PlungerModerno

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1413571381' post='2579794'] Spend the £1000 on drugs - you'll sound utterly fantastic and make lots of new friends!! [/quote] Seems legit. Although as for taking the drugs yourself... 1,000 quid is rather a lot.

[quote name='jmchich' timestamp='1413541822' post='2579270'] The issue is it's difficult to find a piece of clothing that hasn't been "hipsterised" now. I get people assuming my beard is a fashion statement as opposed to a hatred of shaving... [/quote] +1 It's impossible to dress or groom your way out of everyone's idea of fashionable.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1413581747' post='2579956'] Scott devine has a page on his website explaining the condition: [url="http://www.scottsbasslessons.com/odds-and-sods/the-gloves"]http://www.scottsbas...sods/the-gloves[/url] [/quote] Thanks for the link - I've listened to him mention it, in his usual upbeat way, but reading the answer on his website is much more compelling - thoughtful and inspiring at the same time. He's a good 'un.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1413577478' post='2579881'] Which the fs section is always full of! [/quote] I just chuckled at someones dream. In any case, Those customs are often sold due to change in circumstances - musical & financial being the most common shared reason. I know I'll want custom basses at some point - but for now I'm happy with off the shelf.

As mentioned already - you are in luck - there's a wider range of shorties about now than there has been for quite some time. (60's? I know a lot of starter basses back then were shortscale). Almost every major maker has a varient - lots of which show up used: Warwick, Fender, Squire, Epiphone, Danelectro, Ibanez, Gretch etc. All of which have fairly budget shorties, which should get you where you need to be. Of course Hofner and Hagstrom (and Gretch come to think of it) mainly make short scale basses - always worth a look - especially if you like semi-hollow bodies. As for a medium scale, as per tedmanzie's suggestion, I have no clue - It'd be harder to find one on short notice I'd imagine. If you have to make changes due to medical necessity - that's what you have to do. I think it's your concern alone. However if you insisted on playing a Kala U-Bass style instrument exclusively - then it's the bands business as those rubber strings are not going to scratch every musical itch. That reminds me - there are budget U-Bass copies. Perhaps you could use one of them for most of a set and pull out the long (or medium scale) for the songs that demand it most.

Awesome stuff. The beauty shot of the G&L L1500 is really just for colour comparison - That's a solid ash body finished in a way that's been run through thousands of times - not a restoration / refin done as a one off. If this Thunder winds up looking as neat as your other work it'll be beautiful, not to mention unique. Of course it's not fair to compare solid wood to veneer. If you do compare them closely, especially on complex shapes (e.g. cutaways) there is no contest. With the broad flattish front of this bass there should be almost no sign that it's a sliver rather than a slab - if the edges are tastefully bordered (either faded to black or bound / bordered somehow like the Yamaha below).

I've ordered a selection of micro meshes for polishing frets and getting some cloudiness out of a finish I (roughly) sanded flat after gluing a paint chip back in. I'm excited about that (fretwork & finish repair(s) - might post a thread (even though I won't have before pics of the chip ). Enough about my exploration of smoothing & polishing - The refinish on this Westone is looking promising, I think the veneer should add a gorgeous accent to what is a fairly empty body (like any one colour P without a scratchplate) - and replacing the 'misery' blue with a vibrant green / greenburst should scream rock! Correct me if I'm way out but this was kinda what I'm picturing: I like the concept - the bass has already been refinished (poorly) - so why not take it up a notch with a revamp project! The really good news is the serial and the logo survived - so in years to come this unique creation will still have a connection to it's creators.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1413526620' post='2579096'] Lovely to look at, but I'd be worried that you might need a crane to lift it. [/quote] Indeed - it is lovely to look at. The body is about average in size & thickness (comparable to a Jazz or Precision body - maybe a little smaller). Without knowing the density it's impossible to know. If it is ash that only makes it harder! of all the woods I've dealt with (not all that many) - ash could vary the most in density. That or very different trees wood was being sold as the same! I think it's a nice ash body. The Lakland listing for the 44 01 says it's body is made from ash:[url="http://www.lakland.com/44-01.htm"]http://www.lakland.com/44-01.htm[/url]

I was expecting something interesting. Then I watched the video and my jaw dropped. It's a new instrument - The man can play some sweet grooves on that.... fretless(ish) instrument. Now for a Peavey Powerslide version!!!

