Leaderboard

Fingerboard now has satin lacquer, then the frets were installed. I pre-polished them, and I’ll do them again after they have been levelled.

I would imagine, if voice is your instrument, it's just like anything else.... about contributing to the whole, and being among the overall sound, playing your part. Like a DB player in an orchestra counting 80 bars of rest, or a guitarist in a pop band throwing in simple chords one to the bar, or a bass player banging through Mustang Sally yet again. It's not about you, it's about the piece and the audience.

If you have good eye hand coordination you should be able to remove the fretboard from nut to heel with one swing of an axe.

Forgive the dust on the headstock - I promise to give it a wipe-down before I do the fancy photos - but I put a couple of magnets on the trussrod cover: Which hold it secure and straight: Underneath the tip there is a tiny bevel sanded so that removal is just fingernail stuff: Pickups and electrics are in and the 'first fit' is being done today and tomorrow. Two things I've already picked up that need tweaking: - now I've tried it with strings, the neck needs just a bit more shaving off the haunches - the two pickups are out of phase in the middle position (although they sound great individually). As they are single conductor jobbies, it's an internal swop rather than just swopping the hot and return that you can do with a two-wire setup so I'll get one of them back to Matt to do the surgery. But it's close enough to do a gratuitous photo or two If the light is good in the morning, I'll do the arty-farty photos before I take the neck pickup out again as it won't really change in outward appearance from this point on

Ill get the router out and put some CS '62 pups in, it'll be right🤣

Well, this happened today. How bloody lush is that 😍 1992

Gotta get me one of these.

The Tonepump must surely be one of the most misunderstood and unfairly maligned pieces of electronics in bass guitar circles. There has been a longstanding propagation of untrue information about it, not helped by the fact that even Spector themselves didn't fully understand it. The Tonepump was made by a Czech company, Michalik, allegedly as a Haz knockoff, using some clever JFET wiring. Spector purchased them from Michalik and branded the ones going in their bass as the Tonepump. I guess there was confusion at Spector over the translation of the technical documents in English because they repeatedly put false info out about the Tonepump, calling it "boost-only". This appeared on the Spector website, in the blurbs on online music shops and even from the mouth of PJ Rubal when someone asked him about it. What makes matters more confusing is that the flat point in the cut/boost spectrum isn't at the halfway points for the bass or treble knobs - it's believed to be in a different place for each knob, and there are no centre detents to help you find the halfway point in the travel of the pot. I find the best way to use my Spector with Tonepump and EMG PJ is just to set the bass and treble knobs where it sounds good and then use the pickup pan to fine tune the sound. The idea of the Tonepump appears to be an intentional design to distort the signal when on full gain. I guess this was done to help get the Spector grind sound, but in truth it will probably just clip the input of your amp. For the majority of the lifespan of the Tonepump, there has been a small screw on the housing of the preamp which is the gain control. Open your bass up and it will be set 100% in its fully open position for max gain. Use a small screwdriver to wind it fully clockwise and you'll note your bass has no output at all. Wind it back up until you're happy with the sound and your bass isn't clipping your amp unreasonably. Voila. I have my Tonepump set somewhere between 50-60% gain. This still gives it a lively Spector sound and doesn't clip my amp and I don't need to adjust the input gain on my amp when switching to other basses like my active Ken Smith or passive Yamaha Attitude. I find this gives me a more usable sound. If I want classic Spector grind then I use my Darkglass Alpha Omega to provide gain, rather than relying on a distorting preamp, which can sound harsh. I do wonder if the Tonepump would have made a better impression on many if Spector had set them to 50% gain, leaving people the option to turn it up if they wished, rather than just sending them out on full. There's probably a few people out there who played them or bought them and didn't like the preamp because they didn't know it was deliberately set high and could be tamed down. Personally I dont buy into the "hotter is better" signal crowd. I like the smoothest, purest signal I can get from my bass. Dirt and drive can be added later, and even that works better with a cleaner input signal from the bass.

