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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/02/21 in all areas
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My Thunder 1A fretless has long gone (what was I thinking 🤦🏼♂️), but remiss of me not to add my latest Matsumoku to this thread. A tasty Thunder III.8 points
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And we're ready for the final furlong It's difficult to describe the difference between a full poly-type gloss and a light Tru-oil gloss (you can build it up and build it up as an alternative), and even more difficult to photograph it. But once it has fully hardened, it sinks much more into the grain which I describe as "more like an old guitar polished up than a new guitar made to look older". It's easier to photograph that effect on the back: Than the front: ...but the effect is the same on both sides. The main thing, though, is that the finish is now tough enough to stand normal handling for the final stages. And those final stages are: a bit more work on the frets; rounding of the fretboard edges; copper shielding the control chambers (I'll check with Martin at SimS to see if he recommends the pickup chambers too); cutting the jack hole and fitting the plate; installing the switches and pots and bridge earth wire; installing the pickups; fitting the magnets to the control hatch cover; stringing up and final set up. Talking of the bridge earth, it's something that doesn't come up very often in the build threads, but it can be one of the more challenging tasks of a build. No matter how close the chamber is to the bridge area, the hole for the wire has to be at a very shallow angle so that you don't just drill out of the back! This one has an added challenge - the carriers for the individual tuners are super slim (normally, the entry hole is under a 90mm x 60mm bridge plate) and I have to drill at an angle to miss the bridge screw-holes So it calls for a long drill. A LONG drill. If there was such a thing as a 'medium long bradpoint drill', then for this one, it could have been maybe half that length - but I've never been able to find one: Why only one hole? Well, happily, the other strings will be electrically connected via the head block. For the connection itself, I stick some copper shielding foil on the flat mating surface, soldered to the bridge wire that sits in the drill hole entrance. That way you get a great electrical connection without the bridge plate being lifted by bare wires, problems often associated with the 'traditional' stripped wire way of earthing the bridge plate. I'll take a photo when I do that bit. And why didn't I drill the hole before I fitted the ebony inset? Well, I could have done, but then I would have had to line up the bridge blocks before fitting the wood they were going to sit on. Building basses are full of these 'neither way is ideal' decisions. A lesson for broader life, I suppose7 points
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So this utterly outstanding build by a certain Mr Cringean is just awaiting final set up before being sent over to me, and dear god it looks simply stunning! I mean the word stunning doesn't do it justice, a new word needs to be invented to describe such glory.. 'Stuntacious', 'Fanmazeic', 'Awestastaciousic'? I know (as most of us do) how well an ACG plays, so I'm confident this will be such a good bass to hold and play - but to look at... it's on another level. It's almost pornographic! In the words of Zoolander, it's just so ridiculously, ridiculously good looking.6 points
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Check out the girly swot! I was about to say that I don't hold with the science of real IQ tests, never mind musical ones, but I've now completely changed my mind 🤣6 points
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Fair point Rich. With cliff, it wasn't just about what he did on record . Having said that you've probably heard by now ( rightly ) , that Cliff plus the other bass players after him had more or less kept metallica going when they were up against it and in trouble.Metallica know how lucky they are/ were with having a great bass player with them always. We all know they treated Jason appallingly bad , and were lucky to get Robert. The difference with cliff, is that he was also a songwriter in metallica ,and wrote killer songs . Live, he was the person who was the focus with his anesthesia solo , which was him using old fashioned basic guitar effects . It was songs like Orion and call of ktula and whom the bell tolls which imho highlighted his talents . I think the big deal with cliff , was that he was the person who was the driving force of metallica and the rest of the band relied a lot on him . He just never got around to fulfill his full potential as he did an awful lot in a short time ..6 points
