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list your basses' flaws

#161
Tarrbot said:
That was my point.

With a new neck, it's essentially a new bass with old wings on it.

So, my question is, what makes this neck a "non-original" neck? What's the story here because there is one, sounds like.

And this hasn't held up as well as his Fenders? What was done to the Fenders?

That's what I'm trying to find out here.
Click to expand...

Funny you should say that, I almost posted the same thought exactly. I didn't mean to sound like I was calling you an idiot, I propably should have noticed you are a Ric owner. No one would just change a Ric neck for the screw of it, and frankly I don't imagine many people would spend the money and time to do it even if it needed done. I too am curious as to what the deal was.
 
#164
Mike Lull Modern 4
Extremely minor scratch on back of bass that could easily be wet-sanded out (the one "physical" reason I got it at a "steal" for a bass at the level of a Lull). I'd like to send it to Mike for this, a PLEKing and to be rewired Vol/Vol as opposed to Vol/Tone.

Mike Lull Modern 5
When the Blend Pot is centered it actually delivers 2/3rds of the Volume from the Neck pickup, and only 1/3rd from the bridge. It also has a minor ding on the lower horn (the one "physical" reason I got this one at a "steal" for a bass at the level of a Lull) which doesn't pass through the clearcoat and is something I believe could be touched up with relative ease. I'd also like to send it to Mike for a PLEKing, to fix the Volume imbalance and at the same time to be rewired Vol/Vol as opposed to Vol/Tone.

Spector ReBop DLX 4-string "ZeBop" Zebrawood EX, 5-string fretted and unlined fretless Flame Maple FM

4-string has 3 extremely minor clearcoat dings (again, the price of "a grab" on the used market) that can be wetsanded out. 5-strings have no "flaws". All currently need to go into the shop to have Custom Nordstrand "Big Singles" (all in EMG and not Bartolini shells, also 5% underwound for more aggressive midrange) wired to Aguilar OBP-3SK/PP active preamps - I do not consider this a "flaw", if anything an "improvement" for my playing style, tone, and usage of onboard preamps... just need to come up with the ca$h for the work, as the soldering is far beyond my abilities! :eek:

Music Man S.U.B. Sterling
No flaws - purchased used with terrible setup, needed "major tweaking" to get back into playable condition. Active electronics reversed from what I'm used to (Bass pot closest to me and not Treble). Not a "flaw" as it came from the factory like this, but I way swap the controls especially as it's an easily reservable modification. Only 1 of 100 sprayed with "Cinnamon" finish (Rust Red/Green/Gold "flip-flop") before Music Man cancelled the S.U.B. line of instruments - absolutely a keeper!

Taylor AB-2 Acoustic Bass Guitar
No flaws whatsoever - bass looks significantly better then when purchased due to body & fretboard cleaning and polishing, as well as reversal of minor fret sprout at purchase.
 
#166
I have a 70s Jazz with a rosewood Shecter neck. Problems are:

*Too heavy
*Too heavy
*Too heavy

Other than that, she's perfect in every way (which is why I own one bass). Love the ol' gal even if she does have a few extra pounds).
 
#167
Warwick Corvette $$ LTD
- Rather fragile finish (natural oil)
- String volume is a tad inconsistent, as is the amount of sustain on the strings as I've tried to negate the former through P'up height adjustment. Apparently a running niggle with MEC pickups judging from the forums. (I'm waiting on the Wal-esque MM beasty SGD is working on :D)
- This is with all the warwicks: how the hell are you meant to set intonation? There is no physical way to get a screwdriver to the saddles with the other part of the bridge placed where it is. Or am I missing a trick here?

Dean Acoustic Playmate
- Neck gets sticky very easily
- Included electronics are a joke.
 
#168
Of my current basses? Let's see:

1997 Ibanez SR300

-Made of agathis plywood. No sustain and hollow tone.
-Hate the neck on it
-Weighs almost nothing. A plus to some, but I like a heftier bass.
-Needs a fret job - the frets are all worn down from use
-Needs new pups - the pups on it are very weak sounding
-Many dents, scratches and scuffs from much use
-Still playable by any means but I almost never touch it unless I'm pretty bored.
-On the plus side, this bass has gone through hell and the neck and body are still solid

My 2008 Ibanez ATK300RSPBK

- Do not care for the "Harley Davidson" looking artwork on the pickguard. Don't mind the etchings on the bridge
- Deadspots all over the neck that keep creeping up and becoming more apparent
- Mids are weak despite constant tweaking on the bass, the amp, and eq pedals, they sound thin and have no presence
- Neck jumps around like crazy and it needs adjustments every couple of weeks
- On the plus side, the low tones on this bass are wonderful and it's very comfortable for me to play. I just wish it didn't have so many flaws that keep cropping up and making it a pain in the butt to compensate for

SX Ursa P-bass

- Ugly. Plain butt ugly. Pickguard was cut badly, finish is nice but the color of it is terribad.
- Heavier than my ATK...a tad too heavy for comfort. Weighs more than the 8.5 pounds listed on the website. Need to get a padded strap.
- Stock nut was cut way too high - will be replaced during next string change.
-Not a fan of the bridge - also being replaced soon. More a personal preference on this one.
- Pups not the greatest. Posts are cut uneven and the E-string post especially sticks up too high. Currently covered with electrical tape which helps stop the "popping" that sometimes happens if I hit the E-string pretty hard and it vibrates close to the post. New Pups will be dropped in eventually to eliminate this.

