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2x2 headstock or Fender Style?

So here it is. Not 100% thrilled with it but it’s a cool bass. I tried Mohawk Syy Yellow for the first time ever (the product, not the color) with a primer consisting of shellac…only. Regardless, I think the shellac might have something to do with the checking which was not intentional, but I think it looks pretty cool. Body was hallowed out making it very light. Scale length is 32.5”.
View attachment 7510520
I dig it ! The new neck with 2+2 was the right call.

Would look good with a lap steel bridge cover to complete the classic look


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String hunting led me back to where I started. D'Addario's

Anyone else do some string hunting? what NPS round did you settle on?
I have used a D'A XL170BT set with an additional 130 on my gigging 5-string bass since at least 2012. Occasionally try others, then come straight back. With EMG actives, they give an even tone and intonation that keeps my sound man happy.
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Is it actually easier to defret a bass than to change the fretboard?

If the bass is a typical J, P, or similar bolt-on with the "Fender Standard" heel and pocket, then yes, a new neck is the most cost effective. I also have a bass that is a neck-through. When I completely wore out the frets on it it was an expensive PITA to slightly flatten the crown radius of the fret board and completely refret and setup the bass, but oh, for the more even tone on the D & A strings, it was worth it!

NBD Fender Player II Modified Active Jazz

Nice grab.

I had one of these a few months ago and loved everything about it. The only issue with the one I had, was I couldn’t get the action below 7/16 on the E or G string at the 17th fret. Been hesitant to try again, but thinking about it since. How’s the action on yours?

If looking good, I might pull the trigger and try once again. I had the blue, which is really better looking than it come across as in any pics (typical with most Fender finishes, they always look better in person), but both the green and dusk look cool too.
The high mass bridges are kinda notorious for this. Shim the neck and they play great.

Split-P sound from a guitar-bucker sized pickup?

installing a Strat single coil in the same location had the effect of lowering the output and upping the noise, and sounding a little less “thick” in the overtones…but still pretty much like a P bass.
Then try one of the rail type Strat HB PUs. The major manufacturers make several of them, but the Wilkinson M series are really good and I got mine for about 1/3 of an SD off Amazon.

Double Bass This 100+ year petite bass is going for another century , DBPRD ( Double Bass Post Repair Day )

Superb! I remember playing a similarly sized bass at Paul Biase’s shop back when I was shopping for a bass upgrade and remember being amazed by the amount of sound and depth it put out. During my shopping I also got to play a Hannah Mayne bass that was on consignment at the Gage shop’s original location and that thing was a very responsive and precise canon. Huge sound.
Yeah her basses are very good. I think her latest is a 5 string 7/8s and it can get very loud. It was a big bass and the player who probably is 5'10 if not taller did nto even put the end pin out. She has all sizes, stryles and ratios too and she always talks to me about wood and how she experiments with various combinations. In the future 40 - 100 years from now, there isn't a way to know what she made based on shape or construction alone. .

But even better is that she will bring back basses to life. like this one which has numerous repairs and had a hard life, Most luthiers will just dismiss it as it is child size, unknown provenance and relatively lower low end response unamplified.

So today I was experimenting with the mic and pickup and my wife was also playing here Tibetan bowls. And the bass top was resonating but not going crazy at Eb2 ( lowest Eb on standard tuning) . I would start a a pull on Eb2 then the bass body would resonate to Eb 2 plus some harmonics and basically became my drone note, It just needed that extra push from a Fishman Mini Loudbox with master less than 9 o'clock and the KK mic gain position midway and about 10 feet away from me. I had had bass feedback before but they will go nasty very quick . This was uncanny. Whatever Hannah did without taking the top off is genius.

Flying with a pedal board \ TSA

fwiw I just flew last month with a modest-sized pedalboard — six pedals plus two Voodoo Labs PSUs — in an ATA flight case as my carry-on luggage

…and in both directions TSA agents didn’t hesitate for a second. Didn’t blink, didn’t pause, didn’t GAF.

Either they’ve seen enough cases full of stompboxes to know what they’re looking at, or else genuinely hazardous cargo has a *VERY* distinctive appearance on the x-ray machine, and pedalboards don’t match that at all.

Drop B on a 4 string (B,F#,B,E) what guage strings?

Hey peeps, I have a six string guitar tuned to drop b and it took a lot of messing around to find the right guage strings, so just wondering if anyone has been thru this process with a 4 string bass and found a good string set they'd recommend. I wanna set up a dedicated bass to match the guitar for recording tracks. In case it helps, the bass in question is a modified Ashton AB2, 34" scale, which has a j bridge pickup added and stainless steel frets. thanx :)
If it's not too late, use a 5 string set and get rid of the e string. But what gauge strings do you have for your guitar? I want mine in drop b

Bad ad reports: popups, screen takeovers, ads with sound etc. spring 2026

Thanks, @paul. To clarify, I should expect video ads as a Supporting Member?
Yes, there may be video playing in an ad placement. if it doesn't go away when you scroll, that needs to be reported. The ad free subscription, or upgrading to Gold Supporting Membership, are both ways you can support the site and be ad-free.

Coming to YouTube on Friday, June 5th: "The British Bass Conspiracy!"; Part One of The Story of The Bass Centre Los Angeles

I wasn't doing anything musical at that time. Mostly bicycling The Strand, hiking in the San Gabriels or hiking/camping at Sequoia, Yosemite, or Death Valley. And working at Olympic Camera, Pan Pacific Camera, USC (Drama Department lighting and sound head-yes, there certainly was a lot of drama going on there), and Bel Air Camera & HiFi.
AHA! Your history is showing! ;)
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Reactions: Jeff Scott

Should I get a 34 inch bass

Thank you. I do have short fingers, but oddly, my hands are wide. I like the idea of a 5 string.
I'm not sure what your goal or budget is, and don't know, with your arthritic condition, how you will fare with a longer/wider neck. But if you want sleek and easy playing, the Ibanez SR series is something to look at. If you're instrested in a 5 string (which I would encourage), one bass that I would put on the short list is the Yamana TRBX605. It essentially has the same weight and dimensions all around as my Sandberg, which cost exponentially more (TRBX605 now selling for $779 before discounts and tax). Also, only 8.5 pounds, which is great for us older folks.

One thing about 5 string basses... While it seems that a 5er is merely a 4 string with an extra low string, it might take some time to adapt because our hands tend to orient from the low strings (cross-over from guitar cowboy chords where we orient on the low notes). As an upgright bass player you might have an easier time. It took me a full 6 months to be fully comfortable with a 5er. But after a year I feel like my one and only 4 string bass is "missing a string" and feels weird :). I would tell anyone who is contemplating moving from 4 to 5 is to just do it, being patient in the process.

Just found some videos of my old Neil Young tribute band

Great set of videos.
Too bad you guys couldn't have done a tribute to The Band as a side project because your singer could do a great Levon Helm too.
Thanks got the kind words

That would’ve been a blast … The Band, and specifically Helm and Danko, they were probably my biggest influences.

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