Kiwi

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1459335557' post='3015497'] My thoughts exactly! Pentabuzz - all five strings are too low! [/quote] Play one and you won't think about it any more.

[quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1459305021' post='3015322'] Is the pentabuzz sustain largely down to the polyester coated fingerboard? [/quote] It's down to the hard rock maple through body neck, ebony fingerboard and the stainless steel rods inserted under the fingerboard. The polycoating adds to the singing character in the treble frequencies

[quote name='pmjos' timestamp='1459252648' post='3014737'] I think want something that 'sings and growls'.[/quote] I'm surprised that the suggestion of a Pentabuzz hasn't recieved comment!

Status Groove 5 basses are well worth a look - squarish neck profile and slightly offset body but the built quality is outstanding and there's plenty of growl on offer.

I have a Pedulla Pentabuzz and it knocks everything else mentioned here so far into a cocked hat with perhaps the exception of a Wal which sounds woodier and, with a matt finish, FEELS nicer to play. The key thing about the Pentabuzz is the mid response and ridiculous amounts of sustain (due to the super stiff construction). Cranked on stage, the Pentabuzz will feedback like it has a sustainer on board if you stand within range of 2x12 or larger pointed at the bass while going at full tilt. If you play lightly the poly fingerboard coating won't need replacing for many many years. (I got mine in 2005 and the board is barely marked). [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKAE2o4oA2Q[/media] I've played Warwick Thumb fretlesses after seeing one being played by [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvgXF_8-gds"]Tears for Fears at Knebworth[/url] and loved the sound they got but in reality found them a bit unresponsive in character. I found the Ibanez GW boxy sounding and lacking in sustain. Stingrays are nice if a little raw sounding and it's important to find one without deadspots - I suspect that Pino's has an ebony fingerboard as it looks too dark for pau ferro. Status basses are very nice but again its important to find one that isn't too bright sounding so bolt on necks are a safer bet (but there are always exceptions - like the one I own). If you are looking for a more traditional sounding instrument, go for single coils, if you like an assertive sounding parp from the bridge pickup go for a bass with humbuckers. Also worth considering is the Godin A5 - very reasonably priced and huge sounding for the size, thanks to sympathetic brass rods in the chambered body. There is a slight tendancy for the headstock to dive but a [i]really[/i] nice sustain and easy on the back. If I played fretless more often, I would have an A5 too for more upright sounds. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNYc8Pg5yXA[/media]

[quote name='andytoad' timestamp='1459039158' post='3013126'] I have had a V6, Quatra and now have a Hexa. The V6 lacked top for me, but others may tell you different. It had immense power with a Barefaced Super 15, proper vibrations, deep and heavy! The Quatra was great, 8/4 ohm, about the right volume to push it when live (sold it like an idiot when I needed dosh), my thoughts are it would probably sound 'thinner' compared to the V6, I now have a Hexa, 4/2 ohm, a little too much power if I am being honest. Still sounds great. The preamps on the Quatra/Hexa are far better (IMO) that a V series, a lot more versatile and what it sounds like you are used to! If I had a choice, Id go for the Quatra. All are heavy, with the V series being the heaviest (that also put me off after a while with the realities of lugging the gear around). [/quote] As an ex-V8 owner, I can't add anything more to this. My V8 had monstrous low end - perhaps too much for pub/function band stages. The eq was also a little simplistic and the mid control was almost useless. I've had a play through a Quatra and really liked it but it wasn't as pleasant to listen to as a Mesa Boogie 400+. But that could be down to speakers, room acoustics and perhaps a whole load of other reasons. Hard to make a call with just one try.

