Hellzero

Sold a bag of new and lightly used strings to Russ. Ultra fast payment as usual and great communication too. I hope Brexit won't break the perfect harmony we created through these countless deals. But thanks to quantic physics laws, we both can be two entities living at far distance at the same time, hope this will avoid us from smuggling, our doubles making the deals without passing through the customs.

Thanks. The strings gauges are 0.020, 0.028, 0.044, 0.064, 0.084, 0.104, 0.128, 0.174, from F to F#. These are Kalium, but the new ones will be Newtone Diamond nickel plated steel with tapered core for all strings. I'm waiting them for my two 8 strings basses.

Here they are :

You know what, I noticed that the more you want to help people, the more you are considered pedant and the more you get aggressive comments. So from now on, I'll keep what I know for me, I won't share it and won't participate on the forum again. I guess you'll agree with that. Better this way. Set up your instrument the way tou want without taking into account more than 400 years of classical lutherie and 70 years of electric lutherie. So long. Enough is enough.

Also ask someone already playing bass to go with you if you decide to go the shop route, as they are not all honest people... You won't get fooled.

The first mistake is corrected here, but not the second one.

It's no rocket science at all. And what I'm explaining with words is what Sheldon is showing. I only gave a tip to make it faster and easier. And sorry for you, but following the neck radius is the ONLY way to do. I'm 54 years old, by the way, and setting up instruments for more than 30 years. Back to the tracks with these two mistakes. First mistake is to cut directly the strings at the desired length. Why not ? Because the wrapping will slip over the core having a dead string as a result. How to avoid that ? Measure the desired length, then break a bit more than an 100 degrees angle at this position and cut the string 1 to 1,5 cm after that break. This way the wrapping won't slip over the core. And there's a well in every post in every tuner, just check how deep it is to cut at the correct length. Second mistake is to wrap the strings over the post until the string is tuned. Why not ? Doing this, you'll make the strings wrapping on themselves causing nods and unwanted harmonics. How to avoid that ? Simply release the whole string at the bridge by moving it up and down when there is something like 1 to 1,5 cm left. You will notice that the string will unwrap and go back to the correct position. And then wind the string slowly to pitch. The string will now be dead straight avoiding the nods and harmonics of wrapped on themselves strings. So no rocket science at all, but common sense that would have been easier to explain in a video. But your post was so aggressive I felt I had to answer it immediately.

Ok, looks like all the videos on the net are completely wrong when explaining you how to fit the strings. That's just unbelievable. Looks also like I'll have to make that video as there are two common huge mistakes done every time I'm watching one. But first I'll have to search for Sheldon one, if there's one as I'm sure he's doing it right.

To date, the best advices to set up your bass with clear demonstrations. Thanks @Dood That said, it's missing the most important part which is the correct mounting of strings... And for adjusting the string height, here is my tip. Do as Sheldon is saying with the highest string (using whatever has the correct thickness), then put this exact same height for each and every lower string using the same technique, without forgetting to always precesely retune your bass : this way, your strings will just fit precisely your radius. And then, simply raise each saddle by a quarter turn higher than the previous higher string. You can retune by each string or even after the whole process, but there will be less stress when done after each raising. So simply put for a 6 strings bass : 1/4 turn higher than the C string for the G string, 1/2 turn higher than the C string for the D string, 3/4 turn higher than the C string for the A string, 4/4 turn (full turn) higher than the C string for the E string, 5/4 turn (1 + 1/4) higher than the C string for the B string. This way, you'll have the perfect reproduction of your radius going higher with every lower string. And for measuring you can also use hex keys (Allen keys). As you've certainly noticed in my for sale ads, my favourite action at the 12th fret is going from 1,5 mm to 2 mm for a 4 strings bass without any buzz. This is achieved by the same process Sheldon is explaining without forgetting the only way to correctly fit the strings. It used to be my job as I used to run my own electronics and lutherie repair shop for years and have also been a guitar and bass tech for loads of bands around here. PS : instead of using a piece of wood and one finger for breaking in the strings at the nut and saddles, you can simply push slightly and progressively before and after them with your index and major finger at the same time.

Looks like that, indeed.

Will make some photos tomorrow as I like the light in that room.

You don't. Being an 8 strings bass, it's played vertically instead of horizontally, so up to the first octave, you use all the neck and then progressively switch to the upper register strings. This means 3 octaves vertically and 4 octaves when extending horizontally or even 5 octaves with F# to C# scale. It's another approach and you play the notes where they sound better as there's a lot of possibilities.

And now the couple is home, two unique basses as there are no others like these, Yves Carbonne being a lefty, my fretless is the only righty to date.

My new pride and joy : the only Noguera Yves Carbonne 8 Fretless right handed...

Your lower horn should be way more longer and rounder to accommodate sitting playing. This is one of the best design for this purpose (it used to be mine, the best ergonomical bass to date, but the sound was too compressed for me) : And don't put the output jack on the edge, but on the table or, even better, at the back as it's 100% more convenient. Like this from the same luthier :

Huge Supertramp fan too, but not of the solo work of Roger Hodgson, too commercial to my ears, but I like when he's playing Supertramp. Like lots of people, my favourite album is Crime of the Century, but Breakfast in America is real damn good album even if they took the long way home. 😉 I hated it when it went out, but I rediscovered it 25 years later and I had to admit it was an angular piece in their work.

Already done, no use. 😉

Urm, I've been the logistics man during a year for what is now GLS. I was in charge of 18 delivery tours, there has never been a single glitch and all parcels where delivered within 24 hours... The trucks were leaving with a minimum of 60 parcels each and every day, except on Sundays. I think I know what I'm talking about and the fact that the routes used now are just stupid and inefficient.

I should have received my parcel on Monday and each and every day it's delayed. I live quite close to an UPS main depot, but the parcels I receive from UPS always make 2 to 3 times the kilometers needed. Aren't we in 2019, where the most important concern is stopping stupid and unnecessary pollution. And because those companies (UPS, Fedex, DHL, ...) are using routes created by dumber than dumb logistics people, all parcels sent are making way far too many kilometers in highly polluting trucks and planes !?! It's about time to have straight and direct routes become mandatory. Check the journey of my (not yet) delivered parcel. And add the fact that it's now going up North Belgium to then go down South over the night, when there's a main depot in Luxembourg nearby.

This is what you need : https://www.banzaimusic.com/Partsland-BLEND-500K-AC.html

You can send from UK to UK...

As I'm using EuroSender for a while and promoting it for a while too, there is a 2 day latency for the pickup as it's a logistics company. But they can pickup anywhere you want and deliver anywhere you want too, all across Europe and to some other countries too. 😉 Thanks for the discount, Chris.

Anything by Muse : I hate people unable to recognise their main influence, in this case Ultravox John Foxx period, more specifically Ha!-Ha!-Ha! Anything by Oasis : bland by definition. Anything by Whitesnake : the worst band in the known and unknown universe. And of course, all these autotune "singers".

Buying fretted basses as I (almost) never play them, being a fretless guy. But the worse was getting into (truckloads of) vintage instruments as these are not better ones, but certainly way more expensive, for sure. Thankfully, I always got my money back, and learned so much about vintage gear that, now, I know that most of them are fake ones... Sad but true.

You can easily check it by pressing just after the second fret, there must be some clearance above the first fret.