EssentialTension

Brilliant. Oh and it's an old Fender. Like already said.

Thomastik Jazz Flats JF344 La Bella Flats 760FS and 760N Pyramid Gold Flats GHS Precision Flats

[quote name='Badass' timestamp='1349961159' post='1832740'] And any ideas on where to mark the side of the board, if there are no marks present now....Please don't give me some mathematical equation to work this out [/quote] If you want something temporary and cheap get some sticky dots from a stationers and put them where your tuner tells you the note is. Just do 'frets' 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 etc. it's enough.

Are you related to the great Lev Yashin?

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1352748653' post='1866993'] I was told that you need perfect pitch to own a banjo, so you can lob it into a skip without it touching the sides.... [/quote] Pitch it roughly in my direction , it won't need to be perfect.

[quote name='Fubar' timestamp='1352737961' post='1866768'] Comes under the heading of 'Karaoke', that's what's wrong with that. [/quote] That's totally bizarre.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1352733563' post='1866679'] And they want it in E. [/quote] Well, Fm in this case.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352723547' post='1866480'] Well they've tried to help, but since one of the sets I wanted to buy was out of stock with a 4 week wait before they expected any more from the US, and the other was being discontinued they couldn't really do much. However the impression I got was that once what I wanted was back in stock I would have to buy it through a dealer who aren't particularly local and I would therefore have to incur travel or postage costs on top of the dealer markup, on top of which I would probably have to get the dealer to order them in especially for me, which IMO sort of defeats the object of buying them through a dealer. [/quote] Not much customer service there then.

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1352710660' post='1866278'] At the Cardiff bass bash (which was great!) on Saturday a discussion came up about how Pj Harvey's last album only had bass (guitar) on 1 track and how we should record bass parts for the rest of the album as she had 'forgotten' to. [/quote] I'm sure PJ Harvey can figure out her own bass parts if she needs to. [quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1352710660' post='1866278'] Anyway, from this, someone mentioned that earlier in the year 3 of the top 10 billboard chart singles had no bass at all! And the reason for this is that [b][i]songs are being produced and mixed for mobile phone speakers[/i][/b].[color=#FFFFFF]but it's a good starting point for discussion!)[/color] [/quote] And who is it that cares even the slightest bit about the Billboard top 10? I didnt even realise there was such a thing anymore. What's your evidence that songs are being produced and mixed for mobile phone speakers? Are there really people listening to music on mobile phone speakers? Enough of them to warrant mixing especially for them? Mixing for in-ear headphones would make more sense. [quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1352710660' post='1866278'] Does this spell the end for bass players? [/quote] No.

[quote name='he man812' timestamp='1352677575' post='1866118'] wow that looks very nice! sadly about £100 out of my price bracket :/ do you think its worth it over cheaper alternatives? [/quote] I don't really know the answer to that - it was substantially cheaper and 'shop-soiled' when he bought it, more like £400 including a gigbag. I do know someone else with a relatively cheap Ozark (left-handed one) who's also happy with what he got.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1352674890' post='1866077'] Yep. There's a massive amount of cultural baggage attached to the banjo. Not all of it good. I've found that a neutral reaction to a banjo is rare. People tend to go either or . I try to use mine in a blues/gospel way. Inspired by the playing of Otis Taylor. A 2008 cd of his 'Recapturing the Banjo' was a great inspiration. [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Recapturing-The-Banjo-Otis-Taylor/dp/B0010VD7FS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1352674797&sr=8-3"]http://www.amazon.co...52674797&sr=8-3[/url] [/quote] Yes, I really like that album.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1352673598' post='1866048'] Banjo - great instrument. [/quote] Definitely.

My son has an Ozark 2142G. Sounds brilliant but also very heavy.

... or from here [url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-shop/guitar-bass-parts/pickups-pickup-parts/pickup-parts/rubberfoam-neoprene-sponges-for-mounting-under-bass-pickups-p-3568.html"]http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-shop/guitar-bass-parts/pickups-pickup-parts/pickup-parts/rubberfoam-neoprene-sponges-for-mounting-under-bass-pickups-p-3568.html[/url]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352654282' post='1865649'] In that case I think you may be disappointed if you try that again. From what I can gather the UK distributer was appointed about 6 months ago. When I contacted LaBella recently hoping for a similar sort of deal my request was passed on to the distributer and I've had no direct contact from LaBella themselves. I don't have any problem with paying "shop" prices if the shop in question actually carries the items in stock. What I object to is paying a premium price for an item and then go through the rigmarole of having to wait for them to be ordered in. [/quote] So are you saying that the new distributor didn't help you ot?

[quote name='untune' timestamp='1352642134' post='1865446'] I'd like to try some of that denser black foam stuff you usually get under pickups but I don't know where to look for it... [/quote] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-PICKUP-MOUNTING-FOAM-001-7333-049-/230839352195?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item35bf18fb83"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item35bf18fb83[/url]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352641053' post='1865424'] How long ago was that? La Bella appear to have recently appointed a "proper" UK distributer. However from my PoV this means that my favourite internet string site can no longer get the strings I want at a competitive price or on a reliable basis, and I am now expected to deal with my "local" music store who aren't particularly local and to my knowledge have never kept the strings in stock before. [/quote] Not quite sure when but less than a year. As I said in a previous post it was for items difficult to get hold of in Europe - specifically two 760N black nylon extra long E strings. I exchanged a couple of emails explaining what I needed, gave them a credit card number, and hey presto!

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1352594415' post='1865082'] They ship direct to the UK? Result! [/quote] I couldn't guarantee they will ship anything and everything direct. In my case it was a couple of 760N-Extra Long which are rarely available in Europe and they were happy to do that.

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1352208251' post='1860084'] La bollocks. A company who have never responded to my emails. [/quote] That's odd because when I emailed them a few months ago I got a reply within a couple of hours and about five days later I got the parcel of strings I asked for dropping through my letter box.

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1352145874' post='1859412'] I know 2 people who think they own everything and I really do mean everything recorded by Zappa. What are the odds of that? [/quote] What? All the stuff in the Zappa archives that hasn't even been released? The odds are nil.

You could just play them to break them in.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1352143310' post='1859346'] I use my nose and chin. Truckstop [/quote] Short strap then?

First five frets or so - little finger Simandl style. The rest - ring finger 1FPF style.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1352138525' post='1859254'] ... Stringing basses through the body instead of the bridge will result in a much tighter feel. [/quote] I know some people have this experience but I've never been able to tell any difference.

What BRX said - but also, even if the strings are all the same make and gauge, strings will be made within a certain tolerance so one packet/one string may well differ if only slightly from another so producing a small change in tension.