neepheid

Quick update - spent an hour with the mouse on the neck and body. The neck is now slightly asymmetric in profile and sanded all over apart from some fiddly bits around the volute which will have to be done by hand, and the body back and front is now (mostly) devoid of existing finish. No point in pics, unless you want to see the difference between where I sanded and where I didn't

Replace the standard string tree with one of the Hipshot string retainers? Like this, but ignore the G string:

[quote name='Telebass' post='418470' date='Feb 24 2009, 03:33 PM']Personally, I've never found any difference with bridges; the standard bridge does the job well.[/quote] You've never swapped a Gibson 3 point bridge for a Hipshot Supertone then

Mostly online (eBay, here, Stringbusters, Axesrus, WD, Allparts), because the two shops here try to be all things to all men and that means bass gets squeezed into a tiny dusty corner of the shop. Have been known to buy strings locally and that's about it. Yada yada support your local shop and all that but what if they don't really support me? I'm always so underwhelmed when I go in that I rarely do so, and to be honest apart from the occasional "must buy strings now" moment (which can be alleviated by having a spare set in advance), I probably wouldn't miss the shops if they disappeared.

Jules bought my Epiphone EB-3, paid promptly and kept in touch throughout. Nice and easy transaction.

Just received my book, nice and easy with good communication, just how it should be.

Welcome to the forum

[quote name='SisterAbdullahX' post='416396' date='Feb 21 2009, 10:08 PM']I have 3 basses, one of which I use all the time, one which is half built and one which was my #1 for fifteen years but needs TLC. Like any of us, I would spend all of my disposable income (which ain't much!) on more basses/amps/cabs/effects. However, we've just booked our wedding day for next year. Even if we're really careful it'll cost us 10 grand FOR ONE DAY! And no matter how careful we start out, it won't be long before she tells me that she MUST have a chocolate fountain, cos her best mate had one at her wedding. So we need to start saving. She's just told me she will spend the 500 quid I need to finish off the half built one, then every penny after that goes to the wedding. Should I still marry her!?[/quote] Our wedding only cost us about 3 grand. You're not being careful enough

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='415571' date='Feb 20 2009, 05:10 PM']I DID join a band but sadly we actually disbanded 2 days ago due to not being able to find ANY members! I've got a couple of bands that i'm gonna audition for but i doubt i'll get in, i'm not really the most amazing singer in the world.[/quote] It's the "I'm not good enough" attitude that's the problem. Life has many ingenious ways of kicking you in the balls, no need for you to help it with unnecessary self-deprecation

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='415359' date='Feb 20 2009, 02:41 PM']Yeah okay i get what you mean. That's pretty good stuff. I'd really like to be a pro musician but [b]i don't think i'll ever manage to get in a band[/b] and i'm certainly not good enough to be a hired musician.[/quote] You say that, but you'd be wrong. I used to think that. Then I joined a band. Who knows where it will lead?

Excellent, more Scottish representation. Welcome to the forum

He keeps ignoring me All I said is that I'd buy that mangled Ripper for £100

My wife has only one rule when it comes to instruments - they must be played. But basically she's all "it's your money, you do what you like". Helps that she's a musician too (singer/sax) I don't need to put my foot down - sometimes she even eggs me on to buy when I'm hmming and hawing about a bass

[quote name='dickandjill' post='413476' date='Feb 18 2009, 06:52 PM']Also do I NEED to wet and dry it could I just use the rubbing compound?[/quote] You could just use rubbing compound, but you'll be there a long time. Wet and dry is quicker, but by the same token it's much easier to sand through, so be careful.

Had an OLP MM3 (5 string) natural/black/maple. Seemed well enough screwed together. Sounded pretty good. Sold it on because the string spacing was too close and I probably wasn't ready for a 5 string anyway.

Higher gauge strings = more pull?

Oh, I forgot to mention something I do - sometimes I take a song and load it into Audacity. I then bass boost it followed by a low pass filter filtering everything above 200Hz with something like 12dB attenuation (you might need to experiment with the attenuation level). Cuts out most singing and percussion and all you're left with is bass and the lowest end of the range of guitars. Handy if you can't make something out because the other instruments are getting in the way. Headphones is essential when listening to this.

Welcome to the forum

[quote name='Boneless' post='411443' date='Feb 16 2009, 08:10 PM']But what is, really, the appeal of a short scale? I have never found a short scale with the right string tension, and the lower strings tend to sound muddy and without much clarity (the only exception maybe being the Danos, since they are so bright and jangly). I understand some may appreciate the punchiness of a short scale, but I don't really get it I'm not criticizing, but what do short scale enthusiasts actually like of short scales? (By the way, I have a medium scale and I hate it ).[/quote] Ease of playing mostly. Getting one to do your first gig to try and tilt the odds in your favour a little might be regarded as cheating, but that's what I did. I quite like the looser feeling of the short scale. I have a Bronco and an EB-0 and I like them both. I might well mod the Bronco for through body stringing to see what effect that has on string tension.

[quote name='henry norton' post='410823' date='Feb 16 2009, 10:27 AM']For 500 quid you could buy a used DeArmond Starfire or an Epiphone Rivoli (the reissue) - both nicely made and if you're lucky you might have enough change for an upgrade or two. Steves Starfire went for not much more than your budget and it had two Darkstars. The nature of these basses means Fender type players buy them 'cos they're so different but find they don't have much need for them as a working bass and they tend to be cosseted at home. The other advantage is they won't lose value like a new bass will. Do it. Join the short scale revolution!!!![/quote] The last Rivoli to sell on eBay went for £900. Whether or not that means it'll be back up for sale due to non-payment remains to be seen.

I concur with all of that. It's not to do with the machine heads being in any particular place - there are examples of angled headstocks with in line tuners - the Hagstrom I am restoring has a slight angle, and I sold a Washburn neck a while back which had an angled headstock and 4 in line tuners. The angle on the Hagstrom is so slight that it is a one piece affair - no scarf joint. One side effect of the angled headstock is that sometimes they don't fit in hard cases not designed for them. I have a hard case I got from Thomann and flat headstocked basses fit no problem but angled - no go.

Not really the best person to ask, but when I had to learn a set of songs for my first gig I used a combination of my Tascam bass trainer and tabs lifted off the internet. I then put my interpretation of it into Guitar Pro and learned that. Yeah, I just learned it by frets/patterns. No idea to this day about keys or even what notes I was playing. Don't worry if you have to simplify things a little. You don't have to be note perfect with respect to the original recording, in fact it's probably detrimental to the performance - you're not a robot and you'll just end up stressing more about mistakes that way. Basically, whatever works is about right. Playing (most of) the right notes at the right time is the aim.