mcnach

Nice stuff to try? Oh sure there is... but as soon as I get that bass in my hands I'm running back to my car and back home with it!!! There may be some reports of an unidentified object seen as a red blur on the M8 today. Besides, I should not be tempted for a while now. I've got a couple of little projects on the go right now to keep me away from serious gas [1] and I don't want to be spending more money. I funded the Sandberg by selling a Fender Stratocaster, my Classic 50 Precision, and the Maruszczyk Jake (The P/JJ one which the Sandberg is kind of a straight replacement for... I wanted to be able to own both for a while to ensure the Sandberg was the one to keep but the Maruszczyk received enough attention and the right offer was made, so I sold it... yesterday!) I'm just going to finish my coffee and I'll be on my way. [1] The little little projects, just because there's Tonestyler content 1.) Put that Tonestyler on my Squier Mike Dirnt Precision, FINALLY. Yes, I bought it months ago and it's still sitting there... 2.) I'm so disorganised and/or busy... I forgot that over a year ago I bought a wiring loom for a Jazz. It has a 6-position Tonestyler type of control. I bought it because I was curious and it only cost around £30. It's meant to go into my old Matt Freeman Precision, which now has 2 Jazz pickups close together at the bridge position. The plan is to use flats on this one, I've got a set of TI Jazz flats for it. 3.) One Maruszczyk left... the reverse P one. Slightly closer to the bridge than normal, but it doesn't make a LOT of difference. I meant to ask for it at the MM position, because I tried that and liked it, but I thought it sounded too much like a Stingray, so I figured I'd try it somewhere in the middle... and ended up not sounding like either, but much closer to a Precision than anything else. I'm installing a John East MMSR preamp that I had in my magic parts drawer... I need to remove a little bit more wood (the finish on this bass is the strangest thing that flakes so easily, and I damaged it a little bit, although it's largely covered by the metal plate (Stingray style) I am using on it... So that's 3 sort of new basses to play with, coming soon, to keep me away from temptations. Oh, no, there's a fourth one: 4.) Fretless precision! I want to put a piezo bridge on it. I just found a suitable buffer for it, and I'll have to make space for it under the pickguard, with a battery, and install a blend control. I love piezo bridge pickups on fretless. I use black tapewounds on this one and it's a lovely sound but miss that slightly 'woodier' sound you get from a piezo sometimes. With the buffer I'll be able to blend the magnetic pickup and use the passive controls. Too many ideas, too many bands, and not enough time, as my girlfriend keeps reminding me! (But I don't abandon her at all, which is why these projects never get done... and she's sort of invaded 'my workshop' with her art projects...) Aaaanyway... coffee over. Back in a few hours

I've come across this little buffer which sounds like something to have, and not expensive. It is $49, although there's also $17 for postage... but I like the idea, form and function of it. Essentially a little buffer with a trim control, to bring the impedance in line with that of a magnetic pickup. It should be easy to mount onboard in a Precision (a few minutes with a chisel under the pickguard and that's it). Then just add a passive blend control (or a switch if not interested in blending), and use the existing passive volume/tone controls. I could even use a stacked vol/tone potentiometer and keep the bass in a 2-knob configuration. That and one of the many piezo bridges available. The Hipshot one looks good and not so expensive... if you can find it. Graphtech saddles are a possibility for an existing bridge. Ghost make nice bridges with Graphtech saddles although not cheap. There's some decent looking on eBay for around £60, but they're in the US and postage & import duty brings the cost up a bit, so I need to see if I find an alternative within our own continent (and before Brexit... but let's not go there ) Here's the PZP-1 buffer: https://cafewalter.com/pzp-1/ And here's one possible bridge: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Piezo-4-String-Bass-Bridge-Pickup-Chrome/372637793027?hash=item56c2f17b03:g:6tQAAOSw1ZBboCkQ Another alternative is, if blending is not required, installing the bridge with no controls on the bass except for a switch to act as a mute and use an external preamp (input impedance must be in the 10 MegaOhm range, which is close to an order of magnitude higher than many preamps out there, so that's something to consider). That would be the easiest thing to do, but it would be a strictly magnetic or piezo situation and no quick changes between both sounds. I don't see that as much of an issue, given my intended use, but if I can get a suitable buffer like the PZP-1, I think that's a neater way to go about it.

That's very close to the colour I wanted originally... but I didn't fancy it enough to pay the £525 extra they asked for...

Trip to Glasgow tomorrow morning!

Sounds good, looks stinky poo... For that amount of money I thing I'd rather go the Warmoth route and assemble it myself.

what we're talking here is very minor, I don't understand why people are afraid of using the truss rod. It's like being afraid of putting air in your tyres Sure, you can blow a tyre if you severely overdo it... but be sensible and you'll be ok

No, I meant loosening the truss rod a bit while using the SAME strings you already had detuned. That would increase the relief a bit and reduce the buzz somewhat, and *might* be enough. By detuning the strings, you reduced their pull, so by reducing the pull of the truss rod by the same amount (ish) you could get to a position where the bass plays well again. However with the lower tuning the strings may need a bit more room to vibrate freely, which is why I said that it *may* be enough to slacken the truss rod a bit. You need to try and see, If you already changed strings to a thicker gauge, then don't loosen the truss rod: you have higher tension already and if you slacken the truss rod the action will likely get too high.

