Dingus

I often suffer from irregular breathing when I play my bass through my amp at home , usually because Mrs Dingus is strangling me and shouting " Stop that f***ing racket , I'm trying to watch Eastenders !"

If you go to Ed Friedland's You Tube Bass Whisperer channel , he does a review of the Stingray Classic ( May 2010) with flats on it and plays it with a pick at one point.

[quote name='DanEly' timestamp='1384013508' post='2271932'] Just re-strung my P with them. I love them. For me personally the tension is perfect. I tend to dig in when I play finger style and get a nice bouncy feel. The tension isn't what I was call 'tight' I can still play with light touch and feel really comfortable with what I'm playing. Can also get a loverly growly grind with a pick. [/quote] [quote name='risingson' timestamp='1384013573' post='2271933'] It's been a while since I've used the standard XL's as my local music store has had the balanced tension XL's in for dirt cheap, I can say that the balanced tensions feel tighter than the regular XL's though with some certainty which means that the XL's are probably middle of the road. The balanced tension ones are somewhat tougher if you prefer a higher action and I found them to be a little slower speaking than the standard XL's unless you prefer a lower action. It didn't take me long to get acclimatised to them though, YMMV and all that. XL's are lovely strings but like all round wounds apart from coated ones they never last as long as I want them to! [/quote] Thanks for the input . At least XL's are very reasonably priced . I used to quite like D'Addario Slow Wounds and Prisms , but they stopped making them both . I think the Pro Steels took over from the Prisms , and XL's cover for the Slow Wounds .

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1384012488' post='2271908'] Thomastik flats, I really can't stand them. Everything I'd want about a flat wound string just isn't there and I found them 'uneven' sounding across the strings too. I know I'm in a minority with this one! I think a lot of other people can get on with them because of their lower tension but it's something I really didn't like about them. La Bella 760FL's are what I like in flats. I never got on with DR's. Lowriders I found a little on the dull side and High Beams were okay, but not worth the price. I'm yet to try Sunbeams yet but unless they completely trounce D'Addario Nickels then they won't be worth it either. D'Addarios are still my favourite round but they just don't last for more than 2 gigs with me! [/quote] What do those D'Addario XL's feel like in terms of tension /compliance? I seem to remember that they are meant to feel pretty tight . Do they last a fair while? People seem to either love them or hate them , but I have noticed over the years that a lot of top players seems to favour them .

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1384009360' post='2271873'] I think I'll pass thanks [/quote] Suit yourself .

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1384008350' post='2271857'] I like jugs and stingrays.... [/quote] I look a bit like Toby Jug and I've got couple of Music Man basses. Would you like to be friends ?

Rotosound Swing Bass are fine sounding strings , but be aware that they tend to eat your frets pretty quickly, especially if you're a hard player. The are plenty of similaly bright sounding steel strings on the market that are a bit more gentle and more consistant from set to set , like Elites Stadium , Dean Markley SR2000 or D'addario Prosteels . Lovely bass, by the way. Still my favourite Stingray colour combo.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1383989700' post='2271525'] I like her top.. [/quote] There's a link on the text accompanying video on YT to where she gets her accessories , if that helps at all.

I've already come across this girl's videos on You Tube a while ago. ( What?) Her playing is perfectly fine and I enjoyed it ( I play just about all of those songs myself, as it happens ) , but nothing special . ..yet. She's still a young person and has got loads of time to progress. My own playing has improved a lot since I was her age , and I expect she will only get better , so good luck to her. Regarding the Stingray , that colour combination with the gold hardware ect isn't at all my taste , and it seems like a very feminine combination to me , but it's all just a matter of taste . The bass certainly sounds great. Yet again though , I cannot help but notice , as soon as any young girl picks up a bass she automatically becomes a sex symbol to some people. Why is this? This girl is perfectly presentable but I wouldn't give her a second glance in the street . I've heard of men having their beer goggles on , but bass goggles? Maybe women who are finding it difficult to hook themselves a man should forget about speed dating and getting breast implants and get themselves a bass, stick a video of themselves on YT playing any old crap and wait for the pervy comments to come flooding in . I bet if I dragged up and did a couple of playalongs, I would get some interest from horny men .

