BassBod

Could be fun..... (another Bristolian...)

I had a think about this - most of my giging currently is by car, but I do also walk around town a fair bit for teaching. The best case/bag i've had is the Levys canvas gig bag (CM19 or something) around £100 (?). A couple of things make it better - its about as small as it could be and still fit a Fender style bass, its very light but also tough with simple straps and the foam padding is real. Unlike a lot of cheap bags it does provide good protection and is only slightly bigger than the guitar. The storage is a bit limited (one pocket on the front and a useless one at the top) but it will take a strap and lead. If I had to use the tube...that's what I'd take.

Hi Valere (and Greg), Haven't seen you for ages Looks like a Bristol bass convention....it could happen? (Duncan)

Mo Clifton has made a few 5/6 string cherry basses - short scales with strings thru body (but not always?) Have a look www.cliftonbasses.co.uk. I've got a 4 sring fretless - [attachment=40558:DSCN0617.JPG]

I've used the square version (Warwick and Sadowsky - made by TKL) quite a lot. Good points are light weight, pretty good all round protection from bumps and drops. Not much bigger than a standard gig bag (the better ones are usually larger). I've put them in vans (carefully on top of all the other stuff) and never worried. Bad points - there are screws/bolts that can push into the inside of the case. One in the Sadowsky case scratched a few basses until I worked out what it was. They are not as strong as a "proper" hard case. I still prefer a Hiscox. The Protec contego is a similar concept - currently £65 ish from Thomman?

Now, that is an amp.

The issue really is fingerboard - fretted Wals are usually rosewood, fretless (from Customs onwards) are usually ebony. If the ebony whine is your goal then a rosewood board probably won't get you there. Having said that - the Pro basses were generally all rosewood or a variant ("parrot-sh*t" was one!).

Recently bought an old TE amp from Chris - exactly as described, arrived safely in good time (for a snowy Christmas!). Great deal all round.

I think the difference is that the VT preamp voicings are more Ampeg specific (SVT to B15). The Deluxe bass driver is a general "amp emulation" with overdrive/distortion - not tuned to represent any specific brand of amp. I've used both the original bass driver and VT and I like them both. A lot.

I've not tried any PJB amps (only a few mins with a briefcase) but I have used EA and Acoustic Image amps. My observation is that they both have a significant background "hiss" that is constant and not varied with eq or gain settings. But, its only noticable when you play solo at home - in any gigging environment (even really small) you wouldn't know. My 20 year old SWR 220 is almost silent in comparison. I asked Euphonic Audio about it and they were pretty clear - the operational "noise floor" can be improved by tweaking the preamp component quality - but its only worth the effort/cost if it really bothers you in critical situations. In these circumstances I'd probably ask for a different amp from the retailer. If its bothering you I strongly suspect there is an issue with that unit?

There are two things the F2B really needs, and would be nice additions to a simple valve preamp. A very good passive DI transformer/circuit and a simple "eq bypass" switch, so you compare the "tone-stack/no stack". Also maybe a low boost and high boost switch (Trace valve preamp?) but with a more gentle effect than most. The high boost on the F2B really is way too aggressive for modern speakers and tweeters - was probably fine with cabs in the 70s.

Im always interested in these sorts of designs, and I could use a low wattage valve head for a lot of my work. I've used an old Alembic F2B (twin channel fender/RCA tone section) and SWR stuff extensively - here are some thoughts. The "fender" passive eq is great, but only once you really understand how it works. There are situations where you think some sort of active mid control would be great...but you don't actually need it. Turning the bass down can work wonders, but is very hard for a bassist to do! I've never really got on with the SWR (Studio220/SM400) eq. I can make it work, but I always end up with the same settings...and I only seem to use the lowest band as a high pass filter to remove the rumbly ultra low stuff. My ultimate small gig/recording set up is this: Alembic preamp into SWR Mr Tone controls, into Radial passive DI, into power amp of SWR Studio 220 (low wattage, Mosfet). Its not loud, but it is a fantastic sounding combination. I just wish it could all be squashed into a small box....

