LawrenceH

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='879072' date='Jun 27 2010, 06:40 PM']+1 for Rustin's, and for brush-finishing. Haven't tried their two-pack, looks interesting though. I have used [url="http://www.rustins.eu/Details.asp?ProductID=833"]this stuff[/url] on a couple of necks & would do so again. Goes on like tar (even with a Purdy Sprig Elite) but flats out superbly & takes a lovely polish with a coarse cloth and some old gunky Brasso. Seems durable too, claims to be non-yellowing but far too early to tell (only been on a year). Not impressed by either Plastikote or Holt's Duplicolor clear rattle cans - not very hard wearing & prone to bruising even after a couple of months curing time. Holt's Matt Black was good though. If the existing finish isn't lifting or doing anything suspicious, why not just skim-fill it, key it up & then apply a new finish over the top? Saves doing all the prep work again. Pete.[/quote] I'm a little wary about compatibility when mixing different finishes. That's a real shame about the Plastikote, I was looking at that and thinking it might be a decent option - do you remember which you tried? Their drying times are very fast, I'm surprised it's still a problem so far down the line.

If it's a glue failure then you might expect the others to be close to doing it soon too...would it be worthwhile pre-empting this with some new glue while they're still held in place by the old stuff? I've never done a recone, I don't know how fiddly this sort of thing is. Good luck if you decide to try and fix it!

[quote name='mrjim' post='878804' date='Jun 27 2010, 01:34 PM']...talk about using nitro, the principles are the same.[/quote] Thanks, yes that's what I was wondering. Good to hear you can get a glass-like finish. Do you sand between coats or do most/all of that after the final clear coat? Regarding grainfilling/sealing, I'm hoping that I can strip leaving those layers below, but if I have to do it then I'm up for having a go. Thanks for taking the time to give such a useful reply, much appreciated!

[quote name='henry norton' post='878765' date='Jun 27 2010, 12:32 PM']The main reason nitrocellulose is so handy for spraying things like guitars is because it can be packed into an aerosol and it won't kill you if you breathe in the fumes, neither of which can be said about polyester which needs to be mixed with a catalyst and then thinned just before it's sprayed on so it can't be packed into an aerosol. The health issues aren't meant to be as bad as they used to be - you needed a proper spray booth and an air fed mask as a simple filter wasn't enough - but it's still not something you'd want to breathe in. I don't know much about polyurethane lacquer (allot of the big makers use it now, allegedly) but I've been using acrylic to finish allot of my necks recently as it's fairly tough but goes on quite thin and shows the grain up nicely but I've never tried it over a colour base. You can do a metalflake finish with just about any spray lacquer so polyurethane shouldn't be a problem but don't discount cellulose because it doesn't go on as thick as 2 pack - the reason most cellulose finishes on guitars look worn out is because they're old, not because cellulose is soft - it isn't.[/quote] Thanks for the helpful reply. So would you know where I could get the acrylic sprays from? And how much if at all acrylic yellows with age?

[quote name='Linus27' post='878565' date='Jun 27 2010, 01:34 AM']Any reason why my rig was the first to suffer? Saying that, we did hear that the keyboards were having problems also at the start. Probably cleared up after I was taken out of the loop.[/quote] Probably your rig was drawing the most power at those moments when you dug in. Plus with amps like the shuttle with Class D operation and a switch mode power supply I bet they're more prone to dofunny things when presented with fluctuating voltage than older, simper amps.

Have you also checked that it's the bass and not the amp? Ie by running the bass through something else or using a different bass through the same amp?

Hello I've had a bit of fun recently doing spot repair in the natural finish in my Jap 75RI which makes me wonder about doing a complete refinish on a different instrument. From reading around it seems that while you can get a refin done professionally, allegedly using polyurethanes/polyesters especially for instruments, the guitar specialist shops only sell nitro-based lacquers.I don't want a nitro finish, I'd like something more durable (not really into the whole relic'ed thing). So... If I wanted to use polyurethane, where if anywhere would I get it from? I'd like a reasonably thin finish that could be polished up to a high gloss, preferably in an aerosol as these are allegedly safer than the two-part stuff, plus I really don't want to have to muck around with spray guns. Finally, one finish I'd really like to try is Candy Apple Red, which I understand is a tinted red plus clear coats on top of either silver or gold metallic. Is this achievable with polyurethane? EDIT: Also, if there are any other alternatives I should consider like acrylic, how durable are these?

I don' really see what you're after to be honest, if your P basses already sound great, play great and look great. They seem like they already represent the epitome of the thing they're 'meant' to be! If you've got unquenchable desire for new gear then a better idea might be either something a bit different but similar in overall vibe, like a high-end Yamaha BB (how about that funky new number with the amazing resonant body wood? Yamaha QC is very good too) or to seek medical help for your addiction!

I have done the mallet-tap thingy on my Fender Jazz pickups that had a couple of poles that were sitting too low. SO I can say for a fact it works - at least sometimes! YMMV and all that. Personally, I'd do it - but then I am prone to doing stupid things from time to time.

