HowieBass

Would there be any wood left in the body after shoehorning all those pickups, active/passive electronics, jack sockets, control pots, battery compartment and switches into it? Ah hang on, by default you've created a chambered bass... add a brass tone block under the bridge to stop the neck dive and you've created a killer instrument!

Hmmm, I shall have to rethink my idea that bass players are mostly the type who stand in the shadows not drawing attention to themselves... must.. resist... the... lights...

I've often had to adjust the saddles a smidgen to get the intonation bang on whenever I've changed strings and from my experience flats tend to need the saddles a touch further back which I think is down to a difference in the break angle between a roundwound and a flatwound string... another reason why it's well worth learning how to set up your own instruments correctly.

I've looked at the D'Addario string tension chart (can't find anything similar for Rotosound) and it looks like keeping to the same gauge will mean the least change in tension from roundwound to flatwound and vice versa; in that flats have a slightly higher tension than roundwound of the same gauge (within a couple of pounds) but that difference is less than you'd see by going up or down a gauge. Either way you'll probably need a minor tweak on the truss rod to get the relief back to where you want it. http://www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf

[quote name='addam360' timestamp='1405487025' post='2502281'] So this FSR Deluxe P, likely out of range anyway but I'm confused by it. Descriptions all seem to say it has a Jazz neck which I'm pretty sure is usually 38mm, but specs on all the same sites say it has a 41mm nut. Is this just a common recurring mistake or am I getting something wrong? [/quote] Fender often put intermediate sized necks on their customised basses; a traditional Jazz nut width is 38mm, a traditional Precision nut width is 43mm so the Deluxe P you mention is somewhat inbetween. I've got two Squier models, a Deluxe Jazz Active that sports a 38mm nut and a Vintage Modified Precision that's a 41mm nut (one presumes it's the neck profile and nut width and the Duncan Designed pickup that warrant the VM designation). So, if a Jazz neck feels a little too skinny for you then that Deluxe P might be just right.

[quote name='r16ktx' timestamp='1405437222' post='2501899'] If only they did bass liver oil... :-D [/quote]

I know all the top end basses are made in Japan so that certainly adds a wad of cash to the asking price (funny how made in Japan meant little back in the 80s).

Unless you're really strapped for cash or the pickup is a vintage Fender that you think is worth keeping I'd be inclined to buy a replacement pickup - I've been reading good reviews of Entwistle pickups on here and the JBX is only £9.99. http://www.entwistlepickups.com/pickup.php?puid=JBX

Usually when you have two inputs on a speaker it's a parallel connection so taking one output from an amp to the speaker and then linking another speaker to the first puts both cabs in parallel. The amp must not have lower than a 4 ohm load per channel, so that's two cabs in parallel each of 8 ohm.

Cort A5? It's very likely Cort will have put together your Squier VM Jazz. The A5 has a through neck, 2 pickups, 3 band EQ with an EQ defeat switch (but this won't have anything like a passive tone control, it'll just be the unadulterated signal from the pickups). Like this one [url="http://www.promenademusic.co.uk/cort-a5-opn"]http://www.promenade....uk/cort-a5-opn[/url] EDIT: Just seen the G&L Tribute L-2500 that looks like it has all the options you need http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/L-2500_new/

There are many online articles that deal with performance anxiety, a couple here by way of example: http://www.davidleisner.com/guitarcomposer/noname.html http://www.musiciansway.com/performance.shtml#Stress

Will it be Mr Wooten? Victor? Vic? http://youtu.be/NXhnzIO5N30

Ask him if he thinks Warwick strings are any good... What?

How about buying from a 'shop' that deals with new and secondhand basses? Have you looked at the stuff over at the Manchester Bass Lounge? You'll probably get the benefit of lower price for a used instrument but the bass will be setup correctly and likely carry some kind of warranty... [url="http://manchesterbasslounge.com/"]http://manchesterbasslounge.com/[/url] Edit: Fender Standard Deluxe Precision there for £450, they do gigbags too I think http://manchesterbasslounge.com/?p=5437 (note I have no connection to the MBL other than I'm a Manc!).

I once snapped a G string in there. I'll get me coat...

I know this has little definite proof but I take glucosamine sulphate tablets and cod liver oil capsules - I used to have some stiffness in my knees but since taking these daily my joint mobility is pretty good - I buy the generic variety from Asda.

Notice boards in music shops? Leave the wallet at home though...

Have they sorted out the problem with the dull 'E's?

That's one tasty looking bass! Zebrawood top?

[quote name='Samfordia' timestamp='1405262224' post='2500193'] Headphones could be plugged into this and no amp will be needed? [/quote] Correct - plus it has a tuner built-in. Have a look at the specification details on the Zoom website. PMT are selling them for £49.

^^^^^^^^^ And this is why Basschat is such a wonderful community! Well done Horizontalste!

The bridge on your A6 will have two ways to adjust the saddles; some height adjustment and also the way to set the intonation; I'd get the intonation correct before you try setting the action. Be very careful if you decide to adjust the truss rod, if tightening it (which is usually a clockwise turn) then slacken the strings off first and whichever way you go (tightening or loosening the truss rod) never try more than 1/8th a turn at a time and let it settle for a day before tweaking it again. Be aware that overtightening a truss rod can break it (though I've never run into any problems with my basses). I tend to follow the Fender bass setup guide for action but it's quite a personal thing as it depends on how hard you play and the amount of fret buzz you like http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/ Note: If you don't have a set of feeler gauges to help you determine/set the correct neck relief then it's safe to assume that a business card (talking about thin card not a plastic credit card) usually has a thickness of 0.012" or 0.3mm.

I also recommend the Squier series basses (I've got two) and for the looks and type of music you enjoy I'd say go for the Vintage Modified Precision in Olympic White - it's got punk/rock written all over it (some think it's been modelled after the bass Sid Vicious used) and the Duncan Designed pickup it carries is excellent (I have the same bass but in the amber/maple finish). The strings you'll find on a Squier are Fender nickel roundwound and again these are perfectly fine. Most of your budget will go on a bass if you buy new (or used from anyone on here) so instead of a small practice amp for home use you could use a multi-effects pedal where you'll have various amp/cab models, various bass effects and a simple drum machine all built in and you can listen on headphones and use the same pedal to plug into an amp for when you play at your class or for when you can afford an amp if you join a band... something like the Zoom B1on pedal would be a good place to start (it's also got an input jack so you can play along with your favourite music) http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/b1on Have fun and welcome to the world of bass playing!

The truss rod is there to set the neck relief and it might not need adjustment. The height of the strings above the fingerboard is determined by the nut (depth of slots) and the bridge saddle heights. The saddles are your first thing to check assuming you know how to adjust them.

Sh*t! I hate it when nice basses are available at very reasonable prices and I have my self imposed '5 instruments at a maximum' rule in play