mcnach

agh, that sucks mightily for you I'm actually a bit relieved, because I want one , but I should be sensible and keep saving for more importnt (albeit boring) needs. I have not been able to try one, even, but it sounds like something I would really like and now that I'm getting slowly but steadily into gigging again post-covid... However my D800+ keeps bringing a smile to my face everytime I use it.

I'm not convinced that anxiety is the reason. I think the main reason is boredom. The amount of time musicians have to spend hanging around just waiting is enormous. That's ok when you play weekends, and return home at night. When you're travelling around it gets tedious fast, and alcohol and other substances start to appear regularly.

I've gone off the idea, to be honest. Everybody seems to advertise something but then it isn't. I am considering an alternative evil plan, but no mudbuckers, the universe says no. :shrug:

I give up. New "Artec" pickup arrived from a different source (no Artec model labels or anything). It looks slightly different from the previous pickup, but it's still a 1.2 KOhm one. I won't try again.

They make it too easy, that's dangerous!

Thank you! Some of the sounds I heard in demos were pretty good, especially synth/pads, but some of the others were very variable. Of course I only heard a small fraction of all available, and for my intended purpose (demos of ideas for the band) they'd do. I went with the MU50 mostly because I remembered that I could get some very useable sounds out of my old soundcard's general midi if I edited some of the built-in ones, so having the ability to edit sounds seemed a very good option to have... but I also like the format of teh MidiEngine and the other units, especially the bit about powering them via USB (which my keyboard can provide), so if I don't get along with the MU50 for whatever reason I will probably try one of these.

What do you think about the sounds in it?

Good call on the battery, given its age! I'll ask the seller if they ever replaced it (they had it from new they say). I haven't found many details, but it looks like it uses a CR2450 and that indeed it is soldered but people claim it was easy to get to.

Ah, that's a great idea! Thank you! Thank you for the offer, I'm only looking for a ring or two but in black. But I can easily create a PDF of what I want and get someone like gigink to cut it for me in black acrylic or something. Why didn't I think of that before?

Not being one to dwell in indecision... I just bought the Yamaha MU50. The ability to edit sounds is too useful, after I had a thought. Thank you for all the comments, really appreciated!

Yeah, it' pretty basic, but I don't want to spend a lot right now and I just want some basic sounds to use for demos etc (our keyboard player has an extensive array of keyboards and toys that would put any of my attempts to shame ). The sounds seem fine, nothing amazing but fine. I'm also considering something like a Yamaha MU50. It's ancient, from the 90s, but the sounds seem to compare better, the display is a lot better (actual instrument names rather than numbers, for starters), and you can edit parameters. The only thing making me hesitate is that it's very very old. I found one in great condition, at £175, which is about £75 more than I wanted it to be but it may still be a much better unit... I'm hesitant. Hmm... Miditech Pianobox Pro, or Yamaha MU50?

The keyboard is powered by its own wall wart style power supply. It has a DIN midi out (there's also a USB type-B but I'm not sure what it's used for, I need to get the manual), which I suppose is what I'd connect to the external sound module (like the one I linked to), and the sound module has the audio outs I intend to use. So it looks ok to me?

It's an M-Audio Keystation 61 es: https://m-audio.com/products/view/keystation-61es

Does anyone know where one can get a pickup ring like this?

Completely new to this. I've inherited a cool keyboard which is just a midi controller. I would like to use it away from the computer. What do I need? Am I right in thinking all I need is a sound module box that I can plug the keyboard into, via midi, and then just use the audio output with headphones/external amplifier? Something like this? https://miditech.de/en/portfolio/pianobox-pro/

Yeah, I would have been very confused "but, but... it sounds just like it did before!" The pickup I returned arrived with the seller on Saturday. Today I got a notification from eBay: it looks like the seller has re-advertised it, still advertised as 30 kOhm and showing pictures with 4 conductors etc, definitely not looking like the pickup I was sent :shrug: If you want an Artec mudbucker... probably best if you don't buy from 'eastensound2018'

It definitely isn't. Now that I've seen the stock pickup in my bass I can confirm it's the same pickup that they sent me. I guess the seller just bought a few to sell on and copied the description based on what he thought he had. He didn't contest, I just printed the return label and will be posted tomorrow. Meanwhile I ordered another Artec from a different place, but it's going to take 3-4 weeks. I have to say that since I put a set of nylon tapewounds it sounds a lot better.

