brensabre79

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330607178' post='1560214'] +1 If the covering is affecting the sound to a noticeable degree then the cab is so badly designed that it needs to go into the nearest skip. [/quote] +2 It shouldn't make any difference to the sound It does make a difference to the weight and how long the cab looks good though. Personally I like the painted approach being adopted these days, my old carpet SWR is ripped and showing evidence of 20 years worth of touring and needs an expensive/time consuming recover that I just can't be bothered with. Anyone allergic to cats/pollen/dust/tobacco/sweat/blood/tears/etc. better stay away! Whereas my Barefaced is still immaculate but in a few years it might need a touch up with a paintbrush.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1330607176' post='1560213'] Have chinned the guy selling the Schroeder 1x15 + 2x10 [/quote] Thats just charming, if you wanted to try his cabs you only had to ask

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1330604805' post='1560124'] Very good point from brensabre79. I`ve previously used a Marshall 410 & Peavey 210 stack, Marshall 412, Ampeg 410 & 210 stack, and my Schroeder easily matches the volume of these. Am using a different amp - tho same power - so can`t comment on depth of sound, as my sound has changed a fair bit, but volume - no worries. [/quote] I'm surprised at you Lozz, for it was you who convinced me to try Barefaced! And how right you were! I was previously looking at a Schroeder (before you enlightened me) and had lengthy conversations with Jorg, but to be honest the 'distinct voicing' and the fact that they are US made put me off a little (returns/repairs...). Chatting to someone who has tried both Schroeder and Barefaced 2x12s there were concerns raised that the Mid hump really just serves to give the illusion that the cab is much louder than it is and that the LF handling isn't that great. So fine if you like a middy sound, but if you want anyhting else your EQ has to work quite hard to 'uncolour' the cab. I'd also heard on here that there were some issues with QC these days and that the older ones with the angled speaker were the better ones... I don't know how much truth there is in that though to be fair. I know from speaking to Alex that the Super12 has a virtually flat frequency response due to the way the two speakers couple, so if I want a mid hump I can use my amp to boost. But if i don't i don't have to do anything - as it is I run my amp flat through my Barefaced. I tried some Markbass stuff around the same time I was looking and I thought that they were a bit weak in the low frequencies too. Which was a shame as I have some MB kit that I really like. Although they were 10"s, the same as my SWR, they did not pack the same punch at all!

I was nervous about the change from 4x10s to 2x12. I thought it would never work, despite the reassurances here. I went to Barefaced because of the 30 day return policy and Alex also recommended the Super Twelve to me. The Super Twelve cabs are highly sensitive and incredibly loud - put it this way your 500w Ashdown head will not do it any harm whatsoever! I replaced my trusty and extremely loud SWR Goliath 4x10 with upgraded drivers (1200W RMS handling - not that it means much) with a Super 12 T and I have not looked back (I also have not had my back looked at since ). I recommended this cab to a number of people and not one of them has regretted the upgrade. If you are concerned that a 2x12 won't be quite enough oomph then you could go for one of their bigger cabs. But personally I doubt you'll need it. I barely get my GB Shuttle 6 past 9 o'clock on the master volume with my function band, even then all I hear is complaints that I'm too loud and the poor guitarists feeble Marshall 4x12 cannot keep up. diddums. Also, do not make the mistake of assuming all 2x12s (or 4x10s or 1x15s) are the same!

[quote name='Jayben' timestamp='1330546302' post='1559277'] Does the rust affect the pole pieces at all? [/quote] Yes my pole pieces are quite rusty (not the original pickups though). But you know people pay a fortune for that authentic vintage sound from old '60s and '70s pickups because they 'break up' nicely - that's the rust. Eventually they will go microphonic (which can be addressed) but its the corrosion of the windings that causes them to fail, by the time the rust on the poles spreads to the windings it will probably have already gone microphonic. I don't think theres anything wrong with a bit of rust on the top of the pole pieces though

Bought a half rack from Dave. He is an absolute pleasure to deal with! Thanks!

