke wheel system?

I think Status introduced this system on the headless model for Mark King. This video doesn't show it in action but does include a decent shot of the device: http://youtu.be/uf3l7r5ZAm8

Going to have to follow this one too!

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1483557087' post='3208255'] Best practice is to wind strings down the tuner post to increase the string angle over the nut. [/quote] +1