BassAdder60

Just seen Ashdown amps on Sky Arts Brian Johnson with Dave Grohl Foo Fighters at their studio

On my Fender PBass I have the pickups as recommended with a slant to match the neck profile etc Noticed the Squire Classic Vibe had the pickups set flat and even after adjusting they didn’t change much in string volume or tone How do you have your PBass pick ups adjusted and why ?

I’ve just gone through this getting a back up bass. I had a Sterling Stingray Sub 4 but I didn’t like it compared to my PBass Had a low cost Yamaha TRBX174 and they are good for the money but .., I would definitely look at the Squire Classic Vibe series PBass or Jazz as I think they are very nice for the money. Later they are easy to sell on or upgrade etc Like many basses around the lower end in price some quality issues creep in. My new Squire is being replaced by Andertons as the pickup was playing up and cutting out ! Apart from that it’s a lovely bass

I only learn the approx bass line and “ad-lib” over the song as required You have to take into account many songs are heavily produced in a studio with extra instruments added etc Performing live playing covers means it’s our bands version of the song. If you want an exact version then most live bands vary and embellish it often changing it on the night to suit the performance. I guess if you are playing “ standards” such as Jazz etc then exact has a place but in my opinion it prevents the musician from being creative It’s more about the performance than the accuracy in my opinion

Update .. it appears my new bass has an issue with the pickup. If you move it ( push against the foam )it cuts out. Started noticing it when I plugged it in and had nothing until I moved pickup slightly. All credit to Andertons as they are sending a replacement and picking it up Monday.

So my backup bass ( 2nd attempt ) arrived today Squire Classic Vibe 60’s PBass and it’s a pretty decent instrument. Ok the quality isn’t quite my Player Series but it’s pretty dam close. Plugged in it sounds decent but I need to swop the stock strings and put some 7150ml on it ( my preferred set ) Its about half the cost of a Player Series but it’s really quite decent and opens up scope for upgrades in the future. This is a better backup bass and use around the house bass and I’m now happier with my choice Pictures to follow but for now a stock image is below

I too tried the Ampeg range PF500 and PF800 Great sounding amps but seem under powered compared to equiv. wattage Ashdown etc

I found a better balance between the G and D strings compared to the A and E using 45-100

I changed mine to 45-100 strings which is far better than 45-105 in my opinion on the PBass Only adjustment needed was truss rod ( slight tweek )

On my Player Series I changed the bridge to a Fender HiMass bridge and swopped pickguard from white to black

That’s a lovely looking PBass I have the Silver Metallic Player Series PBass and soon to arrive in same colour as yours my backup bass Squire Classic Vibe 60’s PBass After playing for years a Stingray I now much prefer a PBass

I need to sell my Sub Ray first !

I’ve shipped loads of cabs using a courier but always collected from home. Many of the drop off sites are not ideal for taking a heavy box into Approx price say DPD with insurance would be around £25 to £28 Make sure it’s very well boxed If you don’t have the original box ask if your local music store has a box you can have ( many get thrown away ) The Rumble cabs are light so ok with a courier but some cabs are so heavy it’s a wonder they arrive in one piece as I’m sure the drivers struggle. Some like UPS seem to use a sack barrow so less risk of dropping

For years when choosing what attire to wear when gigging ( rock bands ) I’ve always worn a T-shirt mainly black of course !! As a returning bass player we do tend to dress smarter I find or have an individual style on stage, ie hats for example I’ve now changed to wearing long sleeved shirts ( making sure buttons are not metal ) and I think it looks more in keeping with mature bass players .. So for you mature gigging bass players have you left behind the humble T shirt for something smarter on stage ?

New backup bass incoming This will be my Player Series backup PBass Squire Classic Vibe 60’s PBass

Great as this bass is I think I really prefer the larger PBass neck. As I’ve removed the plastic off the pickguard etc instead of returning to the store I’ve put it on EBay for a quick sale. Opportunity for someone to pick one up with a small saving on new cost

I really liked the PF800 head. Tried the PF500 and it felt a little underpowered I was looking to buy one again but they are hard to find in stock PMT showed one but they couldn’t find it !!

Well I’ve had the PF800 and they can sound similar to Ashdown To be fair I think most warm sounding amps with good EQ adjustments can sound like each other perhaps with the acceptance of the grind / drive Even my Orange Little Bass Thing can be made to sound the same

Very little a service would benefit a class D amp Save your money and buy a low cost back up amp or DI pedal for backup via PA Most major faults on class D results in the amp being not viable to repair

I think the RM112 cab on its own would really struggle

Personally I use 212 with my ABM600 head

I did wind the pickup down slightly but made zero difference so returned it to how it was approx 6mm away from open strings I recall Interesting you run your treble turned down, I tried that and it was very a muffled sound so not for me as like a brighter tone. Still happy as it makes a decent sound

Update … I tried the volume control around 80% and it did sound better and clearer I think this newer generation Sub4 doesn’t suffer as bad the earlier that had very hot pickups fitted and could distort the signal out of the bass.

Another vote for Dave Green Great guy and great service