mcnach

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1486337272' post='3231030'] It looks beautiful in that light. That neck tint should age wonderfully... just need to play it loads and get some dirt ground into it! [/quote] It actually looks prettier 'in person' Really glad I ordered it (despite not explaining the aesthetics properly), it's got a fantastic Jazz bass tone in a package more comfortable than any Jazz I ever played.

[quote name='dieseldalziel' timestamp='1486313932' post='3230813'] It appears the word Keeper applies to this bass AND your gf! [/quote] her, definitely and I met her through playing bass, which is amazing she was a fan of the band and came to see us often, then she told me she plays bass too and wanted to know how I was playing one of our songs... oh! wait! I just realised her plan is to actually substitute me in the band!!!!

[quote name='andytoad' timestamp='1486310687' post='3230779'] So good IEM's a must, if you were to go wired, what would be a good (balancing off cost and acceptable quality) set up? [/quote] I am not an expert, as I am testing the water myself, so don't take my word as "this is what you need" but rather the approach I'm taking, in case it gives you ideas. I paln to go wired to start with. The heart of it all is a small Behringer UB1002 mixer I had for ages. It was about 40-50 quid when I bought it new. That's on an old pedalboard case I don't use anymore. The output goes into a Behringer P1 personal headphone amplifier attached to my persona. That's purely so that I can control volume directly on me, plus it has a built-in limiter, and then the earphone cable is not trailing to the mixer but neatly tucked under my shirt so it won't get in the way: small cables are problematic, bigger thicker ones not so much. As earphones I'll be using the UE900 because I hear great reviews about them, but I'd try the Xiaomi if I didn't have those as they do sound pretty decent even if they don't seem as robust when it comes to bass. The bass gets into the mixer via an OmniCabSim pedal, purely because it simulates a cab and you get a more pleasant sound with it. I'd use the "Thru" to get into my amp, but the output into the mixer. You could plug in directly to the mixer or via DI or whatever else. That's not complicated. Now, the tricky part is getting the band sound into the mixer. I have three options. One, I get a line out directly from the desk (or from a monitor, if we have active wedges, which in some places we do). Two, if a line out is not available, I can try to capture the feed to a monitor. For that I got an Art X-Direct (around £20-25) DI box. It can take a speaker level signal (I'll need a speakon to jack adaptor) into the box, pass the 'thru' signal into the monitor (using another jack to speakon adaptor), and take the output of the box to the mixer. The quality of the sound is still to be checked. It may be a little harsh. The mixer has basic 3-band EQ that can help make it ok. Using some kind of speaker cab simulation might be good. I considered the Palmer PDI09 DI box as it does a good cab simulation, but it was around £80 compared to £20 so I figured I'd give it a try and having a DI box in the bag is never a bad idea anyway. Three... I have a Zoom H2 recorder. It's pretty decent, and you can prime it to record and just use its microphones to capture ambience. Not ideal, but if you're really stuck, it'll give you something that will not be worse than the kind of mush you can get in a terribly loud stage when things go crazy (as they do sometimes, and which prompted me to take action as I want to hear what's going on and not hurt my ears). It can be good to have that in addition to the line out mix from the desk (or monitor). So I'd actually combine 1+3 or 2+3. But I haven't yet tried it... I need to get a couple more cables and fit it all into my board for easy transport and connection. That's just my approach. Of course if you have other ideas I'd be glad to hear

