BigRedX

The Star Bass is most definitely passive.

I own a MiK Pro Series 5-string Star Bass, which currently is my main bass for live use. Only the 4-string Rockbass version is 32" scale length. All the other models (4 and 5 string) are standard 34" scale. The pickups on the Rockbass and Pro Series models are single coils. According to the Warwick site the MiG versions are humbuckers, but I'm not 100% sure that this isn't a typo. However they have a good fat and thumpy sound. There's a little too much scooping for me to use both together in a band mix, but each individually work fine, the bridge pickup has plenty of attack, and the neck is bit more mellow especially with the tone rolled back a touch. With my bass being a 5-string I don't suppose the neck measurements will be of any use to you. Unless you are keen on the shorter scale of the Rockbass, my advice would be to look for a second hand MiK Pro Series version. It has a proper arch-top and back body, while the Rockbass version is flat. Finally if you really want another Rockinbetter, there were a couple in stock at Music Inn here in Nottingham - one was in the window last time I went past at the beginning of the year.

If you've got the real thing in front of you, and some decent woodworking and metalworking skills, then it shouldn't be too difficult. It really depends on how accurate you want to be. Do you want to make a faithful reproduction compete with the truss rod, or just something that does the same function? The body/neck is essentially a 40mm square piece of maple 970mm long. The monorail bridge is easily obtained, but pretty much all the rest of the bass is custom parts.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1422124654' post='2669025'] I don't fully understand what they mean by "enhanced with a 3.1 mm wider neck" [/quote] The wider neck is on the 12 string guitar. Rickenbacker 12 strings are notorious for having narrow necks, that's why despite them making a wonderful sound, my electric 12 string isn't a Rickenbacker

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1422207047' post='2669847'] I could lose two or three if a BLACK Lull became available. [/quote] Get yourself over to Bass Direct and try the ones they have in, and if you like them order yourself one in black.

Amazing how much faith people seem to be putting into streaming services. I'll always be able to listen to the music I have on vinyl and CD as long as I have something to play them on. If my favourite artist decides to pull their music from Spotify then it's gone and you want to be able to listen to it again. If you haven't downloaded the tracks using one of the paid for accounts then you are totally dependent upon having a network connection to be able to listen. Also Spotify won't be around forever. Something better/different will come along and then you'll have to start all over again building up your playlists/collections.

So old-school, you can't name your patches! Instead there's just a 3 digit LED display to show which of the 500 sounds you've selected.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1422030240' post='2668007'] I can't say I've ever noticed any real problems playing along to things with PK-5's direct to a sound module via a MIDI cable, as long as the patch I've created is meant to come in 'instantly' it sounds like it does to my ears, doesn't sound delayed. It can't be absolutley instantaneous obviously but it never sounded 'behind' the rest of the band when I was doing it live. [/quote] That shouldn't be too bad. You've got pedals that are designed to produce a MIDI output first and foremost, and in that system the majority of the latency will come from the the sound module itself. Problems occur when you are having to convert one kind of digital data (USB) into another (MIDI). At a certain point all those little unnoticeable latencies add up to something that is going to have an impact of the timing of your notes.

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Only]Jerry Only[/url]

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1422026244' post='2667928'] I'm just trying to get to the bottom of why there are so many negative opinions on the Thunderbird, and whether they are justified or not, I thought this is what forums are for. [/quote] Think the problem with the Thunderbird is the same one that the Rickenbacker basses have. People like the looks but can't get on with the fact that they don't really sound or feel like a Fender P or J.

Distortion. The ends of the notes are very clean so I would imagine there's some gating applied as well (maybe post production though).

MIDI conversion can be really terrible for latency. I imagine that this why the original Taurus pedals are still so sought after. Being all analogue there are no conversion processes to introduce latency between pressing the pedal and generating the note. At worst you have envelope attack lag to deal with.

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1422025149' post='2667915'] Even if you take that into account, if it's highly probable that Spotify is also displacing actual sales, an artist has to get an unrealistically huge number of Spotify listens to make up for even a quite modest level of sales on iTunes or CD. [/quote] My brother-in-law who used to be a fairly prolific consumer of CDs hasn't bought a single one since joining Spotify and couple of yours ago.

I would have thought that the extra conversion from USB to to MIDI would add some more latency as well.

[quote name='Horizontalste' timestamp='1422019681' post='2667811'] Do you know how this compares to a play on mainstream radio? It really isn't a lot for sure but times are definitely changing and I think platforms like spotify could help to decrease illegal downloads in witch the artists get absolutely foxtrot alpha. [/quote] I don't know about national radio, but looking at my most recent PRS statement, last year a single play of a two minute long track on BBC local radio brought in a total performance royalty of about £3.00 to be shared between the songwriters. However on the back of that we were eligible for a proportion of the the "unlogged performance royalties" which added another £12 for that one song. My total income from Spotify over the last 4 years is about $2.00

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1421969544' post='2667395'] I get the feeling you always say that like it's a bad thing. [/quote] Not at all. I'm just saying that the various iterations don't have that much in common beyond the name on the headstock and the body shape.

Which Gibson Thunderbird are you interested in? There have been several quite major changes to the instrument since it first appeared in 1963, and the 2015 model has little in common with the original other than the body shape. Some of the Epiphone models have far more in common with a Fender Jazz that the Gibson Thunderbird when you look at the construction and woods used...

I use Spotify to play an endless loop playlist of my songs in order to generate a few £s royalties. TBH there too many bands that I want to listen too missing from it for me to use it seriously. Also I don't like being dependent upon having an internet connection to allow me to listen to music.

I don't think that you can beat going into a few shops and trying some for yourself. What suits one player - especially when it comes to the sound and feel of the low B - will be totally unacceptable to another. You should also try some basses above your budget level just to see if it might be worth saving up some extra to get something you really like. IME there are no 5-string basses with a new retail of under £1000 that I get on with. There's more to a 5-string bass than simply taking an existing design and putting a wider neck and appropriate bridge and pickup(s) on it.

This: Two pickups with a ramp in-between. Gives me one continuous surface for resting my thumb from the end of the neck almost all the way to the bridge.

[quote name='40hz' timestamp='1421927742' post='2666645'] Edit - they are gorgeous though [/quote] Really? The triangular inlays and chequer binding are two of the things that make Rickenbacker basses stand out visually for me. Without them, they are a bit bland really.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1421927694' post='2666644'] I have used rack mounted effects, and the downside for me was an added layer of complexity. [/quote] I don't see how they are more complicated. Also being in the rack means that the important parts are out of the way of punters and over-energetic vocalists. Rack modules all the way for me.

Bike boxes are the way to go. If a shop has boxes they tend to be only too glad to get rid of them. I've never had any problem getting one (provided the shop actually has some empty ones around).

Is this the same one that keeps turning up on eBay? If not it can't be [i]that[/i] rare?

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1421743140' post='2664402'] Excellent resource. Is there a way to print out an individual tab? [/quote] Err… It's just a PDF you print out individual pages just like any other PDF.