henry norton

+1 on every comment above. I used to play a very early 5 with the single H (all that was available then) and never picked up my Jazz or Precision during the entire 4 years I used it, whereas the 2 band pre EB SR4 I swapped for it wasn't nearly as versatile and I tended to use my other basses more. The 3 band eq and the single/series/paralell switching gives a pretty good range of tones. I've never tried the HH - the H seemed versatile enough.

Aww come on! Surely Gibson basses aren't [i]that[/i] unpopular?

Does anyone know where I can get replacement pickups for a Gibson EB-3? I know DiMarzio do a neck replacement (unfortunately in black rather than a bright metal) but I'm completely stuck on the mini humbucker. Any ideas?

[quote name='Prosebass' post='392335' date='Jan 27 2009, 01:36 AM']I've been experimenting with heavier string gauges to avoid the "rubber band" short scale syndrome. Using a heavier gauge keeps the string tension high and this combined with a very short stiff neck enables a low action. The flipside of this is I don't want a 4 stringer that feels more like a 5 stringer as to a lot of players it will feel wrong , so its a lot of testing and a balancing act between tension and gauge.[/quote] Yeah, string gauge (or more significantly string type) seems to be much more important to most short scale bass users. Alot of people seem to end up with flat wounds, although this could be as much to do with harking back to the sixties and expecting a certain 'classic' sound instead of actually listening to what the bass [i]could[/i] do. I'm certain it's posssible to get a full range of useable tones and timbres out of a short scale bass - it just needs some experimentation. Good luck with it.

A compressor can pump up your car tyres, nail your fence panels and sand blast delicate patterns onto your bathroom window. It might be worth getting a slightly bigger compressor if you wanted to do anything else other than small spraying jobs. Otherwise, it looks pretty good.

I'm looking around at short scale basses right now so this thread's been quite interesting. I've always played Fender and Musicman basses, and always thought gibson style short scales were boomy, wooly and not versatile enough for any modern setting. That was before I tried out an early 70s EB-3, strung with flatwounds. It was light, comfortable to play and had a fantastic array of sounds - from a booming thud to a very bright twang. A snip at about 800 quid. The big problem I can see is every (new) short scale bass on the market seems to be made for mega-cheapness rather than comfort or versatility (Alembic asides, but who's got ten grand to spare in these harsh times?). Because of this, nobody is ever going to try a short scale bass with decent pickups and hardware. I don't mean EMGs and gold plating -just a few steps above rock bottom The ultra short scale sounds interesting although I would rather forgo the extra inch and a half if it really affected the sound - I suppose there is a practical limit to scale length before it really does end up like playing a bunch of elastic bands. The time might be better spent on a clever headstock design, like the Rickenbacker 12 string with the pegs mounted both flat and at right angles. I'd love to try one, so long as it offered some quality and versatility.

Any decent DIY wood filler will work fine - the harder the better. Alternatively you could try filling the slots with a hardwood veneer (maple would work well). Also, you don't need to use epoxy, Jaco Pastorius used it to get the board dead smooth but most rosewood board fretless basses do without it.

[quote name='jimijimmi' post='389679' date='Jan 23 2009, 04:32 PM']im with you on this one guys... whats the point? no really..what is the point? [/quote] Agreed, it's just another bit of cheap design art that doesn't work particularly well as either a bass or an 'artistic statement'. Some of his other creations are really quite nice though, esp. the Jazz with the valve preamp.

My 82 JV squier Precision. They're appearing on ebay for ridiculous money these days but it's been in my life since 1989 when I decided to stop playing on my pedals and EQs and start playing music. I flogged my Stingray 5 and bought this from the Bass Centre and although I still hanker after a 5 string Musicman that's just for want of having one rather than needing one.

Bass Guitar Mag has the "40 greatest basslines ever" - I'm listening to each one on Youtube and seeing if I can play them. Working on Digital Man by Rush at the moment.