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Very plausible - it all depends where, how far, what angle and what's in the way. The ideal is a straight line as @BigRedX rightly says, but sometimes that's not possible. This afternoon has been about frets and fretboard. Not finished but well on with it. The frets had already been levelled with a levelling beam but, to be able to guarantee no buzzes at decently low action heights, it needs to be better than that alone. So I use a rocker across a number of points for each fret looking for high spots: There were around 7 frets that needed some attention in particular spots across their widths...but the 11th fret, hmmm I just wasn't happy with. From halfway across the fret, the 'high spot' was more than I would have expected. I had a real close look and came to the conclusion that it wasn't seated properly. Now, a decent whack from the rubber mallet might have sorted it...but I wanted something a bit more certain than that. So, because I run a small bead of titebond along the fret tangs when I fit them, I first heated the fret with a soldering iron to soften the glue: Then used the fret-removal pincers to ease it out. These are just like any other end cutters, but the end is ground down so that the jaws can get under the tiny gap under the fret wire: Tidied up the slot, checked it was deep enough and then detanged a length of fretwire so that I could leave the tang slot ebony fill at each side in place: A tiny bead of titebond along the tang, fret inserted and then judiciously whacked with the mallet and this is a good sign - the glue squeeze-out means it's seated properly: Wipe clean and then a radius block clamped on for 10 minutes for good measure: All of the remaining high spots were levelled and the fretboard edges rounded over a touch. So tomorrow will be to re-crown /polish any flat spots and then scrape and final sand the fretboard In the meantime, I've emailed Martin Sims to ask whether they advise shielding the pickup cavities or not. The control chamber can be shielded while I'm waiting for the reply and the switch and pot holes can be drilled5 points
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Music and those musicians who speak to us. It's such a deeply personal, primal phenomenon. I sincerely believe its impossible to explain to someone who doesn't hear it, who doesn't get what you experience. I gave an example of a favourite part of a song by a bass magician once. The first response was along the lines of, well that's nothing special, it's just such and such a scale over such and such a chord. The bass line touched on something special and inspirational in me. That isn't something I can give to someone else. You feel it or you don't. Cliff Burton clearly had this effect on plenty of musicians and music fans. That's great. You can't measure it, you can't explain it. And that's great too.5 points
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93, doesn't surprise me, I constantly get things wrong in band discussions, hell , our guitarist even told me I was playing one of my own songs wrongly, and he was right 😡. I always say I do quite well for someone with no natural musical ability 😄5 points
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They must have read your mind, just had an email from Strings & Things advising me that EBMM USA are sending out a replacement pickup 👍5 points
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each to their own mate. I think he was an absolute genius but quite a few people think the same as you5 points
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....And The Vox White Shadow.....she lives and breathes again! Saved by Basschat when it was so close to firewood. But she mwah's like a big kiss once again and with the spare Sandberg pickups and pre i had it really sings too. Super low action to boot, easy set up...very happy - it's a winner. @Andyjr1515 you are a gentleman and a genius! I thank thee 👍5 points
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Everyone knows about Venom & Grim Reaper, how about the more obscure?4 points
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Now sold! ***PRICE DROP NOW £430*** Hi BCers After much deliberation I have decided to sell this excellent cab, a Series 1 Epifani UL410 with B&C drivers. I bought this on here quite a while back when I was younger and hoping to get into music full time, decided to invest in a quality one-cab solution that would see me through most situations. As it turned out I ended up going down a different route career wise and neglected bass playing – so this amp has spent most of its life sat under the cover at home. Happily, I’ve rediscovered the bass while stranded with my family over lockdown but realised I’ll need a more compact setup once I am able to travel back to my equally compact one-bed. Sound and performance wise this reproduces a full-range sound and is very versatile – I was always able to dial in the right sound for quite a variety of genres. Never been left wanting in terms of volume when I was active back in the day. Since then however this has had quite an easy life. It’s in excellent condition having spent the last ten years either in a cover (stored indoors) or played at low volumes. Light and for a 410 at 24/25kg-ish and the handles are well placed. FYI The images from my phone camera seem to make the carpeting look more grey than it actually is – the carpet is in fact black. I believe the specs are as follows: Speaker: 4 x 250w RMS cast aluminium-frame B&C neodymium drivers, variable tweeter. Freq. Response: 40hz - 16khz Sensitivity: 103 db SPL @ 1w 1m Power Rating: 1000w RMS (2400w Peak) 26.25" H x 23" W x 17.75 57 lbs. Collection from Llyn Peninsula in NW Wales or courier arranged by buyer. May consider trades for a P Bass? Includes Epifani padded cover. Cheers.4 points -
Sold!!! For sale Elrick Platinum SC 5 with special Woods in MINT condition. Specs you can see in pictures. Comes with hardcase. No trades please! Price 2900 euro plus shipping!4 points -
