lettsguitars

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1138229' date='Feb 23 2011, 09:57 AM']I was in a well-known vintage dealership in Denmark Street a year ago looking at a 1971 Mustang. The G-string was way too close to the edge of the fretboard, which I pointed out to the owner. He took the bass from me, said "Yes, Fender QC was a well-known issue at the time" and jerked the neck sideways quite hard ... then handed it back to me with the strings now properly aligned. [/quote] f***ing hell!

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1138077' date='Feb 23 2011, 05:06 AM']It's hard to say for sure but I usually find neck shift to the right so the G string falls off. Haven't really seen it the other way in a Fender style bass. I fixed a couple of bad neck shifters by cleaning out the drippy finish from the sides of the neck pocket and more importantly getting a good clean flat bottom of the neck pocket. Usually the bottom of the neck pocket is ignored while folks look at how big the side gap is which doesn't really matter. There's only one contact surface where the neck is pressed against the body and it often has paint in it in some lumpy way allowing the joint to rock on just the tops of the paint ripples. Once the neck is attached correctly I find most bridges are in the right place.[/quote] +1 and then theres the cardboard shim crew.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='1138160' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:43 AM']The rockwool is between the ply and the outer brick wall. The ceiling is also ply with rockwool on top.[/quote] yea i understand mate. i thought rockwool was used as an acoustic tile. brick, plasterboard, air, plasterboard, rockwool. just hang up some quilts on the large hard surfaces. and stick some tiles around the ceiling and you should have a cool little studio.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1137935' date='Feb 22 2011, 11:35 PM']Fender, though not exclusively. Though I don't think it's the bridge placed wrong as much as the neck shifting. Cutting a neck pocket loose enough that you can get any neck in the pile to fit no matter how thick the finish and then gloping on the finish is what I think causes it.[/quote] you are probably right. in which case, put the bloody neck on straight. someone is going to spend hard earned cash on this, let's get it right.

[quote name='MythSte' post='1137833' date='Feb 22 2011, 10:21 PM']+1. Obviously, I expect something to be made properly but if the bass is fine in every other respect, is there anything else it could impact on Letts?[/quote] radius falls away from the string, impossible to get a perfect setup. the magnetic field of a pickup is indeed spread beyond the strings but is going to be unequal on either side. and to me it goes without saying that of all the things you want to be right on a stringed instrument the fingerboard and strings are the most important. not the finish or anything else. the board and the strings should be married. not one going one way and one the other way.

it's easy to slip off any board good or bad with heay vibrato. but it's not always the g. just as often it's the other side. and not just the board slippage factor. unaligned strings means unaligned pickups and an unmatched radius.

[quote name='bassmangazg' post='1137777' date='Feb 22 2011, 09:38 PM']Yes, I know but it usually the only way they could line up the strings! bad craftsmenship.[/quote] it ends now!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1137768' date='Feb 22 2011, 09:34 PM']Im a sparky If the wiring in your house is 35+ years old and not been upgraded at any point then it wont be "satisfactory" at all. There are only 2 outcomes of a report though satisfactory and unsatisfactory so dont read too much into it already sounding a bit Pah satisfactory, thats the same as a brand new house would get. If you are getting shocks then the most probable cause is lack of correct earth bonding in your house- 1-Can you see a large green /yellow earth wire coming from anywhere going into the fuse box? 2-If you have Gas and Water are they both bonded with a large earth wire from the fuse box? Even if they are present without testing properly you cant tell if there is an actual good earth. If you put up some pics of the fuseboard and mains cutout/meter etc I could tell some very obvious faults from there and possibly the vaildity of your certificate. Is the report done by an NIC registered firm or similar outfit?[/quote] i must introduce you to my landlord!

[quote name='bassmangazg' post='1137764' date='Feb 22 2011, 09:32 PM']A very high number of 70's Fender basses had misaligned bridges, with G strings almosy going over the fret ends! The sixties basses could be adjusted as they had threaded saddles though, and the strings could be tweeked from side to side! unlike the fixed notch on the 70's & 80's ones, newer USA Fenders have 3 notches on the saddle![/quote] 3 notches for adjustable spacing. not to fix a bad.

