3below

Does this mean a set of low use TI flats will be up for sale? If so name your price, they are my strings of choice.

Jazz box, shorter scale 24.5" ? As above I would suggest heavier strings, 10s or 11s. I tend to use 12 or 13s on mine. Like you I also had problems getting mine to intonate correctly. Eventually I took it to my local luthier and it came back perfect and has stayed that way since. This was one guitar (or bass) that defeated me on setup (he also sorted my G&L bass that also defeated me). Sometimes there are complex issues that we mere mortals can not solve, however the evidence above suggests big strings. Make that guitar top work hard

Left field suggestion - Peavey Tour 700. Light(ish), graphic eq, adequate power, cheap s/h, reliable. I prefer mine so much I sold the Marshall VBA.

Used mine for celidh band folk, jazz, blues, punk, metal and all points inbetween. Loved the sound, was not enamoured with build quality 1978 ish bass.

Far too often. Usually by people playing my basses through my kit. Why do they sound so much better? On a more seriously disappointing note, my 1980s Fender strat, a thing of beauty, maple neck, ash body to die for. Compared with my Yamaha Pacifica £60 knockabout which I have at work. I set both up, you can guess which is the best guitar, and by a fair country mile.

Try Peavey Tour 700 - s/h at about £200 to £250. I preferred mine so much the VBA 400 went on elsewhere.

Just noticed, the guitar has 'tunomatic' style bridge, originals had strat non trem style bridge (not exactly same). Wonder why the difference? - cost. I really want/need one GAS is developing.

So near and so far for me, just wish the starcaster was 32 or even better 34 scale length. There we go, can't have it all.

I am so disappointed, I thought I was so lucky my basses stay in tune. I thought they were endowed with special qualities. Now it seems other basses do as well, lots of them. Ah well, you can't have it all.

Unlucky this time Sometimes you get lucky, typically up to $32 I have got away with it, sometimes well above. I have taken the hitt as well. The handling fee is just 'gouging', a well known treatment of the customer in the UK sadly.

As mentioned and you have done, raise the action, I would also suggest TI flats, no lack of bass and growl on my G&L SB1 and Kramer DMZ4001 - both P style basses. I did also own the real deal many years ago, no lack of bass with that either (Acoustic 370 might have helped somewhat). Final resort - Graphic EQ ?

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1375730854' post='2164932'] I saw Wilko when I was 15 or 16, it was 1978 or 79..... It remains one of the best gigs I've ever seen, and I've seen a few! [/quote] ditto and Norman is the bass player I want to be (when I am not being Andy Fraser) however lack of talent (and effort) precludes these ambitions.

[quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1375039246' post='2156071'] Mine has a paint crack running from the neck pocket out. Not from a drop or ding it just happened at some point. I have read several reviews on basses around the same age (07-11ish) with the exact same problem. [/quote] This is quite common on many bolt on neck instruments - the corner acts a (large) crack tip. This concentrates stress and thus starts a paint crack which is initiated by small movements created at neck pocket by playing the instrument. Aircraft (comet) and ships (liberty) failed in a similar way... a bass failure is unlikely to be catastrophic however.

My daughter, a long time ago (aged 3 at the time) decided my USA Strat should become reliced ...... Despite a polyurethane solid colour finish thicker than an orange skin, the damp tablecloth and iron technique removed significant amounts of dents. I have also used the same method on a very beaten Yamaha bass neck (poly finish again). The dents that can be removed are surprising.

That is so disappointing, especially when it is something special and getting more and more irreplaceable. Good luck, hope it re-surfaces, it is not as if a DR103 is something you can mislay or overlook easily.

Several reasons for 'real bass rig'. Play in a range of bands, some have (big, medium, small) pa, some do not. Pod is not simple plug and play, some thought is needed (I want a bass box that has a rotary control with, Hiwatt, Marshall, Acoustic, TE, MB, TC, Ampeg sound) - I have thought about using pod etc to power amp + speaker cab, I have one. I am old school, I plug it in, it sounds somewhere between crap - ok - good. My main band is a 4/5 piece, range of venues, drums, guitars x 2, plus singer who plays guitar. PA for vocals, small pack size, guitars use small 20W combos, how much volume do you need (I use 700W and Barefaced Dubster). As a 'small' band we should be able to do small-medium gigs with own amps/cabs and small vocals pa, is about discipline and attitude. However my main reason - I have a nice bass tone (I like it), I want to hear it with trouser flap, want to feel it, this is part of the fun.

Like it, very nice. Distinctive and yet familiar. Enjoy.

Welcome, long time since I frequented "Qorry Bonk", is Ma Pardoe's still going strong ?

After 40+ years bass playing I still get times when you would wonder what is this guy doing with a bass. Luckily rest of band get them as well so we can all laugh about it. Worst bit is when we all have bad playing at same time. Plus is when we get good together is pretty good IMO.

Roto trubass on acoustic bass same set from new, that was in 1980 or thereabouts. I am serious, and they are still ok. TI flats on what was main bass, 7 yrs plus. Ti flats on current main player 3+ years. What is this string changing thing?

Barefaced cab = excellent, I have owned two (still have one). Shermann Audio built me a 3 way bass cab (think Barefaced big one / fearful 15/6/1), again excellent quality from a long established British manufacturer. Start saving and get an original Hiwatt or have a clone made. It will last a lifetime. Shermann would build a 'wide' cabinet.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1371303077' post='2112342'] A lot of folks on Talkbass use that method , but it's not going to be very accurate Because of the Principal of Moments , the act of holding the bass intoduces a measure of inertia which prevents the full weight of the bass bearing down upon the scale , according to my brother . He's an astrophysicist , but look at the bollocks up NASA made with that space shuttle , so I suppose he could be wrong . [/quote] Hold the bass above your head, also hold beer gut in (if you have one) this will help ensure all mass is acting through scales. Your brother might wish to revisit Newtownian equilibrium principles, or have NASA discovered something that they keep in Area 51.