wintoid

Thanks everyone, and especially @JazzyJ because it will give me some confidence to know I'm using the right tool (which I will order!).

Thanks JazzyJ. So you're talking about the two holes on the top of the saddle block, and those secure the block in some way? What does 1/6th AF mean? Sorry, I'm not strong on this stuff!

Thanks Michael!

I wonder if the right thing is to tag @Sheldon Dingwall

Thanks for responding @Lozz196 I really appreciate it. I think that's a trick of the light. So far as I can see the block is just a solid lump on that plane. Another pic attached. The only things I can see that might be adjustable seem to be on the top of the block. The whole thing seems very weird to me. I guess it's held in place by the strings, but that seems quite insecure.

I do my own setups on my basses, but the one bass I've never attempted to set up is my Dingwall, because I don't understand how the bridge works. I did approach Dingwall through their website but have never received a response. I wondered if someone here would know. I've attached a picture of how my bridge looks. I understand that the strings sit on top of screws, which can obviously be adjusted to change the string height. What I don't understand is how the saddle is moved forward/backwards. It looks like each saddle is a metal block, and each has two little holes in the top, which I presume contain some sort of screw. Am I supposed to loosen those screws/bolts and then move the blocks forwards/backwards to adjust? It seems a bit error-prone if so. I can't work out how the screw/bolt (if there even is such a thing) is going to secure the block to stop it moving forwards/backwards. Could anyone enlighten me? I'm pretty crap with physical things like this.

Thanks @jazzyvee I'll take a look.

Thanks, so you guys are switching between rest strokes and free strokes depending on the line then?

So when (if) the time comes to play octaves at any kind of speed, how are you coping? I don't see how it's possible without curling my fingers, which blows the whole rest stroke thing for me.

Rest strokes are when you play through the string, so that your right hand fingers come to rest on the string below. Free strokes are more like spanish guitar, where your fingers end up in free space (or on your palm).

I've been playing bass on and off for 45 years, yikes. Before bass, I had been mostly playing violin, and I guess what was my pizzicato technique on the violin got transplanted into my bass playing. I play free strokes, basically. Recently, I've been trying to practice rest strokes, with a view to potentially trying to adopt them more or even completely. When I play with rest strokes, my right hand fingers are almost completely straight. There's something incredibly satisfying about the motion of plucking this way, I love it, but I've got a lot to learn. One of the hardest things seems to be crossing 2 strings to play octaves. I wondered from more seasoned rest-strokers (ooer) whether you switch to free strokes for octaves? I feel like I need to curl my fingers and change my hand position to miss the string in between the octaves. Or is there a trick to make this easier?

Two amazing performances, thanks chaps!

Yeah that's true actually, I suppose unless I used a really long attack. I think I'll spend some time today playing with the gate/compressor settings on the MXR.

I love how practically everything on the label has been replaced

I got one from Peach, arrived today. Honestly, just a little bit disappointed. Maybe I didn't get the settings right but it seems like I will have to change my technique a reasonable amount to use this thing. It feels turgid and sluggish. I did switch it to 4-string tracking. Are people plugging straight into it, or are you using compressors and so on first? I've just plugged my P bass straight into it.

It's exactly as @krispn says. For the life of me, I could never understand why they did that. I hated the tones from the "scooped" section of the travel, and there wasn't enough control in the regular tone section. Replaced it with a wonderful Stellartone Tonestyler, and never looked back, ably fitted for me by Feline Guitars for a tenner. Just curiosity really, I'm more of a P than a PJ-er.

Does this model have the same weird tone control setup that the Canadian Super P has? I had to replace the circuit on mine as I couldn't get on with it.

I saw Marillion at least twice during the 80s, perhaps more. I still enjoy the Fish albums, although the lyrics and mentality are... well let's just say it was fine when I was 13, but not now. I stopped listening after Fish left, and am unlikely to delve into the later catalogue. I do listen occasionally.

I had a Rail about 40 years ago. It was my second bass, replacing an absolute boat anchor of an Ibanez and I played the hell out of it. I remember I went to a studio to record a track with it and the engineers thought it must be active because the pickups were very hot.

Can't agree more. Some black magic in their setups.

I haven't played with a guitarist for a loooong time, but my experience of guitarists is that most of them don't know how to (or don't think about how to) make space. For that reason, the ones I've known have not been the greatest bassists, even if technically capable.

I just stumbled across this, and enjoyed it so much I thought I should share.

Thanks both.... I'm going to play it for a few days to see whether I really think it needs it (which basically means I'm still underconfident about it), but if I decide to do it, I'll get those washers

Easy as that? Doesn't sound too difficult! Thanks. So, to source the right washer, is there a particular size I should look for (it's a Fender)?