mcnach

So I bought this Squier Precision, a Mike Dirnt model, a couple of years ago... that's just before my Precision love blossomed and this bass played a big role in that! It was light, very comfortable neck, slimmer than most Precisions, somewhere between a P and a J, cheap, and made some great noises. It came with some roundwound steel strings, which also started to open my eyes to stainless steel strings... great feel, nice sound... it looked like this (on the right): I liked that it had no routing or anything under the pickguard so it looked nice without one: At the time I started a thread about it, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/197094-mike-dirnt-squier-p-bass-anyone/"]here[/url]. It is a bass that didn't see a lot of action for a while, but that I felt strangely attracted to... and ultimately led me to other Precisions. There was nothing wrong with it, but I never truly *loved* it. First of all, I am a bit racist (of tree species) when it comes to fingerboards. I can have flings with rosewood, but I only really fall in love with maple. Especially lacquered. Yes, I could have changed the neck... but I wasn't keen. It was meant to remain cheap, and the neck was lovely. Plus, the square kind of body/neck joint makes it harder to find a suitable neck. I used it for busking a lot. It was my inexpensive but nice player kind of bass that I was not too worried about if I used it outside and could get dirty or whatever. It was also light, did I mention that? That's a nice thing when carrying a bunch of things about in town. I changed the pickup earlier this year. The original was ok, but a little unrefined. I bought an Entwistle neodymium one, based on the good reviews and low price... and found it didn't fit the bass as the ears were too big. No problem... I didn't like the big lettering on the Entwistle pickup covers, and I bought new covers for it, in white. It ended up looking like this: Those pickups are great! I started a thread about them [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/258271-entwistle-neodymium-p-type-pickups-pbxn"]here[/url]. I have used this bass without pickguard a lot. I also tried two different ones, a white one (pictured above), and a 3-ply mint green one which I think looks nice with the kind of creamy aged white colour of the bass body. I played some gigs with it now, with the new pickup... It sounded great. Huge. Not exactly traditional Precision, but for that I already had now the red Classic 50. Great sounds. Fat. Powerful. Yeah! Still... rosewood. Sorry, I could not love you. "I'll take you home tonight and play all night, but I will not take you to meet my parents" kind of deal. Until... I found a CV series Squier neck online, new, maple, lacquered... from a 50s series, with the squareish neck bottom!!! It wasn't the yellow tinted one, which would have been AMAZING, but it looked great in pictures. So I went for it. Sure, it cost more than what I paid for the bass, and I was hit with £40 charges (it was in the US)... but it was BEAUTIFUL. To my surprise, it was nothing like my own CV50 Squier neck... this was less chunky, and in fact not too far off the Mike Dirnt one.The fit was very good too. The holes did not align, ok, but that's easily sorted. While the original neck fit was nearly perfect, this one leaves a bit of a gap, tiny... I'll call it "70s Fender vibe" It works. It's not something I'd be too impressed with on a £800 bass, but I can live with it here. I gave it to my favourite (well, one of my two favourite luthiers, because I know two lovely ones now and I don't want the other one to be upset if he reads this ) luthier, to make sure the neck was fitted nicely and took the opportunity to ensure frets were levelled etc. I also replaced the nut, just to get a nice one in and cut it just right. I got it back a couple of days ago... and it looks like this: I also like the fact the neck is a Squier, so I'm not changing logos or anything... Its new neck is as comfy as the original, but I like it a lot more, just from a personal preference point of view... the lacquered feel is lovely. So here it is... it's not exactly a new bass day... but almost! Now I'm confident this bass is here to stay

