mcnach

[quote name='TomWIC' timestamp='1337939873' post='1667615'] Hi all, I currently use a Boss ODB-3 for distortion but never have really managed to find the high-gain grunch I want for solo parts (think Jeordie White/Twiggy when he played with Nine Inch Nails a few years ago). I was thinking of getting the MXR M80 but as I use a SansAmp BDDI already, I'd only be using it for the distortion. So, would this be a complete waste of money as I wouldn't be utilising half of the pedal? And while I'm at it, if anyone can recommend an alternative, please do so [/quote] The distortion on the M80 is thicker than an OBD-3, but I don't think it offers much of a tonal difference to make it worthwhile if you're not interested in the DI/preamp side of it. I recently got an OKKO Basstard and if thick fat distortion is your thing, this one can do it (with the aded bonus that very low gain is great too). It also has two switches, one for an extra "oomph" (the gain of this extra "channel" is adjusted separately), which I find pretty cool.

INdeed! I just edited it.. it does NOT leave any residue. Thank you! That piece of ebony... is HARD! That's all I can say. In fact I thought of trying to use it for this (since it was meant to make a thumbrest to start with, just a simpler style one)... but I started playing with another lump of wood and the results were pretty disappointing so I'm not destroying that lovely wood you gave me erm, you know what I mean!

This one is made of some sort of metal. Probably not "made" as such, but rather a piece of metal that the previous owner of one of my OLPs saw and thought "hey, I can use that!". He used it as a thumbrest at the P position in the OLP. Whilst if I rest my thumb, I tend to like going closer to the bridge, around the MM or even bridge J position. I put this one on a P-bass a while ago, and I really like playing using it, on P-basses. It's merely attached with double-sided tape (thanks apa! ), it holds really well and leaves *no* residue afterwards. (Edit: I left the "no" out before, woops!) The problem is, I only have this one. I would like 2-3 more. Metal like this one works well. Wood would do too. My woodworking skills are too poor... does anybody know where I could get this thing replicated? or maybe even someone here can?

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1338663562' post='1677843'] Or go the whole hog and shave a bit of the neck width, contour the body a bit, maybe to on side, slip 2 single coil pups in it and have individual volumes for each one then you'll have a decent bass A [/quote] x 1000

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1338644604' post='1677573'] I think the Model J would match well to a 'typical' P in terms of levels. But if looks rule it out... actually the stock ceramic P/Js in my now fretless aerodyne sound great IMO, the bridge pup in particular has a nice meaty tone despite being single coil. Since you're in Edinburgh you could come and check it out sometime. If you do add the bridge pickup I'd suggest thinking carefully about placement in relation to the tones you want, the P pickup position means that with a 60s style J bridge the spacing doesn't give quite such a 'jazz' tone as if you move the j bridge-wards, OTOH if you're not really using the blended sound as much then you might prioritise the solo tone. [/quote] I'm not trying to replicate a Jazz bass, at least not when it comes to both pickups on. It's just that the bridge J on its own is something I use a lot. I would probably place it right where it is on my Jazz, or perhaps a *tiny* bit farther from the bridge, to try to get it a bit more "round". Because I'd be using it solo most of the time, I prefer to find a humbucking J-type. But it's not a deal breaker, since I'm ok with pretty much any Jazz I have played. Oooh, your fretless PJ sounds interesting. If I could come round at some point I'd love that. Although I'm afraid it could just make me want this mod a lot more.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1338571080' post='1676665'] If only I could make the g/f let me go - we're supposed to be going camping. Besides I've been laid up with buggered back all week - I don't think a funky gig will be conducive to my recovery. Cheers for the offer though Jose... I will eventually take you up on it. Don't sweat it man. If there's one thing I've learned from doing this it's that out of the 20 enquiries you get a week maybe only 1 of them comes to anything - I think it just goes with the territory. And someone is going to want a Pingray rout done at some point - [url="http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d67/ou7shined/Osprey%20Guitars/workshop-wall.jpg"]here's[/url] the proof that you nearly had one. [/quote] No, no no, you got it all wrong, it was LAST weekend you should have gone camping!!! Well, I hope you let me know next time you're down in Embra. I hope your back get better soon. More pictures of your workshop, please?

