brensabre79

I have a passive DI box that will take speaker levels for DI (loads available) - all the valve goodness with no spill, beware that whatever comes out of your amp will be eq'd for the speaker cab, so might need some adjustment at the desk to match it through the PA... ...and as for a mic, I have always used a Sennheiser MD421 because I have one, they sound sweet but they aint cheap. (£300+) You basically need a large diaphragm dynamic mic for live use. AKG D112 is really a bass drum mic, but I've seen them work well. Shure PG52s are a pretty good low priced option too, or for a bit more you can get the Beta. You'll probably get away with an SM57 - they have a slightly lower frequency response than the 58 (40Hz if I remember ). More important than the above though is placing the mic in the right place, the best mic in the workd can sound awful if it's in the wrong place! if it's pointing at the centre of the speaker cone it'll be very bright, move toward the edge and it will be dull. So it's a case of adjusting to taste really depending on your sound. Finding the sweet spot can be tricky, but once you have it though, put a square of tape around the head of the mic on the speaker grille so you'll know for next time And finally... Depending on where you play, and how accommodating the engineer is. If you ask for the bass to be mic'd up, they should generally have a suitable mic themselves. I rarely take my 421 on the road these days, which is why i have the DI.

Well done tom, next time it'll be much easier ;-)

Used mine with a Thomann wireless - cheapest thing around. It was fine. Sorry it's not much help. You could try reducing the output from the pre a bit (I think there's a couple of micro pots inside the j-retro to adjust the level from each pickup. I had to turn mine down quite a bit from how it arrived, due to high output pickups.

DId you try it without a tone cap at all? If the pickups are OK it's got to be something in the wiring. A short somewhere perhaps? I'm afriad it may a case of trying to eliminate the rogue wire/component. If removing the tone control altogether made no difference it's going to be a process of elimination. Starting with one pickup wired straight to the jack socket (you don't have to solder to check the signal - just touch the wires), introduce the volume control. If thats ok introduce the blend control. If thats OK add the second pickup to the blend (again try this direct first) etc. etc. At some point something will cause the drop in level... Last thing is to bring in the shielding one wire at a time... Basically rebuilding the circuit from scratch you'll find the fault...

Interesting read, although it seems to tail off abruptly at the end. So reading between the lines, it looks like these are basically similar to Lakland Skyline Series. built in Korea, and only sold via this website. It does make me wonder what happened at Lakland, which is the end that's missing from the story I guess.

I think some of it has to do with the fact people buy stuff online these days, from a photo. Having an F on the neck plate means to most people a guarantee of a certain level of quality (because they are famous) - of course most of us know different, but not everyone is on basschat. The likes of Peaveys etc. are either picked up by someone who knows for a bargain, or more usually someone willing to take a punt on a cheap bass. I wouldn't say that most people go looking for a Peavey bass online when you can get a multitude of "1948 Fendder Jazz Gibson Precision Ibanez Rickenbacker Custom Relic Handmade one of a kind Replica bass guitar WITH STRAP" for £100 or so...

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1407929551' post='2525398'] This ^ but I'd suspect the other leg of the cap shorting to earth, maybe to the shielding? [/quote] Good point KiOgon, it could be either And yes, sometimes capacitors do fail, although it may just have moved to be shorting.

Maybe something to do with the tone capacitor? It may be shorting. (green dot in your diagram) check the legs of it aren't touching anything else, especially the leg connected to earth, or remove it completely and see how you get on (you can always put it back)

OK well Fender clearly make an off the shelf replacement. Maybe you could contact them directly? FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS GBI LEO HOUSE BIRCHES INDUSTRIAL ESTATE EAST GRINSTEAD WEST SUSSEX RH19 1QZ UNITED KINGDOM Phone: 01342 331700 Email: [email="[email protected]"][email protected][/email]

I was expecting something completely different from the title, looks like I came to the wrong place. Seriously though thats Nice! I have a load of that tubing stashed somewhere, and my old Peavy has 4mm shafts with cracked and glued knobs on too time to bling up the Alphabass

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Fender-Affinity-Bronco-Bass-Pickguard-Pickup-Assembly-In-Parts-NEW-/370668703949"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Fender-Affinity-Bronco-Bass-Pickguard-Pickup-Assembly-In-Parts-NEW-/370668703949[/url]

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1407847905' post='2524584'] Gear is a means of playing, doesn't matter what it is as long as it does the job [/quote] THIS x 1,000 I couldn't afford a bass when i started, so i made one. It took me 10 gigs to pay for my first amp, a secondhand Acoustic 301 and Laney ProBass 150w head. Since then I have maintained a situation whereby any bit of gear must pay for itself either by being gigged, or by being sold.

Nothing wrong with Mexican Fenders or the Squier VM range as already mentioned. The difference at this price range is that there can be a little more variation in the playability and quality I think. So the best advice is to get yourself to a store that has a fair few in stock, spend a couple of hours playing some basses and see which you prefer. I've got a couple of American Fenders, I went to get another and ended up with a Squier VM because it was just nicer to play. the main difference was that while the pickups, tuners etc. were perfectly good, the quality was a little short of the American ones. Over time i upgraded the pickups, electronics, tuners and bridge - but the stock was perfectly good for gigging.

They really need to re-think these. They are more often than not installed in a stupid place, badly calibrated and the microphones in them seem to respond to certain frequencies over others. the best way I saw of one being used was that it was hooked up to the lights only. Amp/PA power came from elsewhere... So if you hit the red for 2 seconds or more the lights went out on stage, the music continued, and the band quickly got the message that they needed to turn down a bit (as they were in darkness). The ents manager there understood the stupidity of the thing, but said they had to keep the volume reasonable, so this was his compromise. This way, the message was clear, but it didn't kill the vibe dead if a rogue snare drum tripped it. Not sure it was 100% legal, but certainly a more sane approach!

