Dr.Dave

BaseJase started a thread here re. the size of allen key required to adjust the saddle height on badass bridges. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16088&st=0&gopid=170250&#entry170250"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry170250[/url] Summing up from that thread - it appears the size you need is .05" that's 1/20th of an inch. Not an easy size to find. There is , however , a 1.3mm size in a set sold cheaply at Maplins that fits.

Not realising (early enough to make a real differance) that aspiring to be (musically) like rich and famous musicians wouldn't make me so. I should have been arrogant enough to 'roll my own' and not wanted to be instantly admired and accepted. I should have sought out new musical ideas and values rather than defend old ones. I forced myself to become a craftsman rather than an artist. I was wrong.

Well I do like sunbursts but one thing struck me about this straightaway. You get hold of a 5 yr old 3TS Fender like I did in 1978 , hawk it round the toilets of northern England , like I have and still do , and it looks so cool 30ys on with it's battlescars and forearm wear. Nowt like a nicely mojo'd sunburst. Take a lump out of this and it'll look like a pile of sh**e. Right now it looks to me like - and I mean no insult here for once - a metal guitar players finish.

Well I think they're crap. Ha! Only fooling!!!!! I put a set of stock 84's into my newly aquired Mex Jazz. Now it sounds like a Jazz , rather than Jazz'ish'. I'm rubbish at describing sound in words but in pub terms it's like my pint has been topped up properly. My telephone conversation with Wiz was informative and helpful and the pups arrived 2 days before expected. The last thing this thread appears to need is another recommendation but I can't not add one. I've been around a long time kit that's quality made by folk who give a sh*t,does what it says on the tin and costs a fair bit less than most of it's 'big name' rivals gets my vote. The fact that it's made on this side of the pond too is a bonus. I guarantee there are players amongst us who aren't particularly well wedged, who are skrimping and saving to buy a high end bass because their current basses are not delivering the sound they want , who could spend £70 for a J set or £50 for a P and be very happy bunnies indeed. The business - and Wizard will be getting more of mine.

[quote name='gary mac' post='162550' date='Mar 24 2008, 10:37 AM']Looking for a bridge replacement next, either gotoh or bad ass, whichever is the most straight forward to install. Must admit I don't fancy filing the grooves on the badass.[/quote] So...don't !! Many folk don't bother , including me. There's a sticky about them - I think in the repairs forum. A Badass 2 drops straight into a Fender and assuming the screw holes are the same on a Squier and a Fender I don't see you'll have a prob. A Badass 3 has the slots already filed. Leo Fender's idea was to make his instruments largely user serviceable , so no need get the shakes over modding so long as you;re careful.

It had it's first job to do yest - and I'm really pleased with it. Brainwave about half an hour before I set off. I whipped the badass off my P and put it on this one so bar a few tweaks to that (which I did at the gig) the Jazz is a finished article now. The Wizards have a nicely rounded tone and plenty of output. The room wasn't a great one for sound though. It plays really well and held tune OK. I'd been worried about that as the M/C's look less than brilliant , there seems to be a small ammount of play on the gears. I couldn't really tell exactly what the badass did for it as I changed the strings at the same time as the bridge , so no 'like for like' comparison. It does noticeably sustain more than it did though and I have a lot more confidence in the bridge end of things. Soon as I picked up the gig bag - which usually has my Shuker in it - I felt the increase in weight. I was using my thinner strap too but no problems at all and I wouldn't describe it as heavy. Bare in mind that if I bought a modern US made Fender I'd want to upgrade the bridge at least,maybe the pups and customise the appearance a bit so it makes little sense to me to shell out 3 times the coin then chuck half of it away IF - obviously a big 'if' - the Mex one can do the job properly. It does. The bass as it is now has cost me £285. That figure will fall if I sell on the bits I've replaced. I'd happily take it to any job going and I don't at all see it as the poor relation alonside my Shuker,Status and '73P.

