Beer of the Bass

For the fairly light duty gigging most of us do, cheaper electric guitars or basses can do just fine, but I think if I were a pro with a heavy touring or recording schedule I'd want to spend a little more - perhaps not crazy boutique stuff, but certainly something at the level of a Fender or Musicman, the more no-frills end of small UK luthiers or even some of the better mid-range Korean instruments. There are all kinds of little things which crop up with heavy use, like the softer fretwire used on many cheaper instruments, or the quality of the electronics and tuners. These things can be upgraded of course, but not everyone likes to spend time tinkering with their gear.

I use Nyman rosin on my bow and the last time I picked up a new tub I was surprised at how much more pleasant it is to play with fresh rosin compared to an older tub of the same brand. I think the old tub was about four years old at that point. With that in mind, does anyone replace theirs periodically, and if so, how long do you leave it?

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1441209959' post='2856978'] Why should you not be able to re-finish your keyboard in orange and blue if you want to? If I was younger (and had more ambition) I think I'd look into this as a business venture. [/quote] Orange and blue? That would preclude you from gigging in about half of Glasgow!

Something I've wondered about active/passive inputs and impedance; I'm well aware of the benefits of a high impedance input for passive instruments, but is there any compromise in performance when plugging an active bass into a high impedance input, gain issues aside?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1441206579' post='2856934'] Maybe you should have a listen to the track and then you can wonder what all the fuss is about! It's a fairly standard funky pop song with a reasonably contemporary production and some cute synth/sample parts. Any keyboard player worth their salt should have the ability and equipment to get close enough for the average audience member to be satisfied. [/quote] I must admit, the thing that struck me when I first heard Uptown Funk was how retro it sounded.

I'd agree that the Beatles were a unique cultural and social phenomenon which does not invite direct comparison with anything before or since, I can see that even as someone born in 1981. What I'm less keen on is the suggestion that exposure to that somehow makes anyone who was a certain age in a certain place at a certain time inherently wiser, more insightful and all-around [i]better[/i] than the rest of us. That sort of attitude can only lead to complacency and stagnation in music IMO. As a somewhat related example, I know a first-generation hippy who will cheerfully remind anyone within earshot that he was at Woodstock as though that grants him some sort of special status. He usually mentions this when trying to impress younger women. There is another guy I've chatted with now and again (some friends of mine have worked with him) who [i]played[/i] at Woodstock. He generally doesn't mention this unless someone brings it up, and even then he doesn't tend to hold forth on the matter. He wrote some songs that I grew up listening to which are now part of the inside of my head and turns out to be an unassuming and generally lovely bloke. I know which of the two has earned the greater respect from me.

I wonder if you could cover just the flat tops of the white keys with some kind of adhesive material like car pinstripe tape or sign makers vinyl? That stuff seems surprisingly sturdy but would still be easier to undo than spray paint.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1441095286' post='2855918'] I never got the issue about Wals and weight. It may be because I am 6'1" and 17 stone and that the 'extra' weight of a Wal is, in percentage terms, relatively minimal. It may also be that I have played one almost exclusively for 29 years and cannot remember what a lighter bass feels like. Compared to manipulating a double bass, it is a dream. [/quote] I'm going to guess that your performances are a little less physical than Flea's though. I imagine that sort of thing wouldn't get you asked back to jazz gigs!

There are some who would suggest that flow chart should be considerably simpler and with one fewer outcome.

This will hopefully make the reason for the plug a bit clearer. The anchor at the end of the rod extends past the end of the channel routed from the rear and is a larger diameter, so it is necessary to drill through from the headstock end.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1441047165' post='2855671'] Don't want to play a 14lb bass for a two hour show? [/quote] I think this might have something in it. McCartney is an older guy and Flea jumps about a lot! I'm not sure I'd choose a heavier bass for gigging in either circumstance, however good it sounded in the studio.

I'd mention An Electric Storm by White Noise. When someone played the opening track to me a few years ago I presumed it was from the 90s or later, but it turns out to be from 1968. Plus it features Delia Derbyshire of Dr Who theme fame. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZG8CE2KnBQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZG8CE2KnBQ[/url]

What sort of bass are you playing? The noises you describe sound like your pickups might be microphonic, where they pick up every little vibration right down to your fingers brushing the pickup cover or the strap creaking on the buttons. Most basses have potted pickups to prevent this, but some cheaper or older instruments don't.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1440691162' post='2853040'] Though there might be some post-Beatlemania artistes whose Beatlefluences are less immediately detectable; Captain Beefheart springs to mind. [/quote] Here's a bit of Beatle influence, what with the title and the "Strawberry Fields Forever" quote. Apparently John Lennon was quite enthusiastic about the Captain's first album, so this song may have been an attempt to annoy him. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuv1HBTbHO4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuv1HBTbHO4[/url]

The old Ideal brand soundhole pickups have a bit of a cult following among Greek bouzouki players apparently, even though they're guitar pickups. I've no idea if that's the same Ideal brand as this one or entirely coincidental, but I suppose it could have been imported by the same distributor.

