JohnH89

5 hours ago, rwillett said:

Thanks very much, keep hold of the vaneer for the moment. I'm going to focus on getting it built and working. Fripperies such as veneer backed headstocks are way down the list. It will work and sound fine without the walnet backing or I hope it will.

 

Agreed . I don't have enough to do a whole headstock left anyway . Lets get on with the proof of concept idea first . Crack on mate . I'm waiting with bated breath ....

Here is the guy I bought it from  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183424553423?var=691735066632

When the time comes ....

I'd come up and do it for ya but I'm at the other end of the country mate . I'll have a look and see if I have any of the walnut veneer left . If I have I'll send it up . 😁 . It will be my small contribution to your most excellent project . When I needed bushes for some hipshot ultralites , I used some carbon fibre tubing . I was lucky that I found some with the right ID/OD .

Bison wax is expensive but I have it in the workshop . Furniture wax / beeswax or something similar is fine .

I am sure that you could print a laminate in plastic , already shaped and with holes for the machine heads . Or even with the reducing bushes as part of it . Glue , clamp , job done . Even put a logo of your choice on the back of the headstock . Just a thought .

9 hours ago, rwillett said:

 

Now that is a good idea. Didn't think of that. is that a wood laminate or something else (I have no idea what else it could be). Is it easy to apply? The front of the headstock is fine, its the back that I want to cover up.

 

Just looked at the back and it's very flat and might be easy to do (for some value of the word easy).

 

Let me know what you did to get that lovely finish please.

 

Between the two of us, you're fine with wood and metal, and I'm find with computer/CAD we might make a complete artist

 

Rob

That is walnut veneer . 0.6mm thick and bought (I think) from ebay . Wrapped it in a towel soaked with hot water to soften it for a minute or so Cut roughly to size and glued up with PVA wood glue . Clamped solidly and left to cure . Trimmed and finished with with hand tools ( scalpel and files ) and finished with black bison wax . The secret is not rushing it and working out how to clamp it solidly . Easier on the back of the headstock as no curves and no truss rod access . Veneer available in all sorts of woods to match your neck . I am guessing maple ?

1 hour ago, rwillett said:

Any suggestions as to handle the colour difference welcomed.

Laminate ? Heres one I did in walnut to match the body . Looking good so far mate . It confuses me just looking at it . I'm fine with wood and metal but the whole computer/CAD thing is for my next life I think 😁

1 hour ago, thebrig said:

The Yamaha DBR 12`s are on my shortlist so can you update when you get to use them with your band please?

Cheers.

Likewise . 

Perception of tone changes over time . The bass sounds the same as it ever did but you hear it differently . The sound of my bass changes enormously depending on the room or environment I am playing in . I have played gigs in the same place on multiple occasions with the same equipment and had to change EQ settings . Never had any complaints so don't overthink it and just get out and play . 👍

5 hours ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

After years of rugby and general wear and tear I have shoulder and lower back problems and struggle with anything over 8.5lbs. 
 

I’ve fallen in love with many a bass over 9lbs, taken it home and thought “this time it will be different”. It never is and after much soul-searching and disappointment they’ve been moved on because I just can’t manage them without causing issues. 
 

 

Played rugby as a no8/second row for 27 years . That and 38 years of mainly manual labour means everything I do causes pain . I got used to it and at least playing any bass gives me a huge amount of pleasure . Even the Paving slab P bass . 😁

My slab bodied fretless P bass has a custom body from baseball bat ash . It weighs the far side of 12lb . I love it . I appreciate it is not to everyones taste but I have no problem with it .

I have 2 fretlesses and a Jack Casady bass all strung with Roto88s . Love em 😁

I bought mine new over a year ago . Fit and finish are superb . Strung it with Labella original 54s and it sounds killer . 60/40 towards the P pickup and treble rolled off  . It instantly became my no1 bass and gets more play time than all the others put together . It is the only bass I have ever had that has stayed as it left the factory . Says it all really .

