Lfalex v1.1

[quote name='Musicman20' post='921476' date='Aug 11 2010, 12:06 PM']I went on a huge '5 String that still looks almost traditional' and the best I found were: Stingray 5 - 2008 onwards have the nicer (IMO) warmer Alnico pups. Sorry to disagree with OTPJ, but im all for warmth and traditional tone. I think this reflects on why the pre-08s (aprt from the early ones) dont sell so well secondhand. That, and the fact that most people seem to ignore the more popular and traditional colours, so when they sell it on, they dont get as much back. You should be able to pick up a second hand 08-onward Ray 5 (single H) for under £1K, and it will, well should be, in fantastic condition. Pre-08 Rays go for SILLY money, and are bargains IMO. In a few years, Rays will come back into fashion and prices will change accordingly.[/quote] AFAIK the [i]early[/i] Ray 5s had an Alnico unit, too. Don't know when it changed to Ceramic, though. IIRC 5s started manufacture in '87/'88 (?) My 1990 fretless 5 is Alnico [b]without[/b] a phantom coil for single coil mode... Someone else may know more. The change back to Alnico makes sense, as it fits in with the current line up; Stingrays- Alnico Sterlings- Ceramic Bongos- Neodymium Bongo 5 for £1k? Get one!

A-ha! Thanks for that. I had considered a set of Steve Harris Rotos (because flats don't seem to die like their rounds do) But then again, flatwounds (or tapewound!) would open up a whole new can of worms with TI flats, Optima golds and Rotosound entering the fray! Thanks again for the help. I'll keep on going until I find the right set and post back. [i]"I'm going outside. I may be some time"[/i] (So don't hold your breath!!!!)

[quote name='peteb' post='925271' date='Aug 15 2010, 12:07 AM']It appears that I just don't have the technique to play a stingray! TBH - I always thought that my right hand technique was reasonably strong, but I have a low action, play over the pickup and tend to rake a lot (a la Sheehan in that respect at least) and the pole pieces do tend to get in the way more than somewhat! I might just drop a EMG in it if I decide that it's worth the effort / cash - a very frustrating bass, a great unique sound but several annoying flaws.......[/quote] I have a 'Ray 5 and other instruments with MMHB style pick-ups in. At least two have raised pole-pieces.I anchor on the pick-up/s too, and I don't seem to hit the pole-pieces. In fact, the only bass on which I DO strike the pick-ups is a Yamaha Attitude (a Sheehan design!) because they're close to the strings. The MMHB doesn't want for output, so you could try lowering it enough to stop your problem and see if it still has some degree of the tone/output you're looking for left. Otherwise, it's a new pick-up. IIRC The EMGs have hidden polepieces. So do the Bartolini ones, except that I know them to have Blades rather than cylindrical poles, which makes alignment less of an issue and can cope well with big string deflection (useful if you play hard from time to time) I have a bass with Bladed pole-pieces (a Warwick with MEC J/TwinJ in it) and it does work well. What are the other 'Ray issues to which you alluded?

Interesting... But I like alternative materials, so it's Spalt Born2Rock BassLab all the way for me. Like the tubular metal one, as long as it's heavy enough for a good fundamental tone. Fret system is reminiscent of the Gittler guitars.

I'm surprised that they haven't issued a Fatwa on Rob Green for making replacement Graphite necks and imposed sanctions against East, Bartolini, MEC, Seymour Duncan, et al for having the temerity to manufacture electronics/pick-ups... BTW, If I made Wah pedals, I would most certainly name one of mine "FatWah" and maybe "AutoFatWah"

Roasted neck? They've been doing flamed forumites for years over there! I own a 'Ray 5. Nice bass, but the way they behave on the EBMM forum can be pretty over-zealous at times. As mentioned before, some companies have their priorities right; =1 Customer Service =1 Making great instruments 3 Rectifying problems with people's basses 4 Giving open and honest advice on repairs and modifications 5 Protecting their brand image / company reputation by actually realizing that 1 to 4 (above) promote this aspect. Good examples of the above I have received; Patrice Vigier mailed me back within 24 hrs telling me how to carry out elecrics mods to the pre-amp in my Passion bass. Rob Green said "Ok, it'll cost more because I'll have to wind the coils differently so the outputs can be tapped" No problem. Even though it's not on the options list. The tech at Dana B. Goods (US) Warwick distributor mailed me back after 15min with a lengthy reply about a pre-amp/pick-up query. In each case, no fuss, no aggro. We are the end users of companies' products, and if the original manufacturers can't or won't help us, we'll just have to go elsewhere. Imagine the response if I wanted a Sterling 4HH with Series/Parallel/Singlecoil switching for both pick-ups and the 4band EQ from a Bongo?! EBMM possess the ability to make such an instrument. Most of us would pay a good deal more for a "tailored" (if not custom) bass. They're doing themselves out of potential sale AND repeat customers with their attitude (except they're made by Yamaha)

Good idea on the Hotwires, Rich. Hadn't thought of that angle! Rayman; You're kind of right, but it shouldn't sound as dull with fresh strings as it does. I thought maybe strings which might sound a bit light and clattery on any other bass could redress the balance.