When did you last visit Mr Gearhead Dave? its been down for about 5 years! It just redirects to Fender.com now... [url="http://mediawebsource.com/guitar/setup.htm"]Heres[/url] another link that might help (although I think the Gary Willis one on the other post is the simplest)

Hi njr911 The Squier CV and VM series are highly regarded on here. You have yourself a fine bass there Mr. I don't know anyone in Leeds - but the principle of a bass setup is pretty much the same as a guitar, just bigger - so maybe your tamed guitar tech could do it! If you fancy having a go at it yourself there's a really good site on setting up your bass [url="http://garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html"]here[/url] it is a major advantage if you can do this yourself because you can tweak it until you're happy and it will save you a fortune in the long run! I would always put new strings on with a setup, especially if you don't know whats on it (as the setup changes for the string type/guage). If you're the sort of guitarist who uses 10s I'd go with Medium 45-105 strings or similar, and this is likely to be whats on it if you like the thinner more bendy 9s then you'd probably be better with lighter strings e.g. Light 40-100. As for types, there are many and much of it is down to personal preference. To get you started though I'd look at what guitar strings you use and get the bass equivalent. Ernie Ball, Dean Markley, Rotosound, DR etc. all make both guitar and bass strings. I'd go with roundwound as they are like guitar strings in sustain and feel. The amount of time these last varies from player to player. I go through a set every couple of weeks, Bernard Edwards of Chic had the same set his bass came with for the duration of his career! I hope some of this is useful, best of luck! Bren

[quote name='Jayben' timestamp='1330366604' post='1556332'] I thought he used a Rick? I have an Indonesian Squier Jazz circa 1991, and an '11 VM Natural Jazz, both of which are my 'go-to' basses for everything. They've not been modified either AFAIK, so the Indonesian has rusty polepieces and everything! [/quote] My VM had rusty screws and pole pieces after 3 gigs! (see my other post about acidic sweat!) but I've kept the screws on as it looks more authentic

Sorry Charic didn't mean to flame your monitor of choice. I worked on NS10s for over 10 years and they do a grand job for the reasons I said, but I also only used them for reference. The main monitors (usually Genelec or Quested) did most of the work. The Mackies took over from the NS10s in terms of being the standard in a lot of the studios I worked in at the time they came out and they are still an excellent monitor. Although as others have said nowadays many have risen to the challenge. But as you say to each their own

Have you got an amp? I use Mackie HR824s they are powered, have digital inputs and are completely flat response. They also do HR624s which are smaller and probably better suited to your setup. You may find some secondhand ones around too if your budget is limited. I was recommended these by a top engineer, he uses them in his own studios and specifys them in other peoples. The flat response means you hear everything. The age of the old Yamaha white cones is gone. The only reason people used them so much is that they were so nasty sounding the theory was if you could get a mix to sound good on those they would sound good anywhere. The reality is ear fatigue after 15 minutes so everyone puts toilet paper on the tweeters!

Surely more sustain is a change of the sound? I have replaced Fender bridges with Gotoh, Badass and Wilkinson. In each case the tone may have changed subtly, but the sustain and the way the note develops has been the most noticeable.

You should definitely get some change in tone, whether you like it or not is another matter. Being more substantial though if it is larger you may find that you can't get the saddles low enough and you have to adjust the angle of the neck, pickup height etc. This happened when I fitted a Badass to mine, so be prepared for more than just swapping the bridge over... It might be OK but its always best to go into these things prepared for the worst (rather than shouting and throwing screwdrivers everywhere when you realise the 5 minute job will take 2 hours! )

I agree Walker. For the money its fantastic. i only use mine with covers band type gigs and you can quickly get close to any sound you need in the wide range of sounds required for such a gig. It's never going to rival £1k worth of pedalboard in terms of quality and depth, but its 90% there for 10% of the money. And only 1% of people would notice the difference if we're all honest! The only thing that annoys me is that it automatically overwrites everything - if you make an adjustment, next time you come back to that patch its still adjusted. It would be nice to have the option to revert unless saved... But apart from that its great and it has reduced the weight of my gig bag considerably!

As said many times. The Squier VM and CV series are both well made from cheap parts. A very worthwhile purchase in their own right and you can get some that play better than even the American Fenders. I have one such VM and it started out as a really playable bass with some shortcomings in the equipment stakes however, having upgraded everything but the neck I now have great sounding and loud pickups, solid hardware and a bass that I would pitch against any Fender or clone in terms of playability and against any Fender in terms of build quality . All bought new for less than the cheapest Fenders available (except the body - which is a Fender).

