mcnach

... and yet another reincarnation, it now looks like this: The John East preamp has been removed and the bass is now passive, wired like a Jazz, with individual parallel/series switches for each pickup.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431815079' post='2775330'] What's that little thumb-rest made from and how is it fixed to the bass? [/quote] I use them in all my Precisions and most Jazzes too (it's that little black think on my avatar's red Precision too).. When I bought my first OLP MM2, that very thumb-rest on the Squier was attached to the OLP's pickguard, with strong double sided sticky tape, roughly at the position where a Precision pickup would be mounted. I removed it but kept it. Then I found it very useful on other basses. I really like to have something to rest my thumb at roughly the spot where the top of a Stingray's pickup would be... I had the thumb rest copied in aluminium by 'apa' (I haven't seen him around here in ages! ), so I have a couple more. Last year we had a thread about thumb rests and a few people liked this design, so I made a trace in Illustrator and 'Diablo' made a few of these in black acrylic for those who wanted them. I wish I had asked for more, the plastic ones are very nice, and I sanded them down to about 3mm (the original is 5mm I believe), which is perfect. They stay in place very well, I never had one move, let alone detach. But you can detach them when you want to, and remove the sticky residue without leaving a mark. I keep thinking I should find one of those laser-cutting places to get them to make a few more of these for me.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1431809590' post='2775278'] Well seeing as you asked Alex, I think that saying you were married for ten years before you shot your wife isn't much of a defence. Nor is the fact that other people have shot their wives. Not that I'm suggesting you have ever shot your wife, of course. By the way, what did they get you for? [b]Spamming the discussion threads?[/b] [/quote] are you serious??? if someone posts about a product of brand X, and the head of brand X joins the discussion, isn't that something good? well, except for those who dislike brand X. Here's a thought, how about you leave those who like brand X in peace and not try to piss off the guy (head of brand X) whose contributions are appreciated by others? Stop trying to sabotage other people's enjoyment and let them be, ffs.

[quote name='Henrythe8' timestamp='1429038341' post='2747326'] And tomorow, I'll go see, try (and probably buy) a MIke Dirnt Squier P. [/quote] I love mine Thinner neck than usual for a Precision (which usually would put me off, but it's good), and very light weight. I put an Entwistle neodimium pickup on it (£27) and it sounds immense.

I like it And it sounds fantastic. Those pickups are tremendous!

And the bass looks like this:

All fitted inside nicely now... Tight fit with that large terminal block, but it fits beautifully with enough room around each component.

Poor bass, I just can't leave it alone I used to own an L2500, but the 5-string thing is no really for me and I let it go. Natural/maple. Beauty. So when a L2000 in the same natural/maple finish was advertise for sale on the forum, I snapped it up! I actually sold my beautiful Squier CV60 in fiesta red with P-retro preamp to buy the G&L... but it's ok, as it did not have a maple fingerboard The L2000 is a great bass... Wide range of sounds, very nice neck, comfortable... yet I was not particularly in love with the controls. That preamp with the two positions wasn't doing it for me. The tone controls were interesting, being both passive, but... I just was used to my Stingray with 3-band John East MMSR preamp, so I ended up removing the original guts and installing an MMSR. Out of the three mini-switches, I used the pickup switch, and the parallel/series control. I actually left two holes empty as the parallel/series switch was inside the control cavity, switched permanently to parallel. Like this: Then I toyed with the idea of getting a pickguard for it. There was a [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/233062-designing-a-pickguard-for-my-gl-l2000-what-do-you-think/page__hl__l2000"]thread about it here[/url]. The final result looked like this: The pickguard was not screwed-in, but held in place with double sided sticky tape. Great invention. Of course, that wasn't the end. Too easy. I started thinking that I'd rather just remove the preamp and wire it passively. Like a Jazz. The pickguard covered one of the unused holes, but what would I do about the other two? Maybe individual parallel/series switches? So I got our good man KiOgon to sort that out for me, as I didn't want the hassle. In a flash, the wiring loom was in my hands. So today I found myself with some time and decided to install it. BUT! I found a metal control plate I bought ages ago for a project that never went ahead... and it made me change the bass a bit more. It involved drilling and hacking away with a chisel, so this modification is now permanent, it'll never look again like a standard L2000. Also, it would not have a pickguard anymore (I may design another to fit with the plate, in the future). So this is me going about the creation of the my L2000 v3... The point of no return... having decided the position of the control plate, I marked where the screw holes should go and got ready to drill... The control plate will now cover TWO of the miniswitch holes... argh! I didn't need the two switches after all... ha! I'll have to drill for the second miniswitch, and as I am using only one of the original pot holes, I'll drill some of those too. No going back! But that wasn't all. It's a large cavity, but the altered position of one the pots meant the large CTS pot did not quite fit straight... so I hacked away at one of the walls to make room for it: Now the pots fit, yay! So I decided the position for the second miniswitch, for the neck pickup... and drilled. That was ok, except that the position of the new hole brought it too close to the wall of the 9V battery compartment (that will not be needed anymore). Where is that chisel? Hammer away! Finally... I can now wire it all...