Aye, Timmo has the right idea. Give it time. Unless you have a specific need (e.g. much lighter instrument due to back problems, playing opportunity you need a stack for etc.) I'd just concentrate on learning. Sorry you had injuries that kept you enjoying playing - but it's great you're back at it. A CV squire bass is probably more than adequate for the first few months/years of learning (depending on how you progress). It's your budget - do with it what you want - but keep in mind £1,000 is enough to get you a lot. You'd be better [s]of[/s] off trying a range of instruments, new & used, then reflecting on what you want. I'd also look at amplification, effects, and learning aids . . . depending on what you want to do in the future. Feel free to release a little GAS by picking up some gadgets - e.g. effects, strings etc. as you feel the need. It's a much more economical way to treat yourself.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1413357713' post='2577367'] It's a [url="http://borntorock.com/f4b.html"]Born To Rock F4B Bass[/url]. As well as being made almost entirely out of aluminium the design does away with the need for a truss rod. You can read all about the one I used to own [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/32239-aluminium-part-3/"]here[/url]. [/quote] Sooo cool. Even if it needed some reworking to perfect it* (the bridge needed revising badly). *EDIT: The design. I wouldn't mod such a rare instrument.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1413306061' post='2576979'] How would this compare to a normal Fender Precision? [/quote] What the . . . That's pretty cool. Reminds me of these: Only more metal!!!!

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1413284360' post='2576623'] Thanks for that. Looks a bit too messy to get involved . I may just loosen the pedal if I can, and take it from there. It's not my primary effects unit, but ok for a mess around ,) [/quote] Cool. I just saw the pics of the top metallic cover with the pedal and display coming off, attached by a red / black twisted wire. I'd say loosen the hex and see what happens. I'd assume it's just a potentiometer attached to the pedal. There's no springs to jump out anyway!!!

Don't know how useful this is but it's interesting: [url="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-repair-your-ZOOM-G2-G2.1U/"]http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-repair-your-ZOOM-G2-G2.1U/[/url] Apparently it just comes off. I'd be careful. My b2.1u works OK so I won't be opening up any time soon!

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1413226492' post='2576126'] Big fan of d'addario chromes, flat wound 45/105.... Wicked tone and lovely feel. Bout £20 on ebeegeebee [/quote] They have a solid tone - I found them a little scooped for my taste, TI Jazz flats suit me perfect. Love the D'addario tapes however. Can't play fretless well - but those are sweet strings!

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1413223685' post='2576065'] Does the choice of tyres on your car affect how well it drives? Partly. But so do a lot of other factors - not least the driver him/herself Same applies to choice of bass wood, innit. [/quote] Well in some ways tires are more like strings - or maybe the speaker cones???? It's not easy when you take an analogy to a ridiculous length... In any case I agree. The body wood could be compared to the body / chassis of the car. As long as it's not too flexible or brittle the car should work great - at least for a while!

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1413199805' post='2575694'] Interesting topic. I have yet to read all of the thread btw. I have an observation or two; When I used to have a hohner headless bass.. It used to sound a bit muffled compRed. To a steinberger. Was this the pickups or the body? My Washburn status looks and sounds ultra professional. Body is walnut. My jack Daniels bass is a basswood body. The band used to love the sound but to me, it sounded like the hohner and not as powerful as the other2. My vester fretless is made of bubbinga and sounds great too. Not too heavy either [/quote] Not to sound too harsh - but don't they all have different electronics? I'd wager (If I were the kind to wager) that the strings & electrics are the biggest deciders as far as tone goes. Also your playing changes between instruments - if one fits you and your playing much better the result will likely be a more pleasing sound. I think so anyway. My tuppence anyhoo. I accept I can be very wrong.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1413199953' post='2575696'] It's going to be much more stable. Laminates are used in some very high-end basses. [/quote] Aye. In cabinet construction, acoustic instruments, construction (i.e. buildings) and in aeroplane building* - laminate (when done right) means much stronger wood for any given thickness. * [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Mosquito"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Mosquito[/url]

She is a pretty diamond in the rough. Keep her as she is - Jet black . Enjoy!

