Leaderboard

Just in the door at home after a weekend of smashing gigs in the UAE - first time over there, it's totally amazing! Brought 2016 US P Bass, HX Stomp and IEMs with me and it sounded great! Local crew over there were superb and provided all PA stuff. Can't wait to get back over there!

I read a few mixed reviews on these before I pulled the trigger! Couldn't find one to try locally so ordered untried online. Really liking it so far, satin modern c neck with a pretty flat radius feels really good and fast getting about. Never had a Fender PJ before and recently started to like playing basses with dual pickups. The active circuit seems pretty tame and easy to dial in a fairly natural sound (at least to my ears). Really like the tight sound of the j pickup blended in slightly with the p I get to try it with the band next week and hopefully sounds good.

Can’t believe the “big” board is now more than 2 years old which is kinda good and worrying at the same time. 😬 Although tbh the small board is kinda enough for my pub band right now.

Following, this ped guy sound like an idiot!

Change strings? 😳

My Stingray , got it new , I guess it’s about twenty years old now.

A young Laurence Cottle also hung out with this chap who you might recognise -

Now, folks, stop right there! I know, I know, I KNOW!!! And more to the point, so does the owner of this 56 year old beauty (the bass, that is), our very own @ped And the bass is a delight. My Canon SLR doesn't cope well with reds, but this gives you at least an essence: OK - to stem the torrent of 'DON'T DO IT' posts, it is clear that it has already, in its past, been significantly and irreversibly modded. I'm pretty sure this is closer to what it would have looked like out of the factory: So, originally: no bridge pickup; early, smaller, split neck pickups. And so to @ped's wish and desire: - The present PJ pickups, while parallel with the bridge, are absolutely not square to the strings and neck. So is it the bridge that is wrong? And if so, was it always? Or was it the replacement pickups that were put in skewwhiff? Or is it the neck? Or all of the above? - The pickups aren't as originally fitted. Neither the bridge nor the neck pickups are original. Nor is the P the original size. So the body has already been retro-routed and the scratch plate has already been retro cut. - And so, if @ped fancied some different pickups, there would be no major impact on the value...and it's probably a keeper anyway (and if he doesn't want to keep it, then I will - and I don't even really play bass! It really is a thing of beauty) - And if different pickups were to be fitted...well could the bridge be straightened up at the same time? And there was a long PM discussion And it's now on my workbench

I got the Bass Terror about a year ago. Coupled with a GR BASS AT212 slim (4 ohm version so I get the full 500W on tap), it's been my main rig for rehearsing and gigging with the busier of the two bands I'm in. The combo has an excellent sound for the sort of blues-rock I'm playing in the 'power trio' so just one (normally overdriven) guitar to compete with. We have a quite sensible stage volume and even for small gigs I go through the PA so the ample power on tap has never really been explored, master volume never gets past 9 o'clock. I did turn up past halfway at rehearsal once, but it was scary and I was audible outside the village hall and 100 yards down the hill... So... raw power isn't an issue. The sounds is great, rumour has it that there's a fair 'scoop' built in. I usually run the tone controls close to flat with a touch of treble and bass boost and rely on playing with pickup selection and tone on the bass I'm playing. Sometimes the PA is too bass heavy and I boost the treble. I always DI out of the amp, with ground lift on, although any hum issues we've had have always come from something else in the end. I wind the gain up to anywhere between 2 and 4 o'clock depending on how hot the bass is (Jazz with 62 PUPs needs more gain than Epiphone with humbuckers or P-bass). This gives me a very controllable sound, from clean to a nice growl or even a clank if I dig in without a huge leap in volume. It's very easy to find the sweet spot for different basses. Sound is good - so good, everyone hearing it for the first time seems to compliment it. At a beer festival gig, the sound man said I sounded like Jack Bruce (which may not be a good thing...) I've stopped using effects for several months, but may start reintroducing some, but the setup works brilliantly with or without. The weight of the amp is not great, with the AT212 I can carry a cased bass in one hand, speaker in the other and amp over my shoulder in its bag and have enough power to play any stage IMHO. Own downside, when using an octaver one night, the amp nearly vibrated off the cab. Since then, I keep it in place with an (orange) ratchet strap over the top and through the cab handles. The bag is nice, but three of its four feet fell off quite quickly. The fourth stubbornly refuses to come off, despite me trying to persuade it. The front pocket just holds a speakon lead, a kettle lead and its europlug extension. I keep meaning to swap over with an extra long kettle lead. Zips are heavy duty. The handle warmer velcros in place, and is sort of worth using but looks silly so I take it off during gigs. One gig the amp started buzzing, realised it was mechanical so did a few gigs with it on the floor. Turned out that the internal shield had started to touch the valve covers causing a loud rattle. Was easy to gently bend the cover, so this doesn't happen, but required 14 screws to be undone and replaced! This was a bit disappointing, I noticed that the other side of this cover has a sponge strip so it doesn't rattle against the outer cover. Ideally, the valves should be fitted 1/8" or 3mm further forwards. Other than these minor issues, the amp is perfect for what I want. Note that it has a clean setting and a pad switch for active basses, but I definitely wanted the Orange sound - a good rich overdrive but not an insane one. I'm also a total convert to the idea of a real valve preamp with a class D power stage.

