mcnach

I have used SIMS before, at around £50 per pickguard. Great results: https://www.sims.guitars/

Typically a bridge pickup will be a bit wider, with wider spacing between polepieces, so one does not fit in the routing for the other. Having said that, some basses use the same size pickup - particularly older Squiers and some Mexican Fenders). Sometimes the bridge pickup is also a bit hotter, but there's generally very little difference and instead the bridge pickup just needs to be set closer to the strings to ensure even output between both pickups. Just try it, if it fits... it'll work.

Cobalts CAN sound like roundwounds that have lost some of their brightness, but they're very much a flatwound string and sound like one if you want it to. That's the strength of that string: it gives you a flats sound, and a bit extra should you want it. You can easily remove that extra brightness but you can't add it if it's not there. I found some other bright flats have the brightness but can be lacking a bit on the mids, sounding scooped. The cobalts seem to have everything I want there, so it's for me to remove anything I may not want in any given situation. Disclaimer: not associated with EB, I just liked those cobalt flats

Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are the brightest ones I've tried that don't suck all the mids out. You can use the passive tone control to get the traditional thumpy flats sound, or go for a brighter sound that is much like rounds that have 'lived a little'. From your description, those are the ones I'd go for. Versatile string and good tension (meaning not low or too high)

They need to be set up right, and then they are accurate. I find that to work well they need to be oiled a bit even if the manual does not mention it. You can get it for substantially less from a ebay seller in the US, I think it may be 'bassspecialties' but I don't remember. I've bought a couple and ended up paying about £50-60 (a few years back, I admit)

Not at the moment, but I used a LS2 for two reasons in the past. One, to blend in clean bass together with either an overdrive or an envelope filter. Two, to be able to switch two pedals at once easily (phaser, octave, overdrive and envelope filter all in the loop).

If they put the bridge further towards the end of the body it would help somewhat, but as it is, I agree, the neck feels too long. It's playable, and I have the same exact issue with a Telecaster shaped bass (a copy of an ASAT by Shine, it's actually a very nice bass) but I would not want to use that every day. There are a few different Epi models, neck-through/bolt-on, different look/specs... hence the differences. They do look good, 'though.

The wait... is almost over! I got today The Email. Production according to plan, I should be able to have it in my hands in a couple of weeks!

300 is an extremely good price! Grab it!!!! (is it the active 2-band version? They also made them passive, not as common... I'd get the active version and if this one is not, I'd wait until another one arrives. They do come up for sale regularly)

Only in the UK we complain when weather is below 13 or above 23. Goldilocks was British, no question

I can't say it ever crossed my mind But I generally use date of manufacture, as it's the only date that helps me find specs about the model etc. Two used basses can be very different in the level of use. I just sold a bass I got new in 2005 and the buyer checked the frets and all and said "it's like it was barely used, almost new, not what I expected from a 14 year old bass!" yet I've seen 2 year old basses that looked like hardened war veterans. So date/age does not mean all that much by itself.

Not all flats are the same. Some are very dark and woolly and others very bright. Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are a pretty good compromise, the feel of flats and a sound that can be very bright but tweaked into standard flat territory if you want them to sound that way.

If you're thinking of doing a demo... I'd love to hear the tape saturation simulation

I didn't specify anything, so the edges are not rounded off, although they feel quite smooth. However, I'm sure you can get rounded edges if you asked.

A combination of things. I love how it sounds, and feels, but I just tend to use my Stingray more. A lot more. I had 5 basses capable of Precision type sounds right now: the two Marusczcyk, the Schecter Model T, the Squier Matt Dirnt (with a maple replacement neck that I found) and the Classic 50s Fender. They all sound different, and lately I realised I preferred the slightly less wide neck I put on the Matt Dirnt. This is a very light bass, I put a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 on years ago, and although it wasn't as nice as teh Classic 50s, it feels a bit more comfortable and I play it a lot more... So the Classic 50 was a candidate to go. I actually put a few basses up for sale, including the P/JJ Maruszczyk, the SUB, and others... but as usual, anything with Fender on the headstock sells first. I asked for £600, expecting some degree of negotiation. I got £525 for it.