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' post='922461' date='Aug 12 2010, 10:58 AM']I've always used rotosound ...Also got a great roundwound sound from the Attitude.[/quote] Not a fan of Rotos at all, I'm afraid. Am I to deduce from the second statement that you use flatwounds? Does Sheehan, too? I'm not a Fanboy, but none of the strings I've tried sound quite right. And they're all rounds. I might just have to revert to "Plan A"; DR Fatbeams or Hi-Beams. Any D'Addario or LaBella recommendations out there? The Attitude has lots of fundamental output and bags of lower mid-range. It's just that little bit of upper-mid singing and top-end sparkle that's missing. Thanks for your thoughts so far...

That's not Gospel, BTW, just my 2p from having owned 2 for a total of 6 years and played a few others here and there. Rich (OutToPlayJazz) would likely be able to give you his version of events. He's owned a few Statii from time to time! You DO need to try them out for yourself. I find the lack of head perfectly acceptable, but can see how some people might utterly loathe it.

That looks like a familiar concept- here's mine (so far...) I have an E-Pro in my Zoot. Tons of boost/cut and low noise, but the centre frequencies on the 3 bands (Bass, Treble, Bright) seem a bit off to me. Not my favourite EQ.

I'm struggling to find [i]the[/i] strings to use on this! So far; Whatever Yamaha shipped it with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies Elixir Nanoweb Ashdown Nickels (I think) Currently using Stainless Elites I know Sheehan uses Rotosounds, but I don't like them- die too fast and too rough under the fretting hand. On other basses I use DR Fatbeams or Sunbeams or Elixirs. One consideration- My Attitude is a 10th Anniversary, and has a Phenolic fretboard rather than Maple. I play fingerstyle, and favour 40,60,80,100 or 45,65,80,100 Any recommendations would be most welcome. Thanks in advance! Alex.

As previously stated; The Gallery Bass Direct The Bass Merchant

I can't comment on using resistors for cross-talk reduction, but IIRC the "non-stacked" control plate uses 2x250k logarithmic pots for volume and 1x500k linear pot for tone purposes. If you want stacked controls, you'll need "dual concentric" potentiometers. I really have no idea what values these are available in! The capacitor values are right, though.

I have a '97 Streamer LX6 and an '04 Infinity SN4. Both very different. I [i]really[/i] like the J/JJ pick-up configuration on the Infinity/Dolphin. I've never had any issues with either bass. When I e-mailed Dana B.Goods (US distributor), they answered me at length 15min later, with all the info I'd asked for and more besides. There are a few designs I don't like (Stryker. Vampyre ain't great) There are a few design issues with some I do like (Thumb- nneck dive and and a tendency for it to jump off of my lap when seated) There are some I'd love- Dolphin, Streamer Jazzman, Corvette $$, Fortress Masterman, Streamer Pro M, Fortress Flashback, but which are discontinued, out of my reach financially, hard to find or difficult to justify alongside some of my current basses. In other words, it's pretty much all good!

I have a B2AV, too. Good to play for all the obvious reasons (mass, balance, size) Good, woody tone on GDA&E, but the B lacks weight of tone, probably due to the very low overall mass of the instrument. Ever heard a cabinet/amp start to run out of puff below low "D"? Sounds just like that!

(Being the Devil's advocate because I have an idea what your answer will be!) Why do you want the extra overall mass? I agree that in [i]theory[/i] the extra contact area between neck and body (on a neck-thru at any rate) might help stiffen the neck and assist in modifying (if not improving) the transmission of vibration to/from the body. If it's a bolt-on, I'd reckon that the screws transmit most of the vibration (Just look at a Ritter...!) Headlessness has its own set of benefits. Minimal mass resonating at the end of the neck is the main one, helping with stability and (presumably) deadspots. Better instrument balance is another. Size and transportability is a third. After that, it's marginal and subjective changes like the fact that most headless basses use zero frets, the addition/deletion of mechanisms such as string reservoirs/ Bendwells etc. I can see a train of thought emerging from this and the Steinberger/Streamline thread earlier...

