Lfalex v1.1

To be honest, If I had the time / skill I'd make a "me" signature, starting with a Leo Fenderesque "Breadboard" body with a neck, bridge and strings, nailing various pick-ups into various positions until I found the right combination and then start on the eq systems, then body shape/woods etc.

Dolphin Infinity Fortress (no longer made, unfortunately) Corvette All have longer upper horns that the Streamer or Thumb. The Dolphin is aided by its body-shape. I've never struggled with the Streamer Vs. I own a Streamer LX VI, and that stays put with a broad leather strap.

One high-profile player has had a pretty chequered history when it comes to signature basses; Flea. On paper, the attachment of his name to an instrument ought to be a worthwhile venture for both him and the manufacturer, yet EBMM wouldn't make him one, in spite of the fact that they did for Steve Lukather and Albert Lee (and I can't remember if they did a Van Halen) I know he didn't exclusively use Rays, but they did have a fairly close association. Cue his defedtion to Modulus, who produced the fine (if single-minded) Flea Bass. Then he inexplicably adopted a ('63?) Jazz, and finally sets up his own line of basses, which seem to be of variable quality, dubious taste and somewhat expensive. And another thing... With specific regard to Fender, what determines where a signature instrument is made? To whit; Mike Dirnt : MIM Marcus Miller / Geddy Lee : MIJ (or CIJ) Roscoe Beck : MIA (IIRC) I don't know where their other artist signatures are made, but I can't see any logic! And the same goes for Lakland. Why are some Signatures Tribute series and some not?

[quote name='Rayman' post='865751' date='Jun 13 2010, 10:14 AM']...It's almost like you've bought a small part of them, which in some cases you have, because the artist may have been heavily involved in the design of it. I don't have a problem with that at all if that's your bag. I've done it myself with a Marcus Miller Jazz, and a Geddy Lee Jazz, both superb basses regardless of the signatures. I've also had an Ibanez K5 even though I'm not a Fieldy fan at all, but it was a wonderful bass. I don't have a problem with signature basses at all, as long as you're buying the bass in it's own right, and not because of the signature on the headstock (or fretboard in Stings case).[/quote] +1 I think this summarises my attitude towards signature instruments. And yes, I do own a signature instrument. IIRC it was quite well liked at a Bassbash. I respect Sheehans playing ability, but don't really like his tone much at all. I don't play using his technique/s, nor do I play any of his material. I just sound like a very [i]large[/i] and grunty/ thumpy version of me. In terms of features; Japanese made Yamaha (!) Di Marzio pick-ups (both) A pukka Hipshot De-tuner, not a licensed one Gotoh tuners Novel neck joint which helps upper-fret access and stability - Not that I perform neck bends, but I relish the stability. Phenolic fretboard - easy to clean, and I've got two other basses with them. Scalloped frets - no use to me at all, but not a hinderance either. Sheehan's finger prints as markers - at least they're clear, and guitarists can see what you're doing! Twin ouputs - nominally of little use unless you can bi-amp, but excellent in the studio or if you want distorted top and clean bottom or vice- versa Proper "P" bass neck - which doesn't bother me, but for some may be a make-or-break attribute. This is one of 300 10th Anniversary models. I believe 150 purple and 150 black. Ive played 2 purple and 2 black. This is arguably the best of the lot. Given the current price of the Attitude LTD II on GAK (£1600!) I wish I'd bought the other Purple one when I had the chance! In not so many words, I'm no Sheehan fanboy, but I own one of his signature basses because it is well worth what I paid for it and it's a good instrument.

Valve Biasing?

[quote name='Flex' post='864770' date='Jun 11 2010, 10:42 PM']bridge is 2 piece with thw W stamped on the lower part.. in gold as well. Is the price about right for a Corvette $$ buck in navana black?? Thanks for your input guys [/quote] Given that all else is good, £500 seems okay, given that some retailers are selling them for up to £1k. Nirvana Black, (Wine?) Red and Natural seem to be the stock finishes, as most examples I've seen are in those colours. As for the hardware, the bridge sounds authentic enough. If the tuners don't bear the "W", then they're not original. That said, if they work okay, is it that much of an issue? If it is, ask the vendor to reduce the asking price a bit as a result.

[quote name='TRadford' post='864622' date='Jun 11 2010, 07:26 PM']They should have the warwick W stamped on the circular bit with Germany underneath , cant tell from that photo.[/quote] That's true, and no, when I zoomed in, I couldn't tell either. Is the REST of the hardware (Bridge/string retainer and control knobs) gold as well? If it isn't, then something's been changed. From memory, the "standard" $$ Corvettes all seem to have chrome hardware. This could've been an odd one or a special order, though.