This is a very reluctant feeler. Bought new by me in Aberdeen from R & B Music way back in 1988. Used up until about 1991 on a regular gigging basis, then hardly at all for one reason and another. Used spasmodically up until 1999 ( one gig every blue moon ) hardly used after as I was working overseas and finally retired it when I went 35” 5iver Fretless in 2005. Unused the last 15 years as I went through the card on other basses. It’s a special bass, apart from its heritage and condition (as new, yes as new) it was going to be a legacy for my Grandson Niall. However, I realised, he’s football mad, unlikely to want to play bass in the foreseeable future. Now we have this Covid crap, his Mum my daughter has been on furlough for a while. I’m thinkin’ they could use the money never mind the bass..... So that’s the reason for this potential sale. I’m just playin’ fivers, regressed to 34” scale recentl, realistically, I’m not going to be playing this wonderful piece of workmanship again. Buy it. When they was twins, the Fretless was an ‘89 sold a couple of years ago. More snaps to follow, you get the picture (ha) This is the bass for Sale, Fretted, ‘88 Thumb 4 String So there’s the tale, no trades, no part trades, just sale. Thanks for looking, more snaps to follow. THE MORE SNAPS4 points -
Girl were one of my favourite bands back then, i used to see them all around London and also at the Reading Festival one year. more glam than heavy rock but great songwriting on the debut album Sheer Greed. Phil Collen played in a mate of mines band before that (The Dumb Blondes) and i also got to know Phil Lewis the singer from Girl from 'ligging' with them. He was romantically linked with Britt Ekland and ended up going to America to sing with LA Guns.4 points
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4 points
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Same here - that test should have been "Which one makes you want to punch the singer most". Pretty much like gigging really.4 points
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Which is exactly what it is, I believe.4 points
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For bridge ground wire I've made a"drill" out of a bicycle spoke. Tap one end flat, file it like a spade blade and drill away. Just big enough hole for ground wire.4 points
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This will probably get me tarred, feathered and drummed out of the Brownies... ...but... ...I've heard a fair bit of Cliff Burton's playing, but nothing that has ever stood out to me as particularly special. It's all a bit "yeah, so what?". My flameproof pants await.4 points
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Looks more like a 1971 Fender Telecaster Bass with an added Jazz Bass bridge pickup and a more useable Precision/Jazz bridge.4 points
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Mayones Jabba Hadrien Feraud 5 This bass is dead mint, in showroom condition, fantastic playability with the typical sound and so recognizable by Hadrien Feraud and yet particularly versatile. Mint Condition Body: Profiled Swamp Ash Top: Spruce Neck: 1-pc / Hard Rock Maple, Two additional graphite rods Fingerboard: Rosewood 24 Frets Scale: 34.25" Radius: 20" Pickups: J-J / Delano JMVC 5 FE Jazzbass Twincoil Humbucker Electronic: Mayo M-BP3 Preamp (3 Band EQ) Bridge: Mayo Vintagep, 18mm Spacing Tuners: Hipshot HB6C Ultralite Tuners Mayones Hard Case 2500 GBP Including shipping worldwide Im willing to trade it for - F Bass BN5, Skjold Drakkar 5, Skjold Whaleback 5, Skjold slayer 5.3 points -
Due to the Covid-19 situation and severe back problems (66% officially disabled because of it) plus right shoulder injury (non-operable capsulitis from which, after more than 3 years, I will never fully recover), I'm selling all my basses over 4 kilos and also the ones I'm not really using. I've also considerably lowered the price for a quick sale. VANZANDT (VAN ZANDT) JBV-R1 Vintage Natural, Japanese craftsmanship at its best, a true Custom Shop. ONLY TRADE POSSIBLE : LEDUC FRETLESS OR FRETTED BASS (NO BELLE ISLE, NO SANOX, NO LOGABASS, NO LADY BASS, NO BD3) ! NON NEGOTIABLE PRICE ! Asking price including shipping fully insured with tracking number to your place in these European countries (ask for other countries) : Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (excluding French overseas departments and territories), Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom : £1299 GBP !!! New price is 308.000 JPY (with the 10% Japanese VAT) and they are not officially exported ! Shipping to United Kingdom is, of course, possible, but with an extra customs fee (VAT + other taxes + courier fee), because U.K. is now outside EEC. In fully working condition with light use and very few marks. Here are the specifications : Body : 2 pieces of ash (almost book matched) Neck : one piece maple bolt on with skunk stripe Fingerboard : one piece maple with white perloid block inlays and white binding Frets : 20 (radius 210 mm or 8.25 inches) Headstock : 4 in line à la Fender Pickups : 2 USA Van Zandt Jazz bass in 70's position Controls (CTS pots from 18th week of 2014) : volume, volume, tone (Van Zandt paper in oil capacitor) Tuners : Gotoh/Vanzandt Bridge : Gotoh/Vanzandt Strings spacing at bridge : 20 mm Nut : oil finished bone Strings spacing at nut : 9.5 mm Knobs : original black à la Fender Scale : 34 inches Hardware colour : chrome Truss rod : one fully working Finish : all nitrocellulose lacquer Land of craftsmanship : Japan Serial number : 7465 Year : 2015 Weight : 4.375 kilos Action : from 1.5 mm under the G string to 2 mm under the E string at 12th fret (can go lower, but was perfect for me) Will come with a brand new Fame Soft-Case Urban. Non-smoking environment as usual. The bass has been fully set up professionally. It has been fitted with a set of Ernie Ball 2833 Hybrid Slinky strings (45 - 65 - 85 -105). For those who don't know Vanzandt (Van Zandt) instruments, they are the equivalent of Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt instruments, if not better. The Japanese higher quality