bigjohn

[quote name='bremen' post='328425' date='Nov 13 2008, 03:25 PM']Is that you applying for the research grant then? OK, I'll put in a quid if you try disconnecting all the wiring associated with the J pup and comparing the basses. I have a Wizard J pup that I *might* put in my FrankenP but I'm wary about disturbing its P-ness. tee hee, I said P-ness ps Who's that in your avatar, Tee? Looks like a right yob ;-)[/quote] I'm going to have a good look at the wiring in my PJ anyway at some point, there's a bit of a crackle, and I was gonna change the cap. I was also thinking about wiring it with some concentric pots in a VT/VT/master vol, but have read you can lose output with em so I've bottled it a bit! although I have the parts... Would be an ideal time to see if disconnecting the J pickup increases it's P-ness.

[quote name='bremen' post='328388' date='Nov 13 2008, 02:36 PM']Why do you think this would be? Could it be the magnetic effect of the second pickup on the strings? Surely cutting the recess for the pickup wouldn't make that much difference? Mine was never 'just' a P to start with, actually it's a Warmoth 'dinky P' so it's hard to say whether it'd sound like a P without the J. Maybe I should try adding a J to a real P, just in the interests of science. Where do I apply for the research grant?[/quote] F*ck knows! My PJ though, sounds completely different than my P - both are MIMs from about the same year, both have US pickups in em. Although the straight P has a 62 reissue - there's a massive difference though. There's gotta someone on here who's installed one on a P before. I wonder if it's got something to do with the wiring and caps.

Alright? I love my PJ, but there is a compromise involved with them. For me, they don't really ever sound completely like a P does even with the J totally rolled off. But you do get a much brighter aggressive tone out of them with the J rolled up. Much easier to hear over loud drums and overdrives my amp much more than the P does by itself. I wouldn't consider it jazz growl though. It's more like a brighter, more opened up P. Also - a lot of factory PJs seem to come with Jazz necks on em. Mine sounds and feels a lot more P with the P neck I put on it...

Has anyone tried the [url="http://www.korg.co.uk/products/tuners/pitchjack/tu_pj.asp"]PitchJack[/url]?

[quote name='chris_b' post='324348' date='Nov 7 2008, 05:20 PM']Look in the "For Sale" section for example, "Squier P Bass Special, Red, Great Condition £100". If this is still about, get it!![/quote] I can't recommend that bass enough, although it's not really a precision... It's got a jazz bass pickup and a jazz neck. P Bass specials, although excellent, are somewhere inbetween a precision and a jazz (suprisingly!). Although, mine sounds a lot more precision like with a precision neck on it. If a man wants a precision, he should get a precision. Why not go and try a few in a shop?

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='323602' date='Nov 6 2008, 05:47 PM']Sounds good, is it lefty loosey?[/quote] Yeah - like a normal screw usually. Give it a little turn - work out how tight it is. Generally, the tighter it is, the more work it's doing and the better off you are loosening it. If it's not doing much work and you're only gonna be a coupla days, just leave it where it is... Truss rods aint usually that big a deal - and you might find that messing about with it will get you a better action. Just use a bit of common sense. If you're having to force it - DON'T! (although a little tug is ok to get it moving ) ffnar ffnar... Otherwise, it's as fair game to adjust as your saddle heights. Putting a mark on it and counting the turns is the way - then you can put it back where you started if you like...

it depends on how much the truss is under tension. I'd loosen it anyway - but if it's not doing much, then there wouldn't really be much point other than the piece of mind you we're doing the right thing. Why don't you loosen it and count the turns...?

Tune in next time for more thunderous thunderbirds, ebayed imaginings and more questions than answers... BTW, are they your feet? [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='323363' date='Nov 6 2008, 12:55 PM']Who won the 1974 cup final?[/quote] Don't ask Malcolm McDonald.

Is it a studio model?

[quote name='Linus27' post='322551' date='Nov 5 2008, 11:40 AM']Good thread this. I also adore the Fender American Vintage 75 re-issue Jazz bass. I love the colour and its one of my dream basses. However, I can no way afford to spend £1200 on a bass, not at this moment anyway. So I am looking at all my options also. I love the Fender 70's Re-Issue Jazz bass that you have pointed out. They also do a Fender classic 60's Jazz bass for £549 and a Fender Precision 50's bass for £445 which also looks ace. Then you have the Fender Standard Series Jazz Bass for £350. The thing is, apart from the name. what are the differences between these basses?? Is one better than the other or are they the same and just different branding?[/quote] The MIM ones certainly feel much different than the standards. The necks are a different profile and feel like a vintage bass. They are lovely. I played one in Paris and wanted to bring it home. Never did though

[quote name='Alun' post='321362' date='Nov 3 2008, 09:43 PM']I would say yes as he did seem to improvise a lot, especially live.[/quote] So in the studio he always played the same? The Ox's basslines always seem different on every recording of every who song I've heard. The melodies are the same - but there's always a difference, subtle or blindingly obvious somewhere or other. It's one of the reasons I'm a big fan. I never "learn" my own basslines either!

[quote name='Rusty Shackleford' post='317391' date='Oct 29 2008, 11:01 AM']got photos? im very tempted to get a cab like this for my next purchse. would just hope i can find something light in wieght and light on the wallet![/quote] [url="http://www.acmebass.com/"]acme low b2s[/url] They are excellent.

Hmmm... I've got two 2x10s that both have 5" midrange drivers in em. (that used to belong to Alex ^!) And I've got a large Ampeg Combo that has a 15" and an 8" biamped.

[quote name='neepheid' post='316755' date='Oct 28 2008, 02:53 PM']In short - mod for fun and knowledge/experience, not to save money.[/quote] Deffo - or perhaps if you really [i]must[/i] in search of a specific tone. Modding / building a bass has only had two specific advantages for me... 1) It's mine and there's not another like it. 2) I know exactly how to fix everything with it. I could have bought a US fender for the price I paid for an MIM and all the mods I've done to it... and in the end - its still a MIM fender. (although there's only the body that's left!)

[quote name='OldGit' post='315889' date='Oct 27 2008, 03:28 PM']I had one like this. I watched my Luthier do it once. He took the neck off, with the strings still wound on They were loosened off but not right off the capstans, He just flipped it over, took the neck screws out enough to disengage the neck heel, "cocked" the neck so the adjuster was accessible at the beck of the body, tweaked it just the right amount, put it back in and tightened the screws and strings .. Took about 4 minutes ...[/quote] I once took a neck off a bass with the strings still on and didn't like it one bit! I found unless you leave enough tension in the strings, they come off the tuners anyway and it starts getting messy. If you leave too much tension in em you run the risk of damaging the body / heel screwholes when the screws are loose. I'd imagine there is some kind of sweet spot which keeps the strings on and doesn't do too much to the screwholes but unless you're doing this sort of thing all day long it seems a little silly to risk damaging your bass to save 5 minutes putting the strings back on. Good trick though

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='313830' date='Oct 24 2008, 02:21 PM']Just follow the instructions to the letter. And to get the finish totally flush be prepared to put on layer after layer of lacquer and sand it all back again being careful not to cut into your decal. So basically you are building up the layers around the decal to bring it up to the same height. It's a lot of work and time (I put 2 coats on with a 1hr gap and leave to go off for 24hrs - I lost count of how many times I did it - somewhere between 10-15) but it's really worth it in the end.[/quote] Aye, ok... A need for patience! Did you use liquid lacquer?

Any of you lads got any handy tips for applying these decals? You all seem to have done pretty good jobs!