BassBod

But I wouldn't spend £500 on a Wal…been there, done that…felt the weight (twice).

Just hang in there, one will pop up at a good price. I've had a borrowed one here for a few weeks now, and I've used it on a gig or two. I like it, reminds me of a Wal Pro/Precision but I wouldn't spend real money to get one..£350 would be my limit for a good condition example. Good condition in this case would have to include the many finish cracks all over the body, obviously!

I've done a few straight swaps with people here - it works fine. Only thing is to be sure of the relative values of instruments /amps etc. Doesn't have to be set in stone..but you have to know what something is worth to you. Use the feedback pages and do some research if necessary. Its usually worth it.

If its a bits, then DiMarzio..in cream for a statement or black for understated. Was a common improvement at the time and they still sound great (not as overblown as some descriptions would suggest).

Plugging into the effects return should be a lot quieter than plugging into the front and putting the gain half way up. Sounds like something wrong in the preamp circuit - maybe the input gain pot is giving up, and not passing signal though. Worth cleaning it, if you can get into it with some switch cleaner. Other suspect would be input jack socket (and its solder connections). WIth both of those you normally get crackles and volume changes as you jiggle the pot or jack plug. After that..its get the circuit plan and take to a tech. Can't help thinking its a Modulus thing - is there a trim pot (blue square, with white screw adjuster) in the control cavity? If there is, try turning it down?

[attachment=153012:IMG_0678.JPG] Here's a nice little collection. Think I've got most options covered between these….

Check the battery in the Modulus first - then try playing through the effects return socket. It will be a lot quieter, but should be undistorted. If it overloads the input stage with the preamp gain set below 12 o'clock I'd be looking for a problem. Always worth turning it off, then rotating all controls fully about ten times, and also putting a plug in and out of all the sockets (including effects send and return) a few times - old amps can get grungy inside. Maybe start with the eq controls if they seem to have an influence on the distortion? If the Stingray is ok I would be checking the Modulus into another amp..just to see. Good luck

My main bass ( <- ) is a Bravewood, but with a Wesley Steed neck. Best Jazz I've owned, very light, very resonant and has fantastic (Voodoo) pickups. I could never work with a bass worth £5k but this does everything a "real" one would do. Unfortunately, that includes microphonic single coil pickups..but I can happily live with that. The relic work is done so well I don't even think about it, and I don't have to be careful with it, beyond the usual common sense stuff. I have a Bravewood neck on another J bass, and its my favourite in terms of sound and feel - but it has too much stiffness built in, and doesn't ever give enough to play cleanly around the 3rd to 5th fret, even with the rod undone. Can be remedied by some careful spot fret work, but I have it set up with flats and a medium action so it works ok. There are other UK makers (as above) who can make you a superb Fender type bass - talk to a few and see what you think of their attitude. You do place a lot of trust when ordering you bass, so keep your eyes open.

Sorry to veer off..but I find Jake's experience sad and slightly familiar. My Epic used to get some comments, even though it sounded fantastic. Some people just want see a Fender.

Looks nice - does it have a centre block..or is it a real semi-acoustic?

Two things amaze me about these amps. First, that they are any use at all as a bass amp, considering the large speaker with no room to breathe, and second that GK ever put such a complicated thing into mainstream production. Its a very different approach to the contemporary "big chipboard box/cheap speaker..that'll do" alternatives.

Good new is, once its done you've got one of THE nicest little combos ever made…loved mine, and thought it sounded much better than all the later re-designs of the MB series. All you need is the speaker, some black sealant (like the stuff you'd use around the bath) and a fair bit of determination. Old one out, new one in, but you have to take the box apart to do it. The screws are easy to strip (aluminium case) so don't over tighten..snug is good. My local tech did it much quicker than I could, checked it over and PAT tested it for a reasonable fee. Good luck (also check the nuts that hold the handle on are tight - preferably with locking nuts and sealant. If one ever falls off..its straight into the circuits!)

I'm sure Wembley can do it..but you can get a new GK (Eminence) speaker from Thomman for £90 ish. I wanted mine back in service quickly, so that's what I did..and had a great local tech pull the amp apart and fit it. There are 40 odd screws and rubber sealant to deal with, so its not that simple. Then you have to make sure its airtight again to stop any rattles or vibrations. When I looked into it I found that you really have to use the original spec GK speaker for these amps. Its such a small and peculiar cab design that it needs a very much heavier and stiffer cone than you'd find on other 12" speakers. Luckily the same spec speaker has been used in all the various models up to the present, so you can still get them. Re-foaming the original speaker is possible, so look into that too - it should be a bit cheaper.

That looks great - never seen a headless before. Hugh makes some very nice basses. There may be some info inside the control cavity (original customer, or date etc) the logo looks like 80's version. Pickup is a Kent Armstrong (could be a push/pull switch on one pot, to go from series to parallel wiring).

Try some diluted oil (tung or danish), or warwick wax on the back of the neck if its down to bare wood. Seals it so it doesn't get so dirty, and gives a pretty smooth feel. Pretty sure the body on my PJ Metro was poly..but very very well done and buffed out. Have a look on the Sadowsky site - there is a forum there which could be useful?

The neck on a Metro is a thin nitro - it will age fairly quickly and gracefully with normal use. Play a lot (nice bass!) and it will age quicker. The body has a fairly thick and very tough polyester. I wouldn't even try and age it. Its a very durable finish, and won't take to the usual relic treatments well, in fact I recall Sadowsky saying they wouldn't even try to strip and refinish one of their bodies. Its that tough. Play it, play it…then play it some more.

All depends on the crack. As you've seen, all Shergolds have really deep finish cracks, due to the poly and/or wood. It really seems to lift, pull and crack but still stay on the bass! Nothing to worry about unless it seems to go deeper and is a sign of abuse and structural damage. Not a disaster (wood glue is strong stuff) but would mean some tougher negotiating on the price.

[attachment=152036:stanleykzy8.jpg] This is the crazy looking system Stanley Clarke had some time in the late 70's. I'm guessing Alembic preamps, PA power amps and wacky cabs...

I had PM from someone in the States who said he used some of these in the 70's. This was prompted by a photo of Stanley Clarke's speaker sphere thing…I'll go find the message.

The shield comes off with a twisting action (normally) but that can be hard to start moving. With my Baby Blue its a bit scary, as the circuit board feels like its going to break first! But it hasn't. May need a slight push down to get it started?

There is a limiter - think its default is on. It may be the limiter activating..so its doing its job and warning you rather than getting critical. Can you hear it clip, or is it warning you its getting close? Also, is the cab a 4ohm one? I found my old WT400 was happy pumping it out at 8ohms but got hot and bothered at the same sort of volume into a 4ohm load. I'd suggest (as above) setting the input as high as you can, and the master only as far as you need it…and going very gentle on boosting the low end.

Thats the spirit...

I distinctly remember the power LED in my Cobra 90 used to flicker if I played a loud open E. Never inspired much confidence…and the head case was virtually empty. But, it worked well enough for 5 years or so and did plenty of gigs before being "upgraded" to a Tryselling it AH100. There are better speakers these days, so as long as you aren't looking to make your money back, do it and enjoy.

Wow. Just Wow.

Raven Labs made a good one, and they come up here sometimes for £150 ish. They are easiest run on 2x9v batteries, as they used an odd power supply and slightly dodgy mini jack power connectors. Designed for pickup/mic mixing, but equally does two pickups, with separate eq and phase switches and a great sounding DI. I used one for a while, and was impressed by its functions and sound but really can't be bothered with pickup blending on gigs.