Vibrating G String

[quote name='owen' post='795038' date='Apr 3 2010, 05:29 AM']+1 on the cheap bass. It appears that it IS all in the fingers.[/quote] Tone is cheap It's also especially nice to see a gospel player not using an overly ornate super expensive luxury item. Seems a bit more consistent with the gospel to me

[quote name='bubinga5' post='793983' date='Apr 1 2010, 07:20 PM']This guy is amazing..an unknown that poss plays for a church in the US..or maybe he plays thrash metal or country ...i know hes playing records he knows but what feel the guys got...on a fairly cheap Rouge LX..for me he has flawless groove.... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XyTKjtL65o&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XyTKjtL65o...feature=related[/url][/quote] Great video! And I love that he's doing it on a low end cheap bass.

Hmm, now I think I'm reading that quote wrong, is he saying lighter produces more fundamental and my reading skills are shot?

[quote name='ikay' post='792004' date='Mar 31 2010, 07:04 AM']Hmm, seems that my comments on lighter gauge strings above are completely wrong - so much for my ears [/quote] Well I can still be totally wrong, don't discount your ears yet My comments were geared more towards the breaking the laws of nature by claiming thicker strings have more overtones and more fundamental which I often hear. [quote]This article [url="http://www.tyquinn.com/2009/string-gauge/"]http://www.tyquinn.com/2009/string-gauge/[/url] explains it pretty well. It refers to six string guitars but the physics are the same[/quote] From the above link: [quote]HARMONIC CONTENT Another factor affecting your choice of string gauge has to do with the harmonic content of the string. Heavy strings need to be tighter than light strings for a given pitch, and its also the case that tighter strings produce stronger harmonics than lighter strings. Overall this means that heavier strings have a ‘brighter’, ‘clearer’, more ‘lively’ tone than lighter strings, which tend to produce more of the fundamental.[/quote] So here is an example of someone claiming thicker strings produce more harmonics [b]and[/b] more fundamental. Of course he gets around the mathematical impossibility by saying thicker means louder. But then there should be no reason to say it increases one part of the equation in the first place if it increases all parts. I've long considered science from musicians to be rather suspect If there are only harmonics and the fundamental, increasing the percentage of one must reduce the other. But anything that decreases fundamental is seen as bad and therefore doesn't happen in good gear choices.

[quote name='TGEvans' post='787134' date='Mar 26 2010, 09:17 AM']Looking to try out some new strings on my L2500. Thinking about a 40.60.80.100.120 set! At the moment im using 45.65.85.105.125. How much difference can the extra.5 make? Less bottom end? Any tips before I order some strings would be good, thanks. T.[/quote] Heavier tighter strings have more harmonic content is generally accepted. This would mean thinner softer strings have more fundamental but I find this obvious conclusion meets resistance since it would mean thicker strings have less fundamental. But the math is pretty simple I like thinner strings and find they have plenty of bottom. I do find they are less forgiving of playing them to hard whereas a thick string will let you bash away. My current fave set is DR Sunbeams 40-120 so if you put them on your G&L I would like it.

One thing I think makes expensive bases feel so much better is that as a general rule they are set up well with perfect fretwork. I've found most any decent quality bass can be made into a winner with a great setup, sometimes including a fretboard planing and refret in the extreme cases like my OLP. Now I would put my OLP's playability above many high end basses I've played. It's resale value not so much And since I've blacked out the logo some people think it's a real Ernie Ball and praise it as a high end bass.

I think you can get great basses for cheap. I have a Peavey and a Fernandes, both bought used for $250 each, that are much better than 2 of the very expensive brands mentioned in this thread judging by the ones I've personally owned. I'm of the school of thought that thinks "hand made" is synonymous with inconsistent. At the risk of being banned from the internet I'd suggest that the price of a bass tells you less about the quality and more about how cool it is.

