Lfalex v1.1

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='160699' date='Mar 20 2008, 10:59 AM']You're the bass player. No-one is listening to you. Forget it and enjoy yourself. I did a jazz gig once and myself and the pianist were a little frustrated that the audience weren't listening so, to prove a point, we did a fast be-bop 12-bar blues. He played it in Bb and I did it in B. After a chorus, he swapped to B and I swapped to Bb and so on throughout the whole piece. Yes, you've guessed it. No-one in the 120 strong audience noticed. Not even the drummer! The BiBeefChief will love that one![/quote] No Bassists or Pianists among the 120, then... That helps!

Rejected Drummer (!) Quote (Dad, 15 years ago;) [i]"You are NOT having a Drum Kit, son !"[/i] Hmmmm. Guitar= Fidly. Don't like Fidly. Do they do a "Duplo" version? Yep! Bass. Bigger and less Fidly than guitar. Still cool. (Ticks Boxes...) Sounds like a Human Voice. What happens if you play it like you're singing harmony down low? Ahhh. [i]That.[/i] 15 years later... Still going. Still Frightening people. Edit- [b]Woodster- Forget the rest. Odyssey is where it's at!!!!!![/b]

Backing tracks are good for practise. And less "dull" than a metronome. Live Drummers are where it's at! Especially the god ones that you know well/ are mates with... Party on!, and let then rest of the band dance around you, for we are the (collective) "Engine Room!"... (Can you tell I like Drummers?) (looks for "Blush" Emoticon..)

20 years? No new strings?! What's his name, Jamerson or something?

[quote name='barneythedog' post='160568' date='Mar 19 2008, 11:42 PM']know every song in the set. know every song in the set backwards know every song in the set upside down know every song in the set blindfold then go and practice the set every day between now and the gig you probably get the point by now [/quote] This man Knoweth the truth. Practise Practise Practise until you hate every note that you play because it bores you that much. This then gives you the right to inflict the "look of death" upon you bandmates when they make mistake/s... Surely you have encounterred the "look of death"? Bum note/beat. They band whirl and stare at you... mid-tune. That be the "look of death!"

If you see a s/h Squire 70's VM"J" or VM"P", then grab one! I reckon around £100 should bag you one. Assuming that anyone will part with theirs!!

The headstock remark is equally valid for any of the pointier shapes; Buzzard Stryker Vampyre Could all do with ditching the "blob"...

Warwick seem to have made a few changes, primarily in the removal of a lot of SN (glued-in) Neck models. [i]Gone;[/i] [b]Infinity[/b] SN [b]Vampyre[/b] SN [b]Streamer[/b] ChromeTone (Not much of a loss IMO!) [b]Corvette[/b] Proline [i]Added;[/i] [b]Star II[/b] [i]Remaining;[/i] [b]Corvette[/b] ,FNA, $$, Taranis [b]Streamer[/b] LX S1, S2, Jazzman, $$ [b]Katana Stryker Buzzard[/b] [b]Thumb Infinity[/b] NT [b]Vampyre[/b] NT, Darklord BO [b]Dolphin Triumph Alien[/b] What an odd mix they now have! Lots of Special editions which carry big upcharges for not a lot except nicer woods and aesthetic changes. (The Zebrano Streamer $$ Uk edition looks nice, but they only made 10, and the Custom Shop would do exactly that for you anyway... So what's the point?) Also; Was string shopping yesterday, and saw- Red Labels Yellow Labels Black Labels EMPs and some in a black pack with blue stripes. Any ideas? Are they doing cheapo strings now? Check it out! [url="http://Warwick.de"]Warwick.de![/url]

This is from the DR site. (scroll down for the bass strings, naturally) The summaries above each string are the same as on the main site, but it also details available gauges...[url="http://www.drstrings.com/pdf/drstrings_catalog.pdf"]DR strings (PDF)[/url]

Thanks for the link, Nick. I might well give 'em a try... I really do like DR strings, but they can be a bit pricey (which applies to strings in general!)

