Paul_C

[quote name='Musicman20' post='923409' date='Aug 13 2010, 12:46 AM']Im going to give two of my basses a good setup. Ive got the information but I need to check if this is something that is 'setup' related. Firstly - MIA P Rosewood - I think the strings are a little 'too' low and there is some buzz. Im guessing I need to adjust the truss rod by following the guides? Its nice to play, but the action is a little low. Secondly - MIA J Maple - The strings are the same as the above, but it feels very 'tense' to play. Im not really used to .110 Es, but I must admit the Jazz strings seem stiffer. Is this purely a neck relief issue, action issue, or both? Using the Lakland technique on setup, it seems the Jazz strings do sit off the board a fair bit whilst pressing the 1st fret and between 12-13th, (on the J). On the P, the strings are virtually touching the frets whilst doing this. Ideas? Thanks[/quote] simple answers. don't use the truss rod to raise or lower action, but do adjust first when setting up - there should be some space beneath the string at around the 7th fret when holding it down (I use 1st and 14th frets, but as long as you're consistent it doesn't matter) this space is to some degree down to personal preference/technique/etc. once the relief is set you can raise or lower the saddles to get the action to where you want it - again this is going to be personal preference depending on how you play/size and type of string etc. usually the E is slightly higher than the G and the other two should follow an arc that matches the radius of the fingerboard. once that's done you can do the intonation and check the action again if you've done some big adjustments once it's done, if the action changes due to the neck moving (big changes in weather conditions and what you might do to compensate (putting the central heating on) will usually be the reasons for that) then all you should need to do at that point is tweak the truss rod to return to your preferred relief. because in most instances necks are made of wood, they don't all behave the same way, so there will be differences in how they settle when under tension - some move a lot, some it's very difficult to move at all, even with heavy strings on, so you can't be sure to get every neck the same, but it should be reasonably easy to get a degree of consistency. also different fret heights will give a different feel, even though all other measurements are identical, so again it may not be possible to get two different instruments to match exactly.

. . the other thing that occurs to me comes from Bilbo's mention of a football team being able to carry a player who's not quite up to scratch - if they are to succeed as a team they will all have to alter their game slightly to allow for this, so the team performance will not be at its most efficient. If it's a pub team that are not of a great standard and no-one expects them to be, then no-one really cares, and the crowd, who paid nothing to watch the performance, will not feel that their enjoyment of the game been spoiled - they might even enjoy the antics of the weakest link. If it's a team of pros who are entertaining a large audience who paid a substantial amount to get in (and for their replica kits etc.) then the standard has to be higher and they can't afford to carry anyone. The team works at its best when each player does his individual best and no-one has to worry about what the other players are doing and can concentrate on his own part. If this works perfectly, each player can relax and everything will flow ever smoother giving the audience the maximum enjoyment for their money, and the players the thrill of being part of a great performance. So there's room for everyone, and it's up to every individual to decide which level you prefer to play at, and as an audience, which you would prefer to see.

I feel that there is room for all musicians to find their level, whether that is defined by their enthusiasm, their application or their audience. As I mentioned earlier, there are all sorts to be found on the acoustic open mic. circuit, and in that situation I'm all for everyone having their chance, because it's a good place to get into performing, and to be able to listen to other players performances which my be beneficial. If a band is expecting to get paid then you would hope they have some degree of skill, again depending on the type of music and the expectations of their audience. You also expect them to have put in some work in rehearsal where necessary to get things up to speed rather than learn as they go. If a band is getting towards semi or fully professional then you would expect a (slightly?) higher standard to go with prices charged and again, audience expectation - jazz (as this was the beginning of this thread) these days is (unless I'm mistaken) much more listened to than danced to, and I would imagine therefore the expectation is much higher in those situations - if the band are just background music for a function then they can probably "get away" with less if they don't feel the need within themselves or don't even recognise there's anything lacking in their performance. I play for the joy of what I'm contributing to the whole and am far more critical of my own performance than anyone else, mostly because I'm the only one who is paying that much attention to it Regardless of band member's or audience's comments I continue to hone my technique and question my note choices because I enjoy doing so, even though I could choose to cruise at the point I am and it would be "good enough". As is proved time and time again on this and every other forum, there are differences of opinion on every subject under the sun and this thread was never going to be an exception, but I would tend to agree with Bilbo that playing in a band that causes you pain is something you either discuss with the other band members and do something about or leave, and with a genre of music as divisive as jazz, bad musicians are probably not going to help with it reaching a wider audience

her vocal style sounds like a great example of "playing behind the beat" in the second vid in particular

nice one - relaxing is the difficult bit for a lot of bass players, but being able to keep working at until you get it right is the right way to go keep it up !