control and craftsmanship make all the difference here. It's a no flaw construction. This bass is, to me, better than all the official Fender 70's Jazz Basses I have played. Compared to a Celinder J-Update in passive mode, the sound is a bit clearer, but very similar. Thanks to the (more fragile) nitrocellulose lacquer, the overall feel is similar to a vintage original Fender. And this tone control is simply magic ! Link to the Vanzandt models page : https://www.taurus-corpo.com/vanzandt-bass Link to the Fame Soft-Case Urban : https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Fame-Soft-Case-Urban-Electric-Bass-/art-BAS0010065-000 A sound clip in slap here by my friend Romain, the previous owner : https://www.facebook.com/romain.bour.92/videos/10158717668167808/?sfnsn=scwspwa And here fingerstyle : https://www.facebook.com/romain.bour.92/videos/10158729049012808/?sfnsn=scwspwa What you see is what you get ! Look at the photos taken at different angles and under different lights to see the real condition of this bass which shows little use and only very few slight marks or dings. The biggest "blemishes" being at the headstock and near the control plate on the edge of the body where the (very fragile) nitrocellulose finish has gone. Here you can see the "blemishes" that I photographed alongside the 37 photos of this bass (the last photo showing Vanzandt full serial number in the neck pocket and the back of the heel's neck was taken by Régis aka @eneade ) : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KRjjhRGOfqWGq_PprTTB6UF-5EAAEYxO?usp=sharing Don't hesitate to ask for more.3 points
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This is my last J bass for a while before I start on something a bit different! Keep an eye out for 6 string headless Krome bass! here we have alder, maple veneer and camphor burl top. It goes a lovely almost walnut color when wetted. I’m think gold hardware, ebony fingerboard and maybe gold Evo frets.3 points
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At one time Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and the Tygers of Pan-Tang were spoken of in the same breath, particularly if it were Geoff Barton doing the breathing.3 points
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It removes dead spots but what about bum notes? If it does I’m buying a laminate neck!3 points
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97, and my beat alignment was disappointingly off. I kept expecting it to throw a chair at me...3 points
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Been putting off redoing my board for a few weeks since I couldn't seem to find a Soldgold Beta DLX in the UK but after receiving one from @NAS Bass this morning I found the motivation to do it this afternoon. Still like the Ernie Ball flat patch cables and Itried to keep everything as neat as possible with some of those cable hooks recommended a few pages back. Pretty pleased with the results overall.3 points
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Damn, seen this just as I've finished filing out the routs for the ears! Oh well, I've heard theyre good pups so hopefully they aren't going to be changed out too soon! Neckwise I do really fancy a right handed neck upside down. Got my eye on a Squier neck and some fender ones so will hang fire on the Jinwan neck in case I can snap up something else suitable in the meantime. Suppose I'd best stain the wood then...3 points
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If I don't like an artist much, I won't go into a thread with their name in the title to stomp on their grave. Lately people have been going on about how great Cliff Williams is or Rick Willis. Nothing against them really, but I find their bass arrangement incredibly boring. Sure, they serve the songs. Cliff was avant-garde, I'm reminded of when Terence Butler was the first to record a bass through a Wah.3 points
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Still my number one bass:3 points
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I met cliff and co in shades records back in '85. I asked him for some advice for playing bass . "Get a phaser! " Top bloke . It was touch and go if I could meet the band , as the ad in kerrang said 12.30 They didn't show up until after 4pm and I got a frosty reception from my bosses in the office . Long story ..3 points
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It's not something I have a need for at the moment, but a compact 1x10" with a properly done crossover and HF driver seems like it might make a very nice jazz gig-sized double bass cab.2 points
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Well, it's your opinion, and you gave it to us straight, like a pear cider made from 100% pears.2 points
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I have no need of this, but I would nearly buy it just because it is so rare that I can actually pick something up.2 points
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That’s the first time I’ve seen a recording featuring Dragster. They played at the Motorheadbangers party (Iron Fist release?) at the Ritz in Manchester - anyone remember the date? Loudest band I ever saw, and that includes Motorhead (several times). Bass player played a TBird - ‘60s IIRC - fingerstyle I think through I think an Orange head. He sounded immense. A lot of the other bands used to play at the Norbreck Nightspot back in the day.2 points
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Unfortunately the bass was in a very poor state when I received it so not sure if i can comment on before. It sounds great now though and the neck is super smooth to play an feels very solid. Tried a bit of chorus earlier for those 'Pino' wannabe moments2 points
