ikay

Thanks DrDrill! That's 60s position which is surprising as it looks a bit closer to the bridge than a JO4 (44-60) in the pics. Some confusion on web about these being 60s or 70s position. Can you also let me have the measurement between the pickups (centreline to centreline). Cheers

If anyone has a DJ4 or a DJ5 could you please let me know the measurement in mm from the 12th fret to the centreline of the bridge pickup. Not clear from Lakland details whether DJ4 is 60s or 70s position and DJ5 looks to be somewhere in between (I know it's 35"). Many thanks

Here's an article that explains the science behind pickup placement: [url="http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponse/"]http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponse/[/url] And here's a link to a nifty java applet that shows the frequency response for different pickup positions. Just enter the numbers for scale length, distance from bridge and aperture (use 1" for a J type single coil and 2" for a P type humbucker or soapbar). The freq chart will dynamically change as you enter the numbers. You can also add multiple pickups. [url="http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponseDemo/index.html"]http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponseDemo/index.html[/url] Here's some pickup positioning data to use (distance from bridge in inches): Jazz neck (60s) - 6.1 Jazz bridge (60s) - 2.55 Jazz bridge (70s) - 2.16 Precision (57 on) - 5.39 (centreline) Precision (pre 57 s/c) - 6.56 Stingray - 3.46 (centreline) Wider aperture pups (eg P/HB type) generate more comb-filtering and frequency cancellation than narrow aperture pups (eg J/SC type). This is why SCs usually sound clearer and punchier than HBs. Adding multiple pickups also introduces more comb-filtering and frequency cancellation which is why single pup basses often sound clearer and more 'direct' than multiple pups which tend towards having a more scooped sound (with both pups on).

It's usually Pau Ferro. The SR5 page on the MM website says this: Fretted - maple or rosewood; Fretless - Pau Ferro with or without inlaid fretlines; Stealth - Ebony Fretted or Fretless

Part of the issue with standard VVT wiring is that when both pups are fully 'on' the pickup impedances interact with each other. As you back one pup off this introduces a resistance between the pups and the interaction/loading stops. This all happens in the first few degrees of turning the pot and the overall effect is that the sound seems to 'switch' to the dominant pickup with very little blend in between. However, there ARE loads of useful blended sounds in this very small area. Once you get used to the idea that you just need to move the pot a tiny amount you will start hearing lots of different tones. This is where the 'sweet spots' are. Here's a trick worth trying - instead of having both vols fully open, back them both off very slightly. This introduces some resistance between them and stops them interacting. Use this as your start point and you should find that backing each vol off further will result in a slightly more smooth change in tone. Another way of preventing the pickup impedances interacting is to wire a small resistor (eg. 25k) in series between the hot wire from each pickup and their respective pots. This effectively does the same thing as backing both vols off a touch. If all that sounds too fiddly and doesn't do what you expect then go active and get a buffered blend! Personally I like the subtleties and slight quirkiness of a VVT configuration. It lets the full character of each pickup come through. A blend pot can sound a bit bland in comparison. But in the end, as with everything to do with tone, it's very personal and down to what works for you.

The cheapest set of bass nut slot files I can find are these - [url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Guitar-Nut-File-Set-3-double-sided-w-case-/121493237325"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Guitar-Nut-File-Set-3-double-sided-w-case-/121493237325[/url]. About £45 incl shipping plus an import handling fee (around £8).

Thanks. The Roth and Chrisopher seem to be pretty much the same bag as Owen spotted.

Thanks Rev, does the Christopher bag unzip like in the pic below of the Roth & Junius one (with the zip sort of going half way up behind the headstock rather than completely opening out)?

Thanks Owen. Mmm, wheels or no wheels ...

Haha! Let me sleep on it (I mean in it)

Thanks Happy Jack, unfortunately I don't have a lot of room and ideally need something I can fold up and stuff under the bed when not in use!

Thanks Henry. What material is the Westbury made of? In the DJM pic it looks like some sort of shiny nylon but in the specs it says cordura which is more like heavy duty denim. Also does it unzip fully and open out flat? My current cheapo cover doesn't and it's a pain to get on and off.

