4 Strings

I have noticed on several Fender basses (perhaps any bolt-on neck type) that they go buzzy up the dusty end. It appears that while the rest of the neck can be set to an ideal relief with the truss rod the body end seems to bow upwards for a few frets causing buzzing. Slackening the truss rod seems to let things go further down the fret board but its as if the area bolted to the body holds itself rigid despite the truss rod and so the neck becomes very slightly 'S' shaped. Anyone else found this? Any ideas for a solution?

I must be getting old then! I suppose it also means that there are less of each slight variation made so in the future there'll be more interest for the collector/obsessor. Thinking a little deeper, while I certainly do not believe Fenders to be the be-all and end-all of basses (despite their almost total dominance in my household!) I do believe the original formula cooked up by Leo for both basses was a triumph of compromise between function (the playability and sound) and easy production which was genius and I wonder that these hybrids water down the brilliance of the original design. Or is it development? I wonder how many others will gravitate to a Standard after flirting with the variations?

Now, back in the day you could buy Fender basses in Precision or Jazz flavours (or should that be flavors) with a few different finishes for toppings and maybe even maple syrup, I mean neck. Just been to my local Pre-Menstrual chain shop and find more models than I can even think up. There's Jazzes with P pickups, Ps with Jazz pickups, others with one of each, passive, active, more frets and so it went on (without straying to an even more dizzying selection of Squiers). Mercifully they all looked brand new. Am I getting old or is some of the magic - whatever that is - being lost?

[quote name='Vibrating G String' timestamp='1317841436' post='1395341'] See how silly that sounds? Just like all these other tone myths. [/quote] Yep, you're right and everyone else is wrong, the wood makes no difference and I was lying. Why wood, indeed? I lose.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' timestamp='1317808072' post='1394719'] I was mocking the plywood sounds middly comment >>Just saying how it was, can't do much else. Perhaps you could mock the way I see blue too. Is that your Jaydee in your avatar? They're often plywood. >>Mines an early one, they hadn't got onto wood at that point. Mdf with heavy lacquer so there are no resonances. I have one "plywood" bass. It sounds scooped [/quote] >>I have a Harkte amp that sounds scooped, that must be "plywood" too.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' timestamp='1317160550' post='1387619'] So plywood sounds middly, Jaco played a plywood bass. >Did he really? First I've heard of that, thought it was a Fender. Foderas sound middly, is that the plywood? Or is it setting the amp for mids? >I'm not saying all middly sounds result from a plywood body, but that the couple of guitars I've played which turned out had a plywood bodies sounded middly without plugging in. Why would you suggest that all middly sounds result from a plywood body? The only way you can demonstrate you can hear wood without knowing what it is is by telling us what it is by listening only before you know the answer. Knowing what it is first and then deciding what you hear is not science it's religion. >That was my point, didn't know beforehand. I'm sure you would have heard them the same way as me. [/quote]

Our dinner jazz band has keys chosen by the singer and the sax just plays in that key and transposes according to which sax he plays. He is way away a better musician than any of the rest of us though. I have the easiest job (apart from the drummer!) the piano can struggle come solo time if he's familiar with a song in another key. We do Superstition in the Motown band and keep to Eb, and I must admit I knock the 4th string down a semitone to get the low note. Sax loves it.

Thanks all, I'll take the 1982 (ish as these things never seem finite, basses can sit in shops for a while). I thought it was later than that. I can't play with them on but so many do/did (Jameson, Entwhistle etc). I keep the bridge one on my Precision as it looks cool but means I can't play dampened with my palm on the bridge. I know most have been removed but there should be screw holes if fitted originally.

Usually playing sounds better when you see the person playing. This sounds ok when you don't see him but not so hot when you do. I can't play like that, but I would agree with the comment 'aimless' though.

Trying to identify a Jazz bass, does anyone know when Fender stopped putting ashtrays on Jazz basses (or Precisions for that matter)?

