Fat Rich

I thought I had fairly low action but it seems not after reading this thread! I have approx 3mm for the E (or B on the Status) to approx 2mm for the G, although the fretless basses are about 0.5mm lower. Feels great to me!

[quote name='cameltoe' post='1076917' date='Jan 3 2011, 11:02 PM']Just tweaked it now, feels better already. Had to remove all bolts, got girlfriend to hold strings to fretboard and pull back on headstock slightly, whilst I supported heel of neck and tightened truss rod 1/4 turn (the Status necks never move!) Just tweaked the action as well, only on E and G strings as the saddles always seemed a bit high to my eyes. Much, much easier to play already. Will give it a good 24 hours now and see what it's like then. Is a 1/4 turn usually enough to compensate for seasonal and inital playing-in changes to the relief?[/quote] I usually give my Fenders a quarter turn but this year they've needed a bit more because the central heating has been going full pelt for the last month and dried all the moisture out of the air. It's actually possible to get to the truss rod adjuster without taking the neck fully off: Slacken the strings off completely Slacken the 2 neck bolts at the top so they're approx 10mm clear of the neck plate Undo the other 2 bolts at the bottom enough to clear the neck completely (approx 15 to 20mm). You should then be able to tilt the neck out of it's pocket just enough to get the allen key in and make the adjustment. If you make small adjustments you're unlikely to damage the neck, you have to really crank the trussrod hard to strip the thread or break something. Most important thing is not to damage the threads for the neck bolts by over tightening each time you have the neck off although this can be fixed with inserts by a repairman if necessary. If the E and G are a little high then that'll need to be adjusted on the bridge.

I'd say most basses with a bit of clarity and bite. A lot of people say Stingray but I've been a bit disappointed with mine for slap, plus it's not as versatile as some basses. Don't overlook strings, they can make a huge difference to your slap sound with DR Hi Beams / Fat Beams my favourite on Status S2s and Fender Jazz basses. Status Hot Wire strings have a scooped sound which suits slap too. And a punchy amp with lots of bottom end is very important too.

[quote name='Stefan' post='1073196' date='Dec 30 2010, 09:53 PM']I'm sorry to bring this old thread back up to the top again, but I have a little question about my own Status 2000. Not directly about strings, though: Is it possible to intonate this bass? And if it is - where do I then adjust it? To me it looks like, I can only adjust the height of the strings at the "bridge", but especially the tone on 24th fret is a bit flat compared to the flashiolet.[/quote] It's definitely possible to adjust the intonation although I'm not sure the exact details for your bass, mine are all headed! There's probably a small allen screw locking the saddles in position somewhere that needs loosening, make your adjustment and then tighten again. If you don't get a definitive answer here you could try the [url="http://www.statii.com/"]http://www.statii.com/[/url] site.

Whenever I've "upgraded" bass bridges I've always been disappointed, I've used all kinds of bridge and while they're more adjustable and less rattly than the stock Fender items they make very little change to the tone. Maybe a little more sustain but also a little less of that classic Fender tone, recently I've gone back to stock Fender bridges and I prefer the sound on everything except my Marcus Miller jazz. On the other hand my Status S2 came with monorail bridges pieces and sounded a bit floaty so I swapped them for a single piece ABM bridge and it focussed the sound and gave it much more punch which suits that bass much better. That's the one time changing a bridge has made a big difference to the sound. But as has been said before, the audience isn't going to notice the difference so maybe it's all a bit pointless!

If it's a wooden necked one from the 90s that's probably an OK price, they're sweet sounding basses but maybe lack a bit of ooomph although the active preamp compensates for that by boosting the bass frequencies. If it's a graphite necked one it's probably a very good deal.

Build quality seems to be excellent but I've hated the feel and the balance of every one I've ever tried. Never liked the styling or the sound either. If I bought one it'd be a waste of money but if it feels and sounds good to you then go for it.

My P bass had an extra string on for 20 odd years and the neck coped with it no problem: although it's back to 4 strings again now. Using the bottom BEAD isn't going to be a problem as the tension will actually be lower on the neck then EADG unless you go for really heavy strings.

Blimey, haven't heard those for a while! Class.

[quote name='chilievans' post='1067707' date='Dec 23 2010, 12:41 PM']Why do I need to bring it up to room temp before opening?[/quote] It'll probably be alright long term if you open it up straight away but the sudden change in temperature and moisture levels might play havoc with the tuning and neck relief for a few hours as the strings and truss rod get up to room temperature. Don't be tempted to make any setup changes until it's settled down a bit!

Everyone knows if you tilt your bass up to make it more comfortable to play it doesn't sound so good because the wood grain is no longer parallel to the ground. This design fixes that problem and is also useful for people with one leg longer than the other.

[quote name='merello' post='924283' date='Aug 13 2010, 06:25 PM']Anyone got experience of these? [url="http://www.rees-electric-guitars.com/"]Rees[/url] Really good write up in this months BGM. Allegedly very light.[/quote] I'd have a problem paying more that a couple of hundred quid for a bass that looks worse (styling and finish quality) than the basses I built myself back in the day.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1067611' date='Dec 23 2010, 11:16 AM']Good news. Remember to bring it up to temperature slowly before opening the case![/quote] Or climb into the fridge with it if you really can't wait. That should be one fantastic Xmas present!

There are a few curves on my Status S1s and S2s I think look a bit wonky but they sound and feel better to me than any other bass I've ever played which is what's really important. The Fenders are a bit primitive but they're one of the best ways to get that classic vintage sound, took a lot of shopping around to get ones I was happy with though.

