neepheid

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.

Welcome to the forum

Quick update - seeing as I have no idea what wood the body is made of, I've just filled the grain and it's drying overnight. As soon as it gets a little warmer (allegedly happening soon) I'm going to start spraying. No point in pics, it doesn't look much different. Wood looked a little darker when the grain filler went on, but when it's dry it'll probably look much and such the same.

[quote name='kdphysio' post='407421' date='Feb 12 2009, 11:04 AM']Ooh, wouldn't have thought of doing that. We should have a 'Top Tips' forum.[/quote] We have one - it's called the wiki. Oh never mind, I'll get me coat

D'oh!

Could be tempted with a road trip

That's OK, I've come to the conclusion that unamplified ABGs are mostly useless anyway, irrespective of the type of string used. The strings are starting to hold their tuning for longer intervals now, so looks like they are settling down. The amplified tone seems nice and warm, but I was just playing through a crappy little practice amp - will put it through the rig and see how it goes

Anyone using these? See when they're new, they need a fair bit of stretching - I've been practicing for about half an hour now and I've been going out of tune before the end of songs! I hope the calm down soon, they surely can't need too much more stretching?

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum

[quote name='Bassassin' post='403739' date='Feb 8 2009, 08:24 PM']How much??? Out of interest, what shop was that? Jon.[/quote] The one on the Grassmarket - Red Dog? I'm sure it is a mistake. They had a Fender Mustang next to it (Jap reissue I presume) for £499 which seems about right for a shop.

[quote name='Buzz' post='402544' date='Feb 7 2009, 12:43 AM']*Ahem* Bump for fun as this is a interesting build and I want to see what happened. Hyuk![/quote] I've been too busy playing lately because I've joined a band. However, I have made a start on shaping the neck.

[quote name='Rayman' post='403724' date='Feb 8 2009, 08:10 PM']Must be a mistake surely, if not, that's utter madness. You can find a nice used MIA for that.[/quote] They had written on the tag that it was a Squier Classic Vibe. How odd. If I was actually looking to buy it then I would have pointed out the incongruence.

I was in Edinburgh at the weekend and I saw a Squier Classic Vibe 50s P in the flesh for the first time. Looks nice. Then I looked at the price tag... £549 (was £700-odds). Must be a mistake, no? They're like about £250 online are they not? I left the shop somewhat bemused.

Nice work! You're making me feel guilty, especially with that zebrano. Going to have to get my projects back on track, but been too busy what with joining a band and practising.

[quote name='Aussiephoenix' post='401353' date='Feb 5 2009, 06:31 PM']Hi guys, not knowing what else to do, I've decided to throw this problem on here, maybe someone can help shed some light on it for me. I've put together a nice little frankenstein from parts I've scrounged and bought from all over. I'm pretty pleased with the result, but there is one little hitch... That's the neck. I bought a new no-name jazz bass neck off the bay, some German power seller I cant remember at the moment, and when I put it on the bass, I was pretty pleased as it fit perfectly with the neck pocket, so, strung it up, and as expected, it needed a setup... So, I look at the neck... its pretty damn straight. Lets add a little bow on there. took the hex key to the nut and turned a little. checked it again... hmmm, maybe I didnt turn enough... turned a little more, checked it again, and still no change, though I could defenitely feel that the trussrod wasnt just spinning in place. I also didnt hear any alarming wood crunching sounds, so I dont think the end is eating at the wood... If I turn the truss a few turns, it reaches a point past which it will not turn any more in any direction, so it seems to be functional. I took the bass to a "luthier" friend, who took a quick look at it, played with the trussrod and told me that there's nothing wrong with the trussrod, the problem is the neck wood is just too damn strong... (this is a first) Its a normal maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, nothing strange or special about it... At the moment, the bass is playable cause I put a little shim between heel and neck pocket, but Obviously, I'd like to get this problem sorted. Any Ideas on what might be happening here? Any tips on things to try to get it to bend a little?[/quote] Truss rod changes can take a while to settle in. To add relief you should be loosening the truss rod - that's turning left or anti-clockwise. The strings will pull relief into the neck, it just can take some time. I refuse to believe for one minute that the wood is "too strong" - maple is in no way the hardest wood on the planet, it's easily outdone by bubinga, wenge, certain rosewoods and ebony.

Not generally considered "top end" gear, but a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder will provide you with some balls.

I would like to add a special commendation for Andy - upon hearing that I was intending to put my Hartke 3500 in the case he sold me, he told me he had some spare rack ears for just such an amp and sent them to me for nowt - saving me £24 getting them from Thomann! Top man, it's stuff like that which makes this place such a joy to be part of.