[quote name='Tech' post='782332' date='Mar 21 2010, 07:07 PM']networking is key.[/quote] I thought I'd highlight this line. As unfair and impractical as it is you often get good gigs from friends, not by being better than the other guy. Sometimes many years after the networking. Business skills are very important to getting money from music. Few musicians take even a single business class or study the subject at all. And we're famous for blowing fortunes and burning bridges

[quote name='jamieariss' post='781374' date='Mar 21 2010, 02:00 AM']Hi im a student studying music and its now the time to make a desision on whether i will take it to a degree level or see sence and look for a different career path and just enjoy the wonders of music as a hobby Is it actually realistic to earn a sucure income from playing gigs and touring , (im not including teaching, setting up guitars ect.) im aware of the standards and effort required to be a succsesful musician too [/quote] Most talented musicians can't make a decent living off of performing. Those few that do are often playing in situations they don't like, lame music, kissing butt to big egos, living on a cruise ship or playing at an amusement park. Even those rarely make enough to have a family. It can be done but think of it more as making a living as an actor or in sports, it takes a lot of luck and it usually doesn't last for a full career. If you're not good at doing your own business and promo it's highly unlikely you'll have any success. If you love playing music now nothing can kill that faster than having to play for a job when you don't want to. I'd recommend keeping it as a hobby so it stays enjoyable and if you decide you're going to go for it make sure you can have something to fall back on if you find out you're not one of the lucky ones. Performers who do make it are often surprised that their dreams haven't become reality as touring gets dreary and thousands of people asking the same questions over and over can drive you nuts. Andy West of the Dixie Dregs gave up living off music and became an engineer. He says it's great not worrying about money and only doing music he truly enjoys without worrying about trying to sell it to pay for food and rent. That said there are dozens, even hundreds of musicians who make a living on music but it's hard work and you do need luck, hard work will not do it alone. That's what I think

Hmm, I thought I was in Off Topic. That might be a bit heady for General Bass Discussion

In my opinion almost nothing creates more fear and "terrorists" than increasing security. I think it happens subconsciously but when you create authority you create a tension in society that will find a release somehow. People charged with finding evil will always lower their standards until they find someone who fits. In this case it's writing a bad, scary word. Shortly after 9/11 someone on an airplane told a stewardess that another man on the plane was writing in Arabic. That was enough to get him taken off the plane at gunpoint in handcuffs, had his clothes cut off his body and was laid on the tarmac for the better part of an hour. The real terrorists got a victory, the scared masses felt at least we're doing something to stop those people so it's a win win all around, everyone's happy. Here's a classic study that addresses some of the psychology behind this sort of thinking, at least how I see it. [url="http://www.prisonexp.org/"]http://www.prisonexp.org/[/url]

I like the mix of styles of the big 3. J, P & MM

It is a bit hideous, and I also like the Soundgear design. I think the 2 string j pickup is pretty cute though

"the world’s first fret/fretless hybrid bass guitar" That's the same claim I've seen on every one of these hybrid monstrosities in the last 30 years I can't think of any musical situation where I'd want a 2 string fretless added on to a 4 string in a way that it gets in the way of the 4 string. I predict failure, and to be honest I'm rooting for it too

I have an OLP with an added P pickup, as mentioned the pickups in the traditional position overlap slightly so the P is a few MM closer to the neck than normal on mine but it sounds like a P. It's a fantastic combo and I would recommend it highly. Mixed sounds great too. If you took the covers off and maybe did a bit of bobbin shaving you can get the exact traditional placement though you wouldn't hear the difference. [attachment=44818:5.jpg]

[quote name='basshead56' post='773709' date='Mar 13 2010, 08:48 AM']I think the 70´s was a strange period for Precisions. Like any other decade in Fender producton (bar the current run, whch all seem fantastic), there are some gems and some turds![/quote] It seems to be one of the more polarized Fender times, and now that the price of them is going up fast I think we'll hear more about how great they are

