mcnach

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347092826' post='1796828'] Thanks. I was under the impression that the break angle off the nut has to be as little as possible and that each successive string wind goes under the last so the string comes off the neck with as little bend or angle as possible into the tuning peg. the gapp between the 12th fret and the E, with the 1st and 24th fretted is about 1mm at most. [/quote] The angle in an horizontal plane will normally be small. It's non-existent on Fender type headstocks (4-in-line style). The angle in the vertical plane will be smaller (sharper) the lower a string is when it exits the tuning post towards the nut. If it approaches the nut with no angle, in a straight line, the string may rattle in the nut slot. Not nice. If the string comes from below, a sharper bend ensures the string is held against the slot and will not rattle. This is the reason why string trees/retainers are used on Fender style headstocks for the D/G strings, as it becomes harder to have a good angle when the tuning posts are away from the nut. Your measurements for the relief look good, by the way.

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347089783' post='1796788'] It doesn't though, that's what I'm saying. When I wanted to move teh saddle turning the screw just wound it through the saddle and out the back of the bridge. I had to then push the saddle with my fingers to get it to move back toward the bridge. Turning the screw just had it move and not the saddle. [/quote] Look it's *impossible* for the screw to thread into the saddle without it moving back, away from the neck So if it does that, it means the screw was not flush against the bridge stop to start with. It's not that common but it can happen than as you change the strings a saddle is pushed back a little and the attached screw may protrude just a bit, but enough to cause the effect you describe. However, that's not the normal operation of this very simple system. Make sure the four screws that thread through the saddles, front to back, one per saddle, are all flush against the bridge stop. If it's resting against the bridge stop, as it should and as shown in 'evildead's images, as you turn the screw clockwise, the screw cannot go anywhere, and the saddle is moved away from the bridge as the screw threads into it. This can be quite hard to do unless you relieve some tension first by detuning that string a little first. When you turn it anticlockwise, however, the head of the screw may move away from the bridge stop, as the saddle may offer some resistance. That's why in this case you push the screw so that it again rests against the bridge stop, moving the saddle with it in the process.

[quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1347067128' post='1796747'] ill take a stab at rewinding it if you're up for it. Ive started on my dead dimarzio copy. Wire keeps snapping (ie, its snapped once and i've gotten annoyed at it), but i think it could work. [/quote] ah, when Nordstrand said they'd send me a new one, I offered to send the dead one to them and said "yes, please"... so it's on its way to them already.

well, Nordstrand also thought it was strange... so they're sending me a replacement. Good guys!

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1347053960' post='1796634'] +1 (well not the talking to me first bit, Jose would kill me!) [/quote] I would not kill you for something like this... but I'd look at you very very very sternly, I guarantee that!

Well, the intonation is pretty much spot on, so the saddle movement theory goes out of the window. I have just spent some time playing it... I think I like this bridge pickup a lot, actually. Right now I'm leaning towards keeping it.. aaaah! indecision!!! If the gap really bothered me down the line, I could easily get another pickguard made with a slightly different shape that would cover the gap... and if I keep it I could start "making it really mine" this weekend... applying oil to the neck, maybe installing the preamp and putting a nice SJB-2 neck pickup in there... hmmm... I'll have to sleep on it.

I just measured the distance from the 12th fret to the top of the bridge (MM type) pickup. It is nearly 1cm nearer the neck on the Retrovibe than on the Stingray & SUB basses! It is not much, but that's another reason why it sounds different from the Stingray.

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1347049204' post='1796537'] Using fingers wouldn't be terribly precise on their own, but don't forget you have the screws to guide you. Loosen or tighten the saddle screws by a small amount, and then use your fingers to push the saddle - it will only go as far as the screw allows. [/quote] you said in two lines what I used a whole paragraph for... and you are still clearer than I was. to the OP: what she said!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1347048045' post='1796517'] Check measurements of upgrade MM pickups, they might be bigger. [/quote] you made me check... and actually, it looks like Seymour Duncan pickups are about 1mm wider, not a lot, but it could help a bit. My Stingray pickup is a tiny bit narrower than the SD, so more like the one in the Retrovibe. But... another thing, looking at the bridge. See how the E string saddle is below the stud. If it were to move towards the neck, it will also move a bit to the right, pushing the rest of the saddles that way. Of course, it would require the G string saddle to move towards the neck too a little more, so it can be slightly above the stud and have room to move sideways. I remember now some alignment issues on an old Stingray that was solved this way. I have not checked intonation... maybe I should do that and see whether I could move the E and G saddles a bit forward. If that is what it needs, and I re-seat the neck pulling it a little towards the E side, I can see how things might just start to align well, and the routing gap would be distributed between both sides, so making it less obnoxious. I need to check.

[quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1347047037' post='1796509'] Funny, because the picture on the site of the bass shows the route to look good. Also, i suppose you could get some red acrylic, shape it so it fits the pickup perfectly with a border around it, then countersink so the acrylic can be flush with the surface. Its what im doing for one of my basses. [/quote] you overestimate my abilities I looked at the website... on the pictures with the "buy now" signs etc, I can definitely see gaps in some others too, and similar (mis)alignment. But on the picture you get here sometimes with the bass upright... it looks just fine. Strange. I know you can adjust things like this to some extent by reseating the neck... but that would be too much and the neck looks well in place and aligned with the bridge. I could live with it if I loved the bass more. If my MM SUB had a 5mm gap... I'd still keep it But I don't like this bass that much. 4mm gap? ouch. I emailed ProBass already, let's see whether they can offer me something better.

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1347048174' post='1796518'] i got it off ebay for 20 quid it was covered in about half an inch of grey primer! supposedly swamp ash its nice and light with a nice grain, it matches the neck bought off bc member rapscallion a treat, its definitely a keeper as ive always wanted a jazz but i think once its up and running the budget part of the title might get removed as im hoping it warrants better pups and pots! i think i might get a headstock decal of `Faker Jeff Bass` made as youve guessed it my names Jeff [/quote] that's amazing!!! and only £20?? IT has such a beautiful grain, and nice routing for the neck pickup so you can use it without pickguard... I have been wanting something like that for a while, but never saw anything, and when it's painted you never know what you will find underneath! I'm glad you will leave it natural. Natural and maple... if you ever want to let it go talk to me!

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347048311' post='1796522'] string to fingerboard. Measured with a ruler. I don't have a specific measuring tool. They are wound so that the string is on the inside lessening the amount it has to bend from the nut to the peg. I don't have the camera to hand right now. Yes that's what I usually do. the point about using fingers is that it's not terribly precise and we are dealing in small increments. [/quote] ok, 3mm from bottom of string to top of fingerboard is not crazy. Usually we'd talk about the distance between the bottom of the string to the top of the fret, 'though, as that's the distance that matters. string-winding... if we do it the same way then I don't understand why the slip or the tuning takes a while to stabilise. I'm afraid that without pictures I could not say anything more. the thing about the fingers not being precise. You don't select a distace with the fingers, but through turning the screw. Then you just push the saddle by hand to sit in the new position. Let's see if I can explain it better. Imagine you want to move the saddle farther from the neck. Then you turn the screw clockwise, so it threads into the saddle, and the saddle moves away from the neck. No handling necessary. But what if you want to move it towards the neck? Then you turn the screw anticlockwise. What often happens is that the screw starts to come out while the saddle barely moves, or doesn't move at all. In that case you push the screw back in place, and the saddle moves with it. so, if I check my intonation and I find I'm very much out and need to move the saddle towards the neck, I would do a couple of turns perhaps, push the screw back in place, and check. Ok, so I'm still out, getting closer, but still out... so maybe now I just do half a turn. Then push teh screw again, etc. The amount of movement in the saddle is ruled by how much you turned the screw, not by your fingers. All your fingers do is ensure the screw is back in place. So nothing imprecise about it. It all depends on how much or how little you turn that screw, nothing else.

not bored at all. Where did you find that body? It's soooo nice.

I have decided I want to return it and exchange it for one where the routing/alignment is better than this, if it exists. If not, I will let it go. Which would be a shame, as I was just playing with it a bit more and I can definitely see a lot of potential... but that gap is just going to annoy me too much everytime I look at it.

More pictures. I opened it up to see what's underneath the pickguard. The answer is: lots of space for active electronics!!!!!