Oh my lord I did not need to see that jazz, that SICKENS me

[quote name='Rumble' post='874482' date='Jun 22 2010, 03:19 PM']I don't go through the PA so really need to be able to hear what I'm playing as well as project outwards. I guess my only concern with putting the cab on the floor and tilting it back is that some of my projected sound might be lost.[/quote] There are alternative amp stands (Quiklok?) that bring the cab higher and put less extreme a tilt on - you'll lose more of the mid-bass reinforcement, but again no more than you would on an equivalent height chair. As long as the venue doesn't have a really high ceiling then I've not found this to be an issue in practice though. If I was playing a cavernous space or outdoors then I'd be more concerned.

[quote name='fatback' post='874435' date='Jun 22 2010, 02:20 PM']I asked Alex (barefaced) about those Yamaha stands, and he pointed out that you would reduce the reflections from the floor, losing maybe as much as 3db of certain low frequencies normally boosted by the floor. I shouldn't have hassled him with the question, as I later found the info is very clear here: [url="http://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/stage-or-floor-coupling.htm"]http://barefacedbass.com/technical-informa...or-coupling.htm[/url] Alex suggests tilting the cab upwards using auralex blocks as wedges.[/quote] I feel this is somewhat misleading - the overall effect is going to be negligible in the 'real world' since the Yamaha-type stand doesn't raise the speaker up all that much, and it's distance from the floor rather than mechanical coupling that is the critical factor for bass reinforcement, quoting from the page you link to: 'So what happens if you put your cab on a beer crate so you can hear it better and/or to stop some boomy sounding mechanical coupling with the stage - does that mean you lose all of that 6dB of acoustic LF coupling? Fortunately the answer is no - what happens is you still get the 6dB gain but the cut-off frequency goes down, so rather than you getting the gain below about 250Hz you might only get it below 100Hz.' The vastly improved speaker angle in relation to your ear is going to make far more of a positive difference to audibility in the mid-range up than the loss in a relatively narrow bandwidth caused by using the stand. In actual fact those upper bass frequencies are often the ones that are most difficult to tame in smaller spaces, so in a lot of places a modest loss there will if anything tighten up the bottom end. If the OP likes the sound he gets from putting his cab on a chair then it will not be an issue - he'll be losing at least as much doing it that way or more if the chair's higher. I'd really suggest trying the stand or a similar DIY fix temporarily first, since it's by far the cheapest (possibly free) option and involves negligible extra gear to cart around. Just make sure with a 2x10 that the centre of gravity is going to be ok with whatever design you go with. If it's a micro amp the velcro option should be fine, or you could bung a rubberised wedge under the head to bring it back to level, or just run the head to one side!

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='874120' date='Jun 22 2010, 08:47 AM']Also, have a look at the 75RI models, whether used Japanese ones or new American. They seem to have the smoothest sounding pickups & 70's pickup spacing gives you that little extra bite.[/quote] The Japanese 75s don't have 70s pickup spacing - which actually makes them an option if you like the 70s look but less the tone. As an aside I now have a Classic 70s and a maple/ash Jap 75, with an 80s Jap standard on the way. At some point I'll be swapping components around to see for myself what factors influence what aspects of the sounds of these instruments. I am starting to wonder if the fret size and profile is actually quite important to what I'm after sound-wise.

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' post='873755' date='Jun 21 2010, 07:01 PM']Velcro. Yes, honestly. I've seen this done and it works.[/quote] This

Try something like this: [url="http://www.totalmusicsupply.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=2&ModelID=96360"]http://www.totalmusicsupply.com/Models.asp...p;ModelID=96360[/url] I have an identical but differently-branded one, it's light and folds up making it nice and portable, and the tilt is adjustable. I find it really helps with audibility.

What type of bass is it?

Just sold vmaxblues an Ibanez SR500 - prompt communication and lightning fast payment, was also able to advise on courier services. Thanks for a smooth transaction!

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='869842' date='Jun 17 2010, 12:44 PM']I guess you won't be interested then that "statistically" with every non failing amp you had the likelihood of the next one failing increases exponentially until one day... pop. [/quote] No it doesn't, the likelihood stays the same. Anyway, unless the amp has actually been abused then he shouldn't have to pay for it if he is the original purchaser/has the receipt, if it's only a couple of years old. Have you not contacted Markbass directy? From what I've heard they are a helpful company, and this is one of their 'flagship' products. Kind of puts me off getting Markbass (which long-term I was seriously considering, in particular an F1) if repairs are this expensive - and that's despite the low failure rate, since it means that although the chances of it failing are low, the cost of such a failure will be prohibitively high. I think other 'medium compact' heads might be more easily serviceable, looking at the internal gubbins of my Tecamp that looked easier to work on than an F1.

Personally I wouldn't give a sh*t how reliable other people's amps are if mine was the one that fried and cost me £200 plus to repair. Sale of Goods thing mentioned on the other thread - retailers might not be aware of it but you just have to politely (and perhaps via a legal person) point it out. You should still be covered. Good luck mate.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='868370' date='Jun 15 2010, 08:26 PM']To be fair I think it is the Squier that comes under criticism for it. [/quote] Aha - black permanent marker'd soon sort that out! Though again it would mean absolutely nothing to me...and I'm about the right generation for Greenday I think.