Jean-Luc Pickguard

Hilarious to see Alex Salmond at the end clapping totally out of time. We have punters like that - they're usually the ones we later see falling over in the street as they make their way home.

I look after my stuff so the bridge, neckplate, chrome covers and tuners on my 1981 Precision look like new - although the bass itself has picked up some knocks & bumps. The nickel plated tuners on my 1990 ('62 reissue) precision have taken on a dull patina and look many decades older. Just keep them as they are - artificially aged chrome always looks really crappy & obviously faked when its overdone. The chrome is there to protect them.

the first batch of pro-iv & pro-v thirds had the strap button on the upper bout, but he later ones (including my natural oil pro-v) do indeed have them by the back of the neck heel. This helps alleviate neck dive.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1340404820' post='1704242'] When you say chunky, do you mean more so than a 70s 'Master? I like em like that, but the girl I'm looking on behalf of really isn't that fussy afaik. [/quote] I don't know about mid/late 70s, But yes, the Squier Vista one was about double the weight and had a bruiser of a neck compared to my '71. It sounded pretty good though and the shell pink looked cool.

I used to have a Squier vista series musicmaster - it was OK, but a heavy lump with rather a chunkier neck than I prefer. My favourite gigging bass is my CIJ Fender mustang, but my candy apple red VM Jaguar SS is a close second - both basses beating my daphne blue '71 musicmaster for playability & tone. The broncos I've looked at were pretty poor in comparison. Id advise anyone looking for a short scale to look for a jag SS - mine was £165 new from Thomann when there was a Fender/Squier promo on at the beginning of the year.

i'd keep the bass passive & use a preamp pedal - a behringer bdi21 v-tone preamp pedal/di will probably be comparable in price to the unit you're looking at

I cut up a 50p ikea mousemat and put pieces in layers to make pickup sponges for my P basses

I used a kent armstrong alnico 'P' on my fretless precision. It's pretty much an ideal fretless tone for me, but some of that can probably be attributed to the thick ebony fingerboard & Thomastik TI344s

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1340200225' post='1700912'] Interesting... I think it's hideous and looks half-finished! Just goes to show that everyone is different. [/quote] It probably needs a violetburst pearloid top

Lovely looking Gibson. I have a bass a similar shape on [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daisy-Rock-Stardust-Elite-Bass-/270999829644?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3f18d93c8c#ht_500wt_1156"]ebay[/url] at the moment - It isn't quite as understated as the Gibson though. Here it is with its twin: [attachment=110962:elite-basses-2.jpg]

I much prefer bananas to beetroot anyway.

Its a ballend - like a cross between ball & bellend. Can you improvise - stick something in the hole in your ballend? or maybe use a washer or something?

active emg pickups might be good for this as they are shielded internally & don't require the earth connection at the bridge

When I restrung my 'real' doublebass I eyeballed the strings against my NS CR5M & came to the conclusion that anything other than the D'Addario ones made for NS-Design would probably be more hassle than I could be bothered with - even if I could find a five string set.

no wax, oil, silicones etc. anyone know what is actually in it? duck phelgm?

pdf file

I've changed the weak (mustang guitar - not strat) pickup in a couple of early 70s music master basses. I used strat sized rail humbuckers from brandoni each costing £25 a while ago. The enclosed cool rails in my daphne blue sounds just right - punchy & deep- as well as looking identical to the stock pickup, but the exposed hot rails in my daughter's custom painted lilac one is too clanky for my taste. If I had another one to upgrade, I'd definitely use a cool rails again.

Are these still polyurethene or latex or something else? I went over to pahoehoe strings on my Ashbory, so if these are better than the pahoehoe's for the kala, maybe they'd work on the ashbory as well? If they're latex or any other stretch material I'd probably pass though. The original latex strings of the ashbory sound good, but go out of tune as soon as you look at them, they need talc - which can look a bit druggy when it goes everywhere. And the G strings break for no apparent reason so the black poly pahoehoe's were a massive improvement - especially when a Behringer ADI21 stompbox preamp/DI is used.

He's eleven? Sorry - I take it back, I though he was a [s]midget[/s] little person.

he'll either grow out of it or have a great future in incidental music for cheesy American TV programmes

I dont think i've ever played a green one.

When I want to fatten up my sound I reach for the cheap as chops Behringer BDI 21 preamp/DI It can add some nice valvey oomph. I'm forming a new four piece with a vocalist/harmonica player (looking for drummer & guitarist). I think its likely that the pedal will be used a lot in the band as it is perfect for grubbying up the sound from my LM2 a bit.

Just measured the nut on my '90 MIJ '62 RI with a ruler - it seems to be a gnat's todger over 44mm - which I think equates to about 1.75". No idea of the radius, but front to back it seems shallower then my other basses & has narrow vintage fretwire.

Are you certain the '91 isn't 1.75" wide? My 1990 MIJ '62 RI has a 1.75" nut - did Fender change it that year?

Christ no