OK, here's whats wrong with my ****...

froosh69

have an earnie ball music man bass and love it to bits-literally. its in a right state...here's whats wrong... *deep breath*

-output jack is dodgy...sound only comes out when the lead is pulled tight at a certain angle

-two of the machine head handles have fallen off so i glued them back on...this results in a sort of "rattling"-pain in the ass.

-neck is fcuked- action too high at lower frets, serious fret buzz at higher ones.

-intonition is also fcuked.

-and finally...i think the pickup may be too close to the strings because i can only get a nice clean tone when i play lightly or at lower volumes...

soooo...i was wondering where would you guys recommend i go to get these problems sorted, how much (roughly) will it cost or should i just buy a new one? Im not very good at handy man stuff, and ive been playing it for abt 5 yrs now?
cheers in advance!

Doctor J

froosh69 wrote: »

have an earnie ball music man bass and love it to bits-literally. its in a right state...here's whats wrong... *deep breath*

-output jack is dodgy...sound only comes out when the lead is pulled tight at a certain angle

2 or 3 band EQ? Either way, take the jack out and see that each of the terminals are making contact when the lead is plugged in. See if there are any broken/loose wires.

froosh69 wrote: »

-two of the machine head handles have fallen off so i glued them back on...this results in a sort of "rattling"-pain in the ass.

Replace them. Ebay. Though I've never seen them "fall off" ever.

froosh69 wrote: »

-neck is fcuked- action too high at lower frets, serious fret buzz at higher ones.

You need to tighten the truss rod. See the instrument resources sticky for setup guides.

froosh69 wrote: »

-intonition is also fcuked.

You need to adjust the bridge saddles. See the instrument resources sticky for setup guides.

froosh69 wrote: »

-and finally...i think the pickup may be too close to the strings because i can only get a nice clean tone when i play lightly or at lower volumes...

So lower it, tighten the screws either side of the pickup. My Stingray sounded a lot better when I lowered the pickup. The poles are about 1cm from the strings. Also, if your amp has a passive and active input, use the active one. The Stingray puts out a lot of signal, especially when you boost the EQ and a standard passive input clips quite easily when you do this.

froosh69 wrote: »

soooo...i was wondering where would you guys recommend i go to get these problems sorted, how much (roughly) will it cost or should i just buy a new one? Im not very good at handy man stuff, and ive been playing it for abt 5 yrs now?
cheers in advance!

You should be able to do everything that needs doing, if you read up a little and try to understand the basics of a setup, it's very straightforward. There's nothing wrong with your bass that 15 minutes of your time couldn't resolve.

froosh69

cheers for the quick reply!

by "falling off" i mean the pin holding the handle fell out! i used to do alot of gigging with a cover band, and i dont think i ever played sober so i got a little excited and used to throw my guitar around!

oh yeah, lowering the pick up is hard- i tried it myself but one of the screws has a damaged head so i cant fit the screwdriver in...also, its fairly rusted for some reason...i'd feel safer with new parts...

p.s. I'l pay you to do it for me! i dont trust myself!

punchdrunk

where are you based?

Darkstrike

Wow!


What Doc said, I'd replace the pickup screws too, if you can get them out.

unclebill98

Ok, Someone should take that bass off you and give it to a good home and leave with some Argos bass setup.

Do what the Doctor ordered or I'll be that someone Hang you head in shame.

Doctor J

unclebill98 wrote: »

Hang you head in shame.

There speaks a man who loves his Stingray just a little too much

Darkstrike

unclebill98 wrote: »

Argos bass setup

Argos don't have bass setups!:(

































They have chipboard planks with strings!:p

froosh69

unclebill98 wrote: »

Ok, Someone should take that bass off you and give it to a good home and leave with some Argos bass setup.

Do what the Doctor ordered or I'll be that someone Hang you head in shame.

ha, its not my only bass, the others are in pristine condition! i swear! but this one was my favourite...but favourite in the sense that Robinson Crusoe marked his "favourite" goats so he wouldnt eat them....and it had been played ALOT...although there is no excuse for letting it fall into such disrepair (although it is still playable).

Cheers for all the advice, but if i was to get a professional to do it, how much monies are we talkin? by the by, im based in north dublin...

p.s. Doctor J, i like your music.

unclebill98

Doctor J wrote: »

There speaks a man who loves his Stingray just a little too much

I do, i really do

Darkstrike wrote: »

Argos don't have bass setups!:(

































They have chipboard planks with strings!:p

froosh69 wrote: »

ha, its not my only bass, the others are in pristine condition! i swear! but this one was my favourite...but favourite in the sense that Robinson Crusoe marked his "favourite" goats so he wouldnt eat them....and it had been played ALOT...although there is no excuse for letting it fall into such disrepair (although it is still playable).

Cheers for all the advice, but if i was to get a professional to do it, how much monies are we talkin? by the by, im based in north dublin...

p.s. Doctor J, i like your music.

Get someone who likes basses to have a look at it and get it fixed All the Doc said can be done and should be.

Well thats like saying Robinson Crusoe marked his fav goat and then proceeded to get pissed and kick the ****e out his so called fav goat

Kareir

froosh69 wrote: »

have an earnie ball music man bass and love it to bits-literally. its in a right state...here's whats wrong... *deep breath*

-output jack is dodgy...sound only comes out when the lead is pulled tight at a certain angle
*Could be the lead? If not, try making sure that the output it tightly connected to the bass. If it is, open it up at look for loose wiring.
-two of the machine head handles have fallen off so i glued them back on...this results in a sort of "rattling"-pain in the ass.
*Replace 'em, i guess. Never had this problem.
-neck is fcuked- action too high at lower frets, serious fret buzz at higher ones.
*Adjust truss rod.. i dont know how much those basses cost, but if you're worried about doing it, get it professionally done.
-intonition is also fcuked.
Bridge height, although having an awful action can screw this over. We have a guitar in my school that has the strings touching the 1st fret, and about 3 inches over the 12th. No amount of intonationing will get it right, do the action first.
PS: when doing intonation, an easier way than doing it by ear is to hit a harmonic at the 12th and use a tuner, harmonics should be the same as the open strings.
-and finally...i think the pickup may be too close to the strings because i can only get a nice clean tone when i play lightly or at lower volumes...
*ah, screws that have been worn away at the top are seriously annoying. use a pliers to grip the edges of the head? it could work..
soooo...i was wondering where would you guys recommend i go to get these problems sorted, how much (roughly) will it cost or should i just buy a new one? Im not very good at handy man stuff, and ive been playing it for abt 5 yrs now?
*Shouldnt Be too much.. especially not if you do it yourself. I always get a friend to do mine for me, but it's more of a favour thing from him.

cheers in advance!
PS: If you open the bass up, get a wiring diagram (sometimes can get them online) and that way you can check for problems with wiring if yours is different.

_Kar

PPS: and the moral of the story is:
"if you want to save time and money, dont cause damage to things by throwing them, especially not valueable/cool stuff."

.. very famous quote, that... should be used more.
:P