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1437641388' post='2827720'] Re: guitarists and tubes - I've become much more involved with playing guitar now, and a small Fender tube combo with those pristine cleans is a wonderful thing. I have two low-ish wattage tube amps for guitar, and they do sound great. Guitarists have it much easier though, as a good quality 1x12 22W tube amp covers a lot of ground. Buy a nice overdrive pedal (like a Klon clone) and bam, you have some very interesting tones. However, the new Roland Blues Cube has NO tubes/valves whatsoever, and it sound absolutely stunning. Get it right, and guitarists wanting a solid, reliable, cheaper to run amp will buy it. It IS tough to get it right, more than bass IMO. [/quote] While I really love the tone (specially clean!) of a few nice and relatively small valve amps, and I thought that it was in the valve domain where I'd find "guitar peace", I've recently made a great discovery. We have some new equipment in the rehearsal studios we normally use, and there's this little Fender amp in there. I did not pay attention at first, but after a few weeks I noticed that whichever of our guitarists was using it sounded fantastic. IN particular, a stratocaster through it with a nearly clean sound was just beautiful. I'm not saying it was the best sound ever, and maybe on its own it might not be amazing... but in the band context it was just delicious. I noticed it. Each guitarist noticed it. We didn't notice everybody else noticed it until one made a comment and we all jumped in "yeah! I was thinking that too!!!". As a result, two of the three guitarists are ditching their bigger amps and getting one of those Fenders. Guitarist number 1 already found one. The amp? A Fender 112 deluxe. Solid State. Not a valve in sight. £70 on eBay, 10kg. Loud enough for any of our gigs. Lucky gits. I hate them! :-p I'm after one too now.

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1437550358' post='2826876'] [size=5]I get so frustrated at rehearsals because I never get the chance to warm up and actually hear myself.[/size] [size=5]Once the guitarist plugs in and starts thrashing away at high volume and without any thought for others, that's the end of it, even the drummer gives me a defeatist look, and we both just sit down and wait until everyone is ready and we go straight in to the songs, and of course it's the same between numbers when we want to discuss something, and nobody can hear whats being said due to the bloody guitard playing away! Is it just me?[/size] [/quote] don't waste your time in bands like that... get him to behave, or let him go, or walk... life's too short. There are better people to be in a band with out there if you look for them.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1437574944' post='2827199'] Yeah. I'm pondering another, too. [/quote] it's a disease! I feel better knowing it's not just me.

[quote name='ednaplate' timestamp='1437573827' post='2827183'] Thanks WoT, I will. I took my inspiration from your latest purchase. They seem such good value for money, compared to other custom builders, that the cynic in me wonders if there is a catch. [/quote] I'm afraid there *is* a catch, as I've just found out... You will not be able to stop at just one bass Yup, I've got a second one ordered already. This one is a little more special than the first, although I suspect most people here will say "really?? that???" when they see it...

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1437412617' post='2825782'] Logos are a great idea. If you are ever on a multi band gig the posters will need a logo as the space you will get on a poster will be too small for a photo. Look at any festival posters. They all use the bands logos [/quote] +1!!!

I bought one so you didn't have to... DON'T BOTHER. It mutes too much, and on basses with small fingerboard radius it's too uneven. However... I am tempted to keep it just to experiment with different foam/pressures. It's easy to disassemble, and you can replace the material inside. Not sure it'll work that much better using other materials/pressures... If you want to play about, it may be ok. If you want a nice palm muted tone as it is... this will not do it.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1437388061' post='2825464'] If that's the only blemish I'd accept that as a 'mint' or 'as new' condition - it's most definitely 'as new' because I'd say that's how the bass arrived when bought by the previous owner... it's a minor manufacturing defect/flaw/blemish that's been there from new. If it's really bugging you then you might drop some clear lacquer into the nick to fill it. [/quote] it would not bother me much and I'd accept it as "as new". When I bought my Classic 50 precision the neck had an unsightly blemish, a small dark vein on the back of the neck. If I went by looks alone I'd probably change it... but it felt and sounded wonderful, so I would not change it for anything. I'd keep it.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1437388550' post='2825474'] I like Class D a lot, I haven't found any of the Class D amps I've owned lacking in warmth. I don't need to feel rumble because I don't rely on those frequencies to tell what notes I'm playing. If anything the Trace V8 I used to have put out too much muddy low end and made hearing myself much more difficult. I normally let the sound man add low frequencies if thats what the soundcheck needs. [/quote] same here, I actually tend to cut the low lows onstage, otherwise it seems I'm fighting against the bass drum.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1437385900' post='2825426'] Well, if the one or two (hell, even five) Class D amps which one has tried aren't producing the goods versus the one or two (or even five) Class AB ones one has listened to, then of course it stands to reason that all Class D amps are crap and all Class AB are awesome. QED? [/quote] exactly! who needs statistically significant differences, eh? Precisions used to be rubbish, but in the last couple of years they really have improved the way they make them, because now I like them.

