Bridges, Tuners & Knobs
We’re starting off this article showing the weight of the Omega bridge just to give you an idea of how closely matched the Omega total weight is to the Badass II (less than a 5g difference between the two.) The Badass II bass bridge is a loved piece of hardware by many bass enthusiasts, and … Read more
Above is a Squier Classic Vibe Precision Bass ’50s, and it’s being shown for a reason. It has a neck that is chunkier than most low-cost basses in the same price range. Incidentally, we do have a pickup that would be a significant upgrade for that particular instrument. What is wide? A wide-neck bass typically … Read more
The newer version of a V-4B is a very good modern interpretation of this model. It’s 100 watts of all-tube goodness, but has nice newer features like integrated DI, among other things. Looks-wise, the modern V-4B totally nails it. But how does it sound? See (and hear) the video below and decide for yourself.
When it comes to 1950s and 1960s design, that’s something pretty easy to figure out. If you do an image search for googie architecture, you will see many, many examples of that “swoopy” style that began in the 1940s and lasted all the way into the mid-1960s. Everything from houses to furniture to cars and … Read more
What makes a gold finish gold? Gold for all intents and purposes is a “light mustard brown” or “burnt yellow.” How do you take that color and make it gold? Metallic flake is added in… …and that’s where things get interesting. There is no established standard that states how much metallic flake is required to … Read more
Some of you have already noticed that we now carry Hipshot lollypop key tuners. Where is an instance of where this appeared back in days of old? The 1966 Fender Jazz Bass. The video below shows an original ’66 Jazz with the lollypop keys on it; this key shape is definitely not something new, but … Read more
Bass guitar tuners by nature are large and get the job done they’re supposed to do. But is periodic maintenance required that would involve lubrication? Answer: It shouldn’t be required as long as the tuner is good (such as Hipshot as shown above,) and the tension is set up to your preference. An exposed gear … Read more
It is typical that many 5-string basses have a flappy low B string. Why is this? That’s what we’ll attempt to answer here. Before we get into that, here’s a quick tip. On a 4-string bass, you can get away with tuning to B-E-A-D, but the strings may be too loose for your liking. In … Read more
Above is an Ibanez GSR200 series bass guitar. It isn’t all that expensive. In fact, a GSR200 is under 300 USD ordinarily. Why are we mentioning this bass guitar specifically? Because it is a popular choice for parents that gift a bass guitar to their daughters or sons as a birthday present, or for the … Read more
For those of you that didn’t know, we do carry tools (the Bass Player Tech Kit on that page in particular is quite nice to have.) However, from the recent survey we sent out, a few of you said you wanted us to carry more tools other than what’s listed there. Understanding tool categories There … Read more
