LukeFRC

There's a bass in the sale forum that's got my attention at the moment. It's got fancy wood tops, and backs a non traditional shape, (single cut) and looks... well not very much like a fender! In most cases it represents everything I dislike about bass design... except it's been done very very well. I also tried an alembic last year- which despite being as heavy as a heavy thing caused me to rethink a lot of my predujuces as... well it looked like a collision between a glue truck and a wood truck - but man did it play well - I found myself doing things I had never tried on a bass before - and this is trying somehting out in a shop. but at the moment, I'm not a fancy player, I don't play chords or tap, or slap much... my main bass is a warwick SS1 which looks a bit different to a fender style bass, but does look 'right'. And every youtube clip, (well 90% of them) of people playing single cuts, play sat down it seems..... and yeah, where do the rest of you play your more fancy basses? and do you have them and play gigs where you may just be playing root notes the whole time (cos that's what the music demands) (btw this isnt a "lets slag off the fancy basses, Leo got it right in 1957 so why change" type thread- more wondering where nad when folk play their stuff)

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347617760' post='1803046'] nice one During my first year at university in this country, I had some coursework for the Ecology class that involved writing short essays a couple of pages long, as the answer to a number of points. These were done over a period of several weeks, so usually I'd do one at a time. I submitted the whole thing when asked, and when it came back, section 8 had a note from my teacher written at the top in red: "wrong language, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you are right anyway!" I had written that section in Spanish... and he still gave me full marks for it. [/quote] By the way Jose, I was thinking last night, did you ever get that pickup fixed? I think I had half a dream of you and loads and loads of wire everywhere. Why I was dreaming that I don't know!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1347611608' post='1802959'] What are you listening through? What speakers or headphones? This may have something to do with the [i]perceived[/i] volume of the string. [/quote] I tried that one. Apparently I was wrong to ask the question.

been up a couple of days... I will have gone by now

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1347617513' post='1803044'] All the ones I've seen work the wrong way in that they lower the frets rather than raising the rest of the fretboard. [/quote] Why? surely you can play a fretless in a way that it's not that different sounding to a fretted. (except for slap)

but don't strip the wood!

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1347569051' post='1802665'] Haha! It's not that bad. Ive had the chance to play a bunch of US vintage Fender Jazz basses over the years and I noticed the same discrepancy in tone and weight between instruments. Some sounded amazing, others were just ok. I'd say it is just my ears to some extent and as Ive said when plugged in both are fine. Looking for a few tips to improve the acoustic response if thats possible? [/quote] I don't think it is, I think often it's just how they are. when i've done up old basses the tightness and fit of the neck joint is the main way to make something come to life

Relief of neck and how tight the truss rod is.... how tight the neck joint is. and you've shot yourself in the foot when you come to sell one of them! "oh is this the good one or the crap one?"

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347562254' post='1802536'] You've got it the wrong way around. I don't play through an amp/cab. I play directly into the computer I have. The problem with the E string isn't just it's disproportionate volume. It's that the entire string just feels disproportionate: heavier, harder to play, higher than the action allows. I can't explain why this is other than the symptoms of a cheap bass. Playing on the low E is uncomfortable, possibly because the bass is heavy (it is) and perhaps unergonomic (ymmv), but even with it slung high (i don't like it that way, but it's impossible to play slung low), my hand is in an uncomfortable position when playing around and beyond the 12th fret on the E. No problem with the A, D or G. [/quote] Maybe I have got it the "wrong way around" but you have before said that it's not loud enough compared to the other strings. If I remember you claimed that it was down to the pickup being cheap. I don't believe this is the reason. There is logic behind asking what you are playing through in terms of how it recreates low frequencies, but I'll let you do your own reading as to why I might have asked that as I'm the wrong way around. You say the bass is too heavy and uncomfortable for you. No amount of setup, cack handed as you're doing it now or proffesional will make it lighter or change the body shape. Why do you not just sell the thing and pick up something else?

Odd thread this: "how do you get Jaco's tone" type one answer... it's all in the fingers, and rear pup type two answer... actually his 66 jazz bass can be heard between the tracks 4 and 5 on the weather report album as he knocked it... it had oval tuners which added to the sound....

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1347531141' post='1801985'] Cobblers, there people out there playing pro gigs on basses that cost a fraction of yours. Get your bass set up properly. [/quote] +1

E string not loud... just a thought.... what amp and cab are you using here?

The poor Stingray, sat at home while you frequented with the prostitutes named Jazz and Precisison, hell were half of them even Jazz and precisions or just look like them? and did you care. Poor stingray

I think the ones in yours look like I would expect... the way to tell is the nitro- if it is nitro then it's a top top top of the fender japan range - go for it! (though possibly the cap has been changed for an orange drop at some point.