South East Bass Bash, 10th October 2009

[Clarky]

Does anyone need a lift to the Bash from West or SW London? I'm driving down from Hammersmith way. Don't know if I can definitely drive people back as it depends whether my band has a gig that evening (which would obviously mean me leaving the Bash a bit early) - that said, nothing in diary as yet.

PM me if interested. Cheers Clarky

Edited August 25, 2009 by Clarky

[budget bassist]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='579856' date='Aug 25 2009, 09:12 AM']Hi Folks

Quick question: how many of you would like to have someone doing set-ups at the Bash?

We have a couple of good people in mind but need to gauge strength of interest first before confirming...

Thanks

Nik [/quote]
Yeah that would interest me, my $$ could probably do with a setup, though it also depends how much this person would be charging.

[Tait]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='579875' date='Aug 25 2009, 09:33 AM']I'd be interested in having a crash course in doing setups.

S.P.[/quote]

+1 i'd be there.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='579856' date='Aug 25 2009, 09:12 AM']Hi Folks

Quick question: how many of you would like to have someone doing set-ups at the Bash?

We have a couple of good people in mind but need to gauge strength of interest first before confirming...

Thanks

Nik [/quote]
Definitely yes - as long as they are better at it than me - which ought not to be too difficult.

[bythesea]

I'd be interested in learning setups. Also, will be bringing my just received Fender CIJ fretless Jazz as well as the OW.

Oh, and if there is anyone who can do setups on an EUB I could bring that as well...

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='580052' date='Aug 25 2009, 12:05 PM']Yeah that would interest me, my $$ could probably do with a setup, though it also depends how much this person would be charging.[/quote]
Last year, we had Joe White and he charged £50 for a set-up (which was reduced for the Bash from his normal rate of £80!).. We could ask Joe again though there were murmerings that he was a bit on the expensive side..

I have also asked my local luthier, Graham Wheeler and he charges £35 which is pretty reasonable IMO - especially as his work is very, very good!

Joe is actually based in Surry anyway so it wasn't too much of a trek for him to get to last year's Bash. However, if Graham were to do this year's Bash he would have to travel up from the Worthing area near me, so I think he'd want to have an idea that there are enough people interested for it to be worth his while, which is why I'm trying to gauge interest..

Btw, if anyone would like to recommend somebody else who is perhaps more local to the Bash, then that would also be very helpful?

[budget bassist]

I think £50 would be rather expensive for me... my local luthier charges about £25 for a setup, though he probably isn't as expert in the field as joe white.

[alexclaber]

I'd be very interested to know exactly what people don't know/understand about doing set-ups? I've always done my own, never found a luthier can do it as well for me as I do because I know how I play my bass. Maybe I'm deluded but am happy to witter on about how I do a set-up if it's of use!

This is good reading: [url="http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html"]http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassm...etupmanual.html[/url]

What does everyone expect from the £25-£50 they pay for a set-up? When I do my own basses I tweak string spacing, relief, action, nut height, pickup height/tilt, pole piece heights. But I've never managed to do it in one session, I find it's an iterative process both as the wood settles but more importantly as you ascertain the balance of what the bass wants and what you want. It takes me a good few months to really get a bass sorted.

My main piece of advice would be be very gentle with trussrods (1/4 turn at a time, then leave to settle, and pull the neck the direction you want the rod to move) and other than that just fiddle to your heart's content.

Alex

[Beedster]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='581136' date='Aug 26 2009, 11:08 AM']I find it's an iterative process both as the wood settles but more importantly as you ascertain the balance of what the bass wants and what you want. It takes me a good few months to really get a bass sorted.[/quote]

+1.

I've never had a pro setup that worked for me. A 40-60 minute session on how to do a setup might be an equally/more useful service on the day? Perhaps we could all throw in some money to pay a good tech to do the session (as well as or instead of the setup service)?

Chris

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Beedster' post='581146' date='Aug 26 2009, 11:15 AM']I've never had a pro setup that worked for me. A 40-60 minute session on how to do a setup might be an equally/more useful service on the day?[/quote]

Maybe we should have some kind of debate / Q&A on set-up with bunch of us that do our own set-ups offering our personal views on how to do it. You obviously do it differently to me because by the time I'd have got a bass sorted you'd have already sold it!

Alex

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='581151' date='Aug 26 2009, 11:19 AM']Maybe we should have some kind of debate / Q&A on set-up with bunch of us that do our own set-ups offering our personal views on how to do it. You obviously do it differently to me because [b]by the time I'd have got a bass sorted you'd have already sold it! [/b]

Alex[/quote]


Classic!!

