EssentialTension

Ed Friedland playing the Lakin Precision and Jazz ... [media]http://youtu.be/OGtVl_USw6s[/media] [media]http://youtu.be/rx1JohQXBSk[/media]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1407950582' post='2525680'] Ed Friedland makes everything sound good. He also tends to make everything sound like Ed Friedland so I've stopped listening to his demos as they have little relevance for what I'll discover when I play the instrument in question myself. [/quote] Yep. I agree.

It does sound good when Ed Friedland plays it ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsuiVj3B9E0

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1407778052' post='2523942'] I was keen until I played one in GAK about 3 years ago and then I lost interest but I don't recall why. [/quote] I found what I said '3 years ago' .... [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1298383014' post='1137100'] I played a fretted Zenith today in GAK. I was disappointed. Body finish looked nice but I was less keen on the feel of the neck - had a cheapish feel to it, whatever that means, but sort of reminded me of 60s and early 70s Japanese stuff. I played through a Markbass combo and at first was suffering from some crackling/rattling - I wasn't sure whether it was the combo, the bass socket, or the lead but either way it didn't help - but seemed to right itself after a while. The action wasn't bad but I think many people would want it a little lower which, with no bridge adjustment other than filing down the saddle, would probably mean a neck shim. Sound was pleasant enough but the difference between the magnetic and piezo pickups was less than I'd hoped given that having those two options available would be my reason for buying the bass. The feel of the pots was feeble and I suspect the electronics are the real weak spot of the bass. The blend control seemed to run quite unsmoothly from piezo to mag and back. I'll be going back to try out the fretless version when they have one but my experience moved me from 'maybe a fretless Zenith would be nice' to 'I doubt if I would buy a Zenith'. [/quote] I never did go back and try a fretless version and I am sure I would prefer the fretless and some flatwound strings but as you can see I wasn't impressed.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1407945047' post='2525608'] Its because on *some* guitars---with a steep headstock angle---having the strings at full tension can make it (the headstock) more likely to snap. I suspect its more likely to be a problem with Gibson style 6-strings like Les Pauls and SGs that have notoriously fragile headstocks. Even then I'd probably only loosen them a step or two. Most bass guitars would be OK I reckon. [/quote] OK, I get your point ... although I'm not sure I am convinced that it's the string tension that's breaking (for example) Gibson headstocks. My son broke the headstock on his Epiphone Casino by falling over drunk on the way home from a gig. I don't think loosening the strings would have made any difference. Anyway, it's stronger now that it has been fixed.

[quote name='geofio' timestamp='1407175368' post='2518085'] ... remember to loosen the strings so there is less tension on the neck for transit. [/quote] I don't get this and I would always have the bass tuned normally for transit. If you loosen the strings then the tension of the truss rod is no longer balanced by the string tension and I can't see how that is in any way advantageous.

TI Jazz Rounds

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1407781538' post='2523995'] If you see Peter Noone, give him a slap for I`m Henry the Eigth I Am . That was truely awful. ... [/quote] Not awful but just music hall or what was referred to above as vaudeville. My grandfather used to sing Henery the Eighth to me when I was a child in the 1950s - originally Harry Champion circa 1911.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1407774285' post='2523872'] Just curious about the Zenith bass as IMHO they look really nice. There aren't many threads on them here. Mostly for sale or wanted threads. I'm not going to be buying one, but am curious about what they are like. Does anyone have one? If so, what do you think of this bass? [/quote] I was keen until I played one in GAK about 3 years ago and then I lost interest but I don't recall why.

Doesn't look real.

Very nice.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1406977744' post='2516381'] Fingers crossed you never have to claim for a damaged instrument . [/quote] That would be a standard and normal risk but, anyway, the money I've saved over the years not insuring instruments will easily cover any future losses. The point of course is that whichever courier you can name there's good and bad stories about all of them.

Well, he claimed to have rung the bell but we were too clever for him and Mrs ET caught the DPD man as he was about to drive off and forced him to collect our parcel. So, no thanks to DPD.

Regular 4-stringer here but I did have a G&L 2500 briefly. Excellent bass but I really didn't get on with the narrow (to me) string spacing,

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1406208201' post='2509325'] I've had things delivered by DPD, they do seem to be rather good, it's nice to know when to expect them, they send a text message on the day of delivery giving a time frame of when to expect them, you can change this if it's not suitable. [/quote] See my story about DPD above. No message, no collection, no service. [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1406208201' post='2509325'] Don't use Parcelforce, as mentioned earlier, they'll take your money for the insurance, but they don't cover musical instruments. [/quote] I've used Parcelforce many times and never had any problem except one late delivery for which I got my money back.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1406225930' post='2509590'] I have had a good few dealings with DPD recently I have to say I have been impressed with their service and their excellent communication, I have not had anything go wrong so far so I don't know how they would be with a claim [/quote] I've had nothing but bad experiences with DPD and another bad experience today. I spent 40 minutes on the phone to them yesterday trying to arrange the collection of a computer for service. Eventually got a booking for a collection between 09.00 and 17.30 today. I sat in the front room all day. They didn't turn up. Except they claim they had tried to collect. Booked again for tomorrow. I'll let you know if they bother to turn up this time.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1406818832' post='2515004'] What is it (link on my computer doesn't even show an image, let alone play any video)? [/quote] Search 'Daniel Romeo - Getting Into The Details' at YouTube

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1406442811' post='2511440'] Love their take on "long time gone" [/quote] Ditto ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGv3Wswe0U0

They want 'attitude' but not 'bad attitude', which makes me think they haven't actually read what they've written... ... and the 'Absolutely no smokers of any kind' makes me want to get the job, learn all the songs, and then turn up at the first gig with a very large spliff on the go ... but then I guess I must have a bad attitude.

[quote name='Pixiechick23' timestamp='1406217067' post='2509435'] As this is already a post on strings, I'm just gonna be cheeky and tag onto it rather than make a whole new post. I need to restring my Tanglewood, badly [it's buzzing when I play cause the strings are so old] and was after some Rotosound jazz strings. Are they flexible or pretty stiff? I've never used them but I'm pretty sure the strings I have on now are Rotosound, just not the jazz ones. When they're not old they sound great but they're a little stiff, I'm after something with a little more bend to it if that makes sense? [/quote] Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 strings are high tension (i.e. stiff) monel flatwounds. Is that what you mean? What makes you think old strings cause buzz?

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1406231734' post='2509666'] Mark Kermode - don't know the name but is double bass player in a skiffle/rockabilly band [/quote] The Dodge Brothers ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7k2DJ7y9Y

You learn most from someone who knows what they are talking about, even though you do not always agree with them. You learn least from someone who does not know what they are talking about, even when you always agree with them.

I like the green pearl pickguard and in those pictures the neck looks rather slender.

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1405885922' post='2506180'] ... The only way I can do it is to play twice on the fifth instead of fifth-root... [/quote] You can make it easier some of the time by playing the root note as an open string.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTpL-lVhXkM