Anyone using one of these ? I bought a couple of the piezo ones to put 2 acoustic guitars without preamps through the mixer . Astounded by the clear sound of them . Input impedance of 7.5 gigaohms and a 3db gain . Have just ordered another of the non piezo ones with impedance of 1G and 3db gain for the bass to replace a cheap DI . Can be stashed in a pocket of the gig bag as it is the size of a small cigarette lighter . Runs on 48v phantom power . Best purchase of gear for a long while for me .

I'm a long term Roto fan . Swingbass 66 are good all round roundwounds . Jazz bass 77s are really quite a high tension and stiff string , that are a lot brighter than most flats , especially when new . Not to everyones taste as a look on here will show you , but I am a fan and have a Yamaha BB734 strung BEAD with them . Good luck

I'm going to second the recommendation of a Sire P5R . Light , simple , great sound and not too expensive . I bought mine as a backup to cover all bases , and it now gets played more than most of the others . A truly versatile bass .

The point the previous poster was trying to make , I think , is that the backing track is recorded , and hence not live . I have never used backing tracks . I wouldn't know how to . No criticism is meant . And it sounds like it is already more hassle than it is worth . Just my opinion . 👍

1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

Works for Steve harris

I just use  cheap adagio off eBay 

Roto 77s then . Got a set on a Yamaha BB734 tuned BEAD . Bright for flats with a great bottom end .

My lovely BB734 has been sitting mostly idle since the purchase of a Sire P5R 5 string that was required for a few songs . Whilst the Sire is a fine instrument , I love my BB . It is now back . Strung BEAD  with Roto 77s to get the low C and D . It is magnificent . Played at a rehersal tonight through a TC BQ250 with a 112 cab . Everything that was required and a bit more besides . Back to my no1 .

11 hours ago, MrDinsdale said:

Well another update, the BB734 is incredible.

 

Pretty much just using it in passive mode currently as active seems like a waste of battery when I’m using it flat anyways. It’s nice to have an active preamp that sounds identical when flat to when bypassed too.

 

Action isn’t quite as low as I’d like it but still pretty good, better than my Schecter P4. Fret work is great and I actually don’t mind the fretboard radius despise all my other basses being very flat in comparison.

 

While the painted neck feels great I’m still not onboard with the look but gonna give it some time before I make a rash decision.

 

Very happy overall, just wish I’d got one sooner and saved myself some time and money!

I'm with you on The BB734 . Mine was not getting the playtime it deserved since I got a 5 string Sire P5R for a few tunes we play . BB is now back strung BEAD with Roto 77s . It will be back as my #1...

5 minutes ago, Raslee said:

 

Does the BB734A have a passive tone option like the 1100? 

Yep . Flick the active/passive switch and use the treble cut .

Flats and tapes man through and through . 5 Basses , 2 fretless , Roto 88s , TI jazz flats and Labella originals . But life would be very boring if we all liked the same things . The bass is a wonderfully diverse instrument .

4 hours ago, Yan_Huriey said:

UPDATE...put those Rotosound flats on my P bass, I've got to say, I'm liking them a lot.  Neck may or may not need shimming to counteract the tension, too early to tell, love the feel of them, loving the sound. Thank you everyone for the advice.  I might put flats on another bass now.

A tweak on the truss rod may be required . No need for shim if action was OK before .

There is no gain control . It should work fine with active or passive basses . Are you sure the problem is with the amp and not the bass ? Try the passive bass through another amp to rule out problems with the bass .

3 hours ago, spongebob said:

Dropped the stuff in there this morning....now I wait.....🥵

It'll be fine mate . 🙂

Can't help you on the cost being a DIY man when it comes to instruments . Option 3 for me . I have done 2 now . Plane board off , make new unlined board . Set up . Sounds easier rhan it is but not beyond the reach of someone who is handy with tools . First board was made of Richlite which I absolutely love . Second one was a P bass with a cheap neck that I made a board from a piece of unknown hardwood (sapele?) . Very happy with both . 

I originally did this due to the sparseness of unlined fretless options . 

In my heavy handed butchers way of doing things , the original board had the frets pulled and the board taken off with a power plane . 

1 hour ago, spongebob said:

Just spoken to them, going to take the stuff in this week. 👍

Tim at East street is a star . A true gent to deal with .