Pinball

Hi, I have two ESP LTD surveyor 5 strings that sound different. The differences are that one has a maple board and is over 2lb lighter in weight than the other which has an Ebony board. They have the same strings, hardware, electrics and meaty EMG pups and 3 band EQ. They have the same tone, by that I mean I can recognize the sound as one of my ESP but they do sound and play different. The lighter maple one is a lighter sounding bass with plenty of power and character but a more slappy/percussive sound and feel, while the ebony one has a monster deeper and darker sound. By tweaking the EQ (cutting the treble and adding others on the maple one, or the opposite on the ebony one) I can get them to sound pretty much the same. My conclusion is that it is down weight of the wood and type of wood in the neck, which mirrors a lot of the inking on here. In terms of feel the ebony board and steel strings give a more elastic, slippery feel than the maple which feels more percussive. Both are great but different

I remember seeing an article about the Who and their amazing energy on stage. From memory it referred to Keith Moon as either a demented gerbil (could have been hamster) and Pete Townsend as whirling windmill, while Entwistle just stands there playing the bass. A bit of an understatement I think.

Mr Entwistles isolated bass from don't get fooled". I'm sure that some will have seen this already seen this but thought it was worth a post. I always loved the who with their kick-ass vibe, amazing rhythm section and cutting lyrics so was pleased to find this. His playing is much flashier than I appreciated Note you need to give it some time to get into it and there are some nice pits at the very end. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80dsyo2Ox-0[/media] and here is the same with the whole band [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqE[/media]

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1381148650' post='2234925'] I think the 'floppy' B string is something that you need to get used to for a few weeks. Personally I like .125 because the .130 feels far too fat for me. I've never played a 5er that has had a similar tautness to an E for example. I found I had to adjust my playing style slightly to get used to the extra play you get from a longer, less taut string. Truckstop [/quote] Wise words from Mr Truckstop as ever, I was just thinking the same thing. I'm not sure what scale your bass is but I play a 34 inch 5 stringer and B strings are always a bit floppy in comparison with the rest. I have got used to it and don't think about anymore. I play it like a 4, adding on the B string as I need it. That works well for me.. The B is also great for adding "low down slides, grunts and snorts" as required. The alternative is to go for a bass with a 35 inch or even longer scale. This certainly helps the B to feel and play like the other strings but for me it feels strange moving between basses of different length scales. Also check out Status Hotwire strings, they work well for me. Note: You do need a bass with a rock solid neck though. I have played a couple of 5's that have been horrible.

Great news, I hope you enjoy your new bass!

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1380910916' post='2232388'] I did not know it was possible to buy a made in USA bass from a well known manufacturer for that little. I was shocked at the £150 until I searched sold listings and found them selling for less. I'm not going to buy one as I have a four string fretted that I really like. I had a google to see if they're available fretless. I found this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu_S-chaqBE[/media], but I don't really like that sound. Just out of curiosity, have you reviewed your foundation? What's it like? [/quote] A great example of how a lot of bass tone comes from the fingers...or not!

Well, still not playing it so..........Ill keep it till I need the cash or fancy something else

Any good? The answer is yes

Are you going to run through them all at rehearsals? There is no harm in asking, or maybe there is.

I played a 5 sting USA Fender, can't remember the model but it was truly awful, i like fenders normally but this was an exception, the B string was the worst I'd come across on any bass. some sort of set up would have helped.

I guess that says it all, anyone want to buy a 6 string set, I will undercut ebay by 10% Note: the strings seem to match the quality of the set up on the bass they came with

Hi, anyone use or heard of Patrick Strings? I inherited an unopened set, made in Wilmington USA and wondered if they had any sort of reputation-either good or bad

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1380741058' post='2229936'] Thanks people. I'll probably get some Status strings and maybe the half rounds. Thanks for your input. [/quote] Another vote for status half rounds here, great strings.

