Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Osiris

⭐Supporting Member⭐
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,000

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Osiris

  1. Osiris
    You're welcome The above are just my opinions as I remember them a few years down the line, but Fender have notoriously variable quality control, so what we experienced with the models we in our hands had may not apply to every model out there. @Adee may be able to add his own thoughts and recollections to that day way back when. But the one thing I do recall is that I was so impressed with Adees' JMJ that I bought my own a couple of weeks later!
  2. Osiris
    I stand corrected, you're right, the Keeley does go to infinity to 1
  3. Osiris
    Myself and the lovely @Adee compared a few Mustang variants 3 or 4 years ago, I did write a detailed post summarising my thoughts at the time but I can't seem to find it now, but as I recall the edited highlights were, IMO; Mexican PJ, decent little bass and has those classic Fender sounds. No frills build quality but solid enough in its own right. Slim jazz like neck profile. Limited sounds from the 3 way selector switch but a blend pot mod really opens up the flexibility for only a few £. American Performer, feels better quality in terms of construction, hardware and finish compared to the Mexican but tonally very bland, the Mex had way much more inherent character in its sound. This just sounded like a bass, any bass but with no real personality of its own. At the time I think it was nearly 3 times the cost of the Mexican but not worth it, IMO. Same slim neck profile as the Mexican. JMJ - the king of the hill by a mile. It simply oozes character with its big powerful tone and chunky but comfortable neck. The fake roadworn look is a bit naff and not particularly well done, certainly when compared to something like a Sandberg relic job, but once you plug it in and play it you can forgive the aesthetics. It sounds a feels like a Precision, only smaller and easier to play. Oh, and stick some rounds on it, forget flats! Vintera - we didn't have one to try but I have played one in a shop before and I have no real feelings about it either way, I don't remember anything astounding or underwhelming about it. Squire VM - felt like a cheap option, which it is! Not a bad bass for the money and potentially a reasonable platform to mod to your own preferences. So, IMO, if you like Precisions and a big grin inducing tone, the JMJ is without doubt the one to go for. At the time we compared them the American was way more expensive than the Mexican (£1000 vs £400 at the time, I think?) but I prefered the tone of the cheaper Mexican. The American one felt nice, but not £600+ nicer. The Vintera is a decent enough bass but if you're looking to spend that sort of money, spend a little more and get a JMJ.
  4. Osiris
    When done right compression really helps bring your bass to life in the mix and adds an extra dimension to the sound, it's hard to quantify but you'll know it when you hear it. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, you really need to understand compression to get the best from it, what each control does, how they interact with one another and so on. But once you get it, there's no looking back! You and I have locked horns over this subject in the past, and I'm not looking for handbags at dawn again but... The above is not strictly true. Technically speaking, limiting is when you use a ratio of infinity to one, where everything that crosses the threshold is flatlined, it does not increase in volume proportional to the ratio. You can still compress using the above scenario whereby the peaks that cross the threshold are compressed in proportion to the ratio e.g. a 2 dB spike over the threshold only increases by 1 dB using a ratio of 2:1, or an increase of 0.5 dB with a 4:1 ratio, and so on. The Keeley, IIRC, has a maximum ratio of 10:1 so not technically a true limiter in that regard depending on how pedantic one wishes to be, as there would still be a small volume increase above the threshold.
  5. Osiris

