Jean-Luc Pickguard

[quote]Tuning down to E flat, any tips?[/quote] I think you just have to give those twiddy things on the headstock a bit of a twist. Mine was in tune when I bought it though so I'm not 100% sure.

It would be nice to own a spare bass player and he's a bargain at the current price, but he's in Cornwall and 'collect in person' only.

I thought it was the one with the bobble hat.

If these are the standard 'classic' type EMGs that run off a 9v battery, try them with 18v- get down to maplins & buy three 9v battery clips, wire then up together so that you can power the pickups off two batteries instead of one and they'll magically come alive. The EMG I bought in 1986 wasn't all that inspiring originally, so I took it out. After reading that they can be powered from a much higher voltage & even phantom powered from a mixing desk, I dug it out of my bits box & put it back into one of my precisions and it has stayed in since (although there wasn't room for 2 x 9v batteries so I had to hack something together using a bunch of button cells from car 'plipper' batteries stuffed into an AAA holder)

Not sure - When I did a term of jazz bass lessons (in a small class - not 1 to 1 lessons), the tutor couldn't make it one week, so the college's drum tutor took the class. I recall it being a bit of a waste of time. Maybe a bass player who also plays drums or a drummer who also plays drums to a good standard would be worthwhile.

The really cool looking relic instruments with classic wear all have a thin nitro finish.If you bash about a MIM Fender with a thick poly finish for thirty years it'll get scratched & dented, but never wear through like a nitro finish. Attacking it with abrasives will make it look stupid & you'll look stupid playing it. So I say - do it.

I soak my cables in vinegar

Looks like I'm on my own - I prefer playing my mustang to my jazz or precisions - & I have some nice precisions.

I'm very please with my tanglewood 'rosewood reserve' bass. An absolute bargain at the rrp & even more so at the meagre price I paid (ex-display via ebay - just over half rrp)

[quote name='mrjim' post='785596' date='Mar 25 2010, 10:38 AM'] [/quote] Unsoddered? Why are 'mercans unable to pronounce a simple word like solder. Its got a pluckin' 'L' in it Its not the sound of the pots that matters - any differences in tone should be very subtle for pots of the same spec. The differences will be in how long they last before they go scratchy or fail. At the first sign of trouble on one of my guitars or basses, I make a new CTS/switchcraft/decent capacitor harness rather than replacing just the one pot causing trouble. I've never had to replace a CTS pot or switchcraft socket and the cheapo sockets on most budget guitars & basses always fail eventually for me.

When you see 40+ year old fenders with the original pots, what make are they? I always use CTS & put in a switchcraft jack socket at the same time.

I'd love to have a Rob Allen mouse 30. The headstock does look a bit like a foot though.

For a brand I've never heard of, they seem to have a lot of endorsees on their website (no one I've heard of though). The cynic in me wonders how many sets they actually sell at the full price - ie iss this an ego massaging trick to get you to buy their strings? Do they make their own strings or are they generic far eastern made strings you can get in other packaging for the same as the endorsee cost or less? Like some listed for £6 delivered from ebay. They have a sign up form for string endorsees on their website: [url="http://www.dovetailretail.co.uk/registration.php"]http://www.dovetailretail.co.uk/registration.php[/url] - There are 84 bands listed currently - I wonder if they ever reject anyone who applies?

hacked up japcrap I'd guess. It hasn't just been hit with the ugly stick - I think it IS the ugly stick

I've heard reports that Labella Flats don't like going string-thru - the almost right-angle bend at the saddle can split the windings open. I've not had this issue - I have both LaBella & TI flats on string-thru basses with no problems. As you have a choice it may be safer to topload, but you may prefer the slightly tighter feel of thru stringing. You may be used to cutting down the strings before you put them on. Martin Petersen once told me that it is better not to cut your strings - it certainly isn't necessary on a fender-type long scale bass with TI flats. Get as many winds on the tuner as you can and stack it as neatly as possible with the string exiting right at the bottom, ie as near to the wood as possible. I probably haven't explained this very well, but I can probably post a pic later. I owned my first precision for 20 years before plucking up courage to touch the truss rod - it was a daunting task as first, but it should become second nature once you've done it a few times.

[quote name='Twigman' post='776792' date='Mar 16 2010, 11:05 PM']By adding extra tracks and cutting up the stereo master, moving stuff around.......[/quote] Aha! I hope you did a more successful job than Zappa's "we're only in it for the money" which I bought when it came out on CD in the mid 80's & some very 80s-sounding drums & bass had been added which totally ruined the whole album

I'm used to mastering a stereo mix, but how can you remix if you only have the (I assume stereo) CD master? Not being funny, just curious.

ebay

I like the text on the web site [quote]Most bassists like the sure and true notes of fretted basses, while others prefer the fluid and expressive tone of the fretless.[/quote] ...but which one is better?...

I wrote my name on my bass once - does that count?

[quote name='Musicman20' post='773869' date='Mar 13 2010, 08:50 PM']What other options are there around the £1200-1300 mark with similar spec?[/quote] I built a fretless precison from a sunburst alder Brandoni body which seems to be identical in every way to my 1990 MIJ '62 reissue Fender P. It has a beautiful quartersawn maple neck also from Brandoni with thick ebony unlined board (with a cheeky 70's style 'P' logo), Kent Armstrong Pickup, hipshot late-60s style lollypop tuners and some fender bits & bobs. It plays really well and sounds marvelous - apart from my dodgy intonation. I think it cost around £450 all-in to build, so maybe that could be an option? It wouldn't be too much hassle to get the body routed for a jazz pickup professionally and of course the pickups could be wired any way you like.

Glad you're OK Si - that could have been nasty if you'd fallen in the wrong direction.

[quote name='tauzero' post='773250' date='Mar 12 2010, 10:46 PM']I've been looking for a hard case for my Ashbory - I'm not a great one for soft bags, and also Fender seem to have taken the measurements for the gig bag from the old Guild bags, which didn't have to cater for tuners that stick out horizontally and increase the instrument length. A violin case looked as if it might do the job but was just too short. Other cases were too small, too big or hideously expensive. I finally found the right one - a shotgun case, from Treeline Products: [url="http://www.treelineproductsuk.co.uk/80690/info.php?p=10&pno=0&pid=1436900&cat=&ack=9&search=&sought="]Shotgun case[/url] It's £54 on their site but it was rather less expensive than that through their ebay shop - £47 delivered.[/quote] Cool - it says it can accommodate two shotguns, does it look like it could comfortably fit two Ashborys? That would be really useful for me if it did. I know what you mean about the standard softcase - when my blue one was delivered the E tuner was destroyed - the ebay seller did a really bad packaging job. - Kelly at [url="http://www.largesound.com"]largesound.com[/url] sorted me out a replacement for £4 delivered from the other side of the pond though.