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The good news for me is that painting bloke has said that he does not actually want me to strip it because he spends more time sorting out dogdy home sanding jobs than actually sanding them. He is obviously aware of my crafting abilities.2 points
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That's a blast from the past. I never saw the Tygers but in the early 80s Fred Purser the guitarist used to hang out in the King Arms in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, where I used to drink every weekend. He went on to be a successful music producer. Thanks for sharing 🙂2 points
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He's definitely a man of few words but I learnt to know that it's not meant in any sort of rude way rarely answers more than "yes" "no" "ok" but has always sorted me out for anything I needed as to wether he has to like something in order to build it - I would say that after dedicating 16 years of his life for his company he's pretty free to do what he wants. Metallic colours with a Satin finish are 100% possible so while I , myself , don't care that much for it I do get his point that to some (maybe him?!) a Metallic colour without a gloss could look dull. however if you insist - maybe he will build it?? I don't know2 points
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I think there is a good case to protest the "overabundance" of music. I like to listen to music, but mostly when I choose to, and also I value the ability to not have to listen to a load of unnecessary music whose sole purpose appears to be the filling the silence. Maybe this is a subject for a separate thread?2 points
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@TheGreek it's tricky as it would be a shame to stick with a Bass that doesn't sound/play/fit quite right when there is potentially one out there that does, but there is possibly also a certain amount of 'grass is always greener'; always chasing after something slightly unobtainable, a collector mentality, and the fun of getting new things (I'm speaking about myself here - I've bought/sold 4 Basses in the last year). I also bought/sold about 10 fuzz pedals last year before finding the best one for me, but once I got it I was actually a bit disappointed with myself for spending so much time and effort on something so trivial. I found in the end that the £20 Behringer super fuzz doesn't sound all that different or less enjoyable to use than fuzz pedals 10x the cost. Personally, I'm now trying to focus any dis-satisfaction I have with my sound and playing experience on needing more practice and band playing time rather than getting new gear. I'm sure I could get a Bass that makes a better P style thump, and another that has a better B string, and another that's easier to slap, or a better compressor, but probably the best use of my time is to practice more with what I've already got.2 points
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It's sat tuned to pitch overnight to let the wood acclimatise to indoor temperature and none of the suspect joints have moved, I think the little edge on some joints I can feel are just how they are, I'm reluctant to say bad build quality as wood moves and it's not an expensive instrument so I'd imagine the amount of hand finishing is kept to a minimum. The wood is actually very nice and with a bit more care in the finishing it could be very nice. Something I'll address if this madness works. Which brings me nicely to the next step. I made a bridge from some old laminate flooring and managed to fit the strings over it into the original bridge holes. I had to tape if firmly back to the bottom of the body as the extreme string angle behind the bridge wants to tip it forwards. The new bridge sat in front of the old one so I could see if the top could take the strain. The top is X braced and the X crosses in front of the original bridge so my new one was over the bracing. I tuned it to pitch slowly, repeatedly checking the top with a straight edge and it got to pitch with no distortion of the top. I let it sit for an hour and I can't see any movement at all. The strings are now off and checking again with a straight edge, there seems to be none, or very very little difference in the top whether under the tension of the high bridge or not. One very good observation is that it's much louder and has a nicer, deeper tone with the raised bridge, something that is true of doublebasses. I don't know know the physics but if you raise your action on a DB you get more volume and quite often a nicer tone. So it's now all systems go on removing the fingerboard. 🤞😬2 points
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Happy Cliff Burton Day, everyone!2 points
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Frets are in, still need dressing and leveling etc, but so far I am pretty happy. Starting to look like a mini bass2 points
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https://www.facebook.com/rayhburton1/posts/16334290603786642 points
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Don’t fret!2 points
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Great save! Now I'm wondering where I can get some electric Camembert.2 points
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The same reasons as @BigRedX unfortunately - not being able to perform live has resulted in no incentive for me - I've probably picked up my bass less than 5 times since March 2020.2 points
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