BigRedX

In fact at the time the J-pup mods were done they may well have increased the re-sale value of the bass.

[quote name='Balcro' post='457271' date='Apr 8 2009, 12:27 PM']PS Dave Greenslade was the organist and I think on one occassion a Tony Kay played bass. Good times.

Balcro.[/quote]

Actually it was Tony Reeves who also went on to play bass in Greenslade. As well as being the bassist in the latest version of Greenslade he's managing director of MTR professional audio and IIRC was involved with one of the British amp companies in the 70s who's name current escapes me.

At the moment I wouldn't even think twice about going.

Depends entirely on the bass.

I think I have pretty much every common colour from natural through to multi-coloured solids (but no Fender-style sunbursts) in my bass collection. However I tend to favour solid metallic/sparkle finishes or transparent over figured wood to bring out the grain.

Don't really get on with either P or J type basses...

You've also got to remember that back in the 70s there simply wasn't easy access to the kinds of power tools that we take for granted now. Doing that kind of job yourself meant using hand tools and that also meant the skill and know-how to use them properly. Unless you were a professional woodworker you simply wouldn't have that.

If you want someone to built you a bass from your ideas there are two ways to go.

You could find a luthier who says they'll build you exactly what you want what ever that may be. Great! but they may not have done all the things you want it that particular combination before and the the end result might not live up to your expectations.

A far better idea would be to find someone who's already building basses close to what you want, and have them make the modifications to that basic design that you require. There are so many custom bass makers out there and all accessible on the internet that someone somewhere will already be doing something close to your ideal. It's just a question of finding them.

Before you even start thinking about how to record the extra parts just consider is it really worth the hassle - especially for just one song?

There are two inter-related issues here; how to record the backing and then how to play it back. You're asking about the recording when in fact the back back element is probably more critical and will probably dictate how you produce the backing track.

So the first thing to consider is how you are going to play along in sync with your backing.

Is there a strong rhythmic element all the way through? If so you might simply get away with having the backing in your monitors and playing along to it. However unless the rhythm is particularly strong and has a tonality that is distinct from the live instruments it will tend to get lost in the monitor mix especially so when you're actually in time with it.

The more conventional way is to have a separate click track that only the drummer can hear and for the rest of the band to play to the live drums. So has your drummer ever played to a click track before? If not now is the time to find out. Also what sort of click does the drummer play best with? A simple one click per beat with an accent on the 1st beat of the bar or something with a bit more of a groove? Also unless your drummer currently uses in-ear monitoring then getting the click to them will introduce all sorts of extra equipment. I've done this a lot in the bands that I've been in and every drummer is different. Some want to use a rhythmic pattern in the drum monitors, others want anything from just the click in the headphones to a full individually controllable band mix!

Remember the aim here is to keep your drummer happy. If they aren't comfortable playing to the backing, the song is never going to feel right. Also if only the drummer can hear the guide rhythm you'll probably have to remind them to click the rest of the band through any rhythm free segments of the song otherwise no matter how good your time keeping is you'll get out of sync with the backing.

Having sorted out how your going to play along with the backing, you can now think about how you're going to play the backing. Personally I would not recommend using a computer when it's only for one song. It's fine if you use it for a good proportion of the set and you have a band member who knows what they are doing and how to cope with any potential problems. From the wording of your original post that does not seem to be the case. Also I couldn't recommend a Windows PC unless [b]YOU DON'T USE IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE AT ALL EVER[/b]. The last thing you want is for the backing to be unreliable because you've picked up some nasty from other activities on the computer.

I'd go for something pre-recorded on and played back either from CD on an MP3 player of some description. Because you'll probably need one channel for the drummer's guide that means you'll only have one channel for a mixed version of the backing the audience will hear. In any case unless you have your own FoH sound engineer being able to change the mix of the backing track isn't a priority. You need to keep it as simple as possible.

What you need to weigh up is how much better your set is going to be with this song included in all it's backing glory against all the extra equipment and sorting out it is going to take to achieve that. A simple mono mix for FoH with a guide track for the drummer played back from some reliable source (and have a back up source too) is the best. Least amount to go wrong and if for some reason you can't do the song you have brought and set up loads of gear with no end result. I've been in bands that have used real-time controllable/changeable backing and the end result was fantastic. But we needed our own FoH engineer, we took an extra two band member's worth of equipment on stage (without the extra 2 member to set it up). It took much longer to set up than a standard band, added about £7000 to the equipment budget, and while we never had any live equipment failures there were a couple of dodgy moments! Think carefully before embarking on that route.

