RhysP

I'm not sure what you are asking. A zero fret is just another fret close to the nut, you couldn't alter the string spacing with one. If you just want to replace the nut with one cut for a different spacing then whether the neck has a zero fret or not shouldn't make any difference.

If anyone is interested: Strings Direct have a 10% off bass strings offer on this week - use the code THUNDER at checkout for your discount.

They sound sh*te on electric.

My Levinson Blade B4 bass had an active circuit with a tone control that worked like a more traditional passive tone control. It was actually a low pass filter so it gradually cut the highs without getting muddy.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1476451625' post='3154448'] "[b][b][b]these are extremely hard to find[/b][/b][/b]" [/quote]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1476201369' post='3152257'] and that's why we don't invite you to parties Rhys... [/quote]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1476142228' post='3151784'] ....So don't worry about how you will be coping in 10 years time. You will be just fine. [/quote] You have no way of knowing that, he could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

[quote name='largo' timestamp='1476193932' post='3152164'] If it's an consolation, I used to own a Wal mk1 back in the early 90's. I was drawn to the looks but knew a lot of the big name pop bassists were playing them too. After playing it, I couldn't understand the hype & it was easily the heaviest bass I've ever owned, including the 5 strings I've played. I wouldn't have another. Does that make it any easier for you.... [/quote] I'm the same. I've owned one (an old Pro model with a scratchplate) and played lots of them (the shop I used to work in in the early 80s stocked them) & have never been able to see what all the fuss is about, especially since the secondhand value of them went crazy. When I bought my Levinson Blade B4 from the bass centre in the late 80s it was the same price as a new Wal & I chose it over all of the three Wals I also tried that day because I thought it was a much better instrument. I've often wondered whether there would be all this hype around them if Wal was still alive.

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1476049299' post='3150892'] I'm seeing a bit of context here: you expect a small, cheap amp to sound a bit crappy and an expensive one to sound good (subjective considerations aside of course). In that context the biggest disappointment for me was a (very pricey) Fender Vibroverb reissue I had some years ago. No matter what I did I couldn't get a decent sound out of it - actually thinking about it I can't quite recall why I bought it in the first place. This opinion may be coloured somewhat by it's horrendous reliability record - 3 major failures (and two new power supplies) in as many months. When it went pop for the third time I told the shop to keep it and took home a S/H Mesa Boogie Studio .22 instead. Much more like it! [/quote] The Vibroverb reissue is a pretty terrible amp as are most, if not all, of the Fender reissue valve amps in my opinion. Crappy, unreliable PCB construction being sold for hand built point-to-point prices. I tried a load of them last year when I was looking for a decent valve combo & I thought they were all rubbish. Funnily enough some of their cheaper amps, especially the Mustang 3 combo, are really good little amps. I'd have one of those over a reissue 65 Deluxe Reverb or Princeton any day.

Apart from a bit of reverb & tremolo I'm not really into effects on my guitar. Got really bored with overdriven/distorted guitar years ago.

I used to gig but I never really enjoyed it that much. Never had stage nerves or anything like that, but at the same time I never got anything from gigging other than the feeling I could be at home doing something more enjoyable. Apart from the odd one-off I haven't gigged regularly since the early 90's, have done some paid session work since then though which was quite enjoyable. The last couple of gigs I've played have been playing acoustic guitar, not bass. I might still do the odd gig if the offers are there, but I have no desire to go out searching for a band or do it regularly. I'm not even that interested in bass these days, but I've still got a lot of knowledge & experience that occasionally comes in useful on here.

I would say it's affected by quality of components & workmanship than anything else, which is why I've got old stuff that has worked fine for decades & new stuff that packs in almost as soon as the warranty runs out, if not before. I'd be surprised if any of the digital class D, PCB based stuff will keep going as long as, for example, an old Vox or Marshall valve amp has. The problem with most of the new stuff is that it's not designed to be easily repairable.

A maple fingerboard Japanese Fender in any finish apart from Sunburst or Candy Apple Red.

I've been using a Scarlett 2i2 to record electric guitars for a while & never had any problems with clipping or lack of headroom. Depends how hot your pickups are I guess but I've had no problems with my Jazzmaster single coils or my Gretsch Anniversary Filtertron humbuckers.

Although they get slagged off a lot on here I've sent & received loads of instruments with Parcelforce over the years & never had any problems whatsoever. The only couriers I would never use are Hermes & Yodel.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1475832118' post='3149020'] Being realistic custom made basses usually involve an extended wait time. WAL is 2 years and some and apparently with Carl Thompson you get it when you get it. I understand the irritation, but to be honest, no matter what you were told at the start, 12 months doesn't seem like a long wait for a hand made bass from a very small outfit. Hassling the guys will probably turn out to be counter productive. [/quote] 12 or 18 months isn't a long wait IF you're told that's how long it will be from the outset. if you're told it'll be 6 months & then it drags on for twice that or even longer without any explanation then I think anyone would be right to be pissed off.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475804593' post='3148909'] Rhys, do you know there are a significant number if people that music is the only thing that makes them happy and brings joy into their lives? I'm not sure music can cure cancer. I'm also not sure everyone understands the power of music. Blue [/quote] Yes, I'm fully aware of that. I used to be one of them.

There was a thread a while back started by somebody waiting for a Hyperbass that took a lot longer than the time quoted. I always found Zon to be particularly bad at answering emails. To be fair it's pretty much a one man operation but it's still not good customer service.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475706324' post='3148196'] By painting by numbers, I mean someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing. Getting a piece of TAB off a website, sitting down and watching someone play it on Youtube, or listening to it on Spotify and just copying it, isn't playing a musical instrument, and least to me. It's like painting all the number 2s red, all the 5s brown and ending top with the Mona Lisa or something. [/quote] Surely the number 2s would be brown...

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475705886' post='3148193'] Sounded like bragging to me Rhys. Blue [/quote] Well you're completely & totally wrong. Wind your f***ing neck in.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475687209' post='3147995'] Why do people think this is something to brag about? Blue [/quote] Who's bragging?

Always a pleasure to watch craftsmen working.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1475520638' post='3146623'] Nothing made by Yamaha has broken ever, that is an actual fact [/quote] I had a Yamaha acoustic once that broke when I fell on it while I was pissed.

Mine.