I put some work in to learning the bassline for Girls and Boys off the record for our function band. And I've had a quiet respect for Alex James since as it turns out it was quite tricky little line (compared to many songs anyway). I'd never seen them play the song live before but had always thought he must be quite the player to get all those little fiddly little runs across at gig tempo! The musicianship in Blur is what caused me to buck the trend as a Manchester boy and actually prefer Blur to Oasis when all that stuff was going on a few years ago. That and I can't be doing with cocky loudmouth yobs... Having seen them play at the Brits last night I need not have bothered, it seemed like a lazy covers band version - after quite a few beers. I know they are meant to be a bit raucous, thats live music, but I don't remember them being so sloppy live. The bassline was simplified almost beyond recognition, and even then it wasn't all that tight. It didn't get much better in the other songs either, and all the while carrying it off with the stage presence of a geography teacher, standing slightly awkwardly and looking at the fretboard most of the time - you'd think after 21 years he'd know where the notes were! As others have said, I'm not angry - just disappointed. Less cheese making, more bass practice required Alex!

[quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1329856689' post='1548693'] I checked with wizard, and while they do have MM type, he said they dont do sabre ones. Looks like my search continues. [/quote] The Sabre pickups are a little bit smaller than the Stingray ones. They are seriously hard to come by too. I was looking for a replacement for one of mine for nearly a year before I got Andy to re-wind the existing one. Even Ernie Ball UK/US don't have them! Good luck with your search, but you might have to consider using the larger Stingray type ones or something else....

[quote name='OmeDunk' timestamp='1329816106' post='1547651'] Nice! Where did you get that neck? [/quote] eBay, like pretty much all of it! [quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1329894632' post='1549118'] Reminds me of mine [/quote] Nice bass your bridge pickup is in the wrong place though

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1329831958' post='1548047'] But will one member miss me...? he has already suggested that if I am not happy maybe I should do something else.. but I also know that the band would probably lose me and two others and wouldn't be able to survive that..IMO. Plus I know all the guys round here..as I put it together in the first place. If I let them loose on booking deps or replacements...the band would likely suffer, IMO. Maybe we will see soon enough, anyway..?? [/quote] I know this scenario JTUK, you feel caught between a rock and a hard place yeah? Maybe its not you that needs to do something else.. maybe it is. If the rest of the band are happy with the same old gigs and the same old set, theres little you can do to convince them I'm afraid. But if its just one person, who seems to have control of the others, try asking each person privately what they'd rather do. If you have the support of the majority then you need to find a new member, if you don't then you either need to find a new band or put up with it... Sure there will be some other bass player who is happy to come along ang do the same old set in the same old pubs, but if you ain't happy theres no reason to stick with it unless its your source of income. There are many many musicians out there - you just have to find the right ones.

+1 Wizard Pickups, Andy is pretty helpful if you talk to him about what you want. you can pretty much spec your own custom pickups for a few quid more than his off the shelf stuff (which is very reasonably priced). I've got custom wound '70s Jazz pickups and a set of off the shelf '84s, both are a vast improvement on the standard Fender pickups (including the deluxe MIA ones!)

PM'd

Thanks Liam, I'm after something I can put in a half rack - very much like obbm's setup (minus the dbx) so I can just plug in and play. I must admit since getting and using a zoom b3 live the need has dwindled a little and I've seen no sign of anyone willing to part with their half rack sized tuner in 6 months of looking! obbm - how much would you want for the half-rack? Thanks Bren

Thanks everyone. I'm really please with it. Got the intonation spot on and the bridge saddles are in a perfect straight line too! Good luck with the p-Bass Steve!

Finally got the 70s body in white after a long long search! Built it yesterday and gigged it last night. Awesome! [IMG]http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj493/brensabre79/wb.jpg[/IMG]

I used to live in Macc, whos the luthier? You could go with both and get him to build you a Fender copy. I personally wouldn't use a Passive Fender Jazz Bass as a backup on stage to an Active Stingray though - they are totally different in sound and volume and you'll have to re-set your amp and any pedals - which if things have just gone t@%ts up on stage is not ideal. I speak from experience here. I resisted playing Fenders for years and years but now I'm converted. I can get my Jazz bass to sound pretty close to a MM, but not the other way around! Maybe you could get your luthier to build a hybrid with a MM pickup with coil tap and a Jazz pickup on the neck position. Then you can have both!