Pure sidenote, but this is why I use Thomasticks.
The tension between their Jazz Flats & SuperAlloys is so minimal that i can swap 'em back and forth and really only have to adjust the intonation.
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Pure sidenote, but this is why I use Thomasticks.
The tension between their Jazz Flats & SuperAlloys is so minimal that i can swap 'em back and forth and really only have to adjust the intonation.
No, they designed a bridge that confound technicians who are unable to recognize a straight line."That's what that model bridge is for!"
Great. They designed a bridge so they can be sloppy with positioning it
From the photos, it appears this is a simple simple fix, the bridge screws are off, which means that they need to be straightened out, just loosen the strings and straighten them out, and fine tune the strings by picking the location on the barrel that fits best what you need. I imagine that you already did that, but I don't think you needed to do anything to the neck, it looked like the only problem you had, from the photos, was a bridge problem, a simple one, no misalignment of drilled holes etc. Hope it turned out well and you didn't return it.
Bring it to a dive bar gig, between the second and third set leave it propped up against the front of your amp with the controls where you left them. Make sure the amp is on and not on standby. Or, let a drunk sit in and play it. If that still doesn't fix the problem, insist the drummer help you pack up your gear. If all else fails, loosen and adjust the neck, then put the strings in the bridge saddle slots that align them properly, regardless of how the strings look from the back of the saddle to the end of the bridge.
I scoped out the video... I like Dave but this was a totally unnecessary repair. Ultimately the alignment with the pole pieces was not greatly improved and the string alignment with the neck was fine prior to and actually worse after his "repair".
isn't that why they have threaded saddles .. ? move the neck a tiny bit ... move the string towards the E on the saddles one notch ... should work to center things up a bit more - safely/easily ...
pretty bass .. !!
pretty bass .. !!
Isn't it inconsequential? Each half of that pickup is a magnet that crosses 2 strings. It shouldn't really matter if the string is over or between poles as long as it is somewhere within the perimeter of the magnet.
I would think the slot for the E string at the nut is a bigger problem (if I really had to find something to pick on), given the angle it is taking to get to the tuning peg.
I would think the slot for the E string at the nut is a bigger problem (if I really had to find something to pick on), given the angle it is taking to get to the tuning peg.
Yeah, kind of like the time it takes to reply to posts that irritate you on TalkBass?
IHR - that had me wondering also, although there are basses where the strings don't line up over the nut slots and depend on the nut for alignment, so I didn't dwell on that.
Just move the strings over a notch on the bridge saddles. They are ribbed for your enjoyment.
I have the same bass. I have probably been through 10 other way more expensive basses including a Warwick Masterman (which I did love), and a Fernandes Masterhand... and this bass with an Ampeg or Fender amp and Ken Smith Slick Wounds is the sound I want to hear. Its a truly great bass.
I have the same bass. I have probably been through 10 other way more expensive basses including a Warwick Masterman (which I did love), and a Fernandes Masterhand... and this bass with an Ampeg or Fender amp and Ken Smith Slick Wounds is the sound I want to hear. Its a truly great bass.
- Jan 26, 2014
- 1,525
- 1,946
- Disclosures
- I teach lessons and perform live music in and around San Diego CA. Sometimes I even make money doing it!
Haha, I actually didn't watch it to the end, I listen to his vids for fun while I'm doing other stuff more so than education, it's a total coincidence I just saw this one a couple days ago. It does show the bridge is not necessarily centered to the routing. Why? Who knows. Badly manufactured bridge, bad install, bad cnc bit, cnc glitch, bridge holes not cut by same machine at all, earthquake... All we can be sure of is FMIC prioritizes quantity over quality so you get some crooked instruments from time to time.
All in all, it's only a problem if it's a problem. The OP's bass looks pretty darn out of whack to me, and based on a later post he seems to have found the closeness of the G to the edge of the neck annoying even after moving the neck, that's the biggest problem in my book. It's an annoyance to be able to see the problem, if you can feel it too, that's no bueno, that's the deal breaker in my book. Can it be overcome? Sure, but it's up to the OP whether he can deal with the idiosyncrasies. I'm not obsessive when it comes to the look of my instruments, my #1 bass has strings, saddles and pole pieces all over the place, and it sounds and plays great. I shop on sound, feel, and practicality, so if it were me, especially at retail price, I'd return and try again, that feel thing would keep bugging me. If they can't send one that's good enough for your taste, just keep trying, they'll make more, you just might find a good used one too.
Oh my, I can't change strings without my insurance premium going up. But it me, or do the strings go over the poles (at 1:45, before the fix) at the same spot they go over the poles at 40:09 (after fix)?
I got a 50's classic (sunburst/gold anodized pick guard) back in December. I also noticed that the strings did not center between the pole pieces, and wondered about that. However, after playing it extensively, I can't see that it affects the sound at all. As some have mentioned, those magnets produce a pretty big field.
Spidey noticed the the slope of the pickup height as set. Mine was like that also, it caught my attention; more drastic than I expected. It does seem to overmatch the radius; but the radius on this bass is 7.25", which is pretty rounded, so some pitch is to be expected. I thought about possibly adjusting the pickup height to be more uniform, but, I haven't noticed a problem in playing it in terms of evenness from string to string. Thus, I have left it alone. But, I'd simply adjust that if I felt like it wasn't quite ideal. Almost any bass could benefit from a little pickup height tinkering, unless it's been very well set-up, which I don't necessarily expect ordering a bass from an online retailer.
Finally, I can't tell if it's the angle of the photo that makes the G string look closer to the edge than the E string on the OP's bass. Take a good look from a perfectly centered viewpoint; it doesn't take much angle to make stuff like that appear off-center.
Spidey noticed the the slope of the pickup height as set. Mine was like that also, it caught my attention; more drastic than I expected. It does seem to overmatch the radius; but the radius on this bass is 7.25", which is pretty rounded, so some pitch is to be expected. I thought about possibly adjusting the pickup height to be more uniform, but, I haven't noticed a problem in playing it in terms of evenness from string to string. Thus, I have left it alone. But, I'd simply adjust that if I felt like it wasn't quite ideal. Almost any bass could benefit from a little pickup height tinkering, unless it's been very well set-up, which I don't necessarily expect ordering a bass from an online retailer.
Finally, I can't tell if it's the angle of the photo that makes the G string look closer to the edge than the E string on the OP's bass. Take a good look from a perfectly centered viewpoint; it doesn't take much angle to make stuff like that appear off-center.
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Yes. Didn't we just have a 9 page thread about a bass that was sent back because the box was damaged? Didn't even look at the bass. The business end of a screwdriver is a wonderful thing.
