HowieBass

Tina Weymouth - never played more than was necessary and it always suited the song.

Bill Wyman John Entwistle

I can't see there'd be much if any difference between angling the pickup to adjust string to pole distance and height adjustable pole pieces - both achieve the same end. As you say though, 'flat' pickups can still offer a decent string to string balance though I seem to remember reading about weak Gs on some Stingrays. I wonder what the tolerances are in general for getting a decent volume and tone when it comes to setting pickup height?

A secondhand Squier Vintage Modified PJ would be worth looking for - I've got two Squiers and am very happy with them; great build quality, good tone and very playable.

The fact they could sand contours and drive screws and frets into it suggests that there's a fair bit of strength in the material which means they must have used some glue/resin to stabilise the whole thing. I suppose it then starts to resemble some kind of woven composite.

Alice Cooper - School's Out

Excellent!

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1448025256' post='2912407'] my E string on any P bass I have quite 'numb' when fretted say.. 3rd - 7th fret? The A string sounds amazing as does the D. [/quote] If it's always the E around the same place on the neck for any and every P bass you've owned/played then it seems to me it can't be an instrument specific issue - so I'd discount neck and/or set-up problems (unless you manage to set every bass up you play with exactly the same measurements). Similarly, if the open A sounds fine then it probably won't be an amplification problem. There is a difference between how the same notes sound when played on different strings, certainly to my ear anyway, so maybe this is mostly what you're hearing?

Yeah I'm pretty certain these are based on the Cort Curbow. I have an early one that was badged as a Tanglewood but it's a Cort - has a Luthite body with a Mighty Mite pickup rather than a licensed Bartolini. My only 5 string and fun to play.

Is it any good for postmodernism?

Nice to see the Teeth of the Sea bass player with a Westone Thunder II

[quote name='christofloffer' timestamp='1448793903' post='2918115'] well, thats a really kind offer but i have made a bit of a call. i asked my mum the very rude question of how much the bass cost in the first place and the whole caboodle was under £100 new. taking into account the fairly neglected life its had up until recently i dont think its worth messing about with it. [/quote] As I mentioned above, I suspect you might not have the intonation set correctly. This is a very easy adjustment to make yourself needing only a decent tuner and a screwdriver. This would be the first thing I'd check and get right, particularly as you can see the tuning's out when you fret at the 12th. When you know what you're doing it's a 10 minute job at the most.

[quote name='Prostheta' timestamp='1448731798' post='2917740'] Interesting. Curious as to why that would work.... [/quote] Are the resistors attenuating the signal level so it doesn't overload the pre-amp input stage?

Adele and her previous material has pretty much passed me by - just checked out a live (well-recorded in studio) version of 'When We Were Young' and in spite of her talent as a singer I too think it's just pretty ordinary. But there again I like the crazy yelps and shrieking from Black Francis, so my tastes are clearly far from middle of the road...

[quote name='christofloffer' timestamp='1448651299' post='2917233'] it tunes up fine on the open strings but fretted at the 12th fret E+A read a little higher and D+G read a little lower. i did the various adjustments, action, intonation and neck relief, and i am happy with how it plays but i worry that this indicates a twisted neck. [/quote] If the open string is in tune but the fretted 12th isn't then you haven't got the intonation right IMHO. If the E and A are sharp then the saddles need moving back. If the D and G are flat then the saddles need moving forwards. If the intonation is out you'll only ever be in tune with anything else when you play open notes.

That fingerboard is probably tigerstripe ebony.

Your thoughts about the pole pieces... string hitting it and that's where the thump comes from? I think I had this issue when I bought a P bass and the pickup was sitting a bit too high; though I was getting this on occasions just when playing finger style. When I got the gap to Fender specs the string no longer hit the pole pieces. The fact you get this more with the neck pickup too reinforces this possibility. Maybe try lowering the pickup a little?

It sounds to me that what you're describing is a muted note but since you're the one playing it I assume it's not intentional...

If I was in this position I'd be inclined to get the relief right first, I do this by following the Fender bass setup guide for ALL my basses. Use the string as a straight edge and if you don't have a feeler gauge handy use a business card to check the gap. You can also hold the E string down at the 1st and 12th frets and check to see if there's a gap between the string and the 4th to the 8th frets. Hold the G string down at the 1st and the 8th frets and check for a gap at the 4th fret. You can only really check/adjust the action when you have the relief right. http://www2.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/

Now that's what I call a big horn...

The B-52's at The Factory/The Russell Club in Manchester, 1979. Packed and sweaty!

Well I'm going to change the mood again with this throat-themed tune... http://youtu.be/8UvQvOFRS9o Get well soon (I've enjoyed the skills of the ENT surgeons too with myringoplasty ops on both sides and had to spend the best part of a week in hospital each time)!

Were I ever to try learning how to play a guitar I too would certainly go for a tele - to me they seem so much cooler than strats and having had a browse of the Harley Bentons on Thomann's site, they're what I'd go for with your budget and they're very well regarded too. I like the look of this one [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_te_70_rosewood_deluxe_series.htm#bewertung"]http://www.thomann.d...s.htm#bewertung[/url]

[quote name='Stefanogregori' timestamp='1447775242' post='2910242'] Thanks. I was just wondering if a more sensitive pickup would be able to amplify more sustain. Cheers [/quote] Turning your amp up ought to do the same thing. Sustain is more than just a function of amplifying the strings' vibrations - the stiffness of the neck and lack of dead spots are important aspects. A decent compressor would help too.

Will you make a pretend spaceship out of the boxes?