mcnach

[quote name='mildmanofrock' timestamp='1484761990' post='3218238'] Sorry, was I not clear enough? [/quote] No, to me you weren't, that's why I asked. I hope it wasn't too much effort to answer. Thank you.

[quote name='Jazzjames' timestamp='1484635684' post='3216954'] And you only need it to happen once when a battery fails on stage to know that relying on a £3 battery as a crucial chain in your signal path is not cool. [/quote] The battery won't fail you... a human (you) will fail you, most likely, when they forget to replace the battery once a year or so

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1484603254' post='3216807'] Unless the controls on your bass do something very different such as the filter EQ of the Wal or ACG, or they allow you to EQ each pickup separately, I really can't see the point as all they do is duplicate what you should already have available on your amp. [/quote] Do you find you like the EQ sections in all preamps? I don't. The preamp on my Stingray is nothing like the EQ section on my LMIII or my Streamliner 900 which is again different. And there's a good reason why they're different. So no, onboard preamps do not necessarily duplicate the controls on your amp. That's like saying that all basses sound the same.

[quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1484602695' post='3216795'] I prefer passive because I want less to fiddle with. Active is a bit of a distraction for me, plus I get to leave my bass plugged in. [/quote] I never leave the bass plugged in... one clumsy person tripping on the cable and you risk damaging the output socket or worse.

[quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1484744195' post='3217975'] Cheers sammybee, is this the guy who trades as Arrowhead guitars? If so, I hate to be [i]that guy[/i], but unfortunately I had a bad experience with him a few years ago and won't use him again. Pity as his price for a set up is very good. I usually do my own set ups, they may not be perfect but the instruments are usually good enough for me (i.e. low action and a hint of fret clang when I dig in) but I just can't get my cheap old stunt bass to how I want it so I think it's time to get someone who actually knows what they're doing to have a look at it. [/quote] He had some rough times, at a personal level... I'm pretty sure that was the reason behind whatever trouble. He's a good guy.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1484686395' post='3217566'] Open cover, take out battery, put in battery, close cover. Pretty complicated yes, next weeks lesson is putting on trousers [/quote] Next week? But I've got a gig this week! I guess I can hang the bass low...

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1484681706' post='3217485'] I've never played an active bass, perfectly happy with my passive basses as they so see no need to change. Some people seem to spend their whole lives looking for a better this or better that. Personally, I'd rather just get on with playing. [/quote] wise man! I was a bit like that... until I discovered BassChat.

[quote name='mildmanofrock' timestamp='1484655459' post='3217174'] Active basses sound a bit 'keyboardy' to me. That can be a good thing, I suppose. [/quote] what do you mean? That could be a cool effect sometimes, actually One thing I find is that there are a lot of naff uninspiring active basses out there, especially in the low/mid-range price bracket. It's almost as if they put a preamp just to make them seem better value than they are. Not every preamp is the same just like not every bass is the same, and I suspect most people first experience with active basses is with one of these not so inspiring ones. If you start with a good instrument, passive, adding a good preamp (or a 'suitable' preamp for that particular bass, perhaps, in terms of centre frequencies, width/slopes etc) does not need to destroy that good passive tone. Some preamps can totally obliterate it, and you may want that or not, sometimes it works, sometimes it does not... but many preamps will not screw with that. I find it difficult to talk of 'active' basses and 'passive' basses as if each class had a very distinct characteristic sound, because to me they don't. There's enormous variation within each, which is why active/passive is the last thing I care about when choosing a bass.

