BOD2

DiMarzio were the leading brand of replacement pickups (Seymour Duncan hand't been invented yet) and it was the "in" thing to replace all your metal bits with BRASS for that solid, ringing tone.... Japanese "copy" guitars were at their peak (no lawsuits in the UK at this time) but Yamaha and Ibanez had just bucked the trend by launching their own unique models (the SG series and Artiste series). I can't tell you what a jap copy bass would have cost because I can't decode the names in the price list ! (they don't call them Jazz bass copies they have names like "Clipper" or just 3 letters to identify them). An average Strat copy that I do recognise the name of cost £82 (£456) so a half decent Fender bass copy would probably be around £100 (£500). I think we're a lot better of now !

I was clearing out my dads house at the weekend and came across a pile of old "International Musician and Recording World" and "Beat" magazines from the mid to late seventies. Reading through those brings back memories of gear no longer with us ("White" amps, "MM Electronics" mixers, "HH" amps) And it's strange reading album reviews of classic albums (like "Hotel California" for example) when they first came out. Anyway, of interest here I thought you might like to see what bass guitars cost back then and compare it with what they cost now. I've also used an online "inflation calculator" to convert the 70s prices into what they'd be worth now - that price is shown in the brackets. The prices quoted were ex VAT so I've added VAT at the rate of 15% So, from 1976.... Fender Jazz Bass .................................. £348 (£2011) Fender Jazz Bass with maple neck ........... £374 (£2161) Fender Precision Bass ........................... £289 (£1670) Fender Precision Bass with maple neck .... £316 (£1826) Rickenbacker 4001 ................................. £405 (£2340) I can't comment on the accuracy of the "inflation calculator" but still..... you can almost buy new Mexican Fenders at those old prices, pound for pound ... and that was 33 years ago !! Anyone got any questions about any gear from back then and I'll see if I can find it in the mags ?

Ok.... now I'm confused then. I can't figure out how a single jack plug can carry the signals from 3 separate footswitches ! There must be something clever going on with the FS-3. For the Eden, it probably uses a stereo jack plug and two footswitches - one for mute and another for the bypass. A stereo cable can carry two separate signals so that would make sense. But the FS-3 has me stumped ! I suspect that it would not work with the Eden.

Does the Digitech FS-3 have 3 separate footswicthes on it ? What kind of plug is on the end of the cable from the FS-3 ? And what would you be wanting the footswitch to do on the WYX-260 ?

...And use a brad awl to start the hole before you use the drill. You can carefully line the brad awl up by eye and push it into the wood to start the hole - the drill bit can then be placed into that indent and it should stay there as you drill instead of moving the minute you start drilling !

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about.... these bits are called "bridge pieces" or sometimes "bridgs saddles". The up/down movement is adjusted by screws is the bridge pieces (one either side of the string) and this is use to adjust the "action", which is the height between the bottom of a string and the top of a fret. Lower action means easier to play but too low means the strings rattle off the frets. The screws at thec back of the bridge - one for each bridge piece - move the bridge piece back and forwards and are used to adjust the "intonation". This makes sure that each string plays the correct note at each fret on the fretboard. Slight different string lengths are needed to allow for this (due to the different thickness of each string) and moving a bridge piece back or forward will change the effective length of that string. Does this help ? Neither of these adjustments change the actual sound of the string.

[quote name='fifeq' post='400502' date='Feb 4 2009, 11:47 PM']are there any difference between the rack and more kidney shaped one?[/quote] The sounds are the same but the rack mount one has more options for connecting to other equipment - more space for various different connectors at the rear. It's not a bad device for the price. To use it with a footswitch you'll need a MIDI footswitch as the V-amp works entirely through MIDI. That tends to make the footswitch a bit more expensive and complex than you might otherwise want. Behringer do the FCB1010 footswitch, which is a general purpose MIDI switching device but which defaults to presets that work with V-amps. It is completely programmable (MIDI commands) but good luck to you if the Behringer manual is your first experience of MIDI ! (it's actually not too complicated once you get the hang of it). BUT.... the FCB1010 is BIG ! You'll look like a guitard with a massive pedal board !

[quote name='johnnylager' post='476781' date='May 1 2009, 10:32 AM']Doesn't matter? Everyone knows the Wal sound changed when the UK went from imperial to metric wire gauge.[/quote] Actually I have just been reading a thread on a guitar forum (yes - my own fault, I know) where they are seriously debating whether or not changing the internal wiring from plastic covered wire to cloth covered wire will result in a different tone..... And some of them actually believe you will be able to hear a difference.

The gauge doesn't really matter - the signal levels are so low that any virtually gauge of wire can handle it. Best to use stranded wire rather than single core wire, though, as the single core can break causing all sorts of problems. Something of a similar gauge to the pickup wires would do the job - not too thick that it's stiff to work with and not too thin that it's fiddly to use. Do you need a specific gauge value ? It's a while since I ordered any stuff like that as I have loads of bits lying around.