I'm looking for a decent DB gig bag in the £100-150 price range. Something which unzips completely and opens flat (like a kipper), with well positioned carrying handles, sturdily built and won't fall apart after a few gigs etc. Are any of these any good (or to be avoided)? Roth & Junius BSB (£130) - [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/rothjunius_bsb_3_4_bk_bass_soft_bag.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ss_soft_bag.htm[/url] Gedo luxury (£135)- [url="http://www.gedo-musik.de/shop/product.php?id_product=168"]http://www.gedo-musi...?id_product=168[/url] Tom & Will superior (£140) - [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/tom_and_will_superior_double_bass_gig_bag_3.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...s_gig_bag_3.htm[/url] Ritter RCDB700 bass bag (£155)- [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/ritter_rcdb7009tbst_34_bass_bag.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...34_bass_bag.htm[/url] Christopher PV502 (£160) - [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/christopher_pv502_ol_3_4_double_bass_bag.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...le_bass_bag.htm[/url] Recommendations from more experienced DBers than me (ie. anyone) would be much appreciated. Thanks for any advice or guidance

Excuse the probably dumb question but is the Mensinger Cazpar also made by Adrian Maruszczyk or is that something entirely different? Also, there doesn't seem to be any indication of scale length against any of the Maruszczyk basses listed on Public Peace (or any others for that matter). Are they all 34" as standard or are any of them shorter scale (like the Cazpar)?

For anyone who's interested, after a bit of head scratching and a few false starts, I used a tensioning strap (this one - [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-B3418-Ratchet-Strap-Tensioner/dp/B0001P19IG"]http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/B0001P19IG[/url]) which worked a treat. Very handy little gizmo.

How about a Squier VM Jaguar (£250) and respray (say £200)?

Low viscocity super glue 0.49p from Maplin - [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/bondloc-cyanoacrylate-superglue-low-viscosity-20g-n56bz"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/bondloc-cyanoacrylate-superglue-low-viscosity-20g-n56bz[/url]

I've built up nut slots with very carefully applied superglue before and it worked fine. I used a low viscosity glue which allows you to apply a very thin layer to the bottom of the slot at a time. Just repeat until it's built up enough and then file gently to shape if needed. Disclaimer: I'm not advising this as the right way to do it, but if done carefully it does work.

You can get new catches from Allparts ([url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/collections/tools-and-guitar-care/cases-and-case-parts"]http://www.allparts.uk.com/collections/tools-and-guitar-care/cases-and-case-parts[/url]) or just google for other suppliers. These can be installed with a pop-rivet gun (£3.45 from ebay - [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POP-RIVET-GUN-60-RIVETS-AND-NOZZLES-4-DIFFERENT-SIZE-RIVETS-INCLUDED-/380814306298?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item58aa4d2bfa"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POP-RIVET-GUN-60-RIVETS-AND-NOZZLES-4-DIFFERENT-SIZE-RIVETS-INCLUDED-/380814306298?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item58aa4d2bfa[/url]) or just bolted on.

Leaning the headstock against something solid always does the trick! Assume it already has lightweight tuners? Re reducing the size of the headstock, you'd have to remove quite a chunk to make much difference. As a reference point, I swapped the standard tuners on a Squier jazz for lightweight ones which lost about 100gm and shifted a dead spot on the G string up about a tone.

What bass is it? Knowing this may suggest a few different options. If it has old style heavyweight tuners then swapping in ultralights will lose a few ounces at the headstock and shift the resonant frequency up a few steps. If it's a bolt-on then a trick that may be worth trying is to rest the bass face down on a (padded) flat surface and EVER SO SLIGHTLY loosen the neck bolts while the strings are under tension. Idea is that the pull of the strings will bring the heel into more solid contact with the end of the pocket and improve neck/body coupling. Don't forget to tighten them up again! (disclaimer - I've read this but not actually tried it myself). Installing threaded inserts and machine bolts instead of wood screws for a bolt-on also improves neck/body coupling. Lightweight strings can help to reduce the severity of dead spots as less energy is being transferred into the neck and therefore less neck resonance. Shaving the neck would probably lower the resonant frequency as the neck would be less rigid (the stiffer the neck the higher the resonant freq) so that's probably not such a good idea.

You're a Wikipedia junky ... Scientific mumbo jumbo for something we (should) all have ...

Footprint of the body contact area is 60mm x 80mm. The forward corners are radiused, the other corners (by string ball end) are square. Hope that helps, Ian