EssentialTension

[quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1422553104' post='2674054'] [size=4][font=Calibri]...[/font][font=Calibri] P style single coil ...[/font] [font=Calibri]...[/font][font=Calibri] I've yet to find a bass humbucker yet that has a tone that does it for me, I just prefer single coils. [/font][/size] [/quote] Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but the Precision bass pickup is not a single-coil pickup. The P pickup is a split-coil humbucker pickup.

Spicey.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1422484523' post='2673388'] This isn't my actual bass, but mine's identical. A '64 Höfner Artist II, bought from my metalwork teacher for £20 in 1982. [/quote] I started on one of those too in 1974. I paid £30 if I recall correctly.

The pic appears to be from the Marvelettes 1965 UK tour. Other than that I have no idea.

I'm hearing some bizarre and extremely unfortunate views of young people here. Has it never occurred to some of you that you might learn something, might even enjoy hearing something new that a young person might introduce you to? Well, it's your loss. This lack of time and lack of respect for young people is highly reminiscent of the attitude in the 1960s of my parents' generation to young people of that time who are today the ones over 60 and who really ought to know better. There's absolutely loads of great new music being made by young people around the world and you are missing out on it just as your parents missed out on the great music of the 1960s. Many young people are listening to old music, just not all of it rock. In my experience they are on average much more interested in old soul, hiphop, reggae, ska, klezmer etc.than rock but nonetheless even old rock is listened to. And if young people are walking out of guitar rock bar gigs then, given the attitude of some on here, those young people are making a wise decision - why on earth would they be interested in ageist rockist boring old farts. [quote name='ubit' timestamp='1422368485' post='2671711'] All I know is kids will hate what their parents listen to. It's the law! [/quote] In my experience this is wholly not true, but then I am neither ageist nor rockist in my musical tastes.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1422212005' post='2669920'] ... Roger Sadowsky and Mike Tobias ... They also confirmed my understanding that the neck rigidity and fingerboard material probably account for most of the difference in tone between basses. ... [/quote] I'd allow that a neck needs some rigidity, as does a bridge and even a nut, but are you (and they) really certain that most of the difference isn't down to the player, or the pickup, or the pickup placement, or fingers, or plectrum, or strings, or EQ, etc.? Do several basses, lets say a Precision and a Jazz and a Stingray, all with maple neck & rosewood fingerboard really just sound alike due to the neck/fingerboard combination?

If there is a difference, it's not a difference that interests me.

[quote name='jtotheltotheo' timestamp='1422119030' post='2668920'] Is there a production short scale bass out there that can hold coming down a step without horrendous buzz? [/quote] The buzz is because the bass needs setting up for the new tension - just like any other string change. If you are going to tune down to D-G-C-F then you'll be best off with a heavier higher tension set of strings but there is no reason it can't be done. Newtone will make you a set if you aren't happy with any other set. It's true that a 34" long-scale bass with a capo at the second fret will be operating as a 30.3" scale bass, but if you want it tuned a whole step down then you would need the long scale tuned C-F-Bb-Eb, so that doesn't solve your problem.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1421495912' post='2661949'] ... it must be a bit like an upright bass player plucking over the end of the fingerboard. [/quote] I often pluck over the end of the fingerboard on an electric too

In one band, I commonly play fretless. That band also has a guitarist who plays slide guitar and sometimes lapsteel - both of which are (in effect at least) fretless. Sometimes the intonation between us is spicy, but that's folk and blues for you. There's one song where I slide up an octave from Bb on the A string. When I did play a fretted bass with that band on that song I missed the octave by a whole semitone. With fretless I'm always much closer than that.

[quote name='Platypus' timestamp='1421511157' post='2662133'] Not sure why this thread is in 'off topic' [/quote] The same could be said for many threads.

Personally, I wouldn't pay £4000 for a bass and I also wouldn't take it to the pub. YMMV.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1421504580' post='2662056'] Hmmmm, ok so my next guess is La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FM (49, 69, 89, 109) gauge [/quote] I think 760FM are a darker blue.

Are they long scale or shorter scale?

By the way, I would always leave the strings at proper tension and pitch for transportation, not tuned down.

If temperature change was the cause then it seems odd to me that the only cracking of the lacquer would be at the neck joint - and indeed one side of the neck joint only, which suggests stress in one direction. To me, neck joint suggests a bump of some kind. What is the purchaser asking for? I might give them what they wanted if it could be better than the trouble of telling the purchaser to return the item in my original packing and then give a refund so that I could sort the problem myself, which would probably be my preferred option.

[quote name='bassmayhem' timestamp='1421452027' post='2661610'] Personally, I always string thru body if possible. I feel the difference in my hands more than I hear it, though. Then there is said to be an issue with stringing flats thru body, that the "sharp bend" at the bridge will harm the windings of the strings. I have never encountered that, and considering the original electric bass, the old P-bass, had string thru body bridge and the only strings around were flats, well, there cannot be as much a problem as we may think. I use mostly Lakland basses, and all of them are strung thru body, even those with flats. [/quote] The break angle caused by through body stringing on the original Precision bass was somewhat smaller than it is on some modern basses. I would agree however that flats through body is not necessarily a problem and many flatwounds cope without issue. Mind you, I never string through body as I can't detect any difference.

Ordered on 11th January, arrived 15th January.

[quote name='Michael J' timestamp='1421270278' post='2659284'] I can slide a pencil in between my E string and the fingerboard at the 12th fret. I guess that means I have quite a high action... [/quote] ... or a very small pencil.

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1420975078' post='2655597'] ... I never measure height ... [/quote] I only measured it because someone asked.

[quote name='merello' timestamp='1421266391' post='2659225'] Tony or Larry? [/quote] ... just when it looked as though no one knew what I was talking about ... http://youtu.be/NJ0VSmkebwk

Isn't the warranty out of date?

I try to use my ears to control my knobs.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1421180434' post='2658200'] ...but so right! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ZPzgPTmho[/media] [/quote] Very good.