Leaderboard

I've been looking to replace my Spector Legend Custom (now sold to vmaxblues), with something more Fender flavoured as a backup to my Fender American Standard Jaguar. After lots of research I settled on a G&L Tribute, taking advantage of Andertons Black Friday/Cyber Monday/'well it's Christmas soon' £100 discount (still available!). I usually play my Jaguar with just the P pickup, in active mode with a little bass and treble boost, which gives it a really grindy tone that cuts through well in a one-guitar rock band. I'd never played a G&L, but the MFD pickups sounded like they'd give me the tone I was looking for. I was almost tempted by the £399 L2000, that seems like a lot of bass for the money, but wasn't sure I'd get on with that wide neck, so decided to go for the SB-2 at £349, with the more familiar 38mm neck. Available in Sonic Blue with a maple board, or Black Frost with Brazilian cherry, I decided on the black. When I opened the box, I was a little disappointed and wished I'd gone for the Sonic Blue. Despite being described as 'a classy gloss finish', it's more of a matte/satin finish, like the old Fender Highway 1s. It already had a slight mark on it, and is a fingerprint magnet. However, after a quick play, I realised it's very comfortable for my pick playing, and as my budget backup, I don't mind at all if it gets some early natural wear. It's a little more unique than the common black gloss basses too, it looks great. Construction and quality wise, it's far ahead of the Squiers I've played. Better than the most of the Fender Mexican Standards too, though perhaps a step below the Fender Deluxe Active Jazz I used to have (why did I sell that!?). The neck is very smooth - I'd describe as very well sanded as opposed to a satin finish like my Jaguar. The fretwork is perfect, on quite a thick fretboard compared to my Fender. The Brazilian cherry looks like it has a more coarse grain than rosewood, but certainly more attractive than the pau ferro other brands have been using. It's a light bass, definitely under 9lbs, I'll weigh it over the weekend, but it balances perfectly on a strap. The sound is exactly what I was looking for. It's a punchy, well defined tone, like a boosted active P. It doesn't have a tone control, just two volumes. Bringing in the Jazz pickup rounds things out a little, taking off that edge. Rolling back the volumes gives a more vintage tone. There's no noise at all. Having US-made pickups in these Indonesian-made basses should have them flying off the shelves quicker than the Squiers for similar money, especially with the Fender price rises this year, but perhaps they're missing the familiar shape and Fender name. With these current discounts I might be tempted to buy another! L-2000 or JB-2 next? 😄

Total setup later, straightened the neck, lowered the action, new D'Addario strings, switch cleaner, oiled fretboard..... etc..... It's a beast. Plays beautifully, sounds massive. I've had to lower the pentometer output as it was almost as in your face as my Spector Euro 5 used to be. It's a fabulous thing, very modern sounding, punchy, and weirdly, turned to passive, sounds quite P bass like. Love it. Total bargain.

Seeing as we're offering opinions here, In my opinion I think you're daft to "shave" the saddles instead of using a shim - non-destructive always trumps destructive as far as I'm concerned.

It is well recognised in guitar and bass building circles that hand radiussing ebony fretboards is: - the quickest way to insanity (takes days but insanity is assured) - likely to result in a tapered or skewed profile down the board however hard you try I built myself a router rig a few years ago - better but not perfect - then invested in the excellent G&W router jig a year or so ago. It's b****y wonderful After about 25 minutes, I'd got the shape roughed out over two passes Then another 15 minutes with a radius block to just remove the router cutter lines: And done

Enjoy:

Flats can sound really bright, just a different sort of timbre. On a ray you get a nice sound, with some rich detail. Lots of the stingrays you hear in 70s funk are on flats.

More updates, including carving to reveal accent layer.

Well, Been a month (just over) now since discharge from hospital. Have picked up a nice CS fretted Jazz to fill the fretted hole, but the Uberhorn is still the Bass that I come back to time after time. It gets at least some play time every day - even if it's just 10 or 15 mins. I still feel like I'm getting to know it each time I play it, and it feels like more and more of a friend every time as well. I think it's rare to find any instrument that you really connect with.

Market researcher: Name ten famous bass guitar players Non-bass playing public: What's a bass guitar? MR: It's the big guitar. The guitar that's bigger than the other ones. NBPP: Why didn't you say so? MR: Name ten famous big guitar players NBPP: That's easy. Paul McCartney MR: ...and? NBPP: Sting? He plays the big guitar doesn't he? MR: ...and? NBPP: Freddie Mercury?

