mcnach

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1472997114' post='3125861'] I am wondering if it is feasible to add a Precision bass split coil pickup into a Sterling 5 to give me a P bass tone option? I have read a few threads where the opposite was done - MM pickup into a P bass, but wondered if this might give me my desired effect? Wiring-wise, I only use the Sterling on the one 'coils wired in series' setting, so could lose the existing toggle switch functions and get it wired as a pup selector. I guess doing the reversal of the two halves of the pup would make it fit better? Anyone done it, and did it work? Ta! [/quote] I'm pretty sure the MM pickup and the Precision position overlap, so you could not get the pickup positioned just like in a Precision. That means it will not sound like a Precision. It may still sound pretty good, I don't know, but not like a Precision.

[quote name='ians' timestamp='1473017200' post='3126131'] And thirdly. I think we live in a new era.. where live entertainment is going to die and be non existent in 10-20 yrs time. I thank my lucky stars that my best gigging days were in the late 70's early 80's where I was out five nights a week doing originals, covers, holiday camps etc....feeling rather sad about it all really. [/quote] I don't think so. Things may be changing sometimes... but there's always room for live music. I can't see how that could change. There may be more competition in the future maybe... which is not necessarily a bad thing (from an audience's perspective)

Two gigs last night... at a festival near Newcastle in a very pretty location (shame about the rain)... Fortunately there were big tents, so if anything the rain made people get into seeing the bands more First gig with my usual band... it started a bit slow, you know, when people watch but you're not sure if they like it or not, except for a couple of nutters at the front who were really enjoying it. previous two bands had played a lot of classic ska and we play originals so they could not immediately sing along or anything... but by the third song they were ours. Good feeling. It's always good when you unplug as they roar "one more tune" and you leave them wanting, rather than them being relieved you're going away at last Then another band went in. Pretty good... I have to find what their name was, I liked them a lot. Their bass player was playing very very simple lines on his Precision, but it sounded mighty and just what the songs needed... I enjoyed that. Then, the band I'm currently being a 'guest bassist' with went on... This is a 5 piece as opposed to my usual 7 piece and I had room in front of me! Luxury! So I could move about and I had a blast. A woman at the front was making gestures at me and indicated she liked the bass... I smiled and mouthed a 'thank you'... That was one of the most fun gigs I played in a while. A few of my bandmates were in the audience, who hadn't seen me with this band, and they were dancing and smiling and having a good time. That was awesome. The sound guy was a bit confused because he had seen me before but in his mind that was impossible... And then, backstage... Bombskare were getting ready. I've known them for years... they're awesome onstage and off it too... we laughed, hugged, their sax player told me my T-shirt was sh*t (it was a Bombskare one ) and they went on... they sounded amazing! I was tired and ready to drive home with our sax player and my girlfriend who was feeling a bit ill... but we said ' let's wait a bit and see just one song'... a couple of songs in we were all dancing and even my girlfriend was no longer feeling ill If you haven't seen Bombskare but get a chance to... do it! They're all a bunch of silly idiots making great fun music... I can't get enough of them. So... I got to play two short gigs with two different bands, and got to spend some time jumping around to Bombskare. Best Saturday in ages!!!

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1473014905' post='3126098'] Did you see the recent BBC 4 show - Britain's Best Unsigned Band/ There was a band on there that had been playing together for years, perfecting their own brand of Prog rock. The show was the first time the had ever performed on stage, so yes, sometimes the reward for all this effort may well be your own, personal enjoyment. [/quote] Yeah, that's a good point. There's a local band here that I first saw as a trio playing a semi-acoustic session in a small bar as a warm up to the main session, of which my band was the main act. Now they are playing bigger venues, I keep seeing photographs of them playing festivals with large audiences, they're very active... and I still think musically they're not that great. Their guitarist is average, the singer is often out of tune and too shouty... drummer is adequate, bass player is ok... but they have a pretty intense energy together and they're fun to watch and I get why people like them. If they had stayed in their rehearsal studio trying to perfect each song and sound perfect... they'd still play to nobody.

