Dom in Dorset

I've done a bit more:
I've de-fretted one of the necks and put on a super glue coating. I put on four layers , cut it back and polished it with T cut.



I'm going to base the body on a jazz bass, this is an idea of what I'm planning:

Next step is to make a dummy body to experiment with control positions , neck spacing, strapping points etc

A lot of tuners don't like E strings, it's too low for them. I tend to tune the E by the harmonic at the 12t fret.

I've got one of these, it's one of my regular gigging basses, I love it:
[url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/ibanez-aeb8e-electro-acoustic-bass-guitar--35479"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/ibanez-aeb8e-...s-guitar--35479[/url]

It varies a bit from bass to bass but, I do string height at the nut first. Then look down the neck if there is too much or too little relief adjust the truss rod.
Lastly the bridge, you can file it down, but you can't put it back! Be prepared to take it on and off 10-15 or more times, also be aware that you need to keep the bottom of the saddle ivory flat to make a good contact with the pizzo strip. Some saddles have "teeth" in the bottom to meat up with the crystals in the pick up, only file the top of the saddle.

[quote name='yorick' post='768840' date='Mar 9 2010, 08:35 AM']I used to work in the mother of all music shops, Musical Exchanges. Aaaahhh, all the second equipment Luckily, i never worked saturdays, so never got the animals or weekend warriors in the shop.[/quote]
I saw Dave Hill from Slade in there once!

I have worked in a music shop on and off for about ten years. Mostly repairs, I'm actually a qualified woodwind and brass tech and took a part time job with a Frome shop during a slack period for my own (instrument making) business. The shop is now in Westbury and I'm now down to one afternoon a week, more out of loyalty than need.
Most of the stock is aimed at begginers, there is the occasional second hand thing that takes my fancy.

Hi Jules!
where abouts are you?

If you have to ask, you'll never know.

I'm one of the six (YES SIX!!!) who voted for Shepton Mallet.
At the end of the day it's the guy who gets off his @ss and organises it that chooses the location.
So go on ....choose!!! (Shepton Mallet)

Do we have a date yet?

oddly enough I keep my bass in a secret launch pad under my swimming pool.

I went for the Ibanez because it was the cheapest big brand bass that I could afford. I wasn't dissapointed , all the basics are bang on. I had a cheap no name bass and it had a clunky tone , the E string played at a lower volume than the other strings and it didn't hold it's tuning well.
The Ibanez has none of these problems, sounds amazing plugged in.
For unplugged I can recomend Echo and I tried Fender about 15 years ago that was head and shoulders above anything else at the time.

I'm probably the last person in the universe to know about this but there is a facebook group for Thunderbird bass lovers!
You're either thinking "booooring!" or " wow! now I can belong to something!"
[url="http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=49340842357"]http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=49340842357[/url]

I'm almost a specialist acoustic bass player, just because that's what I get asked to play.
I've got the same Ibanez as you, not that loud unplugged but the amplified sound is wonderful. Even plugged in the acoustic bass is a different sounding beast, warm and full. One of the bands I play in I use my home made acoustic fretless and a fretted bass about 50/50. For a while I did use my solid body but I've gone back to the Ibanez for the sound. The acoustic pizzo pick up sound blends so well with other acoustic instruments.
Having said that I'm planning on going over to a solid body twin neck to cut out the change over between songs, who knows what I may favour in a years time.

Cheap acoustic basses can be a tad clunky and suffer from uneven tone/output (IMO) . I got an Ibanez for £160 new on special offer about a year ago. It's the cheapest one they do but all the basics are right. This is the one [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/ibanez-aeb8e-electro-acoustic-bass-guitar--35479"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/ibanez-aeb8e-...s-guitar--35479[/url]
Go for a trusted brand name.
As for six string acoustics , the guy from Jethro Tull has one (David Goodier)
No idea what it is.

I've tried two, I'm not sure what models.
One had two humbuckers (passive) and a slab like body, not much contouring , priced at about £180- gorgeous! as you said nice neck great big punchy sound.
The other was a more fancy beast, P/J pick up combo, active (nice new battery) , contoured body, price £300? - I hated it, every tone from wooley to weedy via flaccid! Nice neck.

The ones I've seen were all run of the mill P bass copies, you get good ones and bad ones. I think they are made in China, on a par with Stagg.
I set one up a couple of days ago , the frets were sharp at the egdes and had to be filed to stop a customer cutting themself (it's the only Gould I've come across that had an unfinished neck, they normally have a laquer)
It set up quite nicely in the end , a good p bass copy for the money, it was pink.

I've got a home made shallow body acoustic bass with Picato Black Nylons on. I can't imagine playing fretless with any other type of string.
Sound samples here: [url="http://www.myspace.com/dominicallanbagpipes"]www.myspace.com/dominicallanbagpipes[/url]
It's the last track on the media player , you have to scroll the tracks down to find it.

You won't please all of the people all of the time (re time/place) , I woulds be more pro-active but I'ver got a lot on my plate.
I suggest that you just put forward venue and possible dates . I'll come if I can.

Take up the ukelele.

I have actually done this. I needed a music room where I could record and practice or just hide from my family so I lined and insulated one of my sheds. I used the silver bubble wrap type insulation and plasterboard. The shed has light and power from the workshop next door and is heated with an oil filled radiator (£30 from Argos). It stays nice and dry and the cat lives in there with me so no mice.
My nice Ibanez AEB still lives in the house but my amp, Epi T bird and a couple of cheap guitars are permanent residents.

The Fender Aerodine was my favourite bass on looks alone, now it's that particular Fender Aerodine Jazz.

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='734579' date='Feb 3 2010, 10:30 PM']What I`d like to know is how you can be a Hawkwind tribute band and be a trio!!

Tell him to stuff it. And the drummer if he`s wanting to go along with the guitarist. I would never let anyone tell me what to play, I can ba*ls it up on my own thank you. If you aren`t happy you should walk. It is supposed to fun after all.

By the way, like the idea of the tea cosy.

Jez[/quote]
The last time I saw Hawkwind (a long , long time ago ,15 years ?) they were a trio.

I'll run it by the boss tomorrow.

I'd be interested subject to availability.
I do repairs for a shop in Westbury, they'd probably be up for doing some sort of trade stand, would you be interested?