Dr.Dave

Sticky in the repairs forum - been there forever and easy to find.

Just wondering , Dave - did this happen with your older microbass kit? I presume your talking about the Mk4 stuff you bought. Fixing - is it a weld? Folk buy small electric welding gear for DIY jobs so I can't imagine it's that expensive to have something welded (The MOT garage next to Kirkgate station welded a broken bracket off my boat engine for a fiver) and there's a fabricators place behind Trad Music. I suppose the issue might be that the heat would bubble the paint finish - not sure. I think that type of finish is called powder coating and I know you can get that done too - that salvager bloke off the cable channels had it done at a scrappers for a few quid. Whitwood Tec - 'project' for the students??

[quote name='wrinkleygit' post='428887' date='Mar 8 2009, 09:35 PM']Check out stringsdirect .co.uk for good choice of dball strings,free postage & generally next day delivery,I've used elites & status hot wires,little to choose between them,mike b[/quote] Amen to that , brother. Used them for a couple of years. Good prices,good range,no added postage and when they say next day delivery , they mean it.

[quote name='Mr.T' post='428479' date='Mar 8 2009, 11:37 AM']Re-strung the Status last night.... so incredibly simple! I agree that a headless bass might look 'wrong' or 'odd' to some people, but.... How can we define what is actually right and wrong?[/quote] Easy Those who think headless basses look wrong.......... ........are wrong

[quote name='Golchen' post='425247' date='Mar 4 2009, 04:25 PM']Sounds trivial, but I don't think I'd like the sharp ends sticking out off the front of my bass. I totally love the ease of swapping double ball strings anyway.[/quote] Christ , I hadn't thought of that. Put some poor sod's eye out on stage I should think. That's def. stopped any thoughts of me trying regular strings on mine.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='427989' date='Mar 7 2009, 01:23 PM']What does a guy with a 2 foot cock have for breakfast? this morning I had a boiled egg Boom Boom. I thank you[/quote] I'll raise you................ Last night I met a girl reading a book on a train - 'Good book, this ' she said ' says American Indian guys have the thickest cocks and Japanese blokes have the longest - anyway what's your name?' 'Tonto Nagasaki' said I.

I've met a bunch of you - happily I've yet to meet a BCer I haven't got on with - been a pleasure. I know some of you quite well and have seen some of you play. I always try to take something from another players playing but it honestly wouldn't occur to me who's 'best' - and even if it did I wouldn't post it on here in case , by implication , the abscence of someone's name might suggest I don't rate them when it's far more likely I just forgot. Some of you I've only seen giving a bass the beans at one of the bashes, in a shop or during a trade etc - how can that be compared with watching a guy do his gig? Blokes that support the song they're playing , that's what impressess me.

I'll tell you this much. I own 5 basses inc a vintage Fender and a Shuker custom and I work them all but the 2 that earn me the most money are the two cheapest , less than £500 for the pair and that was within the last 2 years. My Status , inc the custom added top, cost £500 and that comes third on the earnings list. The Shuker and the old P are way behind - though the P's semi-retired to be honest. So as not to sound like a total bread head, by saying they earn me x amount of money I'm really meaning they get gigged more/most - but the cash analogy makes the most interesting point , esp to younger players who can't yet afford some of the fancy products some of us own. Message - don't starve , sell your body parts or go without a life to buy a bass you probably don't need in order to make your musical ambitions a reality. Save the expensive bass for your mid life crisis rather than wrap yourself round a lamp post on a Harley. I'd take a Squier played well over a clown with a Shuker any day.

Slowly , slowly - quarter turn at a time. Do not be afraid!!

I do something similar to the thumb damping so I feel well chuffed with myself now!! Re James looking uncomfortable - I read somewhere he used to 'sit' on a high stool like a stand up player rather than sit right down and rest the Precision on his knee - might explain a little of it at least in terms of posture.

Same on my 3000 but it came sans grub screws so I've always used double ball ends. I can get the screws from Status but haven't been arsed to date. Other thing is I'm not sure - other than trial and error - how I'd go about judging the string length to tighten the screw down , I might end up with not enough or too much of he bridge 'ball holder' thingy showing. I reckoned if I got it wrong I might have string up near the head end weakened by a screw dent. Be nice to have the greater string choice though.

Manager seems a more reasonable guy to deal with. Would you want the bass at a discount - maybe if you could get doscount on the Orange cab too for the same 'shop soiled' reasons you could get it near enough free ie. the bass and the cab for the price you were expecting to pay for the bass. Course - if it's pristine gear you want , which is fair enough , that's no help.

I've often thought it was my own inexperience in stringing at the time - but I had popping out A string syndrome on my P and solved it with a second round string guide.That was 30 ears ago and I've done it to all Fenderish basses ever since. I like Neepheid's idea better - I don't suppose such gadgets were around when I was 17 or I'd have done it that way.

