Naetharu

Hi folks, I'm after a little help. My bass is making a rather nasty buzzing noise when I play the lower (E and A) strings from about the 7th to the 11th fret. Given how hot its been over the past few days I'm guessing that the neck may have moved a little and it will need to be adjusted to compensate. I've never done this before and I'm a little nervous about how to go about doing so. I've had a read around the internet but I would appreciate some solid guidelines to follow from someone here as I trust you folks a lot more than some random website / you-tuber who may or may not know what they are talking about. Best wishes James

Hi folks, I'm really getting into playing slap bass and I'm doing a lot of exercises with a metronome. My trouble is that my fingers on my right hand are getting pretty raw from popping the strings, which is making it hard to practice for as long as I would like each day. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that might help deal with this? Best wishes James

Hi, I am looking to purchase my first compressor and I'm hoping that a few of you experienced folks can point me in the right direction. I'm playing a lot of slap-bass and so I want a compressor that will help me level out the sound for that as well as for general use. I'm looking at the Mark Bass Compressore and I was just wondering if anyone has experience with these? I'm a little overwhelmed by the options when it comes to a compressor, and since they are not cheap I would really appreciate any advice on offer before I part with some cash. Many thanks James

I've been speaking to Adrian Maruszczyk recently about getting a custom bass and he seems more than willing to do pretty much anything custom-wise you're after. It might be worth chatting with him about the possibility of a 26-fret model of the Elwood if you want a Jazz style bass with these features? I've yet to play a Maruszczyk but from the reports I've read they are fantastic quality and very well priced. The website for them is here if this helps: http://www.public-peace.de - Adrien can be contacted directly via the [email protected] email address.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1435133403' post='2805691'] This was my thought too. My band does occasional song writing get togethers at my flat. We don't play very loud, but we've still had to isolate all the speakers from the floor to avoid complaints from downstairs. [/quote] I'm on the ground floor so its not too bad - its just that given I have neighbors to all sides and above I have to be reasonable about noise. I've built a little sound-resistant area with the floor and walls well carpeted etc and so far so good. Apparently the TecAmp board has some kind of funky suspension that is supposed to avoid vibrations into the floor, but I have no idea how well that would work in practice.

[quote name='Musashimonkey' timestamp='1435093109' post='2805475'] I haven't used them, but saw some at Bass Direct earlier this year too. I did express an interest, though they said they hadn't sold any to date. It makes sense if they're paired with some IEM's, I imagine you get the full body vibration as you would standing in front of a stack and save damaging your ears! [/quote] Aye, that was my thinking. Living in a flat, I have to practice most of the time with phones on and it would be really nice to get the feel of the bass. Not something at the top of my wish-list but certainly a consideration as playing bass is just not the same without the thump

that's really interesting. I've not thought about the fact that having a second pick up would move the first. I'm going to have to investigate this one a little bit more. in the meantime I've come across the bases from Maruszczyk which are also looking like a serious contender.

its the amp that goes with them the really makes me cringe. They called that one the pleasure pump which just makes it sound like some kind adult toy. All the same it's an interesting idea if you can get past the name Edit: Added punctuation to make post readable

Hi folks, I came across these odd little things from Tech-Amp last night: http://www.public-peace.de/index.php/amplification/tecamp/1481-pleasure-board-medium Has anyone here used one? I'm interested to know what they are like, since I practice in my flat a lot and the idea of being able to feel the bass even when using headphones actually sounds pretty nifty.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1434927783' post='2803969'] Alternatively it may be possible to tap down the errant frets thus saving yourself a load of work. Don't know if anyone else mentioned it but you may need to lower the nut too, if going fretless.... [/quote] I doubt the bass is worth very much - its a Dean which does not seem to be a very good brand and its only around the £400 - £500 mark when it was new and I doubt I will use it in its current fretted form even if it was perfect as I have another bass I prefer to play. I figure I may as well de-fret the thing as it'd be interesting to try a fret-less bass without having to pay out for one on the off-chance I like it. I'm hoping it will help me develop my ear too since I'm going to have to really listen to what I'm playing. As to the guides, I'll certainly check out pretty much everything I can before attacking the bass. I was going to get started to day but didnt manage to get a new set of strings for it (it has some pretty nasty old round-wound right now). Oh, and thank you for the heads up regarding the nut. It's got a pretty heavy-duty brass nut at the moment so I guess the best thing may be to simply purchase a replacement that is designed for fretless?

Hi folks, I was just wondering if anyone here has experience with a mono-rail bridge? I've heard mention that they can be difficult to re-string - I'm a little cautious that they are going to be the bass version of a Floyd Rose nightmare. Are they worth it or would you just go for a classic high-mass bridge given the choice?

