BassBod

Scott - that was great! Almost makes me want to try using a pick......almost....

The old Trace ones come up fairly often on evilbay....and are pretty cheap. They are also heavy and usually in a pretty "well used" state. The power ratings look low (compared to modern stuff) but I don't think you could ever consider them underpowered in use. I sometimes use an old SWR Stereo 800 with my Trace GP11 and it works very well, but any decent modern PA type power amp should be fine. Don't forget that you can also use most modern amp heads as power amps too, if you plug the Trace into the effects return socket...sometimes the levels don't match too well, but the Trace has an output level control.

Sounds like the nut needs to be re-cut or replaced to suit your choice of strings - raising it with a shim will do as a quick fix, but getting it out cleanly (its probably well lacquered in place!) isn't easy. Once the nut is done then concentrate on the truss rod/neck issue. Tuning the bass slightly sharp for a few days may help the neck "give" a bit and leave you with a slight bit of relief. Laminated necks can be very stiff and sometimes won't set up well with lighter strings...but its a JD, so I wouldn't expect that to be a problem! I had one a few years ago (1985/6 model) and it was very well behaved with both 35-95 strings and regular 45-105. Good luck

It has to be a good quality active circuit to do the job well. Look up John East's site - he makes a good little blender circuit for exactly that..and he can advise you on combining it with his other gizmos. There is also a simpler circuit offered by Cafe Walter to blend a mag/piezo....and Bartolini used to sell one but I've no idea what it was called. The option to roll off the treble from just the piezo (independantly of the magnetics) is a good thing.

Look for an internal gain adjuster - some preamps have them, and if set very low the usual background hiss can be a problem....but turning the gain (i.e. signal) up higher can help a lot. Probably worth taking a photo of the preamp. There are some very good electronics guys on the forum who could help you decide if its worth repairing/modding or replacing?

I've seen Steve Swallow play (fairly close) a few times over the years - he doesn't make it look easy! Makes you feel pretty uptight just watching him...although the sound doesn't reflect this. I guess some of that may be from his double bass days. He also makes quite a mess of his bass with the pick..... I'd also look to Bobby Vega for inspiration...or maybe Colin Hodgkinson (but I can't remember if he always uses a pick or not).

Before you do, just for reference, try and remember the price of a decent pint around the same time......I'm sure he could afford it these days, but maybe let him off the interest?

Love it...£450?! Nice one Doc....

I did it several years ago - my advice is simply, [b]do it[/b]. But go careful carving the neck...I got a bit carried away and its way too thin for me these days! There are some photos of mine somewhere on here, so have a search.

I've recently got some Picato's for my 30" Clifton. They are very nice indeed, although that set is custom made to fit the Clifton Cherry bass, with a bit of extra length for thru body stringing. Might be worth emailing Picato to see if they can supply something you'd like?

I'd say no...but the differences aren't always as great as the price would suggest. My favourite all rounder is DR Sunbeams, sound good, feel good, last ages. I also rate Picato nickel rounds - sound almost as good, feel good but stiffer, don't sound good for as long...but plenty long enough. The Picato's are about half the best price I can get on the Drs..and a third of the worst prices I've seen. I'm happy to pay more less often and luckily Its been a good few years since I got over the need to always sound bright and twangy. I probably rate strings as much by tension/feel as I do by sound.

The CE2 is very good - I've got the Amdek version from the early 80s (same circuit, different box) and it sounds very good...I like it a lot more now than I did back then!

cliftonbasses.co.uk should tell you a lot....if not PM me? My thought on that bass are: solid zebrawood body looks lovely but may weigh a fair bit. Mo generally likes to keep his basses light, but I'd expect that to be a good solid piece of timber. The combination of headless and 36" scale takes a bit of getting used to, but really helps the B string...its a trade of sound against left hand stretch at the lower end (past the first five frets you really don't notice it). Neck profiles can vary, (depends what the original customer wanted) but are easy to modify one way (i.e. shave down) as the oil finish is pretty simple to re-apply.

Always good to see a happy ending.....I've kept my SWR 220 because I know it will probably outlive my tiny Euphonic Audio Micro and remain servicable for a long, long time.

Two I've worked with - Innes Sibun (blues rock) and Alex Hutchings (shredder...and much more, if you ask him nicely). Very different players, but both have got it.

Great find WoT! I always fancied the fiver...but the overall size and weight put me off (and now they're long gone). Roscoe made Fender earn their money on that one...a players bass indeed.

Wow..I'm sure it used to be a lot cheaper than that (I almost bought one from him a year or two ago and $40 shipping sounds familiar?) . Worth sending him an email? As a guide, the only ones I've seen advertised over here have been £120-150 new. Its also worth a look at the Harvest Leather canvas bag - its a bit bigger and heavier than the Levys but its also tougher. They've also gone up in price quite a lot!

I got mine here..all used, but you'd hardly know it. There is a USA Ebay shop (Doc1rock?) who can supply them much cheaper than you'd expect...but the import costs add up.

Start by changing the preamp valve...pretty easy to do yourself. Any decent 12AXY/Ecc83 should do (Sovtek or Electro Harmonix are usually the easiest/cheapest?).

There's a few of us around these parts (I'm 30 mins from Chippenham...or 'nam as I've heard it referred to) so welcome along and enjoy the ride. Just stay away from the shiny old tat in the For Sales....its just a bad habit.

Thanks for the photos - never seen one up close. Interesting to see a laminated bridge....was that an original fitting? Have you ever been tempted to try a more modern pickup?

Very sorry to hear the news. I met him a few times, and he was always a pleasure to talk with...and he did a great renovation job on an older Pro bass for me (something many other companies wouldn't bother with). Best wishes to Paul and the new Wal enterprise...that's some good news, at least. Edit for crap spelling....

Why not try the newer EMG X series? I'd be tempted to go for the JVX bridge and PAX combo....EMG's but with a touch more class? I put the older EMG's into a SS1 a few years ago and thought it was an improvement, but not a drastic one. I also swapped out the MEC circuit for an Aguilar 2 band - that really was better, and simpler (I never used the mid range). If I did it again it would probably be EMG JVX/PAX with a John East MM 2 band circuit.

I'd be more interested in the Zon fretless.....but at half the price!