mcnach

I doubt it's faulty. A google search reveals I'm not the first to complain about it... but it does appear that the effect (muddiness) it produces depends on what else you use with it and what your particular sound is like. As I said, it was not obvious at all to me... until it became obvious in a particular combination. It's hard to explain. I have used it for a while with the RATM band and I didn't have a reason to complain. I never tried the combination of pedals without the wah either, but I guess I found a way to make it work. The other night, with the Jazz, it was very obvious... because I started out with no effects at all, and then I plugged in the pedalboard with all pedals switched off except the compressor (and the Thumpinator which is always on). Another day I would have just dialled my sound differently to make it work, and I might have asked one of the guitarists who was particularly bassy that night to turn down the bass, and get on with it. Instead, I had the idea to try bypassing pedals. When it came to the wah, the effect was noticeable immediately. Perhaps your usual punter at a pub gig might not hear a thing, or my girlfriend, who things all basses sound pretty much the same even when I demonstrate it but it was a clear difference that allowed me to fit in much better. Last night I started experimenting with my distortion pedals, with and without the switched off wah in the chain, and again it makes a difference. It is not big in magnitude but it's big qualitatively. The distortion pedals become clearer, with better definition, and the "Era" knob in my Darkglass Vintage Overdrive suddenly has a clear effect, whilst before I felt it barely did anything. It may be that the colouration (I'd best describe it like throwing a sheet over your speaker) the wah imparts does not interfere much with your particular sound. Until two days ago, I would have sworn that my wah did not affect noticeably my bass sound.

[quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1380879803' post='2231787'] That would be an interesting thread! I have corrected the silly errors in my post (bloody auto-correct!), your quote will forever show that I called the Netherlands, the Nergrrlands though! lol [/quote] I thought maybe you were friends with the Bongo Bongo land man

[quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1380868127' post='2231618'] We played a squat in the Nergrrlands which is basically a huge warehouse. The van was parked up on a loading bay around 6' from the ground below. I hadn't packed the van the night before and the guys had slide my bass in last on top of everything else in the van and it had moved during the journey. I opened the back of the van and it came straight out. I jumped out I the way not knowing what was flying at me and it whacked the floor arse-end down (about a 6' fall), then fell forward, bounced and went over the edge of the loading bay for another 6' drop. That's when I realised it was my Roscoe and some wee came out. Strictly speaking I guess that was two 6' falls, but either way. The Protec kept it like new. [/quote] That's the sort of story we need to hear when looking for cases!!! We should start a thread with: 1) Case 2) brief description of the incident 3) outcome

[quote name='rainbowreality' timestamp='1380834056' post='2231419'] Sounds interesting but it's about £50 more expensive than the protec. In your opinion is the extra cost justified? [/quote] it depends on what you want really. The Protec is more of a "case", in terms of size etc. The F1 is going to be the more comfortable one and it probably has more room for extra bits, from what I can see. When it comes to protection I suspect they're about the same. I was not able to compare both side by side. I nearly pressed "buy" on the Protec Contego but in the end I chose the F1 partly because of the size (F1 a bit smaller, but not as small as I thought... it won't fit in the boot of my VW Golf), the million pockets, and that it looked perfect to walk comfortably with it. I like it a lot. Really good protection (front, back and sides), very light, good storage and really comfy on my back. I'm sure the Protec is also excellent, but I'm happy with the F1 I went for in the end. I paid £114.something at DJM including delivery. That's £45 more than the Protec, true. Worth the difference? Not sure because I have not compared them side by side, but I think the F1 is worth the £115. It's going to last a while, so £45 in the end won't matter to much.

You may want to consider the Fusion F1 too, perhaps. I almost bought the Protec Contego a couple of weeks ago but chose the F1 instead and love it. Good protection, lots of pockets and very comfortable

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1380657355' post='2228650'] It's witchcraft. [/quote] you got it! either that, or it's pentapeptides and DNA...

