The Bass Doc

Most Fender necks fit most Fender bodies - you'd be very unlucky if any major tweaking was necessary - usually height differences are more likely - cured by adjusting the bridge saddles.

Yes, white will be hot and the two blacks go to earth i.e. one pickup neg and one shield.

Looks great Michael but we could have done without the knees.

Judging by the diagrams I have seen I doubt you could fit both the circuit and the 9v battery under the control plate - would probably require a separate battery compartment. If you intend the bass to active forever I think a separate compartment is preferable even with the more expensive circuits, so you don't disturb the wiring when changing the battery in a hurry.

Can I suggest trying pickup height screws - they have a dome head but as long as that bit doesn't pass through the countersunk hole in your cover they'll look OK. Unless you're unlucky enough to play that place where an old biddy comes up to you at the end of the night and says 'I really enjoyed your playing but what spoilt a bit for me was noticing you've got pickup height screws holding your chrome cover on'. Wallop, wallop, down she went...

[quote name='RhysP' post='589993' date='Sep 4 2009, 06:28 PM']Exactly. It doesn't matter whether you set the intonation behind, on or in front of the line, as you move up the neck the point of correct intonation will move.[/quote] I've absolutely no need to doubt you but would you mind explaining why this should be. I've been playing unlined fretless on and off since the late 70s - there are the occasional dots in the side and I've just checked they are in exactly the place a fret would be and I can't say I've had any problem with intonation. I'm simply interested in what the explanation (in terms of physics) is that when frets are removed the point changes.

A good place to start with a jazz solo is just before closing time - it helps the bar staff to clear the place promptly. But seriously folks listen to bilbo - I reckon he knows more than most on here.

Some advice I received a while ago suggested setting the strings (top two in particular) slightly flat as in bridge saddles further back and aiming to play on the line. The thickness of one's finger then allows you to sound either spot-on or if you're sver so slighly flat you can 'roll' into it and sound like you meant it. Striking a string sharp gives you 'nowhere to go' (except the exit door when the auditioner shouts 'Next'!)

Rule No. 1 for playing style - there are no rules.

[quote name='Marky L' post='586674' date='Sep 1 2009, 05:18 PM']Maybe saying Leo was "wrong" wasn't quite the right word [/quote] Almost anything Leo did can be improved on over the years but you can't fault him in terms of coming up with one of the best sounding pickup configurations of all time - so many pro users suggest he got a lot right.

It's hard to say Leo made a mistake but your thinking in terms of tonal balance is sound. Yamaha made a P-bass type in the 70s with this feature (as well as a straight-through neck) and I rated it better than your average Precision.

A buzz on the open string can also indicate insufficient wrap around the post leaving the string to vibrate behind the nut - try holding it down between nut and post while you strike the open note and if this makes the buzz disappear your answer is to re-string leaving more wraps around the post or you may get away with simply holding the wrap-around low enough during re-tightening of the existing string.

Worth bearing in mind that the guy who plays on your actual recording is unlikely to play exactly the same version live - all the bands I've seen in recent times seem to have a 'live' arrangement of the numbers they made popular and no-one carps about it 'not being right'.

Yeah it's that loft thing again - J.E. wasn't known for smashing instruments or was he? That body - a Jazz from 1959? - I don't think so. Note the bridge pickup is in the 70s position. Steer clear unless of course you want a mongrel Jazz and the price stays low.

You may have mentioned 'Camping' and he has an automatic block on anything that has a double meaning. Did you say you only had a one-man tent and you would have to lie funny?

Just caught 'Behind a painted smile' on the old steam radio do we know for sure it's the man on bass? (also features one of the best snare sounds ever recorded)

I've measured 2.5mm, 4mm and 4.5mm - I would say that's high. But you see I use a man's bass (63 Precision), through a man's rig (G-K 1001 + 2x15) with man strings (La Bella flatwound 52 - 110) so it's not surprising that I end up with a lot of man action (Oh dear a double entendre on the Basschat forum, surely not?)

I reckon that fingerboard wood is macassar ebony (never heard it called tiger before). I owned an Alembic, ex-OX for a while and the specification included that type of wood but in a more even spread of stripe than the Warwick. I also still own an early Mighty Mite fretless Jazz neck with the same type fingerboard and it's an excellent surface for fretless playing (it cost £125, unfinished and NO side dots around 1979!)

Don't know much about Xmax (except it's still along way off isn't it?) but in the room the two 2x15s sounded about the same volume. "I use hydrogen not helium" Aw, shame, I was hoping a quick sniff of the cab would help me in hitting the high harmonies the band require.

Chipping in with my thoughts on the 2x15s as a man who has never really gone for the smaller speakers/cabs. The Barefaced Vintage was decidedly warmer than my Fender which is fitted with 2 ElectroVoice 15Ls - very toppy for 15s. I use my old Precision with La Bella flats so I begin with a relatively dull sound source and need that extra top end to project. The Barefaced was a match for it by increasing the treble at the pre-amp stage so I would quite happily gig one and achieve the right performance. The weight comparision was staggering. I always believed my cab was necessarily heavy to produce the right result - not so. Just wondering if Alex has any advice on what to do if and when the helium runs out of the Vintage - can it be readily replaced via the local balloon company?