LITTLEWING

Okay, after actually looking under the control plate, turns out the tone pot is an A500 which is a log taper and attached is a 683J cap which is a .068. What I really want to find out is if I go up to a 1.0 cap, would the darkness start a bit earlier as I turn the tone down so that I can find my preferred sound without turning the tone knob practically all the way down?

I normally sort out my own electrics but never tried out the following, so anyone's advice would be welcome. I have recently acquired a four string OLP MM 2 and now it's had it's frets sorted, plays damn lovely with an unbelievably low slight relief without any buzzes set at 3/32 across the board. The only thing I'd personally like to sort out now is the too crispy hi-fi top end which doesn't really get nice and comfy (for me anyway) until the tone pot is right down to about the last 10%. The pots are all 500k. Don't know what the cap is, it has numbers which is probably equating to a .66 cap. My questions are - 1/ If I swapped the cap for a 1.0 would it start getting 'darker' earlier at say 50% or thereabouts? 2/ Would it be better to leave the existing cap in and swap the pot for a linear taper type which would possibly start getting cotton wooly earlier and smoother? 3/ Swap all the pots for 250's to take the honk down and trial caps from there? Edit : Hmmm. Just watched a YouTube video on log and linear pots. DEFINITELY NOT wanting a linear, way too much of a drastic jump from nothing to bam. Yuk!!

After last night's gig, I think me and the drummer need to get at least a small combo run from the mixer to have at ear height or angled on the floor. The keys (far right) hit the button for a pre-programmed song and by the time we all kicked in, drummer lost the rhythm a smidge and I was trying to keep somewhere in the middle to keep it all kinda sensible. Couldn't wait to get to the end of that number!

I'm still lost on this radius gauge thing. You adjust the radius and THEN do the action? Suppose when you've done the radius, your strings are half inch off the neck. You've still got to lower them to get a decent action so why waste time with this tool? Please don't think I'm being funny or argumentative, I just honestly hand on heart can't see the advantage of this gauge when the only true results will come from following the fretboard radius as you set the action for every different guitar?? If there is an invaluable result from using this tool then I've learnt something. Every day's a school day!

These under string radius gauges - isn't it just as easy/accurate to measure from say 12th fret to underside of string from 2.5 mm E, graduating down to 2.0 mm G (or whatever your preference) ultimately following the curve of the board or am I missing something in all these years of successfully doing my own basses???

It's called a 'business card'. All you need. (Hold down first fret and any fret just after where the neck sits in the body, card between string and top of fret about number 9.)

Well, a little tweaking has improved things no end. I had it set at 2mm G to 2.5mm E (holding each string at the last fret) and it had a slight fret buzz at the 12th fret on the E. Dropped down to 3mm G to 3.5mm on the E and the fret problem has basically gone if I don't dig in too hard. The strong magnet poles were dragging the E down and showing up a slightly raised fret at 13 making 12 rattle. May even try 4mm or even 4.5mm and see what transpires. Who knew?

Just picked up a rather nice used OLP 4 string and after a quick set up plays very nicely. What I can't work out is what EBMM say on their site - apparently their string to pickup distance is 4.8mm. Seems a bit far away to me unless that type of pup has a very strong magnetic pull. I've not actually had a bass with this type of pup until now so advice would be appreciated.

I had a Squier VM 5 once, the B string always sounded like a farty wet rubber band with any brand of strings. Moved the heap of cow dung on rather swiftly. Shame, the other strings actually sounded damn good. Put me off 5 stringers for life.

I know this has been up loads of times, but for those who haven't had the pleasure, hit 'isolated bass' on YouTube and just have an ear hole at some of our heroes doing the actual tracks we know and love. It most definitely makes you feel a damn sight better about your own playing with all your own little fumbles and clacking strings. There is obviously some most enjoyable James Jamerson to drool over and some amazing John Entwistle but just to give you a start off, listen to Sir Duke. Not all the notes we all thought!!

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1494238652' post='3294151'] I would recommend getting a cheap precision/jazz copy. Take it to bits. rebuild it. Mess with the truss rod. Mess with the bridge. Get to know these components and the limitations, if any, on the cheap bass. You may even find you improve a bass and start to experiment with what works for you. Get your hands dirty and if you break something, no biggie. At least you know how far to bend or turn something before it gets dangerous. [/quote] Totally. Only thing I have to say is though IMOHE, if you do follow the average set-up video, only set up on it's back up to the ballpark settings. Do the final action, relief and pups heights with the guitar in it's PLAYING position. Everything changes with gravity and magnet-pulling when it's laying flat.

Bring back The Old Grey Whistle Test. End of story.

Helps if you played ordinary guitar, after that bass is a doddle. Listen to loads of music, attempt to play every style. Play at least 15 mins a day. (Keep this quiet but I take mine in when I have a poo) .....ah....maybe TMI.....

