ikay

I believe Newtone strings can make up custom sets so they may be worth contacting - [url="http://www.newtonestrings.com/"]http://www.newtonestrings.com[/url]

The pre on my series 1 is fine, maybe just a tiny bit of hiss when treble is fully boosted, otherwise quiet. Pickups definitely don't hum when solo'd. Only thing which is a bit of an acquired taste with the series 1 pre is the three position mid switch rather than a sweepable mid. I tend to leave it in the mid boost position and use the pickup blend to adjust how it sits in the mix.

Can't find a service manual for the TRB series I but the TRB series II manual (with circuit diagram) can be found here: [url="http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/Documents/Guitars/TRB5II_5IIF_E.pdf"]http://www.yamaha.co...B5II_5IIF_E.pdf[/url] TRB5P series I circuit diagramd and parts list can be found here: [url="http://s55.photobucket.com/user/i2k92/media/schemo/cdtrb456p.jpg.html"]http://s55.photobuck...rb456p.jpg.html[/url] [url="http://s55.photobucket.com/user/i2k92/media/schemo/cdtrb456pcmp.jpg.html"]http://s55.photobuck...56pcmp.jpg.html[/url] This post on TB is about pickup wiring for the TRB 1005 and mentions a dummy coil. Not sure if this is relevant to the series I or your particular issue: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f38/yamaha-trb-1005-aguilar-preamp-wiring-issues-572756/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f38/yamaha-trb-1005-aguilar-preamp-wiring-issues-572756/[/url] Realise none of this is what you really need but on the offchance it may be of some help.

My pair of siblings - both '72, oly white/blond, close serial numbers, beautifully worn in! [url="http://s1090.photobucket.com/user/iankay/media/IMG_0626.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1090.photobucket.com/user/iankay/media/IMG_0629.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1090.photobucket.com/user/iankay/media/IMG_0636.jpg.html"][/url]

I'm with Pete. Here's another scientific explanation on how friction is developed. Not my words but makes sense to me. The last para is analogous to skin (soft rubbery material) sliding on a gloss surface. Just another tuppence to add to the debate! "There are essentially two components of friction that create the horizontal/lateral forces that occur in sliding. The first is an interaction between the peaks and troughs inherent in the micro roughness and indeed macro roughness of the two sliding surfaces. These peaks are sometimes referred to as asperities. It is a form of interlocking of the surfaces which requires a particular level of force to overcome it. The second component of friction is a molecular adhesion between the two surfaces. Whilst not a major component in very rough surfaces, it becomes the major component when the surfaces are smooth, and in particular when one surface is rubber or plastic. With a smooth surface such as glass and a very slightly damp, soft rubber (the slight dampness appears to enhance the adhesion) one can achieve far higher values of µ than can be obtained with even the roughest surfaces."

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1375010722' post='2155653'] I'm sorry, but this is not correct.... [/quote] Oh well, it seemed reasonable to me! In that case I'll join the rest of you and say I haven't got a clue

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1374996937' post='2155494'] Can someone please explain the physics behind this? [/quote] A gloss neck feels 'sticky' not because of its finishing material, but because it is a perfectly flat surface.. There's maximum contact with your hand and therefore more friction when you move your hand along the neck. A satin finish has tiny imperfections that reduce friction because your hand has slightly less contact with the neck surface. The stickiness factor is accentuated by hot and sweaty conditions. A small amount of sweat increases hand contact with the neck and makes it feel stickier. Loads of sweat (to the extent that it's pouring off you) will act as a lubricant by creating a film between your hand and the neck and make it feel slicker. That's the theory anyway! In practice some gloss finishes do feel less sticky than others but a satin finish will generally feel slicker. With unfinished necks it depends how it's been finished. This is usually some combination of oil and wax which can soften and feel sticky in hot conditions.

This may sound a bit daft but try reversing the saddle (move G end to E) and see if that makes a difference to the E output. If the E sounds better it proves that adjusting the geometry of the saddle in some way is part of the solution. It's just a diagnostic exercise, put it back afterwards! Having said that, I had a piezo bass that arrived with the saddle in backwards which completely messed up the string balance. Flipped it round and that fixed the problem.

First thing I'd do is remove the screw and see if the thread on the screw itself is stripped or if it's the threads inside the hole. If the screw is buggered it's probably easier to replace that than having to tap a new thread in the hole.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1374858909' post='2154199'] They look like TI (Thomastik/Infeld) jazz flats to me. [/quote] TIs have red silk at the ball end and don't have a tapered B. That's probably the biggest clue - which flats.have a tapered B? Re Status strings, my halfwounds had black silk at both ends but not sure about their flats.