Like this?? (mine) I paid £450 new. Plays like a dream (Slender Ibanez Neck Syndrome) Good upper fret access, as it's a Neck-Thru. Body's a little bit "slabby", but okay Not too heavy Hardware's good. Output's reasonably high. The extremes of the pick-up pan control are too extreme IMO. Favour the bridge a little and nudge the bass control up a bit to compensate for the slight loss of bottom end, and leave the treble flat or roll it off a bit, and there's a nice tone for starters. The extremes of the tone controls are too far out, too. They can be quite aggressive sounding and growly in the upper mid (as opposed to the deeper growl a Warwick might give) I used it extensively live for some years as it'll tear it's way through a mix with aplomb, certainly on stage. It has never let me down electrically or mechanically in 6 years. If I could change anything, the EQ would go first, followed by some better pick-ups with coil-tapping options... Now there's an idea...

[quote name='MB1' post='156705' date='Mar 13 2008, 01:19 PM']MB1. Wheelchair access [/quote] Or.... But actually what everyone else said... Helps if you can adjust it (height-wise) to get as close to the strings as possible without the strings colliding with it when struck. Or as close as you find comfortable.

Good for you! Live playing's very rewarding, and even if you have an "off-day", you can still learn something from it! I wish I had the time to get back into a band!

Good thread! I like passive tone controls in all their forms, as I find them more subtle than active ones. With regard to pick-ups' DC Resistance and Inductance, contact the manufacturers. Lots of them seem to quote DC Resistance on their pick-up specs...

I swear by FatBeams I'd try Sunbeams, but they're hard to get and I hate the whole "E" commerce thing. I prefer shops, which limits me a little. I tried the FatBeams out of curiousity instead of my usual Elixirs. I use 45,65,80,100 sets with a 125 on the V stringer. They're round-cored, which makes the much less rigid and more compliant than Hex-cored alternatives. They are bright, so if you favour nickel warmth, perhaps they may be too much. That said, its a nice brightness, and my first set went off the boil after about 9 months, but are still okay at a year old!! I don't slap, but if you do, you'd want to change them sooner than that. [b]Pros[/b]; Excellent response to player input. Will easily play low and fast. Easy on your fretting hand (and presumably your frets, too!) Excellent tonal qualities & Harmonic output. Loads of growl and punch you never knew you had! Last well. Good string to string feel. They seem well made. I've yet to have a duff string. Not too rough under the fingers like some brands. Smooth rather than raw. [b]Cons[/b]; Quite expensive (£27 for a 4 string set at retail prices) Might be too bright for some. Might be too aggressive sounding without a tweak of the tone controls (but that's an easy fix) Not much else! I'm currently running them on a Vigier Passion 5 string and a Squier 70's VMJ with a BadAss on it. They work superbly well on both. I'll fit them to the Yamaha Attitude next. It needs them. Stock strings were evil. I tried EB slinkies and hated them. Elixirs are on there at the mo', but they sound too "glassy" and unnatural combined with a phenolic fretboard. When the Elixirs on the Warwick Infinity SN4 go, I reckon the DRs will end up on there, too (or I'll go back to Yellow Labels, I like those. EMPs were awful!) Hope this helps!

Try to locate a local hardware or fixings supplier - Try the yellow pages or a net search site. Take another screw out to compare. If they're any good, they'll be able to match it quite easily. As for the spring, that'll probably be a guitar shop or luthier job. I struggled to get them anywhere else... Forming a good relationship with a Hardware shop can be a good idea. So far, they've had imperial allen keys for my MIA Jazz, replacement pickguard screws and Just the right length M6 bolts to help hang my TV on the wall...

[quote name='mr_russ' post='154191' date='Mar 9 2008, 09:01 PM']How does he have it set up? having the action higher than he's used to could make it seem more thumpy than growly[/quote] I'll second that, and is he using rounds or flats, what brand etc. A different bridge (don't throw stones at me for suggesting a Badass II or III as appropriate) can lessen the thump and pull out different tones and sound a bit, too. (Edit- Sorry Burpster! Missed your post! Great minds think alike and all that...)

