theosd Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 +1 to the remarks about changing the strings. Night & day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewm Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I've got a new set of Elites, a torti scratch plate, strap locks and some adhesive copper tape ready to go... and no time at all to spend on it this weekend Hopefully on Monday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 [quote name='setekh' post='1115583' date='Feb 4 2011, 04:53 PM']Because I just don't get that attached to instruments. They're tools, as far as I'm concerned. As so, it will problably see a new owner if (when?) I decide I want something different, and I am not looking forward to having the value of the components depreciate that much (I have seen a few basses here shift for about a third of the street price of the individual components, which is something that puzzles me). Besides, I try to spend as little as possible doing what are, in the grand scheme of things, small changes.[/quote] ah, gotcha! so you're already thinking of the day you'll let it go, eh? hmmm... what colour is yours? I had a wee play on mine when I got home, and now I'm torn... I meant to put flats on it... but now I like the sound of roundwounds too... surely I need 2. Or three, and make one a fretless! (no, let's be sane, I don't even like P-basses... although I'm starting to wonder now...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 [quote name='Mrs Tinman' post='1115660' date='Feb 4 2011, 05:49 PM']Me and my big mouth! [/quote] So YOU'RE the one responsible!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Right... so I spent a bit more time with it... and like it even more! Aesthetics: my neck is not as pretty as others posted here, but the rosewood has very closed grain and it feels and looks great. Slim for a p-bass, I think. The pickguard has some rough edges where it meets the neck, and on the "R", but it's minor. Body is perfect. Bridge alignment is a *tiny* bit off. I've seen worse in Fenders! The string-through holes were drilled in theright place but the bridge was mounted ever-so-slightly towards one side. It has no effect on the stringing and the strings pass over the polepieces *roughly* ok. Again, I've seen much worse in other more expensive brands, and it does not affect the sound. Nut is slightly angled too, but not enough for concern. Everything works well: tuners, pickups, controls... The pickup needs some minor adjustment to balance strings, but I will wait till I get a new set. Intonation is close enough, but again I'll wait to set it until I get new strings. Action... all I did was lower the saddles a bit. It was ok, but slightly high. I lowered them a fraction, and I had to do nothing else. Lowish action, no unwanted buzzes, comfortable... I expected more work! I haven't found any problems with uneven frets or anything. Nice surprise. Yes the strings are truly dreadful and uninspiring. But even then, the noises are promising. I've been playing mostly fingerstyle, and it sounds quite deep. The E-string is particularly bad on this set 'though, I can't wait to restring it. But despite the bad strings, I could get some good sounds. The slap tone was also quite good. Slapping the E was rubbish, but the A string sounded great. And pops on the G string sound powerful, with lots of body and not harsh even with the tone control fully open. I went through a whole lot of RHCP stuff with it and I really liked it, especially "Tell me baby" and "Can't stop". I still like my Stingray a lot more, no doubt but these P-basses are pretty decent, definitely. Oh, and the best of all??? It colour-coordinates with my new wah pedal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Tinman Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 [quote name='allighatt0r' post='1115857' date='Feb 4 2011, 08:29 PM']So YOU'RE the one responsible!!![/quote] Noooo! I just meant that I appear to have talked Himself into ordering one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 [quote name='Mrs Tinman' post='1116251' date='Feb 5 2011, 09:46 AM']Noooo! I just meant that I appear to have talked Himself into ordering one! [/quote] I see! I'm sorry! In that case: "One of us! One of us!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) Opened mine yesterday (bought off website) - no gigbag (Boohoo) but not *too* bad. The only thing worth mentioning is the 6th fret is a wee bit high, giving some buzzing, otherwise everything's acceptable - the pups are a wee bit to the bass-side , maybe a couple of mm. Pots are decent & quite progressive. I have a cream pearloid pickguard courtesy of Old Horse Murphy (Thank You Sir, donation to Basschat will be done this weekend) and an MM-style pickup courtesy of Moos3h to go on. Plus a set of flats if I can find a set in The Pile, otherwise it's used Black Beauties. I'm seriously considering doing a BEAD stringing & tuning as this would suit me with the Blues band. Little bit of work to do, but that was expected. Pretty happy. G. Edited February 5, 2011 by geoffbyrne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1106310' date='Jan 28 2011, 03:30 PM']Got temptation for the gold top. Hassling a mate to get one. Anyone know of any cream humbcker sized p90s, aside from the kents, pair of those would cost more than the guitar.[/quote] Irongear Alchemist 90? Edit: Sorry, humbucker sized, but not cream. Edited February 5, 2011 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 [quote name='geoffbyrne' post='1116292' date='Feb 5 2011, 10:32 AM']I have a cream pearloid pickguard courtesy of Old Horse Murphy (Thank You Sir, donation to Basschat will be done this weekend) and an MM-style pickup courtesy of Moos3h to go on. Plus a set of flats if I can find a set in The Pile, otherwise it's used Black Beauties.[/quote] that sounds interesting! pictures, pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Rotosound Tru-bass black nylon flatwounds arrived this morning: Very UB-like indeed, as others said (I had never tried these strings before). The nut slots are a bit small so the strings are a tiny bit higher than they should and overall the action has gone from perfectly low and smooth to slightly high, but I'm not changing anything yet as I'm waiting for a maple board neck a fellow BCer removed from his Ryder, and I will decide then which neck stays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mononick Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Ordered a dark blue one last night! Looking forward to getter it and seeing what £60 (plus donation) can get you. Ive got a tort scratchplate with nice pots that im going to put on it if it doesnt need too much modding to make it fit and ive also got some MIM p bass pickups that i can put on if I dont like the stock ones ... Oh and a defretted Jazz bass neck that I will try and fit but Im not too bothered if it wont fit. Just have to dig out some strings for it by what everyone is saying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) I've just shimmed my Ryder's neck with a business card and an old ID card. The action is now nice and constant across the board. Special thanks must go to BOD2 for his excellent neck shimming instructions ([url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49897"]here[/url]). I've managed to take a small