BigRedX

On-boards are worth having if they offer individual control of the pickups such as the ACG pre-amp which has a separate filter stack for each.

Otherwise just use the controls on your amp.

Turning on the tweeters on my cabs (EBS Pro-lines) just brings out the string noise which I don't like. However on my alternative rig (Dr Bass) the tweeters do add something useful to my fretted sound when I play with a pick. However it's not enough for me to miss it it wasn't available.

It might be easier to use individual countersunk retainers on the screws then you can position them where you want.

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='396298' date='Jan 31 2009, 06:09 PM']I'm having a new Sei built at the moment, a fretless 6, that's going to have an East/ACG pre fitted to it too, possibly with Q-tuners.[/quote]

I'll be interested to hear this if you go for Q-Tuners as that's a combination I'm considering for my next bass...

IMO the filter pre-amp can't be bettered for fretless tones!

When I got my first bass, for a while I used my guitar a Carlsbro Wasp - a full 10 Watts! Plenty for rehearsing and recording though.

My first rig comprised a no-name 100W transistor amp (it had a yellow front panel and I got it in a swap for a Shaftsbury resonator guitar). A huge 18" speaker cab that required 2 people to lift and a home-made 2x12 cab. This lasted me all through the 80s although after 1983 I didn't do much live bass playing having discovered the joys of synthesisers...

Come the 90s I got back into playing bass and invested in a more serious set-up. The speakers a Carlsobro 1x15 cab and a home-made (but more serious in design and construction than my previous effort) 2x8 cab. I was getting into bi-amping and used a 12 band stereo graphic into a Maplin kit 2x100watt power amp which did quite a good job of tone shaping an cross over, but the graphic was quickly replaced by a bargain-priced Trace Elliot GP-12 pre-amp. I also had a TE bright box for about 2 days but took it back because it simply wasn't my sound.

At the same time I was rack-mounting my pedals but by the time I'd got them all racked up the result was bigger than the 1x15 cab, so this got replaced by a more manageable Roland GP-8 multi-effects.

This was great, but not loud enough so the amp was replaced by a Carlsbro 300+300Watt power amp and at the same time the got a Peavy BassFX and Spectrum Filter to replace TE pre and Roland effects and added a Korg rack-tuner. This is the rig you can see in the SugarBox video, and remained unchanged until I joined my latest band in 2005, when the Peavy units were replaced with a BassPod XT Pro.

The Carlsbro amp was really much too heavy and the rack was definitely a two-person lift so it was replaced by a 600+600W digital amp, however at the same time changed the speakers for EBS 4x10 and 2x10 so just shifted the weight from one part of the rig to another!

Finally I replaced the amp with a Tech Soundsystems Black Cat (from warwickhunt) which results in my current rig:

6U Rack holding BassPodXT Pro, Peterson Strobo Rack Tuner, Tech Soundsystems Black Cat 1000W amp. This powers EBS pro-line 2x10 and 4x10 cabs. I love the sounds this makes but the EBS 4x10 is really far too heavy so I'm experimenting with alternatives, but still haven't found any I like enough to stop putting up with the weight.

mmmm quilted maple...

Probably more of interest to a collector than as a part of a gigable rig. Likely to be big heavy and by modern standards have a very low power rating.

The serial number suggests that it could have been the first cab of that design made...

Just a heads up for any band thinking of playing at the Rose of England on Mansfield Road in Nottingham.

The place has recently been through a succession of managers/landlords culminating with the last one disappearing just before Christmas along with the deposits of those who had booked the room. My band was one of those affected.

Earlier this month we booked a new gig there with the new landlord who was full of big talk about how he was going to revamp the rather shabby upstairs room where the gigs are held, and seeing as we were one of the bands affected by the change of management we could have the room for free. Today our guitarist turns up to drop off posters and to meet as arranged with the guy doing the PA to sort out our requirements only to be told that the venue wants £150! No way and we've told them what they can do with their gig.

I would urge any band thinking of playing there, or with a gig already booked unless you have an agreement in writing to seriously reconsider. We've been ripped off and lied to, and until the pub has a serious change of attitude I won't be giving them any of my money.