Have you got a meter at all ? Can you check the 3-way switch is working properly ? Operation of the switch should connect the centre connector to one or other of the two connectors only. When the centre connector is switched to the bridge pup there should be an open circuit between the centre connector and neck connector - and vice versa.

[quote name='bumfrog' post='475892' date='Apr 30 2009, 12:20 PM']sorry, gotta disagree with that. If you are good player you are good player. If you spend ages messing about with amps then you also know about electronic sound. Doesn't mean you're a better player, just means you know how to use equipment. Conversely I have met sound men who can't play for toffee, but can get a good sound. What about acoustic stuff? Does that mean because somebody isn't using an amp then all of a sudden they become a worse player? Sorry if I sound a big facetious, I'm having one of them days [/quote] That's ok - this is what a "debate" is all about. What I meant was, a good player with a good sound is more effective than a good player with a poor sound. They may have the same technical ability but I know which one I would rather listen to. There are loads of good technical players out there but whose sound is very generic, or otherwise uninteresting. But if you pair that ability with a good sound, then you have the makings of a great player. All the great players (Clapton , SRV, Hendrix etc.) have strong, recognisable sounds and I would argue it's this as much as their technical ability that makes them stand out. Eddie Van Halen is an example - what many people like about his playing is not so much the notes he plays but the sound he has (and has worked hard to create). His sound is so important to his playing that it's even been give a name - the "brown" sound. Playing electric guitar is different to playing acoustic guitar for this very reason - an electric guitar has so many more tonal possibilities due to the amp/FX combinations available that there are so many more ways to screw up your sound.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='475800' date='Apr 30 2009, 10:48 AM']It's a shame none of the pissed punters you play to will give a sh*t though. Oh well, I'm sure it massaged your ego all the same.[/quote] While I'd agree with the first part of that (true, the majority of punters won't notice the difference) I don't agree with the second part. The difference between a good player and a mediocre player for me is their sound. You can play all the right notes and be technically brilliant, but if your sound is thin and weedy - or no one can hear you because you don't cut through - then it's all a waste of time. A great sounding band makes you want to stop and listen - a crap sounding band just gives you tired ears. The best players have a great sound, often an immediately indentifiable sound, as well as being good players. I think most of us on BC would want to at least try and get a good sound, even if we don't always succeed.

I always assumed that every player took as much time to understand their gear as they did to learn to play, but so often I can see this is not the case. I was at a friend's gig the other week. Nice venue - low cielings, carpet, should be a good sound. My friend explained they'd had real problems with low bassy feedback from the vocals-only PA and might have to ride the volume control all night to prevent problems. It wasn't until halfway through the first set that I realised they had setup with the PA speakers BEHIND the band. The guitar amps were on top of PA bass bins and PA tops were right at the back either side of the band. All of this pointing straight into the vocal mics ! I was aghast ! At the interval I tried to subtly point out where the problem might be, but it was too late to change things by now. They got through the gig ok but the volume was severely limited by the potential for feedback. Yep - learn how to use your gear and you'll get the best out of it.

I think it's fairly generic Disco equipment. They have a website - [url="http://www.skytronic.co.uk/index.php"]http://www.skytronic.co.uk/index.php[/url] I've no idea how good it is.

The current "Classic Vibe (CV)" series are getting lots of good reviews. There are two models, the CV50 and CV60 - [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303000503"]http://www.squierguitars.com/products/sear...rtno=0303000503[/url] [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303010500"]http://www.squierguitars.com/products/sear...rtno=0303010500[/url] Both well made, good traditional sounds, and upgradeable later if you want to go down that route.

Have to ask the "usual questions" first .... What kind of bass is it ? If you want to add releif (to make the neck bow slightly) then you need to loosen the truss rod. Are you saying that the nut is very loose and yet there is still no relief ? Have you left the bass overnight to allow it to settle after adjusting the rod ? Sometimes when adding relief it's necessary to apply a little pressure (carefully) to the neck. This would be done by holding the neck at the body join then pushing the top of the neck a couple of times - firmly, but not forcefully - just to loosen anything that was stuck.

