BassBus

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1374179577' post='2146251'] Well , the thing is that Jaco and the other artists you mention were radical departures within their given discipline , and changed their medium forever . It is possible for all kinds of fancy Dan bass players to come along with amazing chops and technique , but so far most have struggled to make the impact that Jaco did . I wouldn't put Jaco in the same bracket as Mozart or Shakespear for various reasons ( I could explain why , if you like ) , but in his own modest way he was a genius of sorts , but not because of his technique . His gift was that he thought about and interpreted music differently to other people , and happened to do so via the medium of the bass guitar . Like just about every genius you can think of , Jaco was unconventional , a radical , and unlike anything that had come before him on the bass guitar . He wasn't alone in that by any means - there were other fantastically gifted players of that era - but at his best he was brilliant in his own right . He was versatile too , despite having such a distinctive signature style . He was a World- class jazz bassist and accomplished soloist , but his work as an accompanist in various genres is equally accomplished and shows great maturity and sensitivity to the overall musical picture rather than just his own role in it . Regardless of your own personal taste ( which you are fully entitled to , I hasten to add) Jaco was the real deal , the complete package . I am not one of Jaco's slavish followers by any means , and I couldn't even say he was the player I myself have enjoyed or or directly tried to emulate the most , but his stature on the instrument is undeniable . [/quote] Why has this thread gone on past this post? [size=4] [/size]

As always with Jaco threads we are going to have to agree to disagree. [size=4][quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1374171990' post='2146136'][/size] ...the expansion of technique does not neccesarilly make subsequent players better than Jaco. Only creating better music would make them better . Gary Willis and Michael Manring have not made better music than Jaco did . [/quote] I think a lot of both those players music is equally as good, if not better, than anything Jaco did. But then, that is the subjectivity of this.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1374167012' post='2146068'] Better than Jaco ? I don't think so... [/quote] There are many players today who can do things Jaco did not do. It's the same with guitarists. Eric Clapton was once called God but there are many guitarists who can do so much more than Clapton these days. Clapton can't do what Eddie Van Halen does. Jaco couldn't do what Michael Manring or Gary Willis do. Playing moves on and develops. Jaco was an innovator. The developers come afterwards and take the instrument on to new places.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1374102427' post='2145411'] You don't mean to say there were good bass players 40 years ago? [/quote] ...and there are some even better ones around today. [size=4] [/size]

Couldn't give you an answer on that one as this is a 301. Judging by the scale length on this bass there might be variations in that too.

Just bought an East U-Retro from Paul. Brilliant condition, very easy to deal with and superfast delivery. Thanks Paul.

Thanks for that. Have to be iPlayer tomorrow though.

Here's a recording from the three basses I'm looking at for back pickup tones. Status S2 - 25mm from G saddle (humbucker) ESP B204 - 30mm from G saddle (humbucker) Tokai Jazz - 55mm from G saddle (single coil) [url="https://soundcloud.com/bassbus/status-esp-jazz-back-pickups"]https://soundcloud.com/bassbus/status-esp-jazz-back-pickups[/url]

Well I'm going for more of a Gary Willis tone, even Scott Devine. Both their basses have the back pickup a good way away from the bridge. A back pickup to close to the bridge gives to thin a tone. If it was just about looks I wouldn't put any pickups on it at all.

Just remembered it was Guy Pratt with his new signature Warwick. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS02YaLw1uM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS02YaLw1uM[/url]

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1373799097' post='2141649'] Moveable pickups on rails? Just a thought I had late last night! [/quote] Westone tried that in the 80s with "the Rail". Someone else had one of these built into a signature bass more recently too. Just a big empty hole. Not quite to my taste. [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1373799569' post='2141658'] If you don't mind my asking, how much did you spend on the walnut facing? Truckstop [/quote] I think I got an absolute bargain with the face. Sanding down 2mm off the old face,old routings filled, this lovely book matched Walnut and all stuck on for £70. Mark's eye for perfection is up there with the big names.

