adamg67

Progress. Thanks to this page on the Nordstrand site: https://nordstrandaudio.com/blogs/news/phase-let-s-work-together with a handy tip for checking polarity, it was easy to confirm that the Delano pup has different phase for each half of the split, which is not what I would expect (but Im' no expert). The Nordstrand has the same phase for each half (it presumably has each half magnetised a different way, and the coils in opposite directions). Neither pickup can be modified to fix this without losing hum cancelling.

But, just realised, if I do that I will lose the hum cancelling?

I just want to check that I’m looking at this right... I’ve just dropped a Nordstrand NP5 split coil P pup into my Maruszczyk Jake, replacing a Delano PMVC 5 FE/M2. There’s a Delano MC 5 FE/M2 at the bridge, which is a quad coil. With the NP5 fitted, I was getting low output from the middle position on the blend, so with both pups in parallel. No problem, just out of phase... except when I tested it properly, I get low output from the top half wired one way, and low output from the bottom half the other way round. The NP5 has the two halves wired together already, so there’s nothing else to change. So... knowing that the other pup is a quad coil, it looks like that is wired differently to the NP5 as far as the phases of the two halves in relation to each other. If I want to keep those two pups I’ll need to reverse the polarity of one half of the NP5 in relation to the other, so basically just swap the wires to one of the halves. Does that sound right? Thought it was worth checking before I start snipping wires.

There are definitely apps, that's what the iPad + iRig + Amplitube solution mentioned above a few times uses to do the actual modelling. Could be other tablet / other interface / other app, I'm sure there are many now. Works a treat.

Ibanez SRC6 is pretty hard to beat, and IMO with the right strings can handle bass parts no problem, and sound like a guitar on the higher end as well.

Someone's already mentioned iPad + iRig, if I'm away from home I usually take the ipad anyway, so all I need to take is the iRig, some ear bud phones and a short lead. No mains required either so long as the iPad is charged up, although I've got the extra charger thingy for the iRig. You do need something like Amplitube though to get amps & stomps, I splashed and got the full thing as I was playing g**tar quite a bit at the time so I'm not sure how cheaply it can be done. Works for me, never noticed any latency at all (iPad pro).

Straps aren't too hard to find, but most have those alloy clips. I just replace them with karabiners or maillons (but then I have a stash from when I used to climb)

I use Schaller ones and like them, mine have two nuts holding the strap half on, which seems to lock them on really well, and getting the body end nice and secure is just the same as with any screw, mine came with two sizes and I just take care to get the right size or fill and drill if they're not good. All my basses and guitars have them now. I had some cheaper ones before that, can't even remember the brand but they were bulky and harder to use. They win over the washer / rubber ring things because they make swapping instruments live so easy, just unhook the lower strap button and you're off, no need to throw it over your head, then flip the strap from the new over your shoulder and clip it in. Handy even at home and rehearsals, the light fittings are a lot safer now.

I just put part 2 of the plan into action and went from flats to rounds on the Elwood (active Jazz with Haussel J pickups), and that now sounds bloody brilliant as well. If only I'd listened to what people said on BC in the first place. What did they say, you ask? I've no idea, I didn't listen.

I've sold various things in various places. eBay has been what you would expect, mainly fine with the occasional idiot, but I've never sold anything of great value on there. Facebook I'm not so keen on unless I'm delivering, and even then you can end up in dodgy places, but then I've mainly sold bigger things like furniture and it wouldn't matter if I was posting stuff. On the buying side of FB I once picked some alloy wheels up from Grimethorpe and was weighing up my chances of getting out of there with wallet and car. BC has been universally kind to me, like this: I've had decent deals buying and good experiences selling, but none of it was high end stuff, more in the up to £300 area. I'll usually try BC first for selling anything musical. The Items Wanted page is great, the MB cab wasn't the first time I found someone looking for something I was selling.

This one really does my head in. My Markbass Multiamp (pre 2015, don't know if they fixed it with the later one) does this, why would it ever be useful?

Yeah, it's worth remembering that they do things that aren't on the configurator. Mine was configurated as a start and then had a couple of extra things to make it perfect.

I would only worry about shielding with single coil pickups anyway, and even then I thought it was more of a guitar thing, because of the high gain which will amplify any hum. I did it on a Telecaster, but I've never worried about it on a bass.

I think a few people do switchable ones, I'll have a look around.

Woah. Whatever I was expecting, it was not that. So many questions...

There's nothing in the Darkglass software to change the DI, I think they have just gone for the amp approach of line level DI, but with an XLR socket. It's probably the same circuit they use in amps. I might get hold of one of these to stick in my gig bag for the times when the sound bod isn't happy with line level: https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/accessories/a15la

I hadn't come across those, they look good - I've got a JDI but I want another DI box that's very transparent and will definitely take line level input, for the odd times when the sound engineer can't cope with the fact that my amp DI is line level not mic level, or when I've only got a mic pre to go into. Sounds like the EMO would fit the bill?

This seems pretty generally useful so I'll put it here... I've been looking at DI and DI boxes recently and came across this, sods law says it won't have the DI you're interested in but it does show the differences between them, and the way that some of them are deliberately not transparent which can be good or bad depending what you want. I love my Radial JDI because I don't need anything except a bass and the DI for it to sound good, and that's because it does smooth things out a bit. Anyway: https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/direct-box-comparison-bass-guitar/

Ah, it never occured to me that I might be able to change it via USB, I'll check that out. Doing a bit more reading, it seems like a common problem with amps and DI, many of them use line level from a balanced XLR and at least some sound engineers don't know how to deal with that at the desk. It looks inconsistent with pedals - some definitely do DI like a DI box would (MXR, Palmer pocket amp, Bassbone).

The DI out from the darglass seems massively too hot for a mic input, it's not a case of tweaking it, it's a case of having to turn everything down to absolute minimum and then if you accidentally press the "bypass" footswitch (or wanted to use just the cab sim) you will suddenly get a signal that sends all the meters very red. It's line level, so literally 1,000 times the voltage of mic level.

I've never really undertood DI on pedals and amps being line level when a DI box, with the same output jack, produces mic levels. It's easy enough to use an XLR -> TRS cable and I do at home, but for gigs it seems to throw some (admittedly fairly amateur, or maybe just old school) sound engineers. Just the thing of having the same connector handle two kinds of signal seems weird. Case in point is the DG Vintage Microtubes Ultra I just bought, where the DI is line level. Are all powered DI pedals like that? It seems like when the stage has a snake the XLR cables all go to the mic inputs on the desk, so if you have line level DI do you put it through a nice clean passive DI box, or do you try and get it run into a line input on the desk? Or am I just missing something? My passive Radial JDI is mic level, as are most things that call themselves "DI Boxes" as far as I can tell, and that has caused way fewer problems than anything else, no power required either, but obviously not much flexibility which is why I was after a pedal with a few more options and DI out. Are there any like that which produce mic level?