bassist_lewis

Over lockdown I got bored and made a few videos to keep me playing.

Very nice minimalist board. I had the BB Preamp years ago, it's such a great overdrive!

I own the Mk 1 and Mk 3 but not the Mk 2, so can't comment too much on the latter. BUT the Mk 3 is like a 'best of' of the previous versions: it has the same octave tone knob as the 1 and 2; same solo foot switch as the Mk1; Tim tuning from the Mk 1 version 2; sub volume from the Mk 1; small enclosure of the Mk 2. What's different from all the previous versions is that it has separate volumes for the dry and octave signals, so you have a bit more control there. I also A/B'd my Mk1 and Mk3 and noticed that the octave tones are quite different, the Mk1 is smoother, and sounds better solo'd, (to me at least) but that's really splitting hairs. Note on version names: on the 3 Leaf website he calls the first 2 large footprint pedals the Mk 1 and Mk 2, the difference being the addition of the Tim tuning mod, and the small one is simply called the Octabvre mini. The newest pedal is just called the Octabvre, he doesn't give it a number on the site or on the box/manual. I noticed I said I would do a demo of it... sorry! I might have some time this week.

I have one on my JMJ and you're right, it make s big difference and its loads of fun! Took a while to get used to the altered shapes though!

You're both right, I took off the control plate and the soldering onto the output jack was touching the copper, just bent it in a little bit and its fine. Thanks for the advice!

I managed to find a guy who makes custom pick guards in Glasgow. I sent him my original and he copied it in tortoiseshell, both arrived today. In the interim I put on new knobs. I shielded the pickguard and screwed it all back together. It looks as good as I hoped, however... it suddenly doesn't have any output 😖 so I'll have to get it to a tech to check the wiring.

It was pretty messy close up, there were very rough tool marks where they had pulled up the router which I had to smooth out, and the floor of the pickup cavity is all uneven. HOWEVER, the instrument plays really well and sounds pretty great to me. It's definitely a chunky 'Fender' sound, it's not like a Fodera or a Ken smith... but that seems to be what I like these days!

So I've found a guy who will custom cut a pick guard for me, so mine is posted and the bass is hanging up with no guard and the strings hanging off. However, I took the opportunity to do some shielding in the pickup and control cavity, I even ended getting my JMJ and re-doing the shielding on that as well!

I'll look into that!

Yes, this has the hipshot lollipop ones, but I'm thinking of replacing them with the ultralight clover ones and an xtender.

Starting small, I've replaced the stock strap pins with StrapLoxx (I have them on all my basses). I have been exploring new tuners though. Luckily my Callowhill has almost the exact model I want to replace on the Fender so I checked they would fit, but no decisions/purchases made as yet.

is that his name on eBay? I will definitely give him a shout. WD Music are having to check with their US supplier, and the other eBay guy I was linked to doesn't do international shipping yet

😂 I've cleaned it up and hung it up just now, but I'm doing a live stream tomorrow night so I'll do it again then.

My hero!! I've actually emailed WD music to see if what they currently make will fit, and I have an axesrus one lying around that does fit except the pickup cutouts are are for the larger modern sized pickups. But that eBay one might be the one!

The camera makes it look redder, in real life it leans towards brown... but it isn't brown 🤨 kind of pastel. The official Fender video is actually pretty true to how it appears in real life.

Very liberal, a couple of sprays per fret?! I know someone on here has done it (@kevin_lindsay?) and their's looked much darker in the photos. I'm going to leave it overnight and see how it goes (gf won't be happy the table is out of action!).

I just took delivery of this beauty. I've always loved Pino Palladino's playing and the look of his custom shop precision, and this is only one pick guard away from being the same colour scheme - though that seems to be more of a challenge than I expected! As well as getting a tort pick guard I'm going to do a few other mods as I've never been one for upgrading my instruments, I might add a drop tuner or change the strings but I pretty much buy a bass and leave it as is. I'll detail all my mods and upgrades in this thread for anyone who might be interested, it might also prevent other people making the same mistakes! My first act as a newbie modder is to apply lemon oil to the fretboard, as Pau Ferro is a bit light coloured for my taste. Please take the cardboard box neck support as proof of my noob credentials.

😂 all questions and no answers apparently!

I want to get a different pickguard for my mustang but I'm not sure how to be certain it's going to fit. I bought one over Xmas but it didn't fit - the screw holes didn't line up and the cutaway for the neck was too small. Does anyone have experience of a reliable site for mustang pick guards? It's for a Mexican made Vintera mustang.

It has its place, there are certainly lots of songs where it works really well. But I think there are a lot of players who seem to see it as the ultimate measure of your ability as a bass player and focus on it entirely, neglecting and dismissing those that don't do it. Also, to get that sound and do the insanely fast machine gun thing you have to lower your action to the point where nothing else sounds good (to my ears at least).

Also Evidence Audio. I follow the instructions and think I'm cutting them right but, it's hard to tell. The only thing I can think of is leaving too much of the copper core exposed.

I've had a recurring problem with my solderless cables and wondered if anyone else had the same issue and/or had a solution. A few times now the copper core has broken off inside the jack connector, rendering it useless. This is very frustrating because I now have a pile of jacks that I can't do anything with, and I loathe to throw them away. Any advice appreciated.

Took delivery of this beaut earlier this evening. It's a phaser but has a delay built in somehow (???). Sounds ace as a regular phaser but can get all weird and atmospheric pretty quick. The art work is also really cool, it came with a comic book and the instructions have a huge illustration on the back. I think, in Anderton's infinite wisdom, they sent me serial number 002, which is pretty cool. It's already on my board, replacing my Flashback delay.

I guess that depends what your dream is! For some people the uncertainty, poor pay and poor treatment is all worth it.