[quote name='thinman' post='161376' date='Mar 21 2008, 12:32 PM']jono, I'll try the nut suggestion - I play finger style most of the time and it's not a problem then - just with a pick. I also have a strange resonance on the A when fretted around the 13th - the string sometimes resonates on the nut side and I wonder if there's a connection. And I think my problem arose after fitting the badass although the action's the same. Dr. Dave - nice bass again - and sorry to hijack your thread but you may have helped a couple of people out![/quote] Not a hi-jack. Interesting point. Funnily enough it was in my pick playing days when I had rattly A probs. The 2nd guide stopped it in it's tracks. I can't say I noticed a prob with this Mex J - just something I do to Fenders. Think if there's some sort of weird resonant thingy going on with your bass the baddass would tend to amplify the problem , if problem's the word. Character , I'd prefer! Can't say I've ever fretted an A string that far up the dusty end much - not even on Sundays. Hang on a mo........ Nope, nothing odd - neither the Mex Jazz with (for the moment) original bridge nor the Precision with the Badass.

I'd say go for the Jazz because the neck suits you and it'll make just about any noise you like...except for a Precision noise. If it's that sound you want - Precision with a jazz neck??

[quote name='thinman' post='160712' date='Mar 20 2008, 11:16 AM']Nice one Dr. Dave. I do like that pickguard with the 10:30 blue colour. Alway been a 3TS fan but could be tempted. I put 84s and a Badass on my MIM Jazz too - well worth it. Interested about the extra string guide - my A sometimes jumps out of the nut with a bit of over enthusiasm - I assume that sorts that problem?[/quote] Never had an A do a runner quite like that but years ago when I first got a Fender and my technique was 'heavy' ,to say the least, I did get it rattling around a lot. Maybe in those days I wasn't even stringing up properly but the addition of an extra string guide solved the rattle and I've done it to everything Fender-like ever since. Funny but I set out to get a 3TS but this dark blue (I lightened the pic a little to make it easier to see) just jumped out at me. My wife said it sounded 'dull' - what she didn't see was the ner-do-well that set it up simply screwed the saddles right back and the silk wraps were going over the saddles!! Nice to have something passive to take to Dr Blue gigs alongside the Shuker or the Status and I'll play it in the ZZ trib too - once the punters have got the novelty of the Epi Ex I'll change to this. I've just got silly precious about taking my 73 P out of the house so this will do me a job I haven't been letting the P do. Bit more versatile too. Loving the 84's at spare room vol through the Trace Combo's pre-shape - Gig on Sun at some dodgy s*** hole so we'll see how it does in battle.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='160531' date='Mar 19 2008, 10:27 PM']Strange about the Wizards. mine just dropped in to my MIM.[/quote] The hole was a tad small I think , maybe too much paint - not blaming the pup. Anyway I figured it best to fettle an easily replaced placcy pup cover so I just pared the 4 corners down a bit with a knife (about halfway up from the bottom so it wouldn't show when it went in). The replacement pickguard is 'normal' - ie the hole is neck pup size rather than the mex 'one size fits all' deal. It's not a great fit against the control plate though.You can drive a bus through there...........well you could if busses were about 1mm wide!

One fairly bog standard Midnight Blue (looks more like about half ten to me but there you go) Mexican Fender Jazz. Got it on the cheap off the bay , I think because the logo was scratched. Dude was trying to get rid of the Mex serial number I reckon. Here it is.....well, was. So - a bag of bits various arrived this morning and along with a couple of odds and sods hanging around the tool box I've.. Replaced the Logo with a 70's jobby and given it 7 coats of varnish Added a second string guide - as is my want with Fenders to stop the A rattling under my ham fisted assaults Bunged some Dunlop straplocks on it - save me looking a wilf by dropping it on my foot , as did happen once in York. Screwed a nice shiny pearloid pickguard on - 3 of the screwholes were in the right place!! Got 3 chrome knobs on it with pearl inserts in the tops - and round the back the neckplate has been changed to one from a 70's fender guitar with the nice big 'F' and the placcy cushion. Best of all - installed a pair of Wizard 84's. I wasn't sure witch (eh...eh...!!) ones to get - these or the 64's' but noodling around in the spare room here these sound like the dogs warlocks (!!!) I await one of you to come up with an unwanted Badass for it - buggered if I'm forking out 50 brick for a new one. Quick word on the Wizard installation. Thought that the neck one might need a fettlette , it being the correct size unlike the Mex original . Not a bit of it. Instead the bridge one needed persuading in by shaving bits off the underside of the pup cover with a kitchen knife. Prospecive purchasers might bare that in mind. So here it is now. Don't know if it's bass 'porn' as such. More like a bird in the Star with her kit still on but unbuttoned in the right places.

