neepheid

So, I've had it a few weeks now - how goes it? Very well. The setup out of the box did end up needing a small tweak - there was a little too much relief in the neck so a cheeky quarter turn on the truss rod dialed that out nicely and it's playing great with no buzz but low enough action for a bit of clank if I dig in. But apart from that, it was pretty much bob on. I don't ever mark a bass down for the setup it arrives with - I can do it myself anyway and my setup is my own. I'm not expecting any bass to arrive set up the way I like it, what an amazing coincidence that would be! Again, this is just a pure coincidence but it comes strung with what appear to be D'addario XL nickel rounds. Which are my strings of choice, so one less job to do. Dunno what gauge they are but they feel OK to me. I've played the bass at one band rehearsal and a couple of gigs now. Very happy with the way it went. The bass is quiet and the volume pot works as expected, any issues that might have been raised with early output of this bass by YouTube reviewers seem to have been addressed. In our RF hellhole of a rehearsal room, there was a bit of background noise but I have other basses which have been way worse and I've had to get the copper tape out. This one is tolerable so I probably won't bother, shielding seems adequate for normal use cases and isn't completely thrown by the abnormal case of our rehearsal room. In the rehearsal room and at the gigs, I did note that the pickup is not particularly high output. It also is very mid focused. Not bothered a jot about output - turn the amp gain/volume up, big whoop. But the focus of the sound did compel me to do some EQ tweaks, boosting the lows a bit. After I dialed that in I was very pleased with the sound I got, it's chunky, it's old school but it's not flat, there's a lot of life in there. Gigs went great, bass was as good as gold, lovely neck, great balance (never felt like I was fighting it). Looks like this one's a keeper. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a '51/'54 Precision shaped object, and at only £369 from Thomann (if DHL don't steal, sorry "lose" it en route) I consider it a great deal compared to the Squier '51 Precision shaped objects out there, with the roasted maple neck, the rolled fingerboard edges and the decent hardware being the obvious "upgrades" from what a Squier could give you out of the box.

As usual, the bass player completely unaware until a PA speaker is trying to assimilate him. There have been times when I have relied upon the spacial awareness of my bandmates to avoid a trip to A&E also...

Damn, those must have been some good chips n cheese...

My D5 is 4.05kg - 8.9lbs - not heavy by any means for the type of bass it is, but I'm guessing not the answer you wanted to hear? If it helps any, it balances well and with a decent strap (I use Neotech Mega straps), it's easy to fling about - no shoulder/back complaints this morning. Clark's sounds like a cool place. House PA? Luxury! Don't suppose they're averse to northern barbarians coming down to play? We haven't pillaged and raided any further south than Montrose so far...

I've seen one fight kick off in there in all the times I've played there. Was dealt with pretty swiftly. I've never felt unsafe in there. Things might be different if we sucked!

Second night of a double header, this time at Wilson's in Aberdeen. What a great night. Our guest "guitarist" joined us for a few songs, it was busy and folk were right into it. Got some great comments after the show and the audience were enthusiastic but respectful - interacted with us without pawing at the singer this time! Maybe picked up a booking for a birthday party out of it too. One for the books. Played really well, loving the Sire D5 (why did it take me so long to investigate '51/'54 Precision shaped objects?), it's a keeper.

Onwards and upwards. I remember our first couple of post COVID gigs were absolutely rotten - ring rusty to say the least. I guess it was like starting over after the 2 year layoff.

Beyond aesthetics, no such thing. Any bass can give a clanky tone - lower the action, job's a good 'un.

I suspect the common thread in all this is D---Heads Limited. Even happens to Thomann with goods going the other way, it took two attempts to send me a Sire D5. The first one was "lost".

I dunno if I'd change anything personally - I wouldn't be where I am if I hadn't taken the paths I have. Sure, it would have been advantageous to start playing bass when I was 9, but I was 30-something. It's a unique perspective I guess - I came into it having consumed a lot of music as a listener. If we could afford it, get a manager for the originals band - we are HORRIBLE at getting gigs and making the noise required to promote ourselves in this ever more attention deficit world, and rotten procrastinators when it comes to getting stuff done like recording - need someone to crack the whip a bit.

Back on the horse after a sad week, this one was for Chico 🐈 It was a cracking gig last night at the Butchers Arms in Inverurie. Started off slow with about 10 folk but it built up over the night and the place was pretty rammed at the end. In this week's episode of "there's always one", I can give you two! Comment of the night - lady when told that we can't just play anything she asks - "well, you're not a very good band then, are you?". Then there was the woman who wouldn't leave the singer alone - kept putting her arms around him, trying to kiss him, trying to steal the mic - whilst he's trying to sing the effin' song, what a pest! This is not "rock and roll" - we're all married! Perils of performing at floor level, and why having a frontman (or woman) to hide behind and soak up this kind of nonsense is very useful Played my Sire D5 at its first live outing and I am delighted with it. Got some nice growl and clank out of it. Quiet as a mouse (no buzz/hum), good as gold, happy to gig it anytime. I have heard some say that the pickup is low output. Well, that's what the gain and volume controls on your amp are for, yes? I thought it needed a little help in the low end, it's very mid focussed (which actually makes it a great live bass) but I did give the low EQ a bit of a boost also. Wilsons in Aberdeen tonight - lather, rinse, repeat!

"Backup engineer" - what kind of slick, organised outfit is this?

Assume they're all awful, and package accordingly...

In the context of the BB range it would be considered "entry level", but I don't think Yamaha has ever issued a dud BB. I had a BB300, BB350F and BB450 back in the day, all "entry level" but all competent instruments. No idea what the original price was, but I think you got a good price now. Also:

I hear you and know where you're coming from. My Korean made JC was a gold top, then I had a Chinese made Blue Royale limited edition, and my current one is a 20th Anniversary JC. I also find it reassuring that JC himself takes models straight from the factory and tours with them. He asks for no special treatment - "No ringers" as he's been quoted saying - he plays what you and I can buy.

Being a '76 and they didn't change to pickguard mounted pickups until '78 if memory serves, it should look like this under the hood as on this '75 model:

No problem with blue and orange - it's iconic!

Enjoying the Gulf colours, but that purple pickup top does detract somewhat, seems very incongrous to me. Ahh well, it's not my bass.

Having restored a Ripper from nothing but a starting point of the body and neck, I can confirm that it is a labour of love and in no way financially astute. The difference in my case is that I wasn't starting with a working bass.

Returning an otherwise fine instrument because its dirty is a total overreaction, and I advocated for making a complaint. I can't grip this concept any tighter!

Get a grip - it's dirty, not defective. A simple complaint will suffice.

That's sloppy as all feck from a private seller, never mind an established retailer. For shame.

An Epiphone Jack Casady signature with his name scraped off and mine in its place?

Perhaps whoever was in charge of levels gave them a default amount of bass and they nailed it? Trying to be positive here...

I don't get it, you "changed the setup and put everything through the pa" - did you set the levels? Didn't you just give them some bass anyway then (not in a narcissistic way, just as a start from here kind of thing)?