I'm sympathetic... it is very disheartening playing to the bartender and a drunk in a corner. But whose fault is it? Well, 'fault' is too strong... what I mean is you can't blame 'people' for not coming. You have to give something people want, you have to provide something that they really want to come out and see, then they'll come. It takes time and effort. Lots of both. There are thousands of bands playing their thing every weekend out there. They cannot all attract large audiences. You have to find your 'niche'... but I can't tell you how to do that, I only know that it takes time, perseverance, and networking... as well as having something interesting to show.

[quote name='Davebassics' timestamp='1472985081' post='3125724'] Congrats! Jazz with P neck is my flavour. Unfortunately I'm still looking for the perfect combination of body and neck. My first bass, a Squier affinity jazz currently has a warmoth P neck on it but there is a huge gap between it and the body. I've had a squier P neck on it as well but the truss rod went on that. It's been on my list for about 10 years to get a nice Fender jazz and find a direct replacement P neck but there is always something in the way! Needless to say, I am incredibly jealous! Enjoy the bass, it looks stunning! [/quote] I may not keep it after all... I'm realising that Jazz are not really my type... I keep trying to either make it sound like a Precision (but I already have a lovely Precision) or going for 'burpy' bridge pickup tones, but I never like it more than the Stingray... If it didn't look so good!!! Regarding the roadworn effect... I'm not a fan of having bits on the neck that feel like the finish is all gone. So I put a few coats of Tru-Oil and smoothened it and it looks and feels so much better! I guess it won't age quite as fast anymore, but that's not a bad thing in my view!

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1472897045' post='3125140'] I assume top ones are. Seems like a good idea until you think what you would have and then realise it's taken you several days to decide on the colour! I will - I am having a rosewood neck with block markers so I could see it no issue, normally, but I did do a gig in the dark and although I don't normally need side markers, we do alright now now, and it is harder on a 24 fret bass! [/quote] Yeah, I agree... I don't need top markers at all, and the side markers are not a *must*, but they do come handy at times so having something you can see is handy. Years ago I had a Warwick Corvette, very dark neck and tiny markers and I did couple of gigs with very distracting lights... so I bought some glow in the dark paint and powder, and mixed both to make a thick paste and added small blobs on the side markers. It served two purposes: it would glow brightly if there was any UV light on stage (or if I charged them with a tiny uv torch) but even without glowing the 'bumps' were very handy landmarks. Not the prettiest solution but it worked... and could be removed easily too without marks.

Does it need to be true bypass? I've used the Boss LS-2 for the purpose you describe for years. I started because the EHX micro Q-Tron has a noticeable volume boost and that was the envelope filter I used at the time, and using an LS-2 allowed me to tame it. I no longer use that pedal, but I still keep an LS-2 for when I have difficulties with loud/quiet pedals. It seems to work fine. There are other similar pedals with more features (polarity switch?) but I'm not sure any of the ones I know are true bypass, and the LS-2 works well in my hands and it's cheap.

[quote name='Stefanogregori' timestamp='1471216724' post='3111374'] I love the zing of new strings but my fingers and body chemistry usually kill the tone I like after just 1 gig. I usually use d'addario exl165s and while they are relatively cheap, they aren't cheap enough to discard after one gig. I saw a set of generic nickel strings on Amazon for £4.05. I'm sure they aren't fantastic but as long as they last a gig I'd be happy to chuck them at that price. Does anyone have any experience with cheap, generic strings? [/quote] I used Coban stainless steel strings, for about a fiver on eBay or amazon. I'm sure they do nickel too. They are not bad for the price. They are not as zingy as others, even from new, but they still sound like new strings, they just don't have as much of the extra brittle zing that stainless steel strings often have during the first few hours of use, which was a good thing. They'd last more than a gig, and they felt good. I don't use them as I prefer the sound/feel of other strings and I don't mind it when they start deadening a bit... I'd try the Coban ones... they felt fine. If you like them, they'll definitely last the gig and they're dead cheap.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1472893649' post='3125085'] Not that sofistika ... sophissti ... sovietis ... clever. [/quote] damn spelling (original edited with excuses )

