Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

4 Strings

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,929

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by 4 Strings

  1. 4 Strings
    I don't have the experience to tell between alnico and whatever the other material is but I do know that the Pre-EB 'rays have fantastically thin necks, very comfortable for me, and they all have an almost perfect, full punchy sound. Perhaps they are a little more 'Marmite' than Precisions and so my thought that they will eventually replace Precisions as the standard bass will not occur, but frankly, I can't understand why, for general use, people play anything else.
  2. 4 Strings
    As creatures of habit and little constant thought, why does it come more natural to plug into the amp end first? Also, if you practice with an an active bass, leaving everything plugged in when you finish, but just cracking the bass end out to save the battery, next time it's somehow more natural to turn the amp on first. Can't think why, but hence 'Silent' plugs are on most of the leads I make, great product. I found that the sleeve gets stuck at the slightest bend or angle in the jack. I 'straighened' a stuck one and it's been fine since but don't tread on them or allow it to fall. I have 4 or 5 of these, one lost it's ability to isolate but all are in regular use. To be honest they still allow the occasional 'Clonk'. One thing that has worried me, only in thought, not fact, is that is puts another mechanical contact in the signal chain, potentially compromising the signal quality.
  3. 4 Strings
    The badge is the whole instrument then. "Oh, he plays a Danelectro" as he is mentally pigeon-holed http://youtu.be/fFqHlliWmVY
  4. 4 Strings
    Ebony, made two days after my own! These are among the best basses ever made (in my opinion, of course, but they are extraordinary)
  5. 4 Strings
    [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1365679797' post='2042717'] Lose. Completely. Guitarists have all sorts of peculiar EQ'd and otherwise effected tones, and no one bats an eyelid. The PA engineer sticks a mic in front of the speakers and gets on with it. Why should the bass be treated any different? >> Unless the guitarists speakers have a particular sound that he wants reproducing (which they often do) there's no point in this. If you use any effects at all, it would have to be after those, but then the 'Pre' out the amp would be. Modern bass guitar speakers are very much full range... >>But almost all highly coloured. BF is one of the few not (I'm sure there are more), and even they won't have the same response as the PA speakers. I do believe that the idea that you need to take a pre-EQ feed off the bass for the PA is way out of date. Maybe in the 60s and 70s when the bass went through what was essentially slightly modified guitar amps, but we've since come a long, long way from those early days. >>So have PAs Here's a thing: I've had many PA engineers come up to me a tell me how much they like it when I supply the bass rig, because their job becomes so much easier even though they always get a strictly post-EQ (and everything else) DI feed. >>I think you need to go with what, in your experience, works best for you. [/quote] See responses above marked >> One of the keys to getting a good overall sound is to try and find the resonances (how voices, instruments, drums etc react to the system and the room) and flatten them off to give some head room for that channel. If the signal given has, for example, a huge amount of bass and included in that is a resonance (or 'boom' in this case) then there's going to be less chance of getting rid of it and getting it to sound like you want it and it will end up being reduced in level and thin sounding, the exact reverse of what you're wanting.
  6. 4 Strings
    Most of my gigs are backline only. For the others, if the bass in coming from front of house I just can't see the point in sending a signal that has been specifically sculpted for a particular speaker cabinet for on stage monitoring to a sound desk for the completely different response from the pa system. By all means get the sound man to hear your rig and tell him you want it sounding like that but insist on throwing, for example, a bass heavy signal or a scooped one to the sound desk and expect him to get a clear and punchy sound from his pa is, frankly, unfair. There's nothing magical about the tone controls on your bass amp and they will be rudimentary compared to the eq on a decent desk. You won't be getting the sound you think you will. Maybe all musicians should spend a bit of time mixing in their training. And talking.
