Leaderboard

OK - found it. A 'quick and dirty' way of finding and sorting high spots in frets and also negating a 'ski-jump'. Warning This is NOT the way a pro-luthier would do it and, because it doesn't involve re-crowning and re-polishing the frets and other important stuff, it is merely intended as a quick fix on your own bass and at your own risk. Also not great if you string bend on your bass (most of us don't). Don't do this on someone else's bass or any particularly valuable one!!! 1. Quick and Dirty way of finding and tackling high spots on frets Use the straight part of an old credit card to use as a 'rocker'. Put the straight edge over 3 frets (use both hands...my other hand here is holding the camera) and does it rock? If it does, then it indicates a high spot at that string position for the middle fret of the three. Do this next to each string for that middle-of-the-three fret and repeat all the way up the board. Normally, when I'm not holding a camera, I would be holding the other side of the card with the other hand and just gently applying pressure on either side. Make a note of any high spot on a simple chart: You must be using the straight part of the card edge and not where it starts curving at the corners and also the edge must be covering only three frets at a time. As the frets start closing up, just use the shorter edge to make sure you're still only covering 3 frets: On a bass, for the first few frets, a credit card isn't long enough. Anything straight and thin will do! : Note, by the way, that you can't check the 1st fret (rare that this is an issue if the nut is cut properly) Next - on the frets where there is a high spot, mark the top of the fret with a non-permanent sharpie: Then take an emery board nail file (most supermarkets, Boots, etc): Use your finger to apply pressure and file gently back and forth in the direction of the fret and where the high spot was under that particular string. The sharpie line disappearing will show you if you're filing in the right place which only needs to be under the actual string that you marked an 'X' against on your plan. A bit either side is OK but don't stray to another string's position unless that was also marked as high. THE PHOTO BELOW IS ILLUSTRATIVE. WHEN YOU DO THIS BIT, POP A STRIP OF MASKING TAPE EITHER SIDE OF THE FRET TO PROTECT THE FRETBOARD IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY ANGLE THE EMERY BOARD. Check frequently with the credit card until it doesn't rock anymore THEN STOP! If you have a whole fret that appears to be high, first check that it is seated properly on the fretboard. If it isn't, tap it lightly along the fret with a hammer and recheck. If it's still high, then use the emery board, potentially along the whole fret - but check with the credit card at each string position frequently so you don't overdo it. The fret top will be slightly flat where you've levelled it. On a bass, Quick and Dirty says don't worry about that - I would defy anybody who says they can hear an intonation difference (although you can on a 6 string electric). Also the fret top will be slightly scratched. But the scratches will be along the fret direction and shouldn't give a problem. If it worries you, a fingernail buffer will polish those out to a decent extent (what's a fingernail buffer? Ask wife/partner/sister/mother...they will be in the same area as the emery nail boards) 2. Quick and Dirty reduction from a 'ski jump' to a 'gentle ski slope' (sometimes referred to as a fall-away) What is a 'ski jump'? It is where the upper frets, restrained by the neck pocket bolts, end up at an angle to the rest of the neck (which is pulled up by the string tension). It is sometimes just the last couple of frets, but often will affect all frets that sit over the neck pocket. The symptoms are when the bass has a decently moderate action but you still have a buzz coming from the very top frets. BUT FIRST - a repeat of the warning: Don't do this on someone else's bass or any particularly valuable one!!! THIS SECTION WOULD BE BEST DONE BY SOMEONE A BIT MORE EXPERIENCED AND, IN ANY CASE, ONLY SHOULD BE DONE IF YOU CAN BE SURE YOU HAVE HIGH UPPER FRETS Purchase a cheap 2-sided diamond steel sharpening stone. Something like this from Amazon. A cheap one like this isn't going to last long but will be fine for this task: Pop a bit of masking tape over the neck pickup to stop any filings sticking to the poles Taking care that the far end isn't anywhere near scratching the bass top, lay the stone on the fretboard where you want the ski slope to start from (usually the 1st fret from where the body joins the neck). Using both hands, gently move the stone 'rough side' down over the frets in this direction. It is easier if someone is holding the bass to stop is moving: Apply light pressure for the lower frets with your left hand and slightly higher pressure with your right hand on the upper frets. You should see the tops of the upper frets flattening evenly along the length of the fret and the lower fret tops less so. Stop when the flattening of the upper frets is no more than 1mm wide. Turn the stone over to the 'fine' side (usually 1000grit) and repeat 5-6 times to take out some of the scratches. String it up and try it. If it needs some more, then just repeat And that, folks, is Andyjr1515's Quick and Dirty method.

