Tokalo

I’m working on an old Bass Collection jazz bass (2013) with noisy electrics. I put in a new loom last week (series/parallel type) but the noise was still there, so I’ve got a shielding problem. I’m guessing it’s caused by the unshielded wires - hence my question above. I appear to have just solved the noise issue by wrapping copper foil around the wires all the way from the pickup to about an inch short of the pots. I also had to link the wrapped wires to the control plate, but it seems the noise has gone. For me, this is easier than coating the entire cavities with foil because the spaces are quite small.

Is it possible that a pickup has unshielded wires running to the pots (two thin wires, rather than one thicker one with inner core/outer wrap)? If so, could you simply shield these cables by wrapping the tape around them, without needing to line all the cavities?

So did you end up with the refund AND the bass?

I just replaced a grubby bridge on a 10-yr old Bass Collection Jive with a shiny Squier bridge. But it had a similar effect - turns out, the barrels on the Squier bridge are slightly smaller and each is a couple of mms closer to the E string side.

The Washburn reminded me of this, which is a real instrument by Kinkade Guitars of Bristol I believe

I think that’s included with any package. There are optional upgrades available - £500 cover was an additional £6 in November, for example.

I'm cleaning up an old Bass Collection Jive (jazz) I acquired fairly cheap. The pots are crackly, and I’m thinking of upgrading them. I like the idea of a parallel/series switch, but I would also prefer a V-B-T to V-V-T when in parallel. While parallel/series looms are common, I haven’t seen any with a VBT set-up. I know the second volume control is redundant in series, so if it were changed to a balance pot presumably this wouldn’t work in series either? Is there any reason why this might not be the best way to go? Thanks

I would use SendMyBag - the carrier is ParcelForce, but it’s insured through SMB. It’s very clear that you’re sending a guitar and there’s no mention of eBay or anything.

helpful?

Gary has just completed some work on a used Sandberg Electra that came with some issues. It needed bodywork, fretwork and electrics to be sorted, and Gary was great for all of it, with plenty of helpful suggestions and advice thrown in for free!

All the music was upbeat, life-affirming and great for dancing. Definitely NOT what The Blues is all about!!

I loved the film, but I get niggled because it’s all soul music - not blues!

Texas at Nottingham Ice Rink, late 90s. It wasn’t a Texas gig - it was the “Charlene Spiteri is the female Elvis” show. Shame on her. Prefab Sprout at Essex Uni in 1984. They weren’t bad: they were awesome. (Paddy McAloon’s songs are pure genius)They just didn’t have enough numbers ready, so at least two of the encores were further repeats of Don’t Sing.

I bought a MIM Player Jazz in July because it was underpriced on the Bay. I didn’t have the funds so needed to sell another bass if I was going to keep it. I didn’t sell the other bass in time, so the Fender had to go (for a slight profit)x In the month I had it, I learned a lot: I absolutely love the Fender “modern C” neck; I quite like the punch and clarity from a single coil p/u; I hate the variations in volume across and up/down the neck with a single coil p/u; I don’t get on with VVT controls. So it was my best buy because it quietened that little voice telling me I need a J. (And because I soon sold the other bass and got a Sandberg Electra VS4 which - for a relative beginner like me - is light and punchy and feels like it was designed to be gigged, unlike the Fender).

I use the drive setting on my Laney Digbeth preamp, but just to give some warmth and tubey feel. Even with an enthusiastic drummer and overdriven guitarist I’ve never felt comfortable with very much distortion in church: I’m not sure it helps the congregation much. Maybe the TC mojomojo might be right for you - it’s more subtle than most drive pedals?

Re: compressors. I found these sites helpful in explaining what they do, and what would work for me: https://www.studybass.com/gear/bass-effects/bass-compressor-settings/ https://www.compressorpedalreviews.com/all-compressor-reviews

I’ve used Send My Bag twice this year (they mainly do student baggage from home to uni). Transport, collection plus £500 insurance for £30. They use ParcelForce as the carrier, which works fine for me. It’s made clear that it’s a musical instrument being insured, with plenty of upfront advice (“expect your parcel to be chucked around a warehouse and bounced along conveyor belts”). I liked the honesty (and packaged accordingly!) No claims made.

I had a Player jazz for a few months in the summer. It had the best neck profile ever (“modern c”), and sounded really resonant unplugged. What I learned, though, was that buying an entry-level Fender will mean extra layout to upgrade it to the standard of a cheaper bass (eg G&L Tribute or Sire). The tuners in particular were completely unreliable - you wouldn’t have risked gigging with them - while the fretwork and neck finish was as rough as a Squier jag I used to own. And it’s really hard to find a p-bass with a jazz-size neck. Like it’s a rule at Fender that players with smaller hands MUST stick to a jazz. If you want a recognised brand, or if you want to tinker and upgrade, get a Fender. But then why not save a few bob and get a Squier as the base for your project? If you want vastly superior quality for the same price or less, get a Sire, G&L Tribute or Sandberg. Any tonal differences will be minimal compared to the pleasure of playing an instrument that was made with the customer in mind.

711

Update, after a few hours playing with a band. Smooth-feeling: reminded me of GHS Pressurewounds; No string noise at all; No zing or overt brightness; Stay in tune better than any other string I’ve tried; Tone is full and smooth, reminded me of DR Pure Blues (completely subjective I know, and I don’t have the vocabulary - but my BL praised the tone as soon as I started up and without knowing I’d changed strings).They definitely give a good account of the rather excellent MFD pickups on the Kiloton! Carbon-coating seems to work: I washed & only partially-dried my hands and the clamminess seemed short-lived (even more subjective and utterly unscientific, but I “sensed” the difference was noticeable); Couldn't be described as “low tension”, but felt lower than, say, Fender flats.

Yes, I guess so. It feels bad because something useful has been taken away. If it hadn’t been available in the first place, I probably wouldn’t be so grumpy about it!

Do you have Music Unlimited, or has Amazon’s change to playlists on basic Prime being shuffle-only messed up your practice too? So I can load our songs in set order, but can’t practice them in sequence. And Amazon will happily throw in other “related” songs when they feel like it too. I mean, it’s not as if adding songs to a playlist means you actually wanted to listen to those particular tracks, is it?