BottomEndian

Ha! Stop press! I've sung with Lesley Garrett a few times, and she [url="http://labs.echonest.com/SixDegrees/?start=lesley+garrett&end=charles+mingus"]links to Mingus in 3 steps[/url]!

Using [url="http://labs.echonest.com/SixDegrees/?start=prefab+sprout&end=charles+mingus"]this site that cropped up here recently[/url], I can go: Me Martin McAloon (bass player in Prefab Sprout, and lecturer when I was at college) Tony Visconti (produced Prefab Sprout and...) David Bowie Angelo Badalamenti (performed on the Bowie track "A Foggy Day in London Town", and wrote "Sycamore Trees", played by...) Ron Carter Charles Mingus (Carter played on "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers") I take much of that on trust, and there's probably a quicker route.

[quote name='deksawyer' post='855867' date='Jun 3 2010, 11:20 AM']The Elixir strings I sent him are too short - only the inner winding is passing through the nut. I must need XL scale strings to fit the 35" scale. Anyone know?[/quote] Check out [url="http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/product_bass.html"]the Elixir website[/url]. They do a 4-string set in extra-long scale (45-105, product code 14087), and then you'd have to separately buy the only extra-long B they do (130 taperwound, product code 15433). As to whether anyone actually has these in stock... dunno.

Certainly smells fishy.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='854687' date='Jun 2 2010, 11:57 AM'][/quote] Is that a load of pollocks?

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='854649' date='Jun 2 2010, 11:23 AM']Where's PeteAcademy when you need him [/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=90148"]Trying to record a bassline onto his computer.[/url]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='854584' date='Jun 2 2010, 10:45 AM']Thanks guys. Will try some new strings a re-set it up and see if that helps I think. I am slightly concerned about the neck though. Will have another look at it this afternoon as it was only slight. Hopefully with another set up it would work itself out but if not does anyone know what can be done about it? It's a thru neck design so new neck isn't really an option. Will adjusting the truss rod sort out the slight twist? I've not adjusted the truss rod before [/quote] Ahem. Seriously now. If you're at all concerned, get it to a decent tech person (I'm guessing PeteAcademy can hook you up with someone down your way). The truss rod [i]shouldn't[/i] make a shred of difference to a twist... but necks and truss rods can do strange things.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='854584' date='Jun 2 2010, 10:45 AM']It's a thru neck design so new neck isn't really an option. [/quote] Wuss.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='854551' date='Jun 2 2010, 10:25 AM']No, different brand although I think the gauge was the same if not maybe slightly heavier.[/quote] Well, until you adjust the truss rod to compensate for the change, chances are the string change [i]will[/i] have altered the curve of the neck, due to differences in tension. That (combined with the recent changes in weather) could have caused your troubles. I know the recent hot spell has caused a couple of my basses to need truss rod tweaks. That's where my knowledge ends, sadly. But seriously, every time I change strings, I check the neck relief (and adjust if required), saddle heights (and adjust if required) and intonation (and... wait for it... adjust if required). I rather enjoy the ritual. I'm looking forward to doing it tonight, actually. (Why's there no "massive nerd" emoticon on here?)

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='854228' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:01 PM']Having looked at the neck it appears that there could be a tiiiiny bit of curve on the top (G) side, whereas the Bottom ( B ) side is bolt straight. Could be my eyes though.[/quote] That's a [i]little[/i] bit worrying to me... if there's only one truss rod. That sounds twisty. If there are two truss rods, then that's no problem at all (although I'd have set up the top side to be straighter, rather than the bottom). Are the new strings the same brand/type/gauge as the old ones?

[quote name='sk8' post='854503' date='Jun 2 2010, 09:48 AM']Stil playing with it at the mo but its got alot of sounds in there [/quote] Bizarrely enough, I think the knobs are in exactly the positions they would have been when it left me! That's a mighty fine sound right there, IIRC.

[quote name='Conan' post='850334' date='May 28 2010, 02:10 PM']Is there anything I can retro-fit to improve the stability of the stack?[/quote] A few of those and a pocketful of wood screws and the top cab'll never shift again. Disclaimer: portability may be compromised.