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1434840441' post='2803283'] i just meant so you don't get glue and dust and crap all over your bass. [/quote] Ah, that's ok then. I'll just have to be careful with the glue pot

What is the idea behind the Bass VI? I've come across them before but I'm not quite sure what to make of them. They certainly look awesome whatever the case. I'll look forward to checking out your full review

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1434830855' post='2803206'] Do all this with the neck removed from the body. [/quote] Alas, this one is a thru-neck so no chance of that. Hopefully it should not make too much difference. I don't have the bass to hand right now - its over at a relatives. But for reference its one of these: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91dH1DmXzEL._SL1500_.jpg However, rather than the mono-rail bridge it has this on it: http://www.gibsonsmusic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Gibson-Music-7.jpg Are there any special precautions to take with a thru-neck when doing this de-fret?

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1434784691' post='2802741'] I've never done this to a bass but I think I can safely say you won't be needing a hammer! LOL [/quote] The guide from Talk-Bass suggested to place a screw-driver on the base of the frets and gently tap along with a hammer to work them a little loose before using the pliers. I'm not going to simply whack the neck with a mallet until the frets drop out Sounds like it should be reasonably simple provided its taken slow then. As to the filler to use, I've not really thought about that yet. Someone suggested a chemical wood that can be placed in and then sanded down to fill the fret-holes but I've not looked into it. Well I am going to have a go at it tomorrow I think. If it goes well I'll pop some pictures to document the process and result. If, on the other hand, you see a bad-ass 2 bridge and some nifty grover tuners for sale in the bits section early next week you can conclude that I've successfully converted a Dean bass into firewood. Edit: Terrible spelling corrected

Hi folks, I'm hoping to get a bit of a feel for how difficult / easy it would be for me to de-fret my own bass. I've been given a Dean Edge Pro-4 which is in pretty good condition save for the lowest couple of frets that are starting to lift away from the finger-board. I don't really want to spend money on the bass but it would be nice to turn it into something useful and so I was thinking about de-fretting it. Has anyone here tried doing this to a bass themselves? How difficult was the process. If it makes any difference this bass has a rosewood fingerboard with no inlay markers save for the 12th fret 'D'. I've found a pretty good guide to the process over on Talk-Bass but I'm keen to get a little advice from people that have actually done this before I take a hammer and pliers to the poor thing. Best wishes James

Wow, that is one very nice looking bass! I've just checked out their website and there are some really stunning pieces there for what seems like very reasonable prices. Certainly going to consider picking one of these up at some point.

Stunning looking bass! The sandblasted finish is, imho, the most beautiful one fender have ever done! Any chance of a little sound-sample some time?

[quote name='40hz' timestamp='1434450326' post='2799619'] I had one! Cherry burst, 3 band Glockenlang preamp and Sandberg pickup (not delano). A very hi-fi sounding bass with a real snarl. Slim neck profile, sub 9lbs weight, balanced great on the strap and a great fit and finish. Nothing to complain about here. They are a steal for what they go for 2nd hand. [/quote] I'm thinking of ordering one new from Sandberg as its going to be my first 'serious' bass with a view to keeping it for many years so it'd be nice to have one in the exact color/config that I choose - but even then the price seems amazing considering what they are and how they are made when compared to most American factory made basses. Out of interest, which pick-up configuration did you go with? I'm torn between the standard basic (single hum) and the Ken Taylor (double hum).

Thank you! I'd not really ventured into that dark corner of our forums yet hehe. I just had a look and it seems that there are a lot of folks that may well be able to help me out

Hi folks, I've been playing bass for a little while and I've totally fallen in love with it. At the moment I'm using a cheap squire P-Bass as I wanted to be sure I was going to stick with it before investing serious money. As such I am now considering upgrading to a nice bass and I have my eye on a Sandberg Basic. I've heard really good things about Sandberg in general but I am struggling to find much information on the basic series. Has anyone played / owned one? If so what are your thoughts on it in terms of build quality, sound and playability? The alternatives I have been looking at are the higher-end Ibanez SR range, a Fender Jazz or perhaps a 2-EQ Music Man Stingray, but right now the Sandberg is really appealing to me so any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Best wishes James

Hi folks, I've come across a few basses that have the option of both stringing through the body or via the bridge (top-loading?) and I'm curious as to why this is and what difference it makes. I've had a bit of a Google but I cannot find anything that clearly explains the idea here. Could anyone enlighten me as to the reasons for these two different options on some basses and the pros/cons of each? Best wishes James

That's really awesome mate, looks like a lovely bass too! I hope you manage to find a great home for it!

The only thing I would add (and I guess this applies to all basses in a sense) is try before you buy on these. I tried two different MIMs in the same day recently and they were miles apart in feel, weight and build-quality. The first was pretty nasty with a bad set-up, heavy and kind of dead sounding. The second, however, was a complete gem and sounded very nice indeed via a Fender Rumble 500. I suspect that quality control is perhaps not the best at the MIM plant, but so long as you give your bass a once-over before paying you can get something very nice for a really reasonable price.