mcnach

Has anybody tried something like the M-Vave Chocolate as a separate controller for the B1/B1X Four?

Yup. "Standard" avenues are clearly not working. Reporting and all is all great, but the result has been a resounding flip all. It's crazy the guy keeps getting away with it.

I just ordered a B1X Four... it was almost rude not to I have moved to using multiFX as I'm depping with various bands here and there in addition to my regular bands and it gets tiring rearranging pedalboards, so I got a B6 last November. Really cool unit, but I find it's easy to use up all the processing power once you start getting into a few effects plus preamp/amp/cab sims, which I'm really keen as I'm also trying to get into mostly an IEM setup. The B1X Four just seemed like the perfect companion to put into the B6's FX loop. This thread was a great read, thank you all

Yes, check the dimensions, and also the size of the 'ears' as some are deeper (pretty much an exact semicircle) and some shallower (smaller).

I can't say that ALL MM style pickups sound great passive, but every one I've tried did. Nordstrand MM4.2, Seymour Duncan SMB4A and 4D, GFS, a few assorted cheap ones and even the original in my 2002 Stingray. I've also read quite a few times that MM pickups need a preamp etc etc, and some quote the low DC resistance (2-3 KOhm, if the coils are in parallel as a Stingray) as proof... but it's all, quite frankly, a load of... something that the forum's swearing filter would probably change I wouldn't worry. If you want a classic Stingray sound, I'd recommend the Nordstrand MM4.2. It was, in my hands, very similar to the MusicMan stock, and definitely works well in passive form as well as with a standard onboard bass preamp. I was surprised when I found out the low DC resistance of those pickups, as I tended to associate that value with output level, roughly, but clearly the story is more complicated than that, and those pickups are not weak when wired passively. Passive Stingray rawks

Aliexpress tends to be good for that sort of thing

ABBA... I forgot how good the basslines are! Boost a bit around 115 Hz for a better bassic experience. Even the slow 'boring' stuff:

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count on me as well

If you still had the midrange module and want to sell it, I damaged the one in my MMSR so I'd be very happy to buy it from you

Hard pass from me.

Hard to say without knowing the whole thing, but from what you've said I think that would become my ex-band pretty quick: "good idea, get a replacement now, as I'm out"

Aha, indeed. I love P90s, I've got a Les Paul with P90s that sounds fantastic... but if the Tele picked up interference in my room, the Les Paul is just crazy. But it sounds so good!

It's a great guitar, a Harley Benton TE-90FLT Blast Green... all I did was tune it and play. It sounds pretty damn good and those Filtertron style pickups are pretty cool, almost sound single-coily but humbucking, which in my 'toy room' is very welcome as I get a bit of noise with my usual Telecaster, for example. The area under the pickguard is hollow, providing an interesting hiding place. Or something. Anyway, I don't want to veer too much away from the 25th anniversary Firemist series... so to get back a little bit, here's something that got my attention initially (fortunately I already have an HSS Stratocaster that I love and is going nowhere... but clearly I had a Filtertron itch and the TE-90 showed up behind the Firemist "oooh, hello sailor?" and teh rest is history )

Thank you, you're a true friend

That's the one. There will be a passive tone control as well, always on.

Forgive me father, for I have sinned... No, after serious consideration, I didn't get one of those, tempting as they are. But in the process something else caught my attention and this happened: (runs away and closes door)

Oh cool! Thank you for the heads up, I'll update mine too.

Must... resist... don't... look... at... that... bass...

I have listened to some clips you posted earlier, I have to confess that you were partly what made me decide to try the Tone Capsule I normally go to John East for all my onboard preamp needs, and even got a Uni-Pre Deluxe (3-band, semiparametric mids and dedicated passive tone) but it just didn't fit in the control cavity. That's when I saw the Tone Capsule: I love that the bass control is set higher than most others (40 Hz is too low, for me. 70-80 Hz seems a better choice), and the dual mid frequencies are very well chosen too (for my liking, again)... Then I listened to your TM4 and bought one I've got all the different pots for it (I had to get a stacked dual 50K for the mids) and I just need a free weekend to sit down and do the deed.

You're describing my feelings about the VM4 for a few years. Only last month I was considering selling it! I'm doing a bit of a Spring cleaning selling stuff I don't use much, and it was tempting. I think if my Stingray hadn't failed me, it'd have been put up for sale by now. Glad I didn't now! It's always been a great bass to play, light, comfortable, the neck could have been a bit wider but it's fine... However, the sound was never really there. I got good results with DR Pure Blues strings, but still... By 'forcing' myself to use this bass I've managed to get the sounds I needed, 'though. It's still not where I want it to be, but it's very close. I hope the Tone Capsule will give me the extra amount of versatility that would allow me to use this bass in any setting. I will report back.

How did you manage? I'm doing all I can to hide all my pictures from you!!! Seriously, it's frustrating, I know some people have trouble seeing my pictures (which is not great especially on the Marketplace!) while others have no trouble. I haven't figured out why. It happens regardless of the picture size, and it's not like even 1 Mb is a lot in 2023... I'm hosting them on Dropbox, as I have done for about 10 years, but only recently I've become aware of an issue.

I tend to roll off treble a lot and leave the bass EQ flat, or add a TINY bit sometimes. Then for pickup selection, I either use the P alone, or blend in a bit of the bridge. I find a sweet spot around halfway between the centre detent (both fully on) and the neck pickup alone, and switch to only P for a more aggressive sound and blend in bridge slightly to give me a tiny bit of a mid scoop to soften things somewhat. That's where I've settled with it, which works very nicely for ska/funk/reggae. When I turn up the treble (up to 'flat', I never boost it) it gets a a more aggressive sound that turns out to sound better in a more 'rocky' setting. I do miss a passive tone control. I know in passive mode one half of the treble control works as a passive tone, but it doesn't go as deep as I'd like, plus I like to have a passive control for the treble even in active mode, so that's the main reason I'm replacing the electronics.

It may be too early to say, but... continuing on my love/hate relationship with my VM4, I think I may have found a new #1 pushing away my trusty Stingray 😲 I had to stop using my Stingray because I carelessly damaged the preamp. It still works fine and I could use it, but the mids module doesn't work well, and until I get a replacement I turned to my VM4 and I'm really liking this beast now. A little bit of a sponge did the trick! I still plan to put the Tone Capsule in this bass, plus a passive tone control always available, but I'm getting such a great sound from this bass now that I'm not in such a hurry. First, the neon DR strings mellowed out much faster than their otehr coated strings from what I remember, and that was nice although their low output bugs me sometimes. And then I had a gig with the UB40 tribute and I thought about cutting a bit of a sponge from Ikea (the one that's very soft on one side and coarse on the other, seems made for this bass )... what a sound! It's a completely different sound from my usual with the Stingray, and it's not quite Precision either... it's got a lot of low mids, and the low end is mellowed a bit with the sponge mute, less of the very low end, but still fat and retaining great definition. It's a sound that seems to trigger my synth pedal very nicely too. So I will definitely repair the Stingray very soon, but I'll be playing the VM4 primarily for a while... I love how light it is too, compared to the Stingray or the Ray35 that I tend to use.