bigjohn

Another trick is be foreign. I went trying some basses out around Pigalle in Paris in the summer. Apparently they're just the same over there according to my French mate who I was staying with. No problems for the English though. Take your bass off the wall, ignore the face of horror on the shop assistants face and start talking English to your companion. Left well alone.

[quote name='dangerboy' post='205038' date='May 23 2008, 03:28 PM']I have a question. All over this site there are male bassplayers calling their basses 'she' or 'the girl'. Do female bassplayers call their instruments 'the boys'?[/quote] My basses are boys. I'm not gay - but they're the only male company I get in my house. They both drink and like football.

I'm with Alexclabber and his Venn diagram army. I usually find my playing sounds pretty much the same whatever gear I use. I eq it till I get a tone I'm familiar with / like. Some gear is louder, and some I overdrive more. However, I think the biggest influence on what sounds I make is how much beer I've drunk.

2x10s are the way for me.

I used to play exclusively with a pick. I now play entirely with my fingers. I find don't lose or forget my fingers. And I don't have to pay 50p for them in the music shop. Or lend them to people and not get them back. I can still play with a pick - but find fingers much easier. I would have been perfectly happy to play with a pick for the rest of my life I wasn't such a forgetful twat.

I love these MIA vs MIM things. As far as the current and recent past - Standards (american series) and Standards (MIM) are very similar in my opinion. Both have bodies and necks machined in the same factory nowadays I believe. Difference is MIAs are assembled by Mexicans in America . Both should be set up as to the players preference, strings and environment. MIAs have better qualilty hardware, although Highways have the same chrome tuners (16:1). Not sure about the bridges as I've not compared, but they look the same to me. (the 2008 MIAs have high mass vintage bridges though which look v nice) Some MIMs like some MIJs come fitted with MIA pickups. They're usually reissues or factory special runs though. MIAs and some MIMs are fitted with bone nuts. Mexicans are only currently available with a rosewood fretboard, although there have been maples in the past. The Mexican "upgrades" have MIA electrics (not pickups) and US barrel knobs. If you've got time and are interested just seek and find the fender parts lists on www.fender.com

[quote name='cheddatom' post='222032' date='Jun 19 2008, 11:55 AM']I always assume that my GP has real reasons for everything but he just doesn't communicate very well. I'm probably being naive though because he failed to diagnose my grandad's stroke and (less seriously) my broken foot.[/quote] My foot was buggered too. I did something to it kicking a wall (whilst playing 5-a side, we conceded a needless and a late equaliser which lost us about 4 places in a 10 team league - in my last game for the team). It never really healed. Last winter it hurt a bit just walking on it, and I started to feel pain in my hip. I went to the doctor and explained to him I'd injured my foot playing football (missing out the bit about me kicking the wall) and that now the slight limp it was giving me was hurting my hip. "Learn to live with it" was his advice. "You're getting old", (I am 33) "Thing's don't heal like they do when you're young.", "You should have gone to the hospital when you did it, they might have been able to help then...) It took me a good 20 mins of argument with the w***er before he referred me to a podiatrist. Who incidentally fixed my foot within about 10 minutes by giving me a pair of insoles. In this case I could see the f***er was loathed to refer me, it was something he considered "complicated" and unresolvable so why should he spend his budget on sorting it. w***er.

[quote name='jono b' post='220833' date='Jun 17 2008, 06:50 PM']I'm lucky, my MIM Jazz was an 18th birthday pressie a few years ago so I feel obliged to keep hold of it, but I lucked out and got an absolute belter! Very good quality and well put together, even if it's not the colour I wanted. I only had a wee issue with the neck pocket, but it's no biggie. Anyway, so far I've stuck a Seymour Duncan SJB-3 in the neck and put a Badass II on it at a total cost of about £70. I'll probably stick another pickup in the bridge at some point, but that means for just over £100 or so, I've made an already good bass better, and since I'd never sell it for sentimental reasons, I'm glad I'm "stuck" with a good bass as opposed to a pig. I think with Mexican basses the QC is pretty hit and miss, and some folk'll find a belter and some folk'll find firewood. I reckon modding a Mexican Fender is a good project, but it's worthwhile taking the time to find a decent starting point, not just grabbing the first one that turns up on ebay.[/quote] Some are belters. The modded one I bought just to take the neck off. I did that and put it on another bass. Neck is mint (as was the rest of the bass after a wipe). Would have paid £70-£80 just for the neck. As it is I paid £170 for the whole bass and had it in bits (unsentimental like) in about 20 mins. Was a nice bass - but I wanted a p bass neck for my lovely MIM p bass special. The neck fits a treat on that. Was left with I spare body I now love. And few people can say that. I've been putting it back together since.

