mcnach

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1360604225' post='1973197'] Might just be because they're super fresh out of the packet, they might sound more hefty when they lose their initial zing. As mentioned before, I find Status Hotwires have the strongest fundamental, plus a little top end zingyness. And they're cheap too, maybe give them a try next.. [/quote] It is possible that as they get more use they turn more into what I like. Actually, I don't think I really like ANY string fresh from the packet, I need to "grease them up" a bit first. I have to say they feel and sound good, and maybe upping up the gauge on the G may be more to my liking... and that way I'll get away from the Marcus Miller shadow On another slightly related note... the "boring" Ernie Ball strings are a bit of a revelation. I put them on a Jazz, and they are pretty nice too. And it makes me wonder... because they look a LOT like the old strings I had on the SUB. A lot. I said they were not the ones on the SUB... but I don't know what I was looking at, as the string ends are identical and so is the winding wire... There is a difference in the way the E string tapers at the headstock end... but then the old E was a 105 and the one I have here on the Jazz is a 100, so that can account for the difference. I know it's a different bass... but I'm taking this one to rehearsal tonight... let's see. Status Hotwires. I keep hearing about them. I guess I should try them at some point too. This is one thing I miss about guitar... strings were so cheap, and you even get extra strings on some sets! Experimenting on strings for bass it's expensive!

Well, I played the Fat Beams last night. They are good strings... but they did not have that punch the other strings had... They sounded "hefty" in the house, but once in "real life", they were nice, but lacked a bit of body compared to the ones I had on. Hmmmm. So, yeah, pretty nice strings, I have to say I like their tone and I'm quite likely to buy them again at some point. But I don't think they are the same ones I had. Ah well...

Ok ok... so I changed strings at last. The Fat Beams look a bit less shiny than the old ones The windings on the E and A strings look identical, but the wire around the D string looks a bit thinner on the Fat Beams... so unless they have changed, perhaps my strings were not Fat Beams after all. Also, the E string's taper starts a bit later on the Fat Beams than on my old strings... but only by about 8mm or so... As they claim their operation is very "manual" then maybe it's normal to have this string to string variation. Conclusion through visual clues: very close, but I am not certain they are the same strings I had. However... I first just replaced the G string. That's the one that broke in the slapfest that is Blackeyed Blonde, and was replaced onstage by a G string from a D'addario XL170 set, and found to be noticeably wimpier on the lower midrange... So I put the new G string on... and besides extra brightness (it's new!) it sounded very well balanced compared to the EAD from the old set. The string felt a bit stiffer than I remembered... but can't be sure. What I know is that it's not wimpy sounding, I liked what I heard. So I replaced the other three. They feel good. They don't feel much different from my old strings, if at all. The sound is glorious. Very full. They are bright, but not clanky, and the treble control on the SUB takes care of it very nicely. They sound fat, but well defined. Strong midrange, as several people said. If my old strings were not Fat Beams, they were very similar tonally, that's for sure. So, I guess I will use this bass tomorrow (and take the Stingray as backup, with the Ernie Ball Cobalts on, which I'm starting to like after the ultra bright zing started to die off)... That will be the proper test. If it sounds as clear and powerful as I'm used to, using the same rig, at the same place, with the same band... then I won't care whether my old strings were Fat Beams or not, and I'll know that my future strings will be Fat Beams. Thanks to everybody who participated in this (fascinating ) thread and helped me find the Fat Beams. They sound great, at least the the volumes I was allowed at this time at night

Glad I did one thing right today!

Thanks to those who suggested the Ernie Ball strings. No, they are not the strings in my SUB, but I put them in a Jazz and they feel and sound great. I think I like them better than my usual D'Addario ones, as they are not as bright and seem to have stronger low mids... Still haven't tried the Fat Beams... maybe later today!

Well, I just painted a body and I didn't even sand the original poly finish, as it was clean and in nice condition... more info here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/179199-refinishing-amateurishly-a-jazz-bass-body-capri-orange/page__hl__refinish%20jazz__st__60"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/179199-refinishing-amateurishly-a-jazz-bass-body-capri-orange/page__hl__refinish%20jazz__st__60[/url]

Is this what you asked? I wasn't sure from your description. That's a J-Retro plate I removed as I wanted a black plate instead, and I just drilled the extra holes in the black plate.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1360359015' post='1969473'] [i] Allergic to swede, maybe..?.[/i]..) [/quote] I strongly suspect that the character you allude to did not even originate from Europe, actually...

