JPJ

Do you know whether it’s a nitro or poly finish? My Fender Tony Franklin has a nitro finish that marks up from sweat and the only option is the lightest of light buffing compounds to shift it. Whilst it hasn’t affected the colour, it has added a natural looking aged patina which I really like.

Are you using the pedals in the loop of the EBS or in front/behind the EBS? One option might be to put them in the loop and run the loop in parallel mode so you get a mixture of your original and affected signals. That should preserve the bottom end you are missing.

Update - I did some internet research around the topic last night and it seems one of my issues is that the Sonicake can only really handle IR's of 27ms whereas the 3Sigma ones are all 200ms. So today I purchased the 3Sigma impulse loader, and during my lunch break did a quick test into GarageBand. Much better and the IR really does add some air to the NS (using the German bass, NS pickup, microphone 2, IR). More experimentation to follow when time permits but promising enough to warrant sticking with this. If it's successful I guess my next purchase will be the TC Electronic Impulse IR loader pedal that is in the same form factor as the Sonicake so will (just about) fit on my board with the benefit that it can handle IR's of 200ms.

….or following a Star Wars theme “The Rebel Bass” (I’ll get my coat) 😂

So I picked up a little Sonicake IR loader from Berserker on here, and I’ve purchased the German bass and Czech bass packs from 3Sigma. Firstly, if you think the 3Sigma packs are pricey for a single IR, you actually get a whole lot more. The IR’s come in multiple sample rates to match your system/device and multiple IR’s in each sample rate each, one of which is specifically designed for NS basses, and then each IR having multiple microphone options. Tonight I loaded up a few of the German bass IR/mic combinations, and plugged the IR loader into my pedalboard in front of my EBS Stanley Clarke. First impressions are that the IR definitely adds something, but not something discernible enough to constitute a wow lightbulb moment. I’ll have more time to play about and try some of the other non-NS specific IR’s at the weekend, but at the moment I can’t see the Sonicake becoming a permanent feature on my live board.

I use the little TC Electronics BG250 208 combo for exactly this purpose. 2x8” speakers (albeit upgraded to Fane Sovereigns to get the full 250w out of the combo alone) seem to really suit my NS NXT so I’d image it will work equally well with the Stagg. Keep an eye out for one local to you, they seem to go for about £150 secondhand.

How was the PA? Perfect, thanks for asking! I’ve waxed lyrical on here before about my ‘system’ that comprises of the Behringer X-Air XR18, 2xEV ZLX15P, and two Peavey Pro 15” powered bass bins, all kept under control by the dBX DriveRack. It’s not the loudest, but I manage to get a good sound out of it (or so I’m told) and it’s the perfect rig for gigs like ours yesterday where the band set up at the back of a long narrowish pub. Four out of five of us now use IEM’s and yesterday was the first time when the singer had control of his own mix via the X Air Q app which he loved. The next logical step is to upgrade the FOH and go silent stage, but given that we only do around 12 - 15 gigs a year, the expense is really unwarranted. I’ve always got my eyes open in case a bargain pair of matching EV 18” bins come up local to me but I’m in no rush.

I’ve ended up with two on my board. The first, always on and completely unadjustable Micro Thumpinator, just does what it’s supposed to do and protects whatever amp/speaker combination I have down stream from mechanical damage due to over excursion. The second, is switchable and on the bloody marvellous Sushiboxfx Finally ‘with bass in mind edition’ v2 valve DI. This seems to have a much steeper slope and you can really feel/hear the difference when it’s switched on. Great for those problematic booming stages, but I find best left off at most venues as the Micro Thumpinator is doing its thing and I already have the HPF enabled on the desk.

I’m always amazed by this, and no you are not alone. Tune bass, place in case, travel to gig, take bass out of case, tuning is sharp. Retune, play first set, check tuning before second set, tuning is sharp. Happens to me all the time on all of my basses (including the EUB). I put it down to those pesky case gremlins, the same ones that tie your perfectly coiled cables into knots in your gig bag.

Serial hat (and sunglasses) wearer here, but it’s all part of the band image (honest). Having played in this attire for the last twelve odd years, I feel somewhat naked playing in my other band where such frippery is strictly frowned upon 😂

For any North East basschatters local to Spennymoor, I’ll be strutting my stuff at the rather marvellous Penny Gill Rick Bar on Sunday afternoon with Southern Incorporated, bringing the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackberry Smoke, Whiskey Myers, and more. If you’re in this neck of the woods come and say Hi 😎

Right, I think I’m done with the finishing. For those who are interested, the process has been: Coat #1 of neat Tru-oil Coat #2 of neat Tru-oil Coat #3 of neat Tru-oil Coat #4 of neat Tru-oil Coat #5 slurry sand with 400 grit, wipe down excess Coat #6 slurry sand with 400 grit, wipe down excess Coat #7 slurry sand with 400 grit with added sawdust, wipe down excess Dry sand 240 grit to get rid of transverse ridges left by incompetent finisher Coat #8 slurry sand with 400 grit, wipe down excess Coat #9 slurry sand with 800 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil Coat #10 slurry sand with 1200 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil Coat #11 slurry sand with 1500 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil Coat #12 slurry sand with 2000 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil I’m now going to let it fully cure for a week or two before a final polish and reassembly. I’m also going to change out the tuners for some Hipshot Ultralites that I had in my spares box that will be an easy fit and improve the tuning stability over the Warwick fitted no-name tuners that always felt a little vague. My take on Tru-oil. Certainly an easier product to work with than nitrocellulose but more time consuming. Good news is you can do the process anywhere without stinking the house out with potentially carcinogenic fumes. If you take your time, the finish is every bit as good if not better than rattle can nitro, with the added benefit of easy repairs. I’m very pleased with the results I’ve achieved and I’m looking forward to seeing how well this finish holds up.

