Dingus

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1380116502' post='2221028'] There is no better P bass than a pre CBS P bass. The early 62 reissues made in the 80's come close. Other than that, they're all a pale copy. [/quote] This is pretty sweeping statement, and one with which I disagree . All Precision -style basses are inferior to a pre-CBS Fender or one of the 82/83 reissues? Are you sure about that? How do you know that? I have played a lot of pre-CBS Fenders, and once you strip away the mystique, most of them were fairly entertaining( providing they weren't knackered in one way or another) but not transcendentally great or even that different to a lot of new P Basses in terms of the final sonic results. There have been one or two notable exceptions that sounded great and were memorably enjoyable basses to play, but, by the same token, I have played plenty of great brand new Fender Precisions that would do exactly the same job for you .

I remember meeting Saxon a couple of times whent hey first came out by virtue of their Motorhead connection( it's a long story, but I was quite friendly with Motorhead when I was a kid) they were indeed all really decent down-to-earth blokes who you would cheerfully have a drink with.. In the late '70's they were one of the best of the new British hard rock acts , without doubt , but suffered a little bit maybe from the fact that they were not easy to market successfully to an American audience because of their age and overall appearance. Like I said earlier, I'm glad they are still out there doing their thing and I am sure that after nearly fourty years they must have a hard-core fan base in various parts of the World that will always stick with them.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1380018816' post='2219506'] Yeah, who needs wheels of steel, when you have meals on wheels? [/quote]

I have to say that ,to be totally honest with you , although adding a preamp might help you discover one or two previously- unearthed tones out of your Precision Bass , it will still end up sounding fairly similar overall . If you have got a nice Fender bass through a Mesa Boogie rig then you should be able to get a World-class sound with that combination , but it will always have the characteristic sound of a Precision Bass , whether you add an extra preamp or not . If you are saving for a Jazz Bass then I cannot help but think you would be far better served putting your money towards that than buying more outboard gear to try and make your P Bass sound like something other than itself. The combination of your Fender and Mesa Boogie gear is potentially a match made in heaven , so maybe you would be better off keeping hold of your money and experimenting with the onboard EQ of your amp. No additional electronic gizmos will make anywhere near as much difference to your sound as changing to roundwound strings . I am a bit confused by your skin condition in so much as , so far as I know, most flatwounds are made out of nickel, so if you allergic to nickel then surely they would agitate your condition too, or is it the serrations on the roundwounds that give you problems ? Using flats on a Precision is very much in vogue at the moment, but the reason that combination went very much out of fashion for a long time in the first place is precisely because it gives a very dead sound that can lack harmonic richness and atriculation and won't cut through the mix easily . The edge that roundwounds give you can make a Precision bass really speak with a complex and authortative voice that suits most musical situations so well , especially through an amp like your Mesa. If you can find a set of roundwounds , nickel or steel or anything else for that matter( would coated sets help, I wonder?) , that don't give you an adverse reaction then it will be a much cheaper way to radically change the sound of your bass and much more likely to give you what you want in terms of transforming your sound.

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1380001961' post='2219239'] I saw Biff Byford in Carnaby street a couple of years ago (was too star struck to say hello ) he was wearing full black eighties gear - skin tight black jeans, cowboy boots over the top, black and pearl cowboy shirt and biker jacket. And a huge belly. No. Just no [/quote] Glad to hear that Biff didn't let me down in the fashion stakes! Sounds like he is keeping it real, even though he now has a bus pass.

[quote name='Jupiter' timestamp='1379967136' post='2218945'] Living proof that too much pie n' chips and skin tight spandex/bandanas do not mix. I always thought Grim Reaper were the worst offenders: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGvU4XXntMk[/media] [/quote] Multiple hair crimes going on in that one!