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' post='1137748' date='Feb 22 2011, 09:20 PM']The bigger MB combos have the something something head two channel pre-amp witha tube in the vinatage channel don't they? Seems worth a look![/quote] you're right, but it seems a bit half arsed. whats vintage about tubes apart from they've been around for a long time and have stood the test of time. i want something to warm my hands on during winter gigs. yorick. gotta be a new un i'm afraid.

[quote name='merello' post='1137653' date='Feb 22 2011, 08:25 PM']So she never agreed to sex![/quote] drummers never do. you have to tie them to the kick drum.

it's hard to understand, but most of the big name basses i see look like they've bee put together buy someone who has never seen a straight edge. anyone out there looking at buying fenders, gibsons, rickenbackers, or indeed anything built by factory workers, take a moment to look at the bass properly. are the strings centred at the nut and at the end of the fretboard? if not, the bridge needs moving and i would keep looking until you find a good one (good luck). it is so prevalent and i dont think most people notice. i'll tell you something, if i, or indeed any other proud maker put a bass together like that, it would not leave the shop. is this what you pay 3 grand for a handmade bass for? just so you get a bridge in the right place, it's so simple, a monkey could do it. if mistakes like that are being made across the board, what else is going on? and i'm not talking about the lower end stuff either. this happens on high end highly priced so called 'professional' instruments. a bit of a rant, but i get angry when i see people ooohh and aaaah over a £750 bass that has such rudimentary ills. so, if anyone feels like checking their bass and responding that could be interesting to see just who the main culprits are, perhaps we can find a common factor, country of origin etc. maybe even pinpoint the factory that is doing it and kill them all. if you've just bought a bass and it has this problem, maybe you could get your money back and together we can change the world.

hiscox ebs standard £80

i had a similar problem with my guitar amps (two fenders)considered the electrics as i live in rented house where everything is dodgy. i put it down to dirty pots on both amps in the end. a good swivel on the knobs did the trick (ooh yes)

theres always the option of making your own bridge. stands out a bit more from the crowd, and keeps weight down. floating bridges intonate just fine and look more natural/traditional to me.

[quote name='mep' post='1137598' date='Feb 22 2011, 07:58 PM']It's actually a young looking Hugh Manson, the boss. I always bump into Hugh when I visit Mansons and he's always making tea for the workers. Wish my boss did the same![/quote] hey, it's gotta be better than doing the work yourself!

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1137577' date='Feb 22 2011, 07:50 PM']That's more like punk-pop, innit...[/quote] the fact they've turned up in a thread about fleetwood mac says it all! only messin

i do it for the pure admiration that i get from the bar staff.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1137528' date='Feb 22 2011, 07:26 PM']I have all of NOFX' stuff on vinyl, that's a shitload of vinyl.[/quote] vinyl is the best! i don't listen to any digital music anymore. i dont see why folk need entertaining while they're walkin down the street anyway.

is the lyte referring to weight? coz a light fender is something i've yet to witness

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1137506' date='Feb 22 2011, 07:15 PM'](thread hijack) None of those bands had a masterpiece like this. Sorry[/quote] i'll have to aquire the vinyl if you think it's that good. never listened to them before but obviously the name has been around a long long time, so they must have had something. though having said that, i'd never heard of bad brains till about 5 years ago and i love that sh*t now..

anyroad up. fleetwood mac. it's essential sometimes to transpose to meet the singers range so i guess you're going to have to like it or lump it. or a quick retune? i wouldn't be scared to retune between a song or two. it can be done in about 10 seconds.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1137485' date='Feb 22 2011, 07:06 PM']Nah just a bunch of 17 year olds pi*sing around who later became the greatest punk band of all time.[/quote] what, better than bad brains? or is that not punk. and what about the sex pistols?

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