Lfalex v1.1

Nearly every headless I've encountered that uses DBE strings or has the ball-ends at the bridge uses a zero fret. Allied to the tension, the slots in the "headpiece" keep the string straight, but don't accurately control it's height, making action adjustments (as though filing a nut slot deeper) impossible. Enter the zero fret- this can easily be ground to give the desired action. They're often hardened or stainless to resist wear and tear from the strings constantly being in contact with them. An added bonus is that "open" notes supposedly sound more like their fretted counterparts as technically they're still over a fret and not a nut of a different material... You'd need a clean signal chain, new strings and golden ears to notice that, I reckon.

Is it usual to have two output jacks, one for each instrument? I thought it was the norm to have some sort of switch to toggle between them? Allows for separate FX chains, though, and nothing some sort of line selector pedal wouldn't fix.

You might still have to adjust (slacken) the truss-rod when you switch to BEAD. Also, I've a feeling the slots are cut for (roughly) EADG gauges, with the larger B slot only appearing on the fives. You could always take a file to it, I suppose...

I had some Fender strings on my old S1 Jazz (as one might expect!) Think they were 7130s or 7160s. No idea what they were material-wise, but they lasted ages, as did the DR Sunbeams that replaced them.

There's not really a "right or wrong", I'd say it's more down to personal preference. Also, not all brands/types of construction behave or feel the same when drop-tuned. I'm perfectly ok with my 100 E string dropped to D on a 4 string, I just need to remember that the tension has lessened a bit and not to dig in too much. That said, I play 5s more frequently, so the issue doesn't arise much.

I favour 45,65,80,100 (and whatever gauge works best for Low B on the fives) I don't feel that I'm missing out on bottom end. It does seem that these particular sets are getting harder to source; they certainly are in Elixirs, for example.

So recently, that's Trace Elliot, SWR, Eden, Tec Amp... 😨

Here's the best recording I can find of mine in a band setting; think the intro shows how the Passion s3 cuts through. Carousel.mp3

I own a Passion 5 s3. I've used it for all sorts of music, including heavy stuff, and it's never let me down. I've also tried an Excess 4 and a couple of Passion 5 s4. They're all very well made and play consistently well. Only oddity I've found with my particular instrument is the way it interacts with effects units (especially OD/distortion), possibly due to the low-impedance (600 Ohm) output. Not an issue with the s4, as I don't think the Glockenlang pre has a low-impedance output. Best bet? Try some out.

Oi! Teebs! NO MORE WANKELS! (not even animated ones)

My TE sort of went loud. I suppose most people would classify it as loud. I arguably never drove the pre hard enough to get the best out of it. Swapping to a pre amp and bridged power amp (Ampeg and QSC) that easily gave twice the power and had a fourfold increase in damping factor was an eye-opener.

Wasn't the bass version of those guitars something like a Marlin Sidewinder? Talk about mixing your animal metaphors. Edit- Nope. That's something else. It's just a Maverick bass. Still with the Volume controls in the edge though.

The 'net says somewhere between 41 and 46 kg dependent on model. A Trace 1048h is about that, too.

Potentially quite a nice spec. Not keen on the ashtray myself, but the matching headstock and ebony fretboard are nice touches. Think I'd put black control knobs on it.

I saw Monster Magnet on the "Dopes to Infinity" Tour. One of the best pieces of band/crowd interaction I've seen. Dave Wyndorf was merrily stage diving, and they "fed" a cheap old strat copy to the crowd while it was still running (via heavily gaffa'd attached wireless) into the PA. Soundman mixed the racket into the song while Wyndorf egged everyone on. They were just pure (Stoner) Rock n Roll, like a slower, dozier Motörhead. It was a small club (Subterranea), and I think that suited them better than a larger setting.

Those were the thoughts I was having while making my previous post; "Were I to get a budget bass, I'd give it the best set-up that it could take, then swap out the strings for some decent ones when the originals die." (It never ceases to amaze me how poor the intonation is on some basses when you purchase them) I had a Squire VM Jazz that I was (gently) modifying. It gained black Schaller control knobs and a BadAss II. It took a really good set-up and was arguably better made than my US Jazz. I put some DR Fatbeams on it and it played very well indeed. Alas that I had to sell both jazzes to help raise funds at a difficult time. Pickups would've been next....

Even now I wouldn't rule some of those out if I were in the market for an instrument of that type. I reckon it's possible to coax at least one decent tone out of most of those basses, and in the sonic chaos of some live environments, even the most discerning of punters would struggle to tell that you were playing a less- expensive instrument.

Skimmed through it. No mention of anything I've used in the last 20 years, nor any of the more interesting alternatives; DR Fatbeams/Sunbeams "Regular" Elixirs for electric basses TI jazz or flats... I could be tempted by Cobalts, but regular Slinkys feel like fret-eating cheese graters to me. Round Rotosounds just don't last, but if I had something like an Ibanez SRH500f then their tapewound flats might be nice. I'll be headed to Newtone when the time comes to re- string the Stick..

Most of "They Might be Giants" output.

It was recently out of warranty and I couldn't prove that the lacquer cracks weren't my fault, so I didn't approach them. It had gone out of warranty by this point and I wasn't prepared to face the possibility of spending more money on it, so I sold it on.

It was a joke alright. I wasn't laughing, though. Use of the past tense deliberate. Bought from new. Sold on at a massive loss. Wouldn't have another. Shame it wasn't the one bass in Leicester Square incident. I'd have simply given it to them.

Gosh. That's a choice. Must go and listen to "Animation" again at some point. Guitar "combinations" I like; Stuart Adamson/Bruce Watson - Big Country, especially the old "bagpipe" style sounds. Eric Peterson/Alex Skolnick - Testament Raging Slab - the ever- changing mixture of rhythm/lead/picking/slide from the 3 guitarists.

My Streamline was a disaster. De- laminating fretboard, cracking lacquer, issues with the string clamp when not using DBE strings, poor implementation of series/ parallel switching. Also the only bass I've owned that had a batttery leak in it. /tangent

Looks like he has the same reliability issues with Status as I did... and even mine did a few gigs on its own before it started to dismantle itself. Still only ever used one bass at a gig. The venues that I played at meant it was just one more item to keep an eye on. If I'd had two on the evening that two large less-than-gentle men wanted to relieve me of my Warwick, I'd not have been quick enough to lose them across Leicester Square... Ah, those were the days!