henry norton

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='706374' date='Jan 9 2010, 11:52 AM'] You should check out his Youtube channel, the guy has mad skills... Andy McKee's drifiting... the harmonics are astonishing...[/quote] Fantastic - something clever and listenable at the same time. Why is Stanley Clarke being hero worshipped while this bloke is languishing on Youtube????

[quote name='tarcher' post='716446' date='Jan 18 2010, 12:45 PM']Don't suppose Stradivarius ever used ply [/quote] Hah! Probably not but he did use 'cheapo, inferior' wood to make some of his instruments. Most people think of violin family instruments being made of highly figured sycamore, yet quite allot of makers back then - Strad included - used other, cheaper woods like poplar. You don't hear Stradivarius owners complaining about the quality of their tonewoods....

[quote name='mrcrow' post='716895' date='Jan 18 2010, 07:42 PM']you arent referring to jaco are you... what price perfection[/quote] If Jimi Hendrix had just a couple of guitars he used for everything he did rather than having a constant supply of anonymous new Fenders (& smashing the s##t out of them), his guitars might now be thought of as something special just like some people think Jaco's Jazz basses are. The magic's in the player. I'd still have a '63 Jazz and the 360 rig though.....

[quote name='Andy Blowers' post='716134' date='Jan 17 2010, 11:55 PM']Just wondering, has anyone tried swapping the tone pot in their P Bass for a Varitone? I'm seriously comtemplating it...[/quote] thebassman75 asked the same question earlier in the technical section. I've tried one (fitted to my EB-0 atm), and they're pretty good although they offer a specific range of tones rather than precise tone shaping you'd get with an active cut/boost. I guess you could increase the versatility (and complication) by running it through a 250K pot before the earth so you can vary the effect each position has. Dammit, I'm getting my soldering iron out and trying it meself.

+1 on all that. I had a lined fretless Jazz Sound in the late 80's and it was pretty good. Like early Squiers, some people rate them above US built Fenders of similar vintage.

I can't see it would be a problem, other than slightly higher wear and slightly less bright sound from the rosewood board. I would imagine it would cost a fair bit more to re fret it though so you'd better be sure

Yes, a varitone is basically a bunch of capacitors that will take away various parts of your signal just like a passive tone control so if you want more output or a wider frequency range then you will need hotter or wider range pickups.

[quote name='Thebassman75' post='714772' date='Jan 16 2010, 01:57 PM']Has anyone tried one of these?? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/62-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-STYLE-VARITONE-CONTROL-W-SERIES-SW_W0QQitemZ170429837342QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item27ae68f01e#ht_1135wt_1167"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/62-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-...#ht_1135wt_1167[/url] I was already thinking of uprating the pups in my jazz to Wizard '84's but just wondered if this might be over egging the pudding, so to speak?? Thanks[/quote] I fitted a varitone onto my EB and it had quite a dramatic effect. I should imagine it would be very useful on a decent Jazz. They don't offer any real 'boost', it's all treble cut but they do offer more than a plain passive tone control.

[quote name='tarcher' post='714852' date='Jan 16 2010, 03:30 PM']I can understand expensive tonewoods in acoustic instruments because there you have a direct interaction between string wood and air.[/quote] Actually not as much as you'd first think because construction has a much bigger impact on acoustic instruments than it does on electrics - The bracing, carving etc. has a profound effect on the tone whereas the woods have proportionally much less. It all makes a difference but the devil's in the detail when it comes to tonewoods.

Gibsons (and Epiphones) tend to have a narrower bridge and therefore a more linear spacing down the length of the neck.

[quote name='Sibob' post='713161' date='Jan 14 2010, 11:34 PM']There won't be any aesthetic differences as the issues were obviously all internal. When it's back and re-assembled...I'll post a pic of the bass again lol Si[/quote] Good news. Did he explain what had happened? It sounds like you're always very careful with truss rods which makes me wonder if there was a quality issue with the rod itself. There's quite allot to a double action rod and a fair bit of welding and lining up to get it all together and working properly (compared to a Gibson type anyway), but the way they work isn't rocket science and it normally takes real abuse to break a decent one. Keep us posted if you find out any more.