chunk of paint off the edge of the pocket. Lesson learnt: Loosen the strings A LOT! At least it's happened on a £60 bass not a £300 bass! One thing I did find that alludes more to the cheapness of the bass is the screw holes in the neck. Not sure if anyone else has found this? [attachment=71244:photosr.JPG] I've got some GHS precision flatwounds on their way! I've had to raise the saddles right up and it's still a little buzzy, but I'll worry about that when I have the new strings. Edited February 5, 2011 by allighatt0r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjohns Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I did notice when I replaced the Pickups, like the neck, there was several holes in the body where the first pickups were placed, After a day in the studio with it and new strings through my rig it sounded amazing Does amaze me the sound it makes for bass that cost me £59 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarcher Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Took mine to my guitar lesson the other day. It was much admired by my teacher,gave a lovely sound through his 2x12 Roland amp(black rotosounds)and really didn't believe the price whenI told him. Mine did not come with an allen key for the bridge so does any one know what size it is please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankai Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) Can I get some string suggestions: Need a set for the P-Bass. Wanting a nice powerful tone. A set for one of their strats. Wanting a kind of bluesy rock tone. And a set for the tele. Wanting a nu metal kind of tone. And another set for a tele. John Mayer tonage? Any ideas? P.S YES, I did go overboard on the ryders... Edited February 5, 2011 by Bankai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_Guardian Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Anyone had any luck replacing the pickguard? Want to know if a basic fender pickguard will fit and if not what needs done to fit it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankai Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Someone has posted about this on one of the previous pages, not sure where though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 [quote name='Bankai' post='1117203' date='Feb 5 2011, 11:39 PM']Can I get some string suggestions: Need a set for the P-Bass. Wanting a nice powerful tone. A set for one of their strats. Wanting a kind of bluesy rock tone. And a set for the tele. Wanting a nu metal kind of tone. And another set for a tele. John Mayer tonage? Any ideas? P.S YES, I did go overboard on the ryders...[/quote] and here I was thinking I was overdoing it by buying another bass I decided the white one with rotosound tru-bass flats should stay as is. Too nice to modify... So I need a recipient for the maple board neck that's on its way to me! A navy blue should be on its way shortly, and this one will be heavily modified: - stripped body, and if nice I'll leave it natural. If not, refinish in white/sonic blue/surf green/black (as you can see, I haven't decided). Maybe even trans green to complement my Jazz. - maple board neck - Wizard thumper pickups - maybe even a preamp one day. but that's nothing compared to the plans of some other people who love scientific calculators... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Got to play one of the Teles today. I'd have to say it's definitely a £60 guitar in terms of fit and finish. The fretwork is poor - several high frets, lots of buzzing and choking - the first fret is particularly bad. Also the neck pocket has gaps although it's not shifting so is sound. Ferrules on the back aren't aligned and look sloppy. The neck will also need shimming as it's at an obvious upward angle - alarming considering the fret choking at the first few frets. Intonates ok after 10 minutes of adjustment. It's very frustrating as the fingerboard wood is stunningly figured, it honestly looks like something off a custom instrument. The hardware looks sound too, particularly the bridge saddles which seem better than the usual Tele fare. All in all it looks really nice (it's the white one btw). It needs a full set up and a fretdress, so still quite cheap all things considered but i do wonder what other corners have been cut and whether a used Squier would be a better bet - i think it would tbh. In terms of sounds, it sounds like a decent budget Tele. Not quite enough twang for me but still sounds cool through an old Yamaha 2x12 which has a sweet clean channel. The other mate who bought one is really happy with his, however i'll reserve judgement until i get my hands on it as he's notorious for buying p1ss poor guitars and raving about them! Still, even after playing it and noticing all the issues it has i'm thinking about getting one! Looks very classy, especially for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikeman Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 [quote name='mcnach' post='1117662' date='Feb 6 2011, 01:55 PM']and here I was thinking I was overdoing it by buying another bass I decided the white one with rotosound tru-bass flats should stay as is. Too nice to modify... So I need a recipient for the maple board neck that's on its way to me! A navy blue should be on its way shortly, and this one will be heavily modified: - stripped body, and if nice I'll leave it natural. If not, refinish in white/sonic blue/surf green/black (as you can see, I haven't decided). Maybe even trans green to complement my Jazz. - maple board neck - Wizard thumper pickups - maybe even a preamp one day. but that's nothing compared to the plans of some other people who love scientific calculators... [/quote] Wait till you see the Navy blue, Jose. If it's anything like mine you'll soon change your mind about stripping it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 [quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1117276' date='Feb 6 2011, 01:22 AM']Anyone had any luck replacing the pickguard? Want to know if a basic fender pickguard will fit and if not what needs done to fit it [/quote] +1 ....i quite fancy putting a Tort on my Sonic Blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I think you need to read the thread as I'm sure it's been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaass Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 [quote name='tauzero' post='1109242' date='Jan 31 2011, 11:39 AM']If you're willing to do a little modding, you can probably sort that out. Just look for "bass string ferrules" on That Ebay and see if you can get some slightly larger ones that will take your string ends. Um, that's assuming that my assumption that you meant that the bits on the end of the strings were too big to fit into the ferrules is correct.[/quote] Does anybody know which strings have the smaller ball ends ? preferabley nickel. Or should I not bother going string through body, given the intonation problems, and holes being so close to the saddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_Guardian Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I cant find any posts saying people have as yet changed the pickguards..more planning to than have done. Will happily be proved wrong as i want answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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