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mcnach

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Posts posted by mcnach

    Cheap bass, yet perfect? (includes bassline content)

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by mcnach

    Hello, my name is Jose and I am a mod-oholic.

    I rarely leave instruments alone. I must do something to them. Even if only changing the pickguard for another colour. I can't help it.

    But... one bass in particular is resisting.

    I bought this bass about 6 months ago. It's a Jazz bass copy by a brand called Westfield. EBay... £40 plus £10 delivery. Worth a shot. Do I like the colour? Not really. Ah, great.
    But it plays and sounds great!
    Supposed to have some cheap pickups on but... they're meaty, full, sound great. The bridge pickup growls like a beast.
    I keep going to this bass, I think of what preamp might be nice... but after I play it for a little while I just know I have to leave it alone.
    Maybe I'll strip the body one day and just give it an oil finish, I don't like that green... but I'm afraid I might destroy the "mojo" :)

    The bass in question:




    This is my cheapest bass, and the only one I don't feel like I need to change anything to it. Funny.

    Ah, the bassline content...
    I was just playing this bass... and this song came on... ABBA "One of us"... yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. But listen to the bassline. When it comes to the chorus... it's very simple, yet... it's got a certain "something". Me and my Westfield Jazz just had a lot of fun playing along to this a few times.
    I feel my "coolness" rating falling rapidly, but I don't care :rolleyes:

    [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FxUeEBU6zY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FxUeEBU6zY[/url]

    Fading the colour finish of a bass...

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by mcnach

    [quote name='absolutpepper' post='937906' date='Aug 27 2010, 10:48 AM']Do you know if its a nitro or poly finish? Im no expert but presumably nitro will 'age' and fade much easier whereas the poly may not.[/quote]


    definitely not nitro...
    but the fading will be in the pigment itself under the clear coat, I'm not talking about the yellowing of the nitro, but more of a fading of (mostly red?) pigments under sunlight.

    Fading the colour finish of a bass...

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Anybody tried that?

    I recently bought a bass finished in metallic blue... It's actually a greenish shade of blue, which is greener on the headstock while totally blue under the pickguard. It looks like it was kept somewhere where the sun could hit the headstock regularly. Not Scotland, then, obviously :)
    I had something like that happen with a white guitar. Within a year the side of the headstock where the sun hit it had turned creamy, there rest of the bass was white as originally.

    I like the greenish tinge, so I'll try to help it by leaving it on the table by the window during the day... and I am going to use a strong UV lamp on it during the night, to see what happens. I suspect the process will be so slow that I'll get bored before anything noticeable happens...

    I wonder if anybody has ever tried anything like this...

    (I should really be practicing the new stuff I've got to learn instead of thinking about the colours, eh? :rolleyes:)

    Which pickguard for my latest OLP MM2?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='iconic' post='935120' date='Aug 24 2010, 06:34 PM']I like the white pickguard, also maybe worth going over the paint with some T cut as it may bring the colour back?[/quote]

    Actually I would rather take it to a tanning shop, to see if the UV light fades the blue, as I prefer the greenish hue.
    No, I will not do that. Just saying that I like the faded colour best.

    Which pickguard for my latest OLP MM2?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Prime_BASS' post='934988' date='Aug 24 2010, 04:42 PM']I that's more dirt, than fade.[/quote]

    No, it's not ultra clean, but it's not dirt.
    It's all over, but especially noticable at the headstock, that's more of a blueish green by now. I noticed a similar effect on a white guitar I once had. The sun could shine on the headstock only where the guitar stand was placed. Within a couple of years the headstock (finished to match the body) was noticeable creamier than the body, which remained white.

