faceman

Well I'm on the train now and no bass with me! I might see if I can borrow one or bail for a bit. I just loose noodling and practising each day, it helps me improve and I find it relaxing. However, a break and all that might be a good idea. Either way, I'm now trawling Basschat and the nets for cheap bass stuff. A good time occupier

I'm listen to two new Jazz additions while heading on the train down to London. Listening to Miles Davis A Tribute To Jack Johnson and Sonny Rollins and The Contemporary Leaders. Both are excellent and I'm surprised I like the Rollins one, as I'm not a fan of acoustic jazz but the melodies are so perfect.

Seeing this thread reminded me of my last gig and I went mental at our guitarist. He asked if he could use my tuner and I said sure. He apparently pressed the 'flat' button and thought by pressing it again it would cancel it out. However us season vets would know this adds another semi-tone to make a tone and he then tuned his guitar up. As we started the our opener, his top E string snapped (because it was pushed up an F) and I just got very angry because he didn't have a spare string! Then he proceeded to do the whole set with a tuning of F, B, E, A, C which sounded horrendous - he apologised profusely at the end of the gig. Nearly ruined the gig but I was told the bass and keys kept it going I resolve to ensure they he has a spare set of strings and a tuner he knows how to use. Grr.....

The Hofner Jack Bass, you mean? Don't know anything about 'em I've just tried to carry all my bags and my guitar and this is not going to work. So buying a cheap bass in London it is!

Afternoon guys, Sorry for yet another [i]want-some-advice[/i] thread but you are all so good at giving constructive and helpful advice! Basically, I've got an internship in London starting tomorrow and I'm heading down from Durham later today. However, a month without bass isn't one I like the sound of so my plan was to take my Ric with me, just for noodling, practising or even the potential of a gig there. However, I'm travelling by this countries' finest National Express East Coast and will have my hands full with a suitcase, laptop and suit carrier. Lugging my bass doesn't seem a very good idea so I came up with the idea of buying something cheap-ish while I'm down there (probably from our SH forum) and then selling it on the other side? It would also be an opportunity to try out some of the fancier Squier series of VM or CV... What would your recommendations be? Take or buy?

Excellent tune, I'm a big lover of all Stax, Motown and Soul of that era so I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm back North!

Just to say that I changed my username to [b]faceman[/b] a few months ago so this feedback thread is the same person!

I had the pleasure of doing a trade with Conan (Geoff) with my Ashdown MAG 4x10 combo with his Ampeg SVT-15E. We were both very happy with the result and he was a fantastic fellow to do business with. I can fully recommend this fellow as someone to trust and do business with! Thanks again

Not at all Geoff, I'm just setting off from Durham now with the 410 loaded in my car

Yeah I should have made it clearer. I'm looking for something smaller (as my my 4x10 is too big for the sort gigs I'm going at the moment) and with a different sound as my 4x10 is too ballsy, although that could be the fact it is Ashdown. I know they aren't known for their highs, more for lots of bass but how do they usually come across? I'd like to keep my Little Mark incase I have a gig where I need to jack up the volume and can borrow something from someone else! As long as I kept an eye on the master output, would it be alright? I was thinking how would the sound of the two go together?

Afternoon all, I've just been given an offer to trade my Ashdown 4x10 for an Ampeg SVT-15E cabinet. Now this may seem a little strange but it is something I'm seriously considering. I played a gig a few weeks ago with an Ampeg BA115 (the one with 5 styles) which was quite basic amp but it was the best bass sound I have ever had live. It was large, fat, very clear and just bloody fantastic! So that's why I'm considering this swap. What I do want to know is how my Little Mark will pair with this cabinet? Would they work well together, as the LM has a transparent tone. Also a friend pointed out that Rickenbackers are about treble response, and does one get that with a 15" Ampeg? Seb

I've got a MAG 4x10 for sale at the moment if you are interested? Looking for around £180 for it, PM if you are interested. I'm happy to ship as well, as picking up I've been very impressed with it, but I'm moving to something smaller as it is just too big for the gigs we are doing at the moment!