  7. 4 Strings
    [quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1365457275' post='2039991'] id rather have a great sounding 100 quid squier than a sh*t sound bass that just happens to have name to it. if a band or individual thinks less of you because of the axe you play then they are arses [/quote] You are absolutely right on both counts. Of course its about the playing and playing the instrument that is best for you. Trouble is, I know I'd still prefer to have the poor sounding bass with the name on it and modify it to sound good. This is wrong but ashamedly true. I recognise that I'm highly privileged to have the basses (see, even more than one!) I do when more than half the population have to contend with malnutrition and a host of other things before they can consider the words on a transfer on an unnecessarily expensive musical instrument.
  8. 4 Strings
    Thanks, very helpful, it looks like I have nothing special cases.
  9. 4 Strings
    [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1365626072' post='2042128'] I had a MM case - same hiugh density plastic but the logo was in the middle rather than in the top right corner and was larger than the logo in the more common case. I sold it here as did the buyer so there are photos available if you can be RRRRs to look for the thread. [/quote] Thanks, mine are plastic but do not have the logo, I think this came later. Seems like mine are just plastic cases which coincidently were the same.
  10. 4 Strings
    Thanks, so is the chuck3r case, with those rounded corners, a pre-EB case? I'm also looking at the 'Mumnosh' 1979 Stingray just before halfway down in a leatherette covered wooden case. Is that one? There's a pear shaped one further down
  11. 4 Strings
    I am privileged to have two pre-EB basses, a Sabre and a Stingray and received them from different countries. They both came in plastic cases which are identical and this makes me wonder if they are original. If they are, then I would like to ensure they stay with their bass. I know there was a pear shaped case, these are not they. The cases are nothing special, rectangular, black, plastic and do not have 'Musicman' imprinted like the later cases. Does anyone have any links or pics? (Even of the pear shaped case, out of interest) Thanks
  12. 4 Strings
    [quote name='Floyd Pepper' timestamp='1365591628' post='2041404'] This +1 Having taken the Fender Factory Tour in Corona last year, this was exactly the situation. Fender confirmed that a number of the parts are manufactured in the US plant and then shipped to Mexico. Also, I think Neepheid makes a good point about buying an individual bass....regardless of where it is made. More basses/guitars are produced by the Mexico plant and they are built to a market price but there are some cracking MIM's out there. [/quote] I thought it was simply cheaper to pay Mexicans to operate mass production machinery in Mexico than to pay them for the same job in Corona.
  13. 4 Strings
    [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1365550741' post='2041130'] Mexico vs. USA, who has the longer history of guitar making? [/quote] Haha, nice one - although I suppose we're mainly interested in electric basses.
  14. 4 Strings
    Hornchurch, easy off the M25. Come and have a look and a play. If it's a deal breaker I can throw in a hard case. I've just asked the same question about the one I'm after - I'd need a case in the end! edit>> Got an answer: Yes - it will come with a hard case!
  15. 4 Strings
    I'm putting my no.1 bass up for grabs as I've seen something I think would suit be better - another Stingray! This bass comes from another Basschatter and has served me fantastically well over the last year or so and has been my no.1 bass due to the sound and playability, both if which are superb and wholly satisfying. I have seen another and I'm guiltily putting this good and faithful servant up for sale hoping someone would like it and fund the next one. I have looked after it like a baby, it is well set up with a lowish action - can probably be honed lower still but it's the way I like at the moment - and just less than a mm in neck relief. Can be adjusted however you like. The neck is the MM 'unfinished' type and has been thoroughly cleaned and oiled with the Gunstock oil recommended by MM every 6 months or so. There are a couple of tiny dings, some already on it when I got it, I think I may have added a couple from the straplock on the strap. I have tried to include these in the photos. There's plenty of photos in the Photobucket, just look at the others (so I don't clog up this page) but let me know if you can't see them all (11 I think). Let me know if you'd like to see anything specific. http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/2013-04-10122109_zpsfc9dd58d.jpg.html I can send sound samples of some recent recordings if you need them. There's a white pearly scratchplate in stead if you want. (I'll be taking the D-Tuner off, I'm afraid, and replacing it with the original tuner) I may be up for an offer, but no trades as I need the cash for the next one. If there's no suitable offers for this before the other goes that will be that. I'm located in Essex, prefer collection/delivery of course but can post at buyers cost. Edit> Just noticed the soft focus! Not because I love it (which I do) but due to fingerprints on my phone lens! Apologies, ask if you'd like clearer pics!