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1380573999' post='2227430'] Ha! A bit of a trick. When you remove a string it regains a touch of resiliance (for about 2 minutes) Also, the area where it's been " fret worn" is different when the string are removed (or loosened completely so where it touches the fret is a little fresher. But the string has still changed it's molecular structure from vibrating thousands of times so what is old cannot be new. It'll just be revived for short time and go dead by the end of a set. [/quote] I agree, I am sure that the strings won't remain bright for long. But I doubt "the molecular structure" of the string has changed one bit

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1380820630' post='2231128'] Nah its got more bite like a P bass yet more bottom end fatness like something active IMO, I dont really get on with Jazz basses that well and I always find the pickup cancellation thing an arse which I know is my bad ears really but its still there. I find myself messing around all night thats why I like a single pup bass with my favourite tone usually from a P bass but they sound terrible when I play them (more terrible than normal). [/quote] That's why I love a Jazz with the J-Retro. The active blend somewhere between the bridge and both pickups on, and do your thing with the powerful EQ... It does not sound like a traditional Jazz anymore, but it sounds great. All it needs is the neck of a Stingray

Last night I realised something that I'm a little ashamed to admit I had not noticed until now, and I have owned this pedal for maybe three years! I only use it with the RATM tribute band, which is not all that active, but still. So, last night I had rehearsal with another band, and I was in a hurry so I picked the pedalboard I used for RATM last weekend, when I only wanted the tuner and compressor, and rushed to the rehearsal room. As I arrived a few minutes late, they were already jamming and I liked what I heard, so I just placed my amp in the usual spot (Markbass CMD121P combo), took out my bass (Jazz with J-Retro), and plugged it in straight. It was pretty much in tune, so I actually continued like that for the first half of the rehearsal after adjusting tuning on the go. It sounded good. Nothing unusual, as this is the usual setup with this band. Ok, I was missing the compressor, but it's not critical. After the break, I plugged in through the full pedalboard: Korg Pitchblack -> Bass Wah 105Q -> Darkglass Vintage Overdrive -> Danelectro Transparent Overdrive -> EHX Small Stone phaser -> EBS Multicomp -> Thumpinator -> amp. Suddenly, I was not liking what I was hearing. It was pretty muddy, I thought. I assumed one or all of the three guitarists had changed settings drastically and used the J Retro to adjust and find my spot. It helped, but it was not right. Then I thought: I'll bypass all pedals except the Thumpinator. What a change! It sounded great again. Hmmm. So, in the end, I found that the Bass Wah was the culprit (simply eliminating it from the chain things improved a lot). My overdrive pedals sounded a LOT better too. I had been saying that "I don't theink the ERA knob on the Darkglass does all that much, in my opinion". Well, it does. The pedal sounds much better once I remove the Bass wah too. What a big eye opener. For RATM I always managed to get a decent sound, using my Stingray... but all my messing about trying different overdrives etc... I wonder how many pedals that I discarded I might have kept (and stop searching) had I tried them alone, not on the pedalboard! (I have bought today an Aguilar Agro which will replace the Danelectro, much better pedal) So... now this puts me in a complicated position. On the one hand, the existing setup works. I was not in love with it, but it works with the RATM band. However, I have now experienced how much better I can sound without the Wah... But I do need a wah that does what the 105Q does: adjustable level and it switches on when stepping on it. I guess I could live without the "automatic on" function. Any recommendations? Why does the 105Q affect the sound so much when not engaged? I don't imagine there's any mod that can be done to it to cure this... EDIT: in the end I went for the AMT bass wah, see below.

My old Warrior... and the Warrior III before surgery (preamp and black hardware): I can't seem to find one of the Warrior II...

I have owned three. A Warrior (shaped much like that one, but with both horns teh same length and a single MM pickup at the P-bass position), a Warrior II (like that one), and a Warrior III (F-holes, a MM and a Jazz pickup at the neck, inspired a bit in shape by the Warwick Infinity). They were all pretty good. The Warrior was the best. Nice ash (or something that looked like ash) body, great sound. Unfortunately because of the short top horn it had bad neck dive. Very solid. The Warrior II was a bit less inspiring. It was ok. Nice platform for upgrade projects. The Warrior III I liked a lot, and ended up installing a 3-band Glockengklang preamp on it. Unusual bass. I wish I had kept it.

[quote name='DanEly' timestamp='1380453208' post='2225386'] I own a Protec and I have to say.. I'm looking for a more comfortable alternative.The Protec is hard wearing but the velcro has given up on the handle. I walk a fair bit, say about a hour? and my back seriously knows it when I turn up for rehearsals. So who's using what, over long distances? Need some advice before I make a expensive mistake! [/quote] Disclaimer: I only owned the Fusion F1 for a couple of days, so I may still be in the honeymoon phase. I think the F1 is ideal for walking. It's essentially designed like a good backpack... then shaped like a bass, with extra protection where a bass needs it. The back is extremely comfortable and so are the straps, the added belt holds it to your waist for better support. When it comes to protection, I haven't seen first hand most of the good alternatives to the F1, but when thinking of walking for an hour or more with a bass on my back, I don't think any of those is designed as well as the F1.

