Huge Hands

[quote name='Beedster' post='312553' date='Oct 22 2008, 10:06 PM']All that said, it's all a load of balls 'cos no-one standing in the pub on a Friday night is going to be able to tell the difference between an original USA '72 and an Indonesian Squire C[/quote] Thanks Beedster, you made me and my "plethora" of Squiers feel like one of the team for a while there.....

[quote name='OutSpoon' post='311838' date='Oct 22 2008, 09:56 AM']Looking good. So - how do these products (Wizard ad Viller) compare with EMG / Bartolini / Seymour Duncan etc.? Am I being a brand-snob? Quality just as good (if not better?) cheaper and better made?[/quote] I can only comment on what I have experience of, which is not a lot. I have recently bought a second P5 with Seymour Duncans in it from Shockwave. There is no comparison to me. I want a big, fat, no teeth sound which the Wizards provide at a much higher output level - although admittedly this is mainly using the neck pickup only to get it. I originally asked Andy for 84's which he says are designed to provide this sound more than the 64's - but they did have to be modified due to the pickup area problem already mentioned so probably aren't true 84's. However, I would imagine the Seymours would suit someone who wants a bit more attack and bite in their sound. I would imagine several people on here will give you reasons for and against each. Maybe it's worth watching the for sale section on here and seeing if you can pick up some second hand bargains to mess around with? I eventually intend to strip and mod the Seymour one and use something completely different for pickups, so they might end up on there at some point. However, they may not fit your Jazz and I am a bit slow at getting round to these things so I wouldn't hold your breath! I would have said you probably are paying for what you get. The depth of the stock Squier pickups is about half of the Wizards, which would suggest Andy is fitting some much heftier magnets and more quality components in there.

[quote name='OutSpoon' post='310520' date='Oct 20 2008, 03:37 PM']Okay - I'm diggin it... but do any of these work with a 5-string? The Wizard stuff looks cool; but I also want to replace the pots etc. some DIY-type tomfoolery has left my controls in need of some TLC...[/quote] Wizard can advise on pot values, you just have to get them from somewhere. My original Squier pickups are actually the same size as the neck pickup on my JV four string (bridge is wider!!) and Andy managed to get something to work (his original set didn't have a wide enough pickup pattern). I would imagine Fender use wider pups. If Andy can get hold of the same size casing, then he should be able to make you a pup to fit.

[quote name='josh3184' post='310512' date='Oct 20 2008, 03:28 PM']and wizard... [url="http://wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass"]http://wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass[/url][/quote] I recently bought a set of Wizards for my Squier Precision V as it uses Jazz pickups. The difference is amazing. Just make sure you know the width of each pickup and the distance between the screw holes on each before contacting them (they're often different sizes). It should be fairly easy with Fender stuff but it was a nightmare with my cheapy Squier! Luckily with Andy at Wizard, he was happy to work with me until they were right. I can't recommend them enough. He reckons the final set I ended up with would have a drop in output to compensate for the extra pickup width required, but I A/B'd it with the Squier I bought off Shockwave on Saturday (that has Seymour Duncans) and the output is still much louder (and fatter) in comparison. That's all my opinion anyway....

I bought Estelle's latest album last week. There are some nice bass parts that sound as if they've been recorded live and not just sampled on there. There's a nice reggae track on there called Come Over. Simple stuff but sounds dead good IMHO.

She's asking for a zip code? Isn't that a tad American for the highlands?

Thanks for the kind comments Rob. Was good to meet you and wished I could have spent longer fiddling around with your Musicmans! Pleasure doing business with you. All the best, Stew

My Labella flats all have black, except the replacement B I recently got which was blue (the original snapped after 2 gigs. I have a feeling this may have been the supplier putting a different string in a Labella packet, but I'm not sure. It does feel the same and sounds ok, so no real complaints from me - was just happy to get a replacement.

On a side note - good luck with the ear infection Mewsie. I've had 3 in the same ear in the last four years (just got rid of one last week) and if you don't catch them fast enough with a visit to the docs for antibiotics - they bloody hurt. My deepest sympathies go out to you.

As per my previous post, I have just had this response from Andy which I thought I'd add: [b][i]Stew, Glad you got it sorted and that you like 'em. If you do write somfink on Basschat, might be worth mentioning that your original pickups were Fender stock sized neck four string cases, and what we've managed to do is squeeze five string guts inside similar sized cases.[/i][/b] Hope some of this info will help someone else with a cheapo 5 string they're trying to mod!

