cameltoe

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1401012956' post='2459009'] Reason for asking who was playing was because I really, really disliked this and didn't want to offend anyone here Nathan East's original part sits perfectly in the song and is one of my favourite disco/pop bass lines in recent years. The vid version above is, to my ears, just horribly overplayed and doesn't work at all. I can understand the reason for playing like this and appreciate the technique but this is exactly the sort of playing that would not get the job if played at an audition. Or maybe I'm just getting old [/quote] I have to agree I'm afraid. It completely changed the feel of the song, and not for the better. Also, apart from chucking a bit of slap in, he didn't vary his line like I was expecting? Anyway, I'm off to learn it....

Just to throw them in the mix, JBL Eon 515's are within your budget, no idea how well they perform but we have the Eon18" subs and they are good sounding units and light. No issues so far either. DB technologies I have heard good things about in general and they do a 15" Active from their Opera series, under £400 each too.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1401013876' post='2459032'] Mackie subs aren't good... IME and QC took a hit and I am not sure they have recovered. [/quote] Yes I've heard bad things about the newer Mackie subs, but the older stuff is good. we have an SWA1501 and it's fantastic for its size. Really kicks. Bit heavy though. Up for sale now and will be in the FS section soon once I get round to it.

Mackie SRM450's are best bang for buck IMO. We had a set of the Thumps for FOH before and like you say, they are very underpowered. We use them for foldback now. SRM450's are a massive step up in quality and power. Second hand prices seem to be favourable. They kick quite well too, so if you don't use a Sub you can still get a bit of punch from them (something to do with Mackie's internal time correction technology- similar to a sonic enhancer if you ever used one). We use the V2's and (fingers crossed) have not had any reliability issues in 3 years of constant gigging. I think they are rated are 400w but that's RMS- they are a very loud speaker. Always plenty on ebay if you want to save some money and Thomann and whybuynew.com always seem to have B stock items lying around with a substantial discount. p.s- the 400w quoted by the Thump I think is peak power- they are 200w RMS IIRC. Same as the EV and Alto you mentioned- that will likely be peak figures and as you say, means very little.

Well, I only play Precisions, and new strings sound horrible on a P to me. It takes a couple of gigs for them to settle down. That's on a maple neck mind. To my ears, strings do seem to lose that 'Punch' from a Precision eventually though, and ultimately I have to replace. This usually happens before they lose the ability to stay in tune. DR Sunbeams seem to stay in the 'sweetspot' longer than other brands for me, and I can keep them on longer. I just put a set of Thomastik's back on my JV (which are a year old but only played 10 times max) but unfortunately the E and A strings seem to have developed completely different tonal characteristics to the D and G since they've been int the cupboard. The E and A have the deep Jamerson thump while the D and G sound overly bright in comparison. Maybe a soak in meths might help? If someone wants them send me a PM. Just ordered my first set of EXP D'addario's so looking forward to trying the coated thing to see if that floats my boat.

My wizard thumpers were awesome, just enough grind for grit and clarity but not pop-punk-Quarter Pounder type grind. Kept the Precision punch.

Nice work. Yes, plenty of others out there find a P bass just 'fits', myself included. Doesn't stop the GAS though, however I've never found anything I like as much as a good P, and ultimately anything else eventually gets sold/traded to fund another P bass. Agree with the pick guard swap, to me white/black only works with a maple neck, and even then it looks better gold as per '57.

[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1393256240' post='2377825'] I had exactly the same on a £50 Jazz copy I foolishly bought from Ebay. It seems they always snap when they are almost right? [/quote] Yep, mine was playable, the action was good but not perfect. Getting it perfect was what caused the break! I'm of the conclusion mine was bottoming out as any adjustment only lasted a few hours before it went back to how it was before. It was very hard to turn as well. In hindsight I reckon this was the rod twisting and untwisting itself.

Cheers all! It's playing sweet now- better than before. Truss is settling in nicely now and hasn't budged since last adjustment. Just need to make a neat job of plugging the walnut dowel back in now! Great basses!