Back on topic..the idea of a debate / Q&A would be really good but possibly with a good luthier in attendance as well. What do you think?

Btw Alex, I would say that you have the skills & confidence and technical ability to do your own set-ups which is brilliant! But for many of us who lack those qualities, it's really important to find a good luthier who you trust with your basses and also, alongside that, to try to learn as much as possible so maybe one day you might contemplate doing your own set-ups by yourself..

I find I can do my own set-ups but it takes me ages and I'm never confident in the results. Whereas, I'm happier when I it's done for me by someone whom I trust.

[Beedster]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='581216' date='Aug 26 2009, 12:02 PM']I'm happier when I it's done for me by someone whom I trust.[/quote]

Also known as the placebo Effect

[alexclaber]

Yes, like all DIY it's about having both competence and confidence in what you're doing. I guess for me the key was that when I first bought a bass I didn't want to pay anyone to set it up so I had to learn. Admittedly it's not been a totally smooth path, my '87 Streamer no longer has the original (flimsy!) aluminium truss-rod...

Would be interesting to find out what it is that you're not confident of the results of when you've done a set-up yourself? Sounds like some kind of forum* would be a good things - "Luthier Dependents Anonymous"!

Alex

* Not one of those online things where people argue about whether f1Eldy rUlez or not, an old school forum.

Edited August 26, 2009 by alexclaber

[Beedster]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='581151' date='Aug 26 2009, 11:19 AM']...by the time I'd have got a bass sorted you'd have already sold it! [/quote]

Can't argue with that can I

Having said that two of my three current basses are now long-term and still firmly in the iterative set-up process. I find whilst I keep my fretted bass pretty constant I'm always tweaking the set-up on the fretless instruments.

Chris

[51m0n]

I'm very much with Alex on this. I spent years tweaking and tinkering with my basses.

I've had what I always thought were really good results, playability genuinely improved, as did intonation and tone too (action choking the strings and pickup height are the two biggest offenders on the tone fromt for a setup IMO).

Then I got the Rscoe, and either the simple nature of my old basses' necks/trussrods or the singularly less than perfect fret trueing on them or whatever meant I could never hope to get an action close to as good as the Roscoe across the entire board. It totally reeducated me as to how good an action can get. Which is nice, since I own it. But now I darent fiddle with it at all

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='Beedster' post='581240' date='Aug 26 2009, 12:18 PM']Also known as the placebo Effect [/quote]


Not really though Chris, because I am able to tell the difference between the playability of my own set ups and those done for me..

For example, I recently acquired a new Roscoe Beck V from Happy Jack (having sold my other one) and it needed setting up (i) to suit my playing style and (ii) because the intonation was out.

So I tried doing it at first and whilst I could make any number of alterations to the bridge (saddle height, intonation etc) I was reluctant to make the necessary adjustment to the truss rod myself. So, I took it to Graham Wheeler who did the whole thing for me and now it feels just right; intonation is spot-on, the string height is as I like it and also, the neck relief is as it should be..

And as well as being happy with the set-up, I can also now rest assured that everything on the bass is working as it should be and that there are no issues with the neck, which is so important.

My guess is that you guys just like to tinker around with this stuff because you're either control freaks with lots of unresolved bass OCD issues and/or you've spent your bass maintenance budget on more gear!!

(insert the words 'kettle', 'pot' and 'black' here...)

[WalMan]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='581216' date='Aug 26 2009, 12:02 PM']I'm happier when I it's done for me by someone whom I trust.[/quote]

[quote name='Beedster' post='581240' date='Aug 26 2009, 12:18 PM']Also known as the placebo Effect [/quote]

I'll fiddle with the saddle heights, but after that I'm with Nik (and also trust Graham with all my basses). I just have this horrible image in the back of my mind of tweaking the truss rod and it popping out of the finger board to say HI!

EDIT - you beat me to it Nik

Edited August 26, 2009 by WalMan

[MacDaddy]

just to clarify - is the guy doing set ups, in addition to the set up master classes, as discussed on page 8?

[BigBeefChief]

On the subject of set-ups, I just don't like to fiddle with stuff when I can pay a pro a small amount of money to do it for me. Plus, that dude at the Gallery is some kind of tantric sex God i reckon. Dunno, just something about him that makes me think he can f*** for 8 hours and ejaculate "internally" or something. That's gotta be worth 30 quid.

[Happy Jack]

I'll apologise up-front for the complete lack of tantric sex in this posting.

Feel free to insert your own.

He said, innocently.

**************************

What's the etiquette on selling stuff at a Bass Bash?