Patience, grasshopper, patience.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1472857969' post='3124935'] This is a 5 string, so 45mm nut is fine (which is what theirs are anyway). Bring the neck down to 20mm and 22mm and that is what an ibanez is, although I can't imagine I would be able to tell the difference between 22 and 24mm am I. Has anyone had custom fret markers done? I would imagine something like that would be expensive. Or luminay side markers? [/quote] I don't think side markers are expensive, not sure about top ones. I asked for wide 3mm black markers for my red Jake. On a maple neck it makes it easy to see where things are in a dark stage. I am not sure it added much (or anything) to the cost. He mentioned he could use Luminlay too but I doubt that would be a more costly option: I bought Luminlay rods and they cost me around £10 which with plenty left over... so if Luminlay is what you want, go for it without fear

[url="http://www.rondomusic.com/product8875.html"]http://www.rondomusic.com/product8875.html[/url] I first discover SX back in 2005 when I had a bit of unexpected cash in my pocket and saw a cheap set neck Les Paul with P90 pickups that looked great, and being a big P90 fan I thought I'd order one and at the very least it would look great on the wall. It was only £124 delivered from Germany. It arrived and I was ecstatic. The guitar needed some very minor adjustments, but it felt and sounded great. I used it soon afterwards at a "Guitar Bash" where I performed with it in a couple of songs and it attracted some attention, all positive, and actually compared positively against a Gibson Les Paul Junior reissue... When I eventually decimated my guitar collection, I let go everything except three guitars: a Floyd Rose stratocaster, a standard stratocaster... and the SX. Now, I don't need any instruments, but this bass... If I were in USA, I'd get one. $159!!!

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1472835509' post='3124680'] also, if you were of the theiving persuasion, surely the first thing you would do after stealing a bass would be to take it apart to make sure it doesnt have one of these TrackR devices in it - i mean there are only so many places you can "hide" one of these things in a bass... [/quote] your typical thief is not that sofisticated ;-) [1] but the problem I see with this is that until they're widely used they don't really do much... [1] edit: of sophisticated, even - Spanish spelling creeping in...

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1472834200' post='3124667'] I never got that far, that would be good to ask, but he has stopped talking to me now, I think I asked too many questions! I think I need to make some specs and ask for prices on those. I guess I can measure the ibanez neck and that will tell me what sort of size to go for as thats my perfect neck. [/quote] His communication style is direct and to the point. What I did was list clearly and concisely the various alterations to a base Jake model that I wanted, as a check list almost. Where I had doubts or wanted input I indicated it. That worked well for me. I think if you write long emails it just gets on the 'for later' pile

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1472826221' post='3124580'] Nut width, and front-to-back depth at a couple of points along the neck... [/quote] That. He usually asks for width at the nut and depth at 1st fret, but that's just a rough description, you can give a few more measurements for a better defined neck profile.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1472776153' post='3124246'] So specify the neck dimensions, they can work to exact measurements! Si [/quote] indeed! That's the first thing I would do, in fact. My first Maruszczyk was pretty much a stock Jake, only I specified the neck dimensions and finish, that's all. I don't think it added to the cost. The finish did, marginally, but not the neck size specs.

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1472654723' post='3122966'] One band I play in occasionally gets too too loud, and a couple of times now I've been faced with a) turn up further and compete, thereby making the noise even worse, or b)turn the bass completely off and mime for the audience's sake. B wins each time, as it also removes a bit of sound pressure, but it's usually about 3 songs before the buggers notice! Maybe next time it happens, I'll be armed with an orange. [/quote] I like your style