    Which pickguard for my latest OLP MM2?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Ou7shined' post='934573' date='Aug 24 2010, 11:04 AM']I kind of prefer the white. How about clear?[/quote]


    You got me curious, so I removed the pickguard.
    The pickup routing is, as I expected, a big square, bigger than the pickup, and won't look nice. In addition, I think this bass used to belong to a "Jim" at some point, who carved his name on the body under the pickguard! Not sure it shows clearly in the pictures.
    I also found that the greenish tinge is not the original, but just the way the blue fades! Because under the pickguard it's VERY blue (again the pictures didn't show it as much as you can see it in person), but it's still a different blue from later OLPs. Maybe I'll set a stand by the window just for this bass to fade the blue even further. Perhaps in another 15 years it gets a little greener :)


    Which pickguard for my latest OLP MM2?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Prime_BASS' post='934574' date='Aug 24 2010, 11:06 AM']I think I saw this on the bay?
    There's a nice double humbucker one on now I may buy.[/quote]


    You may have seen it indeed!
    There were two of these at the same time. I took the first one. Lucky, as that decreases competition. £120 is ok for a bass like this I think.

    There's also a 3-band active one, with SD pickup and hard case... Asking for £200+, I forget now, but if it's the SD preamp it could be a pretty good deal.

    Which pickguard for my latest OLP MM2?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    :rolleyes: Well, I just got the subject of my latest project: a metallic blue OLP MM2 with maple fingerboard. One of the older ones, with a blue that is a bit greenish, depending on the light, which I think is nicer than the later models.

    I've owned 4 OLP MM2, and 3 were pretty good, one was terrible (and was sold). This one was bought for one purpose: convert it to fretless. I couldn't find a fretless OLP, and I don't want to go into high $$$ for a MusicMan (could not find any fretless SUBs either), so I thought this could be fun... and I'll have my luthier friend on standby in case I mess something up :lol:

    Anyway. I just wanted to ask what people think about... colours. Yep, lame as that... that's my question :)

    It came with a white pickguard, which is going to go. I hate the way it looks:



    So I'm thinking of going with one of two options. One is a black pickguard... here's a picture with my Stingray's black pickguard placed on top (it leaves a thin gap on the top, but it can be sorted). The shape is also a bit rounder, as you can see, which I think it's nicer than the OLP's:



    The other alternative is a "black pearloid" type of pickguard, a bit like this one (not the shape, just the colour, obviously):





    what do you think?

    How much did your collection cost

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Not sure how I'll feel after I add it all up... but here we go :rolleyes:

    Westfield B4000 Jazz bass - £40 (fantastic J bass!)
    Westfield VS4A, Warwick Thumb style bass - £80
    Warwick Corvette $$ - £382
    Stagg M300/5, 5-string Stingray copy - £180
    Peavey International Series 5-string - £120 (for sale, by the way :o)
    MusicMan Stingray 2EQ - £695
    OLP MM2, quilt-effect top - £130 (my main bass, with a few upgrades)
    OLP MM2, black - £100
    OLP MM2, metallic blue - £120 (soon to be converted to fretless)
    Ibanez SR400 (old type, with P/J pickups and 3-band EQ) - £140
    Wesley Monarch, Spector type of bass - £120 (with a pickup upgrades and added a 3-band preamp too)
    Jim Deacon Precision (actually PJ type) - £50

    total... £2157
    Ah, not as bad as I thought. :)

    and a couple of those basses I should really sell (the Jim Deacon for instance, nice P-bass vibe but... what do you do when you don't like P-basses :o, and the Wesley... I played that a lot but when I discovered the OLP/Stingrays it has remained gathering dust)
    Because they look pretty and all, but I don't play them and I need space in my instrument racks... or maybe I can use the cash to buy anothr bass or two. Maybe another OLP? Nah! :lol:

    Budget unlined fretless

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='geoffbyrne' post='933395' date='Aug 23 2010, 10:03 AM']Yes, I don't much like them either - I have a Thunder IIIb unlined fretless that'll probably go into the coffin with me.......

    The Richwood may be returned within 7 days (at your own expense) so you could try & if you didn't like... Trouble is, it'd probably need a proper setup which you probably couldn't get done within the 7 days. You could spot promise though.

    Say hello to Paisley for me - I lived there for 25 years.

    G.[/quote]


    Anything bought mail order (UK) may be returned wihin 7 days. Something called the distance sales act, or along those lines (can't be bothered to google it now).

