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TRBboy
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Everything posted by TRBboy
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Great example! Those large pole-piece Sandberg pickups have quality of sound, power and clarity, but for my ears were always a bit soulless. That's why in my 10 year, 9 bass Sandberg quest, I ended up ordering a TT5 Passive, with their Alnico V single coils. They gave me exactly what I wanted, still great quality sound, but more toneful, more organic, and I guess an inherently 'fuller' tone (perhaps more traditional I guess). All of this is pretty subjective, but I'm pretty sure to please my ears I want an Alnico V MM humbucker in this bass. I guess it's just a question of whether I take a punt on a cheaper one or spend more on something I know will be great (still far less than the big brands though).
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With the greatest of respect, this ain't my first rodeo. Of course I've tried playing with amp settings etc, and whilst I can improve it somewhat, the fundamental sound/character of the pickup isn't to my liking. I have other cheap instruments that I'm perfectly happy with the sound of. I'm not the sort of person that EVER upgrades anything for the sake of it (I'm a massive tight-arse for a start 😅), and I never believe that throwing money at something makes it 'good'. I'm also not a believer in buying name brands just because they cost most therefore must be better.
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I appreciate what you're trying to say, but I'm not asking generally 'what type of pickup should I buy to get this sound' etc, I started off asking about a specific pickup, and I guess now it's expanded to 'what budget Alnico V MM pickups do people recommend?'. I'm confident that an Alnico V MM humbucker is going to get me where I want. FYI, the stock DX4 pickup (dual ceramic soapbar) sounds a little 'boxy' to me, seems to be quite prominent in the high mids and lacking low mid presence. Generally lacking a bit of guts too. I'm looking for a fuller, bigger, rounder sound, whilst still being pretty organic sounding and not being overly aggressive or hi-fi sounding.
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They do look good, but I kinda want a rounder more classic tone, and passive. I was looking at the TBHZ before though, could be another option.
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@Pea Turgh I'm glad you reminded me about Warman actually, they seem to have the cheapest Alnico MM pickups available. The thing I'm wrangling over now, is whether to go cheap or just spend out on something I know will sound killer... I know it's a cheap bass, but it plays amazingly, so maybe worth the cost? Current options: Warman MM4. £23.50 Retrovibe MM4. £45.00 Catswhisker MM. £78.00 Now, it's entirely possible the first two options will be the same, they will both be made in the far East, maybe even in the same factory. The Catswhisker will be hand wound here in the UK, and I KNOW will sound phenomenal based on the PJ5 Allan made for my build last year. DIfficult decisions...
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Thanks for the help 😅👍
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Hey folks! 👋😊 Although I'm really loving my little bargain Ibanez GAXB150, the stock DX4 pickup is leaving me a bit flat... So I'm looking at options, and at the moment I'm sorely tempted to put an Alnico V MM humbucker in it (minor woodwork required). Also, I want to spend as little as possible, obvs. 😅 There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of budget Alnico MM's around, but I did spot some for sale with Retrovibe. Just wondered if anyone has used these, and could tell me what they're like? Thanks!
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"Sirerays" listed on Andertons (and probably other places)
TRBboy replied to neepheid's topic in Bass Guitars
The specs appear to state that there's no 'mid frequency' selection, so it's a regular 3-band, bass/mid/treble, but you can't adjust the mid frequency like on the V7 for example. Simple, no? 😅 -
Yep, appreciate that (former carpenter here). However, there really was virtually nothing holding these corners together; when I cut the portion off that used to house the amp (it was a combo once upon a time), I let it drop on my shed floor, and both corners basically fell apart completely. It was essentially only the staples and corner protectors holding it together. I was just surprised how weak the joints were tbh. 😬
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I highly recommend Catswhisker pickups, I used Allan on recommendation of someone from here for a PJ5 set for my build last year. Hand wound Alnico V set, and Allan was happy to make whatever my requirements were (within reason, obvs). Probably the best sounding set of pickups I've ever had, for much less then the big brands.