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1413195542' post='2575599'] I reckon neck/fingerboard wood has more of an effect on matters such as tuning stability, sustain and dead spots than body wood - and talking about dead spots that's why people sometimes attach weights to a headstock to add mass to the neck (not the body). A bass body isn't going to be as susceptible to change as the neck and let's not forget that when people think that adding a high mass bridge benefits sustain they never seem to consider the fact that replacing tuners with lightweight machines might affect tone/sustain/dead spots. What I do wonder about is whether there's much audible difference between a chunky necked and a skinny necked bass. [/quote] Indeed - unless it's a single cut bodystyle I'd imagine the body has almost no detectable influence on things like dead spots / sustain. "[i]What I do wonder about is whether there's much audible difference between a chunky necked and a skinny necked bass.[/i]" Don't we all! I know I play them very differently! [quote name='Acebassmusic' timestamp='1413195878' post='2575602'] I think it was on Talk Bass that a guy did such a test using a Jazz bass. He recorded the bass as standard and then swapped out the body for a random lump of wood he found. He was quite particular to place the bridge / pickups / action so that any changes were attributed to only the body wood. I think the result was that in this case there was very little discernable difference. I'll see if I can find the link......here it is : [url="http://www.talkbass.com/threads/scrap-lumber-bass-vs-alder-bass-can-you-tell-the-difference.743932/"]http://www.talkbass....ference.743932/[/url] [/quote] Interesting test - I'll have to look into it! [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1413195931' post='2575604'] I think to a certain extend the wood does affect the sound, the neck and body act as a spring and dampener to the vibrations in it - what it's made, and how it's constructed will have effects on the way a note acoustically sounds. I have two warwicks with brand new strings on, both 4 string, both same brand, one is made of maple with wenge fretboard, the other is wenge and bubinga.... can you hear the difference unplugged.... nope. can you make any sweeping generalisations? probably not. is it worth stressing over "tone wood" in your custom build? probably not, find someone who knows how to use wood and trust their exp. are pickups and pickup design far far more important? yep [/quote] +1, If only for the stability of the right choice in woods & construction! [quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1413197758' post='2575646'] In the case of an electric bass with a preamp... you could string a table up and put the electronics and pickups in it and it would sound pretty much the same as the bass the components came from. Would be a bit of a bastard to play though. [/quote]

As I understand it - It's not certain either way. The evidence I have seen strongly suggests body wood may affect tuning stability, sustain (and dead spots / irregularities in sustain) - but the rigidity, total mass, shape, and temperature of the body may all affect it too. The irregularity of wood means no two bodies (blanks or the finished article) are exactly the same - even if they come from the same plank. I think it's very presumptuous to say "Maple sounds like X & Y compared to Mahogany" - It'd be fairer to say "In my experience, instruments using this wood type tend to lean towards X & Y tonally, whereas the other wood seems more ...." etc. etc. I don't begrudge anyone their personal opinion. I think it's silly to say it's certain however. In my opinion it does have an effect. But it's tiny - AFAIK the plating on the control plates and the tuners has a bigger influence on tone! EDIT: Uncle said it better before I got this posted!

I'm interested in this switch myself... I've even considered stacked tones and two volumes... Either VVT or stacked knobs can reach the vast majority of Jazz tones. I do like the Idea of two stacked variable capacitors... e.g. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hzdSOv8tSE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hzdSOv8tSE[/url]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1413138966' post='2575230'] ... One really cool thing was a Chinese double bass builder who uses bridge pilings and support beams from buildings 100s of years old and condemned. That's recycling sure beats kiln or air dried timber.... [/quote] That is cool. As far as the T-bird goes I like the idea - but would prefer a bolt on version (I prefer bolt on everything). Other than the 3 - point bridge and the neck joint - it's pretty awesome. If it had a two part tailpiece like: It'd look appropriate, add no significant cost, and suit more people IMO. Of course a bent bit of tin could work....

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1413127999' post='2575121'] [url="http://youtu.be/HJ1ZWOchYQo?t=1m10s"]http://youtu.be/HJ1ZWOchYQo?t=1m10s[/url] [/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRfUhnHNTi8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRfUhnHNTi8[/url]