If I spent 100 quid on a bass I would expect it to be set up by a child worker on near slave wages If I spent 400-1000 quid from a large manufacturer with good resources I would like it to be PLEK'd or something similar If I spent more than this I would expect it to be given that personal touch from the hands of a skilled luthier. prices may vary It's probably a good idea for mid size production in the west where the cost in hours spent setting up piles of guitars would be very high (a-la Warwick), but I would throw my 200 quid at a good luthier rather than a glorified CNC grinder made from Alprofil & RS components....

[quote name='stevie' post='711848' date='Jan 13 2010, 09:01 PM']It would be really interesting if you could remember.....[/quote] Warmoth do quite a good guide to the effect each type of wood has on the sound of a solid instrument. I still maintain you should choose the wood you like the look and feel (weight, grain) of - if the luthier's any good they'll know what they're doing and it'll sound good whatever wood you choose. [url="http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Bodies/Options/BodyWoodOptions.aspx"]Warmoth Wood Guide[/url]

Old double basses get repaired and altered (4-5 string for example) all the time, and they're expected to last for centuries. If it's been repaired well enough then it shouldn't be a problem - just don't pay 'perfect condition' prices for it.

Just to be doubly contentious, I might add the 'back to back' tests OTPJ and chris_b did on their respective Status' and Wal's may not be as conclusive as they first appear because I would presume high end instruments like these are always subject to constant development in the design, construction and electronics which may well count more for the differences in sound than the differences between two pieces of wood. (OTPJ's very different sounding Status basses were both walnut so what does that tell you about nailing down your sound by wood choice!) Anyway, you can all print off a copy of my avatar and throw darts at it now. I'm off to laminate up some mahogany and quarter sawn Canadian rock maple for my next bass neck

[quote name='bubinga5' post='710743' date='Jan 13 2010, 12:06 AM']I really dont think you should be getting the tone of your instrument from the pickups or preamp...it is after all why instruments are made of wood!... Luthiers choose these woods wether they be one or two woods, or a multiple wood combo through years of experience in tone shaping...Getting a bass to sound good in any of those mentioned woods is not really the issue..its wether you like that tone... if i was having a bass made i would certainly be asking the Luthier what sort of tone i will be getting from certain wood combos.. and they would prob think it odd your choosing woods on looks alone?...after all you may not like the sound..Weight is also an issue.... Im fairly sure NO Luthier builds a bass from the electronics backwards..there main aim is the sound of the wood pickups and preamp's are for tweaking and amplifying the sound of the wood..IMHO[/quote] Well I would say it was more like amplifying the sound of the strings mounted on the metal bridge & frets that are in turn mounted on the wood. I agree wood choice makes a difference but construction, electronics, hardware and strings are all major contributors. Compare an ash bodied Precision with an alder version, they'll both sound like a Precision - the difference will be in the details and [i]most[/i] people choose one or the other because they either like the look of ash and are prepared to put up with the extra weight or they prefer solid colours and/or prefer it lighter.

[quote name='neepheid' post='709799' date='Jan 12 2010, 11:55 AM']I have to stop you there, chief. It's on posts which can pull out of the body (had that problem on an Epi EB-3 and ended up having to epoxy them in place, but heard of that problem on a Gibson SG bass too), the saddles are not individually adjustable for string height, only at each side of the bridge (I had to muck about with swapping out spare saddles to get an overall action I was pleased with on my Epi Les Paul - the G saddle is gold, the rest of the bridge is chrome, go figure) and if you take off all the strings, it falls off. The Gibson three point bridge is inferior to the Fender bridge in terms of adjustability and practicality. The only reason it remains on my Les Paul is the carved top, otherwise I'd have put a Hipshot Supertone (which gives you individually adjustable string height AND lateral position as well as even more mass and improved bridge to body contact) on it right way.[/quote] Yeah I agree they're not that great, although the big problem of the posts pulling out isn't actually cured by using a Supertone bridge. Maybe that's why the old Schaller 460 bridges came with their own posts and inserts. I've never really had an issue with the string heights but I hate the way it falls off when you take the strings off. BTW, most gold parts are chrome underneath so you could probably bring out the chrome in your rogue saddle with an evening of Brasso and elbow grease

[quote name='Beedster' post='708828' date='Jan 11 2010, 02:59 PM']The Hipshot is the brass version. Weighs a ton. Cost me around £100 to buy and around the same to have it flown over from the USA by Hercules [/quote] Yeah, I guess it goes to show heavy bridges won't always give good results. Funnily enough, the standard Gibson 3 point bridge I have on my EB-0 has to be one of the most maligned pieces of hardware ever - maybe even more than the BBOT, yet it's adjustable in just about every direction and weighs a ton! There's just no pleasing some people