The 2 grub screws (allen adjusted) in each string saddle - I'm guessing one of them isn't making good contact with the base plate. When you come to adjust them - rob your good lady's nail varnish and stick some on the threads. It won't set too hard (which loctite can) and will stop the screws turning because of vibration. Also poss the spring could be loose though I doubt it as looking at the pic the saddles aren't partic. well forward which obviously would slacken the spring. Thinks......... Is it pre-used ?? If so the spring could have corroded a little and stays compressed when the saddle's moved forward - that would make it rattle. Finally - outside chance - something else could be loose and the frequency of a resonating D string could be vibrating it. Except you said it's the same when you fret it so I'm talking bollocks.

Yep - look in the badass sticky in the 'Repairs' forum.

Indispensible. I'd hate to think I couldn't do my gig if a few FX pedals went tits up. However - 4 things that are handy that aren't a bass and an amp (though I've cracked on a few times without an amp) Tuner - though we should all know how to tune without one Compressor - makes us less human but more consistent Chorus - now there's pretty when we don't over do it Reverb - brings the dead back to life in certain circumstances

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='417220' date='Feb 23 2009, 10:28 AM']Mr. Pratt loses a point or two for playing a Jazz on a Floyd tour. What was he thinking of? [/quote] And another for living up to his name by telling my mate to bugger off when asked very politely for advice on bass playing - then letching over his bird. It's me that's supposed to do that John McVie for me , Entwhistle , Jamerson , Lynott , Roger Glover - so many pro's doing their jobs well by being more interested in what they should do rather than what they can do.

[quote name='Funkmaster' post='417355' date='Feb 23 2009, 01:13 PM']Persuade the nearest pub to him (hopefully near enough for him to see) to put you on.[/quote] Interesting that the two Wakey lads come up with the same thing !!!

Mate - if you dig the earth around Stonehenge there's a couple of minstrels moaning for all eternity about the bloody druid that didn't pay them what they agreed for the gig. Easy to say be principled and don't go near the place again - less easy if you're struggling for gigs. There are so many arseholes who'll take advantage. At 47 with a gig list as big as I want I know what I'd do , with knobs on. Have you considered finding a rival pub close by and approaching them - your success is a selling point should you do so.

A mute switch.......... behold , such an angel of mercy

Course , what we really need are several wives. Nice big solid , heavy one with a decent bottom end to drag round the pubs. One with a smaller body and slimmer profile that's a bit more versatile for more classy venues One to experiment on at home to learn new tricks but goes behind the sofa when Top Gear's on. and one that's active whenever you flick a switch but , if left alone , doesn't run her batteries down and expect us to finish the tune she's playing the moment we walk in.

'kin 'ell - result , matey. Be good to hear the demo when you get done.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='416633' date='Feb 22 2009, 02:32 PM']P nuts (tee hee) are normally cut to accomodate .105-E strings. This could well be your prob.... Try putting a piece of paper on the nut slot under your E string to narrow the gap between string and nut on the nut sides. If this tightens up the sound you know where the problem lies. My P used to do this with the A string with chromes on......[/quote] I never figured exactly why but I had 'A' string probs with my Precision. Bare in mind I was 17 and green at the time. Maybe poor stringing , maybe poor nut - but my solution was a second string guide which I've used on Fender basses ever since - more out of habit than anything , I'm sure.

[quote name='hubrad' post='416560' date='Feb 22 2009, 12:01 PM']I was once refused a S/H Jazz Bass purchase in Denmark Street after I let slip that I was planning to do the same! But seriously, go for it.. I started off with an Ibanez Roadster which I suppose started life like this: [attachment=20707:normal_Ibby_023.jpg] only in mahogany stain. By the time I got it, it was fretless (one piece ebony) and still 4 string. I now play in a ceilidh band with the guy who did the conversion It's now 5-string and headless - did it myself with a junior hacksaw in my hand and hope in my heart. [attachment=20709:before_wb.jpg] Now off the road for some long deserved tidying up and a reface. I'm planning a build diary on a budget! Over the years it's had so many different holes made and pickups fitted, but it's done every electric bass gig with me. I'm glad I did it; the balance is perfect and it sounds and plays so well! Ok, so the Fender Jazz is an icon, but why does that mean it can't be tweaked for the individual player? Best of luck, HUGH[/quote] I think I've seen you and your self modded Roadster. Did you have 2 and dragged them along to O D's in Wakefield about 5 years back - one covered in newspaper clippings??

[quote name='William James Easton' post='416628' date='Feb 22 2009, 02:20 PM']any orange experts on here?[/quote] Dale Winton and David Dickenson have yet to join I think