I can't compare it to those others (Mono, iGig, Protec) because I have not managed to get one in my hands. But the F1 is exactly what I was after. I used it last night for the first time. Very comfortable, lots of pockets. Too many even, I could not remember where I had my earplugs! A bit bulkier than my previous bags (Warwick Rockbag deluxe and the like), but it offers so much more protection and still easy to carry. Love it. Even my girlfriend approved and showed interest in it, when she normally ignores any of my bass related purchases. I guess a gigbag is more related to handbags

The Fusion F1 arrived today. Really impressed! It is definitely quite a step higher from every gigbag I have ever had. Smooth action zip too, feels solid. Of course, there is a "but": it does not fit in the boot of my car! I guess the times I really need to have the bass in the boot I'll use one of the smaller thinner bags I have.

white ones are cool I was looking for one for ages... then within 6 weeks I saw THREE different ones for sale. One of them is mine, and that one is staying

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1380139060' post='2221500'] In the U.S. The finish is poly. Not sure if they ship overseas. They also run sales. [url="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/sterling-by-music-man-s.u.b.-ray4-bass-guitar"]http://www.musicians...ay4-bass-guitar[/url] [/quote] No. That's not the Made in USA MM SUB (made only between 2003-2006). Entirely different instruments.

And I just ordered the Fusion F1. "did it come in the colour you wanted?" No "excellent!" I had to go for the lime green and black one, as all the others were not in stock "available in 5 days, typically"... yeah, I know how long those 5 days last. I found one place who had just one left in stock, so I got it. £115, not cheap... let's see if it's worth it. I saw other cases for £50-70 that did not look unsubstantial, so I may have spent more than I needed to. I had to see one in the flesh, 'though, and buying one seemed the only way. It can always go back if I don't think is worth the price. I still don't rule out another bag in the near future. The Protec is still looking pretty cool, but I feared it may not fit my boot as well as the Fusion. I like the Mono Vertigo simply for the very very very solid bottom. I like a good bottom, myself. Although this thing about fitting in the boot could be a moot point as I'm about to spend about £700 on my 13 year old VW Golf... which makes me think that a new car will soon be in my "to do" list. I just have to make sure I take my bass and amp to any test drive I do, so that I buy a car that can take my gear, rather than buying gear that fits in the car

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1380114148' post='2220974'] I got one of these harvest gig bags earlier this year and not had any problems with it. It's not a lightweight case like some of the others named on the thread but it's robust. It only has a couple of pockets, one for the tuner and a large pocket in front for everything else. Enough for a couple of leads, strings, music, power supply for my bass. ipad and tools. I doubt if you would get anything bulky in there like a compact power amp but you could get a few boss sized pedals in there. [url="http://www.harvest-guitar.com/Bass-Bags/"]http://www.harvest-g....com/Bass-Bags/[/url] Jazzyvee [/quote] I have to say those are really really good looking. Not what I'm after, but extremely cool!!!

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1380042240' post='2220024'] I'll be interested to check out all these suggestions. I need a gig bag with a [b]BIG[/b] pocket(s). Enough storage to take a GK MB500 head, 3 pedals, and associated leads. McNach, did you have a Warwick Rockbag? If so, do you think that it would have the pocket space for this gear? [/quote] Yes, Rockbag but can't recall which model... it was one of the better ones, but I've owned a few and they all have similar sized pockets. You might get the MB500 in there but I think it would be tight. Plus three pedals? Hmmm, I don't think so.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1380038873' post='2219948'] Protection Racket seems to get a good write-up here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/216668-protection-racket-7051-electric-bass-guitar-bag/"]http://basschat.co.u...ass-guitar-bag/[/url] I had a Mono M80, very nice piece of kit but not too much storage, certainly not as much as the PR gets as described above. [/quote] I was just looking at the Protection Racket bags a few minutes ago. They look good! Another one I just found is the Fusion F1: [url="http://www.fusion-bags.com/products-in-guitar-gig-bags/f1-bass-guitar-orange-16115"]http://www.fusion-bags.com/products-in-guitar-gig-bags/f1-bass-guitar-orange-16115[/url] That one is seriously tempting me too. It's about £115, from what I can see.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1380037642' post='2219924'] I have a Protec Contego and a Mono M80. They are both really good, but I find the Protec more comfortable to wear on my back. [/quote] That's also what I've read, regarding comfort, although I can't imagine the Mono being "uncomfortable".

[quote name='woodyratm' timestamp='1380036210' post='2219900'] Hey man, I've got the m80 - its great at protection and storage isn't too bad. If you're ever up in Aberdeen, welcome to take a look [/quote] A trip up North would be nice but it is not likely anytime soon, thanks anyway!