JapanAxe

I'm liking those fretlines. Great for us L-plate fretless chaps!

The volume drop happens because you have dumped a large portion of your signal (high mids and above) to earth. This is perfectly normal on a passive bass - you can either learn to work with it, or go the active route. Active EQs usually have a much steeper EQ curve*, which you may or may not find musically pleasing! [size=3]*Passive EQ -6dB per octave. Active EQ -24db per octave (with a 4-pole filter).[/size]

Do your current basses lack something that you think the replacement(s) could supply? If so, what?

[quote name='umcoo' timestamp='1390849736' post='2350389'] These are up on GAK for order now. 1599 for a sleeved one and 1299 for the normal rack mount. Me want. [/quote] £300 for a wooden sleeve? They have to be kidding!

I reckon you have clock noise from the Mooer breaking through to the 9V line. You could try wrapping the Mooer's 9v supply cable around a ferrite ring - you can get clip-on ones from Maplin. Either that or different socks

My band is a country trio but tbh I couldn't tell you where to start! Well yes I can - listen to Bob Harris' country show on Radio 2 and see what floats yer boat.

Yes that is a bit of a finger-fuddler!

[quote name='SweepsMT' timestamp='1390671981' post='2348214'] narrowed my choices down to these 2 basses. Not sure which one to get. I'm after a punchy tone (sort of like a p-bass/music man). I Could get the 2500 soon or i could save and get a VM5. I can't find enough videos or sound clips of both to make my mind up (especially ones using a pick, I come across too much slapping ) Thanks [/quote] [quote name='goblin' timestamp='1390698059' post='2348485'] For something MusicMan sounding, I'd go for the G&L. However, if you can get your hands on one (Bass Gallery have one for £1100), get a proper USA made G&L, they're so much better than the Tribute models. The Tributes aren't bad, don't get me wrong, but it seems a bit odd to jump in too soon on the G&L if you're prepared to save for the Sandberg... why not save up for the G&L? I'd let you have a go on mine, but I'm too far away from you! [/quote] I've tried that G&L in the Bass Gallery and it was great, though in the end I went for the single-pickup L1505 next to it. I have owned a Tribute L2000 and the pots wore out in no time and had to be replaced. I also have a Sandberg VM4 which I love, but have never tried the 5 version. Buy cheap, buy twice; and buy used if you can, you'll get more for your money.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1390699556' post='2348491'] Flats are a different thing, on fretted basses. You should definitely try that. [/quote] This.

Just come back from a cracking evening in Woodstock (Oxfordshire, not the other one), due in no small part to [b]fubar[/b] of this parish covering for our regular bass player. Well done Terry!

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1390678769' post='2348316'] I like the feet. [/quote] But will they clear the handle on a BF Midget? They are claiming 2000W for the model with the valve pre. Having looked into Bugera's take on the SVT3Pro (which has fewer output transistors than the Ampeg original), I somehow doubt this.

Hmm... invisible brass section and keys player!

That is all. Oh alright, I have a Korg Pitchblack running from the Tuner Out on the back of my amp.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1390594331' post='2347466'] Anyone have good ideas on what case to buy? [/quote] It comes with a gig bag to fit, which is just a tiny bit longer than a standard guitar gig bag. I haven't tried mine in any of my guitar hard cases yet, but will report back once i have.

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1390512838' post='2346365'] I have to confess that I've never understood 6 (or more) string basses. I can understand going lower but as soon as you go higher you start hitting the guitars, keyboards etc. For an extra two and a half tones of already crowded soundspace I've never seen the point in the money it costs to get a decent one. Steve [/quote] As with the 5 (only more so) you can reach all the notes you want by going across the strings rather than up and down, thus achieving greater economy of effort.

Jack socket speaker outs on a 500W head!? Man up and fit speakons!

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1390479517' post='2345816'] Musicmaster basses have shot up in price in the last couple of years. Even a tatty one will be £300+ and a decent one anything over £400. [/quote] Bass Direct have one up for £650, and I saw another one listed for over £800 by an online seller (not eBay).

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1390337057' post='2344275'] Pawn shop it is then. [/quote] OK but now you have to choose the finish!

Yep, no shortage of thump from the Pawn Shop's humbucker. A friend of mine was amazed that such a little bass could make such a big sound.

Not something I would want to do unless a specific need arose e.g. Pink Floyd tribute band.

I still have a lot of GAS to burn off before I get to Clarky72's position

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1390308987' post='2343788'] The pawn shop or the 64 reissue???. I'm going to order next week. And I'm still debating the merits of both. I think I'm leaning towards the pawn shop due to the finger board radius. I think I could argue for and against on every other aspect. The reissue are Japan made I believe and the pawn shop is made somewhere else Mexico?. So please help me decide. Or as an after thought the squier version would no doubt be acceptable for my needs. [/quote] You are correct about where they are made. After I got my Pawn Shop Mustang, I tried out a re-issue that I came across in a shop. I don't think I'd have been disappointed had I got that one instead, but the mahoosive humbucker swings it for me. I must say I hadn't noticed the difference in fretboard radius. If you get the Pawn Shop version, you may want to replace the strings - the ones it comes with are horribly rough.

On the whole I don't ask to try instruments unless I am looking to buy one of that type. Often you can learn as much about the things you don't like as about the things you do. I rarely try stuff I can't afford, except for comparison purposes but this does occasionally backfire and have me reaching for my credit card. As for pay-to-try at retailers, I can't see this happening as it would erode one of their advantages over online shops, namely that you can be required to pay for return shipping on an item you are returning under the Distance Selling Regulations.

[quote name='borisbrain' timestamp='1386426516' post='2299981'] Bruce Thomas maintains a blog at www.brucethomas.co.uk and he seems quite happy to correspond with anyone who sends a comment. A while back I asked him about the signature tone he used for albums like This Year's Model, Armed Forces and Get Happy. This was his reply: [color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] My P bass had the pick ups rewound, wrongly as it happens but it turned out to be a happy accident and gave the bass a different sound in itself.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] I never used Ampeg SVT equipement until later on — and only live. On the albums you referenced I used a Traynor monoblock head with a custom speaker rig containing 2×12″ speakers and 1×18″. obviously it was the 12″ speaker that was miked up — but I also mixed in the miked sound with a DI feed.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] A vital part of the sound was a small Boss graphic EQ pedal which I used to roll out low bass and the honky mid tones (around 600 I think). The only other modification was a bit of compression.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] Having said all of that, most of the punch you talk about comes from the way you pluck the strings. The only way to describe it is to say that if you try snapping your finger and thumb together to make that snapping sound, it’s a bit like that. Also important is releasing the string with your left hand, so you get a more staccato stabbing effect.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] Try getting that kind of punchy sound just playing the bass acoustically without plugging it in to anything and you’re half way there. On some of the clips I put on youtube I turned the amp right down, so you might be able to hear what I mean.[/font][/color] It's worth wading through the site for the occasional nuggets of wisdom, and some video of his playing. Pickup wise, I think that SPB1s would be the closest match to his custom-wound pickups. Or you could just get one of his signature P basses, made through the Bass Centre in London. BB [/quote] I was about to start a Bruce Thomas thread but found this one. Mrs Axe got me an Elvis Costello compilation CD for Christmas. It covers the first 10 years and most of the tracks feature the same Attractions line-up. I am sitting at home sweating out a cold, and have just listened to 'Detectives', 'Chelsea', and 'Pump It Up' in succession. What fantastic bass lines, and a tone to die for. Off to check out BT's website now.