+1 on all that but I would add, if you're having a bass designed and made by a good luthier I would choose the woods I liked the look and feel of rather than trying to 'tune' the sound by wood choice. 'Tune' the sound by pickup, string and electronics choices as they are far more consistent than wood will ever be. Some luthiers go to extraordinary lengths to pack in loads of different woods in order to get a certain sound yet others (Mike Pedulla on his classic basses for instance), will just use one type of the best wood in the best way they can. There's no right answer but a well made bass should sound good in maple, ash, bubinga, walnut, ebony, whatever.

[quote name='Beedster' post='708568' date='Jan 11 2010, 10:36 AM']I see your point but don't agree. I've found, for example, far greater sustain and easier to hear harmonics, and have found that basses with, for example a Badass II, are easier to intone and set up (my tuner seems to 'prefer' to work with a Badass). Chris[/quote] I've no doubt whatsoever [i]you[/i] could tell the difference between a stock Fender bridge and a high mass replacement Chris, (even with the thumpy flats you like to use ), but I still believe the majority wouldn't really notice a significant difference. This is coming from someone who's fitted Schaller 3D's to every Fender I've ever owned. It makes intonation and string positioning easier but if I had 50 quid to spend on improving a stock Fender's sound a bridge would be fairly low down on the list. By the way, is the Hipshot Ric bridge you fitted the ali or brass version?

I'm pretty sure most people would fail a blind test between the BBOT and a high mass bridge. When players have mods done to their basses they 'want' to hear the difference their hard earned cash has cost them. That said, a high mass bridge won't make the bass sound any worse and if it makes a player happier having a nice chunky, shiny new bridge then they'll probably play better as a consequence!

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='705964' date='Jan 8 2010, 09:03 PM']To be safe "stack & stick" for a good few months. If you got it now, I'd be still be inclined to leave it until the end of summer. Kiln drying never gets to the core or heart of the wood, & that moisture still needs to escape. That takes time. Pete.[/quote] Considering 99.9% of all guitars are made from kiln dried wood I'd be worried if there was still a high proportion of moisture left in the centre of the plank. Maybe you've had some bad experiences but if it's kilned properly then it [i]should[/i] end up about 6% moisture content all the way through. I agree it should still be sticked and stacked indoors for a while, kilned or air dried.

You're looking at about half an inch per side, per year if you want to season wood properly. It varies with type but that's a good general guide. This means if you prop it up somewhere dry and breezy with shelter from rain and sun you will need about two years to season a bit of wood two inches thick if you want to end up with a bog standard 1 3/4 inch body after planing. You'll then need to leave it a couple more months indoors to let it get used to indoor humidity levels (assuming the bass won't be kept in the garden). After that, you're ready to go! There may be wood yards or suppliers who might put your wood in their kiln but some people can be quite touchy about stuff like that. If so, you'll still need to leave it around the house for a while but you could skip the two year wait.

Hah! Another one into the fold - soon we shall rule the earth!!!!! Fender players beware

[quote name='Faithless' post='692526' date='Dec 23 2009, 08:09 PM']Ah, I'll better ask it in the same thread.. So, is it 'a must' to cover fingerboard with epoxy if I'll be putting nylon strings on it? As I know, epoxy is needed, if you're using rounds, which dig into fingerboard.. Aaaand, other question is about the nut.. At the moment, my bass is strung from B to G, but I'm planning to change it's tuning to E-C, so is it also 'a must' to change the nut? I've seen a guys changing their tunings like that and not messing with nuts - and they said they hadn't a single problem with it!.. So, what could I expect? Yours sincerely, Faith[/quote] NOOOOOOO!!!!!! You don't NEED any coating on a rosewood board, especially if you're using nylon tape wound strings! They just don't scratch into the fingerboard like rounds do and even if you were using rounds, it takes allot of use before you'd need any repair work. If your guitar tech is insisting they give your fingerboard an epoxy coating then I'd look elsewhere. Nut wise just wait and see how the strings fit - you'll probably need to lower the slots a bit but you might not need to widen them. Good luck with it mate.