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1393100973' post='2376280'] Great result, and good method. Leo always made things simple, to allow any repair to be carried out quickly, once you have the replacement parts of course. Another great bass saved. Good work fella!! [/quote] Thanks dude, I always figured that would be the case, but spoke to many luthiers most of whom suggested binning the neck, and the advice on here was similar. Seems most have never tried to replace a truss. With a bit of determination, it can be done. With te one-piece maple neck 'vintage' style, it's even easier, as the truss is able to just slide out the way it came. Surprising how little info is on the web about this though.

I've posted a couple of threads on here since I picked up my JV4**** P bass back in December, mainly how about on 3rd January, the unthinkable happened and the truss snapped. Before i'd even rehearsed with it. Well I can now report it seems to be fixed! A lot of brute force, research, and luck has gone in, but the neck now appears to be mended. After the truss snapped, I initially did some research and thought the stewmac truss repair kit would work. After a recommendation on here, I sent the neck to London to luthier Graham Parker. Unfortunately the kit didn't work- the truss metal was very poor and kept stripping the thread.(he very kindly did not charge me for this- unbelievable service!) I received the neck back thinking it was game over. Decided to see what I could achieve myself, and set about googling like mad to see how these truss rods work. Turns out they were pushed in through the headstock, so I decided to see if it would come out that way. Drilled the walnut plug out and used a nail punch to hammer the broken truss out from the heel end- this wasn't easy, but eventually it came all the way out, with the help of some molegrips. Took the broken truss to a local engineer who made me a copy, with a threaded anchor and the correct heel thread. Had to add a couple of spot welds to the anchor as this was slightly too small and would not have held firm in the headstock. Tonight, it has been bashed in to the empty neck, and is now adjusting quite brilliantly. I've had to add a spacer to the heel end as it was bottoming out at first as the rod was a touch too long, but it's now working great! I've set it up very roughly- now going to let it all settle for a while before I get the relief perfect, but the truss is working great. Total cost? Set of nail punches (£5) Paint scraper to remove poly neatly from walnut headstock plug (£3) New truss (£10) New truss nut (£6) I also have to factor in the cost of sending the bass to Graham Parker (and return) at £11 each way. Only damage is a few nicks on the headstock, the walnut plug (which I will replace) and the slightly enlarged truss nut cavity- this is bored out slightly wider for the stew-mac kit to cut a new thread. All being well, with a bit of care and attention the new walnut plug should touch up Ok, then it's good as new. Very happy tonight!

Right guys, well I posted the neck away to Graham Parker, who had one of the stewmac truss rod rescue kits. Unfortuntely, it was not able to work. It cut the new thread just fine, but the thread stripped every time he attempted to fit the nut. He could only attribute this to very poor steel. Graham very kindly did not charge me at all for this, which I think is beyond fantastic service, and I will be giving him exceptionally good feedback on the luthiers corner section. I've received the neck back, and determined not to give up, this afternoon I attempted to remove the truss myself. I used a fine paint scraper to remove the thick poly from the walnut plug on the headstock, and then attempted to steam the plug to loosen the glue, and hopefully remove it. This didn't work, and almost caused a fire in my kitchen, so plan B was to drill the walnut plug out. I drilled slowly, and used a very thin flat-head screwdriver as a make shift chisel to remove material. When I thought I had removed enough, and could see the truss anchor, I used a 3/16" nail punch to hammer the truss rod out from the heel end. It started to pop out, and needed a bit of persuasion with a pair of molegrips, but eventually I got the whole thing out through the headstock, with the skunk stripe intact. The only collateral damage so far is the walnut plug, a couple of small scratches to the headstock finish, and the deeper hole in the heel end that Graham had to drill to tap the new thread. I have looked everywhere for a replacement, and can't find one anywhere. Stewmac have the replacement for the 2-piece neck (square anchor) and the heel anchor, headstock adjustment truss, but not the round-anchor type that I have. Allparts UK sell the round-anchor vintage type for guitar, but not for bass! I cannot reuse my anchor as it has welded itself to the truss and cannot be removed. Currently waiting to see if Allparts can supply the kit i need for bass, if not I will have to DIY the replacement truss. Hopefully the hardest part is over and I will be able to salvage this neck.