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1383931225' post='2271016'] I've still got the tape I recorded of the broadcast somewhere. Although I missed a bit of the start of Xanadu because I was secretly recording it on my dad's hi-fi while he was out and he came back unexpectedly causing me to panic and stop recording. He was very precious about his gear and wouldn't let anyone touch it. [/quote] I remember taping it too , on my trusty old Sony radio-cassette, and I missed the begining trying to find a tape and get it in the machine . Those were the days! Kids nowadays don't have a clue with their" everything available instantly on the internet "mentality. Soon afterwards I got my granny to embroider the Rush logo on my denim jacket . Alex Lifeson had a broken finger during that performance . At the time, the official story was that he had caught it in a door or something like that , but a few years ago , by bizzare chance , a German chap who was Rush's European record company "fixer" and who was on that tour with them at the time it happened told me that what had really transpired was Alex Lifeson's wife had flown over from Canada to spend some time with him and somehow ( don't ask how he did this) he had managed to trap his finger between the mattress and the bed frame whilst they were in the midst of having passionate sex.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1383926774' post='2270930'] Sorry to hear about this. This can potentially happen to any bass with a wooden neck. Same happened to my very expensive Jaydee back in the day. Unfortunately you have been extremely unlucky. For what it's worth I also owned a Lakland skyline that developed a very nasty neck crack. [/quote] Big +1 on this . Unfortunately , wood is an organic and therefore somewhat unpredicatable material . With the best will in the world , it is inevitable that now and again you will get a piece of wood with some hidden defect making it unsuitable to make a bass neck with . There could be a knot or similar inconsistancy inside the wood and therefore not visible to the eye which has caused the neck to warp . I expect just about every bass maker has had this problem occur from time to time. Judge them by what they do to put it right. Regarding alternatives , you would only get a graphite reinforced quartersawn neck on a USA- made Lakland four string , and a new one of those would have cost around twice the £1500 you payed for the Sandberg.

I wonder what music lessons are like nowadays in schools? One week a bit of rapping , next week some dancehall raggamuffin bashment , and let's not forget that the Grime module makes up 30% of you final mark . The school choir probably does a rousing rendition of old favourites from when the music teacher was young , like "Killing In The Name Of ", " Knockin' Da Boots" and " Nuthin' But A "G" Thang'". The kids probably just long to sing Kum Ba Yah and play the recorder.

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1383922120' post='2270866'] Thank you, that has put a nice spin on it. Considering I have a Warwick Streamer Jazzman Fretless and an ESP Jazz fretless, maybe a graphite would be a nice addition as well as an alterative. [/quote] It's also worth considering that if you buy a Status MM fretless neck and don't get on with it, you would easily be able to sell it on for a very good price to another MM owner who wants to go the fretless route and fancies graphite . Status have an official association with and endorsement from EBMM in so much as they were chosen to make the graphite necks for the NAMM 100th anniversary Stingray basses. A custom -made neck might not be so easy to shift, by comparison .

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1383922120' post='2270866'] By the way, I would had replied quicker but I could not stop stairing at your avatar [/quote] She torments me.

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1383918704' post='2270794'] I wouldn't call them prog and I'm a huge prog fan. Although all such subdivisions (sorry) are really rather meaningless. When I first discovered Rush (Hemispheres tour on the Friday Rock Show?) I loved them. After Moving Pictures I just lost interest and I now find anything after that pretty much unlistenable. Like Dream Theater. [/quote] [quote name='4000' timestamp='1383918704' post='2270794'] I wouldn't call them prog and I'm a huge prog fan. Although all such subdivisions (sorry) are really rather meaningless. When I first discovered Rush (Hemispheres tour on the Friday Rock Show?) I loved them. After Moving Pictures I just lost interest and I now find anything after that pretty much unlistenable. Like Dream Theater. [/quote] That's when I first heard Rush! It was a recording broadcast on the Rock Show in the autumn of 1979 of them playing at the Pink Pop Festival in Holland that summer . There is actually film of that performance from Dutch TV on Youtube.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1383921390' post='2270848'] Don't forget that Jaco's tone came from a Jazz bass with I don't know how many coats of epoxy resin on the fretboard. [/quote] ...and heavily favouring the rear pickup to bump the low mids .

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1383908914' post='2270611'] To be honest, I've played a few P basses with very strong E strings, aggressive A strings, and weak D and G strings. Could be anything, but it is not just about the Stingray! [/quote] I've had annoying problems with uneven output /tone from string to string on all kinds of basses( although never on a Stingray myself , funnily enough ) , so you definitely not wrong there , Gareth . There can be all kinds of causes, though , not just the pickup design or placement .

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1383908788' post='2270606'] The poles off centre thing has lots of flaws, the volume drop is only as the string tension and damping is occurring, try holding the string bent right between poles and pluck it there, it makes no difference at all. Play a solo and bend the strings on a strat to see how it makes no difference there and what about angled pickups that are used straight or angled? The magnet damping the string because the pickup is too close because of people trying to raise the g volume is the chief suspect, lower the whole pickup right down and raise the treble end until it gives a nice clear output with no magnet damping then in a band setting (most important imo) raise or lower the bass side until the bass has an even output, simples as annoying people say [/quote] Exactly . If you play the HH EBMM basses , because of the taper of the string spacing , the neck pickup pole pieces are way off centre in comparison to the bridge pickup , yet it makes no difference whatsoever ,. Those massive pole pieces and hefty magnets will be putting out a big electrical field and a few millimeters either way will be irrelevant. On some pickups with bar magnets like some of the Alembic designs , the magnetic bars actually stop quite a distance before the ends of the pickup where the top and bottom strings are , with no apparent drop in output.