Explanation required , I fancy. Mr Shuker did a fine job , but later in life it aquired scribe marks in the fret positions which are a hinderance to me. They're light enough to be sanded out , and I have little enough money invested in it to 'risk' attempting it myself. I honestly think I could do the job in the time it takes me to drive to the mucky end of Sheffield. Just want to know about grades of paper required , poss lubricants etc. Hints and tips really. I get a lot of pleasure from fettling things myself but I've never had a go at a fretless board before. Refinished a few bodies, but this is ebony , harder wood than I've worked in the past. Of course I could get Jon to do it - just want to do it myself , partly because the poor sod has got orders til the next century from the likes of us BCers and I want it sorted soonish before I lose interest in it and flog it for peanuts.

Nobody seems to want my fretless shuker so I'm going to have a crack at getting ris of the scribed fret lines myself. It's an ebony board and I'm wondering if anyone's any experience of grades of sandpaper - tips etc to refinishing a fretless board.

The solution's in the question. Run the Marshall and the H+K together and you've everything you want.

We've had a DB tech active bin for about a year - shamefully I can't recall the model number but it sounds like the same fella from your description. It was bought to bring in a little subbiness to bigger rooms by being used in addition to our normal PA (turbosound) but it's so good it's practically made the Turbosound bass cabs redundant , and they're bloody good cabs to start with. If you want a more informed opinion go to the contact link here on our website.. www.drblue.co.uk put 'FAO Rod' in the subject box.He's our guitarist ,researched and bought the DB and has a lot more knowledge in the PA dept. than I.

It makes me want to learn how to surf!!

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='149359' date='Mar 1 2008, 10:30 AM']I understand what you are saying about the Shure, but what if me singing doesn't work? It's only a thought at the moment (having NEVER done it before...)[/quote] There's another eeason to buy a used SM58 - if it doesn't work out you'll get your money back no bother. Doubt there's many mics about you could say that for. If you do buy used - unscrew the pop shield - rinse out the bit of foam in hot water and mild disinfectant , chuck the pop shield in the same brew then scrub it with listerine. Don't buy silly specialist mic cleaning products - use what's under the sink or in your bathroom. Do make sure the foam's dry before you screw it all back up. I had an expensive AKG. It went in the theft 2 years ago and scrambling round to put enough kit together for the next gig I bought a cheap AKG (about £60 new) for £25 used. Still using it - it's great. Can't for the life of me remember either mic model numbers. I'm anoraky enough about basses to start on something else!!

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='149359' date='Mar 1 2008, 10:30 AM']I understand what you are saying about the Shure, but what if me singing doesn't work? It's only a thought at the moment (having NEVER done it before...)[/quote] There's another eeason to buy a used SM58 - if it doesn't work out you'll get your money back no bother. Doubt there's many mics about you could say that for. If you do buy used - unscrew the pop shield - rinse out the bit of foam in hot water and mild disinfectant , chuck the pop shield in the same brew then scrub it with listerine. Don't buy silly specialist mic cleaning products - use what's under the sink or in your bathroom. Do make sure the foam's dry before you screw it all back up. I had an expensive AKG. It went in the theft 2 years ago and scrambling round to put enough kit together for the next gig I bought a cheap AKG (about £60 new) for £25 used. Still using it - it's great. Can't for the life of me remember either mic model numbers. I'm anoraky enough about basses to start on something else!!