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1458852637' post='3011654'] This one still gets me today Always banged out loud at our school disco's. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yURRmWtbTbo[/media] [/quote] I should have added that one to my list along with Shake Yer Body Down (incidentally which has a bassline which is a LOT of fun to play for the attention it gets). [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgUGKTRFVKY[/media]

Disco will never die. It was more punk than punk at the time because it was so inclusive. Sure the clothing got a bit daft but it still stands for good times even 35 years later. Just when the world needed cheering up after the recession, who should pop up but Nile Rodgers. Exquisite timing on his part (or perhaps luck). My faves: I Feel Love - Donna Summer?Georgio Moroder Pretty much anything by Chic Gimme Gimme - Abba Lady Marmalade - LaBelle Givin' Up Givin' In - Three Degrees

[url="http://www.meraguitars.com/eng/index.html"]http://www.meraguita.../eng/index.html[/url] A Russian guy, Dimitry has started supplying headless bridge and tuners for new basses and guitars. If you're specifying up a new bass or make instruments, they're work a look.

At least he's not playing that damn 7 string.

Talk about your keeper basses or kit and the reasons why. Mine: Spector NS5CR - heavily modified with custom soapbars, 3 band parametric eq and coil switching. Sounds like the bass in my head on stage. Alembic Series 1 - graphite neck, not many around. Always lusted after an Alembic since I started playing. The one I have represents the ultimate in many ways. Panborn Warlord - graphite neck, not many around. Very comfortable to play (for me because I'm used to Alembics and Jaydees)

She's a goddess.

Andy Cichon, Billy Joels bass player has been a long time fan of slab p basses and offers these thoughts. [i]"I've never played the 66 made for UK P basses but I own the neck on a regular Alder 66 body. C width at nut 1 3/4" with fantastic neck profile. I can only speak of the Maple Cap necks from this period of which I own four. My first contact with these necks was with a 1968 P bass owned by Mark Evans, the original bassplayer for AC DC. It was at that point, the best sounding Precision I had ever played and begged him to sell it to me for years. He never did. Wise man. I finally found mine on ebay years later and have tracked them down and bought them whenever I could. They sound that good. Very very aggressive tone. When you think about how many bodies John Entwistle grafted that same neck onto over the years, it should be apparent that if you want that snarling P bass tone, this is your neck. 1966-71 only. Custom order from Fender. The new P's have them now but I think the thickness of the board is different. Anyway, I've come close to getting a made for UK Slab/ Maple Cap P but so far they have just eluded me. I know that some of the others ended up in the hands of the bassists for 'The Glitter Band" and T- Rex. Fender have made a re issue which I have yet to play. I will say this. If you have the opportunity to own a 60s maple cap P grab it. BTW, When I played Warwicks for 20 years and now Foderas, I always had them made with Maple Cap necks. Vinny Fodera does all his maple boards as caps anyway. That's one of the many reasons I play Foderas"[/i]

Calling Mr Cichon...

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1457940903' post='3003085'] it's not faulty, it's just terrible. I experimented with it a bit last night at home and even when it does find a note, it lags, it's not very accurate and you have to wait patiently and mute the strings and start over, it's a tedious and laborious process, defeats the whole point. I am taking it back for a refund for sure. [/quote] If it was me, I'd send it back anyway if it's not well designed.

Joyo do some great stuff. Have you thought about sending the tuner back on the grounds its faulty?

Trio - Da Da Da

I was disappointed by the musicality and taste in this clip. The band is fantastically tight and I love the passion of gospel players...but Andrew Gouche overplays hideously and the bass is the loudest instrument in the mix. Same thing happens when he is with Chaka Khan and the barrage of notes distracts from the singer and the song. On the second track 'You're The Best Thing' It sounded like he was straining to keep his fingerbeasts under control. It seems like he's the MD too because the arrangements for the band, with all the syncopated stop starts are as cheesy as Ronnie Hazelhurst's interludes at the Royal Variety Performance. Gouche may have the name but he can't hold a candle to lesser known players like Sharay Reed and Maurice Fitzgerald musically (although when Sharay steps out from behind a bass, his song writing is cheesy too).