I wonder how much pressure you are pushing down on the string with the left hand. If you have a lighter touch you'll be able to lift your finger off the board more quickly which will help with muting. Gary Willis talks about it in the clip below. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoHEqQzbGAc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoHEqQzbGAc[/url]

Oh if only I had another three bodies... [size=4] [/size] [size=4]Unfortunately there's only one shot at this so just have to take pot luck and hope for the best.[/size]

Been doing more sanding today. started at 180 grit, then 280 grit and finished at 400 grit. The wood on the back and sides is nice and smooth now but I'm going to do more with 800 and probably 1000 grit to finish it. I'm going to sand the fingerboard with finer papers too. I've been doing some measuring for pickup placement. The front pickup (neck) is being placed in the same position as those on my Status S2 and ESP. I never solo the front pickup as I don't like the sound from a front pickup on it's own. Back pickup (bridge) is much more critical. This is a pickup I do solo from time to time. I have placed the back edge of it 45mm from the centre of the G saddle. The back pickup on the Status is very much closer to the bridge and gives quite a brittle tone on it's own. My Tokai Jazz has it's bridge pickup back edge 55mm from the G saddle and has a much warmer tone to it but still keeping that tighter feel of a back pickup. Do any of you have any words of wisdom on this subject?

They do have a point. Bass frequencies travel through a building like nothing else. You could always try a mute on your DB. [url="http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categories/double-bass-mutes"]http://www.thestring...uble-bass-mutes[/url] And also separating the end pin from the floor would help.

I look down the neck and if I see any light under the radius gauge then I know it's not the right one. When I find one that has no light under it that's what I go with. As for frets or fingerboard. Think about it. The frets follow the radius of the finger board so it is not going to make much difference which you check. It is going to be easier to hold the gauge against the finger board though, rather than trying to balance it on top of a fret. Equally there might be some wear on the fret which could give a false reading.

Flatwounds will always sound "woolly and dead" that's really the point of them. You will never get that crisp clear sound you get from roundwounds. Some roundwound sets have a coating on them which is supposed to make them last longer. Never tried them so I don't know. Half/ground/pressure wound strings give a kind of halfway house between rounds and flats. Smooth to the touch as on flats and a little of the brightness of rounds. Then there's Thomastik Jazz Flats. I love them. Smooth to the touch, a bit of brightness and lighter tension. Yum. And they last forever.

I have two basses with piezos already so unfortunately don't need another. It has always be the intention to use mag pups on this. It does seem a shame though, to cut into that lovely walnut.

There are no shoulds or shouldn'ts in life. That's just other people trying to dictate. Do it the way you are happy with. Of course you should also take some of the cream Sam talks about and that way you shouldn't get any worse. [size=4] [/size]

Just goes to show that perfect preparation prevents pretty poor performance. Having checked measurements again and again I went with the 33.5 inch scale. The intonation is bang on the dots on the side of the neck. Can't explain why there might have been variants but there you are. Bridge installed and strung up.

I've gone with the 33.5 inch scale and the intonation is spot on the side dots all the way up the neck. Bridge installed and strung up. Pic in the rebuild thread.

As you say Pete, there isn't going to be much difference. Think I'll go with the 33.5 inches. It'll give a bit more adjustment with the saddles. I have anough trouble with my own intonation without the bass being out too. [size=4] [/size]

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1373186392' post='2134380'] This is looking really good. I'm just beginning to wonder whether my SB310 would benefit from similar treatment, except with a Stingray pickup in the sweet spot. [/quote] That would be interesting. The evolution of a bass.

Thanks for your detailed reply, Pete. Interesting. I have just checked measurements on another unmarked fretless board. From nut to centre of the two dots at the 12th is 17 inches bang on. To the centre of the two dots on my SB301 is the stated 16 12/16 (16 3/4) inches. It would explain why, before the rebuild started, with my standard fingering, above twelfth was not intonated properly. I had to compensate. The old bridge measured at a 34 inch scale.

I have posted this in 'Obscure Musical Backwaters' as well. Can anyone with one of these basses measure the scale length for me from the nut to the G saddle. Measuring the distances between each of the position markers on this bass brings the scale length to 33 1/2 inches. That would explain why my fingering never coincided with these markers before as I measured the scale length with the old bridge at 34 inches.