la bam

hi all,

im swapping all the hardware on my bass from chrome to gold, and as such have bought identical hardware so they make a perfect fit.

all has gone well so far - ferrules and machine heads installed ok.

now, ive just installed the new wilkinson bridge and it fits perfectly where the last one did, in the 5 holes. however, when im looking at the bridge now, the front end (nearest the fret board is slightly raised in the air by a few mm, rather than the whole bridge being perfectly flat to the body.

have it done something wrong, or tightened the screws too tight? does the bridge need to be flat to the body? or am i being paranoid, and theyre always like that?

The Vintage v4 is very light.

Ive said it for years - change the names of these pedals from 'compressors' to something like 'sound balancer'  and people would get it more and know what theyre aiming for.

Ps i know sound balancer is a terrible name, but you know what i mean.

The name compressor immediately gives the image of squashing and squeezing the tone, which it doesnt need to be used for.

Check out the Vintage V4 reissues.

Can be got for £230 new and are honestly fantastic basses.

The only possible thing to have do is to have someone look at the hum at seriously high volume, but even at under £300 theyre amazing for the money. Come as standard with wilkinson tuners, bridge and pick ups and lovely finish.

Perfect! Cheers.

I havent considered the scotchbrite thing, so thanks for that.

Isnt there something a bit different with the sansamp where to boost the mids you actually turn the bass and treble down?

Hi all,

Im just pimping up my bass and want to replace the white scratchplate with a black one.

Typically the black one i want is out of stock. So was just wondering if it is easy to spray paing a scratchplate?

Is there anything to watch for, or any particular good paint?

If youre taking on a filler or dep role i think you have to really not be invested with the band. Just do it when asked when it suits you and turn down what doesnt.

It sounds like youd like to be in the band full time bit that it isnt going to happen, so id just suit yourself and try and find something else.

Id also imagine the same applies for solo singers and entertainers etc playing during ceremonies and meals etc. 

I can see the markbass and branding argument, no problem at all. But honestly, if markbass want to sell a lot of these a black discrete version is essential. Pro djs and companies sell their djing services now 90% on photos of their set ups as its so internet driven now. Clients especially young brides are like magpies "ooh i love how that set up looks, lets book these" (rather than the quality of djing or sound).

So it goes in a circle - brides want the discreet classy look, so choose djs with that set up, so other djs buy that set up as they can see what sells, sales of say the fbt vertus go through the roof and everyone copies. If someone had a yellow system and it didnt help them get bookings they wouldnt keep it regardless of the audio quality and theyd get a system that helped them get the work.

I know that sounds crazy but its true. These systems are also popular at ceremonies and wedding breakfast which is why discretion is essential.

I appreciate we are talking basses here and bands, but just trying to help them see from a different angle.

If it helps, markbass may have missed a big trick here.

Djing wise, the line array systems have been massive for the last 5 years, and have helped the likes of fbt become very big. They are popular for 2 reasons:

1.lightweight, portability and great sound.

2.lots of brides want these systems at their weddings as they blend in discretely with the wedding decor etc rather than a big clumsy pa speakers, and a lot of pro djs and pa companies buy these systems specifically for that reason. So i have to agree to some extent that shown that system brides wont be happy with that look at their wedding and hence a selection of potential customers wont buy.

Making them black (or having an option to) would help sales, regardless of audio quality.

Having a clearout is great for you. The therapeutic thing is true.

Whittle it right down. Feel good for a bit. Then build it all back up again when gas sets back in.

Ive had a different bass and amp set up for every band ive been in, whilst selling on the previous set up. It feels great.

My vintage v4 reissue turned up today.

wow! How do they produce that for the money?!

Very light, but immaculately made. Lovely varnish finish (even though im not a fan of gloss varnish). The tuners (wilkinsons) are fantastic as well as the wilkinson bridge.

The sound is brilliant. Really punchy. Really punchy. Plus the tone pot actually does make a big difference from treble to no treble.