[quote name='jakesbass' post='249149' date='Jul 27 2008, 09:35 PM']I did a gig at Canary wharf in the park in the middle (so outdoor stage)[/quote] Jake, was this a one off? My job is often based in the Wharf, so could have popped over to say hello. I note they often do things over the year in the square, so could you be back again soon? Let me know if so, I might even treat you to a Mocha-Frappa whatever from the extortionate Starbucks kiosk there! As for the Ashdown thing, I am very happy with my MAG 210 combo. I must admit, I rarely use the 115T bin, and when I do, I agree with most posters that there is some sort of cone filtering/phasing going on (more noticeable at higher volume) because with the two together, it does start to sound a bit weird. It does appear to lose definition, which could be what people percieve as wooliness. I wish I'd been gigging enough when I originally bought it all to notice it and swap it for another 2x10 cab or something. Until I get out of pubs and start doing stadiums, I think I'll be alright with my 2x10 for now!

Sorry to drag this thread up again but: I have finally finished adding a set of custom 5 string Wizards to my Squier Precision 5 (P shape but J pickups) and I am a very happy man! Please note the following though: I originally asked Andy for a 5 string custom set in the 84 sound. He asked me width of the pickup (B string edge to G string edge) and that was about it. When they came, the screw mounts were closer together so the pickup had to be jammed into the bridge rout and neck position scratchplate . Once fitted, I had no attack if pulling on the string (downstroking with the thumb was fine). After a lot of sending photographs with a measuring tape in them, he concluded that the "sensing area" of the pickup was to small. They then made me a single unit to try. I don't know how they make them, but he said they had used extra strong magnets and a bit of extra metal plate in it to widen the field? The new one worked, so they have made me another which I fitted last night. For these new ones, he managed to find some casings with the correct screw hole widths so they just slotted straight in. I now have the sound I want and I am very happy. Andy was thoroughly helpful throughout and I have no problems in recommending any of you to these pickups. I only told the above story to warn you all that you may come across issues when buying. It has taken around 4 weeks and a lot of swapping pickups in and out (so that I could still use the bass) before this was sorted. Naiively, I had assumed that all Jazz pickups would have the same footprint, but I was totally wrong. Anyway, it's all done and dusted now. Another vote for Andy and his team!

I know that crez5150 had a fretted and a fretless because I've pestered him before with similar questions (not your question though). I think the Rondo website does list string spacing on each guitar, but I think it may be a copy paste thing gone wrong as similar models often appear to have different dimensions. I was tempted to buy myself but then found a cheap second hand Squier P5. Let the modding begin!!

If you read the (real) adverts in Viz, someone already beat you to CNUT t-shirts.

I'm enjoying my "King Curtis Live at Filmore West" and "Aretha Franklin Live at Filmore West" albums. It's basically the support and main act at the same gig, using the same band. They had been on my to buy list for ages, and it was the BGM 5 funky albums list in the Peter Hook cover edition that reminded me to get them. Jerry Jemmott plays some very nice stuff!

[quote name='Miacomet' post='246072' date='Jul 23 2008, 01:45 PM']We are about 20 miles (km? Sorry!)......[/quote] Don't worry, European beaurocracy hasn't completely taken over yet, we still deal in miles too. Welcome to the forum. Be careful, there'll be loads of UK Basschatters offering you places to stay as long as you bring some of those nicely priced basses with you!

[quote name='clauster' post='243675' date='Jul 20 2008, 10:33 AM']....once I relised I wasn't going to be struck by lightning for not sounding great I got more confident, sang harder and sounded better. I reckon at least 50% of it is doing it with confidence.[/quote] Clauster speaks the truth. I've been doing it since January in our band and now feel a bit better about it. Unfortunately I have to do a lot of "up a 5th" harmonies so end up singing really high. It can get embarrassing and doesn't appear to impress the girls like a Barry White kind of voice would. Mrs HH laughs at me anyway!