I had a few days where a couple of basses came up which I couldn't say "no" to. Both play really good...hard to say which I prefer, so for now I'll be keeping them both. Squier Dimension and G&L L2500

The final bits for my latest project build have all shipped today, so i figured i would track the progress here. This might be a longish one as i wont be able to paint until it warms up a bit. Received my fender replacement neck a few days ago. Picked up the pure vintage 63 pickups locally. I ordered this body: https://www.musicstore.com/en_IE/EUR/Fame-P-Bass-Body-Alder-Unpainted/art-BAS0009721-000 As far as i can tell it has a 62mm neck pocket, the only reasonably priced body i could find with 62mm and no swimming pool route. Even though one never sees it, i hate those massive fender routs. I ordered schaller nickel BMF tuners which are reversible. Fender neckplate. Allparts vintage nickel bridge. Allparts knobs, strap buttons and shielding tape. Fender string retainer. And fender 13 hole tortoise shell pickguard. To allow it to actually make noise, i ordered a @KiOgon loom. Parts, body and loom all shipped today. Plan is to finish it in jet black nitro using rattle cans. I've done it before and it came out looking excellent, so i am looking forward to trying again. This is what i have so far:

Don't do it. Fretless basses are all manufactured by child labour in shacks controlled by warlords. The fingerboards are made from ivory painted with carcinogenic black pigment. Some manufacturers have a history of links to IG Farben, the gulag system, Pol Pot or Jimmy Savile. The pickups attract tariffs of 3000% and their configuration will trigger sprinkler systems in any major shipping warehouse. This is known to cause water damage that distorts the ivory fingerboard, which is then unplayable even for jazz, and increases the risk of fatal electrocution when selecting the neck pickup. Really, it isn't worth it.

I think it's done. To make the Capo work as a di, I made a little patch cable with a low profile xlr, so to plug into the pa there's an xlr socket at the side of the board beside the output jack for the amp. It's very much an all purpose board, mainly for my wedding band, but also a blues rock original and an industrial band. It covers it all pretty well, having 2 eqs makes it easy to swap between bass guitar and upright without too much hassle....

Where tone is concerned reggae isn't low end strong in the 40-60Hz range, it's midbass strong in the 60-90Hz range. That's because the benchmark reggae cab, the SVT 810, isn't low end strong, it's midbass strong. It's also loud. The reason it's loud is the eight drivers, which have a combined cone displacement of 1300cc. If you want to get SVT volume without the SVT size and weight the way to do it is with high displacement drivers. The highest displacement drivers available in commercial cabs are those used by Barefaced. Four Barefaced tens or two Barefaced twelves will go almost as loud as an SVT 810.

I'm afraid thats what happens when Snow White has sex with Dopey!

Got myself sorted for now. Thanks for the advise. Ended up travelling to a shop with the above STV112, a PF112, and Rumbes' 115 and 210. So got to try a few cabs out. No ABMs anywhere near though.

I expect they're all busy putting the finishing touches to the new website.

Correct. Binky told us earlier that our hero lived at home with his mum and dad. That's where he went to pick up the guitar. One thing this story does reinforce is that one should always pay on collection and not beforehand via PayPal. Then, if the item is not as described or damaged, you don't have to go through the rigmarole of getting a refund.

I don't think i've posted my BBG here yet. Sniped on eBay around November for absolutely stupid money, since upgraded with Seymour Duncan SPB-3s which were mispriced (sorry PMT). Stock is was fine, but the pickups were lacking a bit of heft and I struggled with the lack of bottom end compared to my other basses. This BBG has cost me under £175 including adding the pickups. It plays like butter, sounds amazing - it is my go to 4 string.

I read threads such as these and thank my lucky stars that I use Ashdown amps

I used to buy and sell a lot on eBay, but gave up about fifteen years ago. You have to deal with the usual cross section of weirdo's, chancers and increasingly fraudsters, but that difficulty was compounded by eBay offering poor service for sellers whilst charging more and more. They held the monopoly on internet second hand selling and leveraged that to hike up fees, remove buyer feedback and skew search results for more profit. Their fall from grace is well documented across the internet. These days I'd sooner go without or give something away than use eBay.

I think that there are many of us in similar situations - lots of gear, no band, reduced motivation. Personally I'm keeping my gear for as long as I can afford to - my nest egg as most of my pensions are rubbish. Chances of me selling the gear at a profit is more likely than any of the pensions yielding something worth talking about. Also I get to play instruments that I enjoy..

I play about three random notes to make sure everything's working then hit the bar !

Going out once was lax. now twice. I'm such a child

Gratitude by Beastie Boys. MCA was one of the greats, RIP 🤘

Nah, they all sit around on polypropylene chairs going on about when they last had a drink...

Someone on another thread reckoned the Bass player from the Trampps (?) used Mayonnaise to deaden his flats. It Mayo may not be true...

Superb post Andy! Can you post again showing the long number across the front of the card lol

Agreed that Ashdown customer service goes well above and beyond what they are required to offer. Ashdown is a small team with an exceptional attitude. However, for every Markbass user with a problem there are probably a hundred or more that don't.

53 isn’t 23 but it’s also not 83. You still have plenty of years left in you to play the music you love. Don’t write yourself off just because you are over 50. I’m 51 and play in heavy/classic rock band that’s getting very popular (locally). The singer and guitarist are 27 & 28 respectively. Having the best time ever! So can you. This not a boast post but some hope post. Good luck for the future!

