Lfalex v1.1

Or go EADGCF? tuned in 4ths. Unless you particularly want access to guitar chord shapes- assuming you can stretch to them on the longer scale length. I've never tried.

+1 to whirlwind. I have 3 cables a mate gave me about 17 years ago. They're still fine, through gigs, rehearsals, hinge practise and studio work. The Klotz patch cables I had dramatically "dulled" the sound, so I never have investigated the full-length ones. Hopefully, they're better...

Chrome red? Looks like it...

The previous posts have covered MM pretty well, so I'll pick up two of the others.. I've tried several Ibanez ATKs. They get close to the sound, and are well made, but the necks seem quite large, even by my standards. Certainly larger than any Musicman model, which is what puts me off. One would be a bargain second-hand buy. I own a Fortress Masterman 5. Another used bargain. Typically good Warwick build and materials. Balances and plays well. A bit odd aesthetically, but tons of variations around a good core tone. But it's only hum-cancelling with the pan-pot in the centre position... I've been through a Musicman SR5, OLP MM3, Ibanez SRX 700 and Zoot Chaser to get to the Fortress... Whatever you do, try before you buy. And I would seriously advocate going second-hand. You might also want to consider the Corvette FNA or the Streamer Jazzman, plus the Status Groove... That didn't help much, did it?

I use an old Korg Pandora PX4•D with a pair of Sennheiser hd215 and my phone or a pair of Creative mp3 players. Works fine for me. The Korg is only noisy on "noisy" settings- high gain and tons of drive or distortion. The fx are alright. It is very even-handed, as I suspect nearly all half-decent amp/headphone combinations do. Your bass sounds as good as it is- it'll highlight the differences between rounds and flats or old/new strings. Makes all my based sound good in different ways, even on the same patch. EUB sounds colossal. Mine cost about £65 second-hand... Oh and you can amplify almost anything with a ¼" mono jack socket with it. Guitars Electric Cello Electric violin Mandolin And so on. A Good all-rounder.

Not much variety in terms of body shape, is there? Nor much scope for various pickup configurations outside what Sandberg think you ought to have. Other than that it's OK.

So is the answer to have a selection of basses? Fender P Fender J Ultra-modern active super-bass Modernised Super P or Super J - Lakland, Alleva, Sandberg, Sadowsky, Sei, Etc. Etc. Depending on budget, of course. Or Do we need a luthier to more precisely manufacture Fender designs as closely as possible without infringing their design rights. Or do you just go Fender Custom Shop? Personally, I have the best (Fender) Jazz 4 string I could find, a Yamaha Attitude and several "modern" basses. No modernised Super Jazz for me, though. I'd have to be a 5 string, and I'm not sure the design works as a fiver...

The bridges used on newer headless Status basses are not dissimilar. Generally good, but for someone raised on threaded intonation adjusters (or screws if you prefer!), they're a bit of a pain. That said, I did get a good set-up in the end. A lot of fiddling to and fro, though, and lots of tuning and de-tuning and retuning.

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1375691141' post='2164199'] Probably the only person who could get away with working with Manowar AND Peppa Pig! What a guy. [/quote] And Star Wars and Flash Gordon and Blake's 7 and the list goes on and on...

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1375548051' post='2162806'] The manual doesn't seem to mention using the USB as a power source at the early bit when it tells you how to switch it on, only at the very end 'specs' bit in passing. Nothing ventured... I just tried mine and, although the unit powered up, it made a god-awful noise when I plugged it all in. I am guessing it provides enough power to update the software etc but little else. [/quote] Not all USB chargers/adaptors are created equal. They supply 5v but have varying current capabilities. Maybe a bigger one would help?

Needs to be headless IMHO. The tuners are nicely done, but it still looks... Sleek/clever/well-designed/sleek/clever/[b]TELEGRAPH POLE[/b] Alright, maybe angle the tuners back a bit so they're not sticking out perpendicular to the neck. Normally, I'd not moan, but it IS supposed to be about design in this case...