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1338560111' post='1676377'] for me it's more that the bass in question seems to be such a nice example of a fretless P-bass, and CIJ seems to be a byword for quality, seems a shame to take a router to such a nice example of a (relatively) rare bass, have you considered having the j-pup added to the other fretless and not sending it to live with your brother? i don't think anyone will get too upset at you taking a router to a sue ryder. and i'll have to remember to pack the '77 next time i head up, the frets are so worn it's virtually fretless anyway! Matt [/quote] Yes, I thought of doing that to the Ryder... in fact I have a post in the "wanted" section for a particular pickup, as I was reluctant to modify the Fender... but it's nowhere near as nice a bass. The Fender is the one I'd want to play... Hey, if it's rare now, imagine after the modification!!!

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1338558653' post='1676347'] Aye well your templates are made up all ready to rock should you change your mind... *cough* ... again. Wise words man. Well at least you know at the end of the day it's always going to be a compromise. Sounds cool. Big fan of the Hawk lords like. [/quote] Well, Hawkwind + Syren are playing TOMORROW in Edinburgh. Come down, I'm sure there are still some tickets left, and I can buy you a beer or five Templates? You MADE templates just for my project??? I didn't think you'd do anything until I sent you all the bits! Seriously, if you have already done some preparatory work... I will have to let you do the work we discussed

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1338553713' post='1676242'] Took me about a month of tweaking (and a few emails to John), but it was well worth it. It's not unlike a new girlfriend, give it a while and all those idiosyncrasies and become quite simple to understand and predict. I understand that it didn't work for you on the Squier, but that's a different bass (I assumed fretted?) and probably a different problem - bear in mind I chose the P-Retro to use on exactly the same instrument you're talking about, maple fretless 70's Precision, and for exactly the the very same reason [/quote] No, no no!!! You're supposed to say either: a) "aaaagh!!! sacrilege!!! small kittens will die all over the world if you do that!!!" or "bloody good idea, mate" not adding confusion in my little brain about preamps and what not! You know I was this far (my fingers are very very close together) from selling the Squier (fretted, yes) without the Preamp and trying it on this very bass before letting it go? But I sold the Squier to help me buy the G&L and I needed the cash quickly, so...

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1338550442' post='1676144'] i'm a fan of P/J basses and my main bass is a '77 p-bass with an added j, (what you're considering building is a fretless clone of my bass!) but i wouldn't have the guts to have the mods done myself, i'd be going for the p-retro as it can be reversed easily. my bass came ready modded and if it hadn't been modified i wouldn't have been able to afford it. maybe next time i'm up at the in-laws i'll bring my bass for you to have a noodle on! Matt [/quote] Oooh, yes please. I'm not sure why people think it's so expensive. I mean, compared to having a second bass! I have a router, if I get a good template I might just go at it myself. I "practiced" on a couple of OLPs and some Stagg 5-stringer, and the cut is pretty good, no surrounding finish chips etc... but I would need a template and a couple of router bits suitable to follow the template (the ones I have are "freehand")... Not sure, because if I mess this one up I'd really be kicking myself. I don't know... considering that I still haven't installed the MMSR preamp I bought for my G&L, this may never happen. Where does time go these days? When I was younger I had way more time than I could use. NOw... Oh, I know... I think 3.5 bands and Basschat probably has something to do with it

