mcnach

just

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1381227241' post='2235946'] Jose have you seen the Chi-Wah-Wah? Its not cheap but its tiny... [url="http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/plutoneium-pu-236-chi-wah-wah-bass-530569"]http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/plutoneium-pu-236-chi-wah-wah-bass-530569[/url] Has level, Q, gain, and switchless bypass. Or, as a much cheaper alternative, I have an old battered crybaby wah kicking around. If you wanted to try it out (I'm thinking it could be a good base to build your own one) you can have it in return for helping me set up a bass The treadle is a bit loose but it does work OK. [/quote] Chi-wah-wah I already like it, just for the name! And it's tiny indeed, one of the reasons I don't use the wah much and keep it in a separate board. Ha! Thanks, I would not really think of another wah if I could solve the bypass thing on mine. Yours would be similar, I suspect. But I can try to help you set up your bass anyway, if you want. But I have to warn you, whenever it gets to "I think the frets need some work" I always take it to Rory Dowling, luthier and owner of Taran Guitars who abandoned Edinburgh for a farm in Pittenweem... he is really good, a great guy, and not expensive at all. In fact, I was thinking of visiting him probably in November, if interested we could go to see him together, just PM me.

This just came to my attention... Very much Stingray-inspired, but with a particular edge over the Stingray (in my case): string spacing is a little wider than on a SR5. This beauty above is priced at under £700 too. [url="http://youtu.be/OxkXfSD-CvE"]http://youtu.be/OxkXfSD-CvE[/url]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1381147308' post='2234890'] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Jazz-Bass-/251353621430?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a85d7e3b6"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3a85d7e3b6[/url] What would this sound like? Surely more precision than Jazz. [/quote] actually not so, because of the pickup locations. A P pickup where the bridge J should be will sound like a J on steroids. It's great!

[quote name='Ian Savage' timestamp='1381178738' post='2235569'] I really can't see an extra centimetre or so making enough of a difference tone-wise to make it worth cutting a new scratchplate Personally I actually prefer having a little more 'play' in the strings for fingerpicking, even if it's minimal - the pickup's big enough that if it REALLY bugs you just move your hand down it... [/quote] I think 1cm, once you get so close to the bridge, is noticeable, from tests I did on an old OLP. Pity I did not record any clips. I intend to do something similar using a Precision pickup, I'll make sure I record the results and make a thread about it.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1380959670' post='2232739'] The delay in switching off is controlled by a pot underneath the footplate. You can leave it to stay on for a couple of seconds or switch off immediately. It has a level, bass, and q control. I've certainly never had an issue with tone suck with it. Most likely that's why the demon gets used over te 105 which sits in its box [/quote] I didn't feel the "switch off immediately" was immediate enough... I think. I don't recall what it was exactly, it's been a while. I do recall it sounded nicer than the 105Q but there was something else that turned into a deal breaker for me. I wish I remembered! The EBS Stanley Clark seems great. But... ouch, the price. For something I don't use a lot, it's quite a lot of dough.

[quote name='rainbowreality' timestamp='1380909854' post='2232371'] Have gone for the Protec, would have considered a Fusion F1 but would have had to wait for it to come in stock everywhere I checked. Looking forward to getting this, it's gotta be a million times better than my non waterproof, barely any protection PMT piece of rubbish! [/quote] Yeah, I got mine from DJM, in lime green/black... not because that was my favourite colour but because it was the only one they had left. I could not find it anywhere else. I'm sure the Protec is a great case anyway! Do report back with your impressions, please.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1380906502' post='2232331'] The G-Lab Bass Wowee Wah is pressure activated and true bypass: [url="http://www.glab.com.pl/bass_wowee-wah_en"]http://www.glab.com....ss_wowee-wah_en[/url] They also make a true bypass pressure activated pad for wahs: [url="http://www.glab.com.pl/true_bypass_wah-pad_en"]http://www.glab.com....pass_wah-pad_en[/url] You don't need a chunky 3PDT switch for true bypass, these use relay switching instead. [/quote] That's interesting! Thanks!

Any idea what's the practical differences between the EBS Wah One and the Stanley Clark model? The Stanley Clark is a LOT more expensive, but I'm not quite sure, on paper, that the functions it has make it so much better than the Wah One... Frequency range is different, larger on the SC model, it seems...

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1380923299' post='2232594'] The weeping demon by ibanez is both switchable and pressure activated. There is tons of adjustment available, and no bass loss. I've been using mine for about 9 years. It's one of the few pedals I haven't been tempted to change over the years [/quote] I had that pedal a while ago too. I did think that it sounded a bit better than the Dunlop 105Q, but there was a delay in switching on or off, I can't recall, which I did not like, so I sold it and kept the 105Q. I know the WD has an adjustable delay, but even at the shortest setting the delay was noticeable to me, whilst the 105Q was more immediate. It is a good pedal, 'though. It has a 2-band EQ, doesn't it? That is a very good addition. I don't know whether it was better than the 105Q at "tone sucking" since I didn't even notice the 105Q had this effect at the time.

I'm alright with losing the "automatically switch on" function, to be honest. It must have a level control, 'though. Any other controls are a bonus. True bypass or buffered... I have no particular preference, if the buffer is good and does not appear to affect the overall sound like the Dunlop does. That EBS looks like a good candidate! Thanks!

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.