Lfalex v1.1

Handle with care! Routers are scary! Just try routing scrap bits of wood & off-cuts to get a feel for how it works. Don't try to rout too deep in each pass. Don't Pull the bits out with your fingers (they can heat up and get stuck in the collet) Router bits are very sharp. I Found that out the hard way. Don't leave any screws or metal embedded in whatever you're routing. I hit a concealed screw once with a router going at full chat. It looked like a firework display. And melted my goggles with hot fragments... DO wear eye protection! DO use a face mask if working with MDF. The resin/dust isn't very healthy stuff. Some routers allow you to stick a Hoover into them for dust extraction purposes. Do use a template! And clamp your work to something substantial! That said, good luck! And have fun with your new toy!

[quote name='ahpook' post='84864' date='Nov 7 2007, 12:32 PM'] OR...fit a wireless system inside the bass and get rid of the output jack !! it's the 'shaved look'[/quote] I think you've just invented something there. The Wi-Fi bass! Forget the output jack, I just want a screw-in socket for one of those lil' bendy rubberised aerials!! Meanwhile, back on the Wentz sig, I reckon a matching (black) headstock and BadAss/ other replacement Bridge would render this utterly wicked!

What a difficult question! Especially so given that there are (now) so many variants; Stingray- H, H/S, H/H Stingray V- H, H/S, H/H Sterling Bongo- H/S, H/H Bongo V- H/S, H/H (Not to mention used SUBS, [i]That[/i] Bongo VI prototype, Piezo bridge options, Pre/post EBs, 2 or 3 band EQ ('Ray IV), Graphite necks (Cutlass), Aftermarket Graphite necks (Status), Sabres... the list goes on!) Personally, I own a 1990 'Ray V Fretless. It's a great instrument. I've liked every Sterling that I've played. I'm fond of the coil switching options present in both this model and the Stingray V But... Don't close the door on; Warwick $$ (Corvette or Streamer) IV and V strings Modulus "Flea" Signature Various G&Ls, especially my favourite, the ASAT Bass... Sorry. That didn't really help much, did it?!

[quote name='ahpook' post='84745' date='Nov 7 2007, 08:06 AM']didn't the mark hoppus sig bass only have a volume control ? mind you, i've heard it said that removing the tone control reduces the loading on the pickup and so gives a clearer sound...more boutique than punk if you ask me...[/quote] Bah! if it's minimalism you want, just take 'em both off and just leave the output socket!

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='80506' date='Oct 28 2007, 05:18 PM']Mine smells of toffee - I make everyone smell it and they think I'm weird, suppose I am really. :wacko:[/quote] Conversely, I'd pay good money for Toffee that smelt of Musicman...

With regard to the upper range of ERBSs (C strings and so on), don't fret too much about absolute high frequency response in the way you might over low frequency response. As long as the horn or tweeter suits your taste, then it should be fine. I still wouldn't rely on manufacturer's charts and frequency response claims. There's nearly always a bit of advertising "[i]voodoo[/i]" added! As many here will state, a bit of LF reinforcement can help pep-up a fading low-end, especially if you shove your cab in a corner. This has a more profound and subtle effect than trying to EQ more bottom end in, and helps conserve amplifier headroom for those peaks. Power handling and sensitivity are two other areas in which the marketing boys like to mislead us. Given that power is relatively "cheap" in modern amp terms (well, Solid State ones!), sensitivity is [u]perhaps[/u] less of an issue than we're led to believe. Power handling is arguably more important, but it is possible to use an amp whose output can notionally exceed the rating of your cabinets. With caveats; Listen to your cabs... No, really. If they're complaining, back off the master volume until they're happy again. Don't get over excited with the master volume control. Take care if you let others use your rig. Lower powered amps are more susceptible to clipping (output stage-wise) than bigger amps. A big peak from a large amp is less likely to be distorted (squared-off) . The bigger amps will have more headroom in reserve, and should ultimately control your drivers better. I found this when I changed from a 300w (4 ohms) Trace Head to an Ampeg pre and QSC Power pairing that gave 1400w RMS (also 4 ohms) The depth, power and immediacy of the sound from the [i]same[/i] (Trace 2103H & 1153) cabinets was scarcely believable. It's not all about cabs alone. It's the way that your amp and cab/s work together, so try together before you buy if at all possible!

