Grangur

[quote name='blackparkas' timestamp='1483094585' post='3204635'] That´s a shame. Bassdirect isn´t possible to visit this time. I´d love to try their second hand purple one with wenge neck.... [/quote] Distance selling regulations at least would let you buy it and send it back

I have one for sale in the market place if you're interested http://basschat.co.uk/topic/297563-fs-bass-flight-case/page__pid__3203627#entry3203627

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1482930357' post='3203574'] I really wouldn't choose SS frets for a vintage Fender. Ordinary Nickel silver frets will last a very long time for the majority of players and it's what the instrument would have originally came with. And yes SS frets will sound slightly different. I also believe it would negatively effect the value. [/quote] Thanks for your thoughts. They're always welcomed, by me at least. [quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1482932179' post='3203586'] Been looking on the web and it looks like 6230 fret wires would what would normally be on pre CBS precisions. [/quote] Or these where you can get them in the UK: http://www.tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=fender+fret+wire

[quote name='therealting' timestamp='1482927847' post='3203550'] Do you sense much of a tonal difference with stainless frets? They sound different in my Strats. [/quote] Have to confess I've only refretted my own in brass. Instruments I've done for others tend to arrive in a bad way with poor frets causing buzzing and other noises, so I'm not in the best position to say. What difference have you heard between them?

When I remove frets I check for any splintering. This is generally minor, but it happens. Then clean out the slots, ready to take the tang of the new fret. I then clean up the fretboard, sand it to remove any scrapes and dents, as can come from a lot of severe digging in over the years, before fitting the frets. In the above, most marks from the sides of the frets will be cleaned off. What can be a small issue is with a maple neck, Fender lacquer the neck after it's fretted. This means, in this case, that the FB, under the frets isn't lacquered. When the frets are replaced it makes sense to have frets the same width. Yet there's still cleaning up to do as when the lacquer is scored with a blade before removing the frets it doesn't always do a perfectly smooth cut. So the edges need to be cleaned up so it doesn't look messy when the new frets are fitted and the neck re-lacquered. In the case of a maple neck I clean the FB and re-lacquer before the frets are fitted. This has a few advantages to the bass for the future. Applying the lacquer after the frets, makes sense for Fender in a mass-production factory. It's not such a big deal in a workshop.

Yes, wires do vary in width and height. They won't make a lot of difference to the sound, if anything, but it would be good to get the look right. Fender tend to use a fairly wide wire. The stainless wires I've just fitted are narrower than the Fender wires; 2.04mm wide. Narrower can give a slightly more accurate intonation, but we are really talking minute differences. What I would use on a Fender would probably be 2.5mm. [url="http://www.tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/sintoms-18-nickel-silver-frets-2-5mm-1.html"]http://www.tonetechl...ts-2-5mm-1.html[/url] I'd look at the originals first though, before ordering.

Are the current frets the original ones? So, if they aren't definitely the originals, then what would original ones look like? Fender frets are normally silver in colour. So, my gut feel would be to go for stainless steel frets with a profile that's as near to the original as possible, giving long life. I've just done a refret for another BCer and the cost of stainless steel was very reasonable and they give long life.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1482835137' post='3202937'] My 4 string P bass went into its case when I bought my first 5er. That was over 20 years ago. It's still there. Have a good reason for buying a 5. Too many seem to to buy a 5er and then look around for something to play on it. Most problems with a 5er are the player not the bass. If you don't make the decision to switch for the right reasons you will never stay. In the beginning most players will feel comfortable on a 4 and uncomfortable on a 5. If they keep switching back and forth they will never make the jump to feeling comfortable on the 5. It's a natural thing to want to keep going back to what you know but by doing that the chances are you'll never get up to speed on the new instrument and will lose interest. IMO those guys shouldn't have bought a 5 in the first place. Also don't fall into the trap of thinking, that song was originally played on a 4 so I'll play it on a 4 as well. You can play any song on a 5. Lastly, there are a lot of 5's that are just not very well made. I had a Basschatter, who had unsuccessfully dabbled with 5's, play my Lull. He just said, "I've been playing the wrong 5 string basses!" Make sure you buy a good one. [/quote] Thanks for the post, Chris. I too am in the process of "making the change". I've a number of 4 strings that, for now at least, I don't really want to sell, but I've a couple of nice 5s. All seems to be going well. I'm sticking with a 5er for 90% of the time at least. I'm interested in your comment about "doing it for the right reasons". What would the right reasons be? What I mostly do is play from sight reading and occasionally there might be a low D or C, not often though. The reason I'm mostly doing it for is flexibility of places on the neck to be able to play without "excessive" movement of the fretting hand, but is this the right reason? Am I simply being lazy?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1482415099' post='3200343'] So how do you tell if a song is in C or A minor? And does it matter? [/quote] One thing you can look for is the last note of the piece of music. If it ends on an A, then it's in A minor. If it ends on a C, then it's C Major. This isn't set in stone though as not all composers stick with the rules. Another test can be if you play the piece and then jam a bit beyond the end and end your jam on a C or A and see if it sounds like the right note for the piece to resolve to (end on). Try ending on the C, does it sound right? Not sure? Try it again and end on an A. Sound better? Then you have your answer.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1482315518' post='3199417'] ....Now if only they can distil mojo and pour a little into each truss rod cavity... [/quote] Nahh, they'd need a fatter neck for that

