Grangur

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1470679383' post='3107615'] Unfortunately IME there are no cheap and good 5-string basses. There's more to making a good 5-string than simply widening the neck and pickups and adding an extra bridge saddle and machine head, which is all the cheaper end of the market does. Even if they are currently out of your price range, go to a specialist bass shop such as Bass Direct, Bass Gear or The Gallery and try some around the £2k mark. Then you'll see why you've been unsatisfied with the budget end of the market. [/quote] Sorry I have to disagree there. Jabba of this Parish can make a superb 5er out of an old door and a shelf! Wow that man has talent! Sorry, I digress.

Welcome to BC! Your story is similar to mine. I was put off by a wife and put it down and never touched it again for 26 years. I came back at the age of 50 and not looked back. I've still never gigged, but loving it. In your case, I guess, it was considered not girly enough. There are a growing number of women playing bass. Good on you!!

I've not noticed this until now. I guess the fact that it's "Musicman" put me off. (They aren't to my taste). Yet this preamp would work with anything wouldn't it? After all, if you want this in a Jazz, all you need is: 1 - space to locate it. 2 - a pan control or 2 volumes on the input to the pre. 3 - connect the jack in the same way as the MM. Some users might want to change the bass/treble or volume/blend to a stack pot. It's simply a matter of "buyer beware", but there's not much risk.

Hey Solo, as BassBunny says, every pickup has to have 2 wires: 1 hot wire - connects to a terminal on the volume pot. 1 earth wire (this might be the shielding on the same cable as the Hot wire) this goes to the casing on the volume pot. Here's a generic wiring diagram

I just met with Paul and bought his Westone Jet. Nice easy deal and got a good gig bag to boot!! Cool! Looking forward to putting the bass together and getting it working. Thanks, Paul. Rich

Every bass player in the world will have their fans and their critics. A truth I've noticed how many of the world's leading players have their "party pieces". Even Jaco, Billy Sheehan and Victor Wooten have their pieces that you'll hear many times over if you listen often enough. I'm sure many of the bass players in many bands are the same. They will have licks that they've learned and use repeatedly with minor changes. Half of being successful is luck, the other half is knowing the right people. I once read of a bass player from a really successful band playing at a public jam. He was no better thanks any other average bassist. Am I jealous? Yes. But I thank and respect them all.

I had this happen to me too, some months ago. Good luck with finding another buyer.

So the price of all tickets will increase so double bass players get to take their instruments for free? What next? Cyclists on cycling holidays?

[quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1470591739' post='3106954'] I hate that idea so much [/quote] +1

[quote name='Raslee' timestamp='1470585431' post='3106907'] Wow....the man from Del Monte says 'flipping eck! I'm lucky to be the owner', looks cracking and yes totally love a low action - have you plugged it in and played? Any thoughts on the sound & those 74's ? Great works, thank you [/quote] Hey Lee. I'm really SO pleased you like it. Is the Pope Catholic? I've plugged it in and tested the whole neck for buzzes and the like. Played a few bars, but you're going to be the first to groove on it. While I've played it a bit. Regrettably I'm no expert on what a '74 is meant to sound like. So I can only leave that to you. The weight is comfortable, the neck is smooth and it feels good. The tuners work well and intonation was easy to set. It's all packed and ready to go. I hope it ticks all the boxes and lives with you. Thanks, Lee, for letting me be the builder of your bass.

I don't know if you're 100% wanting a Fender branded, but I have a really cool, Matsumoku made Westone Jet. It's got a great sound, but I simply have too many to choose from in the rack to pick this one up. It's a real shame as it's an amazing sounding bass. The previous owner didn't sell. He died. This was THE bass he played for years. It can be yours if you'd be interested? I'm in Stortford, so you could come and try it out.

All's looking good... except the strings aren't really seated in the nut. So last night I filed the slots some more and lowered the strings a bit in the nut. This morning I've set it up again. The action is 2mm at the 20th fret. All the strings have the same action at the 20th, following the curvature of the neck. The pups are 3mm below the G and E strings. I hope the owner likes a low action. There are no buzzes. The E, might be a smidgen high in the nut, but it's not bad. If the owner is happy I'll get this packed up today and off to him this week.

Fitting the neck was "interesting". The holes in the body are larger than the screw shafts. But the neck is a good fit in the pocket, so I fitted the neck into the pocket, turned the bass over, on a soft surface and drilled the holes; all good for now. Nice one? Yes, that's what I thought. Looking at the other side of the neck against the longer side of the pocket wasn't so pretty. The neck was fractionally twisted in the pocket. The air was blue. Because I'd used the correct size drill for the screws, not the body holes, this had allowed the drill to wander and not be in a perfect position to get a good fix. All came apart. I used PVA and cocktail sticks and rammed the drilled holes with wood and glue. (Cocktail sticks being hard wood) Left it all to set and started again. Really disappointed at this stage. I'm really determined to do a good job on this. All dry and set to go again. I rubbed down the neck surfaces, re-laquered and waited for it to dry. Then re-fitted the neck - Clamping the neck into the right position, this time I wrapped tape round the shaft of the drill-bit. This allowed the tape to centre the drill in the body holes and centre it in the right position on the neck. THIS worked! All screwed and tightened. We can move on. Nut fitted and it's time to fit the strings...