[quote name='Mickeyboro' post='83830' date='Nov 5 2007, 07:47 AM']A Stingray, isn't it? Guy Pratt in his book admits to having been their studio bassist...[/quote] Nice choice of words... [i]Admits[/i]...

[quote name='thumb4bob' post='83583' date='Nov 4 2007, 05:06 PM']well im a philosophy student so I saw this topic and had to post something But Im not sure Descartes or Rousseau had an opinion on P bass basses. Sooooooo i think it depends wheather your defining the P bass as THE electric bass (because it was the first) or as the electric fender P bass. As the first ever mass produced electric bass guitar it has been vastly improved on in my opinion, but then if it hadn't in over 50 years it would be a sad state of affairs. I don't personally think these high end companies make a better P than if you bought an old school fender model simply because nothing can be a better P bass than a P bass. If you make it sound "better" (cleaner, more modern) than you don't have a fender P bass you have something else. All these companies really do is make modern instruments in the shape of the P and Jazz because people are still atracted to those shapes but want a modern tone. Having said that I can understand people wanting the fender shapes especially people older than me simply becuse there was a good bet most of your favourate bassists played one. If some watches all there heroes playing these instruments it goes into their subconscious and when it becomes time for them to pick up an istrument and they want to play like jaco, obvious mental link buy a fender jazz! I would bet money on this happening less and less as the generations go by and fender has more and more competition in the market. Phew [/quote] Another Philosopher, eh?! I few selected (mis-) quotes and thoughts. Some more serious than others... If I were to get all Platonic, I'd suggest that, as the form of the bass guitar supercedes all earthly manifestations of the form, that the producers who want a certain bass should try to obtain that one. Except for the fact that, according to Plato, they can't. Willard Van Orman Quine wrote a superb essay on the indeterminacy of tone. "When you look into your cabinet port, your cabinet port looks into you" (Nietzsche) Finally, this old chestnut; If a tree falls in a forest with no-one to hear it, does it make a sound? Who cares?!; What species of tree was it? Is it spalted? Does it have a good "Tap Tone"? These are the relevant issues!

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='83440' date='Nov 4 2007, 11:10 AM']Yes, it was definitely a lot weaker... Can't explain it, but my Warwick $$ is amazingly overpowered![/quote] That'll be it, then! My Streamer has SD soapbars, and the Infinity has the MEC J/JJ set up. The pair of MMHBs in the $$ should give a very healthy output before the EQ stage adds any further oompf! I'd still say my pair of Ibanez were well into the top half of the output level league...

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='83412' date='Nov 4 2007, 10:03 AM']I had an SRX705 for a while with the through neck & the active humbuckers, etc. It was a lovely bass, but not a lot of output compared to my Status & Warwick basses.[/quote] That's odd. My SRX700 (4 strings to your 5!) slays both my Warwicks (Streamer LX amd Infinity SN4) in terms of output level. All three are using 9v electrics. The only basses I own that can match it are; Iceni Zoot Chaser (SD MM HB and 18v electrics) Vigier Passion V (18v electrics again) Yamaha Attitiude (evilly hot DiMarzios - passive, too.) Ibanez EDB 600 (more of the same)

[quote name='G-bitch' post='81185' date='Oct 30 2007, 11:19 AM']I have to chime in about second hand amps. Don't avoid like the plague at all - look at any install and you'll see a bank of amps that have probably been working their tits off almost daily for years. You will notice that there are no behringer amps, Thomann amps, etc. etc. in such rigs and there's a reason for it. Loads of high quality power amps out there second hand which will provide you with years of service, no point in buying new unless you are paranoid about failures (it is a small risk) or want one of the newer class D lightweight amps. Presumably you don't give too much of a fudge about weight as it'll live in a rack on its own and therefore be very easily manageable rather than in a 10u with several other bits of kit! Plenty of bargain power amps about from the likes of Crown, QSC, Yamaha etc - check Sound On Sound readers ads as well as ebay.[/quote] I was speaking from (bitter) experience... The Second- Hand QSC I bought died. The Second- Hand Ampeg Pre that I bought is terminally unreliable. In spite of it being serviced. On the other hand, my 15-year old Trace head is running just fine. I had it serviced for £80 about a year ago due to my "paranoia" about failures. I'm currently running a 65% failure rate overall, and 100% of those are second hand items. Twice bitten, third time ain't even happening... I'll buy another bass instead!

