7string

I like the way you say "very nearly perfect", leaving some room for new additions I do like the ESP J-Bass. Under-rated things which usually slip under the radar.

Usually I'd try [url="http://www.guitarelectronics.com"]Guitar Electronics[/url] site as they have a load of wiring diagrams. I had a look around there and couldn't find the exact setup you have. I did find a wiring diagram [url="http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WDUSSS5L1101"]here[/url] for 3 single coils and a master tone and volume which might help you some of the way.

Put the bass on it's side and run a file horizontally up the side of the neck. Alternatively, with the bass laying on a table use a narrow file and go down from the fret towards the floor. It sounds a bit daunting but with a bit of care it can be done.

The [url="http://www.guitarelectronics.com"]Guitar Electronics[/url] site has a load of wiring diagrams and options. Well worth a look.

Sounds like the pots need a clean. Surprisingly how much noise a bit of dirt can create I wrote a thread [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=85931"]here[/url] about how to do it. Hope this helps.

I had one of these in the distant past and I really liked it. I was a bit put off by the pickups as, being used to a P-pickup, I had nowhere to put my thumb! I cut the side of a thick plastic bottle and stuck that on as a ramp. This was before anyone used the term "ramp"!!

That's a great tip. I've heard of the same problem on a Westone that I setup recently (I put the bass in the Gear Porn thread), so I'll let the owner know.

Very cool. I like the idea of these basses coming back into service after years locked away.

You can work it out on string centres. Put the outside strings where you want them and make a pencil marks on both sides of both strings. Measure from the middle of one set of marks to the middle of the other. Divide that measurement by 3 and that'll give you the centres of the other strings. You can then use a compass to pinpoint the centres across the nut. The problem with this method is that the thicker strings will be nearer together than the narrower strings. Put a piece of white paper underneath the strings at the fretboard side and adjust it by eye. If you can compare your nut to another bass that will help you get the string spacing spot on as well. The exact way is to use proportional spacing where each string centre is 0.004" further away from the adjacent one. People have been doing string spacing by centres and then adjusting by eye, so don't worry about that too much.

Excellent axe

Yup, I think and the notes come out. There never seems to be anything in the way.

Be a pain in your local store and try as many different basses as you can There are a bunch of basses at the price range you're looking at so take your time. Let us know where you are in the country and, hopefully, someone can suggest some shops in your local area. There are so many variables and sound, scale length and weight are just 3 of them. The more basses you play the easier your search for your ideal bass will be. Enjoy the shopping!

If you want to build up that headstock chip, try some stick shellac. You heat it until it goes like putty and then shape it into place. Here's a [url="http://www.frets.com/fretspages/luthier/Technique/Finish/StickShellac/sticklac1.html"]link[/url] which shows the process. When cleaning, don't underestimate the properties of saliva. I know it sounds a bit yucky, but it cleans stuff which chemicals don't. You can try de-ionised water if the spit grosses you out. Moist breath (like you'd clean a pair of glasses) also works well.

Sorry, I didn't explain that too well. If you have a regular truss rod you can loosen it and then remove the nut completely. Then you can clean it, lube it and put it back. You can't remove the nut on double-action truss rods.

I'd try naptha (lighter fluid) first. Be sure to rinse out any cloths before putting them in the bin.

Strangely cool

Blimey, that's quite of run of gear I managed to snag a pedal steel for £35. Then a guy in the US offered me £23 ($40) for the bar that came with it. These things are usually at least £300 to buy.

A big shock. RIP.

[quote name='chris_b' post='847564' date='May 25 2010, 03:07 PM']“There’s this great bass at Bass Direct.” “Why don’t you get it?” “I don’t know if I can really justify a 6 string.” “6 string? Get it then you’ll have the set!” “There’s someone selling a 7 string bass on BC at the moment.” “Walk before you run. Get the 6 string bass first!”[/quote] You can always go to the 7 without having a 6 first I'm lucky that I don't have to hide anything from my wife.

Just wanted to keep the excitement going I suppose..... [quote name='Stingray5' post='846199' date='May 24 2010, 02:51 AM']Hehe - I thank you! So, 7string, how are you tuning your pedal steel? I've worked with a few pedal steelies in the past and always loved the twin neck tuning of C6 and E9 (great for Western Swing).[/quote] It's E9 with the Emmons pedal setup. As you know, some guys have these enormous 2 neck things with 9 odd pedals and lots of knee levers. I'll stick with this for now. Things have been going well on the setup front so I haven't had much time with it at all. I need to sit down with this thing and try to get my head around it D

That Marseer's going to be a fantastic bass.

Yup, it's a pedal steel It's a basic "Little Buddy" model. 10 strings, 3 pedals and 1 knee lever which changes the pitch of different strings by different amounts. It's had a good clean and a fresh set of strings since I took those pics. Learning to play this is going to be a long and painful process. It was advertised in Gumtree down south and my parents went and got it for me. I sent them the money for the steel and a spot of lunch. The price for the steel was £35. Courier was £12. I put this on The Steel Guitar Forum and got a message asking if they could buy the tone bar which came with it as it matched his steel. After selling that, the steel has cost me just £15. Has to be the biggest musical bargain I've ever had. And Diva likes it as well.

If you loosen a truss rod nut and it goes slack and then goes snug again, then you have a double-action rod. When you replace the truss rod nut, blow the dust out of the hole in the bass and put some vaseline on the thread and the face of the nut. The rod works much better after this.

I played an old Hofner once and it felt really fragile. I thought I was going to snap it in half! Needless to say, I put it down quickly....

[quote name='basswarrior66' post='839298' date='May 16 2010, 09:40 PM']I think it was me who sold it to you on evilbay, and how i regret it. I was desperate to raise some money at the time to buy a new amp, now my band has broke up and i have been searching desperately for another of these units, thats how i noticed this post when i did a google search. I love the fact that the controls are all inside the unit so once you have found a setting you like there is not so much temptation to mess with it. The sheet i sent with it was something the Tech 21 support team sent me when i enquired about a manual for it, i too was puzzeled by the phontom power info, i assumed it was becouse i was not using it with a suitable mixing console. If you ever decide to sell it, please get in touch.[/quote] Don't really know what to say except I'll bear it in mind.