fretmeister

Urgh

Foam things are great. Especially when having to use someone else’s scummy microphone.

For me it all depends on the tuner size. For small tuning posts like on an Ibanez then getting the right scale is important as otherwise the fat bit of the string has to bend loads to get round the post and can snap easy - this is especially important for flats. But with big post Fender types almost anything will work as the bend radius is a lot more gentle. This is why it's dead easy to get strings for my 30 scale shorties with big posts and a nightmare to get strings for my 32 inch medium 5 string Ibanez with tiny posts. I think both your basses have traditional big posts so you should be able to fit most strings. That being said, for some brands the short scale ones cost the same as the others. Carefully search for prices though. Some places really take the piss with shortscale strings. Strings Direct charge £20 more than Bass Direct on La Bella strings!

Fitted some last night! Definitely needs 1/4 turn on the truss rod this morning. I like a low action but right now the gap between the strings and the frets is just enough for a few individual photons to squeeze through. I think I'm going to get a set of the shortscale ones for my Lionel as well. That's a really resonant bass that can sound a bit like a hollowbody so thumpier strings suit it well. It seems my journey to flats is nearly complete. I only have 1 bass with rounds on it now - a Jim Deacon shortie precision. I recently got that and I'll be modding it quite a bit when I find some money. I have another one that I've owned for a good few years that was modded too. Hipshot ultralights and an Aguilar 1960s wind P pickup. La Bella DTF on that one. Very Motown / old RnB sounding. I'll definitely put Ultralights on the newer one as well, but I might go super modern on the pickup as I've got a set of EMG PJX lying about.

My main amp is quite bright and so is that bass so these strings counter that very nicely. How long do you find the LTF last? I’ve had 5 years out of DTF before.

I put them on my Sandberg TT4 this evening. I cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol wipes first to get rid of the manufacturing stickiness. I’ve played for about half an hour and they sound very good. Certainly in the same ballpark as DTF but easier to play. Quite a chewy thick sound which is the sort of thing I really like. I think the truss rod will need a tweak but I’ll let it settle for a day before I do. So far, so good!

For me 40Hz is a freq to cut when the room is boomy.

I really like TI flats but unfortunately they are nickel so I can't use them.

Seems like they will be delivered today! I'll put them on over the weekend.

Thank you both very much!

I nearly went for that combo, but as I have a couple of heads I like to use I wasn't quite ready to take that plunge. If MB ever put a good compressor into that combo then I'd be all over it. It would be the perfect 1 hand carry rig then. For 99% of the time I don't need my pedal board but I end up taking it because of the compressor.

I dunno - I love the food from both of those regions! Difficult choice indeed!

I've seen the nut differences on the Fender site - but I can't see any mention of bridge spacing. I've got a Lionel with IIRC 19mm and a couple of Jim Deacons which are 16mm or 16,5mm and I like them for different things. I like the really tight spacing for plectrum work. If it's not too much hassle - next time you play the JMJ could you take a photo of the bridge showing a ruler next to the saddles?

I've ordered some La Bella Low Tension Flats to try. I've been curious about them for a while so hopefully I like them!

I did use GHS Pressurewounds for quite a while for 4 string basses but their B string was really bad. I moved away from them but these days as I've developed a nickel allergy I couldn't try them again anyway.

Does anyone know what the bridge string spacing is on a Fender Mustang? And is it the same on all of them? I'm having such cravings for a JMJ and I've never even been in a room with one.

Mine doesn't exist and I don't have the funds to have it built. It would be a 32 scale 5 string. 44.5mm nut. 22 frets. 17.5mm bridge spacing. Slim neck like a ray5. Modern pickup placement similar to a Marleaux consat 5 where the bridge pickup is close 2 the bridge and the neck one is really just beyond where a ray pickup would be. Simple 3 band EQ but also with a passive tone as well so it can have old fashioned roll off. Probably headless with a good clamp system so any strings can be used. Body shape starting point would be the Marleaux Betra headless - but chop a little out of it to make it narrower across the body. Judging by the Marleaux price list I think I'd need £7000-£10,000 to get that built by them.

As the old joke goes Fender Mexican instruments made in Mexico by Mexicans Fender American instruments made in America by Mexicans. Local overheads are always the most important part of the price of an item.

I have an older one that just has a headphone / recording out. I've used that into recording interfaces and into PA systems before and I thought it sounded excellent. The only downside was there was no sound from the internal speaker that way. I've had it for maybe 15 years and I still think it sounds brilliant.

Mixing different pedals can cause problems if powered on a daisy chain, but that is certainly the cheapest place to start. If you do get odd noises then you'll need something with separate isolated outputs. That's when it starts getting expensive. If you do end up needing that, then in my experience it's better to bite the bullet and buy something good - just once. Rather than buying something a little better and then needing something else etc etc. My mini board has a Truetone CS6 that has 6 outputs with some being able to be set at 12V or 18V if needed. It's one of the only power supplies that will fit under a PedalTrain Nano board. My big board has a Cioks DC7. That is a superb bit of kit and they also have an expansion pack to give more isolated outputs if needed. It's worth noting that you can still use a daisy chain on an isolated power supply as long as the total current draw on that individual output doesn't exceed the supply on it. I power 8 pedals on my DC7 that way - I have 2 lower draw pedals on a small daisy chain cable from a single output.

It’s great, lovely and warm sounding. I didn’t know what to expect from the drive circuit but it’s really good. I’ve taken 2 drive pedals off my board now!

Nobody?