fretmeister

Do you know the weight please?

The IAH ones are fine on my shorties - but I'd still prefer if they did proper versions of them.

The regular Super Polished do feel different - as much as I can tell without installing them anyway so I might end up trying a set on a long scale even though I'd prefer a lower tension / lighter gauge option. Hopefully they will be popular enough for La Bella to consider that.

La Bella Super Polished Strings arrived...

and the E snapped during installation.

Not La Bella's fault as I was trying to fit them on a shortie and their website does warn against winding the speaking part of the string around the post, although this is the first set of flats of any brand that I've had break doing this with large traditional post sizes - even their DTF are fine. The IAH set are fine too for this.

I did contact BD to see if I could buy just a replacement E string, but they don't stock individuals and getting one from La Bella would take about 6 - 8 weeks. I've put the old strings back on instead. Just annoyed that I've thrown away £35.

Hopefully La Bella will get some shortscale ones made at some point.

That orange is amazing!

I just wish there were more SLO neck versions.

4 hours ago, lowregisterhead said:

 

The Special range is definitely more consistent, and the build quality is excellent, but to me they've somehow engineered out the soul of the instrument, and they don't sound anything like the original pre-EB Stingrays. But then what does??

Put an old 2 band in it then! The 2 band is the vital component. There's a few good videos looking at the EQ curve and shelving of the 2 band compared to the later preamps. The 3 bands don't just slap another control in the middle, the entire thing is different.

My bitsa Pingray has the Aguilar M  pickup and their spot on recreation of the original 2 band and it sounds like an original - and no weak G string either.

You’d think a bass magazine would check… 😂

Un-mic'd drums.

Who's playing them is the question. Bernard Purdy or Dave Lombardo?

45 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I've been using the La Bella IAH version of the Super Polished on my Lionel and they are very nearly perfect but I'd like just a smidge more tension for the short scale.

So I've ordered some of the original Super Polished as the tensions are a little higher. I've no doubt their tension would be too much for me on 34 scale (the IAH are pushing it) but hopefully this will work!

 

With a bit of luck the strings will arrive before the weekend.

Well, BAH!

Just got an email from Royal Mail saying they took the strings to Carlisle delivery office by accident and that it will be delayed.

Eijits.

I've been using the La Bella IAH version of the Super Polished on my Lionel and they are very nearly perfect but I'd like just a smidge more tension for the short scale.

So I've ordered some of the original Super Polished as the tensions are a little higher. I've no doubt their tension would be too much for me on 34 scale (the IAH are pushing it) but hopefully this will work!

With a bit of luck the strings will arrive before the weekend.

11 hours ago, Russ said:

EBMM are coming out with a new line of Stingrays that sit above the Sterling ones but below the regular US-made range a bit later this year, not a million miles away from what they did with the SUB basses back in the day, but without the Hammerite finishes.  They're supposed to be somewhat cheaper than the regular US-built range. 

I am suspicious that the US Specials will go up, and the mids will get all the really heavy wood that nobody wants, especially as the Specials are now close to the same weight as the old versions. So much for the new "lightweight redesign" they started with.

1 hour ago, Marc S said:

When I owned a Jazz bass, my favourite ever sound was when I fitted some old (ish) DiMarzio pickups. They were just brilliant. Definitely more "oomph" than any other passive Jazz pups- but they had a lovely warm sound, which seemed to produce the whole range really well.

 

Plenty of low end, punch at the top end, and mids that cut through well. Whenever I played that bass, and in several bands / genres, it just sat nicely in the mix. Wish I hadn't sold that bass...

 

Re pickup height - the luthiers I've spoken to, and the ones I watch regularly on YouTube all say the same thing - don't set the pickup height too close to the strings.... so adjust that carefully. 

 

Let us know how you get on 😀

Heights are definitely a different sport for passives rather than EMG.

EMG have very low magnet pull and the recommendation is to get them as close to the string as possible - mine are barely 3mm. Just enough clearance so when playing something on the 22nd fret the string doesn't foul on the pickup. That definitely doesn't work with magnets in passive pickups.

I’ve just bought the Nordy J sized 51P noiseless set from the classifieds.

Bit different I thought and I’m curious! 

Copper foil helps - but it's not as efficient, and it gets crap quickly with gain pedals. And you never really know about interference levels at a new venue until you get plugged in and maybe find out it's going to be a horrible night.

Can't be dealing with that!

I have an EMG J set and EMG 3 band EQ in my Sandberg TT4. I do like it but I fancy a change to something passive and less hifi. It also currently has the ABC control that means when both pickups are full you don't get that classic jazz mid dip - often useful but also not entirely traditional jazz like.

Whatever I get must be humcancelling though.

What is good these days?

I noticed from @Kingbassist rig video that many pit pros are using noiseless Barts but I can't tell what model - and there are a few choices - any ideas?

Or maybe the noiseless Nordstrand?

The Aguilar DCB set looks good - but it's very expensive.

I'm looking for something vintage, deep and plummy that works well just with a passive tone control.

Another thing I really like is when polepieces are flat with the top of the plastic - not protruding at all so if I do have them very close to the strings I don't get any string on pole clicking. So covered pole recommendations are good too.

All recommendations welcome!

I have got completely used to them on my 34 scale Sandberg - love them!

For the Lionel I'm now finding them just a little bit too flexible - so I might try the original super polished version as they are just a smidge heavier in gauge, and I do tend to like flats on that bass most of the time.

17 minutes ago, knicknack said:

Watch this space, prices of Pre-ParcelFarce Limelights set to skyrocket...

