brensabre79

It sounds like the strings are catching at the top end of the neck due to the neck angle rather than the truss rod adjustment (especially if it has been set up right). I reckon you might need to shim the neck-Theres a tutorial on here how to do it - its really quite simple. You will need to set it up again afterwards though as the bridge height will change and therefore the intonation along with it! This issue can be got around by increasing the action height, but if you like a low action the shim is a good place to start, its completely reversible and it will cost nothing to do! All that said, there are limitations in how low the action can go - depending on your playing style. I went through a re-fret and several set ups with a very good luthier here in Brighton on my Sabre before I realised I just have to play a bit lighter or increase the action height to avoid fret buzz! This might sort out the other issue but if its only coming through the amp (not acoustic) it opens a can of worms in terms of the electronics in the instrument or the amp. i had a lovely rattle through my practice combo that turned out to be a dry joint. I'd get the bass working from a mechanical point of view and see what happens with the other...

It'll probably do the job OK, not sure how thick that stuff is. you probably need to match the thickness of the existing wire for best results.

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1320107184' post='1422525'] Surely that'd only be if it was forced beyond its elastic limit? Given that it's safely encased in wood and a truss rod curve is pretty gentle, I'd be surprised if you could do it. Besides, for a single action rod it wouldn't matter anyway - the leverage against the neck channel with the anchor points at either end would still force it towards straightening. Dual action...they often tighten the other way to normal right? You might have to go through a bit of slack where not much appears to happen before it starts to push the other way. [/quote] I have to say I think Lawrence is right here. The truss rod is tensioned to straighten the curve in the wood. Even if the rod did get bent (extremely unlikely) putting it under tension would still have the desired effect of reducing the curve as the tension would cause it to straighten. I think it may be that its just not under enough tension to counteract the pull from the strings... And joking aside (Thanks Charic btw ), if tightening the truss rod makes it worse are you sure you're tightening it (they don't all turn the same way)? ALso, once you have adjusted, its sometimes a good idea to let the thing settle for a while before adjusting again - especially if you have had it completely off for a bit. I don't think the filling in the fingerboard will make that much difference IMHO. The only other suggestion would be to go to a reputable repair guy/luthier - theres a list of recommended people here, it might at least be worth showing someone and having a chat about whether its worth doing any more work to fix it.

What Paul S said about the Bass Cube or Line 6 is spot on, they sound way more expensive than they are (until you put them near a drum kit - they just don't have the power). For home practice they are ideal though. As a studio sound engineer of 20 years, like you I'm fussy about tone and I have a Bass Cube at home for practice (I even record with it sometimes!) If you want to step up a notch Hartke do some pretty nice sounding combos for not too much, have a look for a secondhand A100 - they will see you through a rehearsal with drums etc. I wouldn't bother with S/H Peavey stuff, it really tough gear and great if you're gigging but the sound is just alright - not amazing. If you really want true audiophile 'valve' tone though - I haven't come across a none valve amp that does this yet. Some of the 'Valve-modelling' amps out there (including Roland and Line6) come close but you can tell the difference side by side. Sadly all valve amps are still incredibly expensive. One compromise solution is to get a seperate valve pre-amp to colour the tone. I'd also recommend if you buy yourself a 'Clarence' be prepared to invest in a new pickup. My experience of Squier basses is limited, but the first thing that had to go was the awful 'Duncan Designed' pickups in my VM Jazz. I would spend the money on the Guitar you want because that is such a personal thing, and you'll get used to the feel of it - amps can be changed easily down the line if you need more power or tone without sacrificing the 'feel'

You can get yourself a reasonable JB copy along with a pre-amp and some decent pickups for that money. The preamp I got on my Jazz from AC Guitars was sold as a loaded control plate so all I had to do was hook up the pickups to it (4 wires, one more than a mains plug!) and screw the new plate on so really simple to do. But don't forget that a lot of the sound may be to do with the amp (and the player) too... Someone asked me at a gig a while ago how I got 'that sound', I let him have a play through my rig and it sounded nothing like my bass, and he agreed. I can get 'my sound' from pretty much any bass/amp set up with a few basic adjustments, I spent years (and lots of money) looking for 'someone elses sound' before I realised its largely down to the way you play it!

[quote name='Batfastard' timestamp='1320061377' post='1421646'] Yes mate, only makes it worse. [/quote] Try turning it the other way?