it's "argument" - what do you stand to win ?

those videos touched me, and not in a good way . .

assuming they're the same as the guitar sets (not having any bass sets to hand) it should be : E - brass/gold A - red D - black G - green

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='920039' date='Aug 9 2010, 08:46 PM']Just scavenged a bad of strings from Shockwave. Anyone know the ball end colour code, will make life much easier sorting sets. Any other manufacturers do colour coding?[/quote] it won't necessarily help as they are coded by set, not size - so all "E" strings will be one colour, all "A"s another, irrespective of thickness if they are all 45-105 sets though, you'll be fine

[quote name='farmer61' post='919806' date='Aug 9 2010, 04:50 PM']Any live music is better than no live music.[/quote] you've not been to enough acoustic open mic. nights then

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='919750' date='Aug 9 2010, 04:02 PM']My Ampeg SVT 115E cab is ex-Wurzels, I was reliably informed.[/quote]

[quote name='Le Chat Noir' post='918991' date='Aug 8 2010, 07:58 PM']one was from a strange Japanese company[/quote] Atlansia !

[quote name='molan' post='919617' date='Aug 9 2010, 01:48 PM']Nice thread Bilbo - really got me thinking *snip* Of course I am in the advantageous position of only ever playing for enjoyment and not money so maybe I'm not really qualified to be part of this discussion! I totally understand how different someone's mindset would be if they were genuinely earning a living (or loving) from music. . .[/quote] I get paid now and again, but play for the sheer enjoyment of playing music - I'm not sure I'd bother if it wasn't fun, so playing as part of whole that's worth hearing is essential for me. That doesn't mean that we're all technically brilliant, but the band as a whole are always making the effort to be musical, and I spend a fair bit of my spare time working on my playing to make sure that I'm making a reasonable contribution to it, and not just settling for a "that'll do" attitude (even though it probably would)

I'm looking for some gloves at the moment for the opposite reason I find it very difficult to play at my best when my hands are cold, and an outdoor gig on Sat was hard work until I got a little warmed up. I set my rig up to work at its best when the strings have lost their initial brightness (I use stainless Rotosounds), and find some of the more busy stuff far easier once I've got a bit of a sweat on - not always easy when playing out doors. So I'm trying various fingerless gloves to see if they will help enough to be worth keeping in the box of leads and stuff I drag to every gig.

[quote name='7string' post='917495' date='Aug 6 2010, 10:12 PM']I've been asked to sort a bass which has a big problem. It needs a replacement neck. I saw the bass advertised locally as a Squire P Bass with a slight neck break. Even though it was £20(!) I just went to the next ad. A couple of days later, I got a call from a guy who's guitar I'd setup in the past asking me if I could look at this bass which he'd just bought for £20. He's a guitarist and wants a decent sounding bass to record song ideas with. He brought it over this afternoon and the neck is absolute toast. The crack is big and it's far deeper than it looks, so time for a replacement. This is where I need some help. Can anyone give any suggestions of any where to get a cheap (but good!) replacement neck for this Squier P bass. I have to admit that I don't have I don't have any experience with sourcing replacement necks at all. I've come across Mighty Mite necks as I set up [b]Metalmoore[b]'s project and the neck was fine even if it did a little persuasion to go straight. Any help greatly appreciated. Also been asked to find a tortie plate as well. By the way, I set up guitars and basses in the Glasgow area as a hobby really. There's more info if you click on the link in my sig. Any parts I source are charged at cost anyway, so please don't think I'm trying to find a cheap replacement neck and then I'll go and charge the poor guy a mint! Again, any help much appreciated [/quote] got any pics of the crack ? I haven't seen an unfixable one yet (though I'm sure they're out there)

really enjoying that - might just be tempted to find something to buy by way of a thank you

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='914052' date='Aug 3 2010, 05:03 PM'] [/quote] I'd imagine he'd be quite pleased not to be playing on that, it sounds dreadful. I paid for my copy of your book Mr Pratt, Sir!

if you thought that was quick..