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1484643369' post='3217019'] I prefer active. Less noise, more flexible - funny when people say there's too many knobs and it's confusing... if you can work a toaster you can learn the controls on a bass guitar [/quote] Ha! True... but for people who don't like toast those controls are unnecessary since they just want the pure bread flavour straight from the oven to the table

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1484656225' post='3217185'] I wasn't aware of any overwhelming dislike for actives. I own and play both. I do think the battery argument is a bit daft. [/quote] no dafter than claiming passives sound better in the studio it's all down to personal preference and the context in which an individual bass is played. I find these threads quite amusing. They're interesting as you get to hear what people like and dislike about certain aspects and that's cool. But there are some general blanket statements that are frankly hilarious. I never get tired of the "passive, because I want a pure signal" (which I haven't read in this thread yet, by the way, I'm surprised ) when the passive signal is going to be processed through tons of various analog/digital equipment anyway

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1484655971' post='3217182'] Dime the mids on my East pre on any bass I have, and it'll drive the amp pre into that one. There you go. [/quote] Aha! That's something I use a lot on the 3-band East in my Stingray when playing in the RATM covers band: by altering the mids slightly with the overdrive pedal engage you can control how much distortion is apparent in the band mix. Really useful!

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1484684594' post='3217541'] I had a similar problem with an EBMM Sterling that I bought. My favourite strings have been DR coated strings (Black Beauties / Silver Stars) for a few years but I just couldn't get them to grip onto the tuning post so had to go to Ernie Ball string's on that one and they grip on fine. Are your strings coated by any chance? [/quote] I used briefly Black Beauties on my Stingray (and Peacock Blues )... not a problem: sharp bend exiting the post works on those too, in my experience.

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1484645313' post='3217042'] s'awful Purdy, feels like an extension of my hands and sounds perfick! [url="https://flic.kr/p/RfjA8o"][/url] [/quote] oh god... I'm in love. THAT is just perfect. If it sounds and feels maybe 10% of how it looks, it would be a superb instrument... wow.

8-week milestone just passed. Time goes sooooo slooooooooooow

[quote name='grandad' timestamp='1484599867' post='3216751'] I don't want to have the hassle of battery changing. I like to keep things very simple and straightforward, less to go wrong, and less likely to forget something. I don't want any more knobs to play with, I have quite sufficient. [/quote] I think this sums up the position of many, from what I've heard, more than actives having an inherent sound (which I don't think they do, they are all different). For some the battery is a 'hassle'. Some think that replacing a battery once a year is hardly a 'hassle' (myself included), but the thing is I don't choose a bass because it's active, I choose it because I like how it sounds, and active/passive is just not a factor... if it has a battery I'll deal with it, if it doesn't, then it doesn't. If, however, the bass you like is passive... then you can see how adding an active circuit may seem unnecessary, if what it adds is not interesting enough for you, so yeah, then it's a 'hassle'. I don't worry about electronics going wrong or batteries. The risk is minimal, negligible, to me. But that's just me. There's nothing 'superior' about active or passive... or one vs multiple pickups. "Oh, but two pickups are more versatile, you get a wider range of tones, so it's better". No, it isn't better *for me* if the sound I like is the one coming from a specific one-pickup bass. Some, like grandad above, mention liking things simple, fewer controls etc, and I sympathise with that. Having had basses with multiple switches and 3-4 band EQ... I find them distracting. But again, that's just me and my personal preference. My personal preference is active EQ, onboard, because I like the ability to tweak the sound just so at my fingertips. But a lot of preamp/instrument combinations leave me cold, so I guess I'm mostly talking about particular preamps in particular basses. I would not prefer just any active bass over any passive bass. I like my Precision passive as it is, thank you very much. I like my JJ and P/JJ passive too... a Jazz I like either way, and a Stingray active because their preamp seems just right for that instrument, to me. It all boils down to how much you like a given instrument... if it's active you will embrace the battery etc, if it's not then you won't have a reason to put up with it (even if it's just a once a year event)...