'Graphite saddles' would probably mean graphite impregnated resin - not to be confused with carbon fibre impregnated resin. If it's made right it should work fine although it's probably asking a bit much of it to take two fine threads and quite alot of stress from the string on a P bass type saddle. Apparently the original Precision had phenolic (Bakelite) bridge saddles, just proving that there's no such thing as a truly original idea...

[quote]So titanium is less dense than brass? That's going the wrong way on the higher density = better sustain/tone etc scale.[/quote] Yes and no if the recent appearance of aluminium bridges is anything to go by (and swamp ash bodies for that matter). I'm no expert but to minimise energy loss (in other words to maximise sustain) the string would need to be mounted as rigidly as possible. Dense materials like brass and maple tend to be inherently rigid although not always (lead). Titanium is about half the weight and stiffness of steel and ali is about a third but because they're lighter they can be made thicker and doubling the thickness makes it much more than double the stiffness. Does that make sense? Personally I'm waiting for a carbon fibre bridge for my old precision....

Sounds good - I like the idea of the longhorn 'cos if Junior gets fed up with it I wouldn't mind taking it on.

Titanium is somewhere in between steel and aluminium in density so would probably sound somewhere in between too. It's more difficult to machine and cast than either steel, ali or brass so I would expect the price to reflect that but the plus side is it doesn't rust or go green - it just stays a dull greyish colour, even if you scratch it. Since people started using ali for bridge parts it was only a matter of time before someone tried to cash in on the gear porn market with Titanium, but if it floats your boat....

[quote]ash_sak Posted Today, 11:07 AM Anyone know how to slim down a neck, i have a Fender Jazz style de-fretted bass but the neck's really fat, front to back not across the fretboard. I was wondering if any of you knew how to thin it down, if that's possible without damaging the bass.[/quote] A standard Jazz bass neck is pretty narrow and if you take off much more wood from the back you may end up causing yourself alot of grief - like playing a matchstick with all the intrinsic strength of one. It might be worth trying out a few different necks to see what you really want before you pay someone to take a spokeshave to your bass. It could also be worth looking at getting an alternative neck which could work out cheaper than paying someone to modify your existing one, but the actual process of shaving down a neck isn't that difficult for someone with a fairly good set of woodworking skills.

Thanks for all the replies but can I get hold of a Bass with the hollow body of the Hofner copy and a 30" scale (he really has small hands) HN

My ten year old son is starting to take an interest in playing bass but my precision is too big and heavy for him. Bearing in mind he might get bored of it fairly quickly, can anyone recommend a lightweight short scale bass that doesn't go for Guild Starfire type money?

Yeah you're right at that Ray, the manuals really are rubbish. Apparently there's a virtual analogue MIDI synth built in but I'm buggered if I can find it. That said, I am the person who gave up his MusicMan for a Precision 'cos it had too many knobs and switches......

I've been given a Behringer Bass v-amp as I don't play live at the moment and don't have the space for an amplifier. I'm dead pleased at being able to listen to what I'm playing now although it's all a bit overwhelming when all I really needed was a headphone amp... Does anyone else here use one?

I use a Schaller J bridge pickup on my workhorse Precision and it's pretty good. I'd be wary of using one in your bridge position though because it's more-or-less a standard guitar humbucker size and the string spacing on a Fender bass will be a bit wide at the bridge. Should be fine for neck though.

Thanx for the replies - I still don't quite get it but maybe that's just me. I guess it's down to the old adage 'it's worth what people are willing to pay for it'. I loved both my MusicMan's (MusicMen????) and I might get me another one day although the range seems frighteningly big now. The Bongo looks quite good - asides from the name....

You could find a 34" unlined fretless neck and cut 32" scale fret spacings into it if you don't mind a bit of woodwork. You would have to reposition the bridge if you used a standard Jazz body but it's not too difficult to make your own with a few woodwork tools and perseverence.