London is a large place if you need to cross it every Friday night, with gear, for a rehearsal.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1482315088' post='3199407'] It's just a piece of shorthand. Instead of writing in a '#' sign before every individual note, it's done once in the key signature. [/quote] This is about it. The whole thing is shown in the Circle of Fifths As you can see here CMaj and Aminor have no flats or sharps - so there aren't any in these scales. Then as you go round the circle, each step the Key gains a sharp. Interestingly, the order that this happens is the same order as the order of strings on your bass, or the order that the notes are above/below each other on each fret. Edit: Don't get thrown by the fact that on a treble-clef stave the sharps and flats are on a different line to those on a bass clef stave. They are simply on the line that is for that note. So in the case of DMajor, there are 2 sharps. These are F# and C#. Actually the list is this: C - nothing G - F# D - F# C# A - F# C# G# E - F# C# G# D# B - F# C# G# A# F# - F# C# G# A# E# (Yes, there is an E# - played as F, but you won't come across this one often)

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1482269799' post='3199170'] Also interested to try the R-400 if there is one in Berkshire / Thamesvalley [/quote] Nancy J has one if you want to contact him: [quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1478079986' post='3166522'] Crowthorne, Berkshire. A few miles east of Reading. [/quote]

I've seen some Wishbasses and even owned one. Love them or hate them, they do have personality and individuality, but this one is really odd IMHO http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Fretless-4-String-Ash-J-B-Wishbass-J-Pickup-Oil-Finish-/142218013936?hash=item211cdaacf0:g:dswAAOSwA3dYQbkR

Nice figuring in the wood grain going on there. Lovely warm tone. May you be very happy together for many years.

[quote name='Bass Fumbler' timestamp='1482237501' post='3198680'] I know what you mean about ebay but I found it by accident. Would this circuit be one you would be able to provide Kiogon and would it give the bass more oomph, for want of a better term? Also, what would the cost be. Thanks [/quote] Dear Sir, can I please suggest you take a look at the original post and tell us if you can actually see what's happening in the circuit? If its a relatively standard Jazz circuit then our KiOgon could do it blind-folded with both hands behind his back. If it's a more complicated one, he might need the lights on, but I'm sure it's do-able. Edit: And it would work! John wouldn't sell you anything that's suspect.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1482160794' post='3198113'] I just received a bass from abroad via UPS and everything was fine. I had everything crossed. . . must have worked! Interparcel refused the bass sized parcel I was trying to send because it was too big! [/quote] Are you sure you didn't enter the size on the site in MM rather than CM? I've never had a problem on Interparcel.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1482064094' post='3197276'] This much- [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Pirastro-344020-The-Jazzer-3-4-Double-Bass-String-Set/1M9T?origin=product-ads&gclid=Cj0KEQiAhNnCBRCqkP6bvOjz_IwBEiQAMn_TMY5aWsJbe3iMjwFUINKTMkPU302LLsri_Jh110uw3fMaAl0b8P8HAQ"]http://www.gear4musi...w3fMaAl0b8P8HAQ[/url] [/quote] So Elixirs at £53 a set is a real bargain!

The first gig I ever took my son to was RHCP at Earls Court. It was the worst gig I've ever been to, including pup gigs. RHCP might have been amazing, but the sound was like an old tinny transistor radio. My son never bothered about them after that show. I quite envy those here who've had a good show from them.