I think you are in error if you think I or anyone else thinks you care about such things. You see the point is we, as a species, are social animals and sharing and bonding are vital to the survival of that species. Even though we no longer need anything to survive (we are effectively an out of control cell multiplying on the body of the earth) these instincts are still within us. Saying hey I love Led Zeppelin's second album, or I love Hull City or I love precision basses will provoke a visceral response. Those who feel similarly will warm to us and share their love for such things, we will bond with these members of our tribe and protect them if they are under threat, confident that we also have their protection. The people who think Houses Of The Holy was far superior and Hull City are Ok but far from the best team and I don't mind a p-bass but I'm a jazz kind of guy really will be happy to enter into a friendly discourse with us but neither of us will feel we particularly have each other's backs if a neighbouring tribe raid the cave. Now if you say why the hell would you even like anything by that pile of carp band and I fecking hate Hull City fans especially those who can't see the p-bass for the waste of wood that it is, well, now we know where we stand and you will have to be incredibly sensitive to subjects close to my heart in future if you want any of the meat I've scavanged before the hyenas arrived. In fact I suspect you to be in league with the enemy tribe and as such are persona non grata as far as me and the rest of our tribe are concerned, so you can bog off. We don't think these things but our emotional and intellectual responses are firmly rooted in them. So, was New Boots And Panties one of the greatest albums of the seventies? Think carefully before you answer Jack.

Here’s a cheeky one..... shows off the flip flop paint a bit...

Couldn't get on with the width of the neck on my PB50 so thought I'd take a chance on a cheapo Chinese neck off eBay for £55 inc shipping. Took 3 months to arrive because of Covid but I was well Impressed with the quality. Binding Is perfect, frets are all level, truss rod works fine and the block inlays are perfect too. The big plus is that it's 38mm at the nut, the profile at the back is the same as a classic 70's jazz (baseball bat). It even came with a fender logo (I didn't ask for it & It wasn't on the one in the ad) which will be removed. Fitted straight onto the PB50 with no problems, tuners off the harley neck also fitted on without aggro. The neck is darker than It looks in the pic. So If you're prepared for a 3 month wait a cheapo neck can work.

That's the face you see when the worship leader has transposed YET ANOTHER song into Eb.

A great mix here from Pablo with Jacob Miller

Dave, that bass player in the picture she is holding looks suspiciously like you sporting your new beard. Is there something you want to tell us?

I hope you didn’t mean me - I just responded to a recommendation for Limelight by saying that, IMO, I hadn’t seen one I found convincing... but then to be fair I think there are lots of relicers whose work doesn’t look realistic - like actual, real wear - to me. I know they have many customers, and they seem like a great deal for what they cost. The most convincing ones are generally not overdone, nice finish checking, a few dents in usual places, light wear... ideally mostly put on by the players on a thin nitro coat that ages quickly, and the best ones have been Bravewood, Crinson / @Rick's Fine '52, Nash, and some of the Masterbuilt Fenders.

Careful now...you'll have to move stealthfully through my neighbourhood with statements like that..😉😉

Thanks @Happy Jack I didn't know you cared enough to waste some of your time on here to get me to waste more of my time.. And no doubt, someone else will come along soon and waste their time as well. And so on.. This really is an exercise worthy of comparison with the Government's pointless 5pm daily briefings.. 👍😁😂 Stay Home and choose your favourite albums - > Waste everyone's time - > Save Lives Meanwhile, Album number 47 in my all time top 10 is...

I was wondering whether to continue posting these or just add a link to Mr Sklar's YouTube channel. Kind comments like this mean I obviously should continue. I've hugely enjoyed watching these daily videos too - the mans a genius; whist his bass playing is exemplary, his approach to life and attitude towards others is an even bigger inspiration.

Game-changer, mate ...

Same reason I'm a bass player. Making the song and band work as a musical entertainment.