I find few necks that I can't adjust to given a bit of time with them. 35" Scale is more problematic for me, as my muscle memory (or whatever kind of habituation you subscribe to), reckons the frets aren't in the "right" places! My hands are a bit bigger than average, but my fingers aren't particularly long. I just work away at it. Yes, I can play a slim/medium neck a little quicker than a 6-string, but there's not a lot in it. If the bass is that good, it may be worth the effort to plug away at it.

I like the look of those Birdsongs. 5 strings, too.

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='861942' date='Jun 9 2010, 11:34 AM']Someone on TB posted a blind AB test between a Variax on the Fender Jazz setting and an actual pre-CBS Jazz- the consensus was, if I recall rightly, that the Line 6 sounded better to most people.[/quote] Which means that my 2004 MIA Jazz must be uber-wicked. I went out with every intention of buying a Variax Bass. I got on fine with it in terms of playability and feel, but had the shop let me try a Stingray, Corvette and Jazz just for comparison. Every one of them sounded better than the Variax, even when it was at its best. The Jazz was SO good, I bought it. I did quite like the 8/12 string (Hagstrom/Hamer) modelling on the Variax, though.

[quote name='johnnylager' post='861575' date='Jun 8 2010, 10:18 PM']Might be worth noting that hot sweaty hands and extended periods in talc'd latex gloves, is a short road to latex allergy - trust me, I'm a nurse. With occupational latex allergy brought on by extended periods in talc'd latex gloves. What happened to wiping your hands and strings on a towel?[/quote] My issue isn't so much the acidity (as far as I know) so much as the [i]quantity[/i] of sweat that my hands produce! I DO have a golfclub towel that I hang on the side of my rig - but I need to dry my hands between each song! They might be good in a studio - because of the string noise reduction and damping improvements - as it's quite a critical environment.

A good bass is a good bass, irrespective of the colour. For this reason, I have a purple bass and an orange bass (among others)

You'd have to check the potentiometer values, and they [i]may[/i] not have the right number of terminals on them, and some may have pull-up switches fitted, too. It's unlikely that they'd all be suitable. With regard to MEC EQ treble centre frequencies, I seem to recall the 2-band is 2kHz, and the 3-band is either 6 or 8 kHz (which does seem kind of high). Don't ask me about the bandwidth, though...

[quote name='silddx' post='857541' date='Jun 4 2010, 06:30 PM']They would rip and stick like glue mate. The silk works perfectly.[/quote] Actually, they worked a treat (I suppose) kept all the sweat inside, which wasn't too bad as they've all got a light dusting of talc inside. Rounded the tone out a bit. No real loss of feel except it felt more like playing flats rather than rounds. Big plus- Absolutely eliminates string noise (high frequency squeaks) and really helps with damping. I certainly wouldn't describe my fretting hand technique as noisy, but you certainly miss it when it's gone... They'll only last one session, though, and you look like you're just about to give someone an internal exam, too...

[quote name='BigRedX' post='856390' date='Jun 3 2010, 06:32 PM']... I've broken every string on my bass including low B! However this has been considerably less common since I stopped using Rotosounds or Elites and switched to better strings.[/quote] I've broken two "G" strings. 1 Rotosound 45 and 1 Elite Stadium 40. The Roto went when a case lid unexpectedly fell shut as I was putting the bass in it. The Elite was brand new and went as I first tuned it up to pitch- at the point where it first touches the machinehead after the nut. I reckon it was a duffer. Neither was at a gig. Other String brands used? EB Slinkies, Elixir, DR (Sunbeam/Fatbeam), Ashdown and Warwick (Yellow, Red and EMP) Never broken any of those.

[quote name='fingerz' post='860137' date='Jun 7 2010, 05:51 PM']Yeh 51m0n - I remember working my ass off for an amp when I started gigging. It wasn't my amp of choice, but loud enough to play with a drum kit. Bad karma if you go and do gigs and don't own your own gear to do so! Do these people even exist??!![/quote] Oh yes. They certainly do. I've seen people turn up with [u]nothing[/u] and expect to borrow instruments, leads, straps, tuners, money, get a lift home... the list is endless. If you tolerate it. There was a situation when (for once!) I'd set up and gone out front for a beer and some chips, only to find some oik using my rig without even asking (I heard it from outside). We won't talk about what happened next, though. Needless to say, he ended up with no onstage monitoring, and just a DI box at his feet. If he'd asked, I might have obliged.