[quote name='Beedster' post='79844' date='Oct 26 2007, 03:49 PM']So, let me get this thread straight, an Ibanez Ergodyne is potentialy useful if you're band's gigging in Baghdad? [/quote] It is heavy enough to bludgeon people effectively with, yes. Not that I've tried!

[quote name='Beedster' post='81602' date='Oct 31 2007, 08:16 AM']Exectly my point . I'm keeping some money on stanby in case you decide to sell amyway. +1 for the rest of your post also. Related in a strange but just about justifiable way, I rode an old Enfield around India a few years back. It wouldn't have been the same experience on a Honda Chris[/quote] I was thinking in terms of motorbikes whilst reading this thread, But came up with this analogy; Precision = Harley Davidson Warwicks = BMW Ibanez / Yamahas = Suzuki / Kawasaki / Honda and er... YAMAHA! There's a definite parallel there in terms of design philosophy and engineering execution. It's also fairly safe to say that both types of manufacturer aim at specific areas or niches in the marketplace and that their products, almost by definition, sell well in their own domestic market. Then there are the custom boys and "Streetfighter" modifications... Equally prevalent in both worlds.

+1 for; Colin Moulding (XTC) Pete Trewavas (Marillion) Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Expt, King Crimson etc. etc. etc.) And I'll add Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) especially on the albums "I'm the man" and "Look Sharp". Done with a Plectrum on an Ibanez Roadstar IIRC!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='81824' date='Oct 31 2007, 05:01 PM']There are always going to be variations in weight but I find the concave/convex body contouring and the overall shape of the Spector NS and Warwick Streamer shape to be soooo comfortable![/quote] The Streamers are good on the comfort front. In fact any of the concave backed Warwicks are good. Equally good in comfort terms are the Ibanez Ergodynes. I can play my EDB600 for hours. Oh, and whilst on the subject of Steiberger designs (He did the original Spector design, then Warwick poached it for the Streamer (right ?)) Zero neck dive They all weigh more or less the same Stays out of your way Compact- will fit in a Guitar case Tough Hard to knock out of tune And so on...

Sorry to hear about your finger woes! +1 on both the Ibanez and Jazzes of all flavours (Squier, MIM, MIJ, MIA) Assuming that you're looking for a 4-string, you may find Yamahas pretty okay; BB414 BB614 & various RBXs. Got a bigger budget? Musicman Sterling Vigiers (Passion, Arpege or Excess) Custom...

[quote name='lwtait' post='80169' date='Oct 27 2007, 04:56 PM'][url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/guild-dearmond_ashbory.htm"]"unusual bass with rubber strings, sounds like a double bass"[/url] hmmm... how does this work then? wheres the pickup?[/quote] 'Tis a piezo bridge, hence is not reliant on magnetic strings. It's fretless. 22" Scale. Apparently you dust the strings with talcum powder...

[quote name='Archetype' post='79546' date='Oct 25 2007, 08:28 PM']Thanks for all the input, I think the powersoft is... well... lets just say out of my price range. [/quote] Fair enough, but I'd say (from costly experience) that a second-hand power amp is a false economy. They perform a heavyweight role, and who knows what a used power amp has been subjected to. My second hand QSC PLX1202 died about a month after I got it. File second-hand power amps along with part-worn tyres, alloys from write-offs, and used child car seats. Avoid like the plague. (At least with heads & combos, they're only likely to be connected in a simple fashion to cabinets that present a relatively straightforward load. Power amps can be used for all sorts of applications)

[quote name='MB1' post='79446' date='Oct 25 2007, 04:47 PM'][quote name='Sibob' post='78861' date='Oct 24 2007, 02:39 PM'] Weren't the Ergodynes made from Luthite? Remember picking a couple up a few years ago and them being far from light!? Si MB1. Is luthite not used for kitchen unit tops?[/quote] [/quote] That'd be [i]Medite[/i]! (which is similar to MDF) Luthite is a plastic not a million miles removed from the resin from which bowling balls are manufactured. Yup, it's quite hefty for its size, but the balance is good, and it sounds good but "different". Like it's been put through a mixing desk before it actually has... Very "Hifi" but a bit sterile. A set of DR FatBeams fixed the lack of character! I can't help but think a graphite-necked one would be killer, if a bit extreme!

