Maude

I don't like red basses or white scratchplates, especially if they're pearloid. Also never really liked the look of Stingrays. Can't explain it but there you go. I'm in the middle of building a Red Stingray style bass and I've almost talked myself into buying a white pearloid scratchplate. What is happening? 🙂

I have a pair of the neodymium Entwistles (PBXN) in my Jazz and it is definitely not vintage voiced. With the series switch it is an aggressive beast.

I'm guessing we're discussing it here because it's what a lot of folks on this forum do, not because they're special. I expect most professions and hobbies have a relevant forum discussing their worries about their field. One worry doesn't have to be exclusive, I'm quite capable of worrying about dying, worrying about my career and worrying about how we'll gig again, along with a whole host of other worries all alongside each other. I thought this seemed obvious to most.

Thanks. 🙂 I have access to, ahem 'liberated' paint while I'm at work but being furloughed I can't get any. I'm out in the sticks and the nearest place I could buy paint is expensive, and I'm not paying a lot for what i can get free, especially when the free stuff is decent 2k gun applied lacquer and the expensive stuff is aerosol which could well all go wrong. Then on the Facebook selling pages there was someone selling bulk aerosols which looked like decent ish trade stuff, but looks can be deceiving. You could have a box of six assorted 500ml cans for £20 plus £3.50p&p. So I bought 5 lacquers and a gloss black, as per the original plan before I found some basecoats stashed. Its actually pretty good as aerosols go, with a reasonable spray cap, which is the most important part. This is the link. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/591981074724717/

That's properly tickled me. 😆 Can we start a new campaign to change worldwide recognised bass question to, "Is it any good for Skiffle?"

I think every other seat is optimistic, if 6' needs to be left then that's certainly 2, possibly 3 seats that need to be left. The the entire row behind, more likely two to get the 6' clearance. Imagine sitting in a theatre a not having anyone within a 6' radius of you, and then all the other people the same, that's a massive percentage of empty seats. Then like you say, people need to get up and do whatever it is they seem to have to do ten minutes into the performance and squeeze past everyone else in the row.

I've heard from couple of landlords of small pubs that have said there's no point in opening up with social distancing. They pretty much lose money from Sunday to Thursday but make enough on a Friday and Saturday when it's rammed full of drinkers to make it all worthwhile. If they can't allow many people in at a time then they effectively lose the weekend boost to takings and just have seven days of running at a loss. Another thing with venues and social distancing is that even if it was viable to run with only 30%? of punters in, once those punters are drunk does anyone really think they'll give a poo about distancing? Sadly I just can't see it. Reference the online gig, I enjoy playing bass but I thrive on the energy of an audience at a gig. That energy is a two way thing which won't translate through a screen There's no better feeling than an audience dancing a couple of feet in front of you to your music. I'm making myself miserable now so I'll shut up. 🙂

Ha ha I was listening to First And Last And Always yesterday. Speaking of such, A Slight Case Of Overbombing could be added to this list.

Just Like Heaven is one of my favourite Cure songs and the opening track, The Kiss, has to have the most aggressive wah pedal usage ever. I may as well admit that I might possible be a bit of a Cure fanboi. 😁

OK, I wasn't going to say anything but you threw down the gauntlet, there's no such album. 🙂 That'll either be 'Standing On A Beach' or 'Staring At The Sea', depending on what medium you bought it on. The cassette was the best as it had the singles on side A and all the B sides on, well you get the idea. The other part of your post that could possibly be pointed out to be wrong is that as that compilation was released before they released their most popular album, Disintegration, it could be argued that doesn't contain their biggest hits. Well you did offer the challenge. 🙂

Ooh this looks interesting. I need some inspiration to get an amp/cab project back on track. Looking forward to progress. 🙂

I re-lacquered this on Wednesday and the weather was much more suitable so the lacquer has gone on better, (note to self, don't be so impatient next time). I gave it a quick polish up earlier but the paint is still slightly soft so marks on the side that's face down whilst polishing the other side, (note to self, pay attention to previous notes to self). I'll let it hang over the weekend and give it another buff up when it's fully hard, stop sniggering at the back. The good news is the finish is OK out of a rattle can, if I can learn to be patient. 🙂

From my understanding, yes, but less accurate as it's still a compromise. With frets like that you should able to get the notes as close as possible to perfect.