Almost all amps with two output speaker jacks have these connected in parallel. This means that if you connect your two 8 ohm 300 Watt to the dual outputs of an amp, then the total load seen by the amp is 4 ohms and the power handling of the speaker cabs together is 600 Watts. If you want to use both cabs at the same time, then you need to look at the power rating of the amp into 4 ohms. This should be 600 Watts or less. You can go above this (e.g. 750 Watts into 4 ohms) as long as you don't plan on running the amp at full volume and you use your ears to listen for any unexpected distortion and turn down if/when it occurs. The power output into 8 ohms will be less, but not as much as half that into 4 ohms. If you are running the amp into 8 ohms then you would only have ONE of your cabs attached (two 8 ohms cabs = 4 ohms). You can match actually match any power amp to any power cab as long as you LISTEN and do not drive the amp or the cab into distortion. There's nothing to stop you running a 100 Watt amp into a 300 Watt cab, or a 1000 Watt amp into a 300 Watt cab, as long as you are careful with the volume control. But since you have 600 Watts of cabs it makes sense to look for something near that power. (and please everyone ... do NOT quote those articles on the net that claim a lower powered amp can be damaged by driving a higher powered cab - we are sensible players here and turn the volume control down long before the amp makes distorted noises)

Very few things are linear when it comes to sound. So when you turn up your amp you don't just get the same sound but louder - the components inside the amp will interact differently, the speaker will behave differently. All of this will change the EQ. Then, when you go into a new room it will have different resonant frequencies and the room will absorb some frequencies and emphasise others. This changes what you hear too. So you have to "tune" your sound to every different room. There's no way around it, I'm afraid, but practice will make it easier.

Yes that will do it. The FCB1010 is essentially just a MIDI controller. It can be programmed to send various MIDI commands whenever you press one of the buttons. As such it can be used to control any MIDI device (e.g. a keyboard, a drum machine etc.) And the V-Amp is a MIDI device, therefore you can control it with the FCB1010. You get 10 footswitches which can be programmed to switch between V-amp patches or to switch various V-amp features on or off. You also get 2 expression pedals - you can setup one for volume and one for wah, or just switch these off. It is quite large, though ! Check the dimensions before you purchase. Programming it can be a little tricky at first, but I think it comes pre-programmed for the V-amp anyway. If you get one and have any problems programming it then get back on here and I may be able to help.

[quote name='soopercrip' post='456456' date='Apr 7 2009, 02:42 PM']Thanks Bod but the link is?[/quote] Oh don't you just hate it when that happens..... [url="http://www.emginc.com/content/wiringdiagrams/BTseries.pdf"]http://www.emginc.com/content/wiringdiagrams/BTseries.pdf[/url] Sorry !

Here's an example wiring diagram to be looking at and getting familiar with With a single pickup, the relevant diagrams are - "1 Volume 1 BTC Control" or "1 Volume 1 BTS Control" Ignore all the other variations as these are for two pickups. The BTC has a stacked pot for treble and bass, the BTS has separate treble and bass pots.

Sounds like a good project. If you're filling in the J-pickup hole, I'd suggest you simplify the hole (i.e. make it a simple rectangle) then make a wooden plug to fill it. Glue in the plug then sand it all in while the body is still at the bare wood stage. There are a few sites on guitar finishing - use Google for this. It can be tricky to get a good solid painted finish, but it can be done if you take plenty of time between coats and sand/buff carefully. Good priming of the bare wood prior to painting is also essential. As for electrics - if you want 2-band EQ then your looking at active electronics. The simplest setup would be a passive pickup with an active 2-band preamp. You'd have volume, bass and treble (you could combine the bass and treble onto a single stacked pot). Remember to allow space and access for a battery. The actual wiring will be quite simple for a single pickup and there are plenty of excellent wiring diagrams around once decide what you need. Some soldering practice before you wire up the real thing will be useful - keep the old electronics for this.

[quote name='yorick' post='455170' date='Apr 6 2009, 09:46 AM']How about this.... [url="http://www.guitar.co.uk/jim_dunlop/911-jim_dunlop_pickholder_guitar_plectrum_holder"]http://www.guitar.co.uk/jim_dunlop/911-jim...plectrum_holder[/url][/quote] I used to have one of these superglued onto my guitar strap where it attached to the upper horn of the bass. Really easy to reach, no damage to the scrathplate and it holds several picks so you can afford to drop a couple and still have more ready to hand.

I would check the "relief" on the neck to see how much curvature there is already. There are various ways of doing this but be suggestion is - 1. Press and hold the lowest string down at the 2nd fret (or use a capo to hold it there) 2. Press and hold the same string down at the 12th fret 3. Check halfway between the two frets 4. The gap between bottom of string and top of fret at halfway point should be about the thickness of a business card If there is no gap then you need to loosen the truss rod slightly to add relief. If the gap is bigger then tighten the truss rud to straighten the neck a little. If the strings you've just put on are lighter than the previous ones then this might have caused the neck to straighten a little and reduce the relief. Heavier strings would tend to pull the neck more and add relief.

It's always best to put all 4 screws in and tighten them by hand first. Then go round the screws and tighten each one a little, equally. Keep going round them all until they're all tight. Do NOT put one screw in and tighten it fully, then put the next screw in and tighten it fully etc. There's no harm in going back and tightening them a little later if they need it. Don't use excessive force and make sure your screwdriver is a good fit.