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1379966362' post='2218931'] I used to be a fan of them till the strong arm of the law tour,and that was 1 gig too many. I know what you mean [/quote] I remember seeing them opening for Motorhead on the Bomber tour , and I bought their first couple of albums . Looking back , they always looked a bit ridiculous even then , but they really took it to new heights in the 1980's. Glad to see they are still going, though , and I wish them well . I would love to see a documentary about what it must be like being in Saxon when you are in your sixties .

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1379963710' post='2218865'] For some reason, Vincent Neil reminds me of Bif Byford with a cold. (Not visually you understand ) [/quote] Potentially even more disturbing than Vince Neil and Motley Crue is my vivid and traumatic memory of Biff Byford and Saxon trying to crack the American market in the mid-80's with their own Hair Metal makeover . The image of those Barnsley' boys in skintight spandex with big poofs of tousled bleach blonde hair still gives me chills whenever I think about it . Take a look at the official video for " Ride Like The Wind" by Saxon on You Tube and I promise you , Biff's personal style in it will live with you for a long time to come .

[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1379956520' post='2218735'] It's all subjective though isn't it. Like the way my ears cry whenever I hear Rush. (Dons flame retardent suit ) [/quote] The big difference is that Rush never wore eyeliner ...

I can actually remember when Motley Crue were an "underground" band playing the clubs in L.A with a big buzz about them and their "image", and they were being tipped to be the next big thing. Then I heard their music. It was crap .

That is indeed a beautiful bass, despite not really being "my thing", if you know what I mean. I really like fretless maple boards. I wish more basses had them .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1379883189' post='2217887'] That's about right! Who could possibly be upset about spending money you haven't got on a bass instead of spending money you haven't got on a kitchen?? - Don't bother to answer - I already know. [/quote] What is about women and kitchens? If you suggest they should spend more time there or that the kitchen is where they belong they go mental , yet they always want a new one . The way they carry on, you would think they would be happy you had bought a new bass so they could borrow it to form an anarcho-feminist post-punk band like The Slits and write songs about what a mistake they had made getting married , how" the system" isn't fair and oppresses women , and how much they want a split- level breakfast bar with wipe-clean formica top and a ceramic hob as soon as their loser husband coughs up the money for one .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1379879846' post='2217787'] Coming into playing covers after 30 years of only playing songs I'd written or co-written, I found some supposedly difficult to play songs relatively easy since the bass lines were the sort of thing I might have come up with myself given the genre and the chord sequence. Conversely songs that should have been really easy to play turned out to be quite challenging as I found it quite hard to get my head around how the bass line was constructed as it didn't make any real sense to me. Also IMO songwriting is a skill that can be learnt just like playing an instrument, but like playing an instrument you have to have the motivation to do it. It surprises me that musicians will spend ages developing technical skills that they will rarely use, but don't work on creating new songs even when they play in originals bands - letting other members come up with the main ideas. The normal excuse given is that they've tried writing and can't come up with anything good, ignoring the fact that they weren't a brilliant player the first time they picked up their chosen instrument, so why should they expect song writing to be any different? For me learning to play an instrument as always been about giving me a better understanding of how the write and arrange rather than an end in itself. [/quote] I think songwriting and being an instrumental accompanist are two very different skills . If you set out primarily wanting to be a bass guitarist , your objectives and the skills you need to develop to achieve them are probably quite different than if you set out wanting to be a songwriter with a creative input in a band that writes original material , and you play bass as a means to that ends . Both are of equal worth , and the final results can often appear the same externally , but the motivation and ultimate goal in doing so are quite different . I have always strived to be a good bass player , and let the rest take care of itself . In learning to play countless cover songs and also original material in bands when I was younger , though , I have learnt quite a lot about song structure and the various techniques most songwriters use when they are creating . The same progressions and formulas crop up time and again . You begin to realise the great skill of songwriting is to be able to do the same old thing yet again and make it sound interesting and effective , because it really has all been done before .