    Pedalboard qs

    Osiris replied to ped's topic in Effects

    Dual lock is also available in a low profile version, I have some and with both sides joined together it's only a couple of mm deep, pedals certainly feel more stable than with traditional, thicker velcro. As others have said it's very strong if a little pricey.
  6. Osiris
    ::wanders across stage to the guitarist(s):: "You need to turn your wall of Marshalls up, nobody can hear you."
  7. Osiris
    I found a similar thing with my Lionel too, although I always run an HPF to keep the lows in check and find that a little push around 250-300Hz usually worked for me, and then pulling the high end down a touch on the EQ. But in a moment of madness I tried fitting the flats that came with my JMJ (stock Fender long scale) to the 'Berg and it totally changed the sound and feel of the bass, I appreciate that this is probably stating the obvious, but to me it was a revelation as I am definitely not a flats guys, I've never been able to get on with the dull lifeless thud that the ones I'd previously tried gave. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much different there was in the bass responded, especially with the band, and I really appreciate the change in tone, more of a traditional tone with fuller mids but still with plenty of clarity. But I didn't care for the high tension of the Fender flats so I picked up a cheap set of D'Addario Chromes flats off the forum to try and now it sounds how I always wanted it to sound, it's still deep when you want it to be but requires less EQ'ing to get the sound that I want, kind of a traditional, passive vibe. From what I've read, the Chromes are pretty bright as far as flats go, they sound more like a worn in round wound, which is my usual tonal preference. Of course, this might not be the sound that you're looking for but it worked for me and might be worth a try before breaking out the soldering iron
  8. Osiris
    I was about to post that very thing 😀 I have one and it's perfect for a JMJ, no need to take the neck off, just slot the end of the tool into the groove (nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean) and give it a turn and job done. The only place Google shopping is showing up as having UK stock is here but I'm pretty sure I paid a lot less than that for mine. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202652853522?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQjwj_ajBhCqARIsAA37s0zq8x-NFzPN-XXWuSmxjdgnpgkcUgrd7NU3Z_4k8tC1vj09OmOFW1UaAmzaEALw_wcB
  9. Osiris
    In my experience, yes. My JMJ had gone from the stock Fender flats to some D'Addario rounds. Both long scale, no issues with tone or intonation, just take care when first fitting them, particularly the E string, but once fitted they've proven to be trouble free in my experience.
  10. Osiris
    I've played short scales exclusively for a few years now and have always strung them with long scale strings, mostly because I bought a job lot of strings when they were on offer years ago so I have a surplus to get through! I've never had any problems with using long scale strings on short scale basses, yes you end up with an extra turn around the machine head post and the E sting can sometimes look a bit dodgy as you usually end up with some of the fat part of the string wrapped around the post, but honestly it's not a problem, IME. That's 6 or 7 different basses with maybe a couple of string changes each. And as a JMJ owner, rounds all the way. Mine came with Fender flats fitted from the factory and it always felt a little subdued but once it was fitted with a set of rounds it really opened up the high end without getting abrasive or brittle, just more clarity and definition. It makes the JMJ more Precision like, you already have a subdued top end from being a short scale, why dull it more unless you want that 60's vibe? You can always back your tone off too!
  11. Osiris
    I'd just like to say a big thank you to Ander for very graciously lending me a pedal to try out for a couple of days. What an absolute gent 😎
  12. Osiris

    Boss LMB3

    Osiris replied to BassAdder60's topic in Effects

    No, I don't get that issue but I seem to think I've read somewhere of others having the same problem. My basses are all passive too but none have an excessively high output.
  13. Osiris
    This is my review of the HB Mustang after its gigging debut a few weeks ago.
  14. Osiris
    Interesting reading. I also own both models and have played and gigged both, I did post my thoughts about the HB after gigging it for the first time, I'll try and find the post and copy it here. But in my experience, they both sounded very different as you said but I was highly impressed with how the HB sounded, and mine is still stock, no pickup changes or blend pot mods. The JMJ is your classic big, fat and punchy Precision sound and the HB is a much cleaner and clearer modern sounding bass, IMO, IME. One thing to ponder is the consistency between the models, I'd hope the custom shop pickup in the JMJ (Seymour Duncan?) are pretty much consistent in terms of tone. But the same may not be true of the cheaper HB, the pickups in mine sound great, IMO, a little mid shy for my tastes but with deep and clear lows without sounding bloated, and a clear high end that doesn't get shrill. Maybe it's personal taste, or maybe I just got a good one and you got a bit of a turd with regards to the pickups?
  15. Osiris

    Boss LMB3

    Osiris replied to BassAdder60's topic in Effects

    It sounds like you were just unlucky, I'm currently on my third or fourth one - over the years I just keep coming back to it after assuming that something more expensive and exotic must be better, and ending up disappointed and invariably missing what the LMB does - and I've never had any noise issues like you described. That's running them on batteries, daisy chains and from a Truetone CS6. I've even got a cheap and cheerful GLX branded clone that I picked up on ebay for about a fiver, boxed and immaculate, that runs on a daisy chain at home and it also noise free.
  16. Osiris
    I'm sure I read about a simple mod that can be done to these to add a series/parallel switch, or a push/pull pot. Can't remember where I read it but it'll hopefully turn up from a Google search, but it was claimed it makes the pickup much bigger and more aggressive sounding if I remember correctly. It's be a quicker and cheaper upgrade if nothing else!
  17. Osiris

