Paul S

I recently put a Hipshot Supertone bridge onto an Epiphone EB0 and was *really* impressed by the quality. One of their A style bridges might do the job - not sure about screw holes etc but quality-wise it knocks spots off a Gotoh 201 I put on another bass.

There's another one just popped up on eBay. Like bloody buses. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHERGOLD-MARATHON-RARE-MK1a-STEREO-OUTPUT-BASS-/251210147150?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a7d4aa54e"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHERGOLD-MARATHON-RARE-MK1a-STEREO-OUTPUT-BASS-/251210147150?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a7d4aa54e[/url]

Mr Snickers, while you are here, can I ask you how heavy yours is and how wide at the nut? I *think* they are under 9lbs and sub-40mm wide necks, but my memory isn't what it was.

Wow. There was one on Gumtree recently for a sensible asking price. [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/shergold-marathon-bass-guitar--made-in-england/1005073697#gallery-item-full-3"]http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/shergold-marathon-bass-guitar--made-in-england/1005073697#gallery-item-full-3[/url]

Not sure if this is helpful or not but I had a set of long scale flats kicking about which, after asking on here, were fine trimmed down a bit and fitted on my EB0. Maybe you already have some old ones somewhere?

Bought a BT2 detuner. Great price, dispatched immediately, beautifully packaged. A pleasure doing business. Cheers Jim!

JTUK - I am genuinely interested why you always dismiss Barefaced. You are their probably their most vocal critic on Basschat yet as far as I know never give a reason why you don't tlike them - only some mysterious oblique reply. Why don't you like them? For me, and for so many people, they are as near to perfection as can be bought in terms of lightweight gear but if you are aware of an issue then surely you should say what it is?

OK, ta.

Whilst admirers of Hamer on here, does anyone know anything about Hamer XT basses? There is a double cutout one on eBay at the moment. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271130240739?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271130240739?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649[/url] Nice looking thing but any good?

A nice Westone Thunder Jet has just popped up on eBay. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290837899409?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290837899409?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649[/url] These are passive, unlike the 1A, and have black hardware making them real stealth machines. They are also lightweight, made of alder I think. I have one that I have hot rodded with a P-Retro and it is the dog's danglies.

Okay. Picking up on Dave's suggestion, I soldered a wire to the pickup cavity tape and also a wire to the control cavity tape. I'd never done this before but it worked surisingly well. Well, I was surprised. I bundled these with the earth wire from the bridge and soldered them to single wire which went into the relevant connector on the unit. Result - no hum. Or, at least, as little as makes no difference - with the tone control rolled off a fraction it isn't noticable. Well, not to me - but my ears are shagged anyway! Fitting all those extra wires inside the cavity is a bit of a squeeze but nothing dislodged in the process. Yeehah! Edit - just saw your reply while I was doing mine - thanks for that.

Thanks for your suggestions. Deepbass - no dimmers here. I've made a good earth on the bridge, ramming down the wire into a screw hole, so I don't think the bridge is the problem. GreeneKing - what do you mean when you say 'link out the pup'? Dave - Sadly I have no idea what I am doing! I can read intructions and carry them out but if it doesn't go to plan I am pretty well stumped. Yes, makes no difference active or passive. I checked the lugs in case it was that and it wasn't. It seems to me that something in the unit wants to be earthed but I don't know where to start. Trying not to pester Mr East but may have to.

Help! I've just fitted a P-Retro into my P- Bass but despite shielding all the cavities with copper foil I am getting a hum that gets MUCH worse when I touch the controls or the pup magnets. Usually, when I get a humming it stops when I touch the strings, but this time these are fine! Evidently I need to look at something but I don't know where to start for such a specific hum - any suggestions? Ta! Paul Incidentally, I have fitted P-retro to two other basses and a J. East to a Precision Lyte - but this is the first time in a proper P. Bass. Wizard Trad pup. Just WOW.

I have a two-tier system. For rehearsing I use a small holdall to carry all the bits and bobs i think I might need just for rehearsals - a few spares of stuff like strings, instrument leads, extension lead plus small folding stand etc. For gigs I have a larger holdall that I put the smaller one inside plus all the extra stuff I think I need for gigging - extra leads, gaffa tape, more extension leads, little tool kit, more strings, towel etc.

