mcnach

what we're talking here is very minor, I don't understand why people are afraid of using the truss rod. It's like being afraid of putting air in your tyres Sure, you can blow a tyre if you severely overdo it... but be sensible and you'll be ok

No, I meant loosening the truss rod a bit while using the SAME strings you already had detuned. That would increase the relief a bit and reduce the buzz somewhat, and *might* be enough. By detuning the strings, you reduced their pull, so by reducing the pull of the truss rod by the same amount (ish) you could get to a position where the bass plays well again. However with the lower tuning the strings may need a bit more room to vibrate freely, which is why I said that it *may* be enough to slacken the truss rod a bit. You need to try and see, If you already changed strings to a thicker gauge, then don't loosen the truss rod: you have higher tension already and if you slacken the truss rod the action will likely get too high.

I have to agree.

Big Stubby ones are the ones I like on bass, but I go for the 2mm and even 3mm ones. I find they give a better thicker attack. I doubt those would break. However, if you want the picks to flex, these won't do it.

That was my issue too. The dots would end up moving and falling off eventually. Not terribly bright either and needed to be charged up (UV light torch keyring type) frequently. Ended up using Luminlay fret markers which were a lot better... but then I stopped playing in that particularly dark venue. Still, it was cool when we got to play stages that contained UV light or a lot of blue light, which made the markers shine brightly.

I could not find one myself, and I ended up buying a cheap pickup on eBay and took the cover from it. The pickup was £14 if I remember correctly. I just could not find an alternative anywhere.

Try loosening up the truss rod first, that might be enough. By dropping the tuning on all 4 strings you've decreased the tension noticeably and the truss rod is pulling more than necessary. Turn it anti-clockwise, a bit at a time [1], and see if it gets to a reasonable playing setup. [1] I'd use a quarter of a turn at a time, and wait maybe an hour before deciding it needs more or less as some necks may take a bit to settle. Most basses I've used settle almost immediately and there's no need to wait, but some do take a little bit so if you're not sure about yours best to wait initially.

I was in good shape, working out etc, so weight was not much of a problem. However, I'm only 5ft 7", so the bulk + weight combined made it an unpleasant experience. Fortunately I only had to carry it to the 1st floor and the staircase was wide, so it was manageable. A few years earlier I lived on an old block of flats with high ceilings. Narrow staircase, steep. Mine was on the 3rd floor. I had bought a Laney VC50 212 combo on eBay that weighed like a small planet. The UPS guy called from downstairs and said he was not carrying it up for me, and I had to take it by myself, or he'd take it back to the depot and I could arrange to pick it up there. I was not driving at the time so I just said "sure, I'll take it, how hard can it be?". Well... it was hard. I could have opened the box and at least used the handles to lift it, but no, I just took the whole box and loaded it onto my shoulder. There were a couple of moments where I nearly lost my balance and had a vision of my heavy amplifier dropping to the ground floor over the staircase's banister... I do not recommend doing that. My cabs now are about 14Kg each. No more crazy lifting. Of course, now that I have lightweight gear I live in a house with the car parked 1.5 metres from the door and no climbing stairs needed...

+1 Expecting someone to be always available for any single band, unless it's *a regular job* is not realistic. If I only gig once a month, I guarantee you that I'm not going to be at home the rest of the time twiddling my thumbs... so what does it matter if I use my spare time playing sudoku, fishing, learning to become a hitman or playing with another band? If a gig opportunity shows up, I'll check my calendar "hmm, I'm practicing strangling and sniping that evening". If I can change it great, if not I'm just not available. I think some people get too precious/possessive about bands without dedicating the time that would justify that.

Maybe. Maybe not. A lot of us play in multiple bands with minimal issues. If the main band only gigs once a month there's lots of room for more action!

I used to not care. Then I found I could get great sounding basses that were light enough and well balanced = more comfortable. So I no longer go for heavy. I'll leave those to the OP

I feel your pain... The worst thing about bands is... people. The wrong ones make bands, and playing live, a most unpleasant enterprise. Get the right ones, however... and it's great. It's tough to get that, 'though. I got it several times, and it was only through being able to quit and not pursuing lost causes that I got there, so don't be shy to quit if things are not working. At the same time, sometimes our tolerance (let's face it, it's never 'perfect') is at a low point, and taking a break helps. It helps our sanity at the very least... and in the future we may be better equipped to face band stuff again. Or maybe we find we're done and prefer to just make music at home. One day at a time.