CK's definitely on the right track with his thoughts on the Vigiers (I own one, too, y'know!) I also agree with the comments about Hard Maple necks on Alder or Ash bodies. These are common choices on many production instruments. It goes further still though; Maple Body (longitudinal 2 piece) / Wenge Neck (Warwick Streamer LX 6 - Bolt on) Zebrano Body (horizontal 2 piece. chambered) / Ovangkol neck (Warwick Infinity 4 - Glued Neck) Maple Body (3 piece) / Hard Maple Neck (Squier 70's VMJ - Bolt on) Are all great. My latest acquisition is an Ibanez Ergodyne. That has a one piece body in PLASTIC. (Maple neck, Rosewood fretboard) It lacks the warmth of a wooden instrument, but has excellent tonal definition. It does sound oddly strangled above about the 14th fret on the E and A strings, though. Chuck in a good pair of pick-ups and a good EQ (which they did), and the result is a super instrument for what they used to cost (about £350) I got mine 2nd-hand for £80. Would be brutal with a Graphite neck/Phenolic board! Similarly, the Infinity would be Hardcore personified with a Wenge neck in place of the Ovangkol one!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='78638' date='Oct 24 2007, 07:54 AM']I thought the first post said ONE pearl of wisdom each? [/quote] That [i]was[/i] the plan! Good stuff, though! Keep it coming...

Just been playing (what? [i]AGAIN[/i]!) And thought; "What's the SINGLE best piece of advice you could give to your fellow bassists?" Just one piece. And simple truisms are perfectly valid. Mine would be this: "Having achieved your optimum tone by cutting/boosting whatever frequency (Amp or bass EQ) when playing in isolation, remember that it needs to be just that bit more extreme (more boost or cut) to sound as good in a band setting / against musical backing. The same is true of effects. If you're too subtle tonally, it gets lost in the mix..." Off you go folks! But only one top quality piece of advice! Looking forward to your ideas, and who knows, some of us may have minor epiphanies as the result of a fellow B.C.er's comments!

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='77960' date='Oct 22 2007, 11:50 PM']+1 on the CIJ, awesome. The neck is perfection. and the sound. mmm I got the US model of the 57RI. You see some on denmark st but they tend to be the standard versions they just sell at silly high prices. +1 great guy to deal with. i more or less emailed him what i wanted and got an email back saying he had one in the next batch. Second hand japanese, someone had upgraded the controls and jack socket to "US standard" ones on mine (whatever that means) and put an orange drop cap in (whatever that is, its big and orange and i hardly use it) its getting a anodised aluminium pickguard by the end of the week. Quoted £60 over here £12.50 in the states, the benefit of living with an american (what is the orange drop thing btw?)[/quote] One o' them. Tone control capacitor. It'd be either 22 or 47 microfarads in value on yours at a guess! (more likely 47)

[quote name='MB1' post='77609' date='Oct 22 2007, 01:16 AM']MB1. That list reminded me of the statement...."jack of all trades and master of none"..... impressive?.... does that make me want to buy a bass off them?........er.....NO!.[/quote] I ought to agree. And based on some of their instruments, I'd make you absolutely right. But... TRBs (generally) 614s 414s RBX 374s Attitudes That I've tried tend to suggest otherwise. Especially the Attitude that I bought. It's MIJ, for starters! And the engineering content/construction quality matches all but the best boutique basses out there. It's idiosyncratic, but that's Billy Sheehan's fault!

Plectrum vs. Elixirs = Fuzzy little strings! The coating won't resist the attack of a pick. I tried EMPs on my Infinity, thinking; "Warwick bass... Warwick Strings..." only to discover they were only slightly less evil than Ernie Ball strings (which die instantly at the sight on my corrosive sweat) The Infinity loves Elixirs. I've got DR FatBeams on The Squier (!) and the two Ibanez (SRX700 & EDB600) to good effect. I'm going to move to using DRs on the Yamaha Attitude (which currently uses Elixirs) as they sound too rubbery or plasticky in the upper frequencies on that bass. As far as I'm aware, StringsDirect are still stocking them...