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1484105999' post='3212735'] Try living and being an entreprenuer there! I'm lucky I still have my sanity and hair. Being informed that there Chinese way of doing things and then seeing sh*t hitting the wall after my advice wasn't heeded has made me less tolerant...not more worldly (and this isn't my first time here). I could go on for hours about why this is the case. Mostly I believe it's the education system - it focuses exclusively on remembering facts and passing tests, not on understanding and problem solving. My niece is 12 and works until 11pm each night on homework (and she has a near photographic memory so never needed to study much in the past). It's a relentless grind for them with no room for personal development and I feel sorry for the poor bastards. The education system produces machines, not thinkers. Still...some, like my inlaws, can't help but think outside the box . In terms of generally working with Chinese, some allowance needs to be made for skill levels not being as high as in western countries and details get overlooked very easily. It's much more efficient to give them an example of what is wanted if so much of what is expected lies in attention to detail. It's then easy to point to the bits that are key to quality. Then they need training time to gain confidence and experience through repetition. As you say they're very eager to please. Once they've got the hang of what is expected, they turn into machines and can work relentlessly and very consistently - (as they are expected to by the education system). As for the topic of IP, it's a source of considerable frustration for myself. Trying to develop proof of concept without the manufacturing partner stealing those ideas is almost impossible to enforce legally. Yes there are confidentiality agreements that can be set up but the courts here generally like to have a pop at western interests on the basis of principle if there is an opportunity. So even if you took a company to court, used Chinese representation and had all the paper work in place, the courts might delay a decision indefinitely. [/quote] Interesting post, thank you!

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1484502583' post='3215928'] This. I always put a 90 degree bend in the string and pop it down into the centre of the tuning post. Also cut your strings to length to allow a couple of wraps around the post [/quote] That's what I do. I put the string down the central hole, and as it exits I bend it sharply so that it's anchored on the post... then wind it. I pre-cut the string so that I only have 2 turns once in tension, unless it's the E or A strings (without a string retainer), then I pre-cut it to allow a few more turns so that the string leaves the post from the bottom and it then exerts enough downward force on the nut that it won't rattle around. If you anchor the string by sharply bending them, the string won't slip.

wow

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1484409275' post='3215286'] I partially agree with this. Attitude and persona certainly do not mean anything on basschat (and should be challenged if appropriate or if someone disagrees, present your counter argument in a sensible way that can be read by other parties as part of a discussion, not a heated argument). However, there is a LOT of negativity here when it comes to an individual's [u][b]experience[/b][/u]. People will try to use their wealth of experience (it may be the inner workings of music retail, what it's like behind-the-scenes playing arenas with a 'name' band or how product endorsements work etc) and other people who have little or no experience of this, will wade in with their opposing opinions on the matter and think what they are saying can be taken as fact just because they shout loudest (i.e. I have a mate who has an endorsement deal and you just get everything for free! - This doesn't mean EVERY deal has the same terms) I think that is one of the greatest pitfalls of this forum. I joined when I was fairly inexperienced and as I've gained experience away from this forum, I tend to spend less time on it, because i find a LOT of opinions that are simply incorrect get posted on here and when the correct answer is given or someone tries to say 'that's not actually how it works' they just get shouted down. I also have one or two students who also joined basschat and will come to lessons saying "i heard/saw this on basschat..." and i have to remind them that it's a forum populated by passionate, opinionated people and that it's not an academic resource, therefore what is said should be taken with a pinch of salt at times. I also tell them to spend less time online and more time practicing This frustration probably applies to most members and scares some away (name player or not). It's a shame really, because I've watched all of Janek's blogs and he would be a great addition to the forum. He could talk for hours just about his experience will all his pedals, let alone the travelling and playing experiences he has had. [/quote] and that is true as well... Some people definitely know a little less than they think they know and can be very vocal in their opinions. No open forum on internet is ideal...

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1484499959' post='3215904'] I like this line. It sounds like you're talking about a child, not a bass I used to have 7 basses (down to 3 now) and I used to feel the same when I was deciding which one to take to the gig.. [/quote] Ha! It's true, they are my babies But today I sold another one. Little by little the list becomes shorter and shorter...

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1484482083' post='3215721'] I'm not a fan of white basses generally, but mcnach's GF has a good eye, IMO - that's really pretty [/quote] of course she has a good eye! she's with me, isn't she?