My pair of Musicman USA Sub 5 basses. Really don’t get the use they deserve!!

Still Got The Bruise ～ Gary Moore

Ok. That did what I wanted it to. Energised.

And so, on the basis that everything affects everything, before I start plugging and fixing the new bridge, are the pickups chosen in @ped's concept going to fit? The two pickups that @ped got sent to me are a hot Ric-ish Gemini Pickups 'Surfrider' for the bridge and an equally hot Thunderbird-ish Gemini Pickups 'Degenerate' for the neck Here they are in their approximate positions: The bridge Surfrider will need a sympathetically chosen surround made as it is slightly narrower than the J and there is the base plate to hide. It will be hard against the bridge as with the original J. The ring with the Thunderbird so very nearly covers the existing P - it only fails because that is at the skewed angle and that leaves a teeny gap. I will make a thin plate under-ring just a couple of mm larger than the metal ring to hide the gap. There will be switch(es) - Mustang slide switches if they will fit - for coil tap. And that should be that! Just got to do it

When Leo left Fender he took all the rulers with him

I don't think The Beatles have the sort of status they had 20 years ago to be honest, Sgt Pepper as "The greatest album of all time" etc. I think time has been quite hard on a number of their albums, and while they had some incredible songs, increasingly their status is seen as a function of their era and their cultural and artistic contributions to it as opposed to inherent musical qualities. I've Got a Feeling remains in my Top-10 of all time however Now that Mozart, he's a different kettle of fish altogether

I've decided to have a couple of really interesting pickups added in place of the P/J. Partly because: - Putting an original pickup in will mean a new pick guard (boo) - The J will leave a big hole that'll be impossible to hide; even moving the J pickup might leave an untidy edge so I thought a different pickup to fill that gap which may or may not either fill it or maybe require a bezel would work - The bass has already been modded and will never be 'original' and I don't care about originality much anyway - The bass plays wonderfully and feels amazing, but I could quite easily buy an 'original' if that was the aim - in fact I have a Squire CV Mustang which probably sounds 99% the same as a Fender version (really it's very nicely put together for £300! - The pickups I have chosen are super cool and two pickups in a Mustang sound awesome I'll leave both tug bars if there's room next to the new pickup (which I'll let Andy reveal in good time) - they've been on so long they've stained the pick guard and actually I quite like using them in different ways.

A notification on this post today has reminded me that I have posted no pictures of the finished article! Best I get on and do that!

Whenever I change strings I can't find anyone to take them so they usually end up in the bin. Maybe pin these threads.

The connection to the Tone studio is supposed to be more stable in this update.

