Stub Mandrel

I want to get into building more seriously, so I've ordered some inexpensive fret pliers. I have some fret wire, when it comes out I will compare and if it's different I will order some to match. Thanks 🙂

I have carefully set up my Tanglewood acoustic bass, dropping the bridge by another mm (I'd taken at least 2mm off it a year ago) and tweaking the truss rod to get the action really nice and low and surprisingly the fixed intonation has improved. Annoyingly there is one buzzing fret - fret 8 on the D-string, and it is quite bad. Careful inspection and I'm 100% sure that it's a low patch, not fret 9 being high, so scraping fret 9 down won't solve t - just move the problem up a fret. Looking at fret 8 it has a tiny crack visible between it and the fingerboard under the E, A and G strings (which don't buzz) but not the D. I suspect that in its past it has fallen on something that has given a hefty knock to the D-string right on the fret, pushing it in. I expect that removing the fret and very slightly reshaping it, or even just replacing it would cure the problem. But I don't have any idea how to remove it without damaging the fretboard, can anyone advise.

Hawkwind 50

My tone is entirely dependent on the tonewood the bass I am using is made of*. *Or more accurately, the cost per cubic foot of the tonewood...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonewood

Plane crazy.

Semitone 😉

Many a true word posted in jest: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/line-6-variax-bass-700

Those whose delicate ears cannot cope with inferior lumber, need the latest Line 6 Variax basses with Dial-A-ToneTM body material emulation.

I have ten basses, all different woods and they all sound and feel different but I'd be very wary of attempting to put the differences down to the body materials. In a band setting, I take different basses to rehearsals to see what suits what best. When I was gigging regularly (back in the 90s) I'd use three different basses over a gig for different sounds. So I can hear differences. But not between different woods.

But... the pups will make most of the tonal change. Also... does ash sound better than basswood? Or does Ash sound better because it's associated with vintage fenders?

I have a Markbass dap bag. It's cleverly designed so that everything falls out if you pick it up by the wrong part of the cord, conveniently arranging all your accessories on the floor.

Some of my basses only have 20 frets and I can't reach the High E in 'The Real Me'. Have I been ripped off? Am I due a refund? Is it possible to retrofit and extra fret, perhaps by supergluing one to the end of the neck? Can I swap a fret over from one of my 24-fret basses.

Eeek! I've set up loads of guitars and basses. Then I saw him say snug up the neck screws. Picked up my Jaguar SS and the two bridge end screws both took a half-turn. There was a creak as the neck snugged into its pocket 😨

To ignore all this fluff 🙂 to repeat my point - other factors make a much bigger difference to the tone than the wood, as evidenced by how hard it is to eliminate these other factors and the struggle to hear the remaining differences. The question has to be is there any point worrying about the 'tone wood' when any difference it can make is easily compensated for by easier to make changes?

Playing along to one of the mellowest basslines ever, by Duck Dunn:

The Machine Mart linishers are pretty cheap and surprisingly effective, even if not over-engineered.

Do horny-handed sons of toil get a sharper attack than the soft-fingered effete?

Nah, bass schat.

Cort made the Hohner versions as well. I've never had balance/playing issues with my B2 and I'm 6"2". I've got a Jack V as well and the balance is different, but again no issues.

Arghhh!! Run Away!

Well that chaos doesn't bear much resemblance to a controlled scientific test. But... The fact that everything else has to be carefully matched and many people still struggle to hear the differences doesn't prove that wood doesn't contribute to tone, but does emphasise how much more important other factors are.

Joan Baez is a great singer, but I am not a big fan of her vibrato.