Not happy. My multimeter had ran out of batteries, and I only just managed to get today the MN21 type it requires. I checked the pickup and it's 1.2 KOhm, not 29-30 as advertised. To cut the story short, I received exactly the same pickup it's already on the Epiphone: - slightly narrower polepiece spacing than the Artec should be, and identical to the stock one down to the marks on the magnets. - 2 magnets rather than 4 (it may not make much difference, but it's evidence of it not being the pickup advertised - 2 wires rather than 4 (I don't really care as I will only use series, but... again it looks like the stock pickup) - no sticker with the model number, which the Artecs have It's going back.

Artec pickup arrived! It has two bar magnets, I thought there were four? At least they seem to be mounted in the correct orientation. The stock pickup sounded alright on Sunday. We recorded a couple of demo tracks. It was not exactly the sound I expect from a 'mudbucker', but having never owned one I am not sure how far my expectations are from reality. It sounded nice. The nylon tapes really suit this bass. I'll give the Artec pickup a go at the weekend. After I vinyl wrap the cover too.

Got a wee recording session later today (just a demo of a song we're writing) and I am going to use this bass for it. Even without a 'proper' mudbucker [*] this bass sounds pretty nice and deep with the nylon tapewounds. I don't love it at volume, but it doesn't sound bad while recording. It does a reasonable old school reggae noise. [*] This is what the stock pickup looks like. It's the right kind of design, just nowhere near as hotly wound as a proper mudbucker.

I had some matt black vinyl that is suitable for wrapping... so I thought I'd have a go wrapping the pickup cover. It's not perfect, but it only took a few minutes and I learnt a few things in the process, so I'll do the same to the Artec and it'll look a bit better. But even my first attempt is passable (I think!)

I don't have the Artec pickup but I've got eveything else that I wanted to play with. 1) Replaced tuners with a set of ultralites, and chose the smaller clover tuners which I think look better in a short scale bass, and removes a bit more weight. 2) Replaced bridge with a Hipshot. 3) D'Addario black nylon tapewounds. The bass balances pretty well now, no neck dive. The Hipshot bridge allows you to widen the spacing between strings a little bit. Not as much as I would have liked, as there's still space on the fretboard, but that little bit makes it a little nicer to play for my liking. It was nice to lose the original very thin roundwounds, the black nylons suit this bass very well. I had to widen the nut slots a tiny bit, a few minutes and a bit of care with a nut file and that was it. I kept the electronics original so far, as I want to wait until I get the new pickup... but simply putting on a set of tapes improved the sound significantly. Anyway, no soundclips but here are a couple of pictures. It'd look a bit better if the pickup cover were black but hey...

I like them, they can get reasonably bright with the tone control wide open, brighter than your typical flats, but when you roll off treble they get into a more 'classic flats' type of sound. From that point of view I find them more versatile than standard flats (perhaps because these aren't really flats). They have a great low midrange growl that I love. Longevity? I play fingerstyle most of the time, and I've had these strings for around 4 years now I think. I haven't noticed any significant change in sound and they're still in good condition. They're not on the basses that I play the most, but I do use them regularly. They are very flexible, very compliant, more than anything else 've ever used. You may need to loosen up the truss rod a bit and they may feel a bit strange at first. A bit plasticky. It's just the first impression, I found them easy to get used to. They are super easy to bend, so if you like adding a few bends and vibrato these strings will make it very easy. I do like them. edit: I could have just replied "what @Sibob said"

I have the coppers on a Jazz and on a Precision. No problems with nut/bridge. Prior to that I was using 45-105 sets of roundwounds.