I can tell the difference between extremes and I wonder, if I trained myself with lots of experience, whether this could be developed. In my life there are two guitars I have played (one a bass the other a 6 string) which I thought sounded dreadful, without plugging in, and it later turned out they both had plywood bodies. Plugged in they sounded middly. Could have been the cheap pickups but that same middly sort of sound prevailed unplugged as an acoustic instrument. I feel confident I could do it again. I don't feel I have special powers as the sound seemed quite obvious so I believe I can identify guitars with a in a blind test. (Would love to test it further, just don't have access to many plywood guitars) So, if I spent years listening to many instruments made from all sorts of materials and noting any differences could I train my ears to identify more closely related materials? After all, we all thought the Kramers with ally necks sounded horrible in the 80s. And they did.

That's the one, thanks case of being really tired and tried all sorts of other wrong spellings before settling on that one. Embarrassed but just seemed using a drill rather over kill for starting off such little screws.

Surprised it doesn't have the holes, did it not come with the ashtrays? Tape and a braddle to make the holes. Easier to avoid disaster than with a drill with such small holes. Look up pics on Google and find references for position. Some here:http://www.bass-guitar-museum.com/bass-14584-1951-51-Reissue-Fender-Precision-P-Bass

The same thing applies to guitar cables, the jacks make a poor contact and the plug in the guitar and amp is a bit of pressed steel and the internal wiring of tiny diameter. Maybe if we soldered the cable straight into the guitar and amp circuits... certainly stop other people using my amp. Joking aside, even I can tell the treble drop from a long guitar lead. My main and spare are different lengths, I use the shortest if I can. For me the main trick is not to have a lead fail. I remember the gold plated mains plug phase, thinking how well they will transfer every mains glitch to the hifi.

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1329712' date='Aug 6 2011, 11:09 AM']Fair nuff! I tried a pick on my fretless and I think I like it.... I don't know if I'd have ever tried without this thread so thanks for that! [/quote] My pleasure. In wasn't saying it was wrong or that its a 'no-no' just never seen it before and I thought it a little odd. Thanks for the examples of this practice though, although some given confirm my thought that its a little odd! Sledgehammer, of course! Now that's a unique and fabulous tone, just for one song too. I remember octavers at the time would do one note at a time, to play a song with the effect was an expensive studio gizmo not just a pedal.

Depends on the gig and how image conscious you are. If you're going through a PA then a good 210 should be fine (a poor 210 won't). I have used a Hartke 2.5 (a 210 with a little 5" too) with a particularly loud american rock band and its was great. Preferred to add my monster 118 but unplugged it on a couple of occasions. If you need to be really loud you're likely to get more punch sharing the load. If you're driven by image a 210 looks a bit poxy.

[quote name='BassBus' post='1349559' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:41 PM']Three? Top right. [/quote] Wow, is that a bass rig overhead?

[quote name='Kaasa' post='1347848' date='Aug 22 2011, 11:03 AM']Haha, love the ONE mic![/quote] Two mikes, look a little closer (bottom left)

So do the better players have the boutique gear? Does boutique gear mainly get aired in bedrooms with a sequence pedal for company?

I wondered about the point of it too. Anyone know any others?

[quote name='purpleblob' post='1327910' date='Aug 4 2011, 10:22 PM']Bootsy ! Who else could get away with the gear this guy wears ? : [url="http://bootsycollins.com/bootsy/BOOT_PHOTOS/BOOT_PHOTOS.html"]http://bootsycollins.com/bootsy/BOOT_PHOTOS/BOOT_PHOTOS.html[/url][/quote] Who says he gets away with it?

You have a Morris Minor? My gear certainly doesn't add up to that sort of value. Cheap Merc estate here, unfortunately, £1k, always worth less than gig gear! I've always thought a Minor van to be the ultimate transport for a bass player.

Funnily enough, I would say my experience in watching (countless) bands has been different, the bass players seem to have more expensive stuff than me; fancy basses, mainly, amps are sometimes frustratingly crap. The bassists instrument seems to me to be one of the most conscious part of the stage.

[quote name='TheGreek' post='1324085' date='Aug 2 2011, 12:16 PM']I'd also include Jack Bruce - Sunshine of my Love and Badge must be two of the coolest basslines ever.. Do I need to add videos???[/quote] Yes, please. The second nomination for bass player who used one of my most disliked bass, the EB1