ARGH, Don't get me wrong, I do sympathise, I was trying to see if you had considered attitude etc. Our band once auditioned keyboard players. We got this one guy in who was amazing. Sounded like he was a regular at Nu-Soul and gospel style stuff. I wanted to turn him down because he was THAT good and he was quite frankly showing how s**t the rest of us were in comparison. He didn't take the gig because we weren't making any money and he was a pro, but if it had been up to me he wouldn't have been offered it in the first place. You may think that's a weird attitude, and I'll admit, it is. I actually like to be the worst muso in a band because it gives me the challenge to better myself and keep the gig. However, this guy was SOO good he was making me uncomfortable that we were all looking like major amateurs so I chickened it. Of course, it didn't phase the guitarist who has eternal belief in all of us, and he did offer him it. I just wonder if this is some of what you're experiencing? When they offer you a drink, are you refusing to drink alcohol or refusing to go down the pub with them? As others have said, bands usually have to be built on friendships as well - if you won't even join them afterwards it can seem a snub? I will apologise again, I'm not trying to assume anything about you, just trying to think of scenarios that may be causing the problem? I used to use Gumtree and Partysounds. I noticed that most people didn't seem to notice the "Bass Players Available" ads, I always seemed to have to wait for bands to advertise themselves and reply to them. I agree with the guitarists thing. I remember once meeting a guy at his house who wanted to do gigs playing his own stuff he'd recorded on Cubase. He would play me his tracks with his own recorded lines he'd done on his guitar. I'd then start doing my own thing and he'd be going "No, like this!" and start showing me his lines note for note. Suffice to say it was like a poor man's Simply Red so I made my excuses and left.

What was going on with the rest of the band? Was the drummer mic'd up? I've had it before with a mic'd kit, the PA is throwing out loads of bass and kick drum. On certain frequencies, the bass drum would act as a resonator and via my amp, the acoustics of the stage room and the PA, the whole stage area would resonate. The reason in my case was that between soundcheck and gig, I had accidentally knocked the input gain on my amp (the knob is easy to catch and turn). That had turned up both my amp and the feed to the PA (he was using the DI out on my amp). Turning my amp down would have cured it, unfortunately I didn't realise until we had finished a rather unhappy gig. Shame the sound guy didn't spot it either.

Never mind an A string, I broke a low B on my P5 last night. It was from a set of Labella flats I put on it only 2/3 weeks ago. It's only done a couple of gigs and a rehearsal. From putting it on, I was a bit peeved about the lack of sustain - you would get the initial attack, and then it would stop ringing quickly, almost as if it was being gated or heavily limited. The string didm't snap or anything - in fact it looks intact. I think the inner core is broken. I reckon it may have been a badly manufactured string. I have seen people comment about Labella flats with that before. With this in mind, I've sent a mail to Stringbusters (who I bought them from) to see if I have any chance of getting a replacement. It's worth a try, but I won't hold my breath.....

ARGH, I expect I'm going to get flamed for this, but I am geniunely interested in the answer to this question: Do you think it could be your attitude? I'm just wondering that if you've had so many problems with bands in the last few months, you may have become so upset about it all that you are struggling to see the wood from the trees and when you show up to auditions this rubs off and comes across as being difficult to other band members? It is just kind of reminding me of that other Off Topic thread about people applying for jobs that they are too qualified for. Do you think that perhaps you are giving off an air of arrogance to these bands that you are too good to be playing their original stuff? I know you've disagreed about this but turning up with a 9, 7 or whatever string can give them the impression you are a widdler and will overplay on their stuff. I've had grief about having a 5 string before. I've said this many times, but I once got kicked out of a blues band and one of the reasons was because I refused to do what they wanted and use my 4 string JV Jazz instead of my 5 string which they reckoned was too modern looking for their image. This was not a signed band by any means and they played a mix of covers and originals (if you can call a 12 bar blues with different lyrics an original (oops - another flame heading my way!!!)). I love blues music by the way. Perhaps they assume you are going to want to quit after 3 months and join a band with better musos? I don't know you, so please understand I'm not accusing you of anything. However, from your posts, you do seem a bit depressed and almost paranoid about what your other band members are saying about you. Perhaps they think you are always moaning, and a bit of a volatile angry man. I am speaking from experience here, I have been accused of this myself. In my experience, the band can only be as big as the bloke or blokes (or women!) who started it want it to be. If you turn up and start trampling over their ideas, they think they are starting to lose control and the problems start. Oh, and another point to mention, I am under no illusions that as a 6'3 fat ginger bloke with glasses, I have missed out on the opportunity of joining several bands, even though they thought I was a good bass player. No matter how wide the stereotypical trilby hat and long jacket, it's not easy to look cool. I guess I'm just lucky I have found a few mates in various bands over the years who have become a core group that we can form, with the addition or replacement of the odd member, into something different. We play covers and the odd original, and I love playing both! It's also good that they know me so well they will put up with my occasional rants and outbursts. I am not excusing that behaviour by the way!

The 2 pole sockets are keyed to stop you inserting a 4-pole plug. However, 2 pole plugs should fit into a 4-pole socket. If the OP is only buying cables with the plugs on, he should be ok with 2-pole.