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1379672809' post='2215491'] Yes but really, you are only talking about operating the machine, the musical decisions and what makes the musician an individual are what's important. Of course you can learn to play everything Pino did, but to really be like Pino, you have a journey of self-discovery to make so you can be YOU and not Pino. It's fairly straightforward to learn play like someone else, to learn to play like yourself is the really hard part. [/quote] Just to endorse this point , it is one thing (and quite often no easy thing) to learn and copy Pino's lines , but it another thing entirely to come up with those bass parts in the first place . I have been able to play Sting's bassline on "Walking On The Moon ", for example, since I was twelve years old , but I am still a million miles away from ever coming up with a hook like that myself , and probably never will . I am a firm beliver that serious practise is the only way to make improvement as a player , but there is a certain point where individual creativity and inspiration takes over . That is what makes it art , and usually what makes it beautiful . That said , when I see a great bass player , I don't think " I'll never be able to play like that " , even if in reality , I probably won't . It just makes me more enthusiastic and inspired to keep working to be a better player myself .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1379842662' post='2217201'] Lightwave have gone through 3 generations of bridge/optical sensor units, and IIRC the Zon basses that used the system were mostly built with the 1st gen. model that while doing the job has been significantly improved with the subsequent revisions. Whether or not that made any difference to the sound of the baas, I don't know, but my Lightwave Saber A with the second gen. bridge had no lack of "heft" to my ears. Interesting that you like the Ed Friedland clip, as I always use it as a prime example of why YouTube clips are meaningless when it comes to making bass choices based on sound. When I played my Lightwave bass the sound I get was absolutely nothing like Ed's, and in fact if I had seen that clip before buying the bass I might not have bothered since he made it sound like any other bass the he's demo'd. Regarding reliability, the pickup itself is hidden away in the bridge housing and is pretty robust. There is however a lot of circuitry inside the bass, as the photo below shows - the PCB completely fills the control cavity, and it does need to be accessed to calibrate the system if you change the action or use a different type of string. [/quote] That calibration and adjustment business means that , unfortunately perhaps given the beautiful hi - resolution of the sound these basses seem to be capable of , pickups like this will remain a niche product , I'm afraid . That extensive circuitry is also a major sticking point regarding mass -market appeal . Like the original Alembic systems with an external power supply , cost aside for the moment , it starts to border on "hair -shirt " technology and risks alienating potential consumers . The reality is that most people just can't be bothered when magnetic pickups and relatively simple active electronics can give generally satisfactory results .

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1379780475' post='2216722'] two things you could do if you wanted to make your text slighlty easier to read... 1. You don't need a space before a punctuation mark. Look at these two examples and see how one scans easier. I like bass , I play every day . Mainly on a warwick streamer , sometimes on a fender type bass . either a Precision or a jazz . I like bass, I play every day. Mainly on a warwick streamer, sometimes on a fender type bass. either a Precision or a jazz . 2. While paragraphs are nice line breaks like this, or even spaces like this break up the text into easier segments. While paragraphs like in a written report are fine on a page on a screen and on screens of different sizes more regular breaks help reading. [/quote] Thanks , Luke, I will bear it in mind .

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1379868454' post='2217574'] It was the first thing I tweaked. I got it to the point just before the magnets start causing that ring modulation sound. The other 4 strings sound fine. Could it be the pick-ups? I think they're stock lakland ones [/quote] I don't know , to be honest with you , but is the B sounding dodgy on on both pickups ? If so , that would have to be because of a bad batch of pickups where just the low B pole pieces were effected . That isn't impossible , but it is probably quite unlikely . I would try a set of roundwounds on the bass and then assess things from there . If you still don't get any improvement , you could try emailing Lakland and ask for advice . In my experience , they are a fantastic company to deal with , and are usually exceptionally helpful wherever they can be . If you want to know about the pickups specifically , try emailing Bo Pirrucello at Hanson ( Lakland ) Pickups . He is a smashing bloke and will probably be only too glad to give advice on anything to do with checking and adjusting your pickups if you think they are giving you problems .

