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So, what is really the difference between the standard 62 PBASS, the ones described here 59-62 REL? Is there a chance the 59-62 are handwound? Does anyone have a photo of the back of those? Thanks

Tanner5382 said:

I will be honest. At first glance I read the title as Anus Bass.

Nice looking bass, and it looks like the guy makes a lot of cool stuff.

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Looking at a used one. Honestly, calling it an Anus Ass is a selling feature.

Hurricane Jimmie said:

So Anyway, sounds like your efforts paid off.

One of my buddies has an old Vantage bass, but he says it's not one of the models that would bring a high price if he sold it. I used to play it at rehearsals.
It's a nice bass...and I didn't have to bring my own.

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I remember Vantage basses. This is a VINTAGE Pro Shop Custom.

retslock said:

The E on the fifth fret sounds fatter than the open E and I use it way more. Many people think all you've got is 5 more notes below E. There's much more to it than that. Your fretting hand can access notes across the neck instead of moving along the neck. I play above the fifth fret a lot because it gives me greater access. Try playing a two octave E scale and you'll soon see how 5 strings makes some things much easier.
You also get nice fat grace notes below when you're playing in E or G and drop downs to the low C# from A sounds great. I use the B string a lot.

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I've seen some 5 players mainly go to the B when they want to accentuate something on the bottom. That string definitely has a different sound, and anything played on it sticks out.

It's almost the reverse of how upright players use their G string, which has greater clarity, and sings out from the rest of what they are playing on the lower strings.

That said, I'm happy with my 4, even happier with my fretless 4.

Starting today I'm getting the oops... with any search I do.

There is a forum called Offset Guitars. Post it there. Link:

I use this LowePro camera bag. Just the right size, easy to organize, holds all my stuff, and has backpack straps and handles for easy transport. B&H Photo sells it. Worth the price!

That's gorgeous. Thank you.

Amazon has a bunch of different ones

I started on a fingerboard using a length of hardwood flooring timber from the local hardware shop. It's not that hard. I used a Stanley no.6 handplane to get a straight reference. 3 flat sections, one in the centre and two either side as a start to the curved finger board. Once you get these sections flat use a scraper to work in the scoop. Cut 4 notches at the nut end and 4 at the wide end to hold a strong thick bit of cotton about the line the strings will take. A weight on the end of the cotton allows you to check quickly between scrapes. If you want say 2mm of scoop overall you can use the fact that the clearance under a straight edge reduces as the square of its length. IE if the finger board is 840mm long you will expect 0.5 of a mm under a 420mm straight edge. At any position if you want even scoop. I used shorter straight edges than that even. Shine a lamp on a white background to see the gap. You can get a feeler gauge from the auto spares shop. You aim for the same gap as you move up and down the finger board. Plenty of youtubes on how to tune a handplane and how to sharpen and burnish the edge of a scraper.

I made the finger board just over 20mm thick, the same as my reference double bass, a Stentor 1950. I've got just under 2mm of scoop measured at the 7th fret E string, the Stentor is just over 2mm. Just under 1mm under the G string, the Stentor is also 2mm here. (I'd read somewhere you need less scoop under the lighter strings).

Then I needed somewhere to test it. Edgar Russ Violin maker of Distinction has a youtube video on timbers for violin family instruments. Violins need to be made from Spruce from the north side of trees from a certain altitude in the mountains of Cremorne. He said it becomes less critical as you go up in size. "By the time you get to double bass you can make them out of anything". So I built a double-bass-shaped object out of plywood. I suspect he is right. I've set the height of strings at the 7th fret to 5mm E string and 4 mm G string. a bit of buzz with any less, and they sound better with a bit more height. Strings make all the difference, D'Addario helicore pizzicato. I recycled the old ones from the Stentor. They say double bass strings are expensive but they last. No they don't. One and a half years on the Stentor, what a difference new strings make!

Jakeman said:

Beyond your current budget, but when you inevitably take the next step, check out:

Blackhawk
Lefa
Noise Space Audio
Dunwich/Magic
Electrofoods

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I'd add Black Arts Toneworks to the list! And the Swollen Pickle is a classic if you have the patience for tweaking.

Crackle said:

Rotosound Jazz Bass 77

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I was expecting to see only James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, "Duck" Dunn, Carol Kaye, and other old school R&B bassists on this thread. But you're speaking my language as a metalhead! As much as I personally don't like Roto 77s, there's no denying that Steve Harris played all of Iron Maiden's bass lines on a P Bass with flats.

Here are my picks:
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CrimsonGhost said:

It's that sub low hit that's so addicting.

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y’all are convincing me more n more

Version 5 has just been released, featuring a new stem separation algorithm, a new audio-to-MIDI conversion engine, and a new MIDI editor that allow you to transcribe entire songs in a matter of minutes. I wish this tool had existed 20 years ago.