My Rose Has Left Me - Mulligan and O'Hare

Nice 👍

For the last 30 years I have hung my basses on Hercules hangers with no discernable negative effects on my basses. The only time I have heard of any real life problems is when the screws into the wall fail 😢 or even rarer is that the foam used on the support reacts with any nitro neck coating. Will hanging my bass have a physical effect upon it eg: the weight affecting the neck etc.....nope! I base this on the strings having a total tension effect upon the neck of approx. 170lbs for a 4 string and 200lbs for a 5 string (at standard tuning). By hanging the bass by the neck it adds the weight of the bass to this (approx 10lbs) and would have negligable effect (~+5%) on the stress within the neck eg: no real world effect. You can check my maths by using the D'Addario string tension chart - here. There are no other forces applied to the body / neck of the bass when hung which could affect it. Remember....use the correct wall screws / anchors and you're sorted. 👍

Well that's always a possibility of course

Here's my entry. The picture gave me vibes of looping and continuation, so a repetitive bassline and yes it goes on a bit 🙂..... The words (such as they are) came from a bit of word association: Blue Circle > Cement > Concrete > Abstract Finally, the sad death of Keith Levine means I tried to channel some KL/PIL.

I love it 😀

I Jus Scald To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder

The Beatles were just a second rate Oasis. Lennon would have been nothing if he hadn't ripped off the Gallagher brothers

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't 'get' this stuff about what other folk think of X, Y or Z. We're all different, of differing ages, from different backgrounds, and have listened to, and liked or not, different stuff over the decades. What earthly point is there in this sort of comparing, or looking in the rear-view mirror..? Maybe it's just me.

And so to that bridge. Using my long rule running up the fretboard, I positioned the bridge square with it at the correct length. Then I checked the two string runs from the nut slot to the saddle grooves: So - did ANY of the bridge holes line up? One! The far left above the E saddle. And only one of the through-body holes (the A) although all of those will be usable. It wouldn't have made too much difference if none of the screw holes had lined up - but it meant that, without any plugging and redrilling, I could secure the bridge to stop it sliding about... ...while I double checked and triple checked and quadruple checked, etc, etc, etc

I can totally understand that the polished front is less legible. I know the ins and outs of the amp well enough that it isn't an issue for me.

In terms of bits and layout, not quite. In terms of putting a smile on @ped 's face, then hopefully

Keep them for rabbit snares, you're probably going to need them the way things are going... Unless you like eating boiled grass with a nice piece of dried larch bark, all of the time.

Remember that in the days before Trace Elliot the difference between most guitar and bass amps from the same manufacturer was the name on the front panel and maybe a few component changes to re-voice the tone controls.

When your audience starts singing the next song, before you have announced or started playing it, you need to change your set list. In saying that, you have to be aware that the singer cannot play up the dusty end or drop tune, so some accommodation is needed in a band. In the end, the singer has to have a veto on songs, but that should not mean that they have a veto on change. The set list has to evolve, or the band will stagnate.

Hmm, I'd be a little concerned about that request. Essentially PL cover *is* indemnity insurance - in that the insurer agrees to indemnify you on the happening of a claim arising from loss or injury occurring in the course of your activities. I suspect the venue want you to indemnify them against claims, losses etc - or they don't know what they're talking about. If the former, be very careful as if you agree to such you could invalidate the terms of your PL cover. I would go back to the venue and ask why they suggest PL cover is inadequate and what they require over and above that. Certainly a venue requiring an express indemnity is very unusual IME (musician of many years' experience and solicitor who used to specialise in insurance law).

Mandy Boat Comes In - Trad.

D'oh, I've just realised what I should have said when asked what I want manufacturers to do... GIVE ME FREE STUFF!

Horace Andy. Tiny Desk (Home) concert. Filmed in Adrian Sherwood's living room.

Agreed. Reading the spec and understanding what the controls are before starting the video would be a good start. As for the bass, take the uglier side of the Corvette, graft it onto the less attractive side of a Streamer and... meh.

one of the advantages of Basschat is that singers (and guitarist) don't come on forums for bass players. at least I hope our Singer doesn't 😂

Absolutely J, I want to enjoy what I’m doing. When the fun stops…stop. It’s not affecting my enjoyment of playing, actually had my rig set up and enjoying playing my J bass the last couple of days - I’ve had it years and I forget how much I love it because shiny things get in the way.