EssentialTension

[quote name='neepheid' post='1237871' date='May 20 2011, 10:37 AM']I had a DeArmond Starfire for a while (Korean made reissue of Guild) - I quite liked it, but in the end the short scale made it feel a bit weird to me. It had a nice woody tone to it and was nice to play. I took it on as a repair job (the fingerboard was coming away from the neck) and while I successfully repaired that with a glue injection and a good clamping in the end I sold it on as I just wasn't playing it enough....[/quote] That DeArmond Starfire with the fingerboard/neck issue was mine at one time. When it was with me it was sporting Hammon Dark Star pickups and was thunderous. I did a lot of gigs with a 60s covers band using it and enjoyed it very much. Definitely short scale though.

Very nice Jack.

[quote name='slobluesine' post='1235986' date='May 18 2011, 05:10 PM']Guild or Hagstrom pups?[/quote] It's a Mark I with Hagstroms but the bridge pickup has been replaced with a Guild humbucker. Sale thread is here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=136547"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=136547[/url]

PM sent.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1235822' date='May 18 2011, 03:18 PM']is he singing his opinion of Fenders??[/quote] I couldn't figure that one out either.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='1234846' date='May 17 2011, 08:35 PM']Fair enough! I hate messing with amps, hence my main rig has essentially no EQ and just a volume knob. And it's totally clean however you set that. But with a 2 or 3 band EQ, how hard is it to turn the bass knob up if it sounds thin, down if it sounds boomy, turn the treble knob up if it sounds dull, down if it sounds too bright, and turn the mids up if it sounds too mellow, down if it sounds too aggressive? It isn't exactly rocket science and could mean there are a lot more amps to choose from, not just the few whose default curve happens to suit you, your bass and your cab.[/quote] I do turn things up or down if I feel I need to and I don't need a lot more amps to choose from.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='1234647' date='May 17 2011, 06:03 PM']But what is flat?[/quote] Without having to spend time messing with it, with the knobs in the middle position. (I know that's not the physics answer but it's what I meant, and what I do)

Flat - then adjust for the room I'm in if necessary. If an amp doesn't sound good flat then I wouldn't want it.

Oh dear here we go again. Anyway, I'll say it, Fender Precision with flatwound strings. It's all you need.

I think you'll find that if it isn't packed properly then the insurance won't cover it - it will be in the small print of the contract.

I did one last October. Asked to stand in at about 8.40pm and on stage at 9.00pm. I vaguely knew some of the songs but it was very nerve-racking and there were plenty of mistakes but we got through and the band got booked back.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1233651' date='May 16 2011, 09:19 PM']Just about to chuck a new set of La Bella flats on my Sterling but I've a niggling feeling that I've heard that there is something about the mass of the big heavy flats and the power/magnet construction of the Sterling pup that makes it a bad mix; anyone have any experience? I accept that tone is subjective so I'm not on about flats v rounds or one brand v another, it's a simple case of is there a reason why they shouldn't work together and does anyone run a Sterling with big flats on it? [/quote] I know nothing about Sterlings but I can't see that problem. If the magnet was so powerful that it prevented the string from vibrating then lower the pickup. Anyway, you could try La Bella 760FL (light guage) or even 760FX (extra light).

[quote name='Eight' post='1233512' date='May 16 2011, 07:44 PM']I suppose it depends on what you run through it - but I was quite impressed at the time. Haven't used it for ages since I prefer to do things the hard way for practice/training.[/quote] You might be correct that it depends what you run through it - I was probably expecting too much.

[quote name='Eight' post='1233144' date='May 16 2011, 03:22 PM']Lol. Kinda. Digital Music Mentor actually works surprisingly well. [url="http://www.sienzo.com/"]http://www.sienzo.com/[/url][/quote] I had a copy of Digital Music Mentor a couple of years ago. I thought it was fairly useless.

Yeah no problem doing BEAD. The tension is as likely to be less as more. Your problem if any is the nut slots being big enough.

Try this website: [url="http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/"]http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/[/url] But also Basschatter Happy Jack will be along soon to sort you out.

I'd be very surprised if I could tell the difference in a blind test but I still prefer rosewood because for me it's looks better when I'm not blind.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1231328' date='May 14 2011, 08:05 PM']So I only have to wait 31 years for them to soften up and become matte - thats alright then![/quote] It looks like there may be a market for reliced strings.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1231192' date='May 14 2011, 06:15 PM']IME it doesn't matter what people say about strings the only way you can find out what suits you is to try them on your bass for yourself. Even a load of positive recommendations from others doesn't mean that you are going to like the sound or feel. As I've said before on similar threads DR strings get a lot of love here so I went out and bought several different sets to see what all the fuss was about. None of them suited me or the basses I put them on. To me they sounded dull and both the E and low B felt sloppy.[/quote] I agree. There's no substitute for trying them out on the bass and playing the material.

[quote name='Hector' post='1231058' date='May 14 2011, 03:57 PM']Hi all. Changed the strings on my jazz bass recently to a lighter gauge than I usually have, as an experiment. I quite like them, but they're a bit too thin for the slots in the nut. Can this affect my tone? I feel like they buzz a bit, but that could be just cause the strings are bright and new (I'm used to playing old super-dead strings). If it is a problem, is there a simple fix, like padding the nut with some material? H[/quote] Is the buzz really in the nut slot? If you are fretting a note then the nut slot doesn't really come into it. If you've changed to lighter guage strings you may need to tweak the truss rod a little to get the action right and avoid buzzing. Maybe adjust the bridge saddles too.