henry norton

If you want a louder, more HiFi, rockier, clearer (delete as applicable) sound there are plenty of pickups to choose from - you can keep the original and put it back if you decide to sell or have another bass you want to use it on. Upgrades like a chunky bridge or quality tuners are nice but the law of diminishing returns applies to these sort of things so you could end up throwing a ton of money at it for not much gain. Also, bear in mind a few quid spent on a decent, new set of strings can do wonders for a neglected bass

Looks well cool - you must give us some sound samples once it's done.

[quote name='mcnach' post='962372' date='Sep 20 2010, 05:34 PM']neck/body pocket fit is one issue. The 20/21 fret thing, may not be an issue at all 'though. Sometimes the necks are pretty much identical, just that the fingreboard is slightly longer to acommodate the extra fret... If that's teh case, your only concern is that the neck fits well into the existing body pocket.[/quote] Yeah, you're right - some (if not all?) Fender 21 fret necks are just 20's with a board extension.

[quote name='Jigster' post='960164' date='Sep 18 2010, 10:12 AM']yep that's what i thought, ie. that the bridge might need to be replaced - hmm [/quote] It's more like whatever bridge you've got will need to be moved back, unless your saddles are far enough forward that you can move them all back by about 15mm (for a 34" scale bass). Why do you want to put a 20 fret neck on?

You haven't given up your Precisions have you Chris - I don't think Hell's frozen over just yet? Have you thought of keeping the Aria if you feel it plays OK, then making (or having made) a removable frame to give you the shoulder you really need. It could end up as something quite simple you just clamp on.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='943307' date='Sep 2 2010, 02:06 PM']Aye, personally I never had any problems with sustain etc on any of my MM basses.[/quote] NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Not the dreaded "sustain" issues again! Possibly the most misunderstood word in a string musicians vocabulary. Ahh, I feel a new thread coming on. [quote name='Ou7shined' post='943319' date='Sep 2 2010, 02:11 PM']Pre EB's are. [/quote] Not my pre EB BTW, I kept my pre EB's bridge 'cos the bass sounded fine as it was and - more importantly - I thought the dampers and the big bridge plate looked really cool. As for my EB SR5, that sounded fine too although it didn't have the really cool dampers.....

Touchstone Tonewoods and David Dyke (Luthier Supplies) are both well stocked and very knowledgeable and helpful. Birdseye maple boards and bog standard maple necks are easy to find but the thing about any kind of burl is it's not much of a structural wood which is why it's mostly cut thin for veneers or top laminates. I'm sure you could get hold of a burl big enough to make a whole body but if it's going to be hollow anyway, maybe you could find a thinnish buckeye top and marry that with a chambered maple/mahogany/ash body? It would certainly be cheaper to post from the US. Give us a few more details about what you're wanting to do.

[quote name='umph' post='941585' date='Sep 1 2010, 12:54 AM']bahaha, my marshall 2001 almost actually weighs, that or atleast it seems it.[/quote] Jealousy is a terrible thing but I'm afraid I don't like you anymore Umph......

[quote name='johnnylager' post='930691' date='Aug 20 2010, 11:47 AM']Dimarzio Model P. In cream. +1 for redoing the wiring / shielding too.[/quote] +1

I've 'acquired' an old Strat copy that I'm in the process of building a 30" scale, six string bass neck for. I'll post up a build diary once I get going and if it works well I might make a few more if anyone's interested. I couldn't believe how much Bass VIs are going for these days, even the Fender Japan versions are fetching mega-bucks. Here's a link to a big list of short scale 6 strings: [url="http://bassvi.org/viewtopic.php?t=63&sid=0cdf37a38ca3e6958e1042af5c16b52f"]Bass VIs[/url] MusicMan make a six string Bass Silhouette too although I've never seen one in the flesh.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' date='Aug 18 2010, 08:07 PM' post='928935'] How about a lovely [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peterson-150W-Bass-Amplifier-Combo-/220652953433?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL#ht_500wt_1154"]Peterson 150w combo[/url] - a great bit of kit, and only £250! This are fab amps Blimey! I had one of these when they first came out and it cost allot more than two hundred quid! These are top amps although nothing like as portable as a GK MB150. If I could justify another amp (and I most definitely couldn't right now), I'd already have that Peterson in my front room....

It's not impossible to convert a righty to a leftie although if you're going for something mega-cheap then you'd be better off finding one that was made as (or already converted to) Left Handed as the cost would be quite high. Otherwise you'd need to take the front off, swap the bass bar and sound post positions as well as getting and fitting a new bridge and possibly a new nut too. Also, some, but not all DBs have a chamfer on the fingerboard to give the E string more clearance so you may have to factor that in on top of everything else. That said, bear in mind that an EUB is not an acoustic double bass so if you really want a 'proper' DB experience it would be best to look out for a cheap lefty rather than compromising.

Just to go against the 'very expensive pro gear' vein here, I played electric fretless in an acoustic trio for years using a borrowed, mega cheap Gorilla practice guitar amp. It cost about 40 quid and was absolutely fine for any acoustic gig we did - most gigs had minimal vocal or no PA but when we played a venue big enough to need proper sound reinforcement I still used the Gorilla and got the engineer to split the signal from a DI box. If you feel you must spend big money on portable amps I still rate the Gallien Krueger MB150, which will be plenty loud enough for your needs and just about meets your budget.

