Lfalex v1.1

Visited BD yesterday. The guys were nothing but friendly and helpful. I actually didn't spend that much. Just purchased spares and consumables.

My (Korean) Ovation was virtually inaudible acoustically. Played well and sounded nice plugged in. Struggled with feedback issues in loud environments, even with a soundhole plug. Better off with a semi acoustic, perhaps with a piezo bridge and a Magnetic pickup. Yamaha BEX 4 springs to mind.

Ahem- He's coming out of my stereo as I type...

I watched the Evertune Vid in a noisy environment and couldn't see what the fuss was about. So I read their site, and I still don't know what it actually does...

That's better!

I'd still be interested to find out what it plays and sounds like. I think the body shape makes more sense when being worn than when it's on a stand- a bit like a Warwick Dolphin.

Hmmm. 4 String. Definitely a Jazz body, perhaps a Boner just to be different. One piece (if poss) Ash body in Natural. B/W/B scratchplate. Quartersawn Maple neck with a nice straight grain. LH on a RH body. Carbon reinforcing rods on the neck. A brass nut, compensated if possible. Bullet truss-rod adjustment at the headstock end. Ebony slab board. Stainless Jumbo frets. Only a double dot at the twelfth fret on the fun face. Dots as usual along the top edge. Passive VVTT (Dual concentric) electrics Using CTS pots and a sprague caps. No notches on the controls. Edge mounted jack socket.. recessed, Not on a plate (like a Warwick) Let's have that cavity (and the pickup routs nicely shielded with copper tape then lacquered so it stays shiny Overwound neck pickup. Badass II bridge. Hipshot lightweight or Gotoh tuners. Schaller Straplock compatible buttons. Strung with DR Sunbeams...

Indeed they are. I bought a barely used SB-2 Tribute on here for a very reasonable sum of money. It's great. I then proved that I'm utterly mad by spending more than £1500 on a second hand mass-produced instrument that looks like a toilet seat and has too many strings.... but what a bass it is.

On the face of it, that should work, but do be aware that the tone controls in the amp stage will still be optimised for guitar rather than bass. It might be best to leave these "flat" if possible an introduce EQ from another device- multi fx, an EQ pedal, or a pre-amp of some sort.

I was going to suggest this or the SB-1. Those MFD pickups are formidable. Re: The heel - I've an SB-2 Tribute, and can easily charge into the dusty end. The cutaways are slightly deeper than a P, so it's less of an issue.

Not any more... Not sure how the Britpop guys would like this- maybe if I stuck a Mod roundel sticker on it?

Depending on how you play at the moment, almost definitely this. I can play most fivers using an anchored thumb, by resting it against the B string. I had to move to floating to play a six, and have found that it's crept into my playing style on every instrument, even fours.

I shall watch with interest...

Neck dive fixed; Went for the same position as the Epi TBird pro uses. I was a little concerned that the bass might fall away from me at the top edge, but this position is slightly higher than the centre of gravity, so it doesn't. Found a woodscrew that was the right length/ thickness and thread to replace the original and accommodate my improvised strap button and a couple of washers. That's a good old (black!) Fender strapblock keeping the strap in place.

The bridge was way too high. I've screwed it down to ~3mm above the body at the back pair of posts and about 1.5mm higher at the front post. That's yielded a satisfactory action around frets 15-20 and left it a bit high at 12-14. I reckon a truss-rod tweak will fix that. (Almost sounds like I know what I'm doing- I don't! 🙃)

I'll razor the ball-end silk off of the E for now, apparently they're of no structural significance at that end.. DRs and Elixirs are definitely in the running.

I'm tired tonight, so I'm having a night off from the newly christened science that is Gibsonics... Or should that be Epiphonics? Either way, there's a laundry list of things to do. But they'll have to wait; De-silk the E string so I can finish the intonation for now Find or buy Imperial Allen Keys- if not for this, then for the SB-2 Tribute (!) Adjust the neck relief (less) Move the front straplock to the neck-plate- I'll need to find an appropriate screw. Lower the G string side of the bridge pick-up. Then order some new strings and do most of it again! Anyone got any recommendations? Looks like it's wearing Rotosound (RS66LD ?)

It ended up wrapped in blankets! Bridge is way too high. Intonation isn't far off (until I lower the action!) Pickups both work, but the G string is relatively stronger than the others as the pickup heights need attention. Truss rod needs tightening, but I've tuned it to D standard to take the strain off the neck a bit. It's in really good nick- still had its CE sticker and truss rod cover protective film still in situ. The construction (bolt-on) is weird. Because of the matte finish, the joints are faintly visible. It looks like the thinner body section is a single piece slab (really?), and the thicker body section is made by one 5mm laminate on top and another on the back. Neck dives like Jacques Cousteau. I'll move the strap button to the neck-plate, that'll help. More pics later.

Thanks, I'll give the tapping a go. Hopefully, by now I'd know what 2 pickups full on sound like! But it doesn't hurt to be sure. Looks like it's 47" long in total, with the body dimensions a max of 13"x20" If I do go for it, It might end up wrapped in a couple of blankets 🤣

Warmoth All parts Mighty Mite Off the top of my head...

Yep, the Nikki Sixx one 🤪 I'm looking at one tomorrow, maybe half- heartedly, but it might surprise me! The question; How Do I ascertain that both pickups are working as it has No Volume, No Tone and only a Kill Switch. All I can think of is to slacken a string and tap it against a pickup housing to see if I can induce any microphony in the two pickups separately. I won't have an amp- just my trusty Nux Mighty Plug and some headphones. Does anyone know if a T-Bird will fit in a generic rectangular case (at a slight angle if necessary) Or better still, a Warwick Rockbag? Thanks in advance!

I had a '90 fretless SR5. Pau Ferro 'board on that, too. Kinda wish I hadn't sold it.

Interesting, that! "Can I fit the stack in a .... " Was always the primary purchasing criterion when selecting a replacement vehicle! And for me, the required volume level was usually > the last one!

I'm not the GAS man either. Well, not for amps; they're just a tool for a job! Basses are where it's at for me!