[quote name='Bigwan' post='220616' date='Jun 17 2008, 02:37 PM']It's like my old boss used to say "There's no point polishing a turd..." My point is, if you like the bass and plan on keeping it for a while then go ahead and mod it until your hearts content, but only if it's a worthwhile mod. If you're modding it trying to make it into something else you've seen/played/lusted after then you may be wasting your money needlessly. I spent over the odds tarting up an old Aria Pro II 5 string with a new bridge, Bart pickups, then EMG pickups and circuit. Spent way more than the bass cost me. In the end it wasn't much better than when it started. It's the bass I learned to play on, and it's never going anywhere, but it's still a plank after all the mods. For the money you're talking about spending you could sell the bass, add the extra and have something better (into Lakland Skyline territory there). This is all very subjective though. In the end it's your bass and nobody's going to call you a mug if you want to spoil it a little. I wouldn't class a change of strings as an upgrade though...[/quote] A MIM Fender isn't a turd. I polished one of mine and it came up all shiny...

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='220511' date='Jun 17 2008, 12:20 PM']I guess it depend on your motivation. If you enjoy tinkering and upgrading, and enjoy the results, and learn something in the process, then why not spend a bit of money doing it?. After all most people spend money on their 'hobbies' without any thought of getting their money back. Again, if you've got a bass you're particularly fond of, but want to tweak it rather than trade it in, then why not? If you can't afford the bass you want at the moment, but can afford a different bridge etc, then why not. BUT, ultimatel, as others have said, this will not be a cheap way to get a good bass, and (assuming you've paid the going rate for the various bits) you're not going to get your money back. As long as you realise this befor you start then OK.[/quote] Yeah - the only way you can get your money back is to make a bass from good quality (and cheaply sourced) vintage parts. A mate of mine has put together a nice '77-'78 precision, all original parts - it's lovely and only cost him about £300. He's also put together a rather tasty handwired vintage hiwatt stack for about £450. But then, he works in a guitar shop!

[quote name='chris_b' post='220443' date='Jun 17 2008, 10:58 AM']You can put go faster stripes on a rusty old Ford and what you have is a rusty old Ford with go faster stripes. I have modded a bass in the past and now wish I hadn't. My view is you should save up and get the right bass "off the shelf".[/quote] I'd like a rusty old ford with go faster stripes. Maybe an Escort MKII Mexico. Or a nice old Capri, or maybe a Mustang Anyway - I'm not sure that's the correct analogy, a good bass is a good bass, if you can make it better by modding it, then great. Where would I buy a gun metal blue precison with a 62 pickup with a 70's style maple fretboarded neck off the shelf from? By the way can I have it with a pearl pickguard, white pickup covers, a reissue cornell dublier 0.1uf cap, and have the cavity and scratch plate shielded? Oh, and one more, can I have the metallic outline on the headstock logo in silver and not gold please? I'll admit - with the money spent I could have bought an MIA or MIJ 62 reissue. But that wouldn't be quite the same. I will probably do a similar thing in a couple of years. Got my eye on those new MIM jazz basses with the blocks inlays. Want a black one. Already have a set of US noiseless pickups waiting for a new bass!

[quote name='ashgeezer' post='220208' date='Jun 16 2008, 09:01 PM']The only thing i'm doing with my MIM precision is changing the pickups and bridge and thats it. i couldnt justify going berserk and spending shedloads on it as i only use it for jamming with at the moment, maybe gigging in the near future,who knows, all i do know is it sounds fine as it is and i get the sounds i want out of it. i suppose everyones different.[/quote] I don't mind MIM bridges now. When I started on Fenders I thought the bridges were all crap - but I'm much more used to them now. Am quite intrigued by these vintage high mass bridges on the 2008 MIAs though. I'm not a fan of MIM pickups - nor tuners. The tuners do a job, but aren't very subtle. Best mods (and best value) are the pickups and the capacitor(s).

[quote name='spinynorman' post='213572' date='Jun 5 2008, 11:32 PM']Very interesting responses here, there seems to be a widespread expectation that when you sell a bass (that you bought used, at least) you should expect to get your money back. That's how I feel too and I've been quite gutted any time I've lost money on one. And that tends to work against modding, as an MIM Fender is what it is, in spite of anything you do to improve it. [b]I don't think I'd go as far as BigJohn, looks like the only part left of the original bass is the body.[/b] Maybe one way of recovering some of the value would be to keep the old parts and put it back stock before selling it. That way you either have parts for a new project, or could sell them, certainly with pickups and preamps I guess that would work. So I'm talking myself into pickup replacement. Just need to decide which ones.[/quote] And I might replace that too one day

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='214869' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:34 PM']I have a mutant slap (as in DB) technique I sometimes subconsciously employ which means the strings hit the pickup poles. CLACK! Sound guys love it. [/quote] I do that too. Sometimes I find myself muting strings with my fingers and not my palm whilst or just before playing a new note and whacking the strings down on the pole pieces. A guitarist I play with likes it - it's like percussion he says...