I have a 2004 MIA S-1 Jazz. It's lovely and I wouldn't be without it. Conversely, I own a (modded) Squier 70's VMJ and that's excellent, too. I've played good and bad MIM Jazzes. Find a good 'un, and they're fine. I've not tried CIJ, but people seem to think highly of them. All the Highway 1 models I've tried (both P and J) give the MIAs a run for their money. Do be aware that the American standard has changed [i]again[/i], with the addition of newer colours, the loss of S-1 switching (a matter of opinion), and the new "High Mass Vintage" Bridge design. As ever... Try before you buy, and if you find a winner, run off with it before someone else does! Here's my two; MIA VMJ with a BadAssII. After the photo, it gained black controls and DR Miller FatBeam Strings

Whilst scouting for Second-hand Warwicks, keep your eyes open for G&L Tribute Series basses. I reckon they'll tick most of your boxes, as it were.

I had a Trace 122H SMX. Could be a pain to carry/ fit in small car boots (Stand up FIAT Punto) I... err... Cut mine in half with a jigsaw to make a (downsized) 2103H (2x10) and (wider than usual) AH300 SMX. Cost me about £25 in MDF, feet and handles to make a new sleeve for the "head" I also have a 1153 (1x15) with good (large diameter / lockable) Castors. I stack it all on the 1x15 and strap it together with a ratchet strap. Bag on shoulder, bass in one hand, pull stack with the other! In the main, the gear I've heard recently that's impressed me most has probably been Markbass. Castors really are the way to go. They've saved my back a lot of grief! Stick them on your 1x15 and pile it all on that. Go careful, though, the whole lot can have a high centre of gravity. Downside? Some people think you lose some bottom end from not having the cab directly on the floor. And Castors won't save you from stairs!!

[quote name='Merton' post='151689' date='Mar 5 2008, 01:26 PM']Gav at GM has not been trading for a while, not sure why but there is rumour aplenty...[/quote] He's set up in manufacturing. Wolf Tone is his new brand, I believe. I'm sure I saw a little one at StringsDirect last time I went over there...

Remembers... The Westone "Rail" Bass The early (possibly first after Jack Cassady's [i]Alembicised[/i] Starfire?) Alembic) having brass rails set into the top for the pair of pick-ups to be slid along until the desired placement was achieved. There's a ROM driven, electrically powered modern equivalent around, too. Rare. Expensive. Ugly. But it just might work. You set the pick-ups using the motors, "save" the positions to memory, and recall them at will. Leo Fender's G&L "Breadboard Bass" certainly shows the value of such ideas during the development process. It's a flat, rectangular lump of Alder, set low relative to a G&L bridge and L2000 (I think) Maple/Maple neck. It wears strings, and bears many pock-marks from where pick-ups of various kinds have been screwed or [i]nailed[/i](!) into place to experiment with pick-up positons. Overall, I'm sure most of us would find a preferred setting, and just stick to that, though! On the Vviper Bass, I presume the pick-up (Bartolini?) has blades for a polepiece/s, or string to pick-up mis-alignment would result in poor or no output. +1 to the comment on the Lightwave system And I do wonder how well the Variax system would take to being put in a top quality bass. Or moved off-board altogether and used to enhance a piezo-equipped bass with a dedicated output for it? Get thee to Big Red X's "Weird and Wonderful Basses" thread on the Bass p0rn section for some other oddities...

+1 for the cocktail stick trick. I do it BEFORE the buttons work loose and fit Schaller compatible ones at the same time with the biggest screws I can find.

Ummm Try the sticky on BadAss bridges. That may help! Otherwise, if the string-thru holes don't line up with the ones on the body, it's a bit of a no-no. All the III's I've investigated for my MIA Jazz looked okay, and are in a straight line as per the body holes. Is a V different in that respect? As for string spacing, if it's string-thru, that suggests it's a BadAss III (like above). They have grooved saddles allowing for spacing adjustment to at least 3 variations. If it's a II, you file the saddles (IF you choose to) yourself, in which case, the world is your oyster. Choose your ideal spacing, and file away (carefully!)