Misowaki

This sounds like an idea! Thanks

I figured it was just because it was a cheapo bass but yeah, also makes sense that the bridge was swapped out. I borrowed a friends DB once and I don't remember it feeling anywhere near as high as this. I'm certain the neck joint is fine, surely I'd have seen or heard cracking of some kind if it was going, right?

Yeah, the thing was covered in them and I've gradually been removing them 😄 There's a cheap piezo installed under the fingerboard, too. Amplifies nothing but the slap so was clearly owned by a dude that was all about that!

Thanks again, don't know what I'd do without you all! Neck joint looks fine, think it's just because it's a budget upright. This is at least 20 years old, a brand of JHS who just import cheap Budget instruments and they are rarely set up to play without some work, right? The money saved will be spent later down the line getting it nice, which is where I'm at currently.

Thanks! Yeah, I realised as soon as I delved further into it that it might not be such an easy fix with a new bridge. Even sanding down the existing bridge is as much work as buying a new adjustable bridge but still having to do the same work. The only saving grace would be that I wouldn't ruin the existing bridge so might still give it a punt anyway if the worst outcome is losing £30 and a couple of hours. No grooves to speak of on the fingerboard, more or less cosmetic/maybe a millimetre difference and at this point, I can't really play upright bass as is and I don't yet have playable strings so that can wait 😅 The bridge is my main concern as I'm certain the strings shouldn't be that high and if I'm ever gonna get to grips with an upright, the damn thing needs to be playable. I mean, I'm never gonna be Paul Chambers but I'd like to at least be able to attempt 'So What' and feel somewhat in control rather than like I'm fighting metal snakes! I never wanted to sell it anyway, just wanted an idea of cost to restore vs buying one so with Jake's strings and maybe a £50 punt on shaping a new bridge, I'm hoping I'll have a playable bass before long!

I need to stop listening to the first thing I hear on YouTube vids 😅 Although it would appear I'd still need to shape and make string grooves with that option. Time to call in a favour from a carpenter friend!

Sound post is present and seems fine, action is ridiculous though! Any vids I find say 'adjust the wheels on the bridge'which I don't have... Any suggestions on how to make it more playable without dropping half a grand buying a new bridge ir having this reshaped? Also, it is a 3/4, i must have measured it wrong the first time.

Ah, that's so kind of you! I'm a fair way away though, near Kingston on Thames, but thanks anyway! Once I've got the strings Jake is so kindly sending me, I'll check all the other bits out and check all the info you've given me, you're all legends, thank you!

I did think something was missing

Thanks for all this! I have no idea what a soundpost is so off to Google I go! 😅 I mean, it plays and it sounds nice, it just doesn't feel nice right now because again, the strings are closer to barbed wire than they are bass strings. It doesn't look like it will need any reshaping, maybe some oil or something but don't know if that's worth it as it's painted... action seems quite extreme past the half so a read into bridge positioning will help but I assume repositioning will mess with intonation? Maybe it's just my weak electric bass hands, though. Thanks, all, for your help so far!

Thanks! I measured it and as far as I can tell it's a 4/4 which web advice suggests is for 5'9 and above but the nut is basically right on my eyebrow without the end pin. Just need to put something rubbery on the bottom to keep it still! As far as I can tell, I'm capable but the strings are gnarly AF so the real test will be when I have some strings that don't come with a side of tetanus.

I'll DM you, thanks!

Legend! Thanks, how much? Any ideas on the rest, per chance?

Hi folks! So I've been gifted an old Antoni upright from a house clearance. I know they're nothing special, but hey. The painted and worn out fingerboard needs some love, probs also too big for me at 5'7 but I've got it and want to make use of it if I can but if not and I can sell it on for my uncle, that would be nice. First things first, it needs new strings because one is snapped and the rest look like they ve been chewed by a rat but I can't afford a whole new set on a gamble. Would anyone have an old set they could sell me? Secondly, fingerboard is okay to play but should I treat it with anything or leave as is? Thirdly, any idea how much one might go for? It's in pretty poor condition but it plays and sounds nice enough! Thanks, all.