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='217684' date='Jun 12 2008, 03:32 PM']I'd rather boil my head.[/quote] I'd suggest you go with leeks this time rather than carrots.

Great Friday afternoon read this. All of it. Big fan. Parody is a favourite of mine. He's playing the Running Horse in Nottingham tonight. I might go down there. I want to see his crocodile castrating and midget defending with my own eyes. Seeing will no doubt be believing. Great stuff. Love it. I could dream it. I wonder if Coogan saw his myspace whilst researching saxondale...

Modding anything usually results in spending money. it's very unlikely you'll get it back again. I'm currently spending a "fortune" on modding a MIM Precision. The hobbyist in me has taken over. I only played the thing for 15 minutes before I took it apart. It's not been back together since. I already had a '62 reissue USA pickup (£60) I've (so far) bought... 1) Vintage domed knobs (£15) 2) Copper shielding tape and sheet (£10) 3) New pots and jack (£5) 4) New neck (£50) 5) Vintage wires and various caps (£5) 7) New TI flats (£30) 8) White pickup covers (£6) 9) New headstock logo (£6) 10) NOT bought yet - new tuners. It's already cost me £360 and I've not replaced the black dots on the neck with mother of pearl or lacquered the neck yet - It'll come in just over £400. Price of an MIA. However - I'll have put it together myself, learned loads with it, have a bass I (hopefully) love, and will keep forever anyway. It's a bit like this computer I'm on. I built it myself. I know it inside out, all the creaks, whizzes and beeps. Cost me a fortune to build but was the fastest computer I'd ever used when it was new. Now's it's nearly 10 years old and still keeps up! Oh also - 11) A new soldering iron (£10)

Hiya, Has anyone done this on a mighty mite neck? It's an all in one maple (no fretboard) with black dots at the moment. Does anyone know if the markers are just inked? Or are they inlaid? John

[quote name='The Burpster' post='211808' date='Jun 3 2008, 02:12 PM']If its waterslide then yes... Its slightly more sophisticated these days, you can buy the slide sheet in A4 size and print your own using your PC.. But essentially big Airfix sets..... Oh Aye, dont forget teh tongue... its essential! [/quote] I shall use the tongue method. I usually suck my bottom lip but I will defer to your greater knowledge of the subject.

[url="http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/pdf_temp1/basses/0192200_02A/SD0192200_02APg1.pdf"]fender parts diagram[/url] Try that?

[quote name='The Burpster' post='211719' date='Jun 3 2008, 12:27 PM']OK.... (years of modelling experience coming thru...!) waterslide transfers need to be applied onto a clean (no dust) fingermark and greasefree surface. Take some time doing this as one piece of dust can ruin the whole effect. soak the transfer in shallow warm water unitl it seprates from the backing paper, and carefully lift it out of the water with flat faced tweazers. hold vertical over a piece of KITCHEN towel with the lower end just touching it to soak any excess water from it. hold over your bass the same way (vertical) and slowly roll it onto teh surface from the dangling end unitl it is in place (this needs to be thought about before application). Once in place gently apply a rolling pressure to it with the kitchen towel enusring you are rolling out any trapped water NOT pressing it in to place. Once in place leave it at least overnight at room temperature to harden and dry. Dont rush it. Once dry you can either spray pver the whole transfer with Acrylic laquer or carefully (depending upon your skill with a paint brush) paint a band 5-6mm wide all around the outside edge of teh transfer to seal the edges. Complete overspaying with the appropriate laquer is the method that gives teh best results tho'[/quote] Whoah there! Lucky I bought 2. So are these the same things that come with airfix models? I got my decals from brauskoh off ebay. He does custom ones... He's done me a 70s TV precision logo but with a silver instead of gold outline.

[quote name='paul, the' post='211688' date='Jun 3 2008, 12:05 PM']The quickest way of getting over the old one will be gigging/jamming with a new one.[/quote] Aye, I really got on with our last drummer. Really nice fella and gave us loads of notice when he left (went to university) - but our new drummer is equally great all round. Both totally different in style and technique which has made us learn the same songs over again - but that's good and has been fun. The songs are much better now, and better than they would have been if we had our current drummer from the start if you see what I mean... We spent ages trying to find a replacement - but in the end it was well worth it.

I've got a decal coming for a new neck I'm putting on my project - does anyone have any tips for applying them? Will I need to lacquer over it? ta John