mcnach

Sounds like they want to be sure they get the right guy/girl. I think that's good. And they think you might be it... so well done! What did YOU think? Did you like them? You get another chance to audition THEM, and again, that's good

Sexy! NOt a big fan of matching finish headstocks but... that looks great!

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1402176476' post='2470818'] You will find them in Schaller JBX pickups! Schaller copied the Model J design, but use chrome coloured polepieces, rather than black ones. [url="http://www.touchstonetonewoods.co.uk/products/bass-261/schaller-electric-bass-guitar-pair-of-pick-ups-jbx-series-1228.aspx"]http://www.touchston...eries-1228.aspx[/url] Larry Dimarzio used those hex poles, I guess, because he went to the hardware store near his shop and purchased the first thing he could find. These are not a specialist part, they are 5mm diameter hex bolts. Ebay is full of M5 hex bolts, but the bulk of them are stainless steel. The ones I've used are tensile steel, but they are black! Stainless is non ferrous, so probably would make a good pole piece. If you get really stuck I can give you the ones out of my Schaller pickups... I need to check that the replacement bolts in my collection actually work. [/quote] Yeah, the decreased magnetic properties of various stainless steels is what worries me. I do not understand about tensile steel or the various grades... I found this,, where it states that grade A2 is still magnetic (how much, I don't know)... so at least I can search for A2 grade grub screws. They're cheap enough that if they don't work well, I didn't really lose much, and it's fast and easy to replace a couple of poles and check the output and sound on one string. If you don't need your Schaller-derived poles, I would love to buy them off you... but only if you're sure you would not need them! (I can give you my black ones if you wanted to). At least I know those ones work well on pickups... but like I said, only if you're sure you don't want them

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1400065011' post='2450320'] Hi, I'm after an always on compression pedal, I've read all the reviews on Ovnilab, amd am leaning toward the MB Compressore, but would appreciate some tried and tested opinions. I really want it to be a clean as possible, no harmonic distortion and as quiet as possible too! Not asking for much, then... I'd mostly use a low ratio as I don't want it to dip and swell and sound squishy, just want it to even things out and sound nice and clean. I have a LM3 and 2x12 and play 4 string Precisions. Cheers! [/quote] From your description, I think the BBE Opto Stomp would fit the bill well. It's VERY transparent, although if you want it to, it can fatten up the sound and be less transparent. DISCLAIMER: I do have one for sale, but this is not why I said the above! I personally like the EBS Multicomp best, and I have the BBE for sale because I ended up buying a second Multicomp (one for the big pedalboard, and one for the tiny one). The Multicomp is not as transparent, but I prefer how it does what it does when I switch between slap and fingerstyle. It's got three modes, a normal one, a "tube-sim" one which is the same but with extra "girth", I would say, and the dual band mode (which is what I use normally). It does colour the sound *slightly*, but it's not a bad colour at all. This compressor does not do the "just fattening and even up" the sound as well as the BBE, but it still does it very well, and I prefer the way it works for changing slap/fingerstyle styles. I also like about those pedals that they are extremely simple to use. EDIT: I saw you already got the MarkBass! I'm very curious about that one too, but too big and too many knobs Still, one day I will test one. How are you getting on with it?

[quote name='Patchbass' timestamp='1401479463' post='2464129'] So guys, I still haven't pulled the trigger on the Darkglass VMT as i'm still trying to be 100% sure and was wondering what it is like compared to the OKKO Basstard or the Roger Mayer TC Voodoo Bass and if anyone uses either of these and has any comments about them! I am after an overdrive that can go from breakup and a little hair to medium overdrive that will cut through the mix and sound vintage and similar to a valve amp, so are these pedals any better at this than the Darkglass VMT and are they capable of this and stand out in the overdrive market or are they ones to skip? Thanks for any help, Patch [/quote] The Darkglass may be suitable, but the OKKO Basstard is an entirely different animal. If you want valvey low gain overdrive, forget about the OKKO. I personally like the VT-Bass a lot for low gain overdrive (how valvey it is, it's up for debate), much nicer than the Darkglass VMT. The Xotic BB Bass preamp is a pretty cool pedal too for very low gain fattening overdrive sounds (although it does more than that, of course). The BB before the Darkglass, absolutely. I didn't like the VMT much myself, and find it overpriced.