Scorpions, Judas Priest and Magnum... I know, I know...

[quote name='punkypuncher' timestamp='1360293538' post='1968265'] Just picked up a Mexican version for £150. Used it today in rehearsal,superb loved it,fat STONKING sound,great feel,now part of the family. Happy Chappy :-) [/quote] I hate you a little

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1360277268' post='1968137'] About 3 years ago I stripped my blue Stratocaster back to natural finish. I went to See John Diggins from Jaydee custom guitars and he advised me to use Nitromors. It took a few coatings to get through the Fender finish but once it got started it was successful as you can see by the photo's. To begin with it looked like this. [attachment=127003:StratAlembic.jpg] and now looks like this. [attachment=127004:IMG_0066.jpg] Jazzyvee [/quote] That lovely wood was hiding under the paint? What a crime! Nice job!

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1360282254' post='1968198'] Inti \ Antiloco is on a life skills sabbatical and won't be around for a while. [/quote] you are evil

[quote name='mike 110' timestamp='1360269760' post='1967923'] It's a great sport , very addictive and my 1st love really , but after nearly 30 years (25 as a coach ) I gave it up last year . And if it it comes to handbags with you know who , I know where my money's going ! Superb post by the way . [/quote] handbags are only a last resort and it requires close contact, I think we're ok

Nice, thanks! I will try to find one of those

[quote name='LITTLEWING' timestamp='1360066587' post='1964191'] I just fitted a set of five D'addario Prosteels to my Squier VM Jazz and recalled reading somewhere on BC about pushing the string down on the playing side of the saddle to make a slight 'break' angle rather than a useless 'arc'. I was a bit concerned that the 'steels weren't ringing as I thought they should and decided to give it a go. OMG, what a difference! They're ringing like a piano on all five especially the B. My only hope is now that this hasn't encouraged string breakage. We'll have to wait and see. Anybody else do this as the norm or am I the last to know??? [/quote] I always do that. It just makes the string take the shape it will eventually take a lot faster. I started doing that when I was playing guitar, and talking about how strings take a while to settle... then Stewart Ward, from Award Session amplification showed us that trick... no more unstable tuning after restringing!

nice idea! make sure you post pictures!

[quote name='mike 110' timestamp='1360268836' post='1967902'] Mcnach gets my vote cos he's a judo man ! Me too - rei ... ! And soon it could well be - Hajime ! [/quote] I haven't heard those words for a while! a couple of my bandmates are into wrestling and one does jiu jitsu... and I nearly convinced them to try judo, so that I'd have an excuse to go back to it.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1360268092' post='1967889'] Here, here... ..and from one who English isn't their first language.. [/quote] I feel humbled, thank you, I almost pressed delete rather than posting as I thought I had rambled too much for too long. I'm glad it's (so far) being taken well. Here's hoping. About languages... ha! I recently spoke on the phone for the first time with a BC member I had previously exchanged emails with. One of the first things he said was something like "wow! you have a strong Spanish accent, I thought you'd sound more Scottish!" It did make me laugh.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1360267649' post='1967877'] That looked like a great post, but I maintain that MacNacho is not food but mere filler. Sorry for my arrogance - I know I'm not the best cook in the world. best, bert [/quote] That's it, tacos at dawn!!!

