Stub Mandrel

31 here in my 'office'.

Its arrived toady. I'll start a build thread, but it all looks very nice.

Very nice, but not very punky! I hope you go by numbers not feel 🤣

I think some folks are confounding some principles here. Different frets and neck widths, fingerboard radiuses, string gauges etc. are going to have an effect on 'feel' too. If you get the right set up for one bass, transferring the numbers across to another bass might work for this reason: You wouldn't set the sights on a bow or a rifle the same as on another one and expect them to be spot on.

I've got a Harley Benton P-bass kit arriving soon after a long wait for restocking. £77 plus £8 shipping!

My Jag SS came with rolled fingerboard as new and beautifully finished fret ends (Better than my MIM Fender Jazz), I've always thought that's one reason why it feels like a much more expensive bass.

How very Ibanez 🙂 Still pictures or it don't exist 😉

Hope you get on an even keel soon Stew. BTW, I've got a Harley Benton pea-bass kit coming, I was su8rprised to notice it's got a double acting truss rod.

In the days before covid-19 I had to come up with basslines for several original songs guided largely by being told a 'feel' and having the changes shouted out the first time round as they were bashed out on an acoustic. As the writer was a typical singer/songwriter/busker the more vigorous songs had the embryo of a bassline in them already, especially where he was putting in bass runs to lead between chords. Others had a distinctive rhythm that suggested a riff. For the trickier ones a strategy is to play arpeggios over the chords, and as you get comfortable with the pattern start improvising over the changes and a walking line will emerge. The other thing no-one seems to have mentioned is - is there an existing melody? Does it have sung words? If so, they will define the key better than any amount of theorising!

I have wondered if some people react to nickel strings. Hope I stay lucky, I like the contrast, plus nickel seems to keep its sound longer.

By ear.

Tols are good 🙂 But it's a long slippery slope...

So just how many basses have you ordered in the last 48 hours, Frank? 🤣

I'd be bloody furious.

Funnily enough I read the first post and thought... leg vice... One day I would like enough bench space to fit both my big metalworking vices (both found at the recycling bank in the days when you could make withdrawals - ones a record No. 3 🙂 ) about 3 foot apart so I can hold long things at both ends.

Am I the only person concerned that Scott Devine is going all out trying to get me to sign up for an online FAP?

He's not a dog! Everyone knows he's a monkey! ... the colour of a forget-me-knot ... and pronounced as the ladies' name from it ...

Fïlter Did that work?

It's T'Pau or something like that...

I sent a query to Fender and they said it's the same colour as the P's and teles, and blame the lighting. You'd think that a global brand would take care with something like that. Problem is, I want one now... These do NOT look the same colour:

I'd have serious GAS for one of these in Daphne Blue. Except... the colour looks decidedly green to me. https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/electric-basses/jazz-bass/vintera-60s-jazz-bass/0149633304.html Pictures of Daphne Blue P-basses online look the right colour to me.

I use index, middle, ring for fast triplets, so does Billy Sheehan so no shame there!

Eye of Sauron!

You said it... even the taste in stage clothes...

Well it is, but you made it yourself 🙂