Longer ago than I care to remember..I had a Series 6 AH100 that was great for two years, then started humming and crackling. Phoned TE and they said they'd pick it up and fix it for no charge, and they did. They said it was a connector block/plug inside that shrunk and pulled at the connecting wires between circuit boards - I got the impression it was a very common issue with Series 6 products for the first year or so? After that it was a great little amp.

Have a look at the luthier list here - Frank Aust (Bath side of Bristol?) springs to mind, but I'd expect it to cost £30-40 to do well, so may not be worth the expense?

You've got to wonder - after the active preamp in the bass, the Avalon and the Redthing DI..what is the Aguilar contributing? These days I don't envy the gear, just having someone else who is employed to move it all and set it up. Luxury.

Nothing like a good moan - we all know exactly how you feel! But...my experiences here have been about 90% fantastic and even the bad ones have been sorted out in a sensible manner. It really helps that most members here actaully know what they are talking about and don't just quote "retail" or ebay values without question. I avoid shipping basses unless I have a very good hard case, and I rarely send stuff beyond the UK. I hate paying Paypal fees. If possible I meet up with buyers/sellers. Most annoying experiences were: 1) a "boutique" USA amp head that sounded great but hummed like a bee (nothing wrong with it..just the way it was built) 2) agreeing to buy something, then seeing it re-advertised on ebay. Not really bad experiences, just life. No doubt the economics and the season are causing more problems than usual. I'm not selling one or two things because I just don't think I'd get a decent price, but I can move them on later. In the meantime I'll carry on using them. Remember - there's always Ebay!

As mentioned, some companies (Alembic for one) use "centre to centre" at the nut, but outer edge of string to next string at the bridge.

I've used one a few years ago - the answer is Probably. You might also find you have to file the scratchplate a bit? Mine seemed a little "oversized" compared to most. My best P pup experience was the Dimarzio model P - a really good sound with plenty of mid range to give definition. I thought it was better then any "real fender" I' heard...but I've only heard a few.

Very nice.....looks like LaBella strings? A lovely simple design that lets you get on with the playing - enjoy. On a different topic - where did you get on the amp setup?

Two suggestions. Look for an old Tokai jbass or an older japanese squier - these tend to be very faithful copies and more importantly are made of "good" quality wood rather than laminated from allsorts. The other option I'd recommend is Brandoni in London. They used to have good stocks of Jbass bodies and necks, from quality (Japanese?) makers. Some of the hardware can be cheap and cheerful, but its worth a look. I've still got an alder bodied Jbass I put together ten years ago and it feels and sounds great (with a Badass and Seymour Duncan pickups).

It can probably be "dressed" a few more times before you run out of wood. Take it to a good luthier - don't know your part of the world but Jon Shuker and Jim Fleeting spring to mind, or our very own bass doctor- have a look at the list. I'd expect to pay £250 upwards for a "pro" job, but most of that would be labour for getting the old board off safely and tidying up. People often talk as if ebony blanks cost big ££...but they don't.

My experience is limited - I only had the loaner Compact for a few days. But my observation is that it is too easy to associate light weight with being "flimsy"...we are used to cabs being heavy and most of us older buggers probably associate that with "quality". Ten years ago I would have avoided a cab that was fairly light, because it would've been made out of crap chipboard, with crap drivers and probably a crap design to go with it. My current Euphonic Audio cabs sound very good, are pretty small but are not very light. But this is changing. The ply that is used in the Compact does look very thin. It is thin..but its designed and constructed by someone who is interested in developing and producing a good speaker cabinet. My first impression of the Compact was "incredibly light for 1x15..must be made of cardboard...and sound rubbish". I was wrong, and could happily gig one for virtually everything I do.

Just put a passive pJ set in and enjoy it? You don't ever have to use the J pickup..but its easier than filling and re-finishng.

Another vote for "almost straight". Actually, that sums me up pretty well! It does also depend a lot on the bass and the strings - on a trad Fender I'm much happier with a little neck bow than I would be on something more modern like a Warwick. And I don't mind working a bit harder playing flats than rounds.