Trueno

Another member of the KiOgon loom fanclub. I can vouch for John's helpfulness and (in my case) patience. I've converted my MIM PJ Mustang from on/off PJ selector switch to a VVT control, via a dual volume control... and got improved tone as well. Basic sound (with flat eq) is clearer, louder... and my amp is quieter. Pic attached. I will probably get a new scratchplate (maybe white pearloid) at some point.

I think you might attract some really dodgy punters.

Funnily, that doesn't bother me at all. I get very picky about all kinds of stuff... but not that.

I've also bought a KiOgon loom... yesterday. oo-er! It may lead to more... stuff.

Funny that... I've just downsized my pedalboard to Pedaltrain Nano... couldn't find one smaller. Bought in January 2020... so I'm busted. No place for me here!

You may be right. Plan B was to put the original back and claim he misheard me. I'm a big fan of Gotoh bridges and their forwards/backwards fitability. Anyway... I've just ordered a KiOgon loom... so all bets are off.

I don't know how short the "non-long" reach one is, but it wouldn't want it to be hitting the end of the headstock while I was adjusting. Maybe the short one is for strats. I'd just get the long one... it's a sturdy old thing, won't bend. I just made a quarter turn adjustment and that was me done. I always use the same string gauges so hopefully won't even use it again. Unless... erm... I buy a new bass...

I bought a Squier Jag SS from Keith Dawson Music in Huddersfield (not to be confused with Dawsons... the chain). Cost me £170 and I'm pretty sure he gave it a decent fettling before he put it on display. I gave it a slight tweak when I put my fave strings on, but it was pretty much there. Nice guy too... and he does repairs.

Actually... I think mine is the long reach one too.... should bloody hope so for £14.

That's the one. It is 3/16, but it has a ball end. The straight 3/16 key wouldn't work, but the ball end did. Shame on Fender for not supplying them with the bass. My issue was dealing with the "tech" guy at Andertons who didn't have a clue about this, but gleefully informed me that my warranty was void because I let slip I'd fitted a Gotoh bridge... but that's another story.

I had this very issue (not long ago) with my MIM Mustang. A 3/16 allen will not fit. You need a Fender adjustment tool... not supplied with the bass, from Amazon, about £14 or you can also get a cheaper rip-off (can't vouch for those). You can check my thread... wasn't long ago. Maybe the allen will fit your bass... if doesn't, get the tool and save yourself further pain.

You could try Jack's Instruments in Manchester. He made me an excellent pickguard for my Hofner Ignition Club bass... much better than the nasty original. Probably cost about 40 quid if you're willing to pay.

It may depend on which era of hi-fi sound you were brought up in. In the late 70's it used to be: "buy a Linn Sondek and run it through a pair of tin cans."

You've contradicted yourself, Mr Sparky. You asked how different can it be... then proceeded to list the ways in which they can be different. Then you go on to make a lot of assumptions... the Chinese obviously wouldn't make them differently... but the Germans might. I agree with your statement... "I don't know, but..."

Maybe he wants all the composition to be 100% him, so when the band makes it big he's not going to have any awkward bassplayers claiming songwriting royalties.

^^^Decent flatwounds and authentic knobs are the way go

I'm a sax player... I started playing bass 20 years ago because it was easier to get a local gig (and I also think bass is seriously cool). When I started learning bass, despite being a semi-pro sax player for years, I had zero appreciation of what a bass does and how a bassline works. Sax is a melodic instrument... bass links rhythm and harmonic structure... and possibly melody too. My first instinct would be to tell him to eff off. Otherwise... unless you can come to an understanding with him, unhappiness will result. Ironically, when I was a sax player I once had a bass player trying to tell me what to play. Each to their own. Point of information: in 20+ years of gigging with a sax, I only played one song in Bb. I just played whatever key the singer wanted.

It's going back on Tuesday. I have to say that Andertons have redeemed themselves somewhat. I had one bad experience where a query about my Mustang PJ could have been resolved in seconds... if I'd actually spoken to someone who knew what they were talking about. This time the guy has been very helpful. In retrospect there was no fault, but I have decided that my EBS is a bloody marvel. It outperforms the MXR (in my humble O), has more clean headroom, plus drive. I''ll be sticking with that and constructing my new pedal board this avvie. New pedalboard... tuner plus EBS plus psu.

Another good point...heh! heh! I'm never really bothered about country of origin if the stuff works ok, but customer service is an issue... hopefully never tested. Qualify the country of origin thing... increasing awareness of eco issues and transporting this stuff halfway round the globe. I live 5 miles from Matamp. Do they manufacture in the UK?

My Hofner Ignition Club bass was excellent value for money. I sold it recently because it didn't suit me and I never played it. Regarding the strap, a Fender leather vintage style strap worked a treat and looked great. The strap ends are so thin that button placement doesn't really affect it.

Good point.

Sorry... missed a few replies to this and I've been on holiday. I bought a Rumble 500 in the end, and I think it's great. I thought about a Rumble 200 but it cost the same and weighed the same and I fancied the 2x10 speakers for a change. Rumble 500 vs Ashdown Studio 15. This was exactly 50/50 for me. The only thing that swung it was that the Rumble was in version 3 and clearly very popular, while the Ashdown was brand new and relatively untried at the time. Obviously that will change as the Ashdown is picking up momentum now. I did think that if I bought the Fender a small part of me would wish I'd bought the Ashdown... and vice versa. That has proven to be the case. If the Rumble explodes or gets nicked, I'll probably get the Studio 15. Why not?

Cheers for that. I'll think about that on Monday depending upon any other answers I get/don't get. Luckily it's very small and light and easy to send back.

I've just received a new MXR M81 pedal. I already have an EBS Microbass II. The idea was to use the MXR for rehearsals/gigging (fewer knobs to mess about with) and keep the EBS for home use. The pedal's fine... except there's a loud crack in the amp if I turn the desk lamp on in the room. Both the amp and the pedal are connected to a single extension lead. Question is... is the pedal actually faulty or is it some (non-faulty) earthing type issue. I've tried the pedal with two different power supplies... both make the cracking noise. I've tried the EBS pedal... no cracking noise. If I have to source from two plugholes it would be a pain... or maybe if no-one switches on a desk lamp during a gig it would be ok (???) I presume it would be ok with a battery, but I don't want battery-related paranoia during a gig... I stopped playing active basses for that reason. I could do with some info in case I have to argue the toss with Andertons... because I think they're a-holes. I only bought it from them because I had some bonus points to spend. The MXR is great otherwise... so is the EBS (but too complicated for my remaing brain-space)

Excellent! I'm a bit late here, but I'm 6'2" and commited short-scale guy (now). But I'm also 63 and the comfort and playability is great... cronky shoulder and all that. When I first used my new Mustang PJ at a rehearsal the drummer actually complained about too much bass. That was through a Microbass pre-amp and Rumble 500 amp. I'm now about 90% close to my personal killer tone. Enjoy the new bass!