dmccombe7

Yes that's a huge help Paul as i have looked at their site and they do have some good kit which i'm assuming is decent quality. The fact you've bought from them and are happy with them makes a big difference. Cheers for that Dave

100% agree. Being a retired engineer myself i've always preferred to buy good quality tools altho i dont buy the Rolls Royce of tools but would go for the upper end of the market. Problem is i have no knowledge of luthier tools and what is a good make or not. Dave

Northwest came up on my google search and had a look at what they have. Looks ok to me and based in UK too. Dave

Yes definitely a help Douglas. That was my worry about buying from Amazon too. You never really know what quality you'll get till it arrives. I'll have a look at the StewMac site. I've only really got 2 basses that need any work with just the P bass needing the nut done so its a bit of a maybe based on cost of tools and shipping V getting it done by a known decent luthier. Dave

Its also a great sounding band and its nice to see that you all look pretty relaxed playing too. Dave

Oh you're just rubbing it in Daryl Pics always welcome from HD Museum or any of your gigs. You've played there a few times now so you must be good at what you do. Dave

Had no idea sir. Keep us posted. Us BC'ers do care you know. Dave

Nice one about the gig and hope the biopsy isn't anything serious m8. All the best Dave

Is there anywhere i can purchase decent quality tools for doing basic set ups. I was thinking of nut and fret files and fret levelling tool if there is such a thing. Amazon has some but the feedback is very varied on them unless you spend a fortune on a file. Any advice appreciated. Dave

I've started using my Vintera P bass as a back up to both my Sandbergs. On occasion i'll use the P bass for one of the sets. With it being passive its less worry too. Oddly enough the Glam band prefer the P bass tone to the VM4 but its not as nice to play. I used to take my Fender Mex P/J as a back up to my VM4. Never had a Stingray but from what i've heard its pretty versatile so having a 2nd as a back up would be a good bet. Dave

100% plus you've played my Holy Grail of gigs at HD Museum. That's as much fame as i'll ever need @Bluewine. Dave

What more do you need. Sounds like you're doing things right. Dave

Now that was nice Daryl. She has a really nice voice. Liking that a lot. Full band sounds nice and tight there. Dave

I do tend to use the same strings on most of my basses unless i've decided to try a new type. If i do change to a different gauge, mfr or type of string i check and adjust the neck relief if needed. Basically a full set up check to be honest. As you point out the string height can be different from one bass to another and on my basses vary from 1.8mm to 2.5mm. That's because i use 2mm as a starting point and adjust until fret buzz stops and then i'll measure it. Because of how i play i've found that very few basses will let me get lower than 2mm without fret buzz or choking. Having a starting figure just saves me a lot of trial and error of gradually tweaking string height down till i get buzz and then back up to remove it. 2mm just seems to be a good starting point for me personally. If i change to a different type of string the neck relief is usually the first thing i check once the strings are tuned. Once i'm happy with the neck relief i'll measure string height out of curiosity and adjust as required. Dave

Agree but some of us do like to know what the string height is. Its an engineering thing i guess. I just like numbers against things as a point of reference. Out of curiosity for those that dont measure their string height. Do you measure your neck relief or just do a visual down the neck edge. ? Dave

Very formal looking stage gear. You do brush up well Pete 😂 Dave

This is usually how i work but being an engineer i tend to measure things just for peace of mind. That;s why my own basses range from approx 1.8mm up to approx 2.5mm on my 4 string basses. If i get a bass that's far too high i'll drop the string height to 2mm and work from there based on string buzz or not. If i dont have any buzz at 2mm i'm happy leaving it there. 2mm is my preferred target figure. Dave

If you can fire an arrow from your neck the relief is off a little. Works for me

Simple quickie question but where do you measure your string height ? I measure at 12th fret but i've heard of different opinions. Just curious to see if there's a common agreement. Dave

Too late its done now lets see what happens. It'll end up another P v J thread again i bet 😂 Sometimes its nice to cast a line and see who bites first Dave

Think a lot depends on how you play. If you have a light touch with your plucking hand its easy to have a low action. Altho my VM4 arrived with 1.5mm and i was able to play at home with a light touch i found when i gigged i could hear a little fret buzz and adjusted action up to just under 2mm and i'm quite happy with that. I now aim for 2mm but my P bass is just under 2.5mm i think at 12th fret. I can live with it but i know a decent luthier could get it better for me. I think the nut end is also a little high but i've not looked into that bit as yet. It just feels a little high at first few frets 1-3. Dave

Think i'll ask the BC public where they measure theirs. Could make for an interesting topic on here. Then again it might be a bag of worms LOL Dave

I had printed out their official set up guide from the Fender website altho it was a lot of years ago. Measured at 12th fret its 2mm and at 17th fret its just under 2.25mm so not much difference. My gauge goes up in 0.25mm scales. Dave

Its a shame because he has some good advice but its just overkill when you open something. Dave

Yep i fell into that trap too. Cant remember what i was looking for but i was swamped with SBL junk mail and simply "unsubscribed" to stop it all. I found the continued bombardment intimidating, arrogant and extremely annoying. Put me right off. Dave