As for recording, unless you already have the equipment, get someone else to do it for you. MIDI isn't an issue unless your going to use it for play back and hopefully you'll have seen from the last paragraph why that's probably not a good idea for you. Unless you think you may end up doing more songs like this, IMO for one song I don't think the investment in equipment and the time you'll need to learn it is worth the effort.

The glib answer would be "because they could".

The seller doesn't say when the extra pickup was added, but what you have to remember is that back in the 70s this was not a particularly special bass. The desirable Fenders were all pre-CBS so this was just another instrument with the same perceived value that mid-range modern Ibanez or Yamaha has now. There wasn't the same massive range of basses in every conceivable configuration that are available nowadays, so if you wanted something even slightly different from the norm you had to do it yourself. Also decent power tools were strictly for professionals only so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a fairly crude hole for the pickup made with a hammer and chisel.

It's a product of it's age. Get over it.

Anything that sounds right.

I could probably make an argument for absolutely any note given the appropriate musical context.

[quote name='yorick' post='455386' date='Apr 6 2009, 01:18 PM']Have a look at www.nicksmithworld.com. I've seen some of his work, and it's phenomenal.[/quote]

Interesting site although the tiny, poor quality pictures don't do him any favours to people like me who aren't already familiar with his work. Has he done any guitars (if so links to examples please) and how much does he charge?

Cost will very much depend on who's building it and what options you want. However £1500 should get you something nice from one of the BassChat trio of favourites ACG, RIM & Shuker provided you don't go mad with the figured woods, custom finishes or toys (extra strings, LEDs, MIDI etc.)

Well the obvious suggestion is [url="http://www.simscustom.com"]Sims Custom[/url].

However if you like the graphic style then [url="http://www.inkyhollow.co.uk/"]Inky Hollow[/url] would be worth a look too.

Here you go:

[url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk/index.php"]ACG[/url]

[url="http://www.crimsonguitars.com/"]Crimson Guitars[/url]

[url="http://www.eccleshallguitars.co.uk/"]Eccleshall[/url]

[url="http://www.enfieldguitars.com/"]Enfield[/url]

[url="http://www.fret-king.com/greenlabel_series.htm"]Fretking Green Label[/url]

[url="http://www.gbguitars.co.uk/"]GB[/url]

[url="http://www.gusguitars.com/"]Gus[/url]

[url="http://www.jaydeeguitars.com/"]Jaydee[/url]

[url="http://www.jimfleetingguitars.com/"]Jim Fleeting[/url]

[url="http://www.johnbirchguitars.com/"]John Birch[/url]

[url="http://www.lodestoneguitars.com/"]Lodestone[/url]

[url="http://www.mansonguitars.co.uk/"]Manson[/url]

[url="http://www.overwaterbasses.com/"]Overwater[/url]

[url="http://www.rimcustombasses.co.uk/"]RIM[/url]

[url="http://www.seibass.com/"]Sei[/url]

[url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/"]Shuker[/url]

[url="http://www.simonleeguitars.com/"]Simon Lee[/url]

[url="http://www.status-graphite.com/"]Status[/url]

[url="http://www.streetguitars.co.uk/"]Street Guitars[/url]

[url="http://www.walbass.co.uk/"]Wal[/url]

[url="http://www.zootbass.co.uk/"]Zoot[/url]

That's pretty much all the major UK guitar builders and luthiers. Hopefully you can find something that appeals to you. If not of course there's a whole world of luthiers out there in Europe, US and Japan, it's just not quite so easy to check on the progress of your bass when it's being made half-way around the world from you, and of course with the current state of the pound not as financially attractive as it was 18 months ago.

IMO the important thing when picking someone to build your bass is that you and your chosen luthier understand each other. You don't want to be forcing your luthier into building something their not comfortable doing. If you have basses that you like aspects of, take them along with you so the luthier can see and hear what it is you like, and if required take accurate measurements of things like a particular comfortable neck etc.

Also don't feel that you have to know absolutely everything about what you want. A good luthier will take on board your ideas and what you hope to get out of it and fill in the gaps to make your perfect bass - that's what they are there for! From what you've posted so far in this thread you already have enough of an idea of how you want the bass to be like for any good luthier to be able to make that happen.

Good luck and don't forget to do a build diary once you get started.