Having owned a usa precision in the past which i gigged for about 10 years, id genuinely struggle to tell much difference between the two. Id say the usa was chunkier and heavier, but the vintage definitely has more tonal control. 

One huge tick in the box was i could tell this bass had been carefully set up before sending. The bridge had been adjusted, the strings play even all across the board and it has a lovely clear low action with perfect intonation.

Very happy with it. Far surpassed what i was expecting.

Yeh! Well spotted Dood! I thought it didnt look quite like a standard bridge. More a thicker/fuller type.

Ive never heard of a schaller 3d bridge but will have a look.

Ive now nearly got my sound sorted: im using my markbass evo on a sunn valve amp  (it just sounds much nicer than tbe swr and ampeg models) setting and treble quite well backed off through a super compact. Thats what i have found fits our band well in a live setting. Nice and rich sound but well defined. Also added the built in compressore which clamps down nice and really evens out the sound as the lines are all over the fret board.

Almost the look now (instrument wise). Going to swap out my hardware for some gold aka the black bass above. 

Hadnt considered gold strap locks too. 

Hopefully its going to look class when done! 

Its been a real experience learning johns basslines. Every type of genre is in there at some stage.

Cheers. Ive got a few ideas for a replica so just checking the details.

Has anyone any odea what type of bridge he is using on his black 86 bass?

Is it a standard precision one or an aftermarket?

You dont realise how hard it is to have to point out flaws to others that can be easily amended for the good of the song and the band until youve been in that position.

Once youve been in that position and return to the role of just playing, you really appreciate someone else doing it and take the comments for what they are (a simple point of fact, not a scathing personal attack) and fix the issue in 2 minutes and move on happier now that the song sounds better.

Ive just ordered a vintage (the brand) v4 reissue. They seem to have very good reviews and theres an excellent video on youuube comparing it against a usa precision. They sounded very close.

At £230 ish with wilkinson bridge, tuners and pickups it has to be worth considering. Pound for Pound.

Its a fair bet traditionally bass bins were at the bottom of the stack or pa because they weighed an absolute ton! No one was going to lift them 6 foot in the air! (or balance on top of the lighter thinner shorter cabs).

We forget how lucky we are now with lightweight gear. When i first started it took 4 of us to lift our subs in and they were passive!

But doesnt the frfr theory fall down, and thats why everyone has gone for top end speakers? Otherwise it wouldnt matter what you bought? Also its a fair bet all different speakers will sound different just on the actual cone sizes too.

But now there is a few combinations:

1. Helix and 8x10 sim tbrough a 10" qsc.

2. Helix and 8x10 sim through a mackie 12 with 1 horn.

3. Helix and 8x10 sim through a 15 (or 12) rcf and 4 horn.

...and then all the above again but add on whatever pa system you use.

Id bet that set up the same on the helix all the different set ups would sound different.

In that way i can understand a basic amp and cab set up - ie a svt through a 8x10 cab, but i cant quite get my head around a helix through cab sim through actual cab (and eventually pa) set up for live work.

Daft question time - if the helix is mimicing the sound of say a valve bass amp through a 8x10 cab, does that sou d end up as exactly that (ie great for direct recording) or a valve bass amp through an 8x10 cab through a frfr speaker?

(if that makes sense?)

I say good on barefaced - they gave everyone a real fair crack at getting them at the cheaper prices.  A lot of others just out prices up out of the blue.

Oh yeh... and weirdly 21 frets in one section and 20 in the other?

Yeh, just flick the C with the left hand, the power and speed will make it sound correct. As as soon as you come off the C youll be hitting an (open) A.

Takes a few runs through to get tight, but easy after that.

Tie your mother down is fairly easy to speed up with a few minor tweeks.

For the open A to C run, just flick/hammer on the C and that will cover both notes.

For the chorus just run the line as in the first chorus - ie dont attempt to make it swing. It works equally well both ways. That should take out the delicate pauses etc.

Hope this helps.