henry norton

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='860898' date='Jun 8 2010, 01:42 PM']Leave it in a sunny window till autumn will also sort the colour.[/quote] Ahhhh leaving a musical instrument in direct, hot sunlight for a long time can also produce a nice warping effect in the neck - I'd definitely go the lacquer route. You wouldn't leave your beloved bass next to the radiator would you???

+1 on not using lemon oil! Smooth it, darken it, degrease it then epoxy it! You don't have to go through all the grades of sandpaper - you don't really need to go above 180 grit before coating the board with epoxy.

As it happens the amp didn't reach reserve so I'm sticking with it for now. I can't say I'm too sad but I had to give it a try

[quote name='lojo' post='859938' date='Jun 7 2010, 03:50 PM']Have you tried the TC electronics rebel head? It has a really good tube tone and neatly packs into a shoulder bag There cabs also are fairly easy to move, without that lacking punch ive found in so much of the lightweight modern cabs i've tried Plenty of people raving about them, Musicman20 on here seems to know everything about them and also owns the orange rig, so can offer a good view on TC vs the real deal[/quote] Those are the ones that look like 90s high end Hi-Fi components! I'll have to check them out too - it looks like they use some kind of digital modelling to get a valve sound. I wonder whether a serious piece of digital hardware like this will outperform one or two preamp valves. Hmmm

[quote name='Delberthot' post='857550' date='Jun 4 2010, 07:40 PM']Everything I've read so far points to applying several thin coats. I'm not sure if I could get a thick coat on very accurately[/quote] It works either way - Jaco Pastorius (can we ever discuss epoxy coated fretless without his name coming up?) started with the several coats method but finally settled on the one thick cast coating - presumably when he could afford to pay someone to do it for him... Either way works well, you'll only need a couple of hundred grammes all told so I'd get something decent. Just beware, like allot of electric guitar design, there's still allot of unknowns and -as always - even more people who'll tell you exactly what to do even though they've never tried it themselves. Good luck

I've been following a couple of recent threads by players wanting to shorten the scale of a bolt on neck bass - I'm wondering if there's any serious demand for necks made to fit a standard (20 fret) Fender pocket but with a 30, 31, 32, 33, 35 and 36 inch scale fretting/markers, with a P or J profile and the number of frets adjusted to suit so nothing had to be altered on the body? I know Warmoth will do alt. scale necks for guitars but they seem to be stuck in 34" land when it comes to basses. I got a couple of nice maple blanks.....

[quote name='Delberthot' post='855471' date='Jun 2 2010, 11:09 PM']Thanks for the replies so far. Its given me a lot to think about. Since the bass was relatively inexpensive, I'm looking to do this as cheaply as possible to may well got for the surfboard repair pack as it seems the cheapest, just need to make sure it contains enough. The only thing I've bought so far is a radius sanding block as I already had all the sandpaper and stuff.[/quote] Are you going for a number of thin coats or casting a thick slab on the board and sanding it back?

[quote name='Tegs' post='855520' date='Jun 2 2010, 11:49 PM']Not this time............. Lost the top of my left hand little finger on the planer 3 years ago though......... Amazingly, my physio for the tendon was a bass player and he just told me to go away and play [/quote] Holy Sh#t! I have nightmare visions about losing fingers/hands/arms in my machines - I can't believe your finger had an argument with a planer and you're still playing. Just think Tony Iommi I suppose

[quote name='umph' post='854310' date='Jun 2 2010, 12:21 AM']less to go wrong than a bassman? Theres barely anything in a bassman! @henry - Thats a beautiful amp i'd be gutted getting rid of it, can see why you'd want something lighter and more modern though![/quote] Yes I am a bit sad to let it go and if it doesn't reach reserve I'll quite happily hang onto it. I can't really justify having two amps kicking around at the moment but if it does go I am quite excited at the prospect of finding something completely different. (I've been following the purple chilli thread). You're right about the Bassman though - problem is the few things that [i]are[/i] in them are mostly made of iron! If only aluminium was magnetic....... Thanks for all the suggestions by the way - I still like MarkBass but haven't tried a Genz, Little Giant, Eden yet so there's still some testing to do, and that's [i]if[/i] my old amp sells.

[quote name='Chris Horton' post='854171' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:34 PM']I have very recently done exactly the same thing. I have recently sold my Orange AD200b valve head with the OBC 410 & 115 speaker cabs. Great sound but became toooooooo heavy for me to move about , it was really a two man lift as I had flight cases etc. sad to see it gone but i have picked up an Epifani UL 502 amp and Epifanu UL 410 speaker cab. They are both really light , easy to move by myself and AWESOME sounding . I play a 1978 & 1979 precision and a 2002 5 string stingray with piezo pickup they all sound fantastic and I would recomend looking at the Epifani gear , it is very clear/punchy/natural sounding and can handle anything from the high c from a 6 string bass to the low B string on my stingray with ease. I am supper pleased with my rig , highly recomended [/quote] [quote name='umph' post='854212' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:54 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-Bass-Amp-/200478324818?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2ead707852"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-...=item2ead707852[/url] is the the combo your shifting? ;o ever thought about going for something like a orange bass terror jobbie and one of the barefaced cabs?[/quote] Thanks for the pointers - I was originally looking at something like a MarkBass combo but I'm starting to discover some of these more exotic modern delicacies. Yes that is my amp by the way - it's a bit like a Bassman you can actually play the bass through

West System is what I usually use. You can get it from [url="http://www.axminster.co.uk/"]Axminster power tool centre[/url] without having to pay stupid postage rates. Most boat/laminating epoxy will do a decent job - just don't go and use 5 minute Araldite!!!!!!!!

