BassBod

[quote name='51m0n' post='1252875' date='Jun 1 2011, 04:50 PM']What if I told you you just done did the compressing thing inadvertantly, would that help you feel less lazy? [/quote] I'd have a gentle glow of smug satisfaction....might also explain why I've been doing it for 15 years and its always worked!

I've always used squeeeeky clean amps (SWR, Euphonic) then messed them up a bit with a Sansamp - it is a bit distorted and overcooked, but you don't hear that in a band context. Just sounds "older" to me. Thought about compression..but I'm too lazy!

That was a bitser - Fender neck ('74?) and Bravewood body, with DiMarzio model J humbuckers. In bits again now....must get it sorted out sometime.

What the Beedster said. Its hard to get a good balance of P against J, even with a humbucker J. They weren't designed to go together. Best bet is something sold as a pair (Wizard....DiMarzio..Sadowsky) with a humbucking J. Even then, the combined sounds tend to be hollow and a bit feeble when compared to a P on its own. A good J bridge pickup needs a fair bit of bass boost to sound great. A good P pickup doesn't. So if you try to switch from solo J to solo P it doesn't work too well. I can do it on my Sadowsky PJ, but only combined with the active bass boost. I think you played it at the Dorset bash last year?

Mo Clifton is in Blackheath, although probably not around till July (he spends some time in France these days). It all depends on your current set up and strings etc, but generally if you play arco you'll want a higher action than a jazzer playing pizz all the time. But its all relative, so get your current set up appraised and see what is suggested.

Comfort straps are good, as are wide soft leather. Another thing is getting the length right, for both standing and sitting - straps with an easy slide adjustment enable you to experiment and get it just right, but the leather ones can take a bit more fiddling. Its worth a good fiddle every now and then, just to make sure its adjusted for comfort rather than being how you set it in a hurry two years ago. I try and set a strap so that the bass is in pretty much the same position, whether I'm sitting or standing. This isn't the same from one bass to another (body design, strap button positions etc) so I try to have a strap for each bass, and keep them together. For sitting, I want the bass on my leg, but with the strap taking some of the weight and helping to keep the bass still. Takes some time to get it right.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of the two body designs. I've owned two of the original shape (Pro IIE and MkI custom) and found them heavy but also poorly balanced (heavy tuners, short upper body horn!?). Does the later body design make that much difference?

We've got many more choices and information these days. It used to be a case of, is it loud enough, then season to taste with bass and treble (plus mid if you were technical). Its a lot more complicated now!

I'd suggest adding a touch more relief into the neck (loosen the truss rod a tiny bit) and see if it goes. Probably will, but you may also need to bring the bridge saddles down (again a tiny bit?) if the strings feel too high.

I'd suggest selling individually, over a fairly long period. Try and prioritize - most marketable first, and hopefully the used bass market will recover over time as you sell. If you can put it off for a while then do. I've never seen so many nice basses I could almost afford as I have over the last few weeks.

I'd try and avoid routing, and stick to a J/J set up (with old style DiMarzio humbuckers). I've always found SD QP's a bit over-blown. You also may not need a pre-amp onboard? There are loads of external preamps (Sadowsky, Aguilar etc) that can be added when you need it but also used with other basses.

Almond oil, with a bit of whatever you like it to smell of (aromatherapy stuff). WD40 is fine and dandy for phenolic or plastic boards. Just don't put much on...

Or our very own Wesley Steed...Wesfinn. Can also be found in GAK Brighton, apparently.

Recently bought a Sadowsky preamp from sei24bass - easy transaction, exactly as described (as new condition). Also sent went packed and arrived in good time. Wouldn't hesitate to do a deal again. BB

Almost £70 for a pub gig - Bilbo...tell me the pubs and I'll move there! Still wouldn't buy another Wal...

Its really a case of what sort of sound you're looking to get - do you want "drive" do you want "slap scoop" or whatever. One often overlooked is the older Trace Elliot GP11 (the mark iv with the odd XLR input). It doesn't have a sound as such (if you ignore the pre-shape switch) but can sound very good with any bass..as long as you don't need distortion or overdrive. The good news is that rack preamps are generally cheap because they are fairly bulky. They get sold off pretty quickly when people start downsizing their setup, so keep an eye out in the for sales and over a couple of weeks you'll see some great stuff on offer.

From memory..its a thin coat of an acrylic of some sort. Best find out what it is/was back in '83 as a starter. My guess would be a slight sand and re-application of something compatible - nothing wax based is going to help further restoration.

Quick note on those cab corners - I got some for a well-used Bag End last year and got the identical looking Euro metric version...which very nearly but not quite fits the imperial dimensions of the American original parts. Annoyingly close, but you'll never get both screws in straight without stressing/cracking the corner. Thought it was worth a mention!

Try the foam under the strings trick, just to mute the sustain a bit. That can help those strings sound more upright and less fretless. Other than that, any good clean sounding amp will get you closer. I'd also suggest a GK Microbass combo (the older 1x12") they can sound very good on small gigs...despite having no real bottom or top end to the sound! Another option is get some secondhand EMG pickups into your bass - very clean and clear and helps to get the most out of your strings.