LukeFRC

[quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1344729407' post='1768621'] Good point about the lack of players, cannot think of anyone I know that uses one. Main appeal to me is that while I do have all those sat in my room I can barely fit one of them into the car each gig, never mind one of each! [/quote] how many different bass sounds do you need at one gig? you know most the audience doesn't even know you're there aye?

and also if you look in your bedroom there are two jazz models, one precision, one stingray type, one fretless 6 string, 2 ricky types, one more modern one and one hollow body...... what exactly does the Line 6 do that you can't already!!!

ask yourself how many people you hear of - even in internetty land who play one.....

I have an acoustic for 5 years, still can't play it. I found an electric in the bin. nice to play. still can't play it. It's odd when you are so used to not even having to think about it and just express yourself and make music with a bass.... and then going back to the straight jacket of a different instrument- which works utterly differently. So with one instrument I can say something, and on the other I can make noise.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344715180' post='1768386'] The UK distributor priced me up a new SB 5 string and it ended up being as expensive as a USA Fender Deluxe. In the USA the gear is excellent value. [/quote] shop in edinburgh, type Livemusicrocks edinburgh into google and you'll find a secondhand one- good condition too.

man if I were in the states I would like the look of one of their kits at that price!

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1344676185' post='1767799'] Just realised I used it to do this video. [/quote] never mind the bass- whats all that colour behind you?

Main things to remember.... 1) right size allen key. If it's american it's likely to be an imperial size, if not metric. 2) As you tighten, pull back on the headstock (gently but firmly) so that you're not trying to use the thread of the truss as the tightening tool. 3) don't do too much in one go.

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1344559838' post='1766556'] I've played a lot of Fender basses, Precision and Jazz, over the years, and been ambivalent to their sound. I've owned a few also, and while I could say that I've enjoyed using the likes of an 80s Precision Special and an Elite 2, I'd not found anything remarkable about the '72 Jazz and '77 Precision, the Fender basses I held on to longest, so none survived in my collection for more than a few years. That changed around a year ago when I purchased a '66 Jazz, which had its original pickups and pots, although none of its original hardware or finish (body; neck finish was still original, and heavily worn). Sounded resonant and full played acoustically. Sounded even better plugged in. Having it refurbished and refinished was, possibly, taking a bit of a risk given that it sounded as good, but it needed new frets, and the "bespoke" finish was horrendous, and in time would have driven me to distraction. Now, it looks as good as it sounds, and I consider it exceptionally good value for the money - £1,800 all in. I'd consider it exceptionally good value at twice the price. [/quote] where you find that?! the barras?

teach yourself to do it. Try not to break anything

or epoxy it a la jaco. I did similar once using ronseal diamond hard floor varnish. Recommend you don't use that as it was too hard to sand the radius back into it!

L1000 - one of the best basses ever designed - fact!

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1344601735' post='1766935'] Yeah, lots of people make copies of Fender basses. They're obviously just as good, if not better than real Fenders. For example, I once had a girlfriend who looked just like Kylie Minogue - so she was obviously as good, or maybe even better. No .... wait .... [/quote] her sister?

Yourself (including physical mental health) Family Friends and social health Uni/work (at times this may move up one in intense times) Fun things like music Things you have to do like music ... ... what other people think of me That would be my priority. I'm currently writing up my masters dissertation. Really put effort into that and give up other stuff like the bands- it's not worth you suffering in either studies or health because you don't want to upset some band mates. Keep cycling (I hear growing sideburns helps too) cos it sounds fun and help you. focus on what matters- which at this stage is your writing.... talking of which- I'm turning basschat off now and getting back to my own!

do you think that if you are working with stuff that you will be shipped to scotland to do, and to the USA for training then you might be working on stuff a bit more complex than a passive bass volume and tone? In my mind if you are doing the electronics for Trident or something you use the best you can. Lets consider something more complex than a passive bass.... how about an amp? Now lets imagine you are building something that has to last for years, using high voltages and in reasonably rough handling conditions. Ofcourse the tolerances of the components matter, and the build construction and the transformer, and the quality of the pots you are using. My amp (Tecamp) is boutique enough I know that they will have used decent parts in it (lets not get into mass produced amps and their quality/profit decisions ) say I am buying a bass, or getting one made for me- maybe from that great builder Osprey Guitars- I want decent parts and probably I will spec CTS or similar mid level pots (lets remember they aren't actually high end here) simply as they have a good rep, and no doubt Ou7shined has a stash of them anyway. And I am sure that the CTS would be more reliable, smoother and more consistent than some cheaper made parts. What I have trouble accepting- and what no one has given any kind of explanation for is this: How can a passive circuit with a 250k ohms resistor sound different to a passive circuit with a different 250k ohms resistor (- at the tiny currents we would expect in a guitar loom. ) yes I get it's in the signal chain, and in mechanical design one can be better than another but electronically and audibility? Interestingly the input stage on the amp, or even the capacitance of the cable will make far bigger difference to sound than the pots- but none ever seems to discuss amps input stages! I have my warwick set up wired to jack at the mo while I save up for a new pre.... and last week it sounded awful- turns out the resonance of the old cable I was using, the resonance of the bass the input stage of my amp and my cab all added together didn't sound nice. Different cable and it was fine (and the -10 stage on the amp also sorted it too) anyway

