Skybone

Cheers for the link Frank, I'll have a good look around that site. Panamonte, you might want to dissuade me from taking up a soldering iron! I've replaced pickups before, burnt a few pots out in the process, but never rewired something to that extent. I'm assuming that it should potentially be a relatively straightforward procedure, I know what you're saying about the pickup/pole piece heights, but that will take lots of experimentation, where the concentric pot solution should not only allow adjustment on the fly, but an easier way to balance things out rather than getting the toolkit out every time you want to adjust something.

I'm considering getting myself a G&L L2000 Tribute, I've read the reviews, seen the videos and looked at the specs, and think it's going to be a cracking bit of kit for the money. However, there's one thing about it that really doesn't seem quite right... the single volume control. I do like to be able to blend the pickups to get that nice tight & punchy mix between both, otherwise, the bridge pickup tends to dominate the sound. Has anyone ever fitted a concentric volume pot to the L2000?

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1424710441' post='2699445'][url="http://s970.photobucket.com/user/gelfin5959/media/20140910_131249_zpsdbec3f05.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] SWEET!

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1424640668' post='2698709'] [attachment=184753:f4b.jpg] [list] [*]Crafted of lightweight aluminum tube with an aluminum fretboard, backed with wood. Weighs less than a standard bass. Optimum balance, since tuners are mounted on body rather than headstock. [*]Stainless steel frets. [*]Flexible pivot joints at the nut and bridge absorb all warping forces, so the neck stays straight for the lowest possible action. [*]Fits a standard bass gig bag. [*]Brushed aluminum subtly reflects the colors of stage lights -- ideal for live performances and videos. [*]Even response at all playing positions from fret 1 to 24 on the two-octave neck. Dead spots common to conventional necks are a thing of the past. [*]Produces incredible attack and overtones impossible to achieve with a wood-body bass, because wood absorbs sound. Think of the advantages of a piano with a metal frame over a harpsichord with a wood frame, and you can imagine the advantages of the F4b bass for modern playing styles. [/list] [/quote] A Voivod fan then? Piggy RIP. No Warwick Buzzard love? Love, love, love gelfin's Kramer

Another vote for the Zoom B3. Easy to use, easy to tweak, sounds good (though quite a few of the pre-loaded patches are somewhat OTT). Comes with Steinberg Cubase LE (download) & Sequel (CD) so you can use it as a USB recording interface too, there's a downloadable patch editor as well. I've copied a few of my favourite standard patches into a different bank and edited them there, so that I have "easier" access to them. The SVT model does sound great. If you have access to a Line6 POD (any of the various versions), then you could try playing with that as well. I have the PODxt, and the HiWatt & Plexi models work really well with the bass.

I posted something similar in the Amps section, and everyone there said that it was a bad idea, don't do it, it'll sound awful etc, etc, etc.

Geddy Lee & Geezer Utler have a lot to answer for.

Jeff is an all round top bloke.

I'm still looking & researching amps, though I think it'll be a 2x10 combo. I really need to find somewhere where I can try some different amps out. Currently looking at the Ashdown RM 220/420 2x10 combo (favourite at the moment), the TCE BH250 210, or the Laney RB7, as well as scouring eBay & the Amps For Sale section here for something suitable.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1424033667' post='2691867']What did he tell you?[/quote] If it was Jeff, it had quite a few expletive's in it... Jeff's ace, top man, will generally fall over backwards to help you (though he will generally complain loudly and swear a lot while doing so!). In fact all the Matamp folk are superb.

Just ordered a new Rockinbetter, a black one this time. Can't wait for it to turn up now!

Got mine from Thomann for about £90, though I've had to buy a three pin UK 9v power supply (eBay £9.00). Still works out cheaper than most available (or not!) in the UK.

Make time to eat decent food at least once a day, instead of stuff that's "easy" or cheap. Find the local swimming pool & have a shower. If your on a tourbus with a chemical bog, don't do a No. 2 on the bus, especially if you want to stay friends with the rest of the band or not invoke the wrath of the driver.