[quote name='zonular' timestamp='1472623835' post='3122616'] Hey folks, long time lurker, first time poster. To try and cut this short, I've picked up a bass a few years ago in a trade. Played guitar for years....bass to me is far more satisfying. The bass in question is a Ibanez atk400, its a beauty, I can get a lot of tones out of it feels great. Looking to add to the collection, which would you consider first. Simple p bass, a short scale, five string or fretless. I would add I do have smaller hands and I'm only playing with friends nothing major, although id love a cover band. What's in your collection? [/quote] hand size is not very relevant. Some people have smallish hands yet prefer wider necks. I initially liked thin Jazz bass necks, as I was used to guitars, but after a while I found the bigger necks more comfortable. I'd suggest a Precision, because it produces classic tones you cannot get close to with your ATK. But don't get the first one that comes across. Try many until you find 'the one'. I thought I didn't like Precision basses until I found a good one The fretless would be a cool different instrument to have, but it depends on how much you like the fretless sound. I have one, but I don't use it all that much. I would not worry about 5 strings until you find yourself needing one. Switching to 5 string is not difficult once you find the instrument with the right neck for you, but I find the effort unnecessary if you don't need a 5-string and you love the 4-string you normally use.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1472558329' post='3122066'] Right, experiment conducted (swapping the constant thickness full shim with a partial shim) and I've got some interesting results (assuming it isn't me fooling myself). The Curbow has a very long neck pocket that extends all the way to the pickup (which I think is in the Stingray position) so I ended up using a relatively thick shim of about the same thickness as the original full pocket shim. As expected it changed the neck angle a fair bit (not stupidly different obviously) and I got a greater range of adjustment available with the saddles. I'd previously got the G and low B saddles pretty much down to the deck so my action has now improved a fraction, in that it's lower (the bridge itself is angled back so you get less height adjustment per turn of the saddle screw than you would with a conventionally situated bridge). I think I might be getting a little note choking at the very highest frets because of the change in neck angle - I haven't changed the neck relief. This very minor note choking doesn't bother me. I don't see much change in the dead spots; I don't think they're any worse. The biggest change to my ears is the sound seems somewhat harmonically richer - this is a GOOD thing! I might just be hearing a bit more noise from the frets with the change in neck angle but I might well have changed the way the neck/body combination vibrates because there's less of a connection between the two with a partial shim. I've read more than once that bolt on neck instruments often sound brighter than neck through designs and some believe it's because the fundamental is stronger with a neck through... in other words the neck/body junction of a bolt on can favour the harmonics a bit more. I'm wondering if this is what I'm hearing? I can see why people use partial shims - they're easy to fabricate and install but I really didn't expect to hear an improvement in tone! The partial shim will be staying! [/quote] I think your change in action may be more responsible for the changes you hear. If there's minor choking on the higher frets, there will probably be other effects with strings vibrating and hitting the frets at other locations in ways that are not obvious 'choking' but resulting in a change of the sound. The bass will probably be more responsive to how light or hard you pluck too, because of that. Do you notice something like that?

[quote name='cana.dan' timestamp='1472554375' post='3122008'] It's ready! It will be in my hands tomorrow! [/quote] ooh! very nice!

That's an awesome looking rig!!!

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1472500372' post='3121650'] Not sure. Just play it? [/quote] no, the obvious third choice, and the reason I did not vote in your poll as that choice was not included, is "selling the Ibanez and getting a 5 string with a spacing that you find familiar already". That would be my choice, and if I need a 5 string (I decided I don't), I'd get another Lakland 5502... as it made the switch between 4 and 5 string much easier. I'm not against putting effort on things, but I am against putting more effort than you need. Dealing with different string spacings etc is all perfectly doable, but why put up with that if I don't have to?

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1472080728' post='3118431'] I recently got an Ibanez SR305 in a trade. For the price point, it's an excellent instrument. Well put together with a nice array of tones. My only gripe is the string spacing at the bridge, just 16.5mm. After years of play four string basses spaced at 18-20mm, the Ibby feels alien to me. In every other way, it's great. Even my band mates like it, but as soon as I put on my Jazz bass, it's like taking off a pair of new shoes and putting on a pair of comfy slippers. I'm almost certain that if I were to play it exclusively, eventually the muscle memory would kick in, but that would mean leaving my four stringers in their bags and weeks/months of discomfort and hard work. I'd be interested to know what other BC'ers would do. Would you spend time, exclusively playing the SR or would you put it up for grabs in the 'For Sale' section and stick with what you feel comfortable with. [/quote] I was the same... until I tried a few 5-string basses with 19mm string spacing. As long as the neck is reasonably shallow I find them very comfy. The Lakland 5502 was the best I've tried and playing it was very very easy (for me) compared to most other 5-string basses, so I only needed to worry about remembering the thickest string being a B and not an E So... I'd sell and get something with wide spacing... but try as many basses as you can, as neck profiles vary a lot, it's not just the spacing. The Lakland was the best by far, for me. But the Squier Jazz V DeLuxe, despite it's chunkier profile, was not bad at all and well worth checking out too. A lot cheaper too, if that matters.