Norris

The Charvel Charvette is also a budget guitar - I have one. I've never found another Tokai branded locking trem unit like the one that mine is sporting - and I've searched a lot

Leave feedback on their feedback thread. Don't be afraid to leave negative feedback (avoiding libel/slander obviously). Always check feedback threads before buying and selling. Luckily most BC members are "diamond geezers" but you do get the odd turd

The only thing I can think of is the relative strength of the magnets. You could try a "pull" test to compare them by sandwiching a piece of ferrous metal between them and seeing which magnets "win" when you pull them apart. I'm blindly guessing here

If you need a really thin dowel try some wooden bbq skewers. I'd slacken the strings to make sure there's no tension first though and give it a good 24 hours for the glue to set Edit: Superglue would probably be enough on its own though if you can get it right down in your crack (fnarr!)

My mate at work has loaned me his active 6 string Sandberg fretless and it's a lovely bass. Nice clean sounds and a gorgeous "mwah" to it

Correct. Take it steady though when adjusting and give the neck time to settle between small tweaks

Do you hunch over your bass when sitting? Maybe try sitting up straight as an intermediate step to full standing

That's looking great

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1443428480' post='2874492'] It appears to be the same piece of wood. [/quote] Shame. It might have broken cleanly if it was a join. In that case I'd maybe try using a spreader (old credit card?) to force some glue into the crack to stabilise it.

Is it all the same piece of wood or is the split on a join?

That looks terrific

I'll suggest Quo - Rocking All Over the World. Straight eights 12-bar and the crowd will sing along

It might be worth getting in contact with the retailer where you bought it. I'm sure they will be able to get in touch with Tecamp

I hope a local BCer can help out. It might be worth putting out a distress call in General Discussion

I assume you've changed the fuse in the back of the amp rather than the mains plug? It's the amp fuse that's likely to have blown (unless the board is fried!) If you're anywhere near Leicester you're quite welcome to borrow my Rumble 500 combo. I'll be going out in 2 hours time though (social, not gigging)

As Twigman says, your options are to move the strap button towards the head if possible, make the head lighter (lighter tuners), or make the bottom end heavier (undesirable)

I have a set of SD QPs on my fretted PJ. I don't know if they'd qualify as "smooth" though. They do sound good

Cool. Is that vinyl? ("Sticky backed plastic" for older Blue Peter viewers )

A good one to start with is "Build Your Own Electric Guitar" by Melvyn Hiscock. Although it's mainly about guitars rather than basses, the principles are the same (and one of his example builds is an 8 string bass). Ignore the ridiculous prices on Amazon and get it direct from Melvyn's web site. His phone number is on the site too if you want to chat to him - he's a really nice bloke

And early Rickenbackers work in a completely different way - loosten bolts, bend neck as required and then tighten the bolts again. Good luck if you ever need to do that!

Or a Dremmel to polish them up a bit. I think I'd avoid WD40 as it might get into the windings. Maybe a light dab of wax based furniture polish might help stop it coming back. I'd try to avoid anything containing solvents

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1443011157' post='2871407'] Please God ... Do wop-be-do-be-do why, Why WHY??? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34323112 [/quote] FTFY

Cracking job Andy Could the same veneering technique be used when there is a bit more curvature up to the nut e.g. on a telecaster guitar? Or would you not spray water on the back where you want it curved? There again it would curve with the grain rather than across it?

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1443000331' post='2871229'] I've not used this model, but I have used Bartolini before and I'd say their reputation for top-notch pickups is well justified. The quad-coil design appeals, as you can switch for a variety of types: http://www.bartolini.net/product/xxp25c-b/ [/quote] Thanks. I was thinking of checking out Bartolini after I posted. Those look very compact for a quad coil

I'm just getting into guitar building and am thinking about my second build. This will be a 5 string bass with 2 humbucker pickups. I would like to be able to centre tap, so I'm preferably looking at 4-wire pickups. I'd like to be able to get them positioned somewhere around the Precision spot and Stingray bridge (and I know only a P/Stingray will sound like a...) I'm also looking for a rectangular case i.e. not split P style What pickups can you recommend I look at? TIA Edit: I generally prefer passive but would not rule out active