[quote name='colleya' timestamp='1486311234' post='3230787'] I think there probably will be a period of adjustment, like when I first got a proper HD telly. Took me about three weeks to get used to how good the picture was, it looked very weird for a while. [/quote] possibly, and they do take a few hours to 'burn in'... but it was the drums that sounded worse to me... just lacking a bit of punch compared to what I was expecting. A bit 'muffled' and distant in a way. I need to try them properly, and also make sure the buds I choose are the correct fit as that makes a huge difference.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1486283373' post='3230480'] Bloody hell Jose. That's a cracker. Good work! [/quote] It's a bit of a love/hate thing and I only have myself to blame. I meant for the neck to be the yellowish kind of tint. It looks darker than in the picture. For m previous bass I had a chat about the tint and ended up specifying 'yellowish vintage tint' while here I just said vintage tint... and I got the darker orange type. Then the body... I went for a Prince purple sort of vibe (the whole colour pattern of this bass was based on Prince)... and it looks darker an redder in person. It's beautiful but not what I wanted. So on the one hand I'm looking at it alternating between "very nice" and "but... it's not what I wanted, even if it is what I asked for". That's where I get some mixed feelings. But when I play it... it's such a sweet bass to play! It feels amazing and sounds better. It's surpassed my expectations in that respect. My gf loved the idea of the original colour scheme and she started saying she'll make it happen. Without my knowledge she's photographed the documents that came with the bass to get in touch with Maruszczyk and make sure she gets the same but in different colours. Fortunately she told me about it so we've had a chat and I disuaded her. It's a lovely idea and I love that she even thought of that... but I don't need another bass and this bass is fantastic and I don't want to get rid off it. Imagine I get the new one and it doesn't feel as nice, and I have to decide between the looks or the one I really like playing? Nah... I had my chance, and I got this. It looks a bit like old maroon kind of furniture but if I get blue lights shining on it it looks great The neck bothers me the most... I really like the paler yellowish version... But oddly I think I'll end up loving it more because of the 'failed' looks, as I always had a bit of a soft spot for the underdog, for the slightly cosmetlically compromised... and whenever I take this bass I just struggle to put it down. It's the Jazz bass I always wanted: pure amazing Jazz bass tone in a smaller more comfortable light weight body with the perfect neck dimensions and the smooth lacquered feel... I have a U-Retro preamp that I thought I might want to put here but it's perfect as it is. I love it. So if the colour is not perfect, tough. I'm sure if the bass could talk it would rather be played by someone better than me

[quote name='colleya' timestamp='1486308497' post='3230746'] I've been using the M6 pro for a while and I agree about the fit. I've just ordered the UE900 so hopefully I'll be able to report back with a bit of a comparison. [/quote] I got the UE900 this past week. I haven't yet tried them in anger. They seem very well made, and listening to music through them wasn't a great experience (the £35 dual driver Xiaomi Pro HD are nicer), but I suspect they'll be good for monitoring, which is what they're designed for, I suppose. Playing bass through my OmniCabSim and the UE900 it sounded very clear and the earphones seem to cope with low frequencies much better than the Xiaomi... then the Xiaomi sounded a lot more pleasant. With the Xiaomi a Precision bass sounded nice and funky, with the UE900 it sounded like I'd have no trouble picking it up in a mix, and I'd hear every little scrape and every little extraneous noise I make, removing the illusion that I play better than I actually do. can't wait to try them properly

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1486059435' post='3228946'] Pretty sure MB amps have a protection circuit to prevent start up "pops" and sound being fed to the speakers. You can hear the relay click in after a couple of seconds on my SA450, (basically the same as an LMII but with parametric mids). I always switch mine on and leave it for a few seconds anyway before plugging in. [/quote] yup, there's a click and then you know it's ready to make noise

[quote name='mybass' timestamp='1486034768' post='3228625'] takes a few seconds to allow sound through on both my MB amps, quite normal. Maybe yours hadn't been used for a while when you got it. [/quote] same here, in the 4 MarkBass amps I've owned (three LMIII - one was in a combo, and teh second I sold stupidly and ended up buying another - and an LMT800) it starts with no sound at all and suddenly there is sound. I can't say I noticed any swell of any kind... it's just silent. BUt then I don't play until a few seconds anyway and I tend to have my bass muted.

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1486067668' post='3229044'] My fingers were locking up a bit the other night at a gig. Luckily they loosened off between songs but i always carry a pick or two in my pocket just in case. Btw i tend to use one of those squidgy stress balls to exercise my fingers. Then i practice a drummers exercise with my fingers - paradiddles. [/quote] I had the locking/cramping up thing a few times in the early days. I can't tell you if this is the reason I never get it anymore, but I always make sure I loosen up my hands a bit before playing, and warm up a bit gently while waiting to get everybod ready, and I make sure I am hydrated. It could be coincidence, but since I do that I never had issues again.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1485818209' post='3227033'] ....I should add that they did say I might get it back if the recipient returned it of their own accord. My stance was that it would have been theft at the point of the dishonest appropriation, i.e. when the recipient saw it in their account and decided to keep it, but that argument fell on deaf ears. Easy to allege, difficult to prove unfortunately. [/quote] Keep that conversation, if in writing, and if one day the bank adds a couple of zeros to your balance, take all the cash out and show them that afterwards

[quote name='anzoid' timestamp='1485781001' post='3226582'] Not 100% sure where to put this so, Mods, feel free to move it to the right place. Got my Status Streamline 5-string up for sale and got a message from someone (zero posts...) asking me to ship to Thailand. I quoted a price and requested direct bank transfer. He/She has come back asking if I take PayPal and would I declare the value of the bass at £200 to avoid import tax. My reply was: no to PayPal to a non-UK destination, and no to mis-declaring the value of the bass (it's worth a little more than £200...). Right response, or would you have done the deal? [/quote] Nah. Like you I'd request bank transfer. Not worth risking it.