[quote name='Antiloco' timestamp='1360247162' post='1967310'] a) It works. It works perfectly. It may not work for you but that's another story. b ) Actually no. I don't need to tell where my ideas come from. Because I don't care in the same way an amateur bass player doesn't get better than he needs to get. The main difference here is that it's not me demanding to be respected in a philosophical forum... but here all amateurs and inmstrument collectors demand their views to be respected as if they were the ultimate truth. I'm very sorry but that's not going to happen. Not until you know more than me in my field. My apologies but that's the way it is and it has nothing to do with peoples value as human beings. It's all about knowing your place....You get that point don't you? It's your urge to know were my thinking comes from so its your job. You have the tools, not me. People use math all the time without knowing the theoretical part. Does it mean they can't use math?... Please. [/quote] I nearly stopped reading this thread when I saw what it was becoming... but I'm glad I did not, because this that you wrote relates a bit to a conversation I was having with another BC member a couple of weeks ago when he visited my town and he came to a gig of mine. He is an engineer, and loves music and bass in particular. I started out towards engineering but I became a biologist, and I love music and bass in particular these days. The conversation we had was about how professional musicians must feel about us non-professionals discussing their field. I can only imagine it can get tricky. I am not sure how I would feel if I joined a conversation of "weekend-molecular-biologists". But I know how I feel when I read what some people who know a little (but not much) write about subjects I know a fair amount more than they do, and I can see their errors. It happened yesterday, for instance, when a colleague of mine received a chapter in a "book" that some guy wrote about human disease and cancer and diet in the western world... The guy clearly is no biologist, has no medical training or scientific training of any kind in fact... I was *annoyed* before I reached the second page. His lack of unerstanding was so vast that it would just not be reasonable for me to discuss it (I just don't have the time for it)... and had he been in front of me, I think he could have probably felt I was just an arrogant scientist belittling him because he does not measure to the standard I hold myself to. Hmmm. I can imagine a professional musician feeling similarly "unimpressed" by some of the ramblings of us, largely untrained non-professionals. Am I on the right track? I think this gets complicated because we are talking something we call "art". If we talk mathematics, physics, chemistry... we can be right or wrong and be certain about it to a reasonable extent. Biology is a bit "fuzzier", as we know a great deal, but there is a lot more that we don't know, and we work on the data we have, making assumtions and interpreting results... and next year's results can tell us that a certain "truth" we hold today, cannot be true for we found data that contradicts it. But we can discuss things using discrete hard data. But how do we discuss art? How do we discuss music? On the one hand, there are theoretical aspects or harmony etc that one can use. I know very little. My brother, however, trained for years and is a professional... Because I am interested in all things musical, I have been present when he and others were discussing the whys and hows about a certain composition my brother made... and it was quite amazing for me that there was a lot more behind the music than I had at first imagined, when I listened to the piece being played. For me, music is emotional, above anything else. That is enough for me (it just would not be practical for me to dedicate the time that would be required for me to learn so much that I should learn). But emotion is only one part of it. Other people can understand the music way beyond the level I can. And that's ok. I can accept that wholeheartedly. It does not feel good if someone puts me down, however, because I am stuck at that mostly emotional level. Why? It's a beautiful part of music. But, like I said above... I can see how someone who studies music a lot more deeply and makes it his profession (his life, in many ways), can feel exasperated sometimes with people who do not take the time and effort to study music and still carry themselves (or are seen as carrying themselves!) as "artists". It's a tough one, 'though, because art, music, generates passion. Something that connects with us so deeply at an emotional level, and makes us passionate about it... well, belittle someone about it and he is going to jump and bite your jugular. If I play a simple ska song, with no more than 4-5 chords and very simple bassline patterns... it makes me feel good. I enjoy it. Many others enjoy it. Then I hear the trumpets and saxophones doing their thing (a professional would have a better name for "doing their thing" and could appreciate some clever interplays better than my simple "makes me smile" emotion), and wait until the trombone comes in and sits between the trumpets and the bassline... When it works, it's beautiful, I enjoy it and people dance like mad to it. Great. I can imagine that from a purely musical point of view, that ska song can get boring before it's even started,, for some. I can understand and accept that, and I don't have any pretensions to create any great music... because I know my limitations very well. I enjoy music the way I can enjoy it, with the tools and knowledge I currently have. I admire those who go beyond that and can produce something more "elevated"... and just because I cannot understand the ins and outs it doesn't mean I cannot admire it and appreciate it to some degree. Obviously, my "review" about such a piece is not going to be of much use to that creator, as our levels are so mismatched... But I can still enjoy it, perhaps, in my own way. Is it necessary to call me ignorant (even if it's true I am not very knowledgeable, so I guess I am ignorant to some degree), a clown (because I enjoy the fact that others enjoy and are entertained by what I play), and a whore (because I take money for it)? You call that to one person... and they may respond or ignore it. You call that to a whole group of people... and you are going to get sparks flying. I have always tried to surround myself with people better than I am, in everything: when practicing judo, when playing guitar, when learning science... That's what pushes you it helps you improve. For that reason, I wish we could have a hundred people with your knowledge, ability and experience in this forum. I think that makes this place richer. I also want the "weekend warriors" who do not know what a chord is but have been playing bars for 20 or 30 years, for they have other things to contribute. And bedroom players of all skills and ambitions. And the gear geeks who know everything about the nuances between different envelope filter pedals... and those who are not very good players and don't know music, but are good at the electronics of things that can produce musical notes. I am sure we all know our place, something I think you criticised earlier. You do have a point, I concede, about people talking about things they do not understand as well as they think they do... but if it happens I am sure it's motivated by passion, a passion for music, that I hope you could relate to even if most don't pursue it as deeply as you have. And I wish you could accept that and not have to be condescending towards them (us)... I am not sure what you gain from contributing here, but you must obtain something or you would have left already, and I have been in the past annoyed at the way you say things (usually not so much the real content, but the form) but even with that I can see that you have something that could be of interest for me, even if I do not study music and lack the ability to comprehend music's finer details... I do listen a lot more than I talk, and read a lot more than I write. That's ok by me. My question to you: - in my ramblings above (sorry if it seems to jump a bit), have I touched a bit of why you say the things you say? - if the answer is yes, is it possible to say them without sounding so hostile? Obviously I do not want to and it would be too arrogant of me to try to change the way you are. But if it were possible to communicate your thoughts in a less confrontational manner, I know quite a few of us would rather enjoy having you around, for you clearly have a lot to offer... and I hope you find here something that's also of interest to you (most probably not from me, granted). Peace?

