brensabre79

[quote name='Faithless' timestamp='1329410921' post='1542106'] I don't need any 'flashy' or specific effect pedals like distortions, flangers, choruses, synths or anything like that.. Doh, I honestly think I've got myself a too big pedalboard... [/quote] I agree. Apart from a compressor, everything else i would have suggested you say you don't need... It depends on the gig doesn't it? Thats why I have a Zoom, the fx aren't as good as individual pedals, and they are not really things I think I need either. But if I suddenly find I need a Flanger / distortion etc. etc. for a gig, I have a passable version of them all right there.

My covers band had to do a gig when I was on holiday once. It was for charity so I said I didn't mind if they got someone in. I spent two rehersals with the dep, teaching him the songs etc. I got a text from the drummer (who was a friend of the dep) while I was away to say the gig had gone well but he'd rather have me jumping around on stage than the dep (errr... great? I think). When I got back the venue they played at had cancelled the bands booking for Christmas eve (a lucrative gig) for some reason, nobody seemed to want to talk about it. It transpired, months later when the venue wanted to book us again and I said " f*// &0ff they cancelled Christmas on us" that the band had been so terrible at the charity gig that half the audience had left and they were asked to stop playing!!!! The singer said that the drummer had told everyone not to mention it to me because it would go to my head! She also said that if I ever leave the band she will leave too, and the guitarist said "Your my bass player now - I go where you go" I felt extremely smug (so the drummer was right i guess).

Well I got my Ritter Strings from the US, - I've tried emailling Ritter direct from the contact address on the website but in nearly a month have had no reply... No sign of the online shop opening soon either. I tried a £5 set off eBay before that. THe £5 strings were OK, but they did feel a bit rough and the sound (tone and volume) wasn't terribly consistent between the strings, i had to adjust my amp a bit to compensate. They lasted a couple of gigs in terms of tone but they did not feel all that pleasant to play to be honest and the feel went long before the tone did. I could have put up with it because tonally they lasted almost as long as the DRs and my compressor sorted the volume inconsistency to some degree but.... ...then the Swordsteels arrived. They were instantly very smooth to the touch, and felt superbly balanced in terms of tension and volume across the strings. The tone is consistent across the strings too, but more importantly the tone is superb. Where the tone on the cheaper strings was quite harsh in the treble region before they died, the Swordsteels have an almost bell like ring to them, superb sustain. The treble is not at all harsh either, just sweet sounding. Like when you tap a fine crystal wine glass. I've had these on for four gigs, and I have been wiping down consistently with fastfret after each show, they are still ringing out beautifully. There was not as much percieved treble in the sound to begin with as its a very smooth sound, but it was there and still is. So I'm going to see how long these last. And i [i]AM[/i] going to order some more. So to answer the OP, it seems in some cases we do convince ourselves that expensive string sound better. I have to say though that the difference between the cheap ones and expensive ones for me was extremely noticable, and not just the sound but the playability and longevity too. I doubt these Ritter strings will last 10 times longer than the cheapo ones (they cost around 10x more after importing from the US), maybe they'll go 4 or 5 times longer, but they [i]do[/i] sound 10x better, to me. So if anyone knows of somewhere I can get these Ritter Swordsteel strings within Europe I would be extremely grateful (and so would the planet!)

Ah so... must be a 5 string thing

Not sure that its even a Fender given the position of the bridge screws....

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1329305861' post='1540248'] What do you guys think about upgrading the nut in these beasts? Worth doing? (Apologies to the OP for the slight derail.) [/quote] I just filed mine down a bit, don't really see any problem with the original.

I think you should make a full size rack and sell me your Boss tuner and the 1/2 rack

The VM Pickups are 'Duncan Designed' but made in the far east, not by Duncan. The ones I got with mine were microphonic, and I personally didn't like the sound they made much either. I was after a vintage growl, not a middy honk. The bridge is no different from your standard Fender bridge in design - slightly cheaper metal maybe, but it is perfectly functional. Adding a Badass / Gotoh will certainly make a huge difference to sustain/tone though - as it will on an MIA Fender too. The big selling point about the VM series is the neck, which is awesome and comes with blocks and binding (unusual for this price point). As the neck is the main point of contact between you and the bass it is important to have a good one! Everything else can be upgraded to suit you.

Probably best to go from the pre-amp so you can tweak your amp to suit you and not have to worry about it affecting PA feed...

Who is Jack Bruce?

I think Shine is an own brand of a factory that makes stuff for well known makes (like when you look on the back of your Squier / Fender / Epiphone etc. to find it is made in Korea / China / indonesia etc.) I would expect that a number of these basses have similar quality variations to the aforementioned makes - i.e. be careful they could even be ones that were rejected by Epiphone / Squier / SUB or whoever as not being worthy of the name for whatever reason (quality of finish etc.). With these I would say its best to try or at least get some kind of guarantee that if you don't like it you can return it... It could be an absolute bargain too - you just don't know until you try it...

Walk like and Egyptian - The Bangles don't ask either...