[quote name='smaz' timestamp='1486294461' post='3230583'] Or Cleartone: [url="http://www.award-session.com/cleartone_cables.html"]http://www.award-ses...one_cables.html[/url] [/quote] This. Or OBMM as many other said. Clear Tone (Award Session) have decades of business experience as an amp (and later accessories) designer and maker. I don't know the background of OBMM but he knows what he's doing and is reliable and serious. OBMM and Cleartone are the only two sources I'd approach for my cabling needs.

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1485970671' post='3228166'] [media]http://youtu.be/MYqxHtAEIUA[/media] Forgive me if this has been posted before (I'd be surprised if it hasn't tbh). In the "album you know inside out.."thread, many people cited BSSM as that album. Thought many would be interested in this then. I've been playing Breaking The Girl for many years in a band and a bit incorrect as it turns out! Enjoy! [/quote] a few years ago there was a site with a lot of multitracks from many songs and some full albums. I got the BSSM album there and a few otehr RHCP songs. It made it really fun to turn down Flea's tracks and play along with the rest of the band. I should look for them, I had quite a few in a hard drive somewhere... It was very interesting to hear how "imperfect" many takes sound, yet in context there's no problem at all.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1486129453' post='3229447'] The pickguard makes the bass look like a toilet seat to me [/quote] don't leave it unattended in the bar...

[quote name='burno70' timestamp='1486129573' post='3229449'] I love the colour - and the grain's lovely! Though I'd be tempted to try a black pickguard. I might get the Hausel's on my next one! [/quote] Exactly! I liked the white with my original colour plan... but with this colour I think a black one will be best. I plan to have one made in the future... The Haussels surprised me very pleasantly. Well, not really surprised as I heard the recordings from WoT and they sounded really good, plus he seems to be a man with taste I was enjoying the Custom Shop 60s on the last of my Fender Jazz basses that I've just sold and I thought I might want a pair of those in the new bass. I think the CS 60s were a bit sweeter, but it's hard to tell as it was a different bass entirely and it be just my imagination making them better than they were. The truth is I really like the Haussels and I have no intention on changing anything here. All I did was lower slightly the neck pickup on the bass side, and it sounds fantastic. It's the Jazz I always wanted (just don't mention the colour )

[quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1486116568' post='3229321'] ive walked off stage before where the sound was so crap.all through soundcheck my vol went further and further down I couldn't hear myself or even feel it.Got 2 songs in just took off my bass and walked off.said to the soundguy I cant heara thing whats the point whole band followed to [/quote] I only walked out once. It was an 'independent' festival. Well, it's a locally famous protest site in the woods (people moved in to protect the woods from a motorway building project... 10 years ago... they invited us to play at their 10th anniversary party and it sounded interesting enough). They had a great set up, it was beautiful there... but of course you can imagine there were no permissions etc. Of course the Police showed up, and they did when we were on. They were very cool, just walking around chatting to a few people, they were not about to shut anything down, and they didn't. The wood is far from houses. The nearest thing is an industrial estate which was empty on a Saturday night. The organisers obviously wanted to not give too many reasons to the Police to intervene and stop the party... and they thought keeping the volume down would be a good move. Unfortunately they dealt with that by sending a clueless guy onstage to tell *ME* I was too loud and needed to turn down. He wasn't polite either, which is what really annoyed me. Treat me like crap and guess how I'm going to respond. Although at first I did laugh because it was ridiculous. I pointed at my onstage amp. It was a tiny 30W Gorilla practice amp. I could not hear it onstage! It had a line out and they used that to feed their desk. For guitars there were a couple of 100W 212 combos which if you need to find a source of noise you might want to go to them first however, and this is what I told the guy, we do not control the levels... go to your desk and tell your guys to turn the PA down, as we're all going through it. He was having none of that and I turned around and ignored him. He left... Drummer asked what it was about... I told him. He rolled his eyes... and between songs I was able to quickly tell the rest what had just happened. I also added "the dude comes back again to me with an attitude and I'm out of here". And he did. So I just unplugged midsong and walked. As I walked I yelled at him "your guys are the ones who are able to control the volume, right there on that hut where the desk is" I may have added a few choice swearwords to spice up the message. I still think he just thought I was a diva who walked because he was asked to turn down . The band did follow. They stopped playing, singer said goodbye to the audience (who were great, I have to say) explaining we'd been told we needed to quit live music (untrue but...) and that was that. I found later that this guy was one of the guys helping run the party, but that nobody had told the guys at the desk to turn down a bit while the Police was there. I think he just freaked and took initiative about the volume but was clueless as to how the sound was generated... Argh. Still... until that moment it was pretty fun

Some times, a Precision is an Imprecision...