Been listening to loads of old rock/punk & goth stuff recently... Budgie from Siouxsie & The Banshee's had a killer sound, as did the Captain in the early Damned singles. Craig Adams always managed to get a great sound in the Sisters/The Mission & Coloursound (Mike Peters & Billy Duffy). Tony Pettitt from The Fields of the Nephilim, superb. [url="http://youtu.be/BYYy862KFyE"]http://youtu.be/BYYy862KFyE[/url] [url="http://youtu.be/etTR0Qopbis"]http://youtu.be/etTR0Qopbis[/url] [url="http://youtu.be/eVTtFjU0T-Y"]http://youtu.be/eVTtFjU0T-Y[/url] [url="http://youtu.be/VcdxnQLKAYo"]http://youtu.be/VcdxnQLKAYo[/url]

This years goals? As far as music's concerned, I have met up with a few guys with the view to getting a band going, playing original stuff, but doing some covers initially to get up & running. All seem pretty keen, so we'll see where it goes from there. Looking forward to being "just the bass player" again.

Zoom B3. It's set up like a pedal board, so you can turn effects on and off as you need them, flicking between patches seems a bit convoluted (though I guess that will become easier with time). It sounds good and is easy to use. The downside with some mulri FX is that you can't switch effects on/off, where the B3 can. Not sure about the Line6/BOSS/etc versions, but I'm pretty sure it can be done, though the simple 2 switch units like the B1 & StompLab, you'd have to organise your patches with your set list as you can't switch effects off as you go (in my experience). I was considering a StompLab 2b for some time, but bought a B3 instead because of it's flexibility.

Just to reiterate here, I was asking the question in general to try and narrow down the choices so that I can figure out what to get when the time comes. There's a myriad of gear available these days, for both guitar & bass players, we are spoilt for choice in fact, and that makes the decision of which to go for even harder. I do not intend on buying anything "blind", it's a big wedge of money, which as we all know these days, definitely does not grow on trees. So whatever I decide upon, it has to be the right choice for me, and only I can make that decision, but I intend to do a lot of research prior to shelling out anything. My guitar amp is a very understressed 50w, I have used it regularly at full bore, and it still sounds gorgeous & LOUD now as it did when it was new. It still has the same valves in it as the day I picked it up from the factory. I might try it, I might not. As for the tonewood discussion, it definitely does make a difference on an electric guitar, as it does on an acoustic. I have predominantly played mahogany bodied guitars, which do give a fuller sound throughout the spectrum. I owned a maple through neck guitar for a while, and although it looked and played superbly, there was something missing in the sound. Playing in a three piece metal band, it snarled like nothing else, but there was little "girth" in the sound, it left plenty of room for the bass, but there was a little too much room in the overall sound of the band, where with the other mahogany bodied guitars, there was snarl AND girth, and still loads of room for the bass (even when recorded you could tell the difference between them). If you listen to an acoustic guitar of the same size body & same make, but made from different tonewoods, there is a marked difference in the sound from mahogany to maple & rosewood. Anyways, I'm liking the look of the Ashdown Rootmaster's, the Laney RB7 or 8 or the TC BG250 combo's. The next problem is finding somewhere where I can try them out with my gear. Not sure about whether I'll use the B3 before the amp yet, I'll have to wait & see if I need effects or not. As for the amp/cab or combo route, again, been there, done that. My preference would be for a combo, less to lug about and more importantly, store. OK, so they're a bit heavier than an amp & cab, but all the amps I'm thinking about all around the 25kg mark, which isn't unmanageable.

Thanks for the responses. To clear up a few things, the budget is undecided as yet, but I don't want to spend too much, maybe £400 max. The Ashdown Rootmaster C112-220 (as reviewed in BGM) looks ideal, though the C210-420 does as well. If money were no object, then I'd be heading straight for the Matamp factory (or the nearest Ampeg / Ashdown dealer) and leaving with something valve driven, completely innapropriate and huge! As for using my guitar amp, I would be inclined to try it at least. It's a big, tough, understressed, hand built, valve driven behemoth of hi-fi sonic awesomeness. I definitely wouldn't hook it up to my guitar cab as the speakers definitely do not have the capabilities of handling bass, but the amp would be more than man enough. Age & build? I'm definitely the wrong side of 40, but a way to go before hitting 50. Seeing as I've spent most of my adult life lugging bass amps & more recently, a rather big & heavy valve guitar amp & cab, I think I'll be able to lug a reasonably sized combo about (though I have got a trolley thing in the garage from the last time we got a new washing machine!). Unfortunately, the biggest draw back thus far is living in a part of the country where we only have 3 music shops in a 50 mile radius, and all with a very limited stock of bass gear, especially bass amps. One shop I spoke to only deals with Laney bass amps, another has a handfull of different amps but can order other stuff in, and the other literally only has about 4 or 5 basses and small amps (it's a small shop, with a lot crammed in!). I could travel further afield, but that takes time, I'd have to take time off work or take a day out of a weekend (not an option with a family!). Looks like more t'interweb research is required before taking time out to go shopping (and obviously, seeing how the band goes before spending serious cash).

