henry norton

[quote name='Beedster' post='578983' date='Aug 24 2009, 01:53 PM']You know any collectors who aren't Doesn't matter how good the job is, let's face it, a lot of retro work is probably of better quality than the original craftsmanship (think 70's Fenders).[/quote] +1 on that Beedster. It depends on what you want it for. If you love the bass and want to play it regardless then go for it but if you really are worried about the value then lock it in its' glass case now!!!!

[quote name='evilLordJuju' post='577265' date='Aug 22 2009, 01:42 AM']No, you are right, but I think most people that change out the bridge are doing so because the Gibson 3 point can be tricky to adjust, and sometimes just doesn't go low enough. Or they lost a saddle and can't get a replacement (moreso with the older ones). Personally I have no problems with them, but i've had a lot of practise. The hipshot is easier to adjust still though, no practise required.[/quote] Yeah, fair point, I think the biggest problem with the 3 point is it falls to pieces when you take the strings off! Is your EB an original white finish? If so, I hope you keep armed guards around your house..

I bought a used Epi EB-0 from the forum and it's a brilliant change from what I'd been used to - you know, Precision, Jazz and MusicMan. If you want a try then go the Epiphone route, get a decent set of strings and you'll get a good idea of whether it suits you or not. There is quite a difference between the pickups fitted to the Epi and Gibson version (the epi is much lower impedance and weaker magnets), but don't worry about hardware etc. They work pretty well straight off the shelf. Don't worry too much about Hipshot Supertone bridges and suchlike - I've tried them and Schaller 460's too (hugely heavy machined brass Gibson replacement bridge) and neither of them made much difference - I think spending an extra eighty odd quid kind of makes you want to hear a difference that isn't really there.

You can buy relatively cheap coil winders off the internet these days (not car boot sale cheap mind you), although it's worth bearing in mind some of the most sought after pickups - Gibson's early PAF's for example - were wound on a small winder without a counter. The coils were wound for a set period of time, meaning there was quite a variation between one coil and another. What this means is if you know what speed your electric drill runs at you could wind pretty much world class pickups on tools you already have in your shed. Go for it

I might be wrong (I often am), but didn't the original Quad electrostatic speakers consist of one big e/s membrane with an area somewhat larger than even a 24" diameter driver? You can shoot me down now

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='570913' date='Aug 16 2009, 07:35 PM']Old Laney Supergroup series. 4x EL34s. It's basically a 70s Marshall knock-off but without the ridiculous prices. Equall nice for guitar or bass. Jules[/quote] Not all Marshall valve amps are megabucks - I paid 300 quid for my 100watt Marshall 4150 combo, with a nearly new set of EL34s. There's good deals out there somewhere....

Nice job - especially for freehand. Are you making a MM clone or are you beating your own path with this one?

I've always thought it was risky buying pre slotted nuts. The couple of times I've been asked to fit them they've always needed work which begs the question 'why bother?' It's actually pretty simple to make a nut up from a blank - you just need a needle file and some sandpaper. My EB-00's nut is disintegrating so I could do a mini build diary if anyone's interested.

Yeah, I'm a recent flats convert too, in spite of being a mainly fretless player for a long while. They last longer than rounds too.

Here's my superfly new hanger, made from 5 screws, a bit of 4x1 and some leftover foam handgrip from my bike. Much as I like Hercules hangers with their fancy locking mechanism and neat appearance there's nothing quite like a half hour's work and some bits from the workshop for ultimate satisfaction. Total cost, £0, and I'll keep it there until my wife complains about it.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='569224' date='Aug 14 2009, 05:54 PM']I've never had a problem with lack of sustain. I'd say controlling sustain through damping of one kind or another is the real issue.[/quote] Me neither and I've recently started playing short scale basses which work well and can 'sustain' a note more or less as long as my trusty old Precision. I would also add many players control their sustain (or more accurately attack, decay sustain release) with choice of strings - flats, grounds, rounds, high tension, low tension etc.

[quote name='ahpook' post='568102' date='Aug 13 2009, 05:00 PM']forgive me if i'm wrong, but what does sustain have to do with pickups ? surely sustain comes from the mechanical aspects of the bass - pickups just amplify what's there already. good pickups on a bass that sustains like a wet washing line will still sound like a wet washing line - just a hi-fi washing line ![/quote] Pickups amplify certain parts of the frequency spectrum better than others and a string will produce more of some frequencies and less of others, giving the instrument its' timbre (ie. the qualities of the sound). So for example, when a fundamental is dying down and all that's left are a few harmonics then a pickup better able to cope with highs will still be producing sound whereas if it was better in the lower ranges it wouldn't be picking the harmonics up so well and the note would fade. It's also dependent on how strong the magnets are, how close it is to the strings, that sort of thing. Does that make any sense ??? I think sustain is a bit like horsepower in cars - having more doesn't make a better car just like more sustain doesn't make a better bass, but there can be advantages both ways.

When I started playing the thing to do was to get a decent Japanese Fender copy (Tokai or JV Squier), change the pickups, bridge, nut & tuners and you would end up with a bass that (in most instances) was much better and more useable than a US Fender for much less money - especially the 70s ones everyone seems to like these days. If it's a decent instrument to start with then it's definitely worth doing it but don't expect your money back if you sell it.