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1486114600' post='3229290'] All sounds good to me mcnach, and I love the colour - kind of 'Off-Purple Rain' [/quote] It's hard to photograph with my phone. The kind of illumination dictates whether it appears more red, dark, or you start seeing the 'purple'. Playability and sound are superb. I am just kicking myself for being careless and not getting the neck tint and the body colour right But when I'm playing it I don't care anymore. It's really really nice, and as before, the neck is just right and feels fantastic. For my red one, we talked about the exact tint and they got it right, and I wanted the same. The red was also just right. This one, I failed... ha! The kicker is when I first indicated the colour and sent a couple of pictures as example, he sent one back of an Elwood in pretty much the right colour. It was just a bit too blue, but I'd have loved it. So I mentioned a bit darker and a bit redder... and damn, they listened. The original idea for this bass was Prince! I always wanted a Jazz in purple with white plate (and it's got to be maple for me). When he died last year I was thinking about the Precision body and two J pickups, and I thought 'it's got to happen' but initially I just converted my Matt Freeman Precision as I didn't want to spend much money at the time (contract uncertainties and house move, so I was in save mode). And eventually I went for it. I should have just forgotten about pictures and say "you know Prince's bass? That kind of colour". It'd be different as it's translucent on my bass but that sort of hue (initially it was going to be solid, sparkly purple! but I chickened out and toned it down) Here's a pic I took this morning with natural light:

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1486104874' post='3229214'] You guys need to join a Jazz band. The audiences are never big enough for us to NEED a PA or soundman. [/quote] and you can play bum notes galore as long as you stay in time

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1486062094' post='3228983'] That bodes well for my chambered s-s Elwood with alu bridge and lightweight tuners - still no sofa shot yet though! Hoping it won't get delayed by the NAMM stuff. [/quote] It's 7.8lbs. Feels and balances perfectly, like the other two Jakes. The finish is... not what I had in mind but I guess I only had myself to blame for not being so clear at describing it as I did in the past. The neck has a darker tint, not the yellowish one I was wanting (as in my red Jake), and the body is most definitely not what I had in mind... but it's beautiful. I meant for it to be a dark purple/violet type of colour (think Prince... not far off, but a bit darker). It came out a lot redder. Under some light it's clearly purpleish, under others it's almost burgundy... the wood grain is beautiful. I should have made sure we understood each other about the actual colours, but it still looks fantastic, and most of all, it feels and sounds great. I went with the Heussel JJ60 pickups this time and I'm not disappointed. Interestingly now it comes with the usual catalog but also a 'certificate' and user's manual... It certainly succeeds at giving you the impression that you have something special in your hands, which it is Not much time to play it now, but this weekend it'll be unleashed! About weights... my other two Jakes are 8.8 (P/JJ) and 7.6lbs (reverse P).

Oh... I opened the box to take the gig bag out, easier to transport later. But... it's empty!!!! Well, it must be empty. It weighs nothing!

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1486042907' post='3228725'] Oh, harsh! Still, anticipation can be fun... no... really! [/quote] (glare...)

It's been delivered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (at work... big box... and I'm too busy to even just open it to have a look... )

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1485723154' post='3226188'] No an active bass is active no matter what really but a passive bass into a modern amp with an active eq section that most people have is no different to an active bass other than the distance from the knobs in relation to the person playing it. [/quote] also known as interknob distance

[quote name='Jecklin' timestamp='1485568520' post='3225045'] Interesting. I have been tempted by one of these for a while, in as much a way to ease the stress on the speakers as much as anything else. So you really don't notice a negative effect on the sound? Fantastic! [/quote] I haven't noticed anything (negative) when using mine, but the master volume knob tends to stay a little lower when I am using it... so I guess it's doing what it's supposed to. My usual rig is 2x TKS S112 which don't have a massive low end or can take very high power, and I like using the Thumpinator as a way to help the speakers a little in case they get pushed. I am using mostly an LMIII (and a Streamliner 900 sometimes) and although those amps are supposed to have a built-in HPF, the Thumpinator still does something to the output, no doubt.