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1491410159' post='3272840'] FM still does bass. DAB loses a lot of the bottom octave due to lousy bandwidth. [/quote]Listen to Radio X on DAB. Nice and bassy!! Damn fine toons too.

In a nutshell, if you slap and pop then they're good for that hi-fi crispness, but if you play ordinary stuff then they're a total pain. They just amplify your finger squeaks and sound like an annoying wasp's nest. You can turn the treble down to lose it but then your bass's character disappears. Higher end equipment can sound great though if you have a spare grand to drop.

So many memories there in the 70's. Pink Floyd, Queen, Rod and The Faces, Rory Gallagher. Loads I can't even recall. Went there once with an engineer pal to collect some lighting cables, went under the stage and through a maze of secret corridors in between the outer wall and auditorium to a small hatch-like door and ducked through into the mixing console balcony under the circle and watched Dr Hook one night. Amazing days.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1488742967' post='3251477'] Tissue paper in layers with wood glue.. [/quote] Yep. Spot on. (Done that in my time!)

I've just come in from The Guildhall Southampton after watching the great Sum 41 and although the drums sounded awesome and the guitars and vocals stood out very nicely, the poor bass guy might as well have stayed in the dressing room with a cuppa and a newspaper. I could clearly see him playing but all I heard was something like a 10 litre truck revving it's engine for an hour and a half. WHEN OH WHEN in this day and age of modern audio technology are we actually going to hear a proper bass sound reproduced through a p.a system rather than an indistinct low mushy rumble which does nothing but rattle seats and internal organs???? It's like at The Brook and Engine Rooms too. Just a total waste of time, effort and talent. Okay, rant over. No, actually I'm going to rant in bed now. And in the morning at work. So there.

Yes Spondon, I took care of the pups height too and like dmc I'm getting to like 40-100's too after a trial on a spare bass. Every day's a school day!

Just for the hell of it I lowered my normal setup action from 6/64ths E - 5/64ths G down a smidge to 5/64ths - 4/64ths (@17th fret) and adopted a lighter playing style and over the weekend have suddenly become more confident and more accurate in my playing. Gone are the thumping fingers, nasty string 'clack' and with it that initial momentary touch of grunt in the note when the volume's up the steamy end. Watch and listen to guys like Nathan East, his fingers are merely stroking the strings and everything is so composed and in the pocket. (God, I hate that saying!!) Re-training and new discipline after all these years, but so worth it. It REALLY is all in the hands more than the instrument.

Peavey Combos, brilliant beasts. Carlsboro Stingray head I had back in the day?? More bass in a little transistor radio. Sh*te piece of junk.

That's exactly what I was trying to put across, GB. Unless a nut was fitted by Stevie Wonder, it's going to be near enough and usable in a ballpark measurement and most certainly getting a neck as straight as buzz-free possible is the goal. One thing I must also stress is DON'T adjust anything with the guitar on it's back like in these dumb tutorials, gravity will drop the strings lower than you actually want. ALWAYS set up string and pickup height in a playing position. And watch that magnetic pull while you're doing it !!

Sorry to sound a moaner but there's no such thing as a 'proper' set up. Manufacturers give a standard set of measurements as a basis to start with. After that EVERY guitar is different. EVERY player is different. You like a low action at 4/64ths with a hint of buzz, nice. Some people can't stand that and as they may play harder will like a higher action possibly 7/64ths. As for pickups, the nearer to the strings will be more aggressive and further away more mellow. THAT is what's known as 'feel', adjusting every parameter until it's just perfect for you. James Jamerson had an action you could put a pencil under, Scott Devine has low/ buzzy action like yours.

Cut a postcard or an old small Xmas/birthday card to the size of the whole neck pocket then cut it in half, put one piece into the neck pocket right up against the end as snug as it will go and make two new holes in the card where the screw holes are. Refit the neck (making sure the card stays in place) and as you introduce the long screws turn them anti clockwise and with a light pressure you will feel a slight clunk as they find the thread in the neck heel. This ensures you don't start off a new thread and weaken the existing one. Now start to turn them in by hand and eventually use a snug fitting Philips to take them home just tight enough, and before final tightening, check the strings are sitting equally and not too far over to one side of the fretboard (simply grab the headstock end and push either way until they look good) and finally nip them up, not too heavy handed.You'll now be amazed how low the strings are and instantly have loads of adjustment on the saddles. If it turns out to be too much, it's a simple task to take the neck off again and replace the piece of card with something slightly thinner. Experiment. Have fun while you're gaining experience!!

Why and when the heck did Axesrus stop doing their own bass pickups? I've bought a few p bass pups in the past for projects and upgrades and theirs were brilliant low and punchy things at less than £30 if I remember rightly. Now they only do DeMarzios at £85. Okay, they may be damn fine pups but at that price I might as well add a few more quids and get actual Fenders. Boo I say.