Multitracked and quickly mixed from our rehearsal a few weeks ago in preparation for our debut gig.

I was chatting to the leads bro who I met in the street, our singer. I realise that the lead is essentially a bedroom player. He has no concept of what it means to play with other musicians. Of course he doesn't see song structure as an important issue because when you're playing in your bedroom it doesn't matter. His guitar is too loud, he thinks only of his part and is completely unaware that his mistakes are wrong footing other members in the band and basically hanging them out to dry. I'm fed up with him saying on a song ending, that sounded great when I spent two bars trying to adjust from playing the chorus to the outtro. He's oblivious. Next practice I'm going to have a word, I'll tell him beforehand that tantrums aren't acceptable and explain a few facts around being in a band. Either that or I message him beforehand.

So it's done I just need to arrange to go collect the bass. To say I'm happy is a massive understatement!!! This all started after getting this very zoot bass (for a band that didnt work) selling it getting it back and having a crazy idea that I could make a version of a bass I loved the sound of but struggled with the neck my old Mike Lull PT5 so this bass is my version of that bass with a few tweaks. Mike at Zoot has gone over and above and I cant wait to collect but thought I would show you what Mike put up on social media.

Two things have happened that should speed things up a bit. First is that the main build that is running alongside this job has got to the "apply finish and wait for it to dry" stage (isn't self-promotion a wonderful thing ). The second is that the truss rod has (eventually!) arrived and I can now cut the slot: It is a modern two-way rod and will be fitted with the hex adjuster at the rear in the same position as the fretted neck. A note for the observant, by the way - the rod when fitted will be the other way up, with the steel plate side uppermost otherwise there is a frequently suffered scenario of tighten rod, hmmm...still too much relief...tighten more...hmmm...doesn't seem any better...tighten...BANG (as the rod energetically bursts its way through the fretboard ). I say this because - for the same reason that I've photo'd it this way up as it won't balance on its correct side - many of the sales web sites (including much respected ones) show the rod the wrong way up and almost none provide fitting instructions...so often new builders fit them the wrong way round, at which point 'righty-tighty' becomes 'righty-CRIKEY!' The fretboard blank has been cut and planed to size... ...and next job is the radiussing. We are going for 12", the same as the fretted. The dastardly plan is that both the slot cut and the radiussing will be done before the footer comes on

I got this text from our guitarist after they rehearsed with a dep bass player.

Who cares.

The new album of @leitnerjoe is out and is called : Ohrwaschlrennatz. It's an excellent album with great playing and compositions. Buy it, it's really worth it ! And as always with him, you can feel the fun even if you don't understand (Bavarian) German. https://leitnerjoe.bandcamp.com/album/ohrwaschlrennatz

When asked what he thought about this new Masterbuilt Jazz model, Geddy Lee said: "It's absolutely beautiful. I'm honored that Fender would go to such lengths." When asked if he'd be buying it himself to add to his extensive collection, Mr. Lee hurriedly looked at his wrist and said "Sorry, running a bit late. Have to catch a plane!" It was noted by this reporter that he wasn't wearing a watch.

I think we all know someone who’d carry out that mod

Leave That Thing Alone ～ Rush

Since the advent of global plague, I've played a grand total of one gig, 3 weeks ago. We had to end on the always...erm...enjoyable...All Right Now (mostly 'cos SuperScrote DJ MC knobhead was already pretending we were his support act, but I digress...) Afterwards two blokes wander up and tell me how they were dead impressed with that Free song and that I played it so like the original it was like having the LP on. I took the compliment and forced down the urge to scream 'that's all very nice, 'cos I spent the last third of the song playing SMOKE ON THE FU**IN' WATER, YOU DEAF ****S!!!!' That would be bad form, I assume. In any given performance the number of people who could care less about bass is one. That's a proven scientific fact, they did tests at CERN.

Watched the first episode last night with my 15 year old son, who is a huge fan. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Staggering to see how easily great songs flow from Paul's mouth. It was quite striking that while Paul is playing around with The Long and Winding Road everyone was just sitting around, reading newspapers, bored and generally not interested. I'd be like, jumping up and down, and shouting, "Hey everyone, listen to this f***ing amazing song Paul's writing!" I'd probably be asked to leave the studio . I guess, when you're there, witnessing a genius at work on a daily basis it just becomes the norm. Looking forward to 2 & 3

There’s always the slap bass of goalkeeping

Cor, old thread and big gaps in posting, but seeing as it’s popped up I ought to add a pic of Uberhorn 001 I suppose. African Blackwood on Mahogany. Piezo and under-board Nordstrand Jazz John East preamp system It’s been though the wars but it’s stil #1..