    Boss LMB3

    Osiris replied to BassAdder60's topic in Effects

    The trouble with sharing settings for compressors is that what works for me will almost certainly not work for you, moreso with compression than for any other pedal, unfortunately. There's too many variables to give a one size fits all answer even for a pedal as simple as the LMB-3. I can, however, give you some pointers but after that you'll have to figure out what works for you. For example, you mention a Stingray, which as far as I'm aware, is a pretty high output active bass whereas I prefer passive basses, which usually are lower output. This has a huge affect on the optimum threshold setting. First of all, make sure you understand what each control does. That's not meant to sound patronising or condescending in any way, but to get the best out of compression you really need to understand what each parameter does and how it impacts the signal and interacts with the other controls. Much of the misunderstanding that often gets said about compression is usually down to people not really understanding how to set them up properly. The most important control is the threshold, setting it too low and everything gets squashed leading to the compressors kill your dynamics argument. Too high a threshold and the signal gets through unchecked. I set my threshold so that the peaks are capped but the rest of the signal is untouched, that keeps things even but retains playing dynamics. Depending on the bass this can be anywhere between around 3-4 o'clock at the highest down to around 1 o'clock for my lowest output bass. The threshold control works backwards to what you might expect, when the control is fully clockwise you're adding the least amount of squash, and with the control fully anticlockwise you're crushing everything. The ratio controls how much squash is applied. The LMB-3 goes from 1:1 (no squash) to infinity:1 (where nothing gets past the threshold). I set mine around 10-11 o'clock~ish which feels like it's around 3:1 to 4:1~ish. For me this adds a pleasing punchy edge to the tone. The enhance control I tend to not bother with, or just add a touch for my darkest sounding bass. Volume to unity so as not to overload anything further downstream. Hope this helps, but as I mentioned earlier, you really need to understand what each parameter is doing to find your optimum setting.
  18. Osiris
    Just received a set of strings from Sean in a very quick and easy transaction. That's a big thumbs up from me 👍
  19. Osiris
    That's just greedy!
  20. Osiris
    That's good to know, cheers corporal (I believe you've recently been promoted). It's a mod that I had initially considered, but my two main gigging basses are P pickup only configuration, albeit they're very different in terms of tone. So I really enjoy the tonal variation of the PJ pickups in the HB even though you can't blend between them. I just treat mine as having its own unique voice, but one that works with many different styles of music as it is. As you say, in the mix nobody is going to notice, which is also my conclusion based on lots of hours of use with my bands.
  21. Osiris
    I've not noticed any neck dive with mine and I've done plenty of gigs with it. But I do use a wide leather strap (around 100mm or 4" ) with suede backing which is very grippy and holds the bass in position. But I can't vouch for how it would balance with straps made from other materials. But I know what you mean about the lack of body contours but I find it comfortable and haven't had any issues playing it either seated or on a strap. For the record I have my strap length adjusted so that the bass sits in the same position when standing as when seated so it's sitting over my lower ribs. You may need to adjust your right hand position a touch due to the lack of a front contour but that only took me a couple of minutes to get used to.
  22. Osiris
    I've just googled the PJB ear box as I wasn't familiar with it, but it's two 2.5" drivers according to what I found so when you describe a wasp like buzz my first thought is that the compressor may be adding a gain boost that's pushing the drivers too hard so that they're distorting. Have you set the compressor - and the Noble - so that they're at unity, i.e. the same volume as when they're on and off? If you're using one or the other, or both, to boost the signal try backing off the volume to see if the buzz goes away. The Cali76 is made with high quality components so hopefully hasn't developed a fault, my guess is that the tiny drivers in the ear box are struggling to reproduce sufficient low end at the volumes you want. Do you have any other speakers you can try swapping out for the PJB to help with the problem solving?
  23. Osiris
    The JMJ is a fantastic bass and more than justifies the hype it recieves. But as for flats, I felt that it sounded a little suffocated with the stock Fender flats, which from what I've read are pretty bright as far as flats go, but once it was strung with a set of rounds it really came to life. More detail and clarity as you'd expect but still with that short scale thump. Rounds also help accentuate that Precision-esque low mid thump too, IMO.
  24. Osiris
    All valid points. However, as this thread demonstrates, their customer service is extremely variable. It's more often than not faultless, but they do seem to make arguably more than their fair share of mistakes. But it's how those mistakes are rectified - or not - which is the divisive issue. My own experiences of visiting the shop many times have ranged from great to a trade deal that was incompletely managed and my repeated queries were met with apathy and not even a cursory attempt to put things right. That was a few years ago and I've not used them since. But prior to this I'd had many positive experiences visiting the shop and had made numerous purchases including 2 or 3 basses, an amp and several odds and sods. I don't think there's anyone posting on this thread who actively wants BD to fail, quite the opposite as we're all bass nerds after all. As you say, they're a niche specialist in an increasingly tough economic climate and a company that I once supported and spent a lot of money with. They're only human and they make mistakes, we all acknowledge that even if we don't like it. However, I just don't think their current customer service model is sustainable for the long term.
  25. Osiris
    Absolutely, rounds all the way on the JMJ! It didn't sound too bad with the stock flats, and I say that as someone who doesn't really care fort flats, but once I fitted some rounds it really came to life, much more clarity and definition without being bright or shrill, and it still have those thumping lows. I'm not one for a Marcus Miller high end but it just sounded a little suffocated with flats, but rounds open it up to a more full range tone.
×
×
  • Create New...