[quote name='Damo200' post='923061' date='Aug 12 2010, 07:57 PM']Absolutely. Check out Daf Lewis on this site. He's selling an old Boosey & Hawkes plywood back when they were built like tanks. I think he's asking around £1000 but it'll sound better than most of the pine Chinese stuff out there and will take a hammering - (humidity and playing wise).[/quote] Thanks! I didn't know Boosey & Hawkes made DBs

[quote name='umph' post='924820' date='Aug 14 2010, 01:37 PM']yeah i do agree with that, and he's got an obvious eye for quality. My main gripe with doing that though is that it all comes down to marketing hype and the bassman circuit while sounding good isn't the most flexible or well designed of circuits it's essentially the best they could do on a budget.[/quote] IMO there's allot of hype surrounding any valve amp, especially boutique ones - most of which involves how 'vintage' sounding they are. Because the Bassman circuit is so simple I reckon there are a more than a few chancers out there bigging up their tweaked Fender circuits in fancy cabinets. I recently discovered a guy in the US building guitar combos with mercury vapour rectifiers - poison vapour in hot glass being kicked around and having cold drinks balanced on top? I can see the law suits being drawn up already! By the way, this doesn't mean we're not looking forward to your valve heads umph

I'm building a 30" scale neck for a Strat type guitar (along with all the other projects I'm trying to get done ), hopefully giving me something like a Fender bass VI with three pickups, tremolo, 5 way switch and narrow string spacing but tuned an octave lower like a proper bass, hopefully using all the original hardware. It's the only way to go really low but if you're only going baritone I would definitely try heavy strings, it's surprising how low you can go.

I've only ever played Eastern European budget carved tops or cheap Chinese laminated DBs. The sound and playing quality seemed to have as much to do with the setup and strings as the construction which has got me wondering. Has anyone had experience of the more expensive end of the laminated spectrum, like the Upton Bass laminated models or the 'legendary' 1950s Kay and Epiphone laminated DBs. Is a really good laminated bass worth buying over a 'budget' carved?

So what's the specs going to be then? From the size (and type) of output tranny on the 200 I assume you're going for an ultra-clean output stage rather than a crunchy one.

Looking forward to this thread!

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='918480' date='Aug 8 2010, 02:25 AM']I hate tying a strap at the nut, its the weakest point of the guitar and it doesn't take much leverage to get the neck flexing. Makes me wince when i see guitars like this. I screw strap buttons in the neck heel, safe, secure, unobtrusive and yes, I don't know why manufacturers don't do this as standard.[/quote] It shouldn't be so much strain on the neck with a hollow bodied bass - I wouldn't do it with a pre CBS Jazz though

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='909347' date='Jul 29 2010, 04:34 PM']Ha, I've just had a quick check over, with the except of the Ashdown practice amp in the living room, all my amps are hand wired, most on turret board/turret track, (which people seem to label point to point even though it isn't). None were very expensive, and none have managed to turn me into a better player, just a louder one, which is , I feel, at least as important as ability.[/quote] Ahh but that's the point - it's [i]knowing[/i] (or at least believing) you're playing a super-duper hand wired amp that makes a difference!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='909220' date='Jul 29 2010, 02:36 PM']This could turn a lot like the neodymium sound thread. So many other factors going on.[/quote] It's the same story with woods, finishes, cables, you name it. I do think a hand made, hand wired amp is a nicer amp to own than a mass produced one - just like the instruments we play through them - and knowing you're playing an exquisitely built bass and amp can make you play better. It's a similar story with 'classic' gear, what used to be boringly bog standard off the shelf faire turns into magic sounding rarities, seemingly overnight in some cases, 70s Fenders for instance. As for the PCB question, imagine how expensive the V8 would have been if it had been wired point to point...

In electronic terms valve amps are usually pretty simple - the mistake some people make is thinking building a big valve amp will be cheaper than buying one. The valves alone for a Trace V8 will run into the hundreds and as for the power and output transformers, well, that's probably why umph was asking what he'll be using. That said, I guess the main reason for building a v8 copy is because they're so difficult to get hold of, which is as good a reason as any, and better than most. A fair few people on here would be very interested in the results so post some pics/sounds if and when your mate gets it together. Mine's a Morphy Richards too! - could they be the steam ironing equivalent to Fender????

[quote name='Steel_mason' post='895793' date='Jul 15 2010, 06:14 PM']My Midrange sweep is damaged from a Drop on stage and im thinking of replacing it with somthing completely different, Any ideas?[/quote] A slider? How about something attached to the strap button so you can change the sound by pushing down on the body a bit like the hipshot string bender but with a kind of 'wah wah' effect. Might mean a bit of woodwork though.

I love Thunderbirds so long as they're reverse bodied and have chrome pickups, ie. I don't like any they produce at the moment. I just don't understand why Gibson replaced the fantastic original high output chrome pickups with the not very inspiring black soapbars they use now. Totally beyond me.....