One of the worst basses I have ever tried (didn't own it) was a MusicMan Stingray. Incidentally, one of the best was a MusicMan Stingray The bad one... was just in such poor condition, you would have never guess it was once a decent bass. The neck had lots of gouges, the body had gone to war... and lost, by the looks of it. The strings were some kind of rusty wire... it sounded and felt like crap. So much of people's impressions are forged by the set up in a particular instrument, eh?

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1360257632' post='1967603'] You might be able to just get the threaded saddles, maybe on eBay or through someone like the BassDoc. Can't believe the 75 already has a Badass How did those Fat Beams work out, by the way? Were they the strings you were looking for? [/quote] Yes, the CIJ75 has the Badass... and the J-Retro I have for it... has a black plate (I know, I know! shut up! ) The Fat Beams *look* like they are the right stuff, but I have not yet tried them! Too many other things got in the way. I could change them easily enough rather than being 10min on BC, but... "Hi, my name is McNach and I am an addict" I have used the Stingray instead of the SUB for those gigs where I normally would use the SUB, and I am lately using the Jazz (or the L2000) for the others... but I have another one on Sunday for which I'd like to use the SUB, so the Fat Beams will be on this weekend. I will report back.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1360255043' post='1967510'] Just measured my AV '62 Jazz sitting next to me & it is set with each string at 20mm almost exactamundo, on the standard Vintage style Fender bridge with the screw saddles. [/quote] That's promising! Could I please have you go back and measure again? This time from the groove (string centre) on the E saddle, to the groove on the G saddle. This is because measuring 19 vs 20mm sometimes can be innacurate, but by measuring between the extremes you get a better reading. It should be 60mm for the 20mm bridge, and noticeable shorter otherwise.

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' timestamp='1360252802' post='1967454'] My solution; get a BBOT baseplate and source some Squier CV P or jazz saddles and screws (they come in chrome or brass) depending on what CV they came from, 20mm spacing. Fit it all together, bingo, BBOT with 20mm spacing. HTH. [/quote] Now that's an option, I suppose the extra 1mm per saddle would not cause much trouble, it just means the saddles will be slightly, a tiny bit, angled... I shall try! I already have all the components, I am sure.

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1360229674' post='1966934'] Strings seem to stay put pretty well, I guess if you're using lighter strings there may be less tension holding them in place. You could always choose the grooves that work for you and open them up with a file. I think new Badass bridges come unfiled don't they? That way you could choose your spacing (plus it's the bridge Marcus Miller uses ) [/quote] and a hundred more Well, this is for a black/rosewood Jazz, not the CIJ75... which... already has a Badass (not my choice, previous owner's!!! I'm not a MM fan! I promise!!! ) I think your idea is so far the closest one to a solution.. if I find one that doesn't cost too much just because it's "vintage style".