cameltoe

Like that a lot, real cool music. What's up with the drummer? Good bassist.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1448706908' post='2917513'] Don't get hung up on floating thumb. Learn one thing at a time. Just practice every song you can find with octave jumps. [/quote] If I hadn't have moved to floating thumb i'd still be struggling with the anchor-and-stretch. I couldn't get that to work with me, it felt horrible. It's another thing to learn, sure, but it may be a technique that the OP is more comfortable with. To the OP I think everyone agrees that practice is key. Practice slowly on a technique which feels right to you and speed it up. Use a metronome. It's not easy, as there is more muscle memory involved in those pesky string jumps. Good luck!

Do use a floating thumb technique or do you keep your thumb anchored on the pickup? Either way you do it, it just sounds like it could just be a practice issue. I prefer floating thumb, however it does take a while to get accurate with this. If I'm only hitting one octave note before heading back then I usually keep my thumb anchored. If you find it hard slowed down then perhaps this is the issue- start slow, get it right, then speed it up.

Looks like they've been playing it like an upright!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1448454446' post='2915522'] I'd agree. Sounds like technique related more than strings or even set up. [/quote] Quite possibly but if the bass that's causing issues is set up with a higher action and flatwounds, this will definitely fatigue his muscles quicker than he's used to. I've played basses with an action you could park a bus under before, and they don't take long for you to really feel the extra work you're having to put in to get the thing to play! Cramping is never good, however.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1448361155' post='2914674'] Nice to see jimmy page keeping himself busy [/quote] Ha!!!! I always thought Jimmy looked a little bit Asian. Is this video serious? It can't be, surely. Must be a wind up.

If you want to get the nut cut, there is a lovely gentleman in Mayfield, East Sussex that will do it for you! As above posters have said, set-up is key here. The nut will be the first point of call, but seriously DON'T chisel the bottom off. You need to take a little bit of material off at a time and recheck. If you take too much off the bottom and refit you're knackered. Have a google, there is plenty of info online. You may want to invest in a set of nut files, but B&Q do a miniature set that if you're careful, will do the job. After that, you need to check the relief is similar across all the basses (as much as the frets will let you get away with, anyway, some may be more forgiving than others ). I like to see slightly less than a credit card width here when fretted at 1st and last, but this depends on the bass and the frets! Some of my basses have more worn-in frets that will allow a very straight neck. If it starts rattling when restrung on frets 1-6 you'll know the neck is too straight. Finally, adjust the action. You should be able to get the action a bit lower with the flats! Best of luck.

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1448181278' post='2913421'] Some good thoughts there guys, thanks for the input, my strings shouldn't be the problem as they are all new and generally sound fine. I'll have a play with pickup heights and see what happens, maybe the strings are a bit under tensioned or a bit 'floppy' compared to the rest..... I'm a bit wary about trying other strings and are a bit expensive to just 'throw away' if I don;t like them. [/quote] I have had nothing but great results from D'Addario balanced tension (medium). Fantastic D'Ad sound and they really do all feel very balanced. I love a low tension so used to hate the floppy-E thing. If you wanted to try a set I'd be more than willing to take them off your hands if you didn't like them, I'm about to buy a new set anyway.

Get up the dusty end and I find the E can sound woolly, but the G, A and B all sound great through my set up. I'd take a 5th fret E string A over an open A any day of the week!

I've never found this. The E usually sounds fatter- occasionally the A can sound punchier, more attack if you like, but that's depending on the life of the strings and the room. Usually a fretted E on a P bass sounds great to me. It's not a cab issue is it?

My JV has the classic 5th fret G string dead spot. Everything is rung up as tight as it can be.

Well, that didn't work out as planned. Drilled the new holes for the neck, very foolishly let my uncle attack it with his bench drill. Completely lashed it up. So, holes plugged up again, we're back to square one! Plan of attack again, is to do further shaping as it's still not quite vintage-slim, and to get these holes lined up right and drilled! I did get a vintage bridge arrive in the post the other day, so once the neck is fixed, the next plan is to line up the bridge and drill. I'm thinking the best course of action there is to drill only 1 or 2 holes, affix the bridge, and string it up to check it's straight. Less to have to cover up if I need to make minor adjustments.

Something similar happened to us last year, playing a friend's wedding. After finishing at midnight, they asked if they could use the PA for the rest of the evening. We agreed to pick it up the next day, and I showed the groom the fastest way to power it all down. When I turned up the next day, one of the speaker poles had pierced through the top hat on the subwoofer, with the pole completely through to the bottom. Luckily, it managed to miss both the driver and the amp, and the only damage was a new speaker hat, slightly annoying as they are JBL specific and it cost £45. We cut our losses and left it. One of the hazards of playing to drunk people, as mentioned above.

I would need to see more photos if I was going to make a judgement. Ultimately though if it's not in the condition it was described then send it back. Weight wise, I wouldn't get too hung up on this, as Fenders can vary massively in weight especially when made from Ash. Plus of it's an earlier model then it may not be consistent with what you hear about later models, I.e neck plate, heavy weight etc. Did they even make Mike Dirnt basses back in 2003? In my head it was way later than this! Ah well.

No. I like Dave Grohl immesenly, but Foo Fighters are my idea of hell. I loved Nirvana, but Foo Fighters seem like the kind of band Kurt would have despised. Nirvana even had a song called 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter', which pretty well sums up the Foos for me. Didn't they sign a multi-million pound deal with Warmart for them to have exclusive rights to one of their newer albums and merchandise? Each to their own though.

Or will a high-build primer work ok? Have a blank body I am using for a project and wondering if I can get away with a filler/primer instead. Thanks