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1338546491' post='1676039'] Stick in a P-Retro and only if you still can't get the sound you want install a J-PUP. I had the same dilemma with an early 70's maple fretless Precision and John East solved it for me. Chris [/quote] I had a P-Retro on a Squier CV 60s. It was interesting but I didn't really warmed up to it. I like other John East preamps, the MMSR is fantastic, and teh J-Retro is cool too. BUt the P-Retro... yes, it offers a LOT of different tonalities, but I never really got to grips with it. This may be more a reflection on myself and my expectations than the preamp itself... but I prefer a standard cut/boost for a particular frequency affair. The P-Retro confused me, and add the passive tone control as a starting point... no, not for me. Maybe I didn't give it enough time... but I didn't find it useful for me in a live situation. For recording to choose a given sound, great... but too complex for my little brain... I don't want to have to think when adjusting the controls live

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1338545076' post='1676010'] It's your bass - do what the hell you want with/to it! [/quote] Of course!!! But I'd like it better if you told me to do one thing and I did the opposite

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1338541179' post='1675946'] Aaaaargh! No! Buy a p/j body and shove the neck on it! That bass is perfect as it is, regretted selling it since the day I sent it you!!! Gah!!!! [/quote] I'm sorry to have hurt your feelings... I did think of putting a note to warn you to stay out! It's just a tiny weeny bit of wood! A new body would just... not be the same bass. And this one does feel great. I'm very happy you sold it to me

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1338540521' post='1675938'] Don't do it Jose. She's a classic beauty. I don't think you will gain all that much from a bridge pup anyway. Besides Ps and Js are just not meant to be together - if you want to do it for tonal reasons put in an equally matched humbucker not a single coil... and we know you ain't gonna do that. Have you played about with a PJ recently? [/quote] Touche! yeah, that P/MM project has been abandoned. Sorry, I should have probably told you when I decided I was sure to park it forever. I just realised that I didn't *need* that bass (for those who don't know what I'm talking about: a Sue Ryder P-bass I stripped, where I planned to install an inverted P type and a MM type pickup, with a SD 3-band preamp)... and I don't have so much time to invest these days unless it's an instrument I am really going to use. I've been selling a bunch of things recently for that reason. But this is different It's fretless. And I don't have other fretless (well, one right now, but it's probably going to go to live in Spain with my brother). I would put a humbucking J there. Just not sure what. I like the Dimarzio Model J, but looks wise is a no-go, and not sure it would be well matched to the existing P. I have to investigate. I was never a big fan of P/J (mostly because I was not a fan of P basses!), but I find a P-bass does a passable impersonation of a neck Jazz ( just heard so many times the opposite, that I could not resist to throw that one in there! ) and adding a bridge Jazz seems the reasonable thing to do A drummer friend of mine just joined a band (supporting Hawkwind this weekend!) and she took me along to a rehearsal a couple of weeks ago. The bassist used a Fender P/J. We chatted a lot afterwards, of course. I liked that bass. Not fretless though... although the original bassist played a fretless, and she was really interesting (the name is Syren, if you want to check them out, there's a video or two on Youtube, although the best stuff is only on the CDs).

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1338540216' post='1675936'] It's your bass. If you think that adding the pickup will turn it from a good bass into a great bass then go for it. Otherwise sell it as it is and buy something that will do the job. [/quote] Something that *might* do the job is something like a Squier VMJ fretless, plus pickups. And I know of someone local who is selling a bass along those lines, with nice pickups etc. Thing is... I do prefer the P-bass neck. This bass is just too nice to play to think that I could easily replace it. And it would certainly not be as good looking I know, I will just go the whole way and get a new pickguard and route the body for two Jazz pickups!!! There aren't any unlined maple fretless Jazz basses that I could find... or I would be considering having one of them instead of molesting the Precision.

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1338538638' post='1675903'] I think the point here is that, as you say, you love the bass but keep wishing you had a J pup. It's your bass and it doesn't seem to me that you're going to setlle to the bass until you fit the extra pup. If you do fit a J pup I'd be interested to hear what you think of the new sound as I currently have a CIJ fretless precision with just the one precision pup. All the best with your decision making! [/quote] Ah, no, then I will wait and you do it first! Well, if/when I do it, rest assure it will be documented here.