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1383915415' post='2270727'] Thank you everyone for the replies. I think, the fact I don't want to lose that woody earthy fretless tone, I will skip getting a fretless graphite neck for my Stingray. Cheers for everyones input. [/quote] Without wishing to change your mind on opting for a wooden neck , my two pence worth would be that , yes, a graphite neck sounds different, not least of all because of the hard and extremely reflective graphite fingerboard, but whereas that can sound slightly harsh and hypercritical in terms of technique when you are playing on your own , that perceived harshness all but dissappears when you are playing in a band context , and instead translates into some welcome extra cut in the mix. Fretless basses sound much more muted than fretted ones where a big part of the tone comes from a steel string being in contact with a steel fret. Once you remove the steel fret the tone and envelope of the same note is very, very different . The extended upper frequencies that a graphite neck can provide can to some extent be seen as a positive substitute for the change of tone made by removing the frets. It's a similar trade-off on fretless basses that have an epoxy coating on the fingerboard. You lose some woody warmth , but gain a lot of sustain , clarity and top end . It also has to be said ,that woody warmth can very easily become an over-softness on a fretless bass , hence why so many fretless players boost their midrange frequencies to make themselves more clearly heard . As with fretted basses , I would recommend players who buy a graphite necked bass embrace the tone for what it is rather than try and compare it to a bass with a conventional wooden neck . Graphite is a terriffic sound in its' own right , and a great option if you want your bass to be clearly audible .

[quote name='Noisyjon' timestamp='1383861632' post='2270238'] The trouble is what he states about warranties is on seriously dubious legal ground, but that's another story. At least you have some other feedback to base your buying decision on, that's all I can offer. As for the bass itself - I have no idea what he done to the truss-rod to fix it as there was zero communications about it. The neck went off in a box for repairs and then came back with some signs of work at the truss rod end. That's it! Playing/setup wise all the credit has to go to The Gallery in Camden as I paid them to put it back together and do a full setup on it for me. It plays like a custom shop instrument as a result. I would suggest being patient and waiting for a used Bravewood to come up FS or try and find someone with one similar to what you are after and make them an offer! FWIW I also have 2 Fender CS basses - a NOS '61 Jazz and a Masterbuilt P/J and they are both fantastically made, looking & sounding instruments. [/quote] I notice on your gear list you have got a USA Lakland Bob Glaub . One of those would also be a viable alternative to a Fender C.S or Bravewood relic for Cameltoe in his quest for the ultimate Fender-style bass . They don't advertise it on their website , but I know Lakland will do an "inbetweener" Precision -style neck with the 1.625 nut width on request. on the USA basses They are very well- made and are comparable with Fender CS in terms of quality and attention to detail .

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1383856903' post='2270155'] Not convinced *at all* that not having the string centered over the polepiece has any significant effect in volume, Otherwise string bending would result in clear alterations in volume, something I have not experienced in any guitar or bass... and yes, I bend strings on bass [/quote] I was just about to make this same point about the pole pieces' alignment not effecting volume . I have it on good authority that most conventional pickup designs put out a magnetic arc over and around the pole pieces. so their accurate positioning is not critical. If you look at the neck pickup pole pieces on an EBMM HH configured bass they are well off centre with no apparent loss of volume or tone. A lot of Stingray's certainly are affected by this problem , and by the same token , plenty are not , and it's another reason why I prefer the Bongo / Reflex to the 'Ray myself.

I would vote for Fender Custom Shop . I have never had anything to do with Bravewood basses so cannot comment either way , but what I do know is that Fender CS are doing some sumptuous work , and either new or secondhand you should be able to find a bass made by them to satisfy your desires that will also keep a far better long-term resale value than a Bravewood . Little boutique builders come and go, but a good Fender will always be in demand and very saleable. Fender U.K will provide full backup for new basses, too , so you have no worries on that score.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1383846704' post='2269956'] I wouldn't worry too much it's just a phase that pop music is going through. Within 5 years bass will probably be back up in prominence although if we're not careful it will be an over-abundance of slap (so be careful what you wish for). The thing that saddens me is the fact that all those bass sounds from to 60s and 70s that are being slavishly copied were as much a result of struggling with amplification and sting technology that was simply not up to the task of reproducing the sounds that the bassists of the time wanted. Those "young guns" currently espousing the virtues of farty Ampegs and flatwound string would do well to search out some bassist interviews from International Musician or Beat Instrumental of the time and read what musicians were really saying about the sorts of sounds they were trying to achieve. [/quote] Great point . As I have said on this site before, people ( including myself) really can get nostalgic for [i]anything[/i]. Don't get me wrong , there is nothing wrong with vintage amps and flats as a sound in itself and I can enjoy it and see its appropiateness occasionally , but as you allude to , people talk about that sound nowadays as if it were [u][i]the[/i][/u] sound , when in fact it was a product of the limitations of a bygone age. There was good reason why most bass players started to use roundwounds.