RhysP

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1351080336' post='1847007'] Like Coilte says though, oiling isn't something that needs to be done. I've oiled mine once in 22 years & that was about a year ago. [/quote] This. Fingerboard treatments are basically just another way for manufacturers to get people with more money than sense to part with even more of it. People are verging on OCD about stuff like this these days.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1351069855' post='1846812'] Only skimmed this thread, so someone might have already said it. But ordinary common or garden sunflower oil from yer local supermarket works fine. [/quote] There are all manner of things added to cooking oils to aid heating & retard burning that would make using them on a guitar a pretty bad idea. They will also go off & smell pretty bad.

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1351033006' post='1846583'] Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a character called Gibson Rickenbacker in the film Cyborg. [/quote] It would have been great if they'd called him Daisy Rock.

[quote name='peterjam' timestamp='1350984540' post='1845759'] I understand that Tony Levin will sometimes only plug in and play the 'bass' side of his Stick, so it's like you can apply this instrument to any situation, but you should think about context - you don't switch all your foot pedals on at the same time, so you don't need to be playing bass and melody all the time. The fact that it comes with a stereo cable is leading me down the 'melody amp' road - Fender Mustang or Line 6 Spider IV? GAS kicks in again! [/quote] That's not quite right - Levin would just use a two-to-one adaptor & run his Stick into a single amp & play a lot of two handed bass parts. If you just plug in the bass side you're losing access to a lot of low notes on the melody strings which are also useful for bass parts. This is how he tends to play Stick with Peter Gabriel as most of his Stick playing is just for bass lines. When he tours with "Stickmen" he runs his Stick stereo into two amps & uses a shitload of pedals. Playing through two amps can be pretty strange, especially if there's a lot of space between them. A lot of people use a small mixer to set up different bass & melody sounds & then run into a single full range amplifier. Finally got the money together to order the Stick of my dreams & I've decided not to bother! I know what I'm like - it'll spend 99% of the time in it's case & that's a lot of money for something to dick around on once every six months.

Fender Jazz basses - hate the necks, REALLY hate that horrible chrome control plate, hate that slanted body shape, hate the shape of the scratchplate & hate the sound. I'm also really not a fan of four-in-a-line headstocks in general.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1350936587' post='1845368'] But they haven't broken yet. [/quote] I'd leave it the f*** alone then if I were you. No point in making work for yourself, is there?

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1350934992' post='1845334'] Just a thought,but after 22 years,would it be time to aaply some lemon oil then? [/quote] Might be worth changing the strings too.

The logo is wrong for a '59 for starters.

Do you already have a Japanese Precision? If so there is unlikely to be any advantage in buying a US one - the Japanese Fenders are very highly regarded & quality is certainly at least on a par, if not better, than the US models. The quality is certainly more consistent, with far fewer QC issues than are found on the US models. The only thing some people say is that the pickups on Japanese models are not as good as the US ones.

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1350930021' post='1845234'] What about the issue that electric bass isn't a 'classical' instrument (and has very little in the way of established solo repertoire)? Drums have a lot of formal military stuff at its foundation, guitar has a strong classical/Spansh tradition, but e-bass started as either guitarists, or jazzers coming from upright. [/quote] I'm pretty sure that would mean absolutely f*** all to your average 14 year old.

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1350910998' post='1844917'] True,but drum,piano and guitar teachers seem to be continuing to get students,even if the numbers are decreasing slightly. [/quote] Well, at least piano is a proper instrument.........

Of course, just because there aren't many kids taking lessons that doesn't necessarily mean that they're not learning by some other method. Money is a serious issue for a hell of a lot of families these days and music lessons aren't cheap when you add them to everything else kids expect to have paid for them these days. Buying an instrument is one thing; it can always be sold if the child loses interest after a while. Six months worth of lessons is a lot of non-recoupable money down the drain if the kid gives up.

There are so many conflicting reports about what/what not to use that I just stopped bothering. Quite a few guitar builders say not to use lemon oil as it makes wood go brittle.

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1350728157' post='1842703'] MB1. Adele on Bass??? or Mark King on Bass??? ...Theres only one way to sort this out......................................FIGHT! ...Coat Collected! [/quote] Adele would kick the sh*t out of him as she's quite obviously a Wookie with a shaved face: [IMG]http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/RhysP/chewie.jpg[/IMG] Adele [IMG]http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/RhysP/adele.jpg[/IMG] Chewbacca

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1350845784' post='1844221'] I'm just confused as to what murray played on. I know he did slide it in and 1987. Wiki says he played on all the albums but on that gig at donnington 1983 its not him on bass. [/quote] [quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1350845833' post='1844224'] Just read some more wiki turns out he got fired but then came back. so it probably is all murray. He is a great player! [/quote] When they played Donington in 1983 Colin Hodgkinson was playing bass for them - another great player!

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1350834431' post='1844001'] Confession time! I have a penchant for pre 1987 Whitesnake, it may not be elegant or high brow but it's great pub rock n roll. plus any band that has contained Jon Lord , Ian Paice, Cozy Powell, Micky Moody has to be alright. Anyway, the bass playing is pretty tidy on them albums. Being an ignoramus though I'm not sure who the players are, how's that for underated. I know Neil Murray played at some point but it's the guys before him , i think. Here's a couple of examples. [media]http://youtu.be/wAIxaGWXVBA[/media] [media]http://youtu.be/K_gtdGDSnDA[/media] [/quote] Those clips you posted both have Neil Murray playing on them - great player. Their first album "Trouble" is superb. I saw them on that tour & they were awesome.

The only way you can do it is by taking the bridge saddle out & carefully sanding the base of it until it gets low enough - often this will only make a very small difference & you have to be careful not to take too much off, and also to keep it flat while you're sanding it. There's not a lot else you can do with an acoustic except a full neck reset, and if it's only a cheap bass it wouldn't be worth the exspense.

If anyone's looking for an acoustic bass you won't get better than this - very cheap start price too: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fylde-Sir-Toby-Acoustic-Bass-Rare-/230868004796?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item35c0ce2fbc

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1350754957' post='1843165'] Personally, I have never been bothered by a gloss finish neck, but nowadays it's quite unusual to find a gloss finish on higher quality basses. [/quote] I've always preferred them to be honest - every bass I've owned (apart from the SR5) has had either a painted or high gloss lacquer neck & I've never found them to be sticky or slow. [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1350754957' post='1843165'] Unfinished necks are bound to be higher maintainance, and I can't help but wonder if manufacturers have welcomed (and fueled) the trend for unfinished necks because it saves them the cost of spraying the necks. [/quote] I've always thought exactly this too - they save themselves a packet on the neck finishing but you can bet they don't pass the savings on to the punter, it just gets labelled as a "premium" finish or some other bollocks.

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1350755632' post='1843191'] ok - i know the odd song by them. one album to start with please... [/quote] If I had to pick just one of their albums I'd have to say "Countdown to Ecstasy".