[quote name='mrn1989' timestamp='1431515085' post='2772036'] Ive got It working now, but it was a f**king nightmare getting it crammed into my '98 Stingray, considering it was designed as a replacement its a ball ache [/quote] what was the problem?

[quote name='Kempy535' timestamp='1431467544' post='2771771'] Yes you can. Pick ups them selfs are always passive. [/quote] Not always, some pickups do contain a little preamp themselves. Not many, but they're out there (EMG comes to mind as a company that makes that kind of pickup). Seymour Duncan make preamps for both passive and active pickups, as far as I recall. I used to have the STC-3M3 in an OLP years ago... it was *loud*.

fiesta red

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1431786585' post='2774999'] Come to think of it, as well as playing left handed with no hole in the kick, our drummers political views are probably quite compatible with Dad3353's too. Hmm, what is it with left-handed drummers? [/quote] Hmmm... have we ever seen BOTH in the same room at the same time?

[quote name='IanA' timestamp='1431786263' post='2774990'] They look nice basses, Polish I believe? Would be interested to see one close up [/quote] Well, you will have a chance soon, if you like. 2-3 more weeks, I believe. I have a Polish colleague, I'll ask him how to pronounce the name on the headstock...

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431778077' post='2774862'] Brilliantly researched and hilarious. [/quote] LukeFRC has a good memory, watch out.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1431777557' post='2774854'] Macnach back in the day... Macnach a year or so later Macnach a bit later Macnach later still [/quote] That's before I became I born-again Precisionist... Man, I've seen thiiiings! I still play the Stingray, there's no danger of me selling that bass anytime soon, in fact I just had its neck lacquered to make it even more delicious -for me-... but I only really play in one band these days, and the Precision works best. I used to be in the RHCP band (Stingray) and the RATM one (Stingray), in addition to SBK (eclectic mix of funky-ska with lashes of reggae/blues/rock, for which the Stingray and a Jazz were the usual weapons)... and I was dabbling with a couple of funk projects that did not get far... so the Stingray was deeply ingrained in me. When I was left with SBK only, the Precision came round and said "hellooo there, handsome"... and she never left [b]edit:[/b] ah! I hadn't yet seen the next message documenting my transition well done! My two favourite basses: Stingray and Precision were originally the two basses I never thought I'd play. One was ugly and the other sounded booooring. I thought Jazz was the only way. Now I have a bunch of Jazz basses decorating my walls when I play a Precision and a Stingray. Life...

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1431779423' post='2774898'] [...] or idiots wanting to cut 'mic' holes in my bass drum resonant head. I play drums 'lefty', so we often have to swap stuff around a little between sets, [...] [/quote] It must be a lefty drummer thing! The drummer that Beer of the Bass mentioned earlier is also a lefty... Can't you just play like... you know, a normal human being? (runs away)

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1431778317' post='2774869'] I usually see the trade-off on this as if headlining then happy to provide backline as it`s easier for all the bands before. If not headlining then happy to use the headliners backline for those exact same reasons. [/quote] Sometimes headlining is fancy speak for "you'll play last". It sometimes isn't the best spot, or play a longer set or anything. So, sometimes it becomes the place for "the fools who agree to provide the gear, having to arrive a lot earlier and leaving a lot later than the other bands, and they play the crap slot when half the crowd have already gone elsewhere. We got that a few times when I joined my current band. I still remember the "we're the headliners! wooo!" from a band member who shall not be named. When I explained to him what it meant, in practice, he was not as happy as previously.