[quote name='CMR Bass' timestamp='1402154113' post='2470521'] When I say they come loose, I don't mean they work all the way out, they just loosen up. You could only tell this by taking a screwdriver to the screws during routine maintenance. It's very common due to string vibration which is why I'm not a fan of bolt-on basses. [/quote] Is it very common? I must have been incredibly lucky

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1402091146' post='2470080'] Something's gone wrong when you start spending more money on trolleys than on instruments. Or beer. [/quote] ha ha sadly true!

Not long ago there was a tasty offer at Maplin offering some foldable trolleys for a measly £20. They looked good and I can't find the thread that was started about them, but several people bought it and seemed happy with it. I have a gig tomorrow in an uncertain location with uncertain access (that deserves a thread on its own... it's supposed to be outdoors in a park, but it may be indoors as there are issues with power and appropriate stage cover... long story)... so although I only have to carry a couple of lightweight cabs (BF Compact and BB2), lightweight amp (GB Shuttle 9.2) and bass plus a couple of pedals, the idea of having to walk for an unknown distance (at the moment) with all my equipment made me run to Maplin and I bought one of those aforementioned trolleys, only now they were £30. They were supposed to carry up to 70Kg, so that would be ok. [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/70kg-folding-trolley-n48jq"]http://www.maplin.co...g-trolley-n48jq[/url] It looked alright... but I have serious doubts about its suitability. The platform looks decidedly flimsy and bends noticeably when trying to lift my small MarkBass CMD121P combo. Hmmm. I stacked the BF cabs on the trolley and attempted to move it... I felt it was going to break. Once tilted it seems it could be ok... but it's not filling me with trust. And it's under 25Kg! Hmmm... not good. I have a number of other uses that this could be good for, so I might keep it, but I don't trust it for my original intended purpose. So, good people of BassChat, do you have any recommendations? I specifically want folding ones that I can throw in the boot of the cab and not take up much space. I met someone a few months back who had a Ruxxak like this one, and that one was definitely good. Sturdy, and reliable (he had used it for several years regularly)... The problem is they're not exactly cheap, but I'd rather buy one of these once than saving a bit and end up having to buy something else later because it was not good. This is the Ruxxac, at ~£128 delivered [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/RuXXac-Business-Folding-Truck-Capacity/dp/B002RB7XIW/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1402087197&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=ruxxac"]http://www.amazon.co...keywords=ruxxac[/url] However, I have seen another possible contender whose reviews look good and seems to be used by a lot of us noise-merchant types... Just under £60, the Wolfcraft Ts600. It looks a lot sturdier (in pictures!) than all the other ones at under £30, and the reviews seem good. Anybody has experience of these? [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-5505-Adjustable-Trolley-Ts600/dp/B0001GRVJQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top"]http://www.amazon.co..._pr_product_top[/url] Anybody have any other suggestions, or comments on the ones above? The Maplin one is definitely too flimsy...

[quote name='RockinRelic' timestamp='1402067491' post='2469762'] I live in the USA and bought one from a store in Germany last month -- purely for the surf green color. I couldn't find one anywhere in the states. It arrived within a few weeks, and it was in pretty good shape out of the box. First thing I did was turn the truss rod to correct the neck bow. I did mods on it, including Bartolini pickups and a Gotoh bridge. I also replaced the stock strings. My luthier (who can turn a log into a Stradivarius) worked on it and I did further work filing the fret ends smooth. I also painted the head stock to match the body. It now plays with the best of my other basses. I use it professionally in a surf band. I couldn't happier with the sound and joy of playing it. Amazing. Bottom line, the J&D bass is an amazing value for the money, and with a little work, it can be your main rig. [/quote] I am still amazed by mine! Like you I bought it mostly because of the colour... I wasn't expecting to like it quite so much!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1402055345' post='2469565'] I'd get back in touch with DiMarzio in the US and gently mention that you still haven't heard anything from their UK distributor. That might get things moving. Otherwise, the UK distributer is Headstock and they can be contacted on 0121 508 6666 [/quote] Thanks! I'll give the UK distributor a call, probably best, and phone calls often work better than emails.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1402043924' post='2469416'] And what did they say? [/quote] They said, and I quote: [quote]" "[/quote] Well, that's not exactly true. DiMarzio in the US replied rapidly saying that so and so in the UK will get in touch with me with the info I needed. That did not happen. I tried again, and then I got nothing. I know some people have been able to buy them, something like $10 for a set. But they seem elusive. I am tempted to remove one and find a match from some hardware store, but most seem stainless steel and there are many grades, with many being poorly magnetic, and I would not know what to get.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1402035169' post='2469330'] Have you tried contacting DiMarzio? [/quote] yup... first think I tried.

