fretmeister

I liked the Digitech Drop but I got a 5 string instead in the end. I found the drop to be accurate and stable but I do play quite gently. I have read reports from other players who are more aggressive that they didn't get on with it as well. If you have tunes that need a low B then I'd either string a 4 to BEAD or get a 5. On the 4 you'd have to relearn any tune in different tunings but once you've got the hang of it it's a lot easier having all the notes in the same place no matter what song you are doing.

Hello and welcome!

My OCD and other delightful obsession based issues have made me spend far too much on strings over the years but I think I've found a string that I like on all my basses - the Dunlop Stainless Flatwounds. They are currently installed on all my basses except my Sandberg. That has EB Group 4 flats which I like very much so they are almost there as a control while I confirm my thoughts. So I've got the Dunlops on a Fender Precision, Ibby EHB Medium / Short scale, Ibby Mezzo (5 and 4), and a Fender Urge 2. I'm really liking them. Very smooth under the fingers so no noise from that, bright enough for a bit of slap when needed, lovely and low / full when the tone control is down. I am really hoping that these are "the ones" so I don't have to obsess about them anymore! For the first hour after installing they feel a bit crap as they still have some manufacturing residue on them. But an hour playing or getting the fast fret out solves that quickly.

Here you go https://www.thomann.de/gb/sandberg_stringset_040_100.htm

They are a tweaked version of GHS Super Steels made for Sandberg to their spec. They are available from Thomann Stock is 40-100

https://www.jimdunlop.com/stainless-steel-flatwound-short-scale-bass-strings-45-125-5-string/ They do a 40-120 set as well but in my experience they are a bit floppy on a short scale. I use the 40 set for long and medium scale basses but the 45 set on my fan fret short / medium scale Ibby.

Dunlop do them. I'm a massive fan of their flats. I now have them on all but 1 of my basses.

ThorpyFX stuff is really good. https://thorpyfx.com/ Tate FX make some great stuff too https://www.tatefx.co.uk/

Can the Boss modelling units recreate the sound?

Casey Nordstrand built a bass for JC with a set of Nordy pickups in it. Im sure they could build the same pickup in whatever housing you need.

Oh god. it’s the covid of bass topics.

Congratulations!

AmpliTube has a free version with a selection of guitar and bass amp models. Then if there’s one you really want as well you can buy additional models for a couple of quid. AmpliTube has pc and smart phone / iPad options. It’s a great practice tool.

Let your callous build up on your fingers. It’s basically armour for them. There is string lube - GHS Fast Fret - and it can be useful for cleaning strings and cutting down finger noise when recording, but build those callouses first. When you can’t stick a pin through the skin anymore you’ll know the callous is tough enough.

Newtone nickel plated Platinum strings have a lovely played in tone.

The only Muff type I've ever really liked on bass was the ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud (Used to be called the Muffroom Cloud until EHX got all lawyery) It has an active 2 band EQ and it makes such a difference. Ideally it would be a 3 band, but a good mid hump can be set by reducing the Treble and Bass leaving the middle where it is and then upping the output to compensate. It's a great pedal. I'd probably go as far as saying, if it was 3 band and had a clean blend it might be a contender for the best muff type ever built.

I've got the 5 string - the reach is shorter. The bridge is basically in the same place as any other bass - near the rear strap button, so the shortness is from the other end. If you put your finger on a F on the shorter scale that probably is close to where G or G# would be on a 34 inch bass.

Regarding the invisible dots... I've had mine drilled out and replaced with normal bright white dots. It's much much better.

The glue bit is not an issue. A nut will stay in place just by string pressure. Over doing the glue can make it a nightmare when a nut needs to be replaced. So minimal glue is used so it can be pinged off easily. 2 or 3 tiny drops of super glue is plenty, and is better than wood glue as it doesn't soak into the neck and cause neck wood damage when being removed. Badly cut though - that's proper annoying, as are sharp fret ends.

It’s very likely that Shuker could shave down down the neck too, if you like the rest of the bass.

As a comparator, the nut on a stingray 5 is 44.5mm. Thats narrow for a 5, but seems massive to me for a 4.

Guitarists have to be better at something I suppose!

it’s the preferred method over on thefretboard forum.