ahh... it sounds like you have that problem it happens to us all at one time or another.... jazz- but no rear - maybe try something else there... maybe... the answer dear Mattbass97 is a precision!

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344545487' post='1766358'] I will take their word over it [/quote] which is great, but what's the scientific explanation in this example? can you ask them- audio difference between makes of identically specced variable resistors.

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344540823' post='1766287'] I'm watching it now. so far i actually agree with a lot of it. Just likethe way I say that Lindy Fralins claim that Parafin wax is better than candle wax is only better because it's cheaper but they aren't going to say that. But that doesn't take away from when you change a signal path it can affect the signal. Just because in some cases people hear what they want to hear or expect the hear doesn't mean it is always so. [/quote] No but it does mean we have to take it into consideration. [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344540823' post='1766287'] For instance I was expecting to love the tone of the Trace Elliot bought. Going on the video I should hear less mud than my 15" Fender combo. Except I don't I actually don't like the TE.[/quote] A lot of people don't like Trace Gear. but that irrelevant [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344540823' post='1766287'] In the bass I swapped the Pups out of I was expecting little or indeed no change but I hear a definite change. All EQ flat on the amp BTW.[/quote] did you swap the pups or the pots? or both? of course you'll hear a difference with pups, no one is debating that. [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344540823' post='1766287'] None of this takes away from the fact the cheap components are cheap and not as reliable as the better stuff. This stuff is sitting directly in the signal path. It's not like a power cord that is no where near the actual signal path. Or a CD demagnitiser . This is stuff directly in between the pick up and the speaker . Saying a resistor in the middle of all that won't affect it is like saying the magnet choice or wire in the pick up means nothing.[/quote] right from the start no one has doubted that a better made pot will be mechanically better. I bet a CTS pot will be working in 20 years when the cheaper ones have given up the ghost, I expect them to be smoother and more accurate on the taper. No one doubts that! There are two things here- a pickup - which everyone knows has so many variables in construction and magnetic behaviour and electronic behaviour. So pickups are different. But a resistor is a passive component. A circuit with a resistor in it will more or less act the same regardless of the type of resistor PROVIDING the value is the same. So if I have a box of metal film resistors from maplin or somewhere, made by different people even and all of the same value (within the tolerances) then if I put one of them in the signal path of my pickups.. then they all should sound the same. Equally a potentiometer is no different than a non-vairable resistor and should in theory sound the same. It it doesn't- why doesn't it? [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344540823' post='1766287'] Would any one say that the magnet in the pick up has no affect, because at the end of the day they are all magnets just like all pots are just pots.[/quote] a better analogy would be jack sockets. They carry the signal path, and mechanically some are way better than others.... but they should all sound the same. [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344540823' post='1766287'] Or another thing. How come a guitar sounds different if there is no tone pot than when the tone pot is full open? Surely if it's full open and no resistance it shouldn't affect things? [/quote] I thought fully open was the stated resistance- so a open one is going to give 250k ohms or whatever up to full shut which is infinite resistance. Or at least that's how I thought it worked. Interesting sideline.... In amps some people favour carbon comp resistors over metal film as they are more irregular and as the voltage can effect the resistance of them causing distortions. thats my little resistor based thing I remember from making stuff.

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1344538515' post='1766245'] Gentlemen!! I said I wouldn't post again on this contentious topic but aren't we forgetting something? Our EARS! They are enough: they are what makes us choose between a Rick, a Fender Jazz, a Precision or an Alembic. And what we choose to shove them through, pedal-wise, rack-wise, amp-wise. You like what you hear and you can tell everyone else to go to Hell! [/quote] did you watch the vid ou7shined linked to?

caitlinbread (sp?) SFT is also nice wee pedal.

did you mean to buy the streamliner? Sansamp DI pedal thingy for a Ampeg type tone?

someone stuck a Musicman sub bass on gumtree for £200 today. Just throw that into the mix