JapanAxe

I like to compress the bass signal before it goes into the digital domain. If I don't do this, I find I have to set the recording level really low to avoid the lowest notes creating clipping.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1423240761' post='2682722'] Well good luck with that. Better start growing a beard. And if you have one already, grow a HUGE beard. And get a hat. Everything else will just fall into place... [/quote] Mrs Axe will not permit beardiness! Got plenty hats though.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1423230256' post='2682526'] Now that's just the kind of Jaco-look I'm not a big fan of! We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Besides, it's done now and I simply can't be bothered to do anything about it. Except buy another bass, obviously. That's the answer to everything, apparently... [/quote] Absolutely, completely happy to have a different aesthetic outlook! That looks like one very capable instrument. I am currently in the running for the bass slot in an Americana sort of outfit myself, which only enhances my interest in the way other players tackle the job.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1423229645' post='2682506'] What, weird like this Alleva-Coppolo..? [/quote] Exactly that kind of weird! Bell plate on its own has a certain cool too.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1423137408' post='2681175'] [b]NBD - Squier Deluxe Jazz IV Active[/b] There are always negatives, and in this case it's the finish. As you can see from the pics, the body is clearly a three-piece job and you can see the joins, though a solid colour would solve that problem. Also I don't like sunburst Jazz bodies with no pickguard - they look strange to me - I've never been a big fan of the 'Jaco' look - so I bought a tort guard from eBay and fitted that, which at least has the virtue of covering up some of the finish! [/quote] Hmmm... Personally I would have left the bass without a scratchplate, as now the lack of metal bell [s]end[/s] plate looks even more weird! That's just my preference though. Do keep us all posted on where you will be playing this, especially if you venture west of the Smoke (Reading/Swindon/Bath/Bristol/Oxford etc).

Likewise my band are back at Woodstock this September. That's Woodstock Social Club, in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

[quote name='sprocketflup' timestamp='1423213382' post='2682189'] I have no idea how the HB is so weighty. Its a Jazz in natural finish, black scratchplate, a copy of the Fender 75 J I believe, Luckily I only use it for 3 songs in my current set ( 4 if the drummer gets in a bit too quickly with the intro to "Sat in Your Lap" ) but even that digs in to the old shoulder a bit. Im seriously thinking of routing away some wood underneath the scratchplate to try and lighten it a bit. Anyone know the pros and cons of such an exercise? [/quote] You would probably be better off getting a light-weight Jazz body and transferring everything over to that!

Tube version - the 3-way mid EQ is like the Streamliner. Mosfet version - the 5-way mid EQ, Ultra-High, and Ultra-Low switches are lifted from Ampeg, The integral side-grab handle is reminiscent of the TC micro heads.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1423167756' post='2681783'] Oh yeah, how would you know then? [/quote] It says so in the GAK search results.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1423142317' post='2681302'] ...how!? Warwick Corvette I had balanced perfectly but weighed just over 6kg. Current bass is made of all the exact same woods but haven't got round to weighing it yet. It has a little neck dive but still feels much lighter than the corvette. [/quote] 1kg = 2.2lb

I got to thinking: What did I learn from the pro bassists that I have met [u]in person[/u] at BC Bass Bashes? Dave Swift: Reckons a flatwound B-string sounds like a football hitting a sheep. Good point. Jake Newman: Whatever makes a bass part easier to read (e.g. choosing the key signature to minimise the number of accidentals) is good - you don't want to be making [i]any [/i]mistakes in front of an audience who have paid £80 a ticket!

7.9kg = 17lb6oz. Blimey!

Having seen BC members quote weights for the basses they are selling, I have often wondered what my own basses weigh. I borrowed an accurate digital scale (indicates to nearest 10g) from work and carefully weighed all my basses: Fender Mustang 3.96kg = 8lb11½oz Sandberg VM4 4.20kg = 9lb4oz 1973 Precision 4.20kg = 9lb4oz G&L L1505 4.33kg = 9lb8½oz The Precision 'feels' heavier than the Sandberg, but is the same weight. The Mustang is short scale, so much shorter than those two, and 'feels' a lot lighter (i.e. by more than the actual 204g/8½oz). Most surprising is the G&L - this feels like much harder work when I play it, even though the action is fine, and I would have put it at 10-11lb. In fact it is only 130g/4½oz heavier than the Sandberg and Precision. I think the key factor is the width of the neck, both when initially picking it up to play, and whilst actually playing. I use the same Comfort Strapp for all these basses, yet I have an achier shoulder when I have played the G&L. I guess I am tensing up my left arm muscles more when I play it. Anyone else been surprised when weighing their bass?

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1423004062' post='2679574'] Without altering the dimensions i would have larger bass speaker right at the bottom corners and smaller full range ones at the front and a much smaller meter at the front. Or internal with some sort of simple reflex system and ports towards the front. Another idea would be front and on the top kind of like a phil jones briefcase. I can think of lots of variations to try. However it would be more optimal to redesign it slightly to match my proposed speaker combination. [/quote] They are concentric drivers - they save a lot of space, so Ashdown can keep the unit small.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1422995152' post='2679353'] Without going into why they are NOT posting here! Please Feel free to start your own thread about that if you wish [/quote] Thanks but that won't be necessary!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1422994629' post='2679336'] I think Hamster has the 5-string. [/quote] Yes I kind of thought it was Hamster.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1422994908' post='2679344'] Not a lot really. Your average pro doesn't have the time or inclination to be as much of a gear nerd as your committed amateur or semi-pro. Though Guy Pratt did help SpaceChick with some Pink Floyd bass-tone information, I believe - before he mysteriously disappeared. [/quote] Yes we do seem to scare them off, don't we!

In other words, what do we think they know, that we don't know? Good question! I once read an interview with Leland Sklar, and the two 'professional secrets' that stuck in my mind were: (1) On a job, he acts like he [i]does[/i] give a sh!t; and (2) A good bass sound is a good bass sound, and he'll use it on any kind of music.

Someone had one at the 2013 SE Bass Bash.

Those guys just want you and the drummer to make the appropriate noises while they wallow in their stale old comfort zone. Definitely walk!

Do you mean a mess-your-back-up amp?

[quote name='MarkW' timestamp='1422829984' post='2677381'] We played in the Black Sheep Brewery tent for the three days of the Great Yorkshire Show the year before last. Complete carnage as you'd expect. At one point a paralytic Irish woman staggered up to the stage, looked straight at me and said "Jeez, but you've got nice tits. Can I have a feel?" [/quote] And did you let her?