I buy through ebay a lot of the time and rarely have a problem, it is a good place to get cheap bits for those of us that won't use amazon and find things that are really rare (I mean, where does one get an eignharp otherwise?). i have never really had a selling issue and certainly nothing like the level of crazy above.

Intro to Livewire, AC/DC...

I was using the tonestyler. It’s really quite useful and I found myself using a few different settings. Having the ability to instantly recall a tone setting was pretty sweet. Here’s a demo…

Interesting... I've an Artec QTP to go in a 'P Bass-ish' to replace the std Tone as something a little different... https://spartanmusic.co.uk/products/artec-electronics-sound-controller-circuits?variant=26552793224

How about How about Danny Thompson?

FWIW don't split cabs. When you do it creates hot and cold zones in the lows, AKA 'Power Alley'. If you want to be heard on the other side of the stage aim one cab at yourself, the other across the stage. That aims directional mids and highs so they can be heard, without creating a power alley. This explains. It references PA subs, but applies to bass cabs as well: https://www.prosoundweb.com/the-power-alley-discussion-solutions-to-the-troubling-interaction-of-subwoofers/

Measure from the 12th fret instead. Then you'll always be accurate.

That's not bad. To be honest, unlike my previous old school Trace stuff I tend to look at the ICE based amps as 'consumable'. My LM3 is a 2012 Italian class AB job which I put over to back up about 3 years back. My current main is the Little Marcus which has about 3 years old and done about 130 gigs. It will get retired to back up in another couple of years if I'm still doing 50 gigs (or so) per year.

Yes. I had the combo for 7 years and it has never let me down until now.

Was that The Smiths?

Definitely Mark, I’ve had a lot of Markbass gear, no problems with any of it.

Liberace..?

The Ethiopians, Obeah Book

Steady - no need to throw a brick through the window!

That’s just someone who likes the last word. He can now feel smug and tell his wife as he smacks his lips over his glass of beer that he ‘dealt with that guy” he must be feeling very proud 🤣😂

I used Real in Sheffield to check out my LM3 about 3 years back. Intermittent volume loss, they bench tested and ran for a few days and found no issue. Think the charge was about £40 so no biggy. To give some security I picked up a little Marcus 500 and now run the LM3 as a back up. For interest, I eventually tracked down the problem to wifi interference on my wireless set up - nowt up with the amp. Lesson learnt.

I'm going to call for Dave Pegg. Partly because he's a great bass player and a funny bloke, but mainly to watch Ian Alison struggle with the brummie accent.

Good call re the charity shop, but for the higher end bass stuff I’m sure you would do better selling it on here and then donating the proceeds to the charity ?

Don't be silly, tea isn't hot enough to melt solder.

It all depends on what you want to do. Some days I’ll spend an hour on structured practice, other days I’ll have a glass of red wine, stick on the WAZA headphones and have a play. The key to achieving anything is setting some goals. Once you’ve defined those, you can work out a plan to get there! Mine are all DB related (although that doesn’t stop me gigging regularly on electric bass!) Send me a DM as I can send you a book or two and you can see how you get on. I’ve got a few bass ones that were going to the charity shop.

I would file the hole into an ugly oval and hide it behind an added rectangular plate with the right size and position of holes made in it. Ask me how I know about this technique.

As if you needed more persuasion.... For a long time my only bass was a five string fretless. And I played classic rock, Black Sabbath etc with it and though I couldn't clank the strings I didn't have to mwah it all over the place, it was just "bass". We played one or two Pearl Jam songs though and the reverb and chorus were on and it was mwah all over! It was a fretless Kramer which is now over twenty years old, I don't think you'll find one easily and if you did you might not like the styling, it's an acquired taste! I now have five basses. My most recent acquisition is the Harley Benton jaco-alike fretless jazz. For £150 brand new it is excellent. I have had two Sire basses (still got one of them, V9 fretted 5) and my Thomann wishlist has the V5 fretless in it... Just do it. What do you lose? You buy a bass you can resell, you spend some time scratching an itch. What do you gain? A new bass that does something your existing basses can't, a new technique, a new way to express yourself. I always find new, different, basses encourage me to make different note choices, you will discover something guaranteed. Even if that discovery is "I like fretless, just when other people play it".

Hey all, just wanted to say a massive thanks for all these suggestions... some really great ones here! I'm in contact with a lot of these players already or have worked with them in the past, so for the most part it'll be pretty simple for me to set something up ... except for... PINO!... Well... at least for now, lol. He's a suuuuper private guy (hence why he hasn't done anything in an interview format like this for a loooong time... last thing I've seen was that old BBC thing). That said, I've got a few irons in the fire, so its not impossible... just a patience thing. Anywho... thanks again for all the ideas (and keep em' coming if you have any more!)... and if do manage to land the Pino interview, I'll report back Scott