AFAIK: I was always under the impression that the 4003 superseded the 4001 from the early 80's to the present. Though some of the earlier 4003's were more "modern" in spec & decoration than the 4001, they've slowly been reverting to the overall look of the 4001 since the late 80's. The more "modern" spec was used for the 4004's.

[quote name='blunderthumbs' timestamp='1422976264' post='2679052'] Here's my faker [attachment=182819:IMG_0419.JPG] [/quote] On the "RickenFakers" facebook group? Looks a lot like my Rockinbetter, 'cept I've put a Ric bridge surround on & replaced the control knobs.

So, I'm joining a new band, nothing too ambitious thankfully, just for a bit of fun. Anyway, I have a bass, but no amp. Not a major problem as I have just bought myself a Zoom B3, so I could plug in to a PA or bass amp for rehearsals/gigs etc. But it's got me thinking about maybe purchasing an amp of some description at some point in time, and then use the B3 as a pedal board rather than as an amp sim. I've owned bass amps before, but haven't had one for quite a number of years, and the technology has moved on since then (hopefully the sound has as well!). Last amp I had was a 100w Ampeg SVT15T combo with a 15" speaker. When the stars aligned, it sounded fabulous, a lot of the time, it sounded OK, the rest of the time, it was awful. Prior to that, I'd had my share of the bad, the ugly and the down-right dreadful amps on an incredibly limited budget. In the past, I have tended towards combo amps with a 15" speaker, great for rock & metal low end, not that great on the higher range. On my guitar amp(s), i've mainly used 12" speakers, which cover pretty much all sonic bases I was after. So, back on topic. What is the general consensus of speaker configurations does the BC crowd like and why? Seen a few Ashdown combo's with 12" speakers recently that look good, and would hopefully be "luggable". Something like a 2x10 combo would "move a bit more air" and still be manageable, but would it fit the sonic requirement? I did have a crazy idea of getting a second hand bass cab and using my valve guitar amp head, but it's more stuff to lug about. The music is rock-y/punk-y/etc, the bass is a RickenFaker, sound I'm hoping for is tight & punchy, but with a good spectrum of lows/mids/highs (though whether my playing is still tight & punchy is another matter completely! ).

Had the B3 for a week or so now, very pleased with it so far. Mainly using it as an amp sim/DI box, and very pleased with some of the sounds I'm getting out of it. So far, the SVT & Flip Top models are favourites, but the SuperBass, BassMan & Acoustic models are nice too. In fact most of the amp models are pretty darn good. Some of the effects are a bit OTT, but the good thing is that they can be tinkered with, and the factory reset is nice to know about.

If it were me, I'd add reverb, just a little bit of say a spring or a small room, just to give your sound some [b]W_I_D_T_H[/b], if you know what I mean. Nothing too cavernous or fancy. If your amp has reverb, then use it, or there's quite a few nice reverb pedals out there just now (mainly digital reditions). I had a Marshall Reflektor (IIRC) for a while, which was good & cheap, and it was used in a lot of the Marshall (guitar) valve amps.

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1422467902' post='2673102'] I had one of the MiK's, well made, nice sound and a joy to play. (whilst seated for me) I just couldn't get on with the strap pin positions and where that put the neck when I was in the standing position. Was sad to see it go but as I didn't want to use it live it had to go. Might be a good idea to make sure your comfortable with that.. It was one thing I had never even thought about. edit smelling [/quote] My electric guitars are the same, so quite used to that.

BBC: [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-31039634"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-31039634[/url]