Yes done that too! Spent the whole first set thinking I must be playing to a bunch of Musos because a few people were staring and pointing at my bass playing! I felt the pressure not to make a mistake. Only later did I realise the flies on my trousers had bust, had to use gaffer tape! These days i wear the bass a little lower

[b]First Bass Owned: [/b]Home made with Mighty Mite neck, Carved 1 piece Iroko body, Dimarzio Model J P/Us, Gotoh bridge - sadly stolen [b]'Go To' Bass: [/b]Squier VM Jazz Bass - Wizard P/U's - Home made 2 band EQ (Pre EB MM copy) '[b]Your' Bass:[/b] MusicMan Sabre '79

Yeah it looks like a Sabre. As for the finish I'm sure I've seen chrome finished wooden ones before, didn't the guy out of the Brand New Heavies have one? The important thing is how it plays surely? For all the basses I've had I can get pretty much the same sound by tweaking the amp. The look, well each to their own - personally I like black as it blends with my t-shirt. Bass players should generally be heard and not seen.

Here is a review of the Squier VM Jazz Bass http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124:squier-vintage-modified-jazz-bass-issue-34&catid=37:bassguitars Just search Google for lots of shops that sell them!

Hi Orys Welcome to Basschat! An interesting story, shame about your cousin but if it has inspired you to play again maybe its all good I would definitely recommend you look at the Squier Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified range. The PBass in your picture looks more like a Jazz Bass neck (which is thinner and a bit easier to get around) and it seems to have a bridge pickup too. So I would recommend the Vintage Modified Jazz Bass. I bought one of these myself. I also have an American Fender Jazz Bass (over £1,000) and a vintage Music Man (same!) but I play gigs 2 or 3 times a week and I take the Squier! The feel of these instruments is not always consistent so I would recommend you get to a music shop where you can try a few for yourself. Basses (and guitars) are like people, some you like, some you don't but no two are ever the same! I hate playing in music shops too Orys, usually i just turn the amp down and get a sense of how the instrument [u]feels[/u] to play without an amplifier - that way nobody can hear... I usually only turn the amp on to check the pickups work Also, the set up of the instrument is a personal thing - just like the guy in the shop who didn't like your bass at first, once it was set up it was great! So ask about whether the instrument has been set up since it came out of the factory. If it hasn't ask them to do it and try it again! I hope this helps you in your quest to find a playable instrument. For less than £300 it is possible to get a good bass, just a bit harder

Unlikely to be magnetic fields etc. possibly vibration, but that would be more intermittent. most likely thing is heat. I think they have a thermal cutout (most amps do) so it doesn't damage the circuit if it gets too hot. Even if the vents were clear, the restricted airflow combined with the heat from being a band in a very confined space might have been enough to raise the temp a few degrees more than your amp would like... If you were driving it as well it might just have overheated a bit.

Try Dave Lunt in Stockport. Haven't seen him in a while, but he is v.good 0161 432 9698

If you're starting from scratch with this kinda stuff, the best thing you can do is get yourself a book on guitar repair. There are lots of good ones and these cover the basics. This forum is really good if you have a specific question, but for a general overview of modding/repairing/building your own a good book will be worth its weight in guitar-tech bills

Not sure if the 5500 is the same configuration as the 3500 but the 3500 has two 8 ohm outputs. so I'd start off with an 8ohm cabinet and then if you need more volume (i doubt it) you can add a second. Don't get a 4 ohm cabinet because you'll just underload the 8ohm output and blow yer amp! £205 is an excellent price btw - I paid that for my HA3500 S/H Depending on your budget you can get a peavey 4x10 or 1x15 for £not much (or an ashdown but not as hardy as the peavey stuff) to get you going... or you can splash out on something better (here's where everyone will recommend their own gear). As long as it is 8ohms you'll be fine, but you might want to get some opinions or try stuff out first because it depends on what sort of sound you want to get! Personally I'd try and find a good secondhand Peavey 115 BW to get you started, you can always sell it down the line and they are near bulletproof!

Or get a 5 string and just have one bass

Aw I have played Stingrays (and my beloved Sabre) for years. I'd always resisted the Fenders, I tried one once and it was a dog. Only recently I got given a JB fretless (lovely, and what a gift!) and now I've bought a Fretted Squier JB (which is outstanding, really remarkable to play). I was having my Sabre refretted so I took the Squier out gigging - now I've gotten used to it (did I mention its a beaut to play!) I hate to say my Sabre is not getting used at all these days! I find the string spacing to wide and it feels like much more effort than the Squier to play! Go figure...