I doubt it - the anodising would wear off under the string abrasion. My matt black Gus G3 has anodised metalwork and there's bare metal on the pickup tubes under the E and B strings now.

You're welcome (as they say)...

Judging by your join date you may have missed [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5525"]this thread[/url] where you'll find plenty of interesting and innovative ideas in the design and construction of our favourite musical instrument. There should be a couple of hours of reading there!

The Little Torzal twist is the best solution because it tilts the body up towards you, but the twist keeps the neck at more friendly angle. If you can live with the whole bass tilted and it's not putting a strain on your left wrist you should also look at the [url="http://www.nortonguitars.com/"]Norton Basses[/url] which allow you to tilt the whole neck and body centre in relation to the wings.

Since on all the quality brands you can unscrew the keys, there's nothing to stop you having something more interesting made. The guy who made the Bass Surgery basses used to cast his own.

Wow!

And I was thinking how quickly this one came together compared with your Sei.

It's gone now...

You didn't include the description which was the best bit:

[quote]Yamaha's GA15 amp is a superb sounding amplifier when you consider it's frankly ridiculous price![/quote]

Can't go wrong with black-burst over flame!

[quote name='Kev' post='393261' date='Jan 27 2009, 10:54 PM']if they didnt have art prices, id like them. But at the prices he charges, its just a bit silly[/quote]

Are we still talking about the Baz Extravaganza Basses here? Because I think they were very reasonably priced before the Pound tanked in relation to the Euro. Still not too bad. One day one of them will be mine.

Not necessarily....

TI Jazz Flats have red silks as do some cheapo roundwounds that I have for emergencies

[quote name='crez5150' post='391898' date='Jan 26 2009, 04:49 PM']How about a single cut between the headstock and the body....... :brow:[/quote]

Like this?

[quote name='Bassassin' post='392326' date='Jan 27 2009, 12:17 AM']I think it's JapCrap, there were some Mosrite-ish (or MosWrong, in this case?) Teiscos a lot like that.. Shame he won't post, I quite like it.

J.[/quote]

By not posting it he's doing everyone a favour. Someone at my school had one of these any I used to borrow it before it got a bass of my own. Nasty in every way imaginable. Neck like a banana with unplayable action above the 7th fret. Tone a dull thud that lasted about a microsecond. It was crap when it was almost new back in the 70s and I can't imagine the years have been kind to it. Avoid unless you want to buy it to destroy it.

At Wesley prices I'll have one. Although if there are alternative body colours I'd like to see what's available...

Which you can get [url="http://www.wittman-spins.com/spinstraps.html"]here[/url]

If you're really interested in whether or not it's playable why doesn't one of you PM [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=2269"]wombatboter[/url] and ask him, since he actually owns it?

The second one is the same as the one's being sold in the UK under the 'Wesley' name. I have one in purple lucite which for £70 isn't too bad at all after I'd spent a couple evenings setting it up.

Rich has summed it perfectly.

I can't believe that the bass version that went into production is so horrible especially since the Steve Swallow prototype pre-dates even the guitars.

A guitarist friend of mine had one of the original guitars (the one with wheel thingy behind the bridge). A beautiful instrument and so light and comfortable to play. When the product version of the bass was announced I couldn't wait to try one. The neck is great, prehaps one of the best I've played, but the body is the nastiest thing ever. no matter how you hold it some part of the bass is digging into so part of your body. I couldn't comment on the tone because I was trying at Music Live so was competing with 1000000 shedding guitarists, although there is a possibility that I found it so uncomfortable that I never got around to plugging it in.

Also if you do find that you can live with the ergonomics of the body shape make sure that you get one of the proper Fly Basses with the wood/carbon composite neck and not the cheaper PB series instruments that IMO are simply copies in shape only without any of the constructional innovations.

I do like this bit of the description from the web site:

[quote]Neck: 2 pieces of maple (used to be one piece), with metal reinforment
Fretboard: maple, nothing and maple again
Frets: 9 pcs for playing, other for decoration[/quote]

You can see it at the front of [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5657&view=findpost&p=363622"]this group shot of basses[/url]

Now got realy bad GAS for "Mother of Pearl", "Rack" or "McDonalds Countertop"...