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They look pretty cool, although I can't help thinking some classic candy colours would really suit the Talman shape. Is everything else the same as the 100's on these, except the finish and blocks?
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Glad you got it sorted, but feel a bit cheated 🤣
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I'm only recently realising that the majority of mainstream brands rarely (if ever) bother with damping. It seems to be mainly only the high end/boutique brands. As @Bill Fitzmaurice rightly says, it's nuts because it's so cheap and easy to do! Both of the bargain 15's I've acquired (Ashdown ABM Mini 15 and Trace Elliot compact 15... Kinda) were made in the UK and were regarded as decent quality cabs of their time. Neither have any damping. TBH after modifying the Trace from combo to cab, I was really surprised how poor the construction is! Each join in the box is a very stingy smear of glue (if any) and 4-5 staples. I'd always regarded them as being really well built and bombproof. 🤷
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That's very, very cool, love it! Congrats 😍👌🔥
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It won't change the relief if you just pull it up so that it's not 'loose'. As I said though, I'm fairly confident that's not the cause in this case, but worth ruling things out I guess
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Usually just put the alien key in and see if it feels loose or tight. If it feels a bit loose, tighten until you feel it pull up. Can also suspend the bass in one hand (like a wall hanger), and tap the back of the neck with the heel of your other hand. If you can hear the rattle from within, it's probably loose. I don't think it's that in this instance though as it's only one string affected, unless it just happens to be that reasonably frequency that's making it vibrate.
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Same, I'd put Roto Trubass on my USA Jazz and worn the slots bigger. Played for years with bits of card in the slots after 🤣 This was over 25 years ago though, would probably just change the nut now
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Have you checked the tuner ferrule/nut for the A string tuner? Pressing down behind the nut would also alleviate that. I've had loads of nut battles on the bass build I finished last month, and it's still not 100% right, so I feel your pain!
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Looooool -this compact 2x15 stack sounds monstrous! Got it pretty much as low as I can and the walls are shaking 🤣🤣🤣💥🔥🤌❤️
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Maybe it doesn't help you, but you're the only person who can say whether it's too heavy for you or not. 🤷 Personally, that would be way too heavy for me, I'd really struggle on a gig. I'm strong, I can support the weight no problem, but those little niggly aches and fatigue coming in ruins the experience for me, and ultimately means I don't play my best and wish for the end of the gig to come. I've sold basses much lighter than yours for this reason.
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Definitely sounds like it's rattling in the nut slot from what you've said. Try adding a small shim of paper or card in the slot and see if it goes (or improves). This will prove whether it is the nut or not. Apparently cooper shielding tape in the slot works well to help fix this, if you don't want to replace the nut. Haven't tried it myself though.
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Fender Jazz Bass Gloss Black 1988, Made In Korea... on Bassdirect
TRBboy replied to Robert Manning's topic in Bass Guitars
I genuinely didn't realise there were MIK Fenders from the 90's, thought it was just Squiers. Does look a nice bass though that jazz. Still have my first bass, Squier MIK Precision, a '93 I think. Are they worth anything yet? 😅 -
I used one belt that was already well used. I managed to pull pretty much all the carpet off with brute force, and then sorted a couple of patchy bits with a sharp decorators scraper. The sanding was too remove the old adhesive, which was rock hard but sanded off fine. Hardest bit of sanding was putting the radius on the sides where the amp had been, as those edges were square. I don't have a router so had to free-hand guesstimate a similar radius to the other sides. But it came out okay.
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Do it! There's some bargains and fun projects to be had!
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I commissioned a custom VM5 build which I received just over 5 years ago, and was very keen to try the Black Labels! Ironically, I absolutely hated them! 🤣 Sold the bass pretty much immediately after waiting a year for it (seems very rash on retrospect 😅😬🤦). I felt like they were REALLY aggressive but seemed to lack any actual 'tone'. It's really what led me towards ordering my TT5 passive, with their Alnico V pickups instead. Much more organic and toneful for my ears. But this is why we have choice, because everyone likes something different! It also highlights why you need to TRY things yourself to form an opinion. No amount of people telling you what they like will replace that 😅