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1375469628' post='2161991'] I mentioned once before here, the fun of working hard at something like music. Using these SMART techniques is not about 'business' it is about achievement and that is something that is neutral. The only 'business' here is the business of getting better at what you do. How you choose to use that newly acquired skill is entirely up to you. PS I don't think 'Simon Says' you HAVE to use it. It was just a suggestion [/quote] And herein lies the issue. Why do we [i]have[/i] to [i]achieve[/i] anything? Achievement isn't neutral. explain that concept to people who "fail" continually at things. And who is the ultimate arbiter of this success? (For me) The entire appeal of music is that there shouldn't be an aspect of pressure attached to it, self-imposed or otherwise. It's why tuition doesn't work for me. I realise it was just a suggestion, but it reads more like an edict.

Because it has no business component in it for me. I make no money from it, and do it as a hobby. From a personal perspective, if I were to even consider using such methodology, I might as well quit totally tomorrow as it's very introduction would remove any aspect of enjoyment from playing. For this sort of reason, I refused to study English A level. The study of literature destroys my interest in whatever I'm reading.

Another vote for "serrated rubber lozenge thingy"

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1375458546' post='2161740'] Should be a [s]hoot[/s] ROAR! [/quote] Fixed.

I'm waiting eagerly for the SWOT analysis... Edit- At work we specialise in SMT targets. They're specific, measurable and time-framed Just don't question their attainability or relevance. And just because it's smart, is its [i]imposition[/i] fairly administered? By Vulcans, maybe. By humans? No. Please don't mix business and pleasure.

I'd recommend experimenting with whatever you have access to or can otherwise beg/borrow/steal (OK, maybe not the latter!) Experiment with cab placement, eq and compression/fx (if any) to see what yields the most satisfactory results. I still haven't played my NS CR5 through anything but headphones via a Korg Pandora. Sounds enormous enough just through that.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1375054176' post='2156285'] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Buying a signature instrument is a great way of sounding like you, but at extra cost.[/font][/size] [/quote] Not always. I purchased an anniversary signature instrument (new) for not an awful lot of money. Less than a MIM Fender. It's a Yamaha. A Japanese made Yamaha. One of 300. It has Di Marzio pick-ups and a real (not licensed) Hipshot de-tuner. It's as well made and finished as my Vigier. A lot of people that tried it at bass bashes seemed to rate it.. I bought it because it was a good bass at a silly price. I still don't own any music player by the signature artist in question. But I do sound like a [i]larger[/i] version of me when I play it...

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1375047156' post='2156206'] Well there you go. If you have a certain technique and are prone to sticky, clammy hands you'll have a problem. If you don't, then you won't. [/quote] I have super-clammy hands. However, neck finish, width, profile and scale length seem to have little effect on me. Does this mean my fretting hand technique might actually be OK? [Worries]

Fender Jazz Yamaha Attitude Warwick Fortress Masterman 5 Warwick Streamer LX 6 NS CR5 upright electric

I have a B2a fiver. The fives have a slightly weak B, primarily due to the light weight of the instrument. The pre-amps are only alright, necessarily small and simple. On the upside, they're light, portable, well made, and the hardware is pretty good.

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1374994803' post='2155483'] Play it over and over again. That is the only way to remember something. Muscle memory is how you learn instruments after all [/quote] Yes. Practice until it becomes second nature. Like anything else you do you regularly. Habituation is king.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1374996937' post='2155494'] Can someone please explain the physics behind this? I'd have thought that putting hundreds of thousands of tinny scratches in the finish would increase the friction not decrease it. I can't help but think that glossy = sticky is either down to the wrong type of gloss finish or entirely psychological. Most of the basses I use have gloss finished necks and I've never noticed them being any different to the few I have with a more matt finish. The stickiest necks I ever encountered were on Warwicks that felt and looked like they had no finish on them at all. [/quote] I guess(and it really is a guess) that the rougher surface of a scotchbrited neck reduces the contract area - resulting in less friction whilst also channelling the moisture away- like drainage grooves on car tyres. Warwick necks ought to be unfinished, but some people wax/polish them. I find they can become sticky, but quickly rubbing any offending neck with a towel/ t shirt or lint-free drummer and they should be OK.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1374817641' post='2153515'] Completely depends on what type and make of string you are using and what sorts of sounds you want them to make. [/quote] This. And I think it's fair to say that many of us have more than one instrument, so the possibility exists that the different basses could use different types/ ages of string to achieve the desired effect. No compromises required.

Latency is negligible, since the DAC isn't trying to perform any DSP jiggery-pokery with the ones and zeroes. It just converts them to an analogue waveform. Quick as any performance-use digital technology you'd encounter- like digital fx units or even a Variax, and they don't seem to cause issues.