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1379867619' post='2217560'] The Letts has a 34" scale so that's not it (kind if confirmed what believed before that scale length is only one of many factors) When I've used tapercores before I've hated the weird upper overtone stuff that happens. I've tweaked the set-up quite a bit (apart from the truss rod) particularly the B string bridge saddle. I'll probably end up throwing rounds on it and seeng if that brings the B back [/quote] Have you checked the pickup heights on the DJ are at the factory spec ? If the pickup is too near to or too far from the string , it can adversely affect the amplified tone in all kinds of ways . Worth a quick check , probably .

[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1379867099' post='2217549'] Out of Interest is the Letts 35" scale as well? I have never got on with Laklands, my best friend has a 55-02 Deluxe and I think the B string is awful. Having been through 34.5" 35" and 36" scale 5 string basses (all high quality Overwater) I have to say the best B strings I have played are all 34". I think they ring out better and have more attack and sustain but that could just be the few 34" 5ers I have owned. It could just be the way your Letts is built, higher quality woods, more attention to detail, better construction etc. [/quote] I am exclusively a four string player myself , and don't like 35 inch scale on any bass because I dislike the extra tension and longer proportions that result from it , but the reason why Lakland (and many other manufacturers) use a 35 inch scale as standard on their 5 strings is because they think it is the best way to get a consistantly good-sounding low B string . According to Dan Lakin , when Lakland were developing thir prototypes , they started out with a 34 inch scale , but found that some basses had low B's that sounded great , whereas others were dissappointing by comparison . When they tried 35 inch scale , the results were uniformly good , so they stuck with that as standard . Some designs sound fine with 34 ( or even 33) inch scale , wheras some others may well benefit from 35 inches , or even 36 in some exteme examples . I am totally with you in favouring 34 inch scale if I were to buy a five ( may well do for Xmas) , but some folks like the longer scale and taughter low B that 35 inches gives you .

Different basses respond in different ways to the same set of strings . To put it another way , to get the best performance out of your Lakland , you might want to try a different set of strings . The low B on some 5 string basses really benefits from being taperwound over the bridge saddle , with a noticable improvement in eveness , definition and clarity , so maybe that is something to consider . The fact that you are using flats complicates things slightly - the piano-like ring of roundwounds probably lends itself more easily to getting a more defined sound from the low B , on the whole - but it may well be another brand of flats with a slightly different design will improve things somewhat . Bear in mind that the 5 string bass in general is an invention of the post-roundwound era of bass sounds , and was primarily developed with those kind of strings strings in mind Those Lakland 5 strings are not known for having weak or floppy sounding B strings , so it may well just be a matter of setup , adjustment and string choice .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1379798780' post='2216960'] Actually, having owned a Lightwave bass, with their optical pickup system I would completely disagree with this. The sound was phenomenal. Now that's a true active pickup in that no parts of the system work without a power source. [/quote] I can't comment directly on the Lightwave bass , never having played one myself , but , by coincidence , I used to play Zon basses back in the 1990's when they were collaborating with Lightwave on these basses and remember talking to the crew there about them . The general consensus was that it had a very hi fi sound with amazing sustain , but lacked a certain amount of" heft " in comparison to a magnetic pickup . That is not neccesarilly a bad thing , but it is at least something to consider . To me, my initial concern would be over the long-term reliability of the hardware . Magnetic pickups can last 50 years + without any attention . I doubt the Lightwave system is as robust . EDIT: I've just been watching a YT clip of Ed Friedland playing a Lightwave fretless bass and they do indeed sound superb . It' s horses for courses , I suppose , in so much as in the right musical environment ( i.e one with enough space for it be heard properly) one of those basses would thrive , and the same can be said of a lot of basses with conventional magnetic pickups that have a more delicate sound than some other designs . Regarding reliability , I have come across a few dodgy or downright knackered piezo systems in my time , and that is probably what fuels my lingering mistrust of fancy pickups in general .

I want a fretted and fretless MV Pedulla .

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1379779657' post='2216709'] haha she prefers `women who kill` on sky haha [/quote] Slightly disturbing...