Grangur

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1484640287' post='3216985'] Learned on a passive bass, if it was good enough for Jaco... then... Oooh look at this new thing, some people on this forum say this thing is amazing I must sell off all my basses to have just active basses... then... Don't like active basses - not for me, going back to simple passive 4 strings, leo got it right... then... Ooh look a 5th string, some people on a forum say I should try it. I'm going to sell all my 4 strings and replace them with 5 - they mostly are active then... ooh look new bells and whistles preamps from East/ACG/Aguilar/Glockenklang/Ebay, people rave about these, I'm going to fit them on all my basses then... Don't like active basses - not for me, going back to simple passive 4 strings, leo got it right... repeat ad infinitum .... [/quote] Phew! Thank God, I'm doing it right then. All I would correct above is the "Leo got it right". I must go round my basses and fit hi-mass bridges and light weight tuners.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1484611339' post='3216912'] When you say 'hardly different' is that slightly different or not at all? I would try it on a different amplifier with a higher impedance input, and check that the input didn't have an active input option. [/quote] If it makes any difference I don't think I can hear it. I tried 2 amps. Can't say I tried the active/passive switch though. I do that later.

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1484606724' post='3216871'] This may sound silly but are they really old dead strings as i have had bass's where the tone control seemed to do next to nothing until i changed strings and then they come alive ! [/quote] The strings are new. I can see your point though. The control makes little or no difference.

When I've removed decals I always use a blade from a Stanley knife. Just hold the blade flats against the surface and scrape. This way you simply remove the raised ink on the surface. You still need to respray though.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1484603440' post='3216813'] The cap could be duff. Do you have any way of measuring it? Many multimeters have capacitance measuring function. [/quote] Could be. But the chances of both capacitors; the original and the replacement, both being duff is remote. But I think I'll still change it when I put the jack socket in tomorrow. I've got some spares, so nothing to lose.

There's something attractive about a bass that has no fiddling to do. You simply plug in and go. I don't want to boost the bass or treble. I have the amp EQ flat and the passive bass with the tone wide open. That said, most of my basses are passive/active, but I don't often use it.

Hi all, this last weekend I picked up a new project. It's an Ibanez EXseries. It's a PJ with passive circuit. The jack doesn't work and the pots were in poor shape. When working the tone control it didn't seem to do much. "No matter", says I. "It'll be okay when I've changed the circuit." Fast forward to tonight. I've changed the 3 pots in the VVT circuit including using a new orange capacitor. Plug it in with a temporary jack, as I won't have the long reach jack until tomorrow. All is well with the VV, but the T hardly does anything. All the pots are 250k ohm. The tone is wired with the in/out connected to one of the outside lugs and the capacitor goes from the centre lug to ground. There's an earth connection soldered across each of the cases of the pots. Another earth goes from the cases to the bridge and one to the jack sleeve connection. Anyone here got any ideas? Has anyone have this happen before? I can only put it down to the pups. They're okay, nothing special. So far I don't think its a keeper. I just like doing up basses.

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1484583988' post='3216503'] That's what happens when you try to lacquer over an oiled finish Taking it back to original would be the only way methinks. [/quote] Me too. He recons £400 to strip it and refinish it? I'd be happy to do it for half of that. But his price is a bit optimistic I would have said.

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1484582955' post='3216488'] Last time I looked my Status was filled with foam........I'll get me coat [/quote] Cool... cavity wall insulation for instruments! What could be better in a cold pub?

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1484481681' post='3215711'] Congrats on the new bass, I have one of those too, and since getting it haven`t gigged, rehearsed, or recorded with anything else. Same colour scheme too, black/maple, though like FinnDave mine now sports a black (Fender of course) scratchplate. [b][i]In my opinion the 2012 - 2016 Precisions are the best Fender have made[/i][/b], unless going into Custom Shop territory. [/quote] Sorry, I have to ask... why? Please excuse my ignorance, but I may well not be the only one in the dark here. I've heard/read of other folk thinking this too. What is it that's better about the ones made after 2012? I've had a few MiMs. They have all been OK. The one I have now has the best sound I've heard from a Fender in my hands, and that includes Am Std Ps, but I'd put that down to the Bill Lawrence pup and maybe the Babicz bridge on the current one. But mine is a 2004. The Am Std basses I tried were post 2012. Not disputing your opinion, but genuinely interested.