For the money I doubt you'll find better without following a lorry around all day waiting for it to go over a speed bump The amp models are not that realistic but if you forget what they are pretending to be and just use them to get a sound you like its a fantastic and sturdy little pedal. It can be a bit noisy, it does have a noise reduction system but its not great. You can get some pretty cool sounds, but after the novelty of these has worn off, I use it to step up the level for the loud bits, and to get specific sounds for certain songs. My only gripe with it is the two switches are a little too close together if you're on a dark stage and in a hurry to change preset (you can end up hitting both by mistake and either going the wrong way or bypassing). and they are a little far apart to easily push down both at once to bypass/mute with your foot. this can be solved by getting a cheap footswitch though. this wouldn't have been an issue if they had used bigger footswitches (like the older style Zoom pedals were). I've not tried using the USB, I'm on a mac.

check out wizard pickups, hand made and half the price of your regular brand name production line pickups! Andy is a legend

If there is a fault it could blow even the most hardy tube - check out watford valves though they give pretty good advice on their site as to how fragile or not the different tubes are. instinct says get something russian

It looks like your black is hot, the red & green should be twisted together to be your common, and the white & bare wires should be twisted together to be your ground. Simples!

Stick with the 58 mate. Still the industry standard for a reason. Not sure about the Samson in terms of feedback suppression/handling noise. If you want to improve on a 58 you could try a Beta 58, or some of the EV mics are pretty bulletproof but honestly I wouldn't bother if your regular 58 is doing the job! I've been a live sound engineer for over 15 years, I still spec regular 58s everywhere I go. They just work.

No where near as bad as I imagined! I wouldn't worry too much. Its a feeble design because the screws are so far forward. If you're planning to replace it with a Gotoh I'd just get on with it. Otherwise, if its not affecting playing just leave it for now. I wouldn't try to bend it back though, you'll probably just make it weaker Uri Geller style It may be the result of someone tuning the strings very high, but as you said its a cheapo bass, its likely to be a cheapo bridge too.

[quote name='Alex-Wright' post='1299412' date='Jul 10 2011, 11:04 PM']Hi guys, Great post - saw the instructions online and tried myself (well, handed them to a more electronically savvy dad!) After following the instructions, I've plugged in the newly insulated beast, and the hum is much LOUDER than before, and instead of it disappearing when I touch the grounded bridge, it gets louder still! Needless to say, I'm most confused! From that very limited description, does anyone know what may be wrong? The only difference I can see from the original instructions is that I've insulated the whole cavity with copper, and instead of wrapping the pickups with copper, I've lined the inside of the plastic pickup shield with copper (I don't know the proper name - it's the bit you can rest you thumb on to play and slide off to see the pickup coil) - this was to avoid the copper touching the other wires and shorting stuff out... Any help would be much appreciated. Can take pictures of wiring if anyone is kind enough to take an interest... Thanks in advance, Alex.[/quote] Sounds like the shielding is making contact with the signal. Personally I would shield the cavity (i.e. the wood) rather than the inside of the P?U case. Try removing the pickup case and plug in to an amp to see if this changes the situation - if it does remove the shielding from inside the Pickup case. If not it may be that one of the wires or the pot lugs is touching the shielding in the control cavity. In any case, if the hum gets louder when you touch the shielded bridge then a contact between the signal and the ground is being made somewhere.

Without a picture I'm trying to imagine. But if the bridge itself is bent replacing the bridge with a Gotoh should sort it. As already said you might need to pack the holes before screwing in - assuming they line up with the new bridge. If not I'd pack them and start again. I prefer to use baking soda and superglue to pack holes, you can use wood dye to get the baking soda to the same colour as the wood of the bass. it sets rock hard and fills all of the hole. you have to work fast though [quote name='Gust0o' post='1299651' date='Jul 11 2011, 10:00 AM']Picked up a bargain bin bass at the weekend, with a view to applying some TLC. The only issue currently is that the bridge appears to be trying to lever itself away from the body. I'm assuming this is a combination of a bridge material which might well be tin, and some exigency of the bass' original set up. Was looking for some advice - specifically, what part of the setup works to generate this? Are there some good tips for avoiding? I was looking to ship the original out for a new Gotoh, as am rather fond of those, so it's a good excuse - but also an opportunity to learn something.[/quote]