Interesting. Conversely, I’ve felt that a couple of bands I’ve been in over the years have been spoiled by some members insisting on playing all the time on every song. Leading to a total loss of dynamics and an overall stodgy sound. There was one particular case of a second guitarist who scrubbed away on chords on all 6 strings all the time in every song. I had a discrete word with the band leader about how I thought we could be even better if we...(trying to be a diplomat). The answer I got was - you can’t expect people to pay all that money on gear, practice etc. and stand around not playing. 😳

Well I caved and bought a set. Should be with me next week. Fingers crossed I get a get a fresh, sturdy set!

... and, of course, there's always the phenomenon of backing singers being much better than the "famous" artist. I remember seeing something on telly a few years ago now where Baby Spice was backed up by Sam Brown... sorry, Baby, you were out-classed there. Mrs Trueno always points out... if you have a dodgy voice get in some serious-pro backing singers.

That would be me.

ZZBottom

When i was 20 i grew my first attempt. Pure blonde hair, dark eyebrows and ginger beard too. That's one of the reasons i shaved again. I'd forgotten all about that. Now everything is white.......sorted Dave

Sometimes it is what people say. My wife absolutely destroys laptop keyboards, you can see the more common keys on her laptops because they have no letters any more. Her latest macbook (underlit) has survived better than most but it is still 2 years newer than mine. Mine looks like new, hers looks like a relic. I always assumed that is because basically women have acid for blood but maybe that is not true?

In defence of the basses it was a very wide angle shot to get all of them in one photo which has stretched and skewed them a little. They are all very well proportioned in reality! There's no getting around the fact they have wider bodies than a 4 string, but the below 'non-skewed' photos should show them in a true light.

If you want to see grown men cry you play the guitar intro to Sweet Child O’ Mine but popped and slapped on a bass.

You're all missing the point. How cool would 2 15s and two 4 10s look stacked up either side of the kit or next to one another. The simple truth is each extra speaker increases the cool by 254% - you do the maths.

Took a punt on this two days ago on eBay when a B-stock came up for £200... figured there wasn’t much to lose at that price point. Here she is next to my Dingwall Super P5: My initial impression is that it’s insane how they are selling these for £299. This one at £200 is probably as many as many features as I’ve seen on any bass for the money: - burl laminate top - roasted maple neck and bound fingerboard - multiscale: 34” high G and 36.25” low B - LumInlay side markers - 3-band pre, EMG45 sized pickups - monorail bridges - Gotoh-style tuners - Black hardware - red / purple burst, with matching headstock Now obviously this isn’t a Dingwall, and there are compromises. For a start, it’s not perfectly balanced: the strap button near the neck is only around the 15th fret, and on a 6-string that makes it slightly neck heavy. I think I’ll put Dunlop Dual Design Straploks on which will extend it a centimetre or do - I might also toy with an inset one on the back like Dingwall do with their D-Bird / D-Roc models. The back of the neck on this one is painted, and there are dust bits in the paint which you can feel with your fingers. Given that it’s a roasted maple neck, I think I’m going to give burnishing a go. The bridge alignment is a bit of a mess - the monorails are not in line with the strings, and one of the saddles has almost fallen over. The saddle was easily fixed when I did the alignment - I will probably redrill for the bridge at some point, and possibly replace with gold ones if I end up liking this bass enough to keep it. There were some marks along both edges of the fingerboard - these were easily removed with a damp microfibre cloth, but seems strange to have them there. Some of the fret ends are a little sharp - again if I end up liking this, I may have them dressed properly. There is buffing compound dust in the neck bolt holes - again easily fixed, but perhaps where they managed to cut corners a little. On the listing, it cited to areas of damage: the gap between the nut and the neck, and a dents in the neck close to the heel. Both relatively minor and easily fixed. The truss rod relief was perfect, and surprisingly the nut slots were at the perfect height, but the bridge action was all over the place so I’ve given it a quick height and intonation set, and I have to say it plays very nicely. One or two slightly high frets preventing super-low action, but works well for my preferred setup and comfortable to play fingerstyle or slapped with the stock D’Addarios. The pickups aren’t anything particularly exciting, and the electronics aren’t exactly silent, but it sounds very passable... and for perspective, the Sadowsky preamp in my Dingwall cost me more than this entire instrument shipped. Going to live with it for a while, and then might try some of the fettling mentioned above. I have the EMG45s and EMG pre that came with my Shuker, so those could potentially go in this; the Shuker could then take the Glockenklang that came with my Sadowsky, and the Sadowsky could have its original Sadowsky pre put back in. In conclusion: I honestly can’t believe this thing cost me £200. It’s a very acceptable instrument as it is, and a little bit of work and parts I mostly already have, this could be an absolutely killer bass for under £400 that would probably cost 8-10x that if ordered from a custom builder.

