Jono Bolton

I'd suggest that because it doesn't have the big channel routing from neck p'up to control cavity it's unlikely to be a banger of a body. Doesn't mean much but it looks nice to me; if you have any concerns please send it to me at your earliest convenience.

I ordered a custom set of 50-110 (which was my usual gauge at the time) but with a thicker core so that they wouldn't lose tension as I tuned down to C# (all strings down three semitones). The first set they sent me was a Drop D set and the second set was (I'm sure) just a standard set of strings; I used them until recently strung up to E. They were decent enough and not too expensive, but I couldn't be bothered sending them back again and just made the switch to a 5-string set for the tuning I use. The service has put me off using them again.

After some issues at the weekend trying to mic up and EQ my amp for recording, it was strongly reiterated to me that I should buy a SansAmp for recording and as a DI for gigs. I don't quite have a spare £200 sitting about to buy the Bass Driver DI but I've heard that the BDI 21 is a good "clone". I probably wouldn't be inclined to use it for playing live, and most of the stuff I've read online is in reference to using it live, but as a DI for recording and tone shaping, is the BDI 21 good enough? Will it give me a convincing amp sound as I've recorded going directly in to the desk before and it always sounds quite lifeless, even with an EQ added with the recording software.

When people refer to a Telecaster Bass, are they referring to the pre-57 Precision? If that's the case I take it that's because of the headstock shape? I always think of the Telecaster Bass being the 70s one with the humbucker as that actually had 'Telecaster Bass' on the headstock, whereas the one with the single-coil was just the proto-Precision. It's funny this came up as I've been looking at the Squier 50s Precision a lot over the last few days. I read somewhere that the pre-57 pickup was quite rough on speakers due to the polepieces being directly under the strings which is why the post-57 pickup has 2 polepieces per string with the string sitting between them. I don't know how much mileage there is in that theory though. Is there a reason why the Squier 50s CV Precisions don't often come up for sale? Is it because they're great and no one wants to get rid of them or was no one buying them to begin with?

It's a Precision for me. I like Jazzes to look at but that's about it; I don't like the neck or the sound.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1464095101' post='3056502'] If you do get it out, I've got a bunch of metric (I assume the CVs would be metric) stainless grub screws you could replace them with. Got them from work surplus to requirements. They were going to bin them! [/quote] Cheers, I'll see if I can get it out first but a few of the screws have seen better days!

I recently picked up a Squier CV Precision that was in mostly good nick but obviously hadn't been cleaned (or even used as the seller said) since it was bought. One of the height screws in has rusted inside the saddle as it sits below the top of the hole. The height is fine as it is so it doesn't need to be adjusted just now but it would be good if it could be tweaked if I need it to be. I tried soaking it in 3-in-1 over the weekend but it hasn't loosened it. Brute force has only resulted in me twisting my Allen key. Are there any other things I can try or is it game over?

I use an old Peavey solid state head that weighs more than either of my guitarist's valve heads. It sounds incredible though.

Picked up the amp today and all appears to be ok. I was surprised to see that the old cap was not far off the size of a Coke can, but it only cost a fiver for the replacement. It did make some weird buzzes at a couple of points but I'm putting that down to the input on my CV Precision as it was slightly rusted when I got it last week and I haven't had any problems with either of my other basses. Only time will tell if it's sorted or not but it all seems fine at the minute. Thanks for all your input. As you were gentlemen.

Having spoken to the amp techs this afternoon it appears it was a problem with a leg on one of the power supply caps; they've got a replacement in and will hopefully have it on the bench today to pick up tomorrow. As I've already paid for a service I'll only need to pay the cost of the new cap (about £8) and that should hopefully be the end of it; I'll keep you all posted.

I have a separate strap for each of my basses and set of Grolsch washers on each one. Once they're on, they're on so I've never had an issue with stretching them out. An old bass of mine had massive vintage-type strap buttons so the strap was going nowhere (although it's not going anywhere on regular buttons anyway). I only gig one bass and when I put it back in the case/gig bag the strap gets turned round so it's sitting on the strings and therefore isn't going to be damaged by the slider on the strap. I've tried those plastic ones as above and they were garbage. It doesn't have to be Grolsch either; I got some blue ones from a German beer I have never been able to find again, which is annoying as I've lost one of the washers.

That sounds like the case; when I took it back & showed the shop the video they said it was likely the power supply and the noise when I turned it off was a capacitor discharging. Is this an easy/expensive fix? I've already paid for a service, is this the sort of thing one would expect them to have picked up on during a standard service?

[quote name='cd_david' timestamp='1460795365' post='3028744'] My restored 406 [URL=http://s519.photobucket.com/user/cd_david/media/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/0F056DCD-9EE2-41E4-B86C-81D81133EDE3_zps7qvtxthe.jpg.html][IMG]http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u359/cd_david/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/0F056DCD-9EE2-41E4-B86C-81D81133EDE3_zps7qvtxthe.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s519.photobucket.com/user/cd_david/media/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/BB8BCD9F-DFCB-49D6-B7A5-5EC3446A83E6_zpsvaibvqmc.jpg.html][IMG]http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u359/cd_david/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/BB8BCD9F-DFCB-49D6-B7A5-5EC3446A83E6_zpsvaibvqmc.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s519.photobucket.com/user/cd_david/media/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/A96BF328-B0A0-4378-B78B-28A61FBB77EE_zpsec181jby.jpg.html][IMG]http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u359/cd_david/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/A96BF328-B0A0-4378-B78B-28A61FBB77EE_zpsec181jby.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s519.photobucket.com/user/cd_david/media/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/3BD9DFB8-3CF9-48F8-94FB-BB67AB75CE82_zpsmymxkcz8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u359/cd_david/Bass%20Chat%20PA%20Stuff/3BD9DFB8-3CF9-48F8-94FB-BB67AB75CE82_zpsmymxkcz8.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [/quote] Those are some proper amps.

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1462313401' post='3042128'] You could try emailing Peavey support in USA. I have found them to be excellent, to give an example I enquired about the heater current available from a 1980s valve amplifier transformer. Answer (and other useful information) came back very quickly. You could also try the Peavey forums. If you were closer I would offer to take a look and see what might be awry. [/quote] Thanks, I spoke to the shop I took it to for a service and told them I still had the same issue and they said they'll look at it again. As the noise is intermittent it may well have seemed fine when they tested it out. I played through it this evening for about 15 minutes and it was fine, but I went back about 15 minutes later and it was making noise again. I filmed a 4-minute video of it to show them when I take it back, including a really weird high pitched noise (almost like a pitch shifter) when I turned it off. I turned it back on again and it was fine.

Schaller BMLs drop straight in, but the tuner stem is shorter.

I've got a Peavey Mark IV bass head that I've been having issues with recently. The sound cuts in and out and has a horrible distorted, oscillating sound. I've taken it for a service and it was supposed to have been sorted, but I used it today for the first time and it's still there. The issue is intermittent, so presumably when they tried it it was fine (it's working now). Here's a rubbish video I took on my phone earlier: https://youtu.be/vfifHubrIV4 Any ideas what it could be? I left a voicemail for the shop as they were shut when I went to practice, but it's not the cab, cables or bass as I used the same set up with the communal head in the studio and it was fine. Thanks!