A quick review / tutorial (in Spanish, with English subtitles):
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What do you do when you come face to face with an old nemesis?​

“I make this face”…

drumrtommy said:

Il”missing bottom end” I would whole heartedly agree with that actually, just doesn’t sound or feel “full”

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I have a Burner 6. But that one has tons of lows. I never put the bass knob past 50%. Also don’t think it’s hifi sounding. But the 6 has humbuckers instead of single coils. Not sure if the Burner 4 sounds that much different from the Burner 6?

carmst42 said:

Just bought an Ibanez mode 1606 and I love the bass, but I'm not a huge fan of the pickups and preamp. I am a big fan of the sound of Aguilar amps as well as players I've seen playing Aguilar pickups. From what I have read, the Aguilar 6 string hum cancelling jazz pickups look like exactly what I want. It looks like they may have been discontinued and I can't seem to find them anywhere.

Does anyone know if there is somewhere that I can still find them or are there any good alternatives that you guys would recommend? I want more low end and less growl with good clarity but still a good focus on the fundamental if that makes sense. I will be using this bass playing jazz for the most part.

Thanks In advance!

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or

What sort of support do you have underneath? Foam, springs, etc? Need to pull the pickups for a looksey and repair.

Riis

All that matters is the sound that comes out of the speakers. Well, and if it's not built like a total piece of junk.

That being said my favorite dirt pedals for bass are in the "boutique" category. Do I care that they are? No, I was looking for a sound and I probably have been through well over 200 dirt pedals at this point.

It's hard to find things I like now, and if I do they really have to offer something I've never seen/heard before.

But I respect Jakeman's opinion as well. It is nice to support the small guy but the reason I look for what I do is purely for sound. I just wound up with those pedals. And the builders are usually pretty damn cool and receptive to what you are looking for

Bruce Johnson said:

I strongly recommend that you buy your ebony fingerboard from a supplier who specifically sells ebony fingerboard blanks for musical instruments. Ebony is difficult to get dried out, thoroughly and evenly. Suppliers who sell fingerboard blanks have worked out the process, sawing and milling the boards down to close to the final thickness, while drying it slowly. This is really important.

If you buy a larger, thicker ebony board from someone, and then ask your Luthier to saw it and plane it into a fingerboard blank, there is a high chance that the ebony will crack or split. Sometimes months after the bass is finished. I know this from painful personal experience.

This isn't a big problem with other fingerboard woods, just ebony.

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Appreciate the tip!

Here's a couple of weeks worth of pics. I'm slow, building two basses, and don't spend all that much time in the workshop each session so it isn't tonnes of progress.



Shaving back the face plate




Smoothing down any bumps from the neck carve




That flame should come up nice with a bit of clear coat




Side dots


managed to stuff up and put a pilot in the centre line of the 12th fret




Not sure if I'll put a third dot (maybe a different colour), or try to patch it up. So I've left it be for the minute.


Shaping out the end of the fret board. It seems really easy till I start the other side and try to make it symmetrical.

Interesting to me that my bass with the XJ frets went from being a backup which wasn't my favorite to play (because I was not used to XJ frets and preferred the smaller fretwire of my then-main bass) has now become my #1 because I learned to "walk the rice paper" by refining my fretting hand technique with a lighter, more nuanced touch. Press down too hard, and the notes go plop.

Now I'm at the point where if I'm playing a bass with small frets, I don't have that same "glide" I do with my XJ frets. With smaller frets, I touch the fretboard when I press down, whereas with XJ frets I don't touch the fretboard at all (which you don't want to do with frets that big, or the notes plop out).

But that's just because I got used to the XJ frets and now they feel more natural to me because I've been to hell and back with that bass and my hands know it intimately. I really had to grow into that bass.

ESP/LTD seems to like putting XJ frets on the majority of their instruments. My main is a modded LTD (by ESP).

I wanted to just follow up and say that not only did I not sell that P bass, but I rediscovered it as the best sounding bass I own, funny how the mind play tricks on you. That would’ve been a critical mistake that I may have not recovered from, seeing that it took me like seven years to find that bass as my best P bass.

robert_stuart said:

Lol, no, it was me. I needed to just pause the video and then talk. And either work the mic better (an SM58) or get a lapel mic.

Thanks for the feedback!

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Hey, I feel like I'm learning each time I try and record something, whether video or audio! I'm actually thinking of getting a new (wireless) mic so that I can do more "talking" videos. It's all part of the journey! Gonna watch more of your videos.

I learned to solve tone issues by reducing rather than adding. But I also learned to avoid subtle tweaks: crank the knobs and hear what the real impact of the gear is, then dial back to what you like. Preamp into cab sim into plugin is not unheard of. Generally overkill for my tastes, but I'm also very satisfied with my pure and simple bass->amp sound.

None of it sounds particularly bad to me, and they could each work great in the right situation. No rule against stacking a ludicrous amount of processing. Grab a Mackie 1202 and stick a different unit on each fader, make a FX organ, why not? I love Chris Wolstenholme, his rig/signal path rundown is insanity. Just keep in mind how much complexity you are willing to repeat when it's time to gig with that sound.