I have to agree.

Big Stubby ones are the ones I like on bass, but I go for the 2mm and even 3mm ones. I find they give a better thicker attack. I doubt those would break. However, if you want the picks to flex, these won't do it.

That was my issue too. The dots would end up moving and falling off eventually. Not terribly bright either and needed to be charged up (UV light torch keyring type) frequently. Ended up using Luminlay fret markers which were a lot better... but then I stopped playing in that particularly dark venue. Still, it was cool when we got to play stages that contained UV light or a lot of blue light, which made the markers shine brightly.

I could not find one myself, and I ended up buying a cheap pickup on eBay and took the cover from it. The pickup was £14 if I remember correctly. I just could not find an alternative anywhere.

Try loosening up the truss rod first, that might be enough. By dropping the tuning on all 4 strings you've decreased the tension noticeably and the truss rod is pulling more than necessary. Turn it anti-clockwise, a bit at a time [1], and see if it gets to a reasonable playing setup. [1] I'd use a quarter of a turn at a time, and wait maybe an hour before deciding it needs more or less as some necks may take a bit to settle. Most basses I've used settle almost immediately and there's no need to wait, but some do take a little bit so if you're not sure about yours best to wait initially.

I was in good shape, working out etc, so weight was not much of a problem. However, I'm only 5ft 7", so the bulk + weight combined made it an unpleasant experience. Fortunately I only had to carry it to the 1st floor and the staircase was wide, so it was manageable. A few years earlier I lived on an old block of flats with high ceilings. Narrow staircase, steep. Mine was on the 3rd floor. I had bought a Laney VC50 212 combo on eBay that weighed like a small planet. The UPS guy called from downstairs and said he was not carrying it up for me, and I had to take it by myself, or he'd take it back to the depot and I could arrange to pick it up there. I was not driving at the time so I just said "sure, I'll take it, how hard can it be?". Well... it was hard. I could have opened the box and at least used the handles to lift it, but no, I just took the whole box and loaded it onto my shoulder. There were a couple of moments where I nearly lost my balance and had a vision of my heavy amplifier dropping to the ground floor over the staircase's banister... I do not recommend doing that. My cabs now are about 14Kg each. No more crazy lifting. Of course, now that I have lightweight gear I live in a house with the car parked 1.5 metres from the door and no climbing stairs needed...

+1 Expecting someone to be always available for any single band, unless it's *a regular job* is not realistic. If I only gig once a month, I guarantee you that I'm not going to be at home the rest of the time twiddling my thumbs... so what does it matter if I use my spare time playing sudoku, fishing, learning to become a hitman or playing with another band? If a gig opportunity shows up, I'll check my calendar "hmm, I'm practicing strangling and sniping that evening". If I can change it great, if not I'm just not available. I think some people get too precious/possessive about bands without dedicating the time that would justify that.

Maybe. Maybe not. A lot of us play in multiple bands with minimal issues. If the main band only gigs once a month there's lots of room for more action!

I used to not care. Then I found I could get great sounding basses that were light enough and well balanced = more comfortable. So I no longer go for heavy. I'll leave those to the OP

I feel your pain... The worst thing about bands is... people. The wrong ones make bands, and playing live, a most unpleasant enterprise. Get the right ones, however... and it's great. It's tough to get that, 'though. I got it several times, and it was only through being able to quit and not pursuing lost causes that I got there, so don't be shy to quit if things are not working. At the same time, sometimes our tolerance (let's face it, it's never 'perfect') is at a low point, and taking a break helps. It helps our sanity at the very least... and in the future we may be better equipped to face band stuff again. Or maybe we find we're done and prefer to just make music at home. One day at a time.

I bought Kevin's MarkBass SuperBooster. Couldn't have been smoother. Thank you Kevin!

The quest for the right cabs is the longest one for most, I think. And can be expensive! Good luck I'd definitely go modular, even if it can end up costing a bit more. I prefer a couple of 210 over a single 410. They're easier to carry, and many times a single 210 does the job. When I use two, I can stack them vertically too, which means I hear them better onstage and the horizontal dispersion is better... I bought a heavy Peavey TX410 cab for £70 years ago. It didn't look the best, but it sounded good and did the job. It was not fun to lift it by myself out of the boot of a VW Golf back home at 3am, but it was doable. I used that until I was able to afford something better. What I'm saying is that even if your ideal solution may not be achievable immediately, there are many alternatives that will still work reasonably well until you're ready. Try as many cabs as you can meanwhile. They make a big difference.

Don't judge loudness/power in store by the position of the volume knob. Some amps increase the volume until the knob it's at 1 o'clock or so and there's very little else above that, while others are more progressive and they may look 'less powerful' due to that. If you like the sound of the Aguilar best... go for it. There's not as much between 350 and 500W as you'd imagine. With the right cabs you'll most likely be ok. I sold my old LM3 (500W) to get a LMT800 (800W) thinking the extra 300W would make a big difference, and they did not, then went back to a LM3 as I liked the sound more and simply changed the cabs I was using to get the volume I needed.

That looks superb, well done!

What he said... (I was late to the party, as usual) Probably a nice bass but definitely try it first.

The serial number is not JV, so... no.

the black ones