This is a '69 P (pic from andy baxters inventory) with the D tuner also closer to the edge than usual so that's not necessarily a warning sign. The strap button looks way out to me though. I've seen slight variations in positioning but not this extreme. If everything else checks out then this may be a later addition. The strap button was discontinued sometime in 1969 according to the Fender Bass book. [attachment=139633:69 P bass.jpg]

Hi Drakers, The correct Fender (USA) bridge screw is a #5 x 1" which is consistent with the replacement screw in your pic. I've also checked this against the screws for a spare Fender bridge that I've got. The MIJ screw for some reason looks to be the next size up (#6) but is slightly shorter than 1" which is a bit odd. If you definitely only want to replace one screw then my best guess for the screw spec that you need is #6 x 1" oval countersunk phillips head. Finding these screws won't be easy though (I've had a quick look) and if you do they almost certainly won't be an exact match for the original screws. They'll be from a different supplier and there.are usually small variations in how the oval head and phillips slot look. My advice would be the same as grissle above - replace all five - either with new #6 x 1" (if you can find them) or with the Fender replacements. If the hole is slightly oversized for the Fender screws then just use a trimmed down cocktail stick or something similar to make it a tighter fit. That will work fine. If you want to check the screw sizes for yourself then this chart will help - http://hingedummy.info/screwinfopage2.htm Good luck!

The unanswerable question - to summarise: Inherent 'tone' of bass - Neck and body woods/construction - Pickup type/construction - Position of pickups Strings - Winding type - Material - Gauge - Age Playing technique - Fingers/pick - Plucking position - Touch Onboard tone shaping - Active EQ - Passive tone control - Pickup blend/balance Outboard effects - EQ - Compression - Distortion - Delay/modulation - Pitch shifting - Envelope shaping Amp - EQ - Compression - Speakers PA/Desk - EQ - Compression - Speakers Venue - Acoustics Aka everything. What have I missed?

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1373995483' post='2144046'] what is the best bass metal to convert to gold [/quote] To be honest I'd be more interested in that

[quote name='operative451' timestamp='1373988053' post='2143906'] There must be some rules of thumb? [/quote] This 'glossary of bass tone' (bark, bite, throaty, thuddy, thick, transparent etc) describes each tone and may be a useful starting point for building some rules of thumb: - [url="http://wiki.talkbass.com/index.php?title=Bass_Tone_Glossary"]http://wiki.talkbass...s_Tone_Glossary[/url]

The OP's question is really about 'timbre' not about 'tone'. This wikipedia entry outlines the various components of timbre pretty well - [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre[/url] This article goes into more technical depth on digital synthesis of timbre - [url="http://articles.ircam.fr/textes/Wessel78a/"]http://articles.ircam.fr/textes/Wessel78a/[/url]

Shining a light/torch behind the gauge can help to show up whether it's a fit or not (same as using a straight edge to check flatness of a fingerboard)

Can you post a pic of the screw your trying to replace alongside the Fender ones with a ruler (millimetres) for scale? MIJ hardware is usually metric whereas MIA Fender is imperial so that might be part of the problem.

Search for Yamaha SB600 and you'll find some bits and pieces on the internet. Couple of links to Yamaha archive and 1978 catalogue page below: http://www.yamaha.co.jp/product/guitar/archive/sb600/index.html http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/yamaha/1978-06/en_07.html

Lakland JO/44-60 also has a slimmer neck than a US jazz.

Looks like a Highway One to me. Made in the US but a cheaper model than the US Standard - no through-body stringing, satin nitro finish, truss rod at headstock end, different tuners.

Vintage style square covers area available here - [url="http://www.grguitars.com/parts_5bass.htm"]http://www.grguitars.com/parts_5bass.htm[/url] [attachment=138261:Vintage P pickup cover.jpg]

Bartolini also make a filter based preamp - [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/bartolini-ezq.htm"]http://www.bestbassg...rtolini-ezq.htm[/url] I use an ACG EQ01 (dual filter). Great preamp although I don't know how it sounds compared to a Wal or Alembic. The ACG is available in the US from bestbassgear.com - [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/acg-eq-02-preamp.htm"]http://www.bestbassg...q-02-preamp.htm[/url]