[quote name='M-Bass-M' post='850186' date='May 28 2010, 11:10 AM']Price-wise, that looks cheaper. However I also see that there is the V940, which has a non-Fender shape that I prefer. Anybody have experiences of playing one?[/quote] I've noodled on a V940 for a while in a shop. While it was fine in terms of playability, I found the sound really, really lacking. Thin, weedy, uninspiring. Dunno if it was the pickups or the preamp, but if you got one of those I'd budget for new electronics too. Obviously, as ever, YMMV. Oh, and it's unlined too, so it might be a bit of a baptism of fire, fretless-wise.

[quote name='M-Bass-M' post='850110' date='May 28 2010, 10:01 AM']Am I right in thinking there's a lot of love for the Squire Vintage Modified Jazz fretless?[/quote] Yes. To elaborate slightly... the VMJ fretless got me started on fretless, and I haven't looked back. Such an easy-to-play bass.

[quote name='Linus27' post='849793' date='May 27 2010, 09:02 PM']The two basses that are jumping out at me for fretless are either a Fender Jazz or a Stingray.[/quote] Hell yes. That said, I'm enjoying something of a revelation at the awesomeness of my newly-acquired ACG piezo-only fretless, so if you can add a piezo bridge and filter-based preamp (or at least something with a sweepable mid to pick out the mwah frequency) into the equation I reckon you're onto a winner.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='847693' date='May 25 2010, 04:57 PM']What's the fingerboard on that? Delta Metal?[/quote] [url="http://www.vigierguitars.com/html/Description_US/Guitars/toucheUS_surf.html"]Clear as mud.[/url] I'm (wildly) guessing some sort of copper-heavy alloy?

Zappa certainly used a fretless guitar about 40 years ago. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fretless_guitar#Famous_users"]Wikipedia[/url] lists some more fretless guitar widdlers. Anyway, I'm interested to see the outcome of this build, and [i]really[/i] interested in hearing clips when it arrives. Metal board on a fretless guitar must sound unique!

[quote name='lojo' post='845146' date='May 22 2010, 03:49 PM']they also have a no 5 string bass rule[/quote] No, seriously...

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='844405' date='May 21 2010, 05:20 PM']From what I've heard, these absurd "Tennessee" brand basses are fundamentally unplayable.[/quote] Indeed. I'm no expert, but two truss rods just doesn't seem like enough for a "neck" that wide. ("Neck" just doesn't seem the right word... "shelf", maybe?) It'd surely get warp-tastic. You'd also have to say bye-bye to your shoulder. And the floor, after the headstock dived into it when you took your left hand off the neck. Sorry... shelf. [quote name='wesfinn' post='844691' date='May 21 2010, 10:19 PM']what tuning would that even be!??[/quote] Whatever the hell you want. You still couldn't play it. Seriously, though, it seems to be strung up in groups of a single gauge. The bottom three or four strings look about the same gauge, and the same with the top three. It wouldn't surprise me if it's strung up chromatically or something.

Nah, Paul H was right. I'm pretty sure it's the underside of a suspense-generating machine.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='844321' date='May 21 2010, 04:21 PM']I'm in the process off fixing up my Warwick and I'm likely to get a cheaper Squier CV P (possibly with a pup upgrade) to fit in with my latest project! [/quote] Well, after owning it for five months, I'll vouch for what a fabulous bass this Fender is. They're really at the top of their game at the moment, and with the upgrades this is an absolute belter. Well worth the extra outlay. It just ultimately lacked a string for my liking, and it had these metal things going across the fingerboard that kept getting in the way... oh, yeah, frets, that's what they're called.

[quote name='eude' post='844030' date='May 21 2010, 12:33 PM']Nice [/quote] Yeah, I blame you. And that Cringean fella.

After buying a stock Skelf and falling completely in love with it, the Recurve build's now re-specced to 33" scale and a flat fingerboard (previously 34" scale and 16" radius, IIRC). Both those aspects of the Skelf feel [i]so[/i] right, so it makes sense to keep the two the same. Otherwise I'll switch between the two and my intonation will go to sh*t.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='843537' date='May 20 2010, 08:47 PM']At that price you aren't far off the price of a USA bass. If you can stretch your budget a bit I have a 2009 USA P bass with added pup upgraded to Nordstrand pups AND a Badass III (inc' case and candy/tools etc.) admittedly maybe £200 more than the bass you are looking at but that 'certainly' won't lose its value![/quote] On its way out again already? What have you spotted now?

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='841469' date='May 18 2010, 10:18 PM']what ratio of wet / dry do you set it? does it help retain the low end?[/quote] Wet/dry to taste. Low end can start to become a little flabby and farty with the addition of chickpeas.