3below

If @hooky_lowdown's suggestions do not effect a cure your ideas may be the way forward. Nut slot might be too low? More more neck relief needed? Or higher action, I find TI flats better with a higher action (2.5 to 3mm works for me). My SG bass also suffered a buzzing bass pickup cover at a specific frequency. Fixed with plastic sheet epoxied under the chrome cover. It is one of my favourite basses with TIs. Warm, thick, punchy, instant Jack Bruce / Andy Fraser

Bought some used TI flats from @charles.bioul.bass. Just as described and arrived next day. Excellent communication and a pleasure to deal with. Many thanks.

As always some really useful ideas about build methods. I am pondering stainless frets on one of my next builds but do wonder how difficult the hardness will be compared to nickel silver. I used a stainless zero fret on the 3 string which seemed ok but that is a limited sample of one.

It is a joyous moment when you realise that you have put the 12th fret inlays into your carefully slotted board at 11 or 13 (I do not remember which) . Experience is a great thing :), it is however an experience I would rather not have again.

The joys of making stuff - you plan, measure, use skill and experience only for the unexpected to intervene (often with hindsight it was obviously going to happen) You then get the satisfaction of 'fixing' issues whilst re-assuring yourself that I won't let that happen again. Sadly a new event will happen next time and the cycle goes on (at least it does for me).

IMO your method ( neckblank; fit top; add wings.) makes considerable sense: gluing the top square onto the neck, then subsequently accurately gluing the sides onto the top and neck has much less potential for error than gluing the wings to the body first

Tell me more of the radius routing jig, please. I found hand radiusing ebony not too arduous but the black dust went everywhere.

Thanks you, however looks can be deceptive, it is fairly amateur workmanship in places, a long way from your standards.

Same construction method used on this 3 string cbg I knocked up as a pressie for my other half. It is hollow body floating bridge with through neck. Apologies for non bass content

Prior to the above it might also be worth a squirt of wd 40 as far into the side(s) / back of the adjuster nut as you can get. Allow time to soak in which may help with any 'gumming' up of the threads.

Stunning bass and build quality. Why (as I have said before) do Fender not make this? Stating the obvious, adjust the pole pieces. My SG bass E string is very variable depending on strings, it likes TI flats.

I started from the premise that there is not much I can do to change the non speaking portions or the bridge break angles of the bass in question. With that given, to reduce the compliance of the B string the solution is to increase the tension in the string, hence greater mass/unit length - a bigger diameter string. On the basis that I find 105 - 110 E strings suit my playing I used various string tension calculators to find a B string diameter that might have a similar tension (and thus from f = 4dT/L f - deflection force, d = deflection, T = string tension, L = string length a similar compliance ). This was/is all first approximations (different string construction and as you state many other factors come in to play) and a starting point. I am not advocating balanced tension sets over others, I would just say use any regular 4 string set that you are happy with and try a bigger B string

Just fitted D'Addario EXL170BT balanced tension 45 - 107 set plus a D'Addario 145 B string (which gives the same tension as the others) to my 34" G&L L1505. This has considerably improved the B string feel / response. Using flats on just about every other bass I find the 145 B quite responsive and easy to play. The string tension calculators show why many B strings are 'floppy', they have significantly lower tension due to insufficient mass per unit length for the given scale length. Although the calculated tensions will not be exact you can't beat the underlying Physics (spoken as a now retired Physicist ).

As above. I have too many Tech21 products, all excellent. The most outstanding for me is the Leeds model, I can re-live my youth when I had real Hiwatts :). s the Leeds

No keeping you away from semi-acoustic basses then

I have found Tracktion Waveform pretty intuitive. The free version does what I need for straightforward 8 & 16 channel recording. As per @Dad3353 the software has capabilities far beyond my requirements. Got some (imo) really good live recordings with very little post processing needed. Playing with plugins (and impulses) could easily become a rabbit hole. The pro version seems well priced. Runs in Linux, Windows & Mac. https://www.tracktion.com/products/waveform-free. You could also investigate Ardour https://ardour.org/

Good times, well paid gigs every weekend Sadly the bass 'disappeared' in my going to university and my mother moving house. I moved on to an early Gibson EB2 (unpopular and cheap in the day) The body was made from elm coffin boards which the local undertaker gave me free gratis, predating Dutch elm disease. Finish was clear Ronseal and it came out pretty well despite little serious prep and skill.

Just to encourage you I am that bass player in 1975 aged 16 at the time with my 'home built' short scale tele bass. Constructed with hand tools and done by eye, there were no telecasters in the rural Herefordshire boonies to template from hence the tele flavour rather than accuracy. Your 2020/21 version is rather more professional, I do not understand why Fender have not built a decent USA tele bass yet.

Whilst at last (the pleasures of lockdown) actually getting to grips with my 5 string (after 3 years of starting and repeatedly giving up since 4 is the natural order of things) and being a PORG, the idea of a short scale 5 is very appealing. If this is to be BEADG, @Matt P, @Andyjr1515 what are your thoughts on strings in particular the B ?

Just an update, the Rotos are still going on the Eko bass it doesn't get much use these days though.

^ both of these. I have one set running at about 10~12 years old on my SB1, They also save on long term fret wear. I also like the way they physically respond,. I have tried others but keep returning to TIs. The short scale version works well on both of my short scale basses.

A concise summary and I fully concur. I also find the SG bass records well, need to do very little post processing to the DI recording to get a good/reasonable/rubbish (select as appropriate) sound.

Bring it on I do not see my 'full stage rig' and/or pa being used any time soon, the (very) cheap practice combo I have struggles with the B string. A 'nice' 10" would be the business.

Some recent info here. No lack of 'punch' using TI flats with mine https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/445003-gibson-sg-or-dc-junior/?tab=comments#comment-4362534