[quote name='mikechapmanhill' timestamp='1437221045' post='2824510'] Also what is greate-ing? [/quote] ooops, typo, now corrected. I meant "create"... As in the original J route is only half the route for the double J... so you need to "create" the cavity for top half somehow.. with the router, with a chisel, dynamite... whatever you can use

[quote name='mikechapmanhill' timestamp='1437220184' post='2824504'] What is a router? Sorry I don't have much experience in changing pickups haha. I think I would prefer to install a MM pickup if I'm honest, but wouldn't I need to make the bass active to get the same sort of tone? Also that bass looks extremely tasty [/quote] a router is just a tool to carve the wood and make a neat (depending on your ability... I've also used a router to make a horrible mess once ) pickup cavity. I'm not sure you can cover the existing cavity with the MM pickup... let me check. Bad news... it'll leave a gap at each end. If you put the MM pickup flush with the bottom ears, so that they're covered, the pickup is a bit narrower than the J pickup and it leaves a gap: It's not huge, but it would bother me a bit. You could make a thin frame for the pickup too, which might look pretty cool and would cover the gap. You don't need a preamp. The MM pickups are standard passive, and the Stingray sound exists even in passive mode (when placed in the correct spot, it'll sound different when you place it closer to the bridge, as in this case, but it will still sound good, just not very Stingray-like). I already experienced that when experimenting with OLP Stingray clones, but the final proof to convince disbelievers was my 2002 Stingray: I had the original 2EQ preamp replaced with one of John East's preamps. They are based on his own '76 Stingray preamp, but it adds a mids module with a sweepable centre frequency you can cut or boost... or leave flat which renders the preamp a copy of the classic 2EQ Stingray preamp. In addition, I asked him to install a preamp bypass switch. So I can bypass the preamp entirely and it's unmistakeable Stingray! You just cannot boost bass or whatever, so you're stuck in that one particular sound... but it's a great sound on its own. The pickup in the pictures is a Seymour Duncan SMB4A. I bought it for a Cort GB74 I have (MM pickup on the bridge, J on the neck, so pretty much what you're after). It's a very powerful pickup (I've used it on OLPs before) and would be my first choice. The Maruszczyk is a great bass. I got to specify the exact neck profile etc... it's a beast! BUt a good kind of beast

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1437218734' post='2824487'] Part of the way the standard TS works is to roll off lows. The R18/C10 takes the HP frequency lower. [/quote] so it's a design that was never really suited for bass then, eh? Not complaining, as it sounds lovely for guitar! Maybe part of the "tightening" the sound it does is through cutting some of the "flab".

That looks very very promising!!! I don't presume you made before/after clips, eh? I have one of those but I'm not using it for bass because despite how nice it sounds, it just cuts too much low end for me to be able to use it unless it's permanently on and compensate with the amp controls... I wish I were better with my hands for these sort of minute modifications as I'd love to make the Joyo useable for bass Maybe one day I'll summon the courage needed!

simply changing the pickup will not be enough, as the Stingray sound the way it does largely because of the position of the pickup (and width etc). So, it's time to bring out the router, like hubrad said above Now, you could have a Stingray MM pickup installed... it won't be at the right place exactly if you want to cover the existing route but it'll get a fatter growlier sound than you do now. If the goal is not so much to get a Stingray sound, but to get more growl and a fatter tone from the bridge pickup, I'd think of using a "double J" type pickup. They look like two Jazz pickups stuck together. It'll mean you can use the existing routing as is and all you have to do is create the top part of it, and it'll look neat. I have a JJ in my Maruszczyk: The JJ pickup, with the second coil towards the neck, sounds massive. It's got the bridge J vibe in terms of definition and midrange, but it's a lot fatter, and has tons of growl. That's what I'd try.