My parents could only afford an Amstrad

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1389563171' post='2335624'] I'm going to live with it and see how I go. [/quote] Nothing wrong with that. I had a Wizard Thumper fitted to a P before that I loved. Nice and grindy, but only when digging in.

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1389560252' post='2335582'] My preferred action is the lowest possible; some people have called my basses 'unplayably low'. I've not tweaked mine much - think your experience was bad luck. The pickup, I need more time to decide - I'd like a more mellow tone from a p-bass, and to be fair that's not Nate Mendel's style. [/quote] My preferred action is the lowest possible too. I play with a very light touch, and I find I can control tone and muting better this way. The lower the better. The pickup- yes, maybe more Nate, but not my style.I wouldn't ever buy this bass on the basis it was Nate's model though, as I hate the Foos. I'd prefer if it was just a 70's Roadworn! I'd chuck a SPB1 in.

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1389384523' post='2333791'] I had a 64 relic custom shop jazz. Best bass I've ever owned, gutted it had to go. I've now got a Nate Mendel. Both were purchased on their merits as basses, not as 'pre worn' instruments. It doesn't bother me either way; it's not exactly a new idea - it shocks me that people get so bothered about it. My stingray classic is pristine, and will be staying that way. [/quote] Can you get the action down nice and low on the NM with the Badass? The one I tried the action was sky-high and there didn't seem to be much room left on the bridge. That's the problem when fender and the like slap these fancy-pants bridges on- they don't usually make any allowances for the fact they sit much higher up on the body. Maybe I had a bad one though- it wasn't overly light either, so it wasn't coming home with me that day. I would like to try a well set up, light example as they are being very well reviewed and they seem to tick all the boxes for me. Might be tempted to change out the SPB3 though. The relic job looked great as far as I was concerned and much better than my Road Worn precision. Subtle and believable wear.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1389373786' post='2333564'] Those Fender Roadworn basses are very nice and very playable , but for some reason Fender have quietly changed how they make them recently. They have started using much heavier wood for them. [/quote] Yes I've noticed that with one I picked up a few months back. It was a 2012 Precision. Heavier with slightly less wear than my 2008 Precision and the neck felt less worn-in to play.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1389371041' post='2333511'] Brunette? That was the pre-Titmuss era avatar , Jane Hill ( BBC news). I love her. [/quote] Susannah Reid every time.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1389298932' post='2332637'] when i was buying a stingray ... had been erm refinished in what looked like mg mgb dashboard crackle finish.... [/quote] Sounds like the standard finish on a USA MM SUB!

I like the look of bravewoods too though, have to say it!

Warm. I'm a Road Worn owner, but was dead against the idea when I bought it. I had played it previously- loved the way it felt but hated the way it looked, so I asked the shopkeeper to order in a couple MIM '50's reissues, thinking it would be an un-Roadworn version of the same bass. It wasn't the same. Not even close. So I walked away with the one that felt best and looked worst (I really wanted the honey blonde!) You may not be a fan of Fender Road Worn appearance, but they are so damn comfortable you won't believe. Genuine wear is very cool, especially if you owned it since new.

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1389219081' post='2331638'] No need to be so touchy. These were budget basses in their day. [/quote] Who's touchy? I'm not! I understand they were conceived as the budget line to the American fenders, to enable Fender to take on the cheaper but very well made Tokai's. Made to a price point that I've seen argued as anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 what the US models were retailing at. That's not important to me- I traded a Silver Series Jazz against this that had one of the nicest necks I've played. Budget or not it's how it feels in your hands. My MIM Road Worn is essentially a budget version of what the custom shop puts out, but I defy anybody not to be blown away by that bass. I'm just hopeful I can sort it out, and get it playing again.

Budget or no budget it's still better than USA precisions I've owned- although it's not been playable long enough to really get to know it! Thanks for the trolling though!