Beer of the Bass

When I've done this before, I've started by using a large sheet of tracing paper ( to check alignment directly with the body), and worked around a marked centreline on both the body and paper template. It's also worth mentioning that if you're using multi-ply material and bevelling the edges, this is a real hassle to do by hand. I hope you're better tooled up than I was!

I blame my dog usually. It's his job!

Wow, that is really nicely built. I'm not used to seeing amps built this way without decades of dust and crud on them!

I've found one long enough here; [url="http://www.spider-engineering.co.uk/music/typeproducts2.asp?id=4843-5796"]http://www.spider-engineering.co.uk/music/typeproducts2.asp?id=4843-5796[/url] but it's a bit cheap looking and I'm not sure how well padded it will be for 15 quid. I don't like that design where the zip goes all the way round the bottom either. I notice that Fender do a short-scale bass gig bag, and I have a hunch that might be a good size. I'll send off a couple of emails and see if I can find out.

Having finished my Jazzmaster bitsa (as seen in the build diaries section), I'm struggling to find the right gig bag. At 104cm long, it's just a little too long for the gig bag I had with my last guitar, and most typical strat/tele bags. I've been putting it in a bass bag, but it really needs its own bag. I know there are a few folk on here who've had Jazzmasters, so I'd be interested to know what you used. I need shoulder straps, just enough pockets for spare strings and tremolo arm, and it would be nice if it wasn't too high-tech/sporty/gimmicky looking like some bags are. Most retailers websites are terrible at showing the dimensions of cases, so finding the right one online is proving difficult...

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1380969256' post='2232889'] I've emailed the seller for his reasoning for doing this. Interesting mod. [/quote] If it's the seller I think it is, the "reasoning" has got to be simply that he had a strat pickup lying around and it fitted in the hole. It seems eccentric, but at least he hasn't chiselled great big holes in the body.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1380886232' post='2231893'] Just listening to it again to see whether it has any merits I previously missed. Sadly, I still don't get any real sense of why. Lot's of stuff but no context. A jam on nothing in particular. [/quote] For me, the merit in Bitches Brew is that it has a sort of intensity which literally makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. That's not something I can analyse, I'm just moved by it. OTOH there is a lot of music raved about on Basschat which absolutely leaves me cold, so it has to be a personal thing...

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1380881161' post='2231808'] Some of your replies have made me very interested in hearing "A Silent Way". I just downloaded it. The afternoons listening at "work" is assured. Gracias [/quote] One of the things I like about In a Silent way is the minimalism of the drums. I mean, they've got Tony Williams sat behind a kit, one of the all-time great drummers and he plays hi-hat only for the whole of side one and mostly snare rim for much of side two, only using the whole kit for a few minutes of the album. It strikes me you'd need some real confidence to do something as sparse as that!

Picato flatwounds are quite cheap. They're very smooth feeling and voiced towards the old fashioned thumpy end of things. The last time I tried a set I had one duff string which I had to send back for a replacement, but other than that they seem fine.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1380637225' post='2228236'] Who cares about bass cabs when you have a Porsche?! Just make someone else take the cab. [/quote] Was there not a small Ashdown cab a few years ago, called the Boxster because it was designed to fit the boot of one? This was in the early days of Ashdown of course, when they were still more of a premium brand...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1380543200' post='2226726'] But a lot of the "modern" single cuts have a lot more in common with the Telecaster shape than the stereotypical Fodera type single-cut shape. Even what is considered to be a modern signal cut comes in a wider variety of shapes from the Warwick to the Ritter, with many others in-between. [/quote] I think the length of the upper bout compared to the lower is the difference between the modern single cuts (Fodera et.al) and the traditional sort (archtop guitar inspired). Comparing the "double cutaway" Strat to the "single cutaway" Tele is interesting, as the Strat actually adds a horn rather than having more material cut away. The modern single cut basses are closer to that Strat/P-bass descended shape, only with the space between the upper horn and the neck filled in.

The one that really bends my brain is the "Duncan Designed" pickups in Squiers. These are pretty much copies of Fender pickups, so it appears that Fender is paying a royalty to Duncan for making a Fender style pickup.