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1436429314' post='2817981'] Sorry, I'm not quite understanding what it is that you're wanting to achieve, can you elaborate a bit more on your problem or maybe post some photos? If the pickups aren't parallel then it could be that the screw holes in the body when the original pickups were installed were drilled wonky, but modifying the pickguard suggest to me that the replacement pickup that was fitted wasn't the correct size or was fitted badly. [/quote] +1

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1437123267' post='2823719'] The idea of laying through an amplifier at home seems totally unecessary and self-indulgent to me. The only reason to play alone at home is to learn new parts or improve your playing in general. For that the 'tone' argument is redundant. No need to make others unwilling share your mistakes. [/quote] There is a thing called "volume" in the layout of my home amp's controls. It seems to be able to regulate how loud it goes, from rattling windows to completely inaudible. I have found a spot in said control that allows me to hear my bass very well at a volume that's no louder (in fact probably quieter than many) TV sets in people's homes. Who would have thought it? Now, more seriously... bass indeed travels. For people leaving in apartments, or sharing walls with neighbours... it's important to be aware and careful about that. But it's not just bass amps... TVs (especially with a full sound system! Those explosions sound awesome in the room but they can be really annoying to neighbours), stereos... Some people don't realise how much noise they make. Stop and think about it. I do use an amp at home, but it's generally not very loud at all. In fact sometimes I practice along to my mobile phone, which is great as its bass reproduction is very poor... so it allows me to play back recordings from rehearsals when we're working on new songs, and it allows me to try different basslines until I find what I like. I set myself a curfew of 9pm, because that's where the little girl upstairs seems to be going to bed. I have indeed spoken to neighbours telling them to not be shy if the noise is annoying... and their response is that they hear it sometimes but it's not obtrussive. My downstairs neighbour says she didn't know I played bass at home... Be mindful and you don't need headphones all the time.

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1437074430' post='2823434'] We'd love to make a great busking amp but very few buskers seem willing to pay what something like that would cost to build let alone allow us to turn some kind of profit! Maybe something for a Kickstarter? [/quote] True, your typical busker doesn't invest a lot of £££ in their equipment I use a QTX QR10PA thingy (marketed as a mini PA) because it's small, light, runs on a built-in battery, more than loud enough... and it just works. But I'd love to have something that also has a great sound

I have used my TKS1126 cabs with both Genz Benz Streamliner 900 and Shuttle 9.2, and they sound good. Fine. But on Sunday I played in a bar without PA support for bass, using my MarkBass combo (essentially a LMIII head in small cab with a 12" speaker) and one of the TKS 1126 cabs as an extension. THAT was really very good! I have previously used a number of cabs as extension for this combo. I used a Barefaced Compact (sounded immense, quite a good match), a Barefaced Big Baby 2 (good but not as good as the Compact), and a Schroeder mini 10R (fantastic sound!)... but the TKS 1126 was the best of them all as an extension cab. I let this other band use my rig, so I got an opportunity to hear it in action away from the stage. In fact, the bass player for the other band had an accident and dropped his bass down the stairs at the venue, breaking a couple of tuners... someone went out to get him another bass, but he did soundcheck for his band using both my amp and my bass... It sounded much more powerful (yet balanced) than I imagined from the sound onstage. So... want an extension cab for your MarkBass combo? do consider these TKS cabs. The sound of this combination is just beautiful!

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1437058120' post='2823265'] [b] [size=5][b]Barefaced Behemoth? Suggest a big crazy cab for us to add to the range! (And tell us why we should...)[/b][/size][/b] Does it have to be big? I had another idea when talking with my keyboard player, he also plays in a dixie band and takes his keboard with him when they go out busking (complicated system to atach it to his body). His main problem is amplification, mainly the low-end reproduction on the existing busking amps. So why don't you take your new amp design for the active cabs, add your knowledge in light-weigh cab building and create the ultimate busking amp? Ultra light, great sound, nice lows, big output (loud as F**K!). Just have to think about the battery Is there a niche for this? [/quote] oooh, a busking amp... I'd like that!

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1437060390' post='2823289'] Fair enough, I've sent an email about a replacement. Take away the noise troubles and it will be fine for what I'm after, so hopefully another unit will be the answer! [/quote] fingers crossed!!