45-105 wouldn't be that strenuous, as both Sunbeams and Fatbeams have round cores rather than hexagonal ones. In practice, this makes them [i]feel[/i] "less taut" under the fingers when fretting (even if they're tuned to the correct pitch) My concern would be length; Will you end up winding the thicker part of the string around the machinehead if you use 34" strings? The DRs are long enough for [b]at least[/b] 34" through-body stringing. Do you have to cut down your current strings in the same way, and does this work well enough? Otherwise, give the DRs a shot. They might just be what you're after.

Its all about.... Babooshka! Awesome playing.

Status Streamline V? I have a IV, and it's a [i]wicked[/i] little thing...

Roundwound recommendations? DR (Marcus Miller) Fatbeams. Nice and compliant, Slap friendly but good all-rounders. Not too rough on the fingers for Stainless steel. DR Sunbeams. Much of the above applies, but Nickel-plated. Higher output due to the Nickel content interacting with the pick-ups. Smoother under the fingers, too. A bit deeper and rounder sounding. Elixir Nanoweb Coated strings. Last for ages due to polymer coating. Good tone, too. I find them a bit "quacky" when used on Phenolic fretboards, and a Graphite neck won't help that much, either. On a wooden Fretboard/neck they sound more natural. Downsides? None of the above are cheap, but they [i]are[/i] generally available. As for EB Slinkys, the last set I had on my Yamaha were tonally good to start with, but died really quickly and felt like a cheese grater from the start. It wasn't painful/uncomfortable, but they felt rough and unfinished compaerd to some others.

[quote name='JTUK' post='919339' date='Aug 9 2010, 10:15 AM']I am a very firm believer that a £2500 bass made by a very good luthier is SO much better than £1500-2000 from a shop...at least, IME, but again, maybe it depends on who is making them.[/quote] It DOES depend on who's making them. And what their understanding, experience, design skills and QC are like. Some £1.5k instruments I've played in shops have been quite formidable. I doubt you'd find anything [i]so[/i] much better. Just different.

I am loving the fact that no-one (yet) has said; [i]"Nah, waste of money, mate!"[/i] So it must be a justifiable expense!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='919226' date='Aug 9 2010, 04:31 AM']A boutique bass isn't necessarily an improvement over a manufactured bass in all aspects, the craftsmanship and sound tend to be more idiosyncratic. With a boutique bass you tend to sign up to a luthiers vision of what he thinks a good bass is.[/quote] That's a very valid point. But the corollary to that is that when you buy a mass-produced bass, you sign up to that manufacturer's ideal. Or worse still, some manufacturer's idea of what Joe Public's consensus says a good bass should be. All of which are potentially limiting. I know some players have grave reservations about buying custom-made instruments- You never know how it might turn out, and you [i]really[/i] have to trust your luthier. It's a great (and potentially costly) leap of faith. As for high-end, off-the-peg basses, at least you get to try before you buy. My recommendation would be to set a budget (with a bit of stretch in it!) and try to keep an open mind about the purchasing process. Try as many basses from as many manufacturers as you can and enjoy the opportunity to sample loads of instruments. For my third bass (and first new one) I spent months trying stuff out. At first I thought the world began and ended with an MIA Jazz. Then I found the Trace Elliot T-Bass, then Warwicks. None of which I'd heard of. I tried Dingwalls, Kubickis, Fenders, Musicmen, Steinbergers, Tobias, Pedulla, Zon, Spector, Status.. Everything. I thought I had it narrowed down to a Thumb thru-neck 5, then tried a Streamer LX 5 that was more to my taste even than the Stage 1 and Stage 2. Then I saw this dusty thing in a corner by a manufacturer I'd never even heard of before. Tried it and was sold. Knowing little about basses and having a bit of cash to splash, 16 years ago, I bought a Vigier Passion V (SeriesIII) I still own it and enjoy it today. I may not be the world's best player, and certainly wasn't then, but it's allowed me to grow into it. It was a lot of money, but I've had a decade and a half of pleasure from it, and in no way regret buying it. I hope you have a similar experience!

If it comes to the crunch, make your own? There must be masses of info on the net. Assuming you've got the time to experiment...

[quote name='M-Bass-M' post='917735' date='Aug 7 2010, 09:41 AM']Go on then...explain yourself [/quote] Ummm... I've already got a 'Ray5 (fretless) The last 'Ray 4 I tried (3EQ) was good. Did the 'Ray thing, and did it well, but that was it. I just can't abide pick-up selector switches. Must. Have. Pan. Pots. Or at least V/V/T/T! This doesn't bode well for the G&Ls. Which is a pity, as the last ASAT I played was really nice. Then there's the [s]toilet seat[/s] Bongo. The 4 HH I played when trying out basses last was superb (although I bought a Status Streamline). I don't mind the aesthetics, it played well, and the sound... Storming! Loads of variety available from the electrics; Neodymium HH pick-ups with a pan pot and a 4-band eq. Well made and finished, too.