Conan

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1347219436' post='1798236']These days local rehearsal facilities are quite upmarket - least round here and charge between £25-30 per night. For that type of money i think you should expect a decent backline and kit with a PA and mixer in a clean sound prepared room thats big enough. [/quote] We use this one [url="http://www.notes-studios.co.uk/"]http://www.notes-studios.co.uk/[/url] and it definitely ticks all of the above boxes. I like to bring my own backline, but on occasions when I can't be arsed, there is reasonable quality stuff already there. Ashdown MAG anyway... PAs are good quality, but obviously not top-line pro gear. Service is polite and friendly and they are very helpful indeed. You could do a lot worse than speak to Phil (the owner)!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347112588' post='1797086']If a string slips, it is not anchored properly...[/quote] Or the tuning peg/machine head mechanism itself is slipping. Is this a possibility here?

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1347017100' post='1796012'] It could be down to all sorts of reasons, it seems likely that the quality of the pickup may be the case. Perhaps it has worn out over use. I don't remember the sound levels when i first played it, i've had it for ten years. However as i play over the pickup it maybe the accumulated gunk having an effect on it's ability to hear the higher frequencies more clearly. [/quote] Didn't you say it was an EMG? They are top quality pickups and as your bass appears to only be around 15 years old, it is highly unlikey that the pickup would have experienced any kind of deterioration... IME anyway!

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1347016041' post='1795992'] The title of your thread is "MY CRAP BASS" - if that's not saying your bass isn't any good then I'd like to know what is. There are lots of people on here genuinely trying to help you out & I've got to say that your attitude towards them stinks. I've given you the benefit of the doubt until now but I honestly think you're just trolling. Please don't bother posting another one of your "I'm terribly hurt & nobody understands me" responses to this - I've read enough of them already. [/quote] I thought we were trying to calm things down and get back to the problem in hand? This has become a very bizarre thread. There have been selfless offers of personal assistance and petty abuse in the space of a few pages. Very odd.

As above. Sounds good, lasts forever but heavy as hell. If you are strong and/or have roadies - Peavey gear is great. First "proper" bass amp I used was an old mk IV and I still miss the soundI used to get out of it.

Get both if you're not sure.

What a coincidence! I am thinking of doing the same, and watched [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=115gvPzHMqw"]this[/url] yesterday. All ten parts!! Fascinating. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=115gvPzHMqw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=115gvPzHMqw[/url]

That Vigier with the metal board still sounds pretty 'warm' to me!

I wish Fender did a maple neck with no inlays at all. [i]That[/i] would be classy.

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1346854589' post='1794075'] you shouldn't hear the difference on the 12th fret harmonic, to intonate properly you need to be using a cromatic tuner so you can set it as close as possible to the root with just one or two cents of offset. [/quote] Really? I've always done it with the fretted/harmonic 12th fret method... Have I been doing it wrong?

Well it apparently worked for Jaco... it will also protect the board from wear. Does it actually make the sound less warm? Are there different grades of "epoxy"? Some harder than others?

I can see the value of getting rid of the amplification, especially as you can still record the bass DI. However, surely a US P is better for recording with than a Squier? For what you would get for the P second hand, you might pay nearly that for a new Squier.... I would hang on to the P if I were you.

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1346832960' post='1793669'] I'm happy to have a look at your bass for you (I'm also in Bristol). I'm on holiday this week so it'll have to be sometime next week. Dave [/quote] Basschat to the rescue!!

If you have no money, and can't make contact with a fellow BC member in the South West, then you could probably do a reasonable set-up on the bass yourself. It's not difficult, and only very basic tools are needed. Have a search through the repairs and technical issues section of this forum and the answers should be there for you. I'd do it myself but there is the small matter of about 400 miles between us! As others have said though, I don't think there is such a thing as a rubbish Spector.

Mmmmmm.... [attachment=117486:20120904084449-4106.jpg] Not sure where the pile of spare pickups came from though....

[quote name='BandVibe' timestamp='1346717060' post='1792434'] [b][size=5][font=comic sans ms, cursive]Talented musicians in the 20-45 age group.... [/font][/size][/b] [/quote] Bugger. I'm 46. Probably not very talented either...

DR lo-riders are designed to need quite a high tension anyway - so the difference may be very small...

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1346349885' post='1788222'] They have to be a brand that makes extra long scale strings[/quote] Dunno about Carvin, but Rotosound, LaBella and D'addario do extra-long strings (36").

To my ears, it's an improvement on both original songs...

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1346586755' post='1790806']you could send the original pickguard to Howard the Bass Doc and he will make you a top quality replacement[/quote] Yep! I've recently done just that and he made me a very nice BWB one for my GL Jazz. I believe he also has stocks of "non-pepperoni" tortoiseshell... Excellent prices and service from Howard too. He de mayan.

After nearly two years of writing and rehearsing our original material, my latest band - [b][i]The Sour Dogs [/i][/b]- are (just about) ready for our first gig!! It's at the Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday September 29th. The material contains elements of country rock, surf, Americana, rock 'n' roll and good ol' pop. Mostly originals, but with half a dozen covers (in our own style) thrown in to bulk up the set. Would be great to see some North East Basschatters (and their friends, families, lovers, pimps, drug-dealers...) there!

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1346685277' post='1791901']Be fussy.... Do a good job on Facebook... Don't play loud! People hate loud gigs.... ... say no if you suspect the gig isn't worth the effort. [/quote] Some good advice there (genre dependant possibly), but the key word is the last one. Make an effort. Word soon gets round when a band does things differently.

[quote name='LeftyBiskit' timestamp='1346533637' post='1790397']....you cant polish a turd[/quote] No, but you [i]can[/i] roll it in glitter!

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1346667444' post='1791604']... bass players shouldn't use the same tone for all songs/gigs. Does anyone agree that you should you change your tone for every song? Lee Sklar gets annoyed when he sees bass players fiddling with the controls on their bass. [/quote] I think there is a big difference between not using the same tone for [i]all [/i]songs, and changing tone for [i]every[/i] song! Totally depends on the band and situation doesn't it? If you play covers from a wide range of different bands/genres then you will probably have to change tones and even basses to a certain extent if you are the kind of player who wants to get everything "just so". Say, for example your band plays "Hysteria" by Muse, followed by "New World Man" by Rush, then Queen's "Another one bites the dust". Would you play all three with the same tone? That's not to say that you couldn't manage the whole set with just a P bass of course... but that depends far more on the bass player than the rest of the band or the audience. I think Sklar's comment says more about him than it does about bass players. What a silly thing to say. As we all know, different venues and stages often necessitate a bit of a tweak with tone just so that you can be heard at all... and if you don't get it right straight away (or if more people come in for example) then further "twiddles" may be needed. Personally, I do like to make changes to my tone for different songs or song sections. That may include (as others have said) moving hand positions, using fingernails or a pick, palm damping, harmonics, changes of EQ or pickup combinations. Frankly, I don't see that it is anyone else's business as long as it sounds good withing the context of the band and/or song!

Great news! Good to be reminded that not everyone is a b@stard!