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1329215576' post='1538785'] How do you go about setting up a mic on a bass cab and kick drum? Just wondering (seriously)... [/quote] Not sure what you mean. It goes on a stand in front of the speaker (close as possbile for live, further back for recording in a controlled environment). Same for kick drum, right up close to the beater (on the inside) for attack, further back for boom. In terms of EQ etc. you have to use your ears, I like to keep most things flat unless they need adjusting (resonant frequencies can be tuned out etc.) For recording I would compress both these things a little. For live I'd compress the bass a lot, maybe put a gate on the Kick if it was picking up other stuff on stage, but not essential. I hope that helps

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1329226993' post='1539097'] The pickups in the current Mexican Fenders are a lot better than those in the Squiers IMO. WIthout a pickup upgrade, the MIM will get closer to the 'classic' Fender sound, if that's what you want. [/quote] I agree on this. The first mod you should consider to a Squier is the pickups, but you can get a set of Wizard Pickups for £70 and these sound better than the American Fender ones IMO. Ibanez and Yamaha are also both very good makes for the money, and you probably won't have to modify these as you get a lot more bass for your buck because the name doesn't carry as much kudos as a Fender. A bit like a Toyota is a good car but its cheaper because its not got a Mercedes badge on it. Whatever you decide on, play it first, make sure you like it and you shouldn't go wrong.

hi Townes. There is much debate about the MIM Fenders. For my two bits worth I think there are some good and some bad MIMs, its a bit of a lottery with any Fender to be honest, even the MIA ones. The MIJ ones seem to be most consistent (with a price tag to match if you can find one!). Quality wise, it's supposed to go... MIM, MIJ, MIA but it doesn't always pan out this way as each instrument is different! If you're on a limited budget though I would seriously look at the Squier VM series £200 - £300 new, there are usually some secondhand ones about for less. They are pretty well made and don't carry the same premium you get with a Fender logo on the headstock (although many have replaced the Squier logo with a Fender one - a bit naughty). There are also some new Fender branded basses made in Asia, at the cheaper end of the market - I think these are probably made in the same factory as some of the Squiers though TBH. If you get yourself a Squier VM, you'll have a pretty good bass out of the box, plus there is no end to the amount of modifications you can do at a later stage depending on your budget etc. as most bits are standard size - the only exception on the VM series is the scratchplate and control plate. But you can get new pickups, bridge, tuners etc. as you wish - they should all fit easily enough... If you're set on getting a Fender, then look at the Modern player series, I think these are the entry level just under £400 should get you whatever configuration you prefer. I would always say though, at this end of the market more so, try it out in a shop before you commit to buy, and buy the one you like - don't try and get a similar model online without trying it if possible because you might get a dud! You can always haggle the price a bit in the shop if you find it cheaper elsewhere - most places will match the price or get close to it.

Hi RnR I did exactly what you're planning to do. I was on a budget and found a Squier VMJ for £200. The mods I made were also on a limited budget, I have upgraded over time... I popped a set of Wizards in there, they are loud compared to originals but really great growly sound. I wouldn't start cutting out the wood for a MM pickup as there are far more options in the JB pickup size. The Wizards were a massive improvement. I wasn't sure about the 84s so I got Alan to do a custome wind '74 pickup for about £5 more - I have since also aquired the 84s and they are great! I upgraded the bridge, first a Gotoh which improved the sustain and tone. Then I sourced a Badass cheaply so I put that on, again improved sustain and tone - you can buy other high mass bridges on eBay for under £20 though and these will do a similar job - maybe not quite as good as a Badass but they are not cheap. I upgraded the electronics to my liking, I put an Artec 2 band EQ in there, its a stacked pot so it just rplaced the tone control and although a tight squeeze, the battery fitted in under there. These are pretty good Eqs for the money (£25). I think WD or Allparts do some similar priced kits, but the Artec ones are on eBay. I could have stopped there because I had a bass at that point that was nicer to play and better sounding than my Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass, and I gigged with the Squier in preferance to both the Fender and my beloved MusicMan Sabre (my main bass for over 20 years!!). None of these mods broke the bank, all of them improved noticably what was already a pretty good bass for the money. I have since upgraded everything except the neck (which, as you say, is the sex!) because I wanted 70s spaced pickups, but if you're happy with the original spacing on the VM theres no real advantage to paying £££s for a new body IMHO. You have a damn fine bass there, its only a matter of time before Fender realise this and they stop production or reduce the quality somehow. so look after it! Best of luck fella!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1329154460' post='1538022'] Ours just smells like it's wind powered. [/quote] Too much GAS?

Could be your pedals are close to or over the maximum ampage of your power supply, add that to a dodgy supply in a room full of high wattage equipment and I'd say the first thing you'll notice is on your pedals. The amps may not quite be getting all the power they need either but will still work OK. The low voltage pedals will show it more. Our practice room is wind powered and I get issues like this all the time.

I've completely lost track of this thread now. Conspiracy theories aside. So do you want some Mullard 833 valves or have you got some now? I think I have one, ex NATO NOS cryo treated and tested (by me, once) Mullard ECC833 valve in my box of bits. I got it from Watford Valves a while back where I believe they may still be on sale...

If its a 2x10 and a 4x10 then you have far less to worry about, load balance wise you should be OK then. Not sure about the sensitivity and frequency response of using different cabinets like that are but far less of an issue than the 1x10. You won't blow your amp up.

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1328804240' post='1532940'] I confess I'm only asking to see me tick up to 999 posts I expect the one after to produce a shining light in the sky and a flurry of esoteric bass knowledge to descend on my head. And suddenly to be able to play in tune. [/quote] [attachment=99589:av-7448.jpg]

Its a cabinet building machine I think. A bit like the robot from the 80s film short circuit except it can't talk and it only builds cabinets. Congrats in advance on making your 1000th post! you really should get out more