I bought Kevin's MarkBass SuperBooster. Couldn't have been smoother. Thank you Kevin!

The quest for the right cabs is the longest one for most, I think. And can be expensive! Good luck I'd definitely go modular, even if it can end up costing a bit more. I prefer a couple of 210 over a single 410. They're easier to carry, and many times a single 210 does the job. When I use two, I can stack them vertically too, which means I hear them better onstage and the horizontal dispersion is better... I bought a heavy Peavey TX410 cab for £70 years ago. It didn't look the best, but it sounded good and did the job. It was not fun to lift it by myself out of the boot of a VW Golf back home at 3am, but it was doable. I used that until I was able to afford something better. What I'm saying is that even if your ideal solution may not be achievable immediately, there are many alternatives that will still work reasonably well until you're ready. Try as many cabs as you can meanwhile. They make a big difference.

Don't judge loudness/power in store by the position of the volume knob. Some amps increase the volume until the knob it's at 1 o'clock or so and there's very little else above that, while others are more progressive and they may look 'less powerful' due to that. If you like the sound of the Aguilar best... go for it. There's not as much between 350 and 500W as you'd imagine. With the right cabs you'll most likely be ok. I sold my old LM3 (500W) to get a LMT800 (800W) thinking the extra 300W would make a big difference, and they did not, then went back to a LM3 as I liked the sound more and simply changed the cabs I was using to get the volume I needed.

That looks superb, well done!

What he said... (I was late to the party, as usual) Probably a nice bass but definitely try it first.

The serial number is not JV, so... no.

the black ones

I'm not trying to get the best approximation to an upright, I just really like the sound of piezo pickups on fretless/tapewounds so I'm looking at getting that option added to this bass. Not interested in mixing outputs either, just wanting to have the option of one or the other.

The quality of cheaper stuff these days is great. Not everything cheap is good, but there is good stuff that is cheap. If one has the money to spend, that's great as you get more to choose from, and having access to more expensive stuff usually means you have access to better stuff... but is the jump in quality similar to the jump in price? Nope. My current #1 setup live cost me a fair amount more than what I was playing 10 years ago, and I love it and I don't want to go back... but if I could not afford it I would not be 'suffering' (other than by lifting heavy cabs and amplifiers ) I've owned a string of Jazz basses from various makes and qualities... I own just one now, the survivor who saw all the others go. The survivor is a Korean Squier I paid £75 for. Yes, it has had the pickups changed etc, but it's still a relatively inexpensive bass and sounds and feels great. My fretless is a £60 Sue Ryder Precision that stayed while I sold my Japanese Fender 70s reissue... My girlfriend plays a Squier Standard P/J which is one of the lightest and most comfortable basses I've ever played. That again was under £100 at Cash Converters or similar. It's a good time to be a player. If you can't afford more upmarket stuff, you can still get more than adequate gear.

Yes, I'm looking at an electric bass bridge with piezo saddles or even the saddles alone. I found about Graphtec and very little else, so I think I'll end up with a set of the Graphtec ones. They're not too scary pricey... and my bass will suddenly duplicate in value! The preamp is what I'm really not sure about. I don't think a standard preamp for magnetic pickups will do the job. Ideally I'd like a preamp without EQ, and simple passive tone/volume for it... I have to keep looking.

I've got a fretless Precision that I really like. It was one of those £60 sale Sue Ryder basses about 5-6 years ago... I put a DiMarzio Model P, nylon tapewounds, removed the frets and had the fingerboard planed nicely, and it worked out so well I ended up selling the CIJ fretless Fender 70s RI and kept this instead. Anyway, I would like to get a piezo bridge / saddles for it, to allow me to get that thumpier "more acoustic" tone you get with those systems. I imagine I'd need a preamp of some sort for it too, and I'd like a tone control (passive is fine). I don't need to blend magnetic/piezo, I'd use a switch to choose one or the other. Does anybody have any recommendations, or some to avoid? I don't want to spend a lot on this as this is a bass I only really use at home or rarely busk with, but I don't take it to any serious gigs or record etc (I still need a lot more fretless practice!). I'm not afraid to chisel, rout and gouge the bass to install stuff in it, I have some experience in that kind of thing.

That looks amazing... I admire people who can build things like these.

I played through one of those a few months ago at a venue that provided amplification for me, and I was very impressed. Nice one!