Maybe sing along with what you're playing?

I used to use a slightly heavier E string but generally it seems if your E string sounds fairly tight and punchy it'll drop to D and still sound great. Often an open detuned D will sound better than a fretted low D on a five string. I think some signature strings like Billy Sheehan's have a heavier guage E because he uses a D tuner.

I rarely play the low B but I've been playing 5s for so long I feel a bit lost without it. I'm struggling to get to grips with a 6 string though.

If you get the right de tuner for your bass you shouldn't need to drill any holes, it'll use the original holes. The replacement tuner moves in relation to a plate which fixes to the headstock, there's a lever that allows the tuner to rotate back slackening the string a bit. Plus a small thumbscrew that allows you to adjust how far back the tuner rotates, this sets the note the string drop to (often D). This probably explains it better [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krL94H-wwDw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krL94H-wwDw[/url] It takes a while to get used to being tuned Low D, A, D, G so some people do tune everything down to D, G, C, A (I prefer to play a 5 stringer)

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1063264' date='Dec 19 2010, 09:54 AM']And I think here is the crux of the matter! For a start, you have boost from your preamp to create that classic tone, which is never a good thing. And even then, it doesn't sound as convincing as the old basses do. And when it comes to saying the basses are "capable of doing so much more", I find that to be such an overrated thing. When I borrowed Conan's 1986 S2, it produced one tone, essentially. On both pickups, it was fuller. With just the bridge, it was tighter and burpier. I never used the EQ, I never the passive mode. It just did what it did so well. Being able to do many things can be useful, but the core tone of that S2 was so good you could have used it anywhere. A little tweak on your amp to accomodate for a room or venue and you've got it sorted, classic and distinctive bass tone right there.[/quote] I guess you're a die hard fan of the full on 80s Status sound, unfortunately I think Status would be struggling to sell basses like that these days because a lot of bass players just don't want that sound anymore me included. Music has changed a lot and the bass has probably become less important in the mix for many producers unfortunately so a less upfront sound is usually required. [quote name='Chris2112' post='1063264' date='Dec 19 2010, 09:54 AM']It's not that I don't like the newer Status basses, they are absolutely fantastic. But they don't strike me as "the best" like the old ones do. The older S2's, Empathys etc etc have stood up next to the best basses I've ever played as equals. And in company like Kubicki, Fodera, Wal, ACG and Alembic, thats is no mean feat. The newer ones are good but they just don't make them like they used to, and the prices are unpalatable to me when such fabulous value is available elsewhere on the new and used market. It also strikes me now that the quality of the woods being used, particularly in the bolt on basses, has declined somewhat. I suppose good wood is more difficult than ever to source but this really is a shame as there are a few slightly dull looking Status basses around now whereas they all used to look a spectacle of fabulous woods in the 80's! I also wish they hadn't stopped using the brass hardware and it looked much better than the monorail units and was no more difficult to use. Please do not think I am "Status bashing" or defaming some sacred cow. I know that Status Graphite rarely come under criticism and quite rightly so. They have a long history of producing fantastic basses and I've enjoyed being a Status owner myself. But they are drifting away from the market, a market in which at one time, everyone wanted a Status bass![/quote] I think the quality of the woods is good but there's no question Rob chooses more subtle grains than some luthiers. They can look a little plain in photos but in reality I think they look pretty tasteful. I'm also not a fan of the monorail units though! Price wise, carbon fibre is pretty expensive stuff at the moment and also time consuming to lay up and autoclave. Working the finished product is also tough on tools so all in all I think the price is OK for handmade new instruments. I guess as time goes on there are less of the older Statii around so the prices are going to go up. As for drifting away from the market, the fact that Status are very busy despite the recession suggests they're doing things right with the newer style basses. However the fact that people are willing to pay big money for an old skool Status suggests that you're right!

My fives and sixes are all graphite neck 35" scale length and sound great. I think longer scale lengths means you have a better chance of getting a punchy low B, but I've played plenty of 34" low Bs that sound great too.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1062223' date='Dec 18 2010, 07:37 AM']No Dingwall bashing but we can compare Sterling & friends to the Nazis. Fanboiness is ugly from any side [/quote] Which reminds me, where is Tino these days? Did they finally track him down and terminate him?!

I've got a Korg AX3000B but rarely use it. I've always played fingerstyle but now I'm starting to play with a pick sometimes I'll revisit it and see if there's some effects I like.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1062359' date='Dec 18 2010, 12:13 PM']............. Furthermore, Status certainly don't build them like they used to. Anyone who has played a 1980's S2 with the proper graphite "paddle" through neck will be able to attest to how they feel, sound and look better than the new ones. ............[/quote] Sorry but I couldn't agree less! I have 4 new S2 Classics and the fit and finish is flawless and they feel exactly like my old ones which is why I bought them. The old rigid graphite necks have more brightness and string clatter, but ultimately they're less versatile than the newer ones with truss rods because you can't lose that Status trademark sound. I can easily get the classic Status sound by boosting the bass and treble on the preamp on the new S2 Classics, but they're also capable of doing so much more.

Might be better off buying or borrowing a cheap fretless and seeing if you like it first, de fretting a bass can go quite badly wrong if the fingerboard is a bit soft.

Probably roundwounds for the sound you want but they can damage the fingerboard if you're a bit heavy handed with your fretting. Coated Elixirs as mentioned before might help save the board a bit plus they last for ages.