I've occasionally seen cases for EB-2s on Ebay for about 80 quid.

+1 on XB's comment - If buyers don't want to be a part of this exploitation then they have to be willing to pay more than 'exploitation prices'. It's interesting because there doesn't seem to be much of a middle ground, you can buy a cheaper far eastern instrument or a high end custom western instrument, the middle ground (ie. people who want an instrument built in the west) is made up of US Fenders, MusicMan, maybe some Warwick models. I can't think of any others off hand.... Oh yes, Rickenbacker!

[quote name='mrcrow' post='564269' date='Aug 9 2009, 06:29 PM']your gold isnt gold but plating of some sort...you may have to live with the tarnishing or have the stuff reworked to add a gold finish which is expensive once you get everthing clean...use wash up and a toothbrush and then some meths afterwards..if everything works ok that could be your best scenario unless you replace them[/quote] Most gold plating on guitar hardware is actually gold (at least on anything half decent), but always in the form of a very thin flashing over the top of a heavier, tougher chrome plate - hence, if you go at it with an abrasive polish like brasso, you can easily polish right through the gold and bring out the chrome underneath, so +1 on the cleaning tip, meths shouldn't do any harm.

If you've got access to a hacksaw and don't mind wrecking the old strap button all you need to do is saw down through the middle of the button and screw 'til you've made a nice slot in the screw head - instant slot headed screw!

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='562293' date='Aug 6 2009, 10:45 PM']I'm currently in the process of stripping and cleaning my Conklin- the previous owner(s) appears to have played with fairly heavy palm muting on the bridge with two results: 1) The gold finish is quite worn (almost totally away in places). 2) The entire bridge assembly is filthy with hand gunk. Is there any special care that needs to be taken when cleaning gold hardware? I don't want to tarnish it any more than it already is- will the old bath of coke method work here? Thinking about it I'm inclined to believe it will as brass players I know have used it on their instruments. If I was to take the tuners off, could I do the same with them? Or would the moving parts and plastic rings (Gotoh GB7 style) affect it? They're not quite as grubby but are pretty tarnished. Shopping list at the moment- Switch cleaner Lighter fluid (to clean the fretboard) (purpleheart). Some lemon oil or something similar, to use on the fretboard Some coke. Any ideas/comments?[/quote] A vigorous polish of your gold hardware will bring the chrome underneath out a treat. If it's worn away already then cleaning and polishing will tend to remove more. If you spend a bit of time dismantling the bridge then you can get the worst off with a cloth and a cocktail stick for the difficult to reach parts. Gold shouldn't actually tarnish and so should be cleanable using a soft cloth. Don't put cola anywhere near your hardware - I think the acid in it etches the tarnish off brass (HP sauce works well), but it's not brass you're trying to clean. Try polishing a bit of your gold hardware up carefully using just a soft cloth to begin with, drink the coke to keep you awake for the long hours of cleaning ahead.

[quote name='bassaussie' post='562159' date='Aug 6 2009, 07:53 PM']I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of what sort of commission rates UK stores charge for the sale of instruments on consignment. I made an enquiry today with a fairly well known store, and was a bit shocked when the rate came back at something like 35% of the sale price!! Is that typical?[/quote] I don't know about musical instruments but I used to make furniture and accessories and the mark up for most big retailers was near 100% (ie. 50% of sale price), so 35% sounds quite good from the makers point of view.

Bostin! Thanks Gareth

Advantages asides, some say that active electronics (and active pickups in particular) lack the warmth of a passive setup. Hence, one of the latest trends is to have just one high quality passive pickup and no tone controls at all! I liked the actives on my Stingrays, especially the 3 band I had on my 5, but I found I played better and worked harder for the right sound with my totally passive Precision.

This is all new to me so can anyone recommend a piezo pickup that works well with an acoustic bass guitar or are they all much of a muchness?

Goodfellow for goodness sake!!!!!!!! Awww, you slipped the GB link in while I was writing my post BigRedX. Nice to see so many still going by the way.

I'm looking into getting some laminated arch tops made as I want to build myself a range of semi acoustic basses with a Guild Starfire/ Gibson EB-2 symmetrical style (31" scale). The mould tool I'm making is for a narrow 4 string spacing but I'm sure a 5 string spacing wouldn't be too hard to work around as long as it wasn't ultra wide. The horns would have to be a bit longer if you wanted the full 34 inches (!), which might compromise the rounded semi look, unless you don't mind a bit of neck dive. I have seen some cheapo 5 and 6 string semis on Ebay [url="http://cgi.ebay.com/5-String-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Hollow-Body-Guitar-New_W0QQitemZ360110480294QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item53d841dba6&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50#ht_2552wt_1161"]cheapo bass[/url] but if you've been looking at Warwick Starbasses these ones might seem a bit lacking in the quality department....

Here's my hot rodded EB-0. A real monster and a world away from my lifetime JV Precision. The only problem is now I need another two - one for roundwounds and one fretless. I'm thinking of making a couple of EB-2 / Guild Starfire semi hollow basses to appease my Gear Acquisition Syndrome.