  16. 4 Strings
    [quote name='rumour6' timestamp='1365568011' post='2041157'] Up to date I'd love to hear a Laney Nexus tube head but never even seen one in the flesh. [/quote] Probably because it has 'Laney' written on it. Shame really as those who have used one appear to think very highly. So, we're up to 4/5 British made bass amps and not many more British firms making amps. It's a shame UK society would rather look make money from the bank accounts of firms doing something useful than actually do something useful.
  17. 4 Strings
    [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1365545452' post='2041064'] Hiwatt are bit dodge now, not really related to the originals, and related to Musicground. [/quote] But British?
  18. 4 Strings
    Me too.
  19. 4 Strings
    Maybe. It was in a hard surfaced cafe type venue and the bass sounded bad. Fiddled with eq, to avoid the 'just turn it up' thing, but couldn't find depth. I was using my little BF Midget and you need to pump it full of Watts and I had used the 'output' Master volume to so (Gain control was lower than usual to try an find the depth). Its all rather marginal as, now dissatisfied, I played around at the next rehearsal and found my sound again, but with the Gain turned back up. Went the other way again (ie gain down, Master up) and although it wasn't as bad as in the cafe, it lost depth. So, yes, perhaps a tad of overdrive gives the impression of depth, even if I thought I was within the clean band of gain. Experience has been the reverse, distortion tending to lose depth in sound majoring on the raspy frequencies. Will fiddle around again. Room conditions can make or break your sound, especially if the room is small.
  20. 4 Strings
    Would it be naive to suggest HiWatt, or even Marshall, or have those days gone? Aren't Laneys made in the UK, even their monster Nexus valve amps? http://www.laney.co.uk/products/product_details/111 How about Gartone? - http://www.gartoneamps.co.uk/saracen.html
  21. 4 Strings
    [quote name='BandGeekBarclay' timestamp='1365540785' post='2041008'] Hm, is a nice Squier of equivalent quality? I've heard some good things about Squier and while it'd be nice to have a Fender badge, if I can get a nice instrument that's also fairly inexpensive then I'd be happier [/quote] The blindfold test is the only way!
  22. 4 Strings
    Two. First was a Peavey TNT combo in the late 70s. Our then bass player of our school band bought it brand new for £200. It always sounded terrible, all low mid but no punch. Second was a Behringer goodness knows what which was house backline at a showcase. A 115 combo, but clearly a poor frequency response as the bottom E and one an octave higher sounded identical. Wooly in the extreme.
  23. 4 Strings
    Just a small comment, I have noticed that for a given output level if I turn the Gain down but output 'Master' up it tends to give a thinner, less deep sound than if I drive the input Gain hard (but not to distortion) and turn the Master down.
  24. 4 Strings
    Don't be frightened to open it up, GB positively encourage it and do not default the guarantee if you change valves. It's dead easy, just get an Allen key to the lid, and take it off. Bingo, valves. There are two Rubies (in V2 and V3) and a JJ, but all 12AX7T. If it is a faulty valve it sounds like V1 (the distortion valve) may be the culprit, either take the plunge and replace it or just swap it with one of the others and see if there's any difference. Ask the nice Mr Foxen for one of his older valves, for a vintage sound (and let us know if you can tell the difference!) - You may find this an interesting read - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/191375-new-valves-for-genz-streamliner-any-experience/
  25. 4 Strings
    My lad has a Mex Deluxe Jazz. Can't see any thing on it which would be less quality than US (the electronics are US anyway, apparently)
×
×
  • Create New...