[quote name='jeweytheroux' timestamp='1440611871' post='2852434'] My deko acoustic bass is here and seems totally fine apart from fret buzz up around the 12th to 14th frets on the D and G strings. I've tried adjusting the truss rod in both directions but it isn't helping - any advice here? Not sure how to adjust the bridge? [/quote] It's probably a high fret, as that appears to be the most common issue on the acoustics. On mine the 17th fret was sitting a little too high on the treble side, which made the notes below that on the top strings buzz. I tapped the fret with a hammer to check it was seated, then carefully used a file to spot-level it in that area until that fret was the same height as the others.

I wonder if the description of it being a one-off custom job for a particular player may be an invention. I've seen Ideal as another brand applied to similar instruments and accessories to the ones which come labelled as Guyatone, Kent, etc., so I'd guess it's just another importers badge on a fairly standard Japanese instrument of that period.

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1440537437' post='2851797'] Ultimately the question is, when is an instrument sold for decoration, not an instrument for decoration? There will be people either side of an argument. I see your argument. Say I received a bass, that was sold as a Deko, the body has a D on it, but the Neck has no D and nothing wrong with it after going over it with a fine tooth comb, do I sell the neck for decoration only? [/quote] You should give full disclosure IMO, anything else is misleading. I have a feeling you may know this already, as I notice you had not advertised these on basschat where the Dekos are widely known about and discussed.

Hmm, even if that's not straight-out lying its not exactly a high standard of honesty. You're intentionally withholding information in order to receive a higher price than you would otherwise.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1440534745' post='2851751'] I've seen Markbass cabs with HPLs in them, but I've never seen a B&C with a pressed steel chassis. I suppose anything is possible if you're buying in large enough quantities. The eBay one is from a relatively old Markbass cab. [/quote] The newer CL speakers do, though oddly they're not much cheaper than the HPLs were.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1440534134' post='2851736'] Someone is auctioning one on eBay, although it doesn't look anything like the HPLs. <http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MARK-BASS-NEODYMIUM-12-NEO-SPEAKER-DRIVER-B-C-MADE-IN-ITALY-/221855157676?hash=item33a7990dac> [/quote] Hmm, you're right, it doesn't! They used to have the cast frame complete with "HPL" sticker. I guess they must have changed them when the HPLs were discontinued.

If you want to make things a little easier, you could start with a pre-slotted fingerboard. I got the one for my last build from David Dyke, and despite the website straight out of 1998 they're pleasant to deal with and their woods seem consistently good. [url="http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/"]http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/[/url] I've just picked up a slotted fingerboard from Touchstone Tonewoods for a new build which I'm a bit less happy with as it has a couple of issues. Perhaps it's a one-off, but I'll be sending that one back. Pre-slotted boards usually still need to have the radius sanded into the face, but radius blocks aren't expensive. For truss rods, if you pick up a modern double action rod rather than a vintage Fender style it will be easier to install, as the double action rods fit in a simple straight 6mm channel whereas the Fender style need all sorts of jigs to route a curved channel. If it's still available, I'd recommend picking up a copy of Melvin Hiscock's book "Make your own electric guitar". While you might find all the information you need online, I still find it useful to have a book to hand.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1440526755' post='2851628'] I'm bit on the fence about it. More a feeling it isn't right. But if the item has had any problems sorted and it's perfectly fine then it's less of an issue if they have put the time and knowledge in to fix it. Ive seen much worse things been done in sales. But ethically it should be mentioned. If I was selling a Deko I would state it was a Deko but has had what ever it needed fixed. A lot of dekos have little wrong with them in some cases they just needed a good setup, fret work etc. [/quote] I've no issue where there is full disclosure about the instrument having been sold as a second and where the work done is clearly described. For example, Mr Foxen from here has been doing that on his own page, completely honestly described and his markup isn't massive either. I'm OK with that, and I'm sure they're decent value for someone who doesn't do their own setup work. It's where they're flipped without mentioning their Deko status that I feel it gets misleading.

[quote name='kedo' timestamp='1440529965' post='2851679'] Thanks for that. Is the Markbass driver neodymium? [/quote] I haven't seen inside the recent ones but they used to be a neodymium driver which (going by the frame and magnet) was based on the B&C HPL series, though it may well have had some alterations to the design to suit Markbass's specifications.

I don't know if this changed when they moved production overseas, but the older Markbass drivers were made by B&C. If they still are, that makes the price seem pretty good as B&C's 12" drivers start at something close to the £165 you were quoted when bought individually. There aren't many quality neodymium 12"s for much less than £100 retail and you'd have to determine whether a third party replacement was suitable for your cabinet.