Thanks for the reminder. I need to play with EMG's on one of my basses. I love the tone on both but I like to be able to flip between them and at the moment one has more presence than the other.

A very interesting read, Welcome

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1380385710' post='2224621'] I'd guess that the guitarist is a big Zep fan :-) [/quote] Why thank you, I'm assuming that was a complement. I'm not particularly a Zep fan but I always liked em. I saw them twice with the original line up.

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1380113831' post='2220967'] [size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I am sure it'll be an easy fix for Sandberg, probably just some clever use of capacitors or somesuch....[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Surprised that you haven't had a reply, try [email="[email protected]"][email protected][/email]. I have always used him and had fast repsonses.[/font][/size] [/quote] Thanks for that, I tried that address and just cot a message of receipt of the mail. Thats an improvement already. I'm still interested in alternatives though if anyone has any ideas. Nows the time for me to consider them

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1380103567' post='2220733'] Why not email the guys at Sandberg and just sort a replacement? I am sure they'd want to help out, and as the Umbo's passive I am sure it's a simple solution to get it back to fully functioning. [/quote] Hi I already did that and am waiting for a reply. To be honest I'm totally confused. I know ziltch about guitar electrics and thought that this was a passive bass until I had this problem. It turns out that the pre-amp which modifies the sound. No batteries but it consists of the three way switch plus a couple of waxy blocks with wires coming out of them that sit between the selector switch and volume controls. I left it with a local luthier to fix and he said that he hadn't seen anything like it before. The bass is still with him at the moment. I guess if a straight replacement was easy I would go with that as I was happy before but as I tended to use it in position one 95% of the time, I wondered if now was the time to consider something different. Maybe some active kick would be a nice option. Note: I have emailed Sndburg twice in the past as this is my 3rd Sandburg. First time they didn't replay and 2nd time they did reply but it took a few weeks, which doesn't fill me with confidence that I will get a reply any time soon.

[color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Hi, the 3 way switch/preamp on my Umbo has packed up. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] There is some information here: http://www.sandberg-guitars.com/basscat-overview/calt-series/calumbo[/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Including a link to an electronics overview, where it mentions[i] the pre-amp 3-way selector switch. It does this: 1. Bypass 2. Ultra clean, 3. Dirty Mid/motown[/i][/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] I mainly used the bypass as I love the natural tine of those pickups and little else so I would like to replace that system with one that still allows the natural tone but adds some nice options. Any suggestions? Nothing too expensive please.[/size][/font][/color]

Spidertastic? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/80s-BC-RICH-WAVE-BASS-CUSTOM-made-in-USA-/121165428477?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c3605b6fd

ooh flashback looky here! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/217750-for-saletc-electronic-flashback-delaylooper/page__hl__flashback__fromsearch__1

The HT-6 for information: Tried it, liked it and bought it. £59 from Absolute Guitars, which seems very reasonable for a well made bit of kit. It has a bass setting for basses with up to 6 strings and I took my 5 string along and it worked great. Set it for "bass 5 string" (it then remembers the last setting you programmed). A quick strum and the polytune gives you an instant overview, then if you pluck any string you it instantly changes to chromatic mode and tells you the note and you just centre the lights. Very fast and very impressive. It's also nice and bright, much brighter looking than in the youtube vids. The only down side is that its a lot bigger than the TC units so is not as easy to fit in a crowded pedal board. Thanks for the advice

Thanks Rich and Psychosis, I have a plan. I'm going to "keep it to hand" for a couple of weeks and see if I use it. That may not seem long but I have already had it nearby for a couple of years and hardly used it. If it isn't used much I'll maybe try and sell or trade. If I can't get a reasonable deal. I'll stash it a way for a while-I can't imagine that it will devalue much. Any idea of what the value is as it's the only Fender I own??? I won't go down the route of stashing it away as I did that with a strat, which went in the loft 1987 and never re-appeared until 2010, by which time the case had rusted. Thankfully the guitar was fine inside but I still didn't play it and sold it to buy something else. Thanks