warwickhunt Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 I decided today that I'd fettle my old Godin fretless as I've not played it for a while due to the fact I had a few issues with it: 1. overpowering E string. 2. treble side slightly high at bridge. 3. bad static/crackle when adjusting the sliders. 4. intermittent fault on the output. Whipped the bridge/piezo out and someone has previously fitted a nasty shim... removed and that fixed 1 & 2. Took out the preamp / EQ and cleaned the slider tracks with anti-static spray and a cotton bud (very dirty)... fixed 3. Took off the output plate/jack and hey presto a chunk of tin foil trapped in between the contacts! No idea how that got in there or why but it isn't in any more. Glad I dived in and did that as the bass plays and sounds lovely. Moral of the story; don't put off till tomorrow! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 I keep my basses in a1 condition always clean them and do maintenance as needed and I rarely need to do much else to be honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 (edited) The first thing I do when I buy a used instrument is strip it, clean it, then put it back together again. It gets all the old users out of the picture early on, the best for everyone. People can do stupid and often disgusting things with instruments. Never live with someone else's stupidity or bio-crud 😀 Edited January 28, 2022 by Doctor J 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 (edited) I'm toying with whipping the neck off and either having a new unlined fretless neck fitted or having this one defretted. For some reason I think I need two fretless basses.... Fretless doesn't really work in the one band I'm in so.... GAS isn't it? I also saw a black BadAss bridge on the marketplace a while back and thats playing on my mind too... Edited January 29, 2022 by uk_lefty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 (edited) On 29/01/2022 at 08:23, uk_lefty said: Every time I see a pic of that bass I look at the bridge and think "That can't be intonated right... But it must be an old pick from during the build, he must have adjusted that by now" but now I'm not so sure anymore Bridge looks to be setup for a righty, and untouched aside from adjusting the action. Needs fettling with Edited January 30, 2022 by LeftyJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 13 minutes ago, LeftyJ said: Every time I see a pic of that bass I look at the bridge and think "That can't be intonated right... But it must be an old pick from during the build, he must have adjusted that by now" but now I'm not so sure anymore Bridge looks to be setup for a righty, and untouched aside from adjusting the action. Needs fettling with Mate, not the first person who's said that... Someone on eBay asked the same question to me. I've checked and adjusted the intonation and it's as close as it can get to perfect. Not sure how anyone can tell just by looking. And, like the guy in eBay, if he were to buy it he can adjust it however he wants, takes a few minutes with a screwdriver. Not sure why it matters to anyone else....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 (edited) I think the idea is that, according to Fender, that's set the wrong way round. The adjustment is supposed to be back from the thinner string above (or below) by the gauge of the string. "Now adjust the distance of the second-string saddle back from the first saddle, using the gauge of the second string as a measurement. For example, If the second string is .011" (0.3 mm), you would move the second-string saddle back .011" (0.3 mm) from the first saddle. Move the third saddle back from the second saddle using the gauge of the third string as a measurement. The fourth-string saddle should be set parallel with the second-string saddle. Proceed with the fifth and sixth saddles with the same method used for strings two and three." That's not saying yours isn't perfect but your set-up is contrary to the advice. Edited January 30, 2022 by Steve Browning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 43 minutes ago, uk_lefty said: Mate, not the first person who's said that... Someone on eBay asked the same question to me. I've checked and adjusted the intonation and it's as close as it can get to perfect. Not sure how anyone can tell just by looking. And, like the guy in eBay, if he were to buy it he can adjust it however he wants, takes a few minutes with a screwdriver. Not sure why it matters to anyone else....? Are you feeling a little sensitive at the moment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 4 minutes ago, wateroftyne said: Are you feeling a little sensitive at the moment? Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 (edited) I bought a bass recently that’s about 18 years old. The neck and body are fine but just about every screw has a knackered head. Why on earth people can’t use the right sized screwdriver or Allen key is beyond me - but I suppose between Philips, pozidrive, JIS screwdrivers and metric/imperial Allen keys it’s not always obvious. It’s a US-made bass and it’s been a bit of a mission to get the right replacements. Fortunately the manufacturer has a list of parts but the pickup screws (which go into threaded inserts) are a very odd size and thread pitch so I had to order from StewMac in the US as I couldn’t find any manufacturers in the UK. Others, like the 10-24 1.25” cap head screws, I’ve had to have made to order - expensive, but the Allen heads on the neck bolts on the bass are so badly chewed I only want one attempt to get them off. The East preamp is nice enough (a LOT air bass boost!) but 2 of the pot shafts are quite bent. The circuit is very old so sadly not easy to drop in a replacement pot as newer versions have mini circuit boards on the pot housing. I don’t really want to cough up £180 for a new circuit so may leave as-is, but the newer version takes up much less space in the cavity so would make it easier to fit the battery, which is at the moment a bit of a squeeze. Finally, whilst this should perhaps be filed under diminishing returns, I bought a set of Gotoh GB350 res-o-lite tuners. The original tuners (GB7) were OK, if a little rough. However with a six string that is a bit neck heavy, they really made a difference. The GB7 is supposed to be 62g each vs 40g each for the GB350, but on my accurate scales they came out at 70g vs 35g. On a six, taking 210g off the headstock is not to be sniffed at, but a rather expensive fix. It may not seem like much (or even worthwhile to some) but to me these small changes lift what is already an excellent instrument. Edited January 30, 2022 by FDC484950 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 5 hours ago, Steve Browning said: I think the idea is that, according to Fender, that's set the wrong way round. The adjustment is supposed to be back from the thinner string above (or below) by the gauge of the string. "Now adjust the distance of the second-string saddle back from the first saddle, using the gauge of the second string as a measurement. For example, If the second string is .011" (0.3 mm), you would move the second-string saddle back .011" (0.3 mm) from the first saddle. Move the third saddle back from the second saddle using the gauge of the third string as a measurement. The fourth-string saddle should be set parallel with the second-string saddle. Proceed with the fifth and sixth saddles with the same method used for strings two and three." That's not saying yours isn't perfect but your set-up is contrary to the advice. Perhaps (with enough saddle travel) there's more than one point at which the correct intonation might be achieved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, Steve Browning said: That's not saying yours isn't perfect but your set-up is contrary to the advice. To be honest I've never looked at the advice, I've just got out a screwdriver and a tuner and set to. I check with the open string, fret at the seventh, harmonic and fret at the twelfth and fretting around the fifteenth before settling. If it looks odd, it looks odd, doesn't bother me though. Edited January 30, 2022 by uk_lefty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 15 hours ago, uk_lefty said: To be honest I've never looked at the advice, I've just got out a screwdriver and a tuner and set to. I check with the open string, fret at the seventh, harmonic and fret at the twelfth and fretting around the fifteenth before settling. If it looks odd, it looks odd, doesn't bother me though. Absolutely. It's whether it's correct or not that matters. I was just giving a possible explanation for people to draw attention to it. For all I know, lefties may be the other way round. I posted a general question about the science of strings a while back, but we obviously don't have any string experts on here. Maybe I'll drop Rotosound a line and ask them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 11 minutes ago, Steve Browning said: Absolutely. It's whether it's correct or not that matters. I was just giving a possible explanation for people to draw attention to it. Out of interest I just went and looked at two basses that I've not touched (in terms of adjustment) since they had a Luthier setup and they both have the G saddle as the furthest forward. So that's how he does my left handed basses. Maybe it is as you say, more than one correct point? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 17 minutes ago, uk_lefty said: Out of interest I just went and looked at two basses that I've not touched (in terms of adjustment) since they had a Luthier setup and they both have the G saddle as the furthest forward. So that's how he does my left handed basses. Maybe it is as you say, more than one correct point? When you say "they both have the G saddle as the furthest forward", do you mean the G string is longer or shorter than the E string on those basses (length being between the nut and the saddle break angle)? Furthest forward could be read to mean either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 16 minutes ago, warwickhunt said: When you say "they both have the G saddle as the furthest forward", do you mean the G string is longer or shorter than the E string on those basses (length being between the nut and the saddle break angle)? Furthest forward could be read to mean either. Good point. G is shortest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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