I always ask both questions as both make a difference to me as to whether I would buy a bass. Nut width - I don't get on with a neck wider than 40mm. I haven't got small hands, I just find them much more comfortable. Weight - I have a bad lower back and wearing a bass that weighs more then 9lbs is uncomfortable intitially, next day it is extremely painful. (edit - before anyone trots out the 'it isn't about weight, it is about balance' stuff - for me and my particualr issues it IS about weight as much as balance) There are a lot of basses out there - no need to have one that doesn't suit. Happy new year!

Shameless plug for my BILs Gretsch double neck guitar/baritone. Thread here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/150586-gretsch-g5566-jettm-double-neck-l375-ono/page__p__1884515__hl__gretsch__fromsearch__1#entry1884515"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry1884515[/url] I seem to have deleted the pictures when doing some tidying up of my profile, so here are a couple. Offers around £350...

I've put in in an old brown paper envelope inside a shoebox, waiting for the day I put it back to 'stock' and get shot of it. Would you have a use for it?

Defret - never tried that..... Black strings. Yes, that would look nice. Rotosound flat nylons for that real 60s thud!

Ta. That was easy. I wondered if I might get a knock on the door from the string police...

Silly question time. I have a set of long scale flatwound strings - can I put them on a short scale bass and just snip off the excess? ta.

I know it has been done a thousand times before but I thought I'd walk you through my latest bout of turd polishing! I was GASing for an SG type bass and also had never tried a short scale, so an Epiphone EB-0 seemed the obvious solution. And, as GAS goes, pretty light on the wallet. A decent one appeared on eBay - unwanted present, good condition etc (yeah, ok) in black, my favoured colour. BIN £95. So I BINd it. Arrived - surprise! - in original packaging with all the bumpf, too. Plastic still on the rear cover and in excellent nick. Maybe the description was true? It ticked many of my boxes straight out of the box - it was lightweight, slim neck, black (did I mention that already?) decent enough finish. A bit neck heavy but nothing major. I even like the mother-of-toiletseat 'inlays' on the head! Used at rehearsal the sound was not so good - pretty much as I expected, thin, weak and muddy and the tone pot might as well have not been there for all the use it was. But comfy and worth doing up - given my liking for fiddling with cheap basses. So - pimping these is a well trodden path, so I searched the forum to read up on the best bits to use. I got a DiMarzio DP120 Model One pickup from Thomann for 78Euro. A Wilkinson Supertone Bridge from Basschatter Mike110 for £65 (bargain!) and a new wiring kit from Ki0gon for £23. Did the transplant the other day and encountered a couple of minor issues. The shafts of the new pots were larger than those of the Epi, so I had to drill them out a bit. My fault entirely, I should add. It ended up being very straightforward. The pickup has various wiring options depending upon whether you want it the two coils of the humbucker in series/parallel with an option to split the coils in/out of phase. Whatever that means. I wanted it simply wired as the humbucker with coils in series, so soldered the two wires together as directed in the instructions. So far so good. Scratch plate pickup cutout wasn't quite big enough for the DiMarzio cover so I decided to ditch it completely - I had managed to make a mark on it anyway. Bridge was simple - bolt straight on and set up. Plug in - wow. I could hardly believe the improvement. I haven't rehearsed/gigged it yet but played loud when Mrs S was out. Really nice. Huge tone, huge output, huge sustain. Overall it cost me around £250 and, for the money, it sounds and plays brilliantly. Timing is good, too - a short while after I bought it I started talking with some guys about getting a bluesy-rock type band together playing late 60s/early 70s stuff - Creedence Clearwater, Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Traffic, John Mayall, Free, Cream, early Stones. This may be a one trick pony but it is the perfect trick for this project, if it works out! [attachment=125786:DSCN1950 (758x1024).jpg] [attachment=125788:DSCN1958 (753x1024).jpg] [attachment=125787:DSCN1952 (752x1024).jpg]

I like the cut of your jib, sir. I have recently taken some tentative steps into the world of BVs - something I would never have believed 2 or 3 years ago - so maybe anything is possible? Maybe I'll see Tinkerbell sometime soon.

I would like to play bass and breath at the same time. Anything additional I am completely in awe over so much respect to you folks. Practice. I sort of thought that might be the key, but I think your brain has to be wired in a certain way first.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1356280150' post='1908729'] I have used quite a few lighter weight options these last few years and [/quote] Including Barefaced Cabs? From the few I tried, BF were head and shoulders above the others.