Generally all over the place so there's always one close to hand. Live I keep a few on top of the amp. At the moment all my pick playing is done on the fretted bass and all my finger-style on the fretless, so it's simply a matter of picking up a plectrum when I swap basses. In the past when I've done songs that require me to swap between styles I've been able to wedge a pick between the bridge saddles (doesn't work on every bass). Of course you do what all the guitarists in pro bands seem to do and have a load gaffa-taped to the boom arm of your mic stand.

Remember that when the bass is on the stand the bass clefs look like sad faces :(

[quote name='Skybone' post='453318' date='Apr 3 2009, 01:10 PM']If the sale is from a private individual, and not a shop, like you said, you can get them to send it as a gift.

If the item is sent as a gift, you should get around the customs charges.

There's always getting them to send it as a lower value package (but insure it for what it's worth).[/quote]

This is completely wrong unless your bass plus shipping come to under £36, the VAT threshold for items marked gift (it's £18 for items not marked gift).

Which is why I currently don't own a car and have a few nice basses instead.

You don't always pay import duty as there's a threshold below which HMR&C don't bother, but if you allow for it then there's no nasty surprises.

As I said in the other thread an in-depth look at UK manufacturers/luthiers is essential.

There's a lot to cover: ACG, Eccleshall, Enfield, Fretking (Green Label), GB, Gus, Jaydee, Jim Fleeting, John Birch, Lodestone, Manson, Overwater, Rim, Sei, Shuker, Simon Lee, Status, Street Guitars, Wal (when they re-launch), Zoot. That's 20 and I'm sure I've probably missed at least one that needs to be in this list. At one per issue that's enough to last almost 2 years!

For me the main attraction to any musical instrument magazine is reviews of equipment that isn't easily available so I can decide if it might be worth making the effort to track it down and try it for myself. That doesn't mean expensive gear, just things that aren't on display in nearly every music store where anyone can easily check it out. The exception to this would be instruments that provide exceptional value for money such as the Squier Vintage Modified series from a couple of years ago. So if you can say that for instance a £200 bass is on par with what you would normally expect for 1 1/2 times that price then it's worth including.

Bass players... If they've got something to say and the interviewer can make it an interesting article then I'll read it. Personally I have eclectic tastes in music that I don't expect to see covered in the musical instrument press, and I'm more interested in the whole song rather than just the bass line, so bass players who are also writers have more to tell me, but so long as the article is informative and articulate I'll enjoy it even if the music isn't what I'd normally listen to.

The tuition and song tabs are of little interest to me personally. If I want to learn a particular song I'll listen to the track and work it out for myself. I also think that there's little point in capturing every nuance of the original performance unless all you're going to go is play along with track by yourself. Because the bassline lies the melody and the rhythm together, if the other musicians you play with make changes to either, all of a sudden much of what you've painstakingly worked out is no longer appropriate.

What would be more useful would be articles about how to make money out of playing bass. Teaching, Covers Bands, Tribute Bands, Depping etc. There's plenty of people on these forums who do all of this stuff on a regular basis and some of them make a full time living out of it. Lets find out how! Also a hard-hitting up-to-date look the business side for originals bands Pro and cons of all the different organisations and what they should be able to do for you. Do you even need to go the traditional record company route these days?

Food for thought I hope.

[quote name='neepheid' post='452879' date='Apr 3 2009, 12:10 AM']Does anyone use any of the following:

Rotosound RS66M Standard - Medium Scale 40 50 75 90
D'addario EXL220M Medium scale - Super Light 40 60 75 95

Can someone check if they are at least 33" from ball end to the beginning of silks/end of wraps?

Cheers[/quote]

Personally I would count 31" as Medium Scale rather than Short Scale (30.5" and under).

If those Rotosounds are the standard round-wound bass strings but with a Medium Scale length then they should be fine as these were the strings I used to buy for my Hagstrom Futurama Bass. However this was 25 years ago and the specs on the strings may have changed since then. Might be worth emailing Rotosound to be sure.

That's really smart!

And you would have never guessed what it was originally.

How does lopping off the head affect the truss rod?

Looks stunning! Brilliant job!

What colour is the actual body going to be?

However make sure that you get some proper medium-scale (32") strings next time...

[url="http://www.bas-extravaganza.nl/?page=bassen&BassenID=14"]and by Bas Extravaganza[/url]

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='451750' date='Apr 1 2009, 05:29 PM']The Super Yob. Classic instrument.[/quote]

Apparently the re-issue is a superior instrument to Dave Hill's original. However the J1s I've tried over the past few years haven't been a patch on the one was lucky enough to have a go on in the late 70s.

Having said that I keep toying with the idea of having them build me one of their Rickenfakers...