Thanks for sharing this, he does indeed get a good sound out of the Ibanez - I’m going to experiment with IR’s for the NS NXT and report back.

I don't know about the rest of the Basschat massive, but I'm loving this thread. A lot of the electronics talk goes straight over my head but its great to see the technical knowledge we have here. To me, this reverse engineering of the Wal sound is like watching chef's reverse engineering the KFC blend of 11 herbs and spices. Fascinating stuff, keep up the good work! 😎

Ok, so she’s getting close to where I want to be. It’s also becoming more difficult to photograph due to reflections. In the Superyacht paint world we talk about distinction of image, in other words how good the reflected image is, and this is where I’m at, wet sanded to 1200 grit then wiped over with Tru-oil from a cotton rag. I’m planning on 1500 grit tomorrow, then 2000 on Friday at which point I’ll stop, leave it to harden for a week or two, before a final polish with a polishing compound. Got to say I’m pretty happy with how this turning out for my first attempt at a Tru-oil finish.

So this is sanded to 800 grit, with a coat of Tru-oil wiped on after sanding. The gloss is really starting to build now, and it’s becoming more difficult to photograph but hopefully this gives a reasonable idea of the finish.

So, a small update. I’ve been building up the coats of Tru-oil but made a bit of a mistake in that when wiping one coat off, I left a series of transverse peaks in the finish. So today I have had to sand back with 240 grit to remove the worst of these, but then I have wiped on a coat of Tru-oil and its starting to get the finish I am after. Word of warning. I realised I was out of 800 & 1200 grit sandpaper. My usual supplier is Axminster and as they have a store near me I visited yesterday for the first time (I normally order online). The store is an Aladdin’s cave of everything the amateur (and professional) wood butcher could ever wish for, all in one place. Mrs JPJ was not impressed that my five minute visit to pick up sandpaper lasted nearer half an hour.

So Sunday was a pretty cold wet July day here up in God’s country, so after a quick trip out for coffee and cake with the Memsaab, I settled down on the sofa and watched this video series on YouTube by Luthier Benedict Puglisi, of his recreation of Edgar Meyer’s double bass. I find it fascinating to see the hours of work that goes into creating both the carved front and back of these instruments. In my opinion, well worth a watch if you like this sort of thing.

The only thing I don’t like about this is the vinyl covering on the seat. The foot rest on mine is height adjustable, and no squeaks yet. Funnily enough, I didn’t like the tilting of the K&M stool as I could never get it to stay in a position I was comfortable with.

So, slow progress, as I said I’m taking my time and trying not to rush this. The fingerboard has been slurry sanded 3 times now to 400 grit. It’s a messy but very satisfying process. On this mornings third sanding I added some of the sanding dust from sanding the board and it looks like this has filled the last little voids around the fret slots and the open grain of the fingerboard wood, which according to Warwick is Wenge. I’ll leave this to dry overnight before deciding whether to move up to 800 grit.

I do the same, albeit using a Behringer X-Touch that I managed to pick up secondhand for about half the price of new. But of late I’ve found I’m making less and less on-the-fly adjustments mid-gig. I think this is a combination of finally having both my bands ‘dialled in’ and also having a settled FOH set up. The game changer for me was the addition of the dBX Driverack between the XR18 and the FOH speakers.

That looks a nifty adapter - just a shame it doesn’t work with the NXT stand. A replacement CR stand is on my wish list but at £195 I think it’ll be there for sometime.

When I bought my NS NXT it came with both the original stand and the end pin support. I tried the end pin support at home and whilst it felt great, the convenience of the stand, especially as I double on NS and fretless bass, meant this has been relegated to the corner of my office where the guitar and mic stands live. Prepping for an upcoming acoustic gig where I will be playing seated, and only using the NS, I decided to try the end pin again as this allows the bass to sit lower than the lowest position on the stand, and its proven to be a revelation in terms of comfort. The bass is now connected to my body in the same way as an upright would be, and bizarrely its so much easier to play using just your arm weight as the relationship between you and the bass seems to be much better. Obviously it’s a little bit more inconvenient between sets etc. but the improvement in comfort and playability more than offsets this. If you have an NS, I highly recommend you try the end pin support.

So back when I had my KK Baby Bass, I bought myself the expensive K&M stool which I never really got along with. When the KK went, so did the stool, but I have an acoustic gig coming up soon where I’ll be playing my NS NXT so I needed a tall stool as the stand on the NS doesn’t go low enough for a regular height chair. So off I went looking for a solution to my needs that wasn’t going to break the bank and I found this https://www.artistguitars.co.uk/products/artist-kb009-professional-guitarist-stool-w-footr-12954 and decided to take a punt. Order was placed on Monday evening and it was delivered today. First impressions are very positive, seems really well made and sturdy. Max seat height is 730mm, and in truth I would have preferred 800mm being slightly on the tall side, but this works great. Price was £49 including 48hr shipping. If you are in the market for a stool for use at home or on the road, I’d recommend you try this one.