[quote name='Beedster' post='773169' date='Mar 12 2010, 01:15 PM']You see very few 1970 Fenders on the market. Loads of '69s and '71s, very few 70's. Does this mean that they produced fewer, or that those they produced were very good and the owners won't sell. Or did Fender simply not have any stamps for 1970 [/quote] From what I understand Fender stamped parts as they were made and never dated an instrument based on it's completion date. So if they made 10 months worth of necks in November 1969 we could see very few dated 1970 even if a ton of basses were finished in that year. Dating a Fender to an exact year isn't really possible. Also they didn't clear out all the old wood and parts at Xmas and start fresh each New Years so I've always felt describing certain attributes to a single year or period is inaccurate. Fender also never issued serials #'s consecutively so one mans 72 may have been made months after someone else's 73. I think you can only date the parts and any date on the instrument is just a good estimate. I've heard of up to a 2 year spread in parts dates in a single instrument. I always recommend saving the money on the label and using it to have a top notch fret job and setup on one you like the looks and sound of.

What are the best years also changes in what year you ask. In the '80's 1966 through the '70's was utter crap and all the experts knew it. The MIJ basses were also the bottom of the heap. The basses haven't changed but the expert opinions have changed greatly. I think you have to judge them as individuals and only use the year to find the features & look you prefer. The best "Fenders" I've ever owned were copies made by Tokai and Fernandes.

If you're willing to pull one out the numbers on the back will tell you for sure. All Barts have blades instead of poles so a 4 version will work fine if it's wide enough with the exception of a split coil humbucker which on a 4 version would have the split right under the A string.

Right at 4:40

These two are keeping me happy for now. [attachment=43864:Jays.jpg]

Sherwood green, matching headstock, rosewood fingerboard and a slightly mint pickguard. Or the same bass in LPB, seafoam green, silver, CAR, ice blue, or many other car paint colors. I'm not really a pre CBS fan but I love the look

[quote name='BB2000' post='733644' date='Feb 2 2010, 03:54 PM']In addition very heavy (cheap) ash was often used for ash bodies at this time, instead of the expensive swamp ash used earlier (14lb jazz basses are not unknown).[/quote] Swamp ash or punk ash as it was called back then was the undesirable stuff the cabinet makers would not use because it would not hold screws sell. Leo was the king of the cheap substitute, it's the basis for the entire company. Now that the old ones have achieved a price in the thousands those that own them have been revising history to say punk ash was chosen for quality reasons. Leo always bought the cheapest stuff he could get away with and punk ash was the choice on cost only. Much more wood is used in cabinetry than guitar building and that industry set the standards no matter what the mojo peddlers say. Some of the more hyperbolic of the wood revisionists will claim swamp ash grows underwater and this gives it its special qualities. Carvin for example [url="http://www.carvinguitars.com/colorwoodguide/"]http://www.carvinguitars.com/colorwoodguide/[/url] but if you leave the guitar world and talk to woodworkers you'll learn it's just the cheap stuff they don't want to use. [quote name='chris_b' post='734179' date='Feb 3 2010, 08:11 AM']Quality issues weren’t unknown before the 70's. In the 60's Leo's pre CBS Fender basses were always reported to be better than CBS Fender's, even though Leo could cut corners with the best of them.[/quote]In an interview Leo himself said guitar quality improved at Fender after selling to CBS. But why take the word of a non musician non luthier in the first place One thing that gave a bad rap for the '70's basses IMO was the move to maple fingerboards (another cost saving function which is now an upcharge for many builders) which would be sprayed with a thick finish leaving plastic on the frets that would wear in a rather ugly way as it wore through to the frets. Add the block inlays with the finish sagging and dripping all over the place and the '70's will look like they are inferior, and therefore sound inferior to many. One thing that's odd is that through the '80's the '70's and late '60's were well known as the worst Fenders around, then we had Marcus Miller and things changed

Ralphe Armstrong with Jean Luc Ponty. The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea and Egocentric Molecules

Melvyns book is great, some of the other books out there are not so good. Also download the catalog from Luthiers Mercantile, it has a lot of good info in it. [url="http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/CATALOG.asp"]http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/CATALOG.asp[/url] Gluing and Clamping from Patrick Speilman is pretty good also though it's just on gluing and clamping. [url="http://www.amazon.com/Gluing-Clamping-Woodworkers-Patrick-Spielman/dp/0806962747"]http://www.amazon.com/Gluing-Clamping-Wood...n/dp/0806962747[/url]