neepheid

Jack Casady had a Les Paul Signature back in the day, he liked it but he didn't care for the pickup. He helped tweak and refine the Gibson low impedance pickup to sound like he wanted it to. “In 1985 I was living in New York and happened to stop in a music store one day and saw a goldtop, full scale semi-hollow Les Paul bass. I loved the bass but found the pickup to be deficient…I did a little investigating and found out that only about 400 of the instruments were made in 1972 and because it was kind of an odd duck, it didn’t catch on.” “I approached Gibson and asked if they would be interested in reproducing the bass with my input. Epiphone’s Jim Rosenberg was very interested, and allowed me to kind of re-make the instrument. I told Jim that I’d like to develop a Jack Casady pickup for it and he hooked me up with the R&D Department at Gibson.” “I went to work on the pickup and it took almost two years to develop. I think they were getting pretty antsy by this time but I wanted it right. I did a lot of homework and bench testing and finally when it clicked in right, it was great. They blow the old Gibsons to smithereens, even in the construction. As you know, the early 70s weren’t good for cars or guitars (laughs) and the workmanship that’s coming in on these instruments is just super.” From https://bibliolore.org/2014/04/13/jack-casadys-signature-bass/ "We duplicated the pickups as they were on the old '72 model but then I took the pickup and added more Alnico power to it, another three quarters of an Alnico magnet on the other side. Also I took a page out of a lot of lap steels, I took the windings that were used for those pickups and used a higher gauge wire. I used a 28 gauge wire, very thick. I wanted to thicken the sound up, and they said that I could do anything I want. I could add one pickup, two pickups, three pickups. I said what I want is one great pickup that I can have at any expense." From https://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/jackCasadySignatureBass.php ... Of course, some people prefer the old Gibson Lo-Z pickup so sometimes you see Epiphone Jack Casady basses out there with the old 70s pickup.

Good things happen when artists get involved in the nitty gritty of designing their signature models, like the low impedance pickup in the Jack Casady Sig. When it's more than just a colour combo and a signature decal/engraved neck plate.

Because some people see it as a piece of art? I don't think it's ugly btw, just a bit... unapproachable.

I'm clearly easily pleased, but I'd just like to point out that short of lottery winning, I would not spend 5 grand on any bass. I'm just not worth it, my bass playing (both in terms of ability and level of involvement) isn't worth it and frankly I don't think any bass is worth that.

What is the reasoning behind the requirement for NO truss rod adjustment? Any change of string type runs the "risk" of having to do a full setup, truss rod and all. You'll be lucky if you dodge the need to touch anything after a full string change to a different brand of roundwounds of the same gauge, never mind changing string construction type.

For five grand I would at least want the decorative 'R' tailpiece, not a flat piece of metal with some holes stamped in it.

I've had the same Boss TU-2 since 2008 and it's been in and out of bags, trod on I don't know how many times, trampled on by a drunk lady, and it still keeps on going. If it ever dies, I'll probably get a TU-3. As a minimalist, the DC daisychain to my one other pedal (overdrive) is also very handy. BUT, it's not great in direct sunlight. But how many outdoor gigs do you do? I only do them once in a blue moon so I don't mind shading the display with my foot while using it because apart from this very minor and occasional quibble, it has been as good as gold.

Pfft, fanboi

SM58 and SM57 are regular cardoid, Beta 57A/58A are supercardoid, unless I'm reading the Shure website incorrectly? https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/microphones/sm57 https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/microphones/sm58 https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/microphones/beta_57a https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/microphones/beta_58a

School careers officer - that looks like an easy job, doing that means you have no integrity, you must be dead inside. I've got it - OP, they got you mixed up with a school careers officer!

Maybe one is less boring than the other? Sorry but I have never been excited about Gibson TB+ pickups - overused and underwhelming to my ears.

You think a £100 gig bag is cheap? 🤨

I'm bloody glad I'm a part timer. Arts professionals get zip all respect. Quite what folk think gives them the right to pass judgements like that is beyond me. Hey, bus driver, that looks easy, I could do your "job". 🙄

Informed by whom? A school career officer?

I don't know, I don't think about it that way - I've done dozens of setups so I adjusted them until they were set correctly. If it's any help I don't remember thinking the saddles had to move a noteworthy or unusual amount. Total guess - maybe somewhere around a quarter inch that last time, but it'll be different for each scenario. Just adjust them until they're right. If you run out of adjustment room and the intonation's still not right, then start worrying

That sounds like it was a respectful exchange of opinions though.

Congrats, long may it continue!

I think I've been incredibly lucky. Only one guitarist has ever so much as tutted at my choice of bass (muttered something about Precision basses being better). He's shorter than me so I just ignored him Additional - not strictly true - I also heard that he didn't like Thunderbirds, so guess who acquired a Tokai T-bird, just to annoy him? The band is long gone but we're still friends

Welcome, fellow Scottish bassist. Not saying Aberdeen is full of suspicious yokels, but if Hutton hadn't asked "furry boot ye frae?", I probably would have

Off the top of my head the TB+ pickups are also found on the Gibson IV and V basses (80s basses), the Epiphone Classic Pro Thunderbird and found their way onto some Gibson Les Paul basses. After picking up the excellent "Gibson Bass Book" I can add EB-650 Les Paul basses LPB-1, 2 and 3 Blackbird Money/Les Paul Double Cut Grabber II EB-11 (LP Jr. Double Cut) Les Paul Oversized 2011 Flying V Midtown 2012 NR Thunderbird

Sounds reasonable to me - I recently changed all the strings on my Reverend Triad because I didn't like the feel of the stock strings. I must have ended up going up a gauge because all the strings were sharp on the intonation and all saddles had to go back a bit.

End of thread.

I hope it didn't come across as "here's a glib answer to what I perceive to be a stupid question". Succinct is a much better word, thanks! I'd also like to add that while sound engineering a massive show with many instruments, full drum kit miking etc. is a serious undertaking, operating a couple of powered speakers and a small (say 8 channel) mixer for a covers band isn't rocket science. In my covers band, the drummer and I do it. We've learned as we go and refined what we do in response to audience feedback. Share our spoils with a knob twiddler? No way

Because they need paid?

Nah, only got 5, none in cupboards.