I'll have a few bits'n'pieces I could be parting with. Should I bring them along and offer them for sale?

Not a problem if the answer's [i][b]No [/b][/i]- not everyone likes a car-boot sale.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='587664' date='Sep 2 2009, 04:45 PM']What's the etiquette on selling stuff at a Bass Bash?

I'll have a few bits'n'pieces I could be parting with. Should I bring them along and offer them for sale?

Not a problem if the answer's [i][b]No [/b][/i]- not everyone likes a car-boot sale. [/quote]

Selling stuff at Bash's is perfectly acceptable and makes good sense as people can try before they buy..

[budget bassist]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='589174' date='Sep 3 2009, 10:15 PM']Selling stuff at Bash's is perfectly acceptable and makes good sense as people can try before they buy..[/quote]
I agree, always a good idea as people can have a go. Plus, us BCers are buying and selling online all the time anyway, wouldn't make sense to exclude it from the real world

[johnnylager]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='581359' date='Aug 26 2009, 01:34 PM']My guess is that you guys just like to tinker around with this stuff because you're either control freaks with lots of unresolved bass OCD issues and/or you've spent your bass maintenance budget on more gear!! [/quote]
Rumbled :brow:

[budget bassist]

Thought i might as well add myself to the list

01. Silverfoxnik: Roscoe Beck V, Wal Pro2e, BC Rich Eagle, Fender Jazz V Deluxe, plus my recently acquired Eden Metro Rig
02. Merton: Status Retroactive, Mikey's Singlecut Fanned-Fret Prototype, LH500 and Barefaced Vintage
03. OBBM: StRay5, MB F1, UL212, something else.
04. Hamster: BFM Omni15 tallboy, Barefaced Compact, Fender P with Thumper & Villex PTB
05. Alex Claber: '87 Warwick Streamer, RIM Custom 5 with 36" scale and Q-Tuners, Avalon U5/QSC PLX3002, GB Shuttle 6.0, Barefaced Compact, Big One, Midget, Midget T, maybe Big Baby.
06. Johnnylager: Spector Euro 4LX, KSD Jazz, LH-1000, Barefaced Big Juan, DHA Custom Shop VT2-Twin-EQ-Bass with Tech Tube valves & whatever other effects I have at the time.
07. Happy Jack: Lightwave Sabre VL, Hofner 500/1 (1964), Hofner 500/5 (1959), PJB Bass Buddy + headphones.
08. MacDaddy. Custom Shuker (hopefully!) and possibly Hamer Blitz or Iceni Zoot.
09. Stingrayfan: G&L Tribute L2000, Yamaha BB614, Westone Thunder 1A, Hartke LH500, Warwick 4x10
10. Chris B
11. Cetera: Pre-Kramer Spector NS-2, Wal Mk1 Fretless, Fender/AllParts 70's Jazz, Tech21 Landmark600, GenzBenzNEOX212T
12. Andyonbass. ACG Recurve, ACG J-Type, Pair of BFM Omni 10.5's
13. Waynepunkdude Fender Jazz, SX P Bass, DHA-DI-EQ & Ampeg SVT 5 Pro
14. Jakesbass Alembic MK5 Deluxe, German Blockless Wonder 1880 Double Bass (and the '78 Jazz if anyone wanted a go)
15. 51m0n (& Plux if he's not gigging): Bergantino AE410, MarkBass sa450, Focusrite Compounder, Roscoe Century Std V, (If Plux isnt gigging) Berg HT210, HT115, Hartke LH500
16. Floyd Pepper - Markbass LMK, Bergantino HT112 & EX112, Stingray '91 2eq, Lakland DJ4, Stagg EDB, Epiphone Jack Casady and a Fender '54 RI Precision
17. davidmpires - Markbass F1, Barefaced Compact, Spector Euro LX 5, T-Bass by Status
18. peted - Warwick Thumb BO 4, Hartke HA3500, BFM Omni 10, Aphex Bass Xciter, Shuker Singlecut 6 fanned fret (if it's ready by then, but I'm not holding my breath)
19. Platypus - Alleva Coppolo Jazz 5, Celinder Jazz 4 fretless, Tecamp Puma 1000 + Tecamp M212 cab
20. Prosebass - Current Builds at the time, Hofner S7B, Laptop , sequencing software , + amp and cab
21. Monz - Stingray 5 (la bella flats) Matamp GT200, Simms-Watt PA 100, Matamp 8x10 + Whatever else I have bought buy then