[quote name='IanA' timestamp='1431775339' post='2774823'] +1 I used to detest them and now it is my go to bass! Mine weighs in at 3.5kgs so nice and light on the shoulder compared to my jazz. [/quote] That's light! Mine is not quite so light, but the three Fender 75RI Jazz I have are all quite heavy, even for Jazz standards. So that's a bonus! I'm expecting a Maruszczyc PJ soon, which will be reasonably light too, and adds that bridge pickup that I sometimes miss... but I also like the simplicity of a one-pickup bass. The more controls and options I have, the more I feel tempted to tweak, and that distracts me

[quote name='IanA' timestamp='1431634620' post='2773548'] I am a recent convert from a jazz to a precision... It is the tone in my head and I can't ever see myself having a need for the Jazz again, I am keeping it just in case though. [/quote] I used to not seeing the point on a Precision, when I could just use the neck pickup on my Jazz and sound the same. It does not sound the same, at all... but it took me a while to "get it". I hated Precisions, then... I don't know what happened, but it's the #1 bass/sound for me these days.

I'm afflicted with GAS like the vast majority here, judging by the posts I see. Lately I've gone through a phase where I've been letting some instruments go and trying to rationalise my "collection" (for there's no better name for it), as I realised that over the past year I could have just owned two basses and I would not have really missed anything. Still, I like shiny new objects. I must have been a magpie in a previous life Between Thursday and Friday, however, I've gone "wow, I love this" several times, about gear I already have and that it just works and sounds great. Little things... 1) Entwistle neodimium Precision pickups. I have this little Mike Dirnt Squier Precision I got for peanuts a while ago, for no reason, which has a really nice neck and became my "throw around" bass. A bass that works well that I'm not too precious about so I use it when we go busking as a band and in other situations where there is a high risk of it being mistreated or misplaced. I recently decided to replace its pickup with one of those Entwistle neodimium pickups. They were cheap and I keep hearing wonderful things about them. They do sound very good. It transformed the bass. So, on Thursday I used it for my band's rehearsal. I was late because of work, so when I arrived they were starting one of our newest songs, practicing for Friday's gig. I am listening while I set up my things, and I just joined after a chorus. First impression... "damn! bass just makes any song better!" and second "damn! this bass sounds fantastic!". Those pickups are brilliant! I have a Maruszczyc in order (P/J) coming in 2-3 weeks now (see? I told you I have GAS) for which I did not specify any particular pickups as I like to hear a bass first before deciding on changing things... and an Entwistle P/J set will be just the thing if I think the originals are not inspiring enough. The screw polepieces are not very pretty, but it sounds so good, I don't mind! 2) Fender Precision Classic 50 Gig on Friday. As usual, the Precision comes out. Bloody brilliant. That's all. What a great bass! Nice wide fingerboard, meaty neck, comfortable, and with the snap of the DR Fat Beams (steel), this bass is just the best sounding and playing bass I currently own (sorry Stingray ). I barely play it at home, and then I take it on gigs and everytime I end up thinking "why do I bother with any other bass?". Ok, the Stingray will stay, and a Jazz or two but, seriously, the "lowly" Precision can do so much more than people often give it credit for. 3) MarkBass CMD121P combo. Last night's gig was one of many where I only need a stage monitor. There is an Ampeg 410 and PF350 head provided, but I'm not a fan. So I generally bring my own amp to these gigs. It can be a single cab and a GB head, or the MarkBass combo. Last night it was the combo. Tiny, yet powerful enough, and just sounds great. So much sound in such little box! One of the best purchases I have ever made. This small combo is a jewel. The Precision through this was great last night: a bit of ska, a bit of funk, some reggae hints here and there, 98% fingerstyle, some slap. I loved it. I just use an EBS Multicomp pedal set to "multiband" for a bit of compression, I love what that pedal does... it's not transparent but I love the colour it confers. Smiles. 4) Sue Ryder bass. Yes, you heard it. A few years ago I bought three of the beasts to play around with. I didn't even like Precisions then! One was stripped, and I never finished the "project", sold recently as a set of parts. Another one was modified with a new pickguard and a Wizard pickup, and apart from the odd busking session and appearing in one video of my band I barely paid attention to it. I played one gig with it, I think. So I sold it too, last month. The third one... the third one was converted to fretless and installed a Model P pickup on it. Nylon tapewound strings. I have had other fretless basses, but this is the only one I have now, and it's a hoot to play! I just spent an hour this morning (girlfriend away for the weekend, I can make noise! Yay! ) jamming along to a Lettuce album with the Sue Ryder fretless... GAS... [i]"GAS[/i], huh, yeah. What is it good for. Absolutely nothing. Say it again, y'all. [i]GAS[/i], huh, good God What is it good for. Absolutely nothing" Ok, it is fun, 'though. However, sometimes a lot of us get too focused on gear and forget that we probably already own all we really need to have fun playing music, and we should focus on that more. Much more rewarding.

pictures?

SQUIERRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need a subforum for handbag fights.