-On the plus side, for just over 100 bucks it plays very nicely and has a good tone. There is one deadspot on the G string at the 7th fret, but that doesn't bother me much as I rarely use that position in a sustained note anyway. Most of it's other flaws are repairable so it's currently my main player.
 
#170
" list your basses' flaws"

MIA Precision V
- The owner

Stingray 5 HH
- The owner

MIA Jazz Deluxe V Fretless
- The owner

SX SJB-62 4+1
- Poorly made fingerboard that needed to be leveled
- Nut improperly installed so it is at an angle across the fingerboard instead of being perpendicular to it
- Hole for B string in bridge too small to allow a new string to pass through, had to be enlarged to accommodate the string.
- The owner
 
#173
Yamaha RBX170

Low P pickup output

Ibanez ATK305
Almost had it for a week here's the run down of it's cons

WEIGHT (New leather strap should be here tommorrow or Wensday)

Bridge looks ugly to me I thought it looked cool online but, now in person it's just too much for me to stomach however I'm never gonna sell it the thing rocks
 
#175
Most basses I've owned (except a few) from the $500 to $5000 price range have always had some play in the neck pocket.

Single high frets are always a problem but thankfully they are an easy fix.

My students bring in alot of guitars and basses with grounding problems or loose wires.

I recently bought a Fender MIM Deluxe series Jazz bass from ebay that was the biggest piece of junk I've ever played. The seller listed it as new though it didn't come with a warranty and they didn't accept returns. Through I saved about $300 over the price of a new one, the headache of a fret job, new bridge, setup and multiple problems were just not worth the savings. I'm tossing the neck and slapping a fretless neck on it.

This is the last Fender I will ever buy!
 
#176
Barracuda JB420 Jazz Bass Copy
-My first bass, has a nut not perfectly in line with the neck, and rust spots are starting to form. On the plus side, it never goes out of tune and sounds above average compared to other cheap copies.

Ibanez ATK300
-Very slight hum when treble is boosted, hard to tell the difference between the neck and middle position on the coil selector switch. My Bass in particular seems to have a loose E-string tuner... it goes out of tune often while the others never go out. None of this matters really: The hum is so slight I hardly ever notice it, the other 2 coil selections are good enough for me, and I could get a new set of tuners. This Bass ROCKS!
 
#177
2001 Modulus Q5 - The stock OBP-1 pre is boost only, which is a terrible, terrible idea on a graphite necked instrument with EMG pickups. Talk about runaway treble! This will be remedied in the next month or two with an OBP-3. My VTBass has also been helping immensely. Otherwise, plays great - super low action, ebony ramp, sounds as clear as a bell.

2008 EBMM SR 4H - Factory set up specifications are BS! After setting my action as low as I prefer it, I set the pickup height in relation to the strings to meet the parameters outlined by EBMM. At the factory specified distance, any fretted note above the 12th fret on the E, A, and D strings was subject to the WARGARBL effect of the magnets interfering with the string. I had to spend quite a bit of time adjusting the pickup height for good string to string balance and to eliminate that obnoxious chorusy effect. Also, needs a pickup-width ramp just neckward of the pickup - I don't care for feeling of hitting the pole pieces with my fingertips.

Fender JP-90 - Stock Fender bridges are teh suxxorz. I think I'll drop a Gotoh in. Pots are also fail - going to replace those too. Thinking I might try something extravagant with this one.

Those are my axes and those are their flaws.
 
#178
Cant edit my previous post and I've added 2 basses since then.

Yamaha BB614-constructionwise, its perfectly sound. BUT, the blade-magnet "J" pickup seems insanely hot when soloed as compared to the P pickup.
Also-I think I need the jack resoldered-it will occasionally cut out when playing it but you dont get any kind of crackling or static noise, just sudden dead air.

SX-SJB-62. The usual complaint-the hole for the E string was too small. The ball end of the aftermarket E was about 1/4" inch away form the bridge. On the plus side, it got me a decent discount when I bought it from the pawn shop. ;)Needed to be reamed out with my Dremel. Unfortunately, the Dremel bucked and now the otherwise nearly pristine LPB finish has a small mark behind the bridge! :o
 

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