Leaderboard

As mentioned above, I have to take a touch more off the neck haunches and I need to get the neck pickup back to Matt to swop the internal wires round, but externally this is done. So forgive the self-indulgence, but here it is:

Been modding this over the last couple of years. Think ill leave it as it is now.

A traditional single acting trussrod sits in a curved slot: So - assuming that the top face of the neck is flat then, as @songofthewind says, the slot should vary in depth, with the deepest in the middle. If it doesn't - or if it does but only by a tiny amount - then this might be why the rod broke in the first place. If it does, then you could fit a single action rod in the slot, and then you will need to carve a curved packer (to replace the one you had to remove to get the rod out) shaped like in the photo above. A single acting trussrod is fitted curved in a curved chamber like in the photo. They will only work if the channel and packer are curved the right amount But if the slot is at least 9mm deep at either end, then that is deep enough to fit a double acting trussrod. These are fitted straight and they will bend whether or not they are in a channel: Untensioned: Tensioned: So, if the channel is deep enough at both ends, one of these would fit. And it's a lot easier than worrying about the amount of curve in the channel and creating that curve. So then the remaining question is the one that @Jabba_the_gut raises. That is: Because we know your fretboard is very thick, it implies that the neck itself is quite thin. So how thick is the neck at around the first fret (or closer to the nut if it is clear of any volute)? If it is at or more than 13-14mm, then you have a channel at 9.5mm and that would leave you 3.5 -4.5 mm wood below the slot - which would be plenty. If, say, the neck at the 1st fret is 12mm, then that only leaves 2.5mm of wood under the slot and, when a 2-way truss rod end starts applying the pressure, it is possible that it might crack the bottom of the neck under the nut. So if it is thick enough, a 2-way rod would be much easier to fit. If it's worryingly thin, then a single action replacement would be safer, albeit a little trickier to fit properly.

Love Rick. He's mint. Jaco's canny too.

I'm happier scraping a bottom than trying to stuff something in it.

I like a man who will happily mix up imperial and metric in one measurement. I always go to whatever increment is closest on my tape measure or ruler, "That's 18 inches and three mil". Never fails to ensure I cut in the wrong place. 😁

Fine by me. These days I'm only posting stuff that's useful in a practical sense, like how* to get minor orange peel defects out of a poly re-spray. * Use a sanding block and progressively finer grades of wet and dry paper up to 12000 then finish with Meguiars ScratchX-20 on a rotary buffing attachment.

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.

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.

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.

My new amp

Wow there's loads of great stuff up here. Love the Toto video Higgie. I'm a beginner bass player (usually a drummer) and have been doing some videos to kind of record my progress learning bass. I'm at month 11 now, nearly 1 whole year of playing bass, so thought I'd get out into the real world and share it with some real bass players! Here's a link to the playlist. There are a few pop tunes and a couple of jazzy ones up there. Cheers, Caroline

Rick B is great. That playing on Donna Lee just wasn't my thing though, clever as it was. I know this is a very heretical opinion, but I don't like Bass as a solo or lead instrument (either electric or DB). A few bars of breadown with the drums maybe, but nothing further.

I noticed that in the most recent Bass Direct newsletter, the first two bass builders being promoted were: Dingwall (as used by Lee Sklar) and Spector...!

I would trade up. I am not biased. steve

I remember reading copies of Bass guitar back in the '90s. You would see used Wals in the classifieds for under £1000 all the time. Yes, they became unobtainable new around the time the whole Tool thing took off; back in the '90s they were just basses rooted firmly in the 1980s, and were no more sought after than Jaydees and so prices were similar. I used to see them at pub gigs all the time back then. However, those electronics are unique and if you want that sound I feel too that nothing else will do. Also, with a waiting list like they have, they have no choice but to ask high prices. If they came down to even around the £3000 mark they would be inundated with orders and would either have to outsource production or see the waiting time for a build stretch even further into the future. Also, if you do spend money on a Wal, new or used and don't like it, you won't lose any money if you sell it on (although who knows what COVID might do to the market). @CamdenRob , your bass looks great; sure it sounds great too.

I'm always wanting to know what to do with my spare millions. Thanks for the heads up.

