BassBod

Last minute decision making - anyone driving in from the Bristol/Bath area with a spare seat?

(on Saturday?)

Those are Kent Armstrong hand made pickups..as used by Manson and many others in the 80's (including Ken Smith) I had an Alligator 2x8" combo in the early 90's..in fact, I think someone still has it for sale on evilbay. Nice amp, but very heavy.

Bag End S15-D very nicely voiced all rounder - small but a bit of a lump by modern standards.

I put a Bareknuckle version (single coil) into a bass recently...a really nice pickup. Plenty of grunt, but also very natural...I'll just have to deal with the hum.

I got an Allparts neck (one piece maple) for a 51 style Pbass recently. I'm very pleased with the quality, has correct construction (walnut stripe, square heel, cross head truss rod in the right place) and fretting is great - no levelling needed. I also got a good discount, so its always worth calling for advice and having a chat.

I've also had good quality necks from WD music in the past. Brandoni are worth a call - they may have good NOS fender style necks, but can't display them due to Fender licensing issues.

Generally you can expect to do some minor work on the tuner holes to get a good fit, and maybe some slight fret levelling. But fitting the nut well makes the biggest difference to overall playability.

The hard bit is the nitro finish - I'd get the body and headstock face sprayed professionally and oil the back of the neck. Most of the replacement bodies are polyester and you can tell the difference, however well done.

I would applaud the use of the word Heft....quite appropriate for describing the indescribable essence of a big old heavyweight amp, valve or otherwise.

For me there is only one real disadvantage to these modern lightweights - getting them fixed. While in production most manufactures seem pretty happy to replace circuit cards/most internal modules - but after those parts are no longer current stock, most likely your amp is heading to the tip. I've got 25 year old amps that are still mostly fixable..even if some components are harder to source or relatively costly. The thought of an expensive five year old amp being written off as unfixable due to its construction concerns me. Especially as they do all appear to be pretty similar.

Having said that, I'm very happy with the Aguilar TH500 and TKS S112 and its a joy to gig with, given the usual awkward load ins/ car sharing / crap parking situations I often work with.

Also look for Edifier H850's - they make the PJB branded ones, and can be found on-line significantly cheaper. No way of knowing if they are very different....but worth a look.

You won't notice much difference - Groove Tubes were neighbours to the original SWR factory, and branded valves rather than manufactured. I suspect reliable supply (and reliable specs) were most important. Any modern 12ax7/Ecc83 should sound fine.

Another recommendation for Andy Manners.

Gibson -> Peavey....shame..

Talk to me if that doesn't happen.....

Low frequency energy is something to avoid anywhere close to this sort of bass. The K&K will be fine, but run it into a really good external preamp, with a high pass filter if possible. The headway should be fine, but also look at the Fdeck design..very simple but effective.

Flat wound strings will help get an warm sound, the Thomastiks are great (higher action will sound better and make them less floppy) as are the black plastic ones. Also a cover on the sound hole can help reduce proximity feedback from an amp.

Really, it's as little monitoring as you can work with close by, and get the sound through whatever PA is available.

My favourites have been a PJB Cub (limited volume, but a great monitor) and a Mambo jazz guitar amp (think modern Polytone..simple but works).

Thanks for the info - no budget to be geeky accurate (although I did get the right sized ferrules!) so I might plump for the slab body/white plate combo...

Lovely, but way out of my price range - can you PM me some info on how you sourced the scratch plate? I'm currently undecided between black or white on my version...bakelite might sway me to black...

Not tried one, but I've got some very similar Mo Clifton basses. It really depends on the nature of your condition, but a headless bass (with body) on a good strap would be well worth trying. Comfort straps or the Levy's neoprene version are also a good idea, even with lighter basses. Looks like a great design.

The tone will be moe modern/active, but you can adjust that with settings and strings.

Great pickups too..

I just try and keep the gig bag nearby and put the bass in that. Its not that I don't trust stands..more that I can't be arsed to carry anything else from the car.

Yes, they will....but they don't go really low in their response - plenty of impact but not a real sub thump. I actually prefer the lighter response, as it doesn't mess up the front of house so much. I've had a pair for a few months and only used two cabs for one gig. Within one song the front of house engineer was asking for a little less stage volume (Blues rock, with an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500, set to approx 25% on the master volume).

They are very good - voiced, but very musical and not extreme in any way.

It's only a failed clutch that stopped me!🚙🔧😳

My former Renaissance fretless is still for sale at Bass Gear near Reading - go try it! Lovely bass and I'd still have it if I wasn't playing Double so much.

Depends how you will be using it - probably not acoustic! Godin is a good bet, but look at the current Warwick options. Also worth looking at the Sigma range, very good for the money. Then do a search on here and you'll find plenty of string discussions...I'l say flats now, just to save time!

I've bought used Levy's canvas bags and they are fine seven or eight years later - careful but constant use. The Rock Bags are terribly made, in my experience.

Might have to flog mine then...its nice but....

Lets see a photo then....could be tempted if its in good condition...

Looks fine to me. Double basses usually have the relief (clearance) carved into the fingerboard, not adjusted by a truss rod. The amount of relief, and the shape of the curve depends on the player and the choice of strings. Probably best to take it to a double bass luthier and let them check it out. If you are settled on a particular string type and finding a problem (excessive rattle, or strings requiring a lot of strength to sound cleanly) then it might need re-profiling to work better for you.