Listening to Gorillaz's Plastic Beach - Stylo with Bobby Womack is possibility one of the most amazing feats. ever! It's very electro, very retro-80s! I've also been listening to Return To Forever to indulge in my jazz fusion tendancies. The live 'Returns' album as well as the self-titled debut are on constant Spotify rotation, maybe an Amazon order is needed soon

I went to my bass playing friend today and we took a look and made the following changes 1. Tightened the truss rods - the one nearer the E string was overcompensated but we've tightened them both up and it's looking better. However it does need more but we didn't want to risk more than 1/4 turn per day. 2. Lowered bridge pickup - It was too high as as my friend pointed out, there was no difference between both and the bridge pickup. So lowered the bridge and both pickups give a much better result. 3. Adjusted bridge saddle - The D and G strings were too high so we lowered the right hand side of the bridge. I'm going back tomorrow to adjust the neck again, as he didn't want to do too much in one bad. The neck is still too bowed but it's getting there! Fun times

Hey guys, Thanks for the response. I decided to take the 4003 and not make any adjustments to it. A bass friend of mine was there and his expert advice told me the neck was bowed and the truss rod needs tightening, as well as lowering the G, raising the A,D strings. He's going to come over to help me sort it out before my next gig on Sunday but I agree a proper setup is needed soon. If you are interested, i've got videos of the gig here! Feeling Good - [url="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150120382800584"]http://www.facebook.com/v/10150120382800584[/url] You've Got The Love - [url="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150120434435584"]http://www.facebook.com/v/10150120434435584[/url] The bass sounds pretty good anyway, just going through my small Ashdown combo and into the PA system. I couldn't hear much of it from where I was but I enjoyed it very much anyway! Seb

Oh my word! That is the exact bass colour i've always wanted from a Fender. It's been 9 months since I've done any buying/selling but the GAS pains continue!

Hey guys, I've got my Open Mic Night (see my last thread) gig in two hours time and I'm trying to decide which bass to take, either my 4003 or 3001 Rickenbackers. I really prefer the tone of the 4003 as it is so much more distinct than the 3001 but at the moment, it's so hard to play. If i can't do anything, it'll be the 3001 but thought someone here might be able to tell me what I can do without f***ing up the neck or bridge. I've just taken a few photos attached to show the situation of the bass and how high the strings are. Judging from these photos, it seems the action is very high. In the next two hours, what can I do to improve this? I'm aware it needs a proper setup (going to take to the Gallery in Easter) but for the moment, what could be done. Do I need adjust the truss rod (loosen it slightly?) or lower the saddles? Seb

Fancy taking my Rickenbacker in for part exchange and some cash Pete?

The original 90s reissues, like the one I had, have the original wooden bridges that offer little adjustment (although this simplicity is part of the instrument), the later reissues had metal bridges that can be found on the internet if you want one. The 58s also have these wooden bridges. Although for some reason, the previous owner stuck on a standard Fender Precision bridge that meant the strings were two miles of the fretboard and was slowly destroying the body! Also check out this video of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performing 10th Avenue Freeze Out in 1975, with Gary Tallent playing his original Danelectro Longhorn, which sounds very sweet. The bass comes in at 0:11 and really drives the band along. They sound much better here than anywhere else [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAvolRT3sX4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAvolRT3sX4[/url] EDIT - Adjustable bridge [url="http://www.danguitars.com/Parts.html"]http://www.danguitars.com/Parts.html[/url]

I used to own one of the original Korea reissue ones and I enjoyed playing it a lot, quite a Rickenbacker-ish tone with plenty of 'honk' and 'growl'. The newer reissues seem to have better pickups and less gloss on the body from what I can tell. Possibly better made too...check out these two YouTube videos to get an idea of what they can do. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKPUvcejSD0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKPUvcejSD0[/url] - how good does it sound in this one! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3au3Zfluvk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3au3Zfluvk[/url] Out of all the lower end basses, I think they are some of the best you can go for. I'm considering picking one up again, as a more portable bass...anyone with any actual experience of them?

Each to their own as they say I find Jazzes as comfortable as anything use but a Ric is just so different to every other bass I've played. Only bass I've really taken a dislike to was a Hofner Club, too narrow string spacing! Thanks for all the help and advice, I think by paying more attention to left hand technique and ensure I don't pluck too hard is the key to this. I'm building myself up a playlist of stuff to practise - I've got Tusk (Fleetwood Mac), Money (Floyd), Sirius (APP) and Gimme Some Lovin (BB cover) so far, all of which I love playing along to but also keep my fingers in shape. I'll report back in a few days and see how the buggers are doing!