Mojo! and wonderwipe requests!

[mammoth]

Hey dudes and dudettes!

Been away for a while! had some good times and bad, but i thought i'd ask a stooopid question to get going again

ok.. mojo.. we all know knocks, scratches, bumps, thumps, fret marks, snot, dribble and Rodan blood ( bongo owners) all count for mojo you can see.... but what do you guys think of that intangible "feel" when you know your bass has been driven at 7,000 rpm for 5 hours solid?

I used to RITUALLY clean and service every inch of barbarella (yes sometimes singing at her too whilst doing so) but just recently due to time contraints mainly, i've let her go a little..... don't get me wrong! she's still pristine, but there is something there i can't quite put my finger (or wonder wipe!) on. imagine that my bass' namesake had the clap.. if you will.... it does mean all the funk i play is dirty

anyone got a clue what im on about? thoughts!!??

PS!!! can you get wonderwipes in a container that fits into the bass' case?? i luuurve the wipes!!

 

[fly]

yup...........they come in smaller containers........i have all 3 in my OHSC..........

 

[mammoth]

thanks pal, they're pretty hard to come by in local stores!

 

[fly]

i forgot to mention............you're on your own for the mojo eh.........

 

[nashman]

Put your Wonder Wipes in zip-loc bags.

 

[kevin]

thanks pal, they're pretty hard to come by in local stores!

we've sent a ton of WW's to our UK distributor, if your having trouble finding them in your area contact Strings & Things directly.

Strings & Things Ltd. Unit2, 202-210 Brighton Road,
Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex
P: 44 12 734 40442
F: 44 12 734 40278

Cheers!

 

[Moondog]

Don't know if I'm addressing your thread, and don't know what's up but,
every MM bass I own and love currently has come to me "2nd hand/used"
and at least 10+ years old.

I've bought several new MM (Bongo5, SR5, SR4FL, SR4HS, SR4HH) but never
fell in love with them & eventually sold/traded them. Maybe that's lack of mojo?

I always seem to bond with a well played bass, scratches/dings included . .
I can't play new basses long enough to apply my own mojo!

Most don't get the "Relic" thing, but I' might be the 1st in line for a Stingray Relic

 

[bovinehost]

"Mojo" has a real meaning, and a lot of people from my neck of the woods (southern MS, NOLA) know what it means.

It has nothing to do with dirt or sweat or dings on a musical instrument. But okay, so it's been co-opted. I know, I know.

So much of how we relate to an instrument, new or used, has to do with a couple of very basic things, in my opinion.

First, setup. A bad setup can put you off a good bass very easily. Until you get a bass setup to YOUR liking, it can seem like trying to play a marimba or something. Weird and awkward.

And second, strings. If it's badly setup (or just to someone else's liking) and has strings you do not like, it just will. not. work.

I've picked up Stingrays that at first seemed like something was just terribly wrong. A bit of adjustment, strings I like, voila! Nothing wrong at all.

And listen, I have NO IDEA whether at first I like a bass or not, because they all come with those weird roundwounds on 'em. It's awful.

Anyway. Basses with a few miles on them, as long as they're set up properly and with your kind of strings on them, are great. I like a little love on mine, too, really.

But dirt is just dirt. Finger funk is just a biological hazard. A scratch is what it is, a ding is just a ding.

I don't worry too much about any of those things, but I WILL clean strange biological agents!

Jack

 

[mammoth]

thanks for the info Kev!

i've just woken up after last night's rehearsal and it was a beaut, whilst in my inebriated *sp state i waffled onto my band mates about this subject and tried to decribe it as this... when you first meet the love of your life, you're completely dumbstruck by it's beauty, after some time, you're still completely in love with him/her but you know all of their imperfections.. the point being, that you just don't care.

imagine if we had bass bigamy laws...... hee hee

i think i might get barbarella a new miniskirt.. err i mean pg.....

 

[Moondog]

Jack has valid points there, proper set-up/strings are necessary to make
a bass playable and sound good - without that, the bass will never have
a chance.

But "my" definition (IMO) of Mojo has nothing to do with proper set-up/strings
and everything to do with a bass that has been "played-in/broken-in" from
years of play:

~Frets are not too high/big, have moderate fret wear (not too much)
~Neck/Fretboard edges have become "rounded over" from wear
~Knobs, switches, & keys/pegs have a nice worn-in feel
~Wood/Chrome finishes have dulled a little and have a nice patina

And it also has something harder to describe, FEEL or CHARACTER:
~The weight, balance, comfort, wood, age?, resonance, acoustic qualities

Some basses bond instantly while others never quite feel right, even with
a perfect set-up, good strings, etc.