I would leave at least a week after the last coat, before fine sanding/ buffing. A couple of days between coats should be OK - but the longer you leave it, the harder it goes. When it stops smelling it has completely hardened (this will be several weeks at least though).

Cool. You'll probably want 250k pots for a Jazz with Single coil pickups. The volume pot (log) with the switch is [url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/pot-push-pull-250k-wdpdt-switch-1266-p.asp"]here[/url] for the tone you'll want 250k linear taper.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1407336131' post='2519560'] Because ?? (Not being facetious, it's a genuine question). [/quote] Because... [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1407255491' post='2518853'] The number of cabs doesn't matter, the number of drivers does. Maximum output is limited by the total driver displacement, T/S spec Vd. The displacement of two drivers is double that of one, the resulting increase in maximum output by doubling the driver count is 6dB. It doesn't matter if the two drivers are in one cab or in two cabs with the same net internal volume. By the same token when you plug a second identical cab into your amp the voltage swing into each cab remains constant, the total driver displacement doubles, and you get a 6dB increase in output. But you can only do so if the halving of the impedance load doesn't go below what your amp can deliver. [/quote]

Here's one I knocked together quickly for you, 3 position pickup selector, and a direct to jack switch DPDT it's a bit sketchy (no values etc.) so let me know if you want more details etc.

Andy, I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to do but I convert most of my two pickup basses to a rotary switch where the 2nd volume/blend normally is. I'm perhaps a bit more conventional than you in that the rotary switch is basically a pre-set for varying amounts of each pickup (i.e. 1. Neck only, 2. Neck + 50% bridge, 3. 50/50, 4. Bridge + 50% Neck, 5. Bridge only) I also add a push/pull Series / parallel switch to the volume control and a Ricky style vintage tone mod push/pull on the tone control. Needless to say, anything is possible. You could put a pre-set variable resistor inside the direct to jack circuit - then you can adjust to set up the right tone and then seal it up. personally i'd always want a volume control in there somewhere. For what you're saying, assuming its a Jazz bass layout, you could easily have a 3 position switch where the second volume contriol is 1. Neck only, 2. Both, 3. Bridge only. then you could get a push/pull volume control to go direct to the jack when you pull it up, or through the volume / tone control when you push it down... Edit: here's the diagram for my Decade bass (which has humbucker / single coil option instead of series parallel) but you get the idea with the pickup switch..

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1407235557' post='2518544'] I have a fretless vester custom bass. I occasionally browse here and flea bay for the fretted version of that bass. I was wondering tho' , I would have thought that both basses. Should have the same feel to them. What do you think ? [/quote] If you bought another fretless Vester it wouldn't feel exactly the same, but at least the notes would be in the same place. playing fretted means you'll have to move your fingers back a little bit - so it'll never feel the same as a fretless. I play fretted mostly, but when I do get the fretless out it feels like being let off the leash

Wow you guys! I've seen a fair few covers that i play in here, and I enjoy playing them all! These boots... its a great tune, although we rock it up a bit - and the guitarist and I exchange sneaked in Led Zeppelin riffs throughout. I never get bored of this song though, simply because the audience are always mad for it. For me though I don't imagine any bass lines are ever boring. Some are simple, yes - but that means I get to have a bit of a dance, relax, recover from hit me with your rhythm stick, look up from the fretboard, listen to the band, have a giggle at random madness in the audience - or on a particularly slow night have a chat with the guitarist. All in all, it's good to remember that whilst you might not like the song, or the line you're playing in it, you are doing something you love in front of people who generally appreciate what you're doing. If you're not, maybe you should go and do something less boring instead! My mum used to say to me "only boring people get bored"

+1 for the SVX. I just plug the bass into the desk these days and use that instead of bothering with Pre-amp-DI or even miking up a cab! Guitar rig on the other hand is more of a rig for guitars. they should probably make that more clear. ;-)

[quote name='Bass-Thing' timestamp='1407233724' post='2518520'] Interesting that there's still hardly anything about these online. I'm still going to get one though. For that money it would be rude not to. My last Behringer amp was excellent and I've always had good service from Thomann. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/bugera_bvv3000_infinium.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...00_infinium.htm[/url] [/quote] I think there's a few on that US bass forum we don't like to talk about. General consensus seems to be: Not a bad amp at all, but... • The valves in it can be pretty prone to failure so add the cost of a re-valve.* • The case is a bit flimsy - a few people have added some internal bracing. * I should caveat this point in so much as by failure I mean the red light comes up quite often on the infinium thingy. That means the valve has gone out of tolerance level, not necessarily completely failed. Most amps don't have this feature, so it may be that on a normal amp valves fail / fall outside tolerance and it goes un-noticed. I'm still considering one, I just wish they'd do a rack width version (like the SVT Pro), and I'd like to hear from a few people who have had a year or two good service out of them. I wouldn't expect one to last as long as a 70s SVT though...

Get more cash and then get the amp you want, there's no substituting with bits and bobs - otherwise we'd all be at it! in the meantime, the Behringer pedal mrtcat mentions is pretty darn good, very cheap, and if you find a used one you'll probably get your money back when you come to sell it. Currently saving for the amp of my dreams too

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1406825924' post='2515099'] if you like the orange ad200 an easy switch would be to grab a bass terror, the di is nice in the head aswell. andy [/quote] +1 from me, plus what Loz said re: cab