I sold my Digitech Bad Monkey about 5 minutes before JSH's Josh Scott did his "THESE ARE AMAZING" video and the prices tripled overnight!

Dagnabit!

Congratulations!

I still like print. It feels wrong to read an ipad on the bog! And an ipad is just a bit too rigid for the times I run out of loo roll...😬

27 minutes ago, police squad said:

if it was my company I wouldn't be putting the Fender decal on it until it had been sold and paid for.

Then it's not mine and it was sold with no logo

Perhaps I'd pop one on after as a favour to the new owner  😁

I'd be amazed if that or similar hadn't been tried by someone at some point!

Buy a nice brownish tartan bag and then a label with needle and thread appears in the post a week later...

1 minute ago, tauzero said:

 

Surely that's a minefield, as it has now been sold (which was illegal) but is now owned (which is legal) as the process of forming a contract of sale has been completed.

Surprisingly not - technically speaking the contract never happened as no contract makes an illegal item or act legal. Or more accurately - the contract is not enforceable. Even though the parties wanted to have a contract where one sold an item and the other bought it (like selling / buying anything else) it is the fact that it is a counterfeit item that means the contract cannot be lawful or enforced. Instead of being a contract it's an attempt to enter into an illegal contract. Semantics - yes, but an important one.

So looking at this from either side in the event of a First Sale - from the maker to the first buyer, the first buyer knowing it is not a real "X" because there's a disclaimer or something:

Person A makes a counterfeit (not illegal), then agrees to sell it (illegal) and posts it to Person B a bit keenly - before the money has been received. B never gets round to paying for it. If A tries to sue B, then B has a defence of "the item is illegal, so I don't owe anything" - unlikely to get anywhere with the authorities but the courts also won't order B to actually pay A because that would be enforcing an illegal contract. A never gets paid and B loses any benefit as well when it gets confiscated. 

Or same basic facts but money changes hands first and then A doesn't post it: B complains and A says "I don't sell counterfeits he sent me the money as a gift" or similar. Again - no rights of civil action in either direction as they both knew what they were doing.

Or money and item swap and then the item doesn't work properly. A cannot offer a usual sellers warranty on an illegal item, and B has no warranty rights so if A refuses to fix / replace at his expense then B has no remedy. Cannot ask a court to force a seller of a counterfeit to fix it as that would be enforcing rights that would exist under a lawful contract and this isn't one.

Whoever is holding the item after the first sale (it not being illegal before that) is where it might be confiscated from. Then the person holding has to try and undo the past to get their money back.

This is why the rationale of "next seller might not be honest" is so important:

If B buys it knowing it is a counterfeit then they basically give up any rights to refunds / actions against A because they knew the item was counterfeit. If it's got a makers logo and the seller has been completely open about it not being a real "X" then neither side can say they didn't know.

But if person C gets it from B and has no idea, then even if the item is confiscated and destroyed C can seek a refund from B because they have been a victim of fraud, but B can't go back further as they knew what they were doing when they got it from A.

There's a thing called "Equity" in law and that means you need to have "clean hands" when asking the court for assistance - so if B willingly took part in an illegal act they lose the right to get any assistance from the courts about that illegal act.

And it can get a lot more complicated than that. That's why Trading Standards are never bothered with small outfits and spend all their time scouring big markets for counterfeit Burberry and Armani stuff - that stuff is cranked out by massive factories.

Here's a nice twist - some things like Burberry / high fashion stuff that is counterfeit has been made in the factories that make the real stuff and just left by the back door! Still counterfeit as well as stolen even though they are identical and made to the exact spec etc.

It's a fascinating and often head-melting topic!

1 minute ago, Lozz196 said:

Agree, I`ve a Sandberg Superlight being made at the moment, which Mark has arranged, when he receives it I`ll drive and collect rather than chance all this malarkey.

@Lozz196 Unless something has changed - he won't get to see it. It will come directly to you from the UK distributor.

When I ordered mine via him he didn't even get photos - I took some for him when it had arrived.

3 minutes ago, jonnybass said:

surely as they seem fairly customisable, you could order one without the Fender logo?

 

Jonny

Yes - you get the option of that or a Limelight Logo. IIRC it's black with a star motif, or similar. 

There was a limelight logo'd one in the classifieds relatively recently.

There are some luthiers who do metal aging too.

You might be able to buy a new version of the right part and get it aged to match. There's a couple of big facebook groups all about relics - both home and pro work - and I'm sure they'd be able to point you in the right direction.

5 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

Hopefully this is case closed and the bass get returned to either Mark or it's rightful owner - but such a massive hassle. 

 

Makes you think driving (if you can) to collect things like this might be easier, even if it is a couple of hundred miles all in.

I find that's really good for controlling my GAS urges too - if I don't want to take a day to go and get something then I clearly don't want it enough.

It's saved me quite a few quid!

6 minutes ago, Cato said:

 

Also Limelight have been doing the Fender decal thing for years, long enough that Fender must be aware of it by now.

 

If it was Gibson I'm sure there would have been a 'cease and desist' by now  but for whatever reason Fender must be OK with it.

Far more likely that Fender just can't be bothered for an outfit as small as Mark's.

But this sort of thing might bite him in other ways - if he has business insurance to cover lost instruments and so on, that just won't pay out on counterfeit items.

So a customer buys one - knowing it's not a real Fender. It gets lost on the way to the customer. Mark then replaces it and cannot claim from his own insurers because it was illegal to sell in the first place. Or if he refuses to replace it - the customer can't sue him for non-delivery of a purchased counterfeit item because no contract can make an illegal item legal.

The silly thing is - his instruments are well loved. He should just put his own logo on them and have done with it.