I'm used to it. Our drummer does a bit of bass as well and is quite happy to advise me on technique. 'I play it on the open E, you know... like this'. Previous drummer was no better: Me "Hey Chris, any issues with my playing you want to air?" Him [look of bemusement] "Dunno, never listen to you."

Mine works perfectly.

I have also been known to play a TB10 upright. Great sounding instrument

So it was my big boy 50th birthday this year and thought I would put together a decent bass as I couldn’t afford a 1980 walnut precision special (£3000) and didn’t feel confident enough skill wise that a self build course would give me the quality instrument I wanted. So I decided to put together a tribute, rather than a copy of said bass. I asked Walshy to build me a custom body (which in the end never happened), so in the end I bought one he had made previously from Chris/beedster. The neck is a roasted maple jazz neck with chrome hipshot tuners. The pickup is a fender custom shop 62 precision pick up going through a Kiogon cloth wired cts, top of the range loom. Currently has a fender bbot bridge but I have got a hipshot A style bridge to go on it a later date (possibly, but I quite like the look of this one). These parts were all bought from people off of BC. Needs a pro set up but even now sounds great to me. Think she might be a keeper. Thanks Basschat!

You agree that John Taylor is the best bassist in the world for the year 2021?

Here’s some of my work if anyone wants one done 😁

I play with a really low action and I’ve shimmed many basses successfully, it works perfectly if done correctly

Bass now ready to have the neck and body carving done, really please with how this is turning out.

After waiting quite a long time I've finally got my Mayones Cali 4 bass. Pics below!

Ashdown set a standard that others should aspire to...other manufacturers are you reading this thread??

Much more complex than would be expected on “simple pop songs”. Just goes to show there’s a lot more to all of ABBAs music.

I was just about to type the same https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/earlpilanz He's done a couple for me. Send off the original and he posts it back with the new one. Not dear, either.

I think it’s been leaning on the woodburner

Not necessarily This afternoon was Buxton's (relatively close to home) sterling effort to get to the next round of the FA Cup (they didn't ) Those who've seen my previous builds will know that I detest routers. But - there are some jobs where, really, only a router will do. And one of those is the truss rod slot. And done: So next will be planing a small angle for the headstock and then doing a Fender-style carve on it. The billet isn't deep enough to be able to do a proper angled stock and dispense with the break angle compromise of the Fender design but it will probably give me a couple of degrees of help which might mean that I can more easily fit a Wal type or bar type of string retainer rather than the button type fitted on the fretted neck. Visually, it will pretty much look the same as the Lull. And then hand-fitting the heel end to the body neck pocket, after which I will fit the fretboard and start the neck carve.

Just realised I never put up the photos of my gibson/birch bass. So here it is

Ah ha! The plot thins.

Well, if a guitarist will do as a substitute for a bass player, then maybe a hand held megaphone will do as a substitute for a PA............ 🙄

I remember reading an NME (or possibly Sounds) review of a Magazine gig circa 1980 that I went to, which included: “....It was great that Barry Adamson’s bass was turned up high in the mix, as it really got the crowd dancing....” Those who feel the music will always notice the bass.

This isn't a list of the best bassists. It's a list of famous bassists in popular bands who play some interesting bass parts. They always ignore bassists who don't play anything fancy but hold together a band with absolutely solid timing, interesting rhythm and clever playing which is there to support the lead instruments and vocals.

Its those big gloves I struggle with.

Why do you care what anyone thinks? Do you enjoy playing bass, does it move you? If so, continue to enjoy it. Just the feel of low frequencies rattling my rib cage takes me to my happy place. I get lost in the enjoyment of the subtleties of our wonderful instrument. If others don't get it, it's their loss. Or, in another way, it's not you, it's them. 🙂

In case anyone was interested the cause was the breakdown of insulation in the transformer causing a short which then cooked it. It now has a nice Polish made version which has a lifetime warranty. They also replaced a few pots and it has a new valve. All done for cost of parts only. A lot of companies could learn from their customer service.