dave_bass5

Wow, aren’t there plenty of fantastic jazz basses at a fraction of the cost of a Sadowsky?

playing with a pick gave me the advantage of resting my forearm on the body, so forward tilting wasn’t as much of an issue compared to neck tilt, but you get used to it. I have read that some put the strap pin on the top horn like a traditional bass, but you do need to put a block of wood inside as the screw can easily be pulled out through the thin body.

I think (i do a lot of this) that each bass has its peaks and troughs in the tone spectrum. Same goes for pedals. In a band situation certain freq will also get lost as they clash with other instruments. The trick is finding the right combination in that environment, which isnt necessarily l the same as playing at home where every freq is audible. Its a fun journey to get there though.

I think it would, thats why i made the comment about having a Blend to bring some of it back.

if this is in relation to my earlier comments, just bare in mind i wasn't talking about the lows, but more the overall tone of the bass.

Had another rehearsal with my WL-20L last night and no issues at all. Different room though (our normal room). Glad that they were stable, worried they might not always be.

Hmmmm, i dont believe you have used this in a band situation though. Apologies if i have that wrong.This is where it really matter IMO. And im not talking about low end, as much as overall character. Still, i hear very good things about this box.

Im not sure if im losing any low end as such, and it can be put back, but it definitely loses a bit of punch, but then what doesn't when using something without a blend. Ill bring it over, and the COG, when i get back off holiday.

Yes, but not in a suddenly sounded weak sort of way. To my ears (and see above the gear i was using), it became smoother, lost a bit of low mid punch which is what i love about the P34, but useable as it never dropped below the volume i was at before engaging it. I had the Bass and Treble turned up very slightly, Drive on about 11 o'clock and Level about 10 o'clock. Engaging the pedal gave a bit of a spread to the tone but never made the low end sound a bit empty, and this filled out the low end nicely when my guitarist was soloing etc. Im not up on all the other OD's etc, so can only really comment on what i have, and have used, but this one seems to just work as i expected it to, without the need to keep tweaking it. No darkening of the tone like the DG pedals, no Sansamp scoop (which i have depended on for years), no fizz (although that was probably masked by the cab), just a nice warm break up.

Last night i was using my BH800 head a big old 2x12, which had hardly any top end and a rattle on some low notes, so the Mid setting had more clarity. To my ears (and i have used this cab before) the Fat setting was a lot closer to the Mojomojo, at least in warmth and saturation, but i found turning the Treble up had a more noticeable effect compared to doing the same with the MM. I even found i used it as an always on for a few songs, so very happy to have got this for such a small outlay.

Just back from rehearsals, and the SB is a keeper (for now anyway). Just the right amount of tone change, and i was surprised that i used the Mid setting as well as the Fat setting. Nice warm break up, or nastier dirt with ease. I suppose its not the best out there, but much more versatile for me over the Mojomojo. Very happy.

I work in print and we do various thickness of business cards, going from 300gsm up to 450gsm and sometimes beyond. There can be quite a difference in thickness, especially for this task.

I measure mine like Carl from Lakland shows in a video on YT. He puts a feeler gauge of the thickness he wants on the 8th fret, then uses a straight edge (like an 18" steel ruler) placed along the frets going up the neck. If the ruler rocks back and forth then the relief is not enough. I normally go for a pretty flat .010 but recently been trying .012 or a bit more, although strangely my P34 wont go to that. It keeps dropping back to .010. I understand those that say just go by feel, but when im setting up my basses i know that if i use a common amount of relief then i can (in theory) get the action common across the basses as well. Doesn't always work out that simple but it does seem to speed things up for me.

This is what happened to me when i got my MM. used it once at a rehearsal and put it away. At the time i wasn't sure what i was looking for, but it wasn't that. I kept it because i know my tastes change. Now im happy to use it but i dont expect i will now i have the SB.

Got a rehearsal tonight so ill report back. I am optimistic that it will be better than the MM, which i'd say is warmer and a bit darker, but id still like a blend knob on it. There is just something about the P34 that i love without any effect and i feel both the MM ad SB take some of that way. Less so with the SB though so i think its a keeper for now.

Picking up on the above, and also only owning it for a day, i can understand the comment about the P bass. my Fender P sounded a bit muddy, BUT my P34 sounded noticeably clearer with just the neck pup. I find this to be true between the two basses anyway, so its not really a comment on the pedal itself, plus the P34 has the ability to dial in a bit more bite from the bridge pup. Ive also found this to be true using the Mojomojo. It just didnt work for me using my Fender, a bit too warm sounding. So yeah, works with some but not all.

Ive never had issues with truss rod adjustment, and i do it under tension if im loosening it, or i loosen the strings if tightening it (sometimes). Strangely my new bass has no nut resistance at all to get it to the relief i want. i think i might have issues later on. it does grip if i tighten it so its not stripped.

Cheers. I like the fat setting the best, but also feel the Mid setting keeps the character of the bass more. Lots of experimentation to be done but overall i like how it doesnt change too much of the natural tone.

Got my Spark today and so far I’m impressed. Only used it with headphones and my Spectradrive, but good call @Jazzmaster62 on getting this over the BB. If nothing else ive saved quite a bit. I compared it to the Mojomojo and it does seem more open. Dirt is more than enough, although I’ll know tomorrow night when i go to rehearsals. I’m not sure if this is THE ONE, but out of all the OD/drive pedals i have its the closest to what I’m looking for.

And to think, he designed all those Sire basses without breaking in to a sweat lol. I get the impression Sire are pulling out all the stops to promote this one. I bet they have a lot riding on this.

I must say ive been amazed at how well dirt works for helping sound clean but punchy in the mix.

Good post Krispn, makes a lot of sense. I do in fact have my Mojomoj to be slightly louder when its on, as i find with mild dirt things can get a bit lost, so i wasnt too worried about the TH having a boost, but it just seemed to make me suddenly jump out of the mix, and didnt seem easily controllable. When i had my Q/strip I found that careful use of the upper mids could actually get me more dirt, without even using a OD/Drive. This sounded more natural to me, but of course thats not a Motown tone.

I also find neither of my Yamahas sound as P bass as my Fender, but for me that seems to be a good thing. The Yamaha’s have a bit more clarity to them. Then again the P34 doesn’t sound like the 425 either. The 425 has a fuller tone to my ears, but I still prefer the P34 and I don’t really depend on a certain bass for anything, so it’s P34 all the way. As I play with a pick im never going to get too close to authentic Motown anyway Good to hear the Spark isnt too far off the mojomojo I’m hoping it will fix the small niggles I have with the MM

Yes, sorry if i wasnt clear. My idea was to have it on all the time giving a nice warming tone, and then hit the switch and get dirtier, but without a noticeable jump in volume. Just flat, or at least to my liking. Just using the Mojomojo for certain songs rather than always on. I don’t find a huge jump in tone when engaging it.

Yes, you will find that there’re are so many shared features within the Sire range that it can get a bit ‘samey’. Almost all have the same preamp and bridge, and many have the newer rolled edge necks.