Karma never goes unnoticed or unrewarded in life. That bass just wasn't meant to be yours. Keep with that attitude and actions and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Funny try at buying a bass
- Thread starter shawshank72
- Start date
That's a great story, you did a very nice thing. I am glad he offered you money, and I'm glad you took it! Even for pay, what you did was very nice. House-call bass tech? What would that be worth? Great story.
Shawshank I'm adding my kudos here, but did you happen to show him how you did the setup? His enthusiasm is back up again, but what happens in a year or so when the bass falls out of setup?
Yes i did.
I had him watch me the whole way and i described what and why i did it.
Afterwards i let him adjust the saddles to intonate.
I hope he retained all of it lol
You sir, are a fine human being.
Who knows? That kid might end up being a great bassist some day thanks to your kindness.
Who knows? That kid might end up being a great bassist some day thanks to your kindness.
Hi,
This was very generous of you. It was also good to hear that the perspective seller was kind enough to pay you for your time. It's almost a win-win. Perhaps more like a win-not lose.
But you did a good and kind thing. Now there is one more happy bass player in the world. And we all know the world needs more happy bass players.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
This was very generous of you. It was also good to hear that the perspective seller was kind enough to pay you for your time. It's almost a win-win. Perhaps more like a win-not lose.
But you did a good and kind thing. Now there is one more happy bass player in the world. And we all know the world needs more happy bass players.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
This makes a very important point! A good set up is vital to making a bass playable. There are 5 key set up points on the electric bass guitar to make it play and feel best in your hands. All can be found in YouTube videos.
1.The NUT comes from the factory set very high and needs to be slotted with the appropriate files. This is very delicate work that can be learned properly by being shown, and needs to be practiced a bit. This will make fingering in the 'money section' of your bass very smooth and 'buttery'. A nut that is too high can tire your fretting hand out up there , as you will be working against the pressure of the high nut.
2. The TRUSS ROD is adjusted carefully to set the neck profile. This should be learned by everyone.
3. STRING HEIGHT is set at the bridge and varies player to player- but the curvature should follow the fingerboard radius using a radius gauge. If you have the strings flat all the way across the bridge, it's wrong- the middle strings will be closer the the frets than the outer strings, because the fingerboard is curved. Again, everyone should know how to do this.
4.INTONATION- setting the string length at the bridge- vital for having your bass play in tune when you finger notes. You need a good tuner for this. Everyone should know how to do this.
And the overlooked
5. PICK UP HEIGHT- set the height of the pickup relative to the string height when fingered at the last fret. This height varies by manufacturer. Everyone can do this one too.
Did I miss anything?
1.The NUT comes from the factory set very high and needs to be slotted with the appropriate files. This is very delicate work that can be learned properly by being shown, and needs to be practiced a bit. This will make fingering in the 'money section' of your bass very smooth and 'buttery'. A nut that is too high can tire your fretting hand out up there , as you will be working against the pressure of the high nut.
2. The TRUSS ROD is adjusted carefully to set the neck profile. This should be learned by everyone.
3. STRING HEIGHT is set at the bridge and varies player to player- but the curvature should follow the fingerboard radius using a radius gauge. If you have the strings flat all the way across the bridge, it's wrong- the middle strings will be closer the the frets than the outer strings, because the fingerboard is curved. Again, everyone should know how to do this.
4.INTONATION- setting the string length at the bridge- vital for having your bass play in tune when you finger notes. You need a good tuner for this. Everyone should know how to do this.
And the overlooked
5. PICK UP HEIGHT- set the height of the pickup relative to the string height when fingered at the last fret. This height varies by manufacturer. Everyone can do this one too.
Did I miss anything?
Tell me about it. Either junk or too expensive. Theres a guy up in brampton with a Mann bass, black on maple but thats like 1 1/2 - 2 hrs away.
Mostly you get people trying to sell 199$ when new squiers for 160-180$
Its rough searching.
For me toronto is too far, london is too far and places like brantford/kitchener/cambridgr have nothing. Only long and mcquades but the selection is low and you have to spend 13% tax on top of new.
+1. You did what a good person would do, because that's what's in you. I also believe that the good will come back to you.
The bass in my avatar pic played like a bow and arrow too. Back in the early '70's, as a 14-year old kid, I had no idea that anything could be done about it. I just played on because I loved playing bass. Quit? To do what instead?
Apparently you're close to me.
I hear you on L+M. They're great when you're in need of a quick fix like strings and such, but I can never really justify buying anything from them unless I needed to order a new instrument. It seems like all they ever have is the usual Ibanez/Fender/Gibson cabal.
The key is, that even if the kid doesn't attempt to set up the bass ever again, he now knows it NEEDS to be set up and can get it done professionally if/when things go out of wack again and he doesn't figure it out himself. He might forget how, but he won't forget it's required. Another stoked bass player is unleashed upon the world... That's priceless.