And that’s my LESS GRUMPY looking face! 😱

Hi, Well I thought I would share this Custom Bass I hade made for a 50th Birthday present to myself. It started life as a Moosehead Beer crate from 1963. The crate joints had to be soaked in vinegar to try and break down the glue to separate the corner joints as they had to be kept intact as the side panels were too small to make a full size bass.. The neck is from a 1979 Fender jazz bass, Geddy Lee pickups and fender relic machine heads The faceplates,bridge etc. were new fender items so I did some patina on them just to give them an old look. The Moosehead facing was then placed on a custom made mahogany body and assembled by Gerry in Haze Guitars here in Ireland. The workmanship and attention to detail carried out by Gerry was fantastic. It was an idea I got from Grove Guitars in America ,who use loads of old crates to face their bass's with and I think it turned out very well. Might not be to everyone's liking but I am chuffed with it.

@stewblack in case you need a project or helpful hints... you need the right tools to accurately relic 😂 IMG_5622.MP4

I'm on YT every day. With just that, heck yeah. Even better is the YT streaming app on my 4K Fire TV stick. No ad blocker there, so Premium is worth it also for that. I have a decent soundbar on my main TV, so YT concerts (like the recently released to YT David Gilmour Live at Pompeii; excellent on a 65" 4k set!) sound great. Here's the concert from 2016. Set up on YT as a fundraiser with Google matching 2 for 1!

This is me playing with my main band. I don't look anything like this anymore since I went 'Lockdown Crazy' and grew a beard and cut off all my hair. It's okay, I may look like a psycho but I don't like liver or fava beans

And the Traveller version with the wooden bits.

Have to say, Ashdown amps into Barefaced cabs is the best gear combination I’ve ever had, and like @Stofferson I’ve had A LOT over the years.

That money can get you a really good combo. The list is as long as your arm and it will come down to your specific criteria and preferences. There is a Markbass CMD121P in the Marketplace here for £450 and it's a superb combo as an example. The Fender Rumble series is highly recommended on here too.

I'm thinking of a Dad's Army quote, can you guess which one? 🤣

The front ones?

They could do FSR factory Special Runs of these... I get your point. I’m not saying I’d buy one every 12 months. Id be much happier if they introduced the configure your own USA standard thing they run in the US.

This, to me, smacks of 'Bring back the Morris Minor'. A bass is a bass is a bass, and Fender even more so, I reckon. At the time (back in the '60s...) there was nothing 'iconic' about these instruments, and I don't believe that's changed much over the decades. 'Serious' collectors will want the originals, anyway. A non-starter, for me.

That's exactly what I did until heavy cabs wrecked my back. These days I have to buy on weight first then sound. Fortunately I have a lot of choice. If I had to use 90lb cabs, like the ones that caused my problems, then I'd have stopped gigging 15 years ago. The price is what it is, but my light cabs have all been in the top tier for tone.

Perpendicular to the strings, or along the same axis?

you've probably asked the wrong crowd We are all bass players you know, the ones who hang around with musicians. People sing because they like music, like performing or just like singing. Some people don't have the skill or the charisma or even the desire to be up at the front. The bassist is rarely the star of the show even if they are the best musician in the band. I love the sound of bass and the role it fills in the music, and I love working with people to make something greater than the sum of it's parts. I also love vocal harmony but I can't do it, even the little bit of backing vocals I do to thicken the melody line I really enjoy and if the song sounds better with it I'll give it a go. It's great to work with a really good musician, everyone sounds better, even me. Why wouldn't anyone want that, and if you don't have the confidence to lead a band or you just have the second best voice why let your ego get in the way of the music or the fun. One of the great joys of music apart from the music itself is working as part of a team.

I'll bet that and Schism are done to death in most bass shops

Seen those on AliExpress where they're a tenner cheaper, you can get the whole bass made of the same wood with a transparent scratchplate for £223: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000389057852.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.83ef1f67GWbM32&algo_pvid=7c3dbb69-5bb0-45ef-8b12-c22d1c544a90&algo_expid=7c3dbb69-5bb0-45ef-8b12-c22d1c544a90-0&btsid=0ab6fab215894974827868136e32e0&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

My Dingwall Super P is as close to the perfect bass as I’ve tried.

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

Isn't that what we all want?

I go blank whenever I pick up a bass in a shop. I have lots of licks and chops in my repertoire and am capable of just wandering on the neck but for some reason I just get a blank when I am aware of people judging me. Totally ok with playing rehearsed band gigs in front of any number of critics but in a shop it's gone. It scares me off trying basses out.

Ashdown CTM30 just arrived this week.