22. Alien - Schecter Stiletto 4, Peavey Grind 6, Hartke HA7000, Alien Audio 2x10 + other toys.
23. EssentialTension: Lakland Skyline Decade, Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision (and who knows what else)
24. silddx - Warwick Corvette $$ 4, Warwick Corvette Standard Ash active fretless 4, POD X3 Live, (I am praying I won't have it by then, but I will bring the Kopo Lina fretless 4 if I do!)
25. Phil_the_bassist: MMSR5 w/JE preamp, Sandberg Cali JM, Steinberger synapse5 w/ extra pup, various fuzz pedals and envelope filters, whatever amp I happen to own by then.
26. Stingray5 - My StingRay5, StingRay fretless and Tune TWB-6 plus any other basses in my signature pic if people let me know. I also have an Aria AMB-50B acoustic bass if anyone fancies a go? Could also bring my GT6-B. Plus ('cos it's small) a BLX-80 combo. And some cans...?
27. Urb - 1 x Sei 5 String Single Cut - 1 x Sei 4 string Jazz bass - EBS and Boss pedals
28. dave.c - Spector Rebop 4DLX EX, Spector NS2000-4, Gibson SGZ,Hartke LH500, Hartke Hydrive 410
29. WalMan - Wal Pro1/Custom conversion, G&L L2500 US, MarkBass CMD121H, Epifani 1x12 (not the neo one but I can't remember the initials just at the mo), Bass Pod xT Pro, Marshall SuperBass 100 head
30. Bottle - Ibanez ATK-305NT, Gallien-Krueger MB2-500, EBS Pro-line 4x10
31. Nancy Johnson (Paul) - Waterstone TP-12 Tom Petersson 12-String bass. Tech 21 Landmark 300/Ashdown MAG 4x10/Ashdown MAG 1x15
32. Beedster: Fender, Fender, Fender, Fender, Fender, Fender..and Markbass!.
33. pete.young: Burman Pro 4000 and a Dean Bromberg B2, which has an unusual Piezo bridge pickup
34. coasterbass: Mesa 1x15 RR, Mesa 4x10, Ampeg SVP and Eden WP100 preamps
35. sixshooter: 55P bass Sonic Blue Relic, 59P bass original Sunburst, 59P bass Custom Shop relic Mary Kaye, 79P bass original but upgraded Black, Modulus 6 Oteil Burbridger
36. Jean Luc Pickguard: couple of Ashborys, an NS-design CR5M & danelectro longhorn
37. Deaver: El Maya or the Prosebass Humbucker Fretless
38. Jack London: GK1001RBII and Simnett
39. ped: Vigier S2 fretted/S3 fretless, Roland Vbass, SWR 4x8/1x15, noname 1u poweramp if it doesn't explode beforehand, phone, keys, wallet
40. bythesea: Overwater Perception 5
41. Walbassist: Wal Mk III (spalted maple) fretted 5, Rick Turner Renaissance Bass fretted 5, Veillette Archtop Bass fretless 5, Brook Otter fretted 5 ABG
42. dannybuoy: Peavey T-40 & pedalboard
43. bassace: double bass
44. barneyG42: Status Series1, and possibly me Hartke 3500
45. Johngh: Fender MIJ Jazz 75 reissue. Shuker Headless 6er and Status S2 Classic 6er headless.
46. Clarky: Shuker JJ Burnel and Mesa Walkabout
47. Stylon Pilson: £10, a Hartke LH500 and a Barefaced Compact. And probably a fretless Aria Sinsonido
48. Xzantes: Conklin Groove tools 7 string fretless
49. sdgrsr400: Lākland Skyline 55-02 Deluxe, Glockenklang Soul II, Acme B2-ii
50. woolz: ABM ashdown evoIII 575w head, peavey cab. ibanez sr20th, few pedals.
51. Paul S: Fender Jaguar, Hohner B2A; Trace Elliot AH300-12, 1153, 2103H
52. Bubinga 5: Fender Jazz custom shop custom Classic, Stingray 5, Sei Jazz 5, Ostinato Jazz, Fender Jazz 5, Cort Elrick 5, Aguilar
53. eshears: Pedulla Rapture J2, Lakland DPLEII (Darkstar P-bass), Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0, Barfaced Compact, Pedalboard (Deep Impact, Supercollider, Ultra Fuzz, Discumbobulator, Small Stone, Dd-6)
54. Budget Bassist: warwick corvette $$

Edited September 4, 2009 by budget bassist

[Mikey R]

Hey everyone, I was supposed to be out of the country for this one, but thats looking increasingly unlikely - can I tentatively add my name to the list? I'll bring along the Shuker course blue P bass.

Is anyone planning on getting the train in from Essex?

Edited September 4, 2009 by Mikey R