BassBod

Greg, Always thought they looked interesting - let me know before its on its way..would like to have a quick look-see after its had its fettling!

Not daft at all...rack preamps are cheap used, and you can get a real variety for not much cash. I've got an old Alembic, Trace GP11 and SWR stuff - its all sounds great and I can just put it together in whatever way suits the gig/session. Not great for run around gigging, but very useable. What do you think of the Yamaha?

Out tomorrow....heard some bits of it on F*book, but I'm looking forward to a proper loud listen on real speakers some time next week.

[url="http://strangerrecords.com/portfolio/charlie-jones/"]http://strangerrecor.../charlie-jones/[/url] Lets see if that works..

Charlie Jones gets mentioned here sometimes - usually to do with perspex, old Warwicks, Goldfrapp or Robert Plant etc He has his very own "solo" CD coming out next week, so I thought it was worth another mention. Its not a Bass Player project...more moody and atmospheric stuff. Don't go looking for flash killer grooves or even bass solos. Or lyrics. Its all about nice old gear and how much fun you can have creating sounds and textures. I'm guessing that would appeal to a few BassChatters? I'm not clever enough to post a link, so look for Stranger Records (strangerrecords.com) and you'll find his page. I'm sure a direct link will appear very shortly..probably in the next post..

I like them, but found you do have to set up the bass specifically for them - loosen truss rod a bit, add some extra string height and usually move the pickups up a bit too. Then I like them a lot. Took me three sets to get it right, but got there in the end. I've also got them on a Turner Renaissance electro/acoustic, has a great sound and the lighter feel works well. These basses often have Thomastik Acoustic bronze/nylon strings fitted - I found those impossible to play! No tension at all...

Question is, is it electric or physical? Another good trick is to put a short jack to jack cable between the effects send and return jacks. The socket on the return is switched, and that can cause similar symptoms if it gets corroded. Its a link to the power amp section so any problems there are usually audible. The metal cab and front grill are prone to rattles - look for stripped screws (you will find some!) or missing rubber gasket around the grill? Best of luck - nice amps!

A shim is for angle, usually nothing else. It brings the frets closer to the line of the strings, rather than an increasing distance as you go up the neck. Nothing wrong with and its probably essential for those that like a really low action. Wal's always seem to have them (veneer, stuck to the heel), as do old Fenders. Think of it as fine tuning..early 1950's style.

Never thought I'd say it..but a cab can be too light. You want them to stay where you put them, even on wobbly stages and you also want them to sit still in transport. My Crazy 8 could easily put on a few pounds, and I think I would prefer a ply built box. The composite just feels a bit too delicate.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1378381504' post='2199365'] Abbreviated for you. [/quote] It just depends how close you are...think of it as a single headphone for a rock'n'roll lifestyle...I'm currently "rocking it out" learning a covers set for Saturday. Never thought I'd ever have to listen to a White Stripes track, yet alone play it.

On the composite discussion - I have one of Mike Arnopol's Crazy 8's - a 1x8" with composite cab. Weighs nothing, works very well in small/quiet settings, but it would have to live in a hard road case for any serious touring - the walls could easily be punctured or damaged, and once the outside skin is broken there is only hollow foam/plastic. Its fine in the car in a padded bag, but not for a rock'n'roll lifestyle.

Could be the foam edge on the speaker, they rot after 15 years or so - mine went suddenly, and I just noticed one day that the low end seemed to have gone...then saw the speaker had lost most of its edge. I probably did two or three gigs with it like that before I looked! Good news is it can be-edged or replaced (got one from Thomann) but getting into the cab is a job in itself..then sealing it up again.

Also very interested..

The Midget sounds quite different to the Compact - don't think of it as a smaller version of the same cab. Its its own character. More mid response, and not as forgiving...and a bit barky as you crank up the volume. One of my more "accurate" amps (SWR Electric Blue) sounds quite unpleasant sometimes. Unless absolute size is a consideration I'd stick with a Compact for general gigging. IME YMMV IMO etc etc etc

I should also add, in the interests of balance, that I also used to have a one piece maple P bass Bravewood neck. Not only was it the best neck I have ever played (or heard!) the fret work was great and had no issues at all with either DR Sunbeams or Thomastik (floppy) flats. Your Pbass looks fantastic - whats the weight like?

My lovely Bravewood jazz neck has always had a rattle around the third fret, mainly on the A string. Had a complete re-fret..and it was still there. Best guess is there is carbon fibre reinforcement that keeps it from relief (truss rod is almost loose). Its a great neck and wears heavy flats so its not a problem, but if it had rounds (DR Sunbeams) I'd have to resort to some spot levelling to make it play well.

Yep...Crazy 8. Small and very clean..your bass only louder (give or take the amp/eq).

I've got one of the Beedsters old 1x15" Bag Ends. Very nice all purpose cab, not light by modern standards, but for a 30 year old design its compact and musical. Doesn't have tons of low end on its own, so isn't that impressive on a quick try out but excellent on a gig where the front of house engineer doesn't want your amp getting in the way. I understand Bag End evolved out of the Alembic / Grateful Dead Wall of Sound PA experiences. Those cabs were often industrial/plain plywood...which they still offer. I think my ultimate "do everything" would be a powered, coax S15..with the built in power amp and plain wood finish. Just add preamp of choice, and DI when you need to.

The early 80's stuff (up to series iv) didn't really have a sound..it was graphic 7 or 11 band and a lot of power, for the time. How you set the eq was your sound. Unless you used the pre shape slap switch, then it got honky and nasty. After that, my experience was it got a bit more voiced, and sophisticated..but not really better. Horns in cabs also added top end that wasn't there in earlier versions. The slap switch accounts for a lot - like the SWR Aural Enhancer. It could be a good thing..but generally wasn't.

Try the veneer shim first - superglue a very thin strip to the underside of the saddle, then flatten it as best you can. Gives you safe option, may well fix the problem and although the action will go up a touch, that is often a good thing on an acoustic. good luck - its a fiddly one.