Still looking... anyone?

Glad things worked out in the end, but all that hassle was unnecessary...

Ian just bought my MarkBass LM-III head. Pleasant communication, smooth and easy. I hope you enjoy this amp!

[quote name='Guinness21' timestamp='1401359126' post='2462740'] Hi guys, Me and my vt bass are very happy together. [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]BUT, I like to add some grit sometimes, so I'm looking for an overdrive or possibly fuzz pedal that would pair well with the VT. An overdrive pedal that I would use every now and then, when the VT Bass would stay "on" all the time, since it's my amp simulation.[/font][/color] [font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][color=#141414]What do you think? Was considering the b7k - b3k too fizzy for me - but everyone on talkbass seems to use it like a slightly dirty pre, and that's not what I'm after. Was looking at the vmt, and the ashdown nm2 as well because of the active input and being able to set 2 distortion sounds. The reason I say possibly fuzz is that, I probably am looking for an od pedal but I am considering one fuzz pedal. The black arts toneworks pharaoh really caught me off guard, can hit some great distortion sounds,[/color][/size][/font] [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMe_BRrkVI"]https://www.youtube....h?v=EVMe_BRrkVI[/url] This is used with an active bass alongside a vt and I think it sounds good. So what do you think? Anyone have any experience of these pedals? Are there any pedals I haven't and should be considering? Any advice would be much appreciated [/quote] how about a second VT? I use two in my RATM band because they sound great at low and higher gains. I tried various others, but in the end I decided to get another VT. I had a B3K and the VMT... I just did not get along with them. The COG Darklighter might be interesting too. I have ordered one with a bunch of custom mods (loop, blend etc, but the sound will be the standard Darklighter) and I intend to replace my "dirty" VT with it when it arrives.

sweet basses. I have the butterscotch one... for £120, how come it's still there?

Did it work out ok in the end? eBay has gone downhill for some time now

I love that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1401615854' post='2465178'] It IS disturbing... I can't help but think there is one more guitarist than is necessary and definitely two 4X12 rigs more than is necessary... but looking at a pic isn't the same as hearing a band, so kudos if it's working out. [/quote] exactly! :thumbsup: I am sure that some sound guys also think I carry more stuff than necessary at times, when we play gigs with a couple of other bands and I show up, move aside the 1X15" combo provided and stack my two cabs, when I'm going to be DI'd anyway. But when I can carry both cabs, amp head and bass at once, I don't mind doing that and being able to hear myself on stage well and play happily. Once we were playing in a pub and the sound guy (PA for vocals only) sees my rig "oh, you're not going to need all that, you're going to be too loud and we can't be too loud here" etc etc, all worried. I listened, smiled and pointed at my volume knob "don't worry, I also have one of these, I'll only be as loud as you want me to be, just let me know if you want me to turn up or down". This was a St Patrick's gig and there had been two bands before we went on, with very little bass going... so with my right in my car I was not going to leave it there when I knew I could sound a lot better!

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1401614184' post='2465153'] Yeah....It is THAT loud, hence the extension cab under the combo. That said, we've never been asked to turn down and received nothing but positive feedback. We're not as loud as some local bands I've been to watch [/quote] If you are playing with people who can operate a volume knob, that set up can work perfectly well. It's just that in my experience those people are hard to find, but if you did... don't let them go!!! I often use two cabs in situations where I could do with one... but on the one hand, I'd rather have more than I need than being short (if transport is not an issue), and I like a vertical stack to get a speaker closer to ear level. Once I only had one speakon cable (forgot I had taken one out to try something at home), so one cab ended up being just a stand. Lost the floor coupling but close to the back wall it seemed to work fine. I've played with my share of extremely loud guitarists and that left me somewhat traumatised, so when I see a set up like that I tend to run away But I'm aware some people can still be sensible with volume (you say you're loud, not that you demolish pubs, so you must be doing it ok )