This isn't the only way but what I've always found easiest is to screw a wooden baton into the neck pocket and hold it like a giant lollipop. Screw a hook into the other end of the baton and you've got something to hang it with. It's easier, especially with rattle cans, to turn the bass body to where you need it and keep the can upright, as it'll spray better and not spit or drip so much. Also if runs start to develop, you can turn the bass the opposite way to the run and get it to flow out, likewise holding the bass horizontal while the paint is still wet will help it flow out flatter, flipping periodically from front to back. Like this, I realise this advice is too late but it's good to know for your next build, there will be a next build even if you don't know it yet. 😁

I've just read through the whole thread and really enjoyed it. It's great when someone just grabs the bull by the horns and gets on with it, and it's turned out superb. A nice crisp white really suits that style of bass, especially with the black hardware. Great stuff. 👍

I think I must be misunderstanding it then. Apart from the new nut, isn't it just setting your tuning and intonation slightly differently than standard 'even tempered' tuning, which is a compromise where some notes are bang on and some quite a way off, to a tuning which has a different compromise where everything sounds nearly in tune but with a less drastic swing between notes that are in tune and the ones that aren't. What is it about the bridge that can't be done with standard bridge intonation adjustment? I'm not picking a fight, I'm genuinely intrigued. 🙂

I've just had a little look and it appears to be two things, one is a shelf nut, two is a secret that you have to pay to find out is nothing that special after all, says the cynic in me. The nut overhangs the fretboard slightly, in effect moving it closer to the first fret, simple enough, most folks could fit that themselves. Then you pay to have a compensated bridge fitted and adjusted. Surely the 'compensation' is adjusting the intonation, which a normal bridge is capable of. Or am I missing something? It seems to me that all you need to know is exactly what each string is tuned to and how intonation is set, exactly how far out it is on whichever fret they use to measure. If you had the data then surely anyone could tune this way, as long as you have a very accurate tuner.

I'm sure you must've seen this @Bilbo, and it seems to have become a kind of party piece for Adam Ben Ezra but it still impresses me whenever I see it.

It sounds like you need a quick chat with our own @Andyjr1515. Check out some of his build threads. He's made all styles and shapes so definitely not in the 'my design or nothing' camp.

Hofner Ignition Club, Danelectro Longhorn, Kay KJP-1B and Ibanez Talman TMB30. Yes I know there's no knobs on the Talman or strings on the Longhorn. 🙂

I use the 'holding the bass while weighing yourself' method, but I only hop on the scales once, then deduct what I know I weigh. The only thing is most of my basses are between 35 and 40 kilos somehow.

They're not matching but I realised recently that I seem to have a short scale ice cream parlour thing going on.

This thread has made me realise that apart from acoustics, this is the only natural wood finish I've got.

The scratches are terrible. I gave it a go over with 800 through to 3000 grit and then compounded and polished, and although they've gone it looks horrible now. It's lost it's crisp edges and because I had to go in so deep to remove the scratches it's lost depth and just looks odd. It only ended up costing me about £1.50 and it served its purpose as a guide so it's no big deal. I've got a new one on it's way (from China though) for all of four pound something. I did consider cream pearl but looking at the pictures I think it needs to be black to go with the fretboard and the black shadow in the paint. Yes it's just going to be passive for now. Controls will be volume tone and a rotary switch is on it's way from @KiOgon which will select rear single coil/series/parallel/front single coil so should have a few sounds and it'll look like another standard knob. 🙂

Abso bloody lutely! I actually listened to some of our music yesterday and thought, that's not too bad. I've usually heard enough of it with gigging. Can't wait to get back with a band.