[quote name='chris_b' post='858772' date='Jun 6 2010, 12:00 PM']It probably came with MEC pickups and the Bartolini's have been added later, by a DIY'er? I wouldn’t just launch in and make changes when you don’t know what the problem is. I'd get it looked at by a tech. It sounds like the previous work hasn’t been done properly.[/quote] Not necessarily so. My Streamer LX 6 has Seymour Duncans in it, and I've seen Barts as standard in a Thumb 6 fretless. I'm not sure I've ever seen a sixer with MEC pick-ups in. MEC Eqs are usually a stock option on most Warwick basses, though. As for the treble, it could be a knackered component in there somewhere- capacitor or potentiometer. Can you try out a 3 band equipped Warwick in a shop and see if there's any difference by comparison? At least then you'd know if your (presumably) MEC eq was working properly or not. As for replacements, I'd imagine you can accomodate quite a lot if you're prepared to have 3xstacked controls. That'd open up all sorts of products from MEC, Duncan, EMG, Bartolini, East, Aguilar, Glockenlang, Audere, ACG, and so on etc. IIRC Thumbs have 18v electrics, right?

[quote name='MythSte' post='856450' date='Jun 3 2010, 07:35 PM']Hmm, Gloves or elixirs... Gloves or elixirs... If that recordings with gloves though I'll be seriously impressed.[/quote] Neither. Get your hands Nanoweb coated. I'm sure they'd do it for you! Edited a few minutes later- Frivolous joke gives way to serious idea. Anyone tried the tight-fitting latex gloves (like the ones they sell for mechanics etc.)? I might give some a go if I can find some...

[quote name='chris_b' post='849988' date='May 28 2010, 01:00 AM']There might be better strings out there but I'm very happy with the job DR strings do for me.[/quote] People's taste may vary and, as such, they may not like the tone. Otherwise they are amongst the very best IMO [quote name='geoffbyrne' post='850081' date='May 28 2010, 09:29 AM']Quick question on DR strings generally: I have a 35" scale (Cirrus BXP) for which the recommended string is the HiBeam, whch is the correct length - are all DR string types suitable for 35" scale? Geoff[/quote] As long as it's top-loaded rather than thru-body strung, they ought to be long enough. They easily make it across my thru-body strung jazz (34") with masses to spare. I'm sure I read somewhere that they do fit 35" scale instruments, too. Just don't take my word for it! Whose recommendation was it regarding the Cirrus BXP?

It was Gavin at GM audio in Maldon... Here you go: GM AUDIO SERVICES LTD UNIT 5, STOCK CHASE CM9 4AA MALDON, ESSEX Phone: 07919404895

How old is "old"? I have a 14-year old SMX head & 3 cabs (1203h, 1152 and 1084h) No issues at all from the cabs. The head glitched once, and I had it serviced and fully tested by an ex-Trace employee. He knew what was up before he opened it! The boards inside are connected by wires with push-fit spade terminals. Over time, they work loose. As a fix, he soldered all mine in place, cleaned the whole unit out, cleaned an re-lubed the graphic eq, replaced all the illumination, everything. That's all I've had in 14 years. Neither the amps nor the cabs are state-of-the-art by today's standards. They're perfectly giggable, but heavy! I'd avoid the 4x10 combos- They're MEGA heavy and bulky and top heavy and you can't lock your arms to carry them and the cabinet volume is less than the standard 1048 to keep the weight down, so you lose a bit of bottom end.

Nice mod. "Threadlock" compound would also work a treat, as (IMO) the amount of adjustment required (when it's not adjusting itself) is quite small.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='852205' date='May 30 2010, 11:06 PM']use a capo[/quote] Wonderfully simple! Excellent idea! (Wouldn't have thought of it myself)

Vigier Passion V S3 Warwick Infinity SN4 Yamaha Attitude 10th Anniversary 2004 MIA S1 Jazz Status Streamline

I own an MIA jazz (2004) and a Squire VM Jazz. Both very different. Both good, but the VMJ's reached the point that it needs new pick-ups and electrics if it's to improve further, and I'm not sure it's worth the expense. The last Classic vibe I tried was great, in terms of look, feel and sound. I'm beginning to wonder whether (with modern methods properly applied and correct QC) it's likely that poor quality basses in the £250-£300 bracket will even exist soon.