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1380455090' post='2225426'] So, open question... when is an 'expert' clearly not an 'expert? [/quote] The only time I've come across these Expert Village videos is when people have posted them on forums as an example of how not to do things. This is not just in bass playing either, it happens across the board. I think these are people who are not competent enough to accurately judge their own level of competence.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1380452073' post='2225356'] I think that very often bassist can take this too far and it is easy to end up with some awful tuba type noise. Yes, you can hear it in the mix but it isn't pleasant. One of the worst offenders I have heard recently was a gig by The Zombies. The bass sound was so harsh - either the soundman or the bassist (Jim Rodford) had got it completely wrong. It might have sat well in a punk band but not the Zombies. Of course it varies from song to song if you are playing covers and it entirely depends on the sound you want to generate but, as a rule, my bass isn't particularly noticeable except when it isn't there. [/quote] I agree with this! While it's wise to avoid removing too many mids, it's easy to come away from bass forums with the idea that you must not cut any mids, ever. Lots of players sit in the mix just fine using amps with the classic Fender tonestack with its built in dip around 500Hz ,like the Hartke LH500, Trace V-type, Alembic F2b and many, many more.

On an Ash body, not much short of proper grain filler will get rid of that grain texture. I did a satin Tru-Oiled ash body, sanded to 400 grit before finishing and the surface texture looks similar to the one in the OP. Mine wasn't stained though.

Having had an amp with both James (passive Baxandall) and Fender style tone stacks on otherwise identical channels, I much prefer the James stack. Also, it'll help you make the most of your 15 watts as it retains more of the midrange, where a lot of your perceived loudness lives. If you want a switchable bass cut, I think the most elegant way to do it would be to switch the cathode bypass caps on one or more stages of the preamp. I found the calculator at [url="http://www.ampbooks.com/home/amplifier-calculators/cathode-capacitor/"]http://www.ampbooks.com/home/amplifier-calculators/cathode-capacitor/[/url] really helpful for this.

The Silver Series is almost certainly the better bass - they were the next model up from the Korean ones in the early 90's and cost a fair bit more. I had a Korean Squier Strat from around the same time, the neck was decent but the pickups and hardware were cheap and the body was plywood (though there are good sounding plywood instruments out there).

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1380028400' post='2219725'] Hmmm. There's talk here of burning furniture, damaging existing components, lead poisoning and wrecking marriages. Could I simply use wire glue, like this: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/141050534572?showlimghlp=true&lpid=92&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=92&ff19=0"]http://www.ebay.co.u...&ff14=92&ff19=0[/url] Alternatively, could I buy a jack socket with the wires already attached so I can then use those little plastic junction-box thingies to connect it to the existing wires? Or shall I take it round to the Tech? [/quote] Lead poisoning is not a great risk when soldering - the temperatures used are not high enough for there to be any appreciable amount of lead in the fumes, and it doesn't produce inhalable fine dust. Clear up the bits when you're done and wash your hands and you'll be fine. The fumes from the flux are more of a risk, as often it contains rosin which is a sensitising allergen, but with decent ventilation and short exposure that's not too much of a worry either. The ROHS regulations which have banned lead solder in new equipment are environmental regulations intended to keep lead out of landfill, rather than being driven by workplace health and safety.

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1380027587' post='2219706'] Does S.U.B stand for Stringrays Ugly Brother...? [/quote] If it didn't before, I think it does now!

Also, if you can find the old style tin/lead solder (they don't sell it in Maplins), it's easier to use than the lead free kind and doesn't require as high a temperature.

I think the difference in sound between P and J pickups is mostly down to the wider, flatter coil of the P compared to the taller, narrow coil of the J. In general, pickups which sense a wider area of the string tend to be mellower/thicker sounding, with less of the higher harmonics.

I'm using D'Addario tapewounds rather than flats, but I've got into using a roundwound B with them (in my case a DR Black Beauty so that it doesn't look too odd). It seems like a daft idea, but double bassists mix and match sets all the time so I thought it might be worth a shot on bass guitar and it sounds much better matched than I expected.

Having seen inside a BF cab (albeit a prototype rather than a current production model), you might have difficulty using T-nuts or washers as the cabs have a lot of bracing which doesn't leave much area to install hardware on the inside. I suspect the black coating is a little too textured to be messing around with adhesives or self-stick feet too.

Even if the lightwave systems became more affordable, I'd be put off by the lack of access to the strings at the bridge. If I'm prevented from palm muting on a bass, I don't feel comfortable playing it.