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-Bass-Amp-/200478324818?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2ead707852#ht_500wt_1154"]Marshall 4150[/url] My ultra rare 1979 Marshall 4150. I won't be the slightest bit upset if this doesn't go, but I've convinced myself I have to try

I'd go for what you originally suggested - changing the headstock and sawing off / replacing the wings should be a piece of p#ss. If I had a spare neck thru like that I'd probably do the same. It gives you lots of scope like using very light woods, or what about creating chambered wings? It won't affect the sound very much but it might add a certain resonance and be lighter (and more interesting) than swamp ash (snore....). As for pickups what about the J/MM/J setup as seen on the recent Japanese Jazz thread in the bass guitars section? A big enough footprint to cover a multitude of previous routes....

I've just put my vintage Marshall 4x10 valve combo on Fleabay with the view to getting something light, compact and flat (as in the sound!). It wasn't impossibly heavy like an SVT and the sound was pretty good - a bit light on bass. I just realised I was keeping it because it's got gold knobs, a wicker grille, brown tolex and 4 EL34s. What I really need is something I can chuck in the back of my car with one hand Has anyone else done this sort of thing or is this really just because I've turned 40 and I'm getting too bloody sensible???

The Squiers are really good, as are the Japanese Fenders and JV Squiers (ahh yessss). Your average punter (and probably most bass players) won't be able to tell the difference in sound between them and a US std. but there's definitely something about owning and playing a US Fender that you can't put down to wood, electronics etc. It's just a good experience owning a US instrument and I think being happier with it just on those grounds can make you a better player.

Why don't you buy a capo, put it on the second fret and tune the P down a tone? Job done!

It could be possible if you used something like a standard Fender headstock but replacing the massive Kluson pattern machines with something more compact, like Schaller Y patterns. You'd have to have the holes sleeved down (not much of a problem), but tuning the entire neck up that much would definitely produce a big bow in the neck, as well as putting quite a strain on the strings. Manring doesn't use his Hipshots to transpose the whole neck - just a tone or so here and there. If you want to extend your range you'd be better off with another string or two

I'm well impressed with that - it's got better detailing than a fair few commercial EUBs.

The StewMac blocks are pretty reasonable, even with postage from the US. As for veneer, the standard thickness is round 0.5 to 0.6 mm, which should fit just about any fret slot cut to take standard fret wire. You could ask at your local joinery company or ask for some offcuts or a veneer sample from a veneer supplier. If some luthier charges you megabucks for 'special thickness' veneer, you have been taken to the cleaners! Beware....

[quote name='Thunderpaws' post='849775' date='May 27 2010, 09:50 PM']Hello, cut my neck profile today. Not too sure if the volute area is too thin, please feed back. Here are some photo's.[/quote] I wouldn't thin it out any more than that but it looks to be OK from the pics. Keep 'em coming.....

I played Fenders & Musicman since the mid 80s, most of the time using a Precision with an added J pickup and stainless rounds (usually Elites). I've recently discovered both short scales and flat wounds, so I've gone from thinking I had the perfect bass for me to hankering after a whole bunch of them. Now I need a long scale with rounds, one with flats and maybe a pair of fretless' to give me the choice of strings there too. Then I'll need the same but in short scale, oh, and I mustn't forget the double basses that I thought I could get on without but in reality I could do with a nice vintage carved European DB for arco and a good tough laminated for gigging and general pizz playing. So, I've gone from being happy with one bass to 'needing' about 10, all in the space of a year.

[quote name='steve' post='841383' date='May 18 2010, 09:59 PM']Nice work, have you got any more pics of attaching the sides to the back or front? did you just use small wooden blocks around the edge?[/quote] It goes a little something like this - I haven't used kerfed linings before (the wooden block things) as my violin-making training always specified solid linings bent before they're fitted. The kerfed linings look OK but I'm looking into building ply linings directly into the sides while they're being formed.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='841762' date='May 19 2010, 10:58 AM']Not necessarily better or worse just different. Whether you like it or not will depend on whether you like what it does to the sound. Technically to do well it's probably the hardest of the three ways of fixing the neck, but because of the way the joint is made it's the easiest to disguise any short-comings as the contact surfaces are hidden. More common on guitars than basses - Gibson and Rickenbacker are the main exponents of set-neck bass construction.[/quote] +1 on that although I thought Rics were usually thru neck. Set necks go back to the age old luthier traditions when makers had no choice but to glue a seperate neck onto a hollow acoustic body. The main reason bolt on and thru necks came on the scene is because solid bodies made it easier to do. As for the sound, some people reckon they can tell the difference but it's very subjective. I really like set necks just because they're [i]not[/i] bolt on or thru necked. The choice is yours....

They wouldn't be the first Western manufacturer to move production entirely to the East - if it is true (and I can't see anything about it on their website) maybe the high end European makers are beginning to undermine Warwick's market share. You can get a huge amount of UK luthier made bass for what you would pay for an off the shelf German Warwick...

Sorted out the basic body, now I need to bind it and cut the pickup and neck holes. It's fantastically light thus far so I hope the choice of ali bridge, knobs etc. will keep it that way. The neck blank is mahogany with a quartered rock maple stripe (a nod toward the Guild Starfire). I've got other more important things to do over the next few weeks but will hopefully be able to put in a bit more time on this.