I don't know about prices, but when parts for both brands of instruments are knocked out on a CNC machine and other component parts come from similar suppliers, there has to be a point at which it's hard to put one above the other, especially if you're thinking of changing the pups and bridge.

Sometime receiving negative feedback is received differently, depending on who it's coming from. Before posting anything negative to anyone, how do I know that, in the eyes of the artist, I have earned the right to say what I want to say? If I were Herbie Flowers, or Ed Friedland I'm sure anyone would accept anything I say, but as Grangur... hmmm I dunno.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1484564778' post='3216296'] Thanks for that Jon. I find myself drawn to the Cimar, although the last thing I need is another 4 string bass kicking around the place. [/quote] I know the feeling. It's too easy sometimes to go for these, find they actually bring nothing new to the collection, then polish the frets and move them on, often losing money on the experience. Interesting to watch them though.

What we, of course, don't know is what pictures were posted in the listing. I see so many ads where the limit to what the buyer can see is astounding. I was looking at a listing on BC this morning. The price was over £2k and the buyer was given 3 pictures to look at. 1 was the headstock. 2 was the back of the neck to show wood grain. 3 the whole bass, but the body was very small in the image. Then the seller thinks the buyer can make a good decision to buy based in that?! No wonder some basses don't sell. Or folk are unhappy with purchases.

£230 is not cheap and cheerful for a Westone Thunder 1. They're good basses but worth trying first to find if it is the one for you.

It'll be an interesting addition to the tonewood discussion to see if the bass sounds different with less bulk in the body. If body wood does resonate at all, it will surely resonate more if a lot of the mass has been removed? Personally my belief is neck construction has more influence on sound than body wood.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1484390016' post='3215091'] Those strings are in pretty bad condition... To be fair, every single bass I have bought on BC has been sold again because it had small defects that were not mentioned and had some sort of effect on the bass. [/quote] To be fair if I was selling a bass with those strings I would have put "needs new strings" in the description. Those strings are fit for no purpose than to prove the bass works IMHO

Going on the general consensus here, my guess is the reason why the electrics don't work on this bass the OP bought is that the last owner was trying to do something that's not really practical. I have a circuit somewhere for a 2 pup setup with a volume and tone for each pup. But I recall the wiring was odd and didn't really make sense. And I've worked as an electronics engineer. I started off by using the commonly used circuit for a guitar VVTT, but that didn't work. It turned out I needed to swap over 2 wires. It made no logical sense, but it worked.

I've been subscribed to Scott's bass lessons for some time. To my knowledge there's no further anything much on there about reading. Scott tends to draw all kinds of diagrams to show rhythm without using staves in the conventional sense.

The problem with wiring the 2 tone controls is that while we look at the diagram of the circuit and see the circuit as 3 separate stages, the electrons in the circuit current don't think along the same lines. So the 2 tone controls in parallel will work as a pair and won't work in isolation unless you use more circuit components. So in essence, you need a pre-amp that does this.

Before you start buying necks and such, it's worth remembering that the re-sale value of the bass will probably be about £50. You could do better by simply selling the body on and let someone else have the pleasure. Or you might want to keep it. But thats up to you. I have a neck with a 62mm end if you're interested. PM me if interested.

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1484258323' post='3214202'] Quite pretty, for a Fender (ducks and runs away ...). [/quote] +1

Write to the buyer pointing out that you sold the bass as "used"; that includes the strings. Whether they need changing is a matter of opinion. If you're planning to play reggae they're just getting broken in.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1484221107' post='3213619'] it could just be the photo but it looks to me like you need to remove the scratchplate to access the trussrod? please tell me that isnt the case! [/quote] No. This doesn't use an Allen key. This has a round wheel with holes that you insert a rod into and turn it. If you look closely you can see the holes.