nilebodgers

I just got myself a Zoom B1-four last week for silent practice and some of the amp sims sound pretty nice to me, at least on headphones. I am wondering what relation those sounds are to the real thing though - anyone else have any opinions/experience?

Just got a B1 four to use as a headphone practice amp. It was by far the cheapest way of getting a tuner, pre-amp, aux in mixer and headphone amp. Plus a free basic metronome/drum machine and a looper. Shame the usb can't be used as an audio interface too.

When I was last playing live I used Schallers and never had any problems. From an engineering point of view I like the fact that even if the locking mechanism was flaky the weight of the bass is still held by solid metal. If it failed you could stick a cable tie round the U and that would hold securely. I am intrigued by the new ones as they fix the problem with the thread being too short for some straps and the nut unscrewing itself (I think I added loctite and really cranked it tight on mine). I wouldn’t try using the locking buttons with a normal strap except in an emergency, there isn’t enough of a lip to be secure.

Giving a bit of a bump to this topic - I watched a video by Josh Fosgreen recently: This put me on to a couple of brilliant resources for self-teaching: https://www.musictheory.net/exercises/ear-interval https://www.earmaster.com/products/free-tools/interval-song-chart-generator.html Since finding these I am actually working on it rather than just thinking I ought to be doing it and not really having a good way to start.

That is the classic "whacked by a roundwound" look. A lot of my frets look like that

It's also very tellling that the bass he most frequently plays is an ordinary 4-string MIM P-Bass with an aftermarket pickup. If I remember correctly from watching his older videos it was because he'd done a load of clever stuff with a boutique 7-string when he first started on youtube, but decided he didn't want to be known as a player as "that 7-string tapping guy" so switched to something much more conventional.

I go for between 0.5mm and 0.6mm with a feeler gauge between 1st fret and string. (once neck relief and action is dialled in exactly) That's standard tuning and 4 strings and a moderately heavy-handed player. I expect you will get lots of other opinions!

Not if you are putting it up on a brick wall where there is a good chance there is a mortar gap at any point you try and drill (due to sods law). You can also use very strong beefy fixings on a board vs a hanger.

The middle lug is connected to ground when one pickup is turned off. Since the middle lugs are connected together the other one is connected to ground too so there can be no output.

That loom won't work. When one pickup is turned completely off the other one is turned off too.

It's both truss rod and saddles done in the correct sequence - see this series of videos:

For a standard Fender-style bass: capo on 1st fret, hold string down at 17th fret and a 12thou / 0.3mm feeler gauge should just slip in at the 8th fret when the truss rod is adjusted correctly. Some people prefer more or less relief than that, but it’s a good starting point.

..and don't pay snake oil prices for them e.g. https://cpc.farnell.com/vishay/2222-368-45473/capacitor-0-047uf-250v-5pk/dp/CA05369?st=vishay poly capacitor

Yes, that is a good series. He has also done one, also very thorough, on refretting a Strat. However - I remain unconvinced on the basic premise of the Stewmac neck jig. This discussion shows some of the points raised: http://www.mimf.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3326

Well, it's not that much rocket science IMO - assuming some practice and care. (watch some of "Daves World of Fun Stuff" channel - there are loads of examples of him doing various degrees of fret dressing with different tools and techniques over the years)

It's not very difficult if you have the right tools, but it needs practice to get the feel for it. There are loads of youtube videos demonstrating the process, but it is not as easy as a skilled person makes it look. If you have a cheap bass to learn on and don't mind investing in the basic tools (notched straight edge, levelling beam, assorted abrasives, crowning file(s), fret rocker, masking tape etc.) then it's do-able. It's very satisfying being able to buy an instrument that is a bit rough and totally transform it into a great player.

I got my most recent ones from Axecaster on Ebay, but there are loads of UK sources.

Feeler gauges plus a capo for checking neck relief. The right size allen keys for adjusting truss rod and bridge saddles. A way of measuring string height. Something to polish frets (the crimson guitars fret rubbers are ace) and one of the metal fingerboard guards, After that it depends what needs fixing. Nut files next then probably the kit to deal with frets, although that depends on how low you try and push the action down, you might not get to the point that slight fret unevenness causes problems. (or the frets may be level already)

Check there is a star washer on the back. They sometimes get left out on manufacture and that means the jack is prone to work loose over time. (e.g. https://www.axecaster.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=327)

Hmmm...just retrieved my verniers from the shed. The slot in the post is only 2.5mm wide, so I could get a 2.4mm drill in there from the slot end, but the hole is close to the width of the slot anyway so It's debatable if the difference is worth the effort. (a 2.5mm goes, but it is a bit bind-y on the edges of the slot, so that would need clamping well in a pillar drill) I have HB7s on my other MIM bass and the slot in the post is 3.8mm with a larger hole too. (The much higher gear ratio and adjustable tension makes them nicer to use as well as the ease of stringing up.) This is going to end up with me buying a set of HB7s isn't it? 🙄

Idly wondering - anyone tried drilling a larger centre hole in a split-post MIM fender tuner? The holes are a bit small for the E & A strings, especially if the strings aren't very tapered. The old-style tuners (and Hipshot HB7 if I want to do the easy upgrade) have larger centre holes so it is less fiddly fitting the string. Minor things I know, but it annoys me every time I change strings!

I use these too for practice. I also have better sounding fully-enclosed phones, but the k92s are really light, comfortable and don’t make my head hot (!) so I prefer them for daily use. Currently on Amazon at £35.45 with free delivery.

Very good!

Minor 2008 MIM Jazz update. Post tarting-up with a new white pearl pickguard and adding some cheap bits purchased on the forum: alnico 5 Roswell pickups instead of the stock ceramics and a bridge from a new MIM Player Jazz. The Fender BBOT bridges went from 1.6mm thick with small saddles to 2.5mm thick with larger saddles sometime after 2008. The current MIM bridge is a beefier thing than the older version. Practically speaking, the larger saddles mean that they aren't splayed as much to get the string spacing lining up with the pickup poles. Slight tweak was I had to add an 0.3mm neck shim to compensate for the later bridge design; easy though when I had it all in bits. It's sounding and playing great now.