NancyJohnson

I saw this whole concept come through on Facebook earlier today and watched a short video from a European guy who'd done the wiring to an Epiphone SG and showed the process on a Strat of some kind. The SG (w/humbuckers) did sound quite mushy, but the Strat just sounded like it was being played hard through a clean amp (giving some clipping, which the user was able to control but rolling the pot on and off). Naturally I wondered whether the wiring/process would convert to a bass.

I don't have a bass available to try this but has anyone experimented with onboard passive distortion circuitry? In theory, it should be as simply as wiring a couple of diodes into a potentiometer, as shown by Josi's post below.

I like the simplicity of passive circuitry, but a few years back I bought a Spector Euro LT that had a Darkglass circuit and the thing was alive compared to my passive kit, so I went to active route on everything else. Updated John East/Darkglass circuits on all but two of my basses, the Spector Euro-X has (I think) an EMG circuit. I just feel that a cut/boost active circuit just gives you more control over what hits the preamp; lows, mids, highs, bright and therefore an almost infinite level of control combinations. This obviously is all subjective; this isn't to say that great tone doesn't exist from a VVT potted bass, because it does. Ultimately, use active circuits sparingly. It's not all about just having everything full on.

I know this is an oldish thread but given the title, I just figured the curios below may be of interest to the casual reader. This just popped up on my Facebook timeline - SB conversions. 8 string (EADG), odd six string (uncertain whether this is B-B or E-E) and a 9-string! Blimey.

I'm kind of of the belief that we're drawn to shapes and shiny things; while my preference is for a Thunderbird-esque body design, in reality if it's loaded with P/J pickups and passive VVT pots, it wouldn't/shouldn't sound significantly different to anything differently shaped with the same guts. (Please don't get me started on, cough, tonewoods.) The Jaguar. I played one a few years back. It was very pretty and shiny and was nice set up etc etc. The owner said that the switching options towards the upper horn were nice, 'but [I] normally leave them set like this (points at the switches) and play with everything fully open'. So he'd found his desired tone and didn't shift from that. In closing, Jaguar basses look nice, they're (IMO) more eye-turning than a Jazz or Precision and in part there's more appeal to me because not many people play them.

Nearly ten years on, it still makes me chuckle that the OP pitched this 'club' thread nonsense and disappeared a month later. I'm still uncertain whether the guy was just moist about a purchase, if he was actually a dealer from Turkey or in the employ of Adrian Maruszczyk. We're at 132 pages now.

I know I have some expensive kit/each to their own etc but you have to wonder who this appeals to as well...it can't be on many people's radar. Just because it's rare doesn't make it any good. £9k? Maybe they're just hoping some deep pocketed punter with a love of vintage kit (ie Noel Gallagher or Joe Bananamassive) might just pop in for it.

Doing it yourself? There's quite a few You Tube videos showing the process staining a body with amber/reddish/black dyes, then applying layers of clear coat/rubbing back and repeat.

I loved (LOVED) the Hellborg DR strings although they didn't last very long before going off. They were radically different from any string I'd used before. I still have a set that I'll put on something at some stage. The Dogal strings are/were made in Venice and they sold direct much to my annoyance I only found this out after we came back from the place. If these are as good as the DRs, it might be worth a punt.

This is definitely one of those albums for me that I bought several times; vinyl (twice), cassette, CD and then CD again. They could have put the Blu-ray out at $25 a pop and made a small fortune off that alone. Ack.

The sadness here is that the album didn't get a standalone 5.1 release. Boo!

I was in a band yonks ago who shared the ICP acronym. Individual Cheese Portions.