8 years late to this party, but... I use the switch on my P for more clarity if I'm playing chords in the upper register. Works really nicely for that. Pretty useless in the money zone, though. Unless you want to weedify your P, as already pointed out.

Haven't seen a mic'd up bass cab in a while! Always DI and always fed back through a wedge or 2. On a Glasto thing I DI'd into a couple of wedges but that was for broadcast so didn't need the amp. I always prefer to have an amp behind me for a live show. Used the SVT 7 on all 3 gigs this weekend, no problem. Used with my Barefaced cab on two and the provided Ampeg 8x10 on the third. Think Lozz was right, there was some problem with that amp at SGP. Will probs get a Tonehammer for easy transport when I have the funds but I think the answer is to always bring my own head, keep it simple. Appreciate the thoughts, thanks.

Clean and warm is what I'm after. Used an Aguilar rig at a couple festivals and it gave me that in spades. Only other thing is headroom for pedals, OC2 and Manta filter being the main ones. I always use my Tonehammer DI through every rig with the amp set flat, maybe with the treble cut. Most of the time, Ampegs are fine. Only really had Ampeg heads for the last 8 years or so (a TC BH250 head for home/smaller gigs) and I know Aguilar will give me what I need. I've had the PF heads before and they've been a bit iffy. My SVT 7 had an issue with some dry joints in 2019 but has been good otherwise. I guess I really wanted to know if anyone's using a Tonehammer at festivals and the like. Bigger fests, you know they're gonna have good gear. Reading, Leeds, Glasto have all been great. Some of the smaller ones that have been put together by, uh... less experienced folk tend to have cheaper gear, in my experience. Maybe it's just the stages we've played.

I always get a wedge mix that gives me as much as I'm getting from the amp, I like to bathe in the lows and know I'm getting the same sound all around Wasn't enough time or consistency of fault to get it sorted as it was mainly in the last song whenever I hit the G#. Never had an issue before but it's given me the willies as still have a fair few fests to go this summer. But yeah, I think it might have just been a dodgy amp. Still.

Hi all. A run of festivals this year has left me a little torn. Last weekend I found myself getting a weird squelch on the last few songs of the set. Any time I hit a note on the low E, it sounded like an octaver failing to track. Checked my pedals, filter was off, OC2 was off. I was running my Tonehammer DI as a preamp through a Spectracomp set low into a rather weak sounding Ampeg SVT 'fridge' set up, which is usually pretty dependable or at least workable. Maybe it was over compressed, who knows. I'm pretty sure I turned the compression off on the amp. I've owned and used enough Ampegs in my time to know how to work one but this was weird from the off. At changeover, I noticed the next bassist had their own head. This has made me think maybe I'm slouching by not bringing mine. I have another 3 festivals this weekend and will be taking my Ampeg SVT 7 Pro which is great but unwieldy in its rack case when you're hanging off the back of an already overloaded transport buggy with band and gear like some weird Gollum, clinging to all the cases so they don't fall off. Long story short, I need a convenient, dependable, transportable workaround. I'm thinking about maybe selling the SVT 7 and getting a Tonehammer 700. I love Aguilar amps and they're a little more portable, right? Pretty sure I've seen one fit in the front pocket of a Mono case. Never owned one but played through various Aguilars at festivals and they're to die for. Anyone have any similar experiences and fixes/advice or recommendations? Thanks!

If of interest, this is the video in which the difference was discernible even through tinny laptop speakers (skip to about 1.15). Either way, the bridge is on its way to a new home now and to paraphrase NancyJohnson, all that matters is the hook. Turning a knob or two is easy enough and I'm blessed to even have a '74 P and a modern counterpart so yeah, no fuss, no muss.

100% with you. Baffling. But you know, horses for courses. I know I've got plenty of sustain when I accidentally leave my bass near the amp I've forgotten to turn off only to move about the house and wonder where that awful noise is coming from.