I have no idea what bass you're talking about. Any pictures?

I had the old version with a J pickup... this one is far more attractive to me. Pretty cool basses, although the neck was a bit too slim for my liking.

Past the door usually helps...

!!!

I remember this... Had I known it was for sale again, I would have been very very very tempted. What a beautiful bass. I love those single coil Precisions.

I onced played an 'illegal festival', it is a famous protest site where people moved in and lived in tents and on the trees to protect the little wooded area from being mowed down in order to build a motorway. I don't think the motorway plans exist anymore, but they're still there. Anyway... it was their 10th anniversary and someone from the site saw us playing in town and thought we'd be a good band to have playing there. It sounded like fun, we were not going to be paid but all equipment was provided and seemed like it could be an experience, so we went for it. Although it is far from any populated area, the police showed up. They were calm, it looked like they were just asked to show up so that they're seen to have some kind of presence. A lot of people were off their heads on various substances but the atmosphere was good. However, one of the organisers got really nervous. While we were playing he came onstage, right behind me, and asked me to turn down. He was very agitated, and only asking ME to turn down. I pointed at the amp I was using: a tiny 30W Gorilla practice combo. There was a cable from its line-out to their desk. I said to that if I there was too much bass, it was not because of my amp onstage that I could not even hear, and that he should talk to his guys controlling the desk. He was having none of it, I shrugged and turn back to carry on playing and he went away. But he came back, being even more agitated and borderline aggressive. So I unplugged and walked off, followed by the rest of the band. You can't argue with idiots, they're generally far too experienced. With regards to being asked to turn down because the onstage volume interferes with the mix, which can happen in small bars especially, I find that generally all they need is for me to turn down the bass EQ. In fact, since I've been using a Mesa D800+ with built-in adjustable HPF, I often just turn up the HPF to remove the lowest lows, and that does the trick. It means I may not sound 'meaty' onstage, but I can hear myself very well, and the soundguy gets control of the low end as he wanted.

Thank you! Your description makes it sound very attractive. I have the Original on my Precision and it's got plenty of upper mids while I'd wish it were more low-mid prominent... I think the CS62 might be something I should try.

I should have qualified my statement, as it reads like a throwaway comment to upset someone, sorry. What I mean is that I often hear people talking badly about successful bands, whether it's REM, or U2, I don't care, and I think I detect an extra level of bitterness that I don't see applied to other bands that didn't make it that big, even when -in my opinion, of course- they lack qualities that the more successful ones got. It's difficult because we quickly get into personal taste. However, while nobody in U2 could be called a 'virtuoso', I think it's at least disingenuous to claim that they can't play their instruments or that they are not 'good enough'. They do what they do pretty well, I think, even if it's not my thing.

That's my experience too, but to what extent and where in the spectrum exactly is the 'scoop' varies with pickups and *relative pickup heights*. I rarely like a bridge J on its own, unless it's one of the 'meatier' types, and even then I'm generally not convinced as it sounds far thinner than any other position, which is why I favour a humbucker in series at the bridge. Anyway, on a Jazz or PJ, I tend to set the neck pickup first, and then adjust the bridge pickup so that when both are blended I like the sound. By bringing the bridge pickup a bit closer or farther from the strings you can affect a lot the mid-scoop character. The effect is more pronounced on some basses than others, but you can almost always find a "too hollow" setting where the bass just gets lost in the mix, and then start bringing it closer to the strings to get the mids back. So, if you don't care much for the bridge pickup alone you could try that. It's not that the bridge becomes unusable, not at all, in fact it often sounds pretty good alone, but I just don't try to ensure it balances volume-wise with the neck one.

Nice clips, @krispn I love that bass