BassBod

Very nice - you do like a P don't you! (Bremen isn't that small.....if its the one I think it was) BB

Fiver arrived in the post - as promised. Glad the knobs fitted! BB

Spray the face of the headstock, but oil the rest of the neck - looks great, as there is no visible transition between oil/varnish (as on MM basses) BB

The Thomastik flats (32" medium scale) should fit and should sound musical rather than dead, but you may have to bring up the bridge height to compensate for their floppy feel.... BB

I've found WD a bit variable - generally good, but not always. I recently tried a very expensive tort plate for a Pbass and it was awful - nothing minor, it didn't even cover the routing properly round the jack. And it looked pretty bad. Bought the same thing about ten years ago and it was a perfect fit (on a 70's Pbass) and very close to the original in colour,ply etc. I'd suggest "guitarpartsresource.com" or something very close to that, they've got a good bass section plus they deliver pretty quickly. There's always a bit of "fitting" required, but nothing major in most cases - most important is to get the holes in the best alignment possible so you don't distort them all (basswood bodies can be very soft!) BB

I've seen them on very old J basses - remember there was a huge cover over the bridge/pup (plus mutes) so it wasn't visible. I guess it was easier than drilling an awkward hole and Leo was always trying to speed things up in the factory.... BB

Its just a strip of thin brass - you can get it from "hobby" shops, I think. I've got a big sheet here PM me if you want some? BB

I changed the MEC stuff in a Stage I (EMG pickups and Aguilar circuit). The Aguilar circuit was a big improvement over the MEC, but the EMG's weren't that much better - in fact, I thought they were pretty similar in tone. More extreme top end and lows, but not that different. BB

Red jazzzzzz...mmmmm [attachment=4393:DSCN1015.JPG] Its not really as pink as the photo looks..honest BB

I forgot to mention - try running the Fishman into the effects recieve input of the amp (bypass ths amp's own pre) and you should get a more accurate sound, although the level may be a bit too low. This can help you hear the pickup better, and takes one thing out of the signal chain. good luck BB

Ok, I've used SWR (Studio 220, Grand Prix) for upright - no problems, as long as the enhancer is off. In fact the "clean" sound is very good, if a bit polite. I've also used an old Alembic pre - fantastic, clear and warm but muddy with SWR cabs (better with EA). So I guess its all down to personal preferences and experience? My suggestion is this - set all eq to "flat" or as near as you can get. Use an external preamp (the Fishman is good for matching p/up to amp) and firstly look at the gain structure - you want to get the cleanest strongest signal into the amp that you can get before anything starts distorting. This means being realistic about how hard you play, and setting the max input on the preamp (without distortion) followed by the max amp input, and then whatever amp output is required for the gig. When these are well balanced, then add eq with whatever (preamp or amp) works best, but use it sparingly - don't add lots of lows (below 100hrtz) as this will usually cause mud and feedback, and you'll be losing power where you can't really hear it. Piezo's can put out a lot of really low frequencies, so look out for your speaker cones. If that doesn't help, its a step back to looking at how well the pickup is mounted.....and the bridge fit....etc Time for another beer....cheers BB

Hi Jon, Not used that version, but I did have the "bass max"? single version for a while (the one that wedges into the bridge slots). I liked it but thought it sounded a bit "nasal". Easy to fit, but not as natural a sound as I was after (on EUB). A preamp helped to make it sound fuller. More recently I've put a K&K into an acoustic bass guitar and I'm very impressed with how natural it sounds compared to an under saddle piezo strip. If you could give a summary of what you think is wrong I may be able to suggest a few things? BB

I'll add one for Chris May and Laurence at Overwater - new handle for EA CXL cab, no cost. Mind you, they're not cheap.....Also Mansons in Exeter have always sorted things out with minimal fuss...but they do make mistakes. BB

Nice....but I'm still skint! Keep up the good work Robbie BB

Nice one Lucy - I went through a rubber phase a few years ago, but could'nt get on with the scale length (and those friction pegs!) Still, its the ultimate easy travel bass...and sounds good....if you don't look... BB

Sold the bitsajazz to Luke, and swapped another - great man to deal with, no problems (he does like his Warwicks.....) BB

Recently did a "string swap" - no problems, turned up in good time, as described. BB

Thats a pretty rare combination - I doubt it started life like that! Wonder what became of the donor Wal?.....Never worth the money it'll fetch (IMO) but good luck to the seller... Well spotted Rich! BB

Thank you for saying the RBV is on the heavy side - that's eased the GAS for a while (I'm having the same experience with an Alembic V - fantastic bass, but better if you sit down!) I also had a Wal ProIIE which, for me, had the worst balance/weight issues....so I guess you're used to a decent chunk of timber round your neck! cheers BB

If its a straight signal from an active bass, look for the Radial Pro DI (without the costly Jensen transformer). The Sansamp is also great, but doesn't sound like you need the amp emulation features? BB

I'd agree on the mixing resistors - I used that version on a recent "old jazz" project and it does cost you a bit of output (but the two stack pots don't react to each other at all, which is the point). With the same pickups I lost a noticable chunk of power, and it also makes the single coil hum seem more problematic..but I could be imagining that bit! BB

I've used a few bodies and necks - looked pretty much identical to the Jap Squier stuff from the late 80's to me (router humps and all..) Have fun (and yes, the tuners are fine if they're the Gotoh ones, but the other hardware isn't very nice...you'll probably replace it) BB