Lfalex v1.1

Does the S2 share electrics with the Streamline? I ordered mine with series/ parallel switches on both pickups. Waste of time. They sound too thin in series, and the level boost is quite considerable. The best bass I've had for series/parallel/single coil switching was a Stingray5. Musicman implemented it properly; The series and parallel options are reduced down to match the single coil output, so no volume jumps. Other filtering may also be employed. The pickup has a dummy coil for the single coil setting, so no hum (not relevant to this question) Unless you can find someone to add some sort of compensation to the switching, it's not worth it. I couldn't even EQ out the shortcomings. Different pickups might yield different results, but it didn't work at all well with the soapbars in my Streamline. It was a huge disappointment, and not worth the extra I spent to have it included.

(I don't own any all- tube devices) I believe that common wisdom for all types of amp is that the gain should be as high as possible without clipping or distortion. The idea being that this keeps the signal-to-noise ratio as high as possible before it reaches the power stage- preventing the power stage from reproducing said noise. This assumes that your gain stage isn't noisy itself, and that your cabinet can actually reproduce the result clearly enough to make it audible. Into a recording/PA desk via DI or through headphones might be more revealing.

Also useful for bringing double stops back into reach again! Used it on Nutshell (from Alice in Chains' Unplugged album. The Double stop is at D#, virtually unreachable from the playing position for the rest of the song. Bass in D standard, capo on 1st, and the D# is sitting there waiting.. Just what I wanted it for.

And you have flats on the SB-1, do you not? My SB-2 (Tribute, btw) has rounds on it, so very different. It works a bit like the way Jazz bass pickups interact. I end up using the P volume for level and tone/drive, then use the J like a tone (treble) control which also sucks a little mid out, too.

Try it with an SB-2. Two different flavoured pickups that do what you describe above. And then affect/ partially cancel each other's output dependent on their respective volume settings! Just as well they're only V/V!

@Frank Blank sent me a capo for nothing! What a top bloke! Curse the evil coronavirus for preventing me from meeting up with him. People like Frank make BC what it is.

Huge thanks to @Frank Blankfor sending me a G7! Have stuck it on the SB2 (in D standard) to make songs that rely heavily on the open E string or use it as a pedal note. Bingo. Does what it says on the tin! Thanks Frank. This is what BC is all about.

So would it be safe to say that Marc S won't be needing a Marquess .. 😉

The washers aren't even the main issue, it's just another issue from a poorly-made version of a perfectly adequate design. The internals are far worse. The original E tuner that failed had its pinion at the base of the tuning post completely stripped by the worm gear on the shaft. There was a load of swarf left in the case. I can feel the G tuner going- the post is already loose when not under string tension. I suppose that contacting Warwick would be an utter waste of time; they're unlikely to do anything about a 19 year old bass, and if they do, I expect another batch of crappy tuners that'll be ruined in 5 years. Edit- This whole caper is souring both the ownership experience for this bass and my opinion of Warwick "quality". I doubt I could bring myself to recommend them to anyone else, much less buy a new one myself based on 4 original tuners and one original one failing/ requiring replacement. I've only had one bass worse that this; the Amazing self-destructing Status Streamline. That (rightly) went.

Weight isn't much of an issue. It's already very body-heavy, so the odd gram or two won't make much odds!

I think you're right about then being licensed Gotoh units. They're certainly of very poor quality. Finish is okay, but they're too soft internally. I think the Real McCoy Gotohs are about £80 for a 2L/2R set.

Just looked at the prices; Warwick replacements- £8.64 each. Hipshot Licensed- about £16 each. US Hipshot- about £35 each. I wonder why Black Warwick tuners are dying on me? Has the hardware quality taken a downturn since the late 90s? I'm not exactly using heavy strings (45-100)

I made a music teacher cry once when I described one as a "Fretless Trumpet"

Will I have to re-drill the headstock for the screws? If so, expect a headstock like Emmental and even fewer fingers... Maybe I should engage the services of a luthier. Its a nice instrument and I don't want to turn it into firewood.

Thanks for the reply . I've had 2 other Warwicks, both from 1997. Neither suffered any tuner issues. I still own the Fortress V, and it's fine. Both of the others had JAN 1s, and no issues there. Might go for the JAN 3 in brass. The YouTube video made it look like an easy job to swap nuts. I fully expect the job to end my playing career when I cut off at least half my fingers tinkering with super-sharp blades...

And these are the Schaller items from the EUB. These won't fit (too long, tuning post is too small diameter, and the head isn't drilled/slotted) Do they do this design to fit the Warwick?

These are E and A, showing the split/collapsed washers. The E is only 5 years old. The G feels like it's going to shear its post like the original E did. It's definitely stripping inside when turned under load.

Argh! Just got my 2002 Infinty SN4 out of its case for a quick blast. Then I took the strings off to clean the fretboard. The pesky Just-a-nut 2 disintegrated as soon as I touched it 😡 Worse still, the tuners are in various stages of destroying themselves. I've already had to replace the E when it sheared the tuning post clean off and shot it across the room. Seems like everything north of the first fret is a catastrophe! I've basses that are much older and have seen heavier use, yet this one seems hell-bent on self destruction. Does anyone have any idea why? Regarding repairs and replacements, which is better ? JAN I JAN III Plain brass or Tusq nut As for tuners, what are the specs I need to determine if other manufacturers' tuners will fit? I'd prefer a direct replacement, and ideally a design without those collapsing nylon washers between the key and shaft. Do Schaller do something appropriate? The ones on my EUB are superb. Thanks in advance (an irascible) Alex.

Nice bass there, mister.

I'd contend that the single greatest contributor to poor bass sound is down to the room it's being used in and how they're set up 8 foot ceilings cause a boost ~50hz. We're all familiar with that "I can't hear it, but the audience can" and "it's firing past my ankles" feeling. That's why I favour a pre-amp for "my sound" which feeds the desk, and then feeds the amp proper which I endeavour to EQ to compensate for the environment it's in so I can at least hear it. Other alternatives; IEMs or a wedge for on stage sound, using a cab for backline only.

Only if it's a BC Rich..

Looks almost like a "right way up" SBV..

Good points. The only reason I've adopted D standard on one bass is for playing along to other bands that are already so tuned. I'd not even consider it in the context of an originals band. I'd use a fiver as well, and likely opt for harmony or counter-melody rather than following the roots notes, certainly for verses (if the structure exists)

Yep. I was going to ask why the OP needs a lot of real-world lf extension? Gigging without PA support? Am I right in thinking that Hoffman's Iron law relates to the parameters of compactness, bass extension and sensitivity; you can only have any two, but at the expense of the third. For example: you can have oodles of bass and good sensitivity, but not in a small box.

Daft or not, that's how I'm going to get E standard from D standard on my SB-2. Capo on the second. It's that or adopt the Zon Michael Manring Hyperbass approach; a de-tuner on all 4 strings! 🤣