geoffbyrne

[quote name='daz' post='772051' date='Mar 11 2010, 08:09 PM'][b]Big J:[/b] Not sure what you mean about lifting the bottom of the battery? Fiddled about with it to no avail though. Does anyone know where i can get a battery compartment cover for this (pictured) Can anyone tell me what that piece of recrangular box is next to the battery? It has a hole on the top of it with the letters L and H at either side of the hole, and a semi circular arrow, pointing to each letter. Sort of indicating Low or High maybe? Below it the word [i]OUT[/i]. Anywho whats all that about? I know its going to be something obvious, but my excuse is i have never owned an active bass before pic below. [/quote] The box next to the battery *is* the pre-amp. The hole allows access to a small pot which turns the output up or down. Personally I found the whole thing intensely complicated. If I still had this, I'd take it out (as I actually have) & fit an Artec. (Actually I fitted a John East). G.

Steve Hillage? G.

A cheap, decent 5er with a narrow neck is the Hohner B Bass V. I got one of those a few years ago & modded it (John East U-Retro pre & Joe Barden pickups) and it remained my #1 bass till I got my Peavey Cirrus BXP - another suitably narrow-necked bass. I also have an OLP 5er that's quite tight too. G.

[url="http://www.bassguitarpartsdirect.co.uk/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=97&cat=Hipshot+Bass+Bridges"]http://www.bassguitarpartsdirect.co.uk/sho...ot+Bass+Bridges[/url] There may be a Gotoh model too. G.

[url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=jass_bass_sp"]http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wirin...ic=jass_bass_sp[/url] G.

I'd forgotten about that!!!! If I remember, the actual pre *looked* different. All the electrics are in the cavity. In the B, the pre was a small box held within what looked like a double battery box (but actually a single + pre). In my estimation they sounded pretty much the same and may have been different versions of the same circuit. The one Lemmy has would fit & fill all the holes properly. I have an Artec 2 Band (Vol, Pan, Concentric Treble & Bass) in the drawer for the day I (perhaps) part with my B Bass V, as it currently has a John East U-Retro in it and a pair of Joe Barden J twin-rail pups. It sounds sensational & plays beautifully. The only prob with the Artec is it will leave the LED & switch holes vacant. I've seen people use small rubber plugs or black dome-headed screws to fill those. G.

If I remember correctly, Howard, The Bass Doc has one of these & replaced the pre in it (with my old one) so you might consider dropping him a PM. G.

Shaun, I don't know if Funk is my thing - but then I played rhythm guitar for a Rockabilly band recently, so I'll try anything!!! PM me if you are still in need. G.

If you are running 2x8 Ohms, set it at 4. Why would you run in series? This would give 16 Ohms. Also, the wiring is awkward & you'd need a different socket. Are you assuming that running a cab-to-cab cable will be in series? If so, this is erroneous - it's also in parallel. Running cabs in series is know to have a looser bottom end and if one speaker blows the whole rig cuts out. In parallel everything else continues working. G.

Pickups seem to have rounded ends. Never seen a Fender like that. JON!!!!!!!! G.

[quote name='Paul S' post='757330' date='Feb 25 2010, 05:28 PM']A fellow dinosaur here - I look at all those websites you mention but Gumtree has got me the two bands that I am in now. I expect you watch that, but just in case you don't.[/quote] Ta - I hadn't thought of that one. G.

So where in Derbyshire are you? G.

I might be totally wrong here, but sounds about £200 high to me.... No doubt Jon will correct me almost instantly!! G.

Yup. G.

Rosewood. G.

I think it's the same guy.......................... G.

Thanks, Oggy - I'm on 'em all - Forming Bands, Join My Band, Partysounds & MusoFinder. G.

eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......................................NO! Seriously, amp? Cab? Strings? Everything depends on everything else......as they say. G.

I think Axes'R'Us do a variety of screws: [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axeSaddlesh.htm"]http://www.axesrus.com/axeSaddlesh.htm[/url] See if yours is there. G.

[quote name='Mateybass' post='754578' date='Feb 23 2010, 12:13 AM']I like the Bartolini jazz pups with the dual inline coils. Think of them as P-bass pups in a jazz pup housing, no hum and single coil sound.[/quote] Just like DiMarzio Model J's & Ultrajazz's........................... G.

Well, I just happen to be about to swap a pair of these: out of my backup bass. They are Joe Barden Jazz pickups and are double-rail humbuckers just as you've indicated above. They sound very vintage, but carry great detail throughout the whole tonal range and have extended bass & treble responses. They sound great and are, of course, totally silent. I've gigged them about 5 times. Check out the costs - these are not cheap. I'f you're interested, PM me. Geoff

Here's another vastly under-rated model, although Fuji-Gen this time, my 1979 Ibanez Studio ST105, again, bought in Cash Converters for £140 this time, with original case. Pups are DiMarzio PAF in neck & a DiMarzio Dual Sound in bridge. Tone pots pull to split the pups. This is a *really* excellent guitar and if you can get hold of a decent one, get it. Set neck. A Studio bass (about 90% a Musician bass) went on Ebay the other night for £350. I really wish I had been able to afford to bid for it. G.

I've got one of the last top-line models produced - the Thunder IIIA (Mk2) Fretless Unlined. As you say, through neck. My understanding is that the neck is maple/walnut sandwich. The body wings are ash, fingerboard is ebony. Tuners are great, bridge is Heavy Enough. 18V electrics to a peculiar pre. 1st knob is Vol/pull/push for phase. 2nd knob is passive treble roll-off. 3rd is pre - centre detente. Anti-clockwise boosts bottom & low mids, clockwise boosts high mids. 3 pos large switch for neck/both/bridge. 1st small switch outs both pups in series/parallel (ie each pup is 2 coils, so its within the pup - not in combination). 2nd small switch is active/passive. Although both pups look like 'buckers, the neck pup is a 'P' type in a soapbar, while the bridge is a side-by-side bucker. Huge range of tones available including that burpy bass on the bridge. Not overly heavy. Doesn't eat batteries. Side dots accurate to fret positions. Plays great. Loads of Mwah if desired. What's not to like? I bought this in Cash Converters for £120 and saw an identical one go for £350 on Ebay about 2 months ago. G.

Little Giant?...............Surely they could have sent that by Pigeon Post!!!!!!!!!!!! G.