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1457535957' post='2999479'] Having just read that again I think I initially misunderstood what you were looking for. I'd assumed you wanted to run both JOYOs in parallel and blend between them. Given that, why would you want to go to the expense of putting these in a new enclosure? You could achieve what you're wanting to do with an A/B looper pedal: [url="http://buildyourownclone.com/products/tblooper"]http://buildyourownc...oducts/tblooper[/url] [/quote] I did look at using an A/B switcher but it involved ordering extra kit and it wasn't as a convenient, elegant or compact solution (at least when I started the investigation). Context might be best explained with a diagram of the signal path itself: [attachment=214335:signal chain.png] With the set up above, I use the amp tweaker for JS/5150-ish compressed distortion and the Joyo for funky Fendery cleans. But the Joyo does great classic rock overdrive too and with high gain settings might get close to a Rivera, so I was looking for a way to incorporate that efficiently into the signal path. The GX3 is a bit of a maybe at the moment. I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet. Would probably use it for boosting into the Burman Pro 501.

[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1457528857' post='2999361'] I've painted a couple of boxes with this from Halfords and it works OK: [/quote] Any thoughts on Hammerite? http://www.hammerite.co.uk/products/direct_to_rust_metal_paint_aerosol_smooth_finish.jsp I used to specify it for fence railings and other outdoor metal fixtures.

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1457523089' post='2999281'] Are you looking to have a single footswitch, a blend control and the 5 controls for each channel? Would you be happy with the controls layed out as they currently are with regards to spacing, etc? 2 of the JOYO pedals side-by-side too big?[/quote] Initially I planned for five controls for each channel plus shared input jack, output level and output jack. The channels would be switched via A/B footswitch and Bypassed with a second footswitch. I was hoping to repurpose pretty much all the existing knobs and switches - having said that, I still need to check whether the footswitches are the right spec for a bypass. I also don't mind changing the controls if it results in a better layout but I can see that the existing pots are soldered directly into the PCB which is a whole load of unwelcome extra faff I'm not really equipped to deal with. I did think about a clustered layout where the 3 band eq has smaller diameter knobs compared to the drive and voice controls but didn't take it too much further because I needed to check pot dimensions and fixings. [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1457522580' post='2999272'] I think the Hammond 1590XX would do it. It's 145mm x 121mm. [/quote] [quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1457523089' post='2999281'] Obvious and simplest choice would be the Hammond 1590DD which is 7.38" x 4.7" x 1.3". It's roughly equivalent to 2 Hammond 1590BB enclosures side-by-side. 1590BB is close to the JOYO enclosure at 4.67" x 3.68" x 1.18". You might get away with smaller but you're changing the orientation of your PCB which would lead to further complications. Nice little project actually! Worth considering given the price of the JOYO pedals... Add a Splitter/Blender circuit and you're away! [/quote] Thanks chaps! I did look at the Hammonds but lacked the insight that comes with experience. The Joyo amp sim pedals are about £20 each where I am. I had the American Sound delivered last week and, as I was mapping out my signal chain, the idea of combining two came about. I hadn't thought about the blend control though. Do the blends pan at a consistent rate or are they like pickup pans and operate like a three-way switch in rotary format? I also wondered what might be required for a gain boost toggle mini-switch but wouldn't have a clue about which resistor(s) needed replacing though. While the pedals are talked about on DIY pedal websites, noone's taken one apart and reverse engineered it yet to identify what the purpose of each PCB component is.

I've been mulling over combining two Joyo American Sound pedals into a single 'twin channel' pedal that can A/B dirty and clean settings. The pedal is based on the Tech 21 Blonde but with a mod for more low frequencies. How complicated would finding the enclosure be? It'll need to accommodate 5 controls for each channel (3 eq, 1 voice and 1 drive) and a 6th for overall level of both channels. I know there are enclosures out there which are large, but can anyone advise what the smallest footprint could be for this layout based on other designs? Front and inside shown below: [attachment=214232:DSC_0059-01.jpeg] [attachment=214231:DSC_0058.JPG] Many thanks! [quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1457517412' post='2999196'] I sure miss Lettraset! [/quote] They're still around but their range has been massacred to about 6 fonts. [url="http://www.letraset.com/products/90-Letraset-Transfers/"]http://www.letraset....aset-Transfers/[/url] When I was working in a design consultancy, we used to print text on to adhesive sheets of plastic using the photocopier.