    There may be some restrictions, and of course, the item in question has to be returned in new condition, packaged etc etc...
    So, providing you're very careful and don't start filing frets away etc (ah, we're talking fretless here :)) you still have that 7-day period.

    John East Stingray preamp: can it do the 2EQ and 3EQ thang?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='simon1964' post='932273' date='Aug 21 2010, 09:11 PM']I was on my hols when you posted this, so I've only just seen this thread!

    I've fitted the John East 3 band in my Ray (it was originally a 2 band).

    Personally, I think the JE is a fantastic bit of kit. With the mids flat you do get, to my ears, the classic 2 band ray tone. But the option of boosting the mids gives that extra versatility, and a bit more clout when playing live. Its really well made as well.

    I owned a three band ray a few years back (which was aslo great!), but the JE pre sounds much more like the 2 band stock MM pre to my ears. Well worth trying if you like the classic 2 band tone, but want a bit of extra versatility.[/quote]


    Hey, cheers for that!
    I have ordered the JE preamp already. In fact it arrived yesterday, but with nobody at home and being unable to pick up until Monday, I haven't yet had the chance to try it. But you experience sounds promising (and just what the preamp is supposed to sound like, but always good to hear from an independent customer). Can't wait!

    Stingray 3EQ and 2EQ Sound Samples

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Linus27' post='783388' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:26 PM']Dave, you should never feel bad about spending your money and treating yourself. You only live once, you work hard to earn money, playing bass is your passion and hobby and so you should enjoy it whilst you can. Its only money and material possesion and it can always be sold. If it makes you happy then thats the important bit.[/quote]


    Can I pay you a (small :rolleyes:) retainer so that you email me that post above every 2-3 weeks?

    :)

    Musicman Stingray

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='932196' date='Aug 21 2010, 08:06 PM']Thanks for that im going to have a listen tomorrow as I have friends round at the moment and wont listen properly.Ta

    Has your JE pre amp arrived yet mcnash? I bet it will sound good and worthy of a sound clip :)[/quote]


    Arrived yesterday, but I wasn't in and today I couldn't go to pick it up... so earliest will be Monday. There will be before & after clips, don't worry :rolleyes:

    Musicman Stingray

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by mcnach

    [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='932028' date='Aug 21 2010, 05:12 PM']There you are! Do you think your 2 band is smooth sounding compared to a 3 band?[/quote]


    do I bite?

    stay quiet?

    b***cks, I'll bite! :lol:

    well, not sure "smooth" is the word I'd use. The 2EQ seems "rounder" (probably not a better description! :) ), with the 3EQ being more "mids-happy".
    It's really hard to describe. Go and try them, really... I find the 3EQ more versatile, yet the 2EQ has some fantastic sounds that I don't get quite right on a 3EQ. More "P-bass on steroids" like.

    If I have time over the next couple of weeks or so I was thinking of trying a little something:

    making clips with
    1) OLP stock
    2) OLP with SD pickup
    3) OLP with SD pickup and SD 3EQ preamp
    4) Stingray 2EQ

    then posting them blind for people to listen and comment on, before I revealwhich bass was used for each. It'll probably be suboptimal as the Stingray has new strings on, and the OLPs have very old strings... but I like how they sound and I'm not going to change the strings to post clips here! :rolleyes:

    Musicman Stingray

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='931889' date='Aug 21 2010, 01:44 PM']He is the OLP guy round here with lots of mods going on and prefers them to the one and only real Ray he ever played/owned!

    mcnash are you out there?..........[/quote]


    :)

    I have only owned 1 Stingray, true. But played many! AND I love my Stingray, just for the record... m-key? :rolleyes:

    Musicman Stingray

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='munkonthehill' post='931865' date='Aug 21 2010, 01:24 PM']I may as well jump in here.

    I bought a 3eq not long ago, now as much as I love the look, feel and playability....I just cant get a tone im really into.

    However im pushing on with it and hopefully get what I want with some EQ tweaking.

    Lovely basses these stingrays, however im now waiting for someone with an OLP to come on saying how they tried a million stingrays BUT the cheapest OLP or of course stingray copy was the best in the shop hahahahaha[/quote]


    someone calling me? :)

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