At last the answer to the question we have all been asking for years...what is the best bass for a bunch of Wanka`s!

Love this version too, really dig Ernest Ranglin.

PLEASE NO!!! In a proper installation there will be a fuse in the right place. If an earth fuse fails there is then (a) no protection in the case of a fault and (b) no path for enough current to flow to blow the main fuse. Double fusing is not double protection as my Dad (a working lifetime in electrics) drummed into me. But a lethal electric shock is milliamps, it probably take 20 amps to blow a 13A fuse promptly - those fuses are to prevent fires under short conditions, not protect from electric shocks. This is also why if you go to a venue make sure there's a RCB for the outlets you use and test it - back in the day before this became a legal requirement I always used a stand alone one for my gear and now I have fitted an RCD to my extension lead. An RCD will trip on less than 40mA leakage - enough to prevent a lethal shock.

When I was 13 this was an influential album .

Foiled again I never even noticed that.. Well spotted @jezzaboy This might help you decide :- please donate so i can afford a razor and shave this beard off. Dave

I prefer @skej21 over @stewblack

Ordered the 3rd gen Solo, cheers again @Sibob.

Stew, that is an excellent piece of work.You should be very proud. I bloody told ya! You’ll be setting up in business next: fretboard removals to the gentry.

I still concur that the vest top is doing him no favours.

For me (and as you say this always descends in to an argument so it’s hard to present an objective argument without people taking it personally etc) but I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that a large majority of bass players don’t really understand the specifications of a bass (and therefore the reasons wear that produces this type of finish happens at different rates). Nitro finishes are expensive. As such, earlier Fender copies (such as Arias etc) avoided using nitro to keep costs low. If you use a cheap alternative like gloss polyurethane, ‘natural wear’ from playing is more likely to be the odd chip out of the paint but the gradual erosion of the finish simply doesn’t happen at the same rate (maybe over a few hundred years rather than decades) or in the same way as softer nitro will (the look or a soft finish that has gradually worn down compared to a hard finish that’s been aggressively sanded back look very different!). So, in Fender’s current range a model like the American Original 60s Precision will wear and carry a more traditional worn look after 38 years of playing than a MIM Player series bass would (or your Aria). Also, nickel tarnishes and ages much quicker than chrome 🙂 Obviously that also means that relic techniques do not work in the same way for modern poly body/neck finishes and chrome hardware to produce a ‘relic’ finish on instruments using etc

I love a relic, cant understand the angst - it’s a finish option end of. Sandberg over all probably do it better than anyone out there and have done consistently for a long period. Having said that, I tried my own. I took time to work out the height I play my bass, where I play it, how I carry it, how I stash it etc, I even carried it around places with me to simulate wear etc. Then I did this - I quite like it (colour not to everyone’s taste I know!) So i can say this is Very personalised relic, and if I was doing it for someone else I would do the same. If anyone wants to try their own, happy to share any bits I have learnt.

That calls for the Jimmy Carr response: "I'm trying to work here. I don't come round your workplace and knock all the sailors' Cox out your mouth, do I?!"