That looks just amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! I want one like it!

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347033551' post='1796298'] Bit late for that. Anyway, i'm not going to adjust it anymore. The neck is fairly straight and the action is low enough that before changing strings it would be counter productive to continue. I can't lower the strings much more anyway as doing so induces some very slight fretbuzz around the 12th fret on the D and the A. [/quote] ok, I promise then not to mention adding shims to the neck pocket to alter the angle slightly (but -if needed- it can help greatly to achieve a smooth low action... if needed!)

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347033403' post='1796294'] I'm sure a qualified reputable techie could make some improvements. But i'm not one and I don't know any. If I took the guitar into a shop they'd probably charge me the earth, assuming a shop that's available has repair facilities. Their used to be a luthier that owned a shop (I won't name them) in a town near me, but he was a bit of a pisshead. I live in a rural area there aren't shops nor luthiers here. Big cities have shops but i've never been much enamoured with them as they are often full of people with egos who like to charge lots of money to people that they know don't know as much as them. [/quote] yeah, definitely don't take it to the pisshead and I would not go to just any shop. Many (not all, but enough of them to make me wary) just have a guy who will do a couple of half-arsed adjustments and take £45 for it. If you state your exact location (I don't mean coordinates or even your address, a town is enough), maybe someone in the vicinity can recommend someone. Other than that, or in addition to that, I'd try to research online and find someone who has a reputation, who gets good reviews. A luthier, a real one, can be great, even if they don't work with electric basses. I met such person in my city once, years ago... he told me I was his first bass. But the man knew about stringed instruments and had the tools etc. He did a beautiful set up on my bass, which I could only manage to get right to certain extent. He identified a couple of uneven frets, so he levelled them all nicely, he also rounded the edges of the fingerboard for me... very very slightly, making the ends of teh frets smoother than they were too... and it was just beautiful. He was proud of his work, so he showed me around, the instruments he built, and generally taught me a lot. I loved it. So, I would try that if you can't find a tech that comes recommended in your area. It can be a great experience, in addition to getting your bass in great condition.

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347033131' post='1796289'] 1.about 3mm [/quote] that seems a lot to me... is this between bottom of the string to fingerboard, or bottom of the string to top of 12th fret? [quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347033131' post='1796289'] 2. I didn't take the strings off to get to the pickup i loosened them. the strings slip when i put them on the first place. It takes a while to get them to stay in tune. Most of the strings go around a couple of times. [/quote] it would be very useful if you could post a clear picture how you put the strings, how they are wound around the post. When I do it, the tuning is stable from the start, and I rarely go more than 1-2 turns. Right now, in fact, I have one bass where one string does not even have a full turn! (I cut it too short by mistake)... it works just fine. If you put the string through the hole, all the way down into the post, then a sharp turn out, and sharp again to wind around the post... those kinks will hold the string tightly... add a couple of turns and that thing wil not slip. [quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347033131' post='1796289'] 4. nothing, though i knew roughly about intonation before. the only problem is moving the saddles without using my fingers. [/quote] I tend to move them with my fingers, or pushing with a screw driver. It's normal. If you loosen the strings a bit, then turn the screw as required to make the saddle moe forward or backward... push with your finger if you have to to make the sadde sit in the new location, retighten string and measure tuning... repeat as needed.

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347003078' post='1795771'] I also didn't say the bass wasn't any good. I said it was a cheap bass, which it is. it has limitations on what can be done with it. It plays the way it plays. [/quote] you are right that you can't have the same expectations from a cheap than from an expensive bass, but the differences are often overexaggerated. Providing you have something decent to start with, structurally sound etc, which your Spector will be, you can still make it play very very smoothly and nicely. I think it's a shame when people write off an instrument as "ah well, it's not very good, it'll never be much better than it is now"... although on the other hand it's served me to buy cheaply something I could make to play beautifully a couple of hours later. Granted you don't have the experience and knowledge to improve your bass significantly by yourself. Then do yourself a favour and take it to a good tech. They can look at it and tell you what they can do and how much it would cost you. You will probably find it's not a lot of money... and when you get it back you will try more expensive instruments in a shop and think "my cheaper bass plays better than this". Seen it many times.