BassBod

The sound is probably a combination of the (Kent Armstrong designed?) pickups, wiring choices (parallel humbuckers) and the preamp. On a quick look..that looks like an expensive box for what it does (preamp and headphone amp) and there are many other options for less money.

[quote name='sockdeluxe_mikey' post='1220836' date='May 5 2011, 11:40 AM']Hello everybody! I should be gearing up soon to buying a bass guitar body to start serious work on a bass build, but I have normally been looking at American companies such as Warmoth at prices and specs. Is there anywhere in Britain that could build a very simple alder jazz bass body, no thrills, and for a relatively decent price? A body for about £150 or less would be very good! I am also considering doing the finishing myself, practice permitting. Thanks for reading [/quote] If its completely standard spec try Brandoni (old Japanese made, but good quality) or WD. If its something special then Shuker or Simms?

Try emailing Bert Gerecht @ Hotwire in Germany. He seems to have a good relationship with Pyramid and may be able to get them pretty quick?

They're good..but different. To me they feel a lot lighter than they are...much like Thomastik flats. Very bouncy to play, and fairly bright sounding. My suggestions would be the La Bella or Pyramid versions. Both have chunky sizes but also feel quite soft to play, but both also sound "better" to me than the Roto's. The La Bellas have much better "pitching" and sound a lot cleaner..and the Pyramids sound very soft and warm. Hope that helps a bit..but probably didn't!

I'm sure its nitro..the paint used to flake off, quite often. Had some overspray on older forearm wear patches. Worth trying the Pyramid version of those strings - they look rough (almost green??) but sound slightly softer and warmer. Yum.

I'd always suggest a Hiscox over a full flight case - the case will take a battering, and show it..but the bass will be well protected. Much lighter and generally easier to carry about, especially at airports.

[quote name='TPJ' post='1216719' date='May 1 2011, 05:52 PM']What's the input impedance on the Orchid? I couldn't find the rating on the website. All of the preamps I use seem to be 1 megohm. From what I've read a higher input impedance seems to help piezo pickups, but most on the market are only 1 megohm.[/quote] From memory its 1 Meg...but best email John@ Orchid to confirm? I asked him about it a few years ago, and he said that once you get really high input impedance it can start to cause other problems such as noise and "scratchiness" when the input jack gets a bit dirty. Most modern pickups seem to be a lot more tolerant - my Realist sounds ok straight into most amps...but a bit better with a preamp in between. My old Fishman BP100 sounds dreadful without some form of preamp help..and then needs a fair bit of EQ.

I really liked the LR Baggs Para DI. It has a permanent high-pass filter (designed for acoustic guitar boom) that works well, and some eq..but not voiced with bass in mind specifically. The only thing that is a pain is the tuner output, which is a stereo jack/loop setup, so you can't just take a mono jack cable to the tuner..it has to return. However, my favourite is the Orchid Electronics muting DI - cheap, simple and sounds like what you plug into it. Also runs on phantom power, and lets you silently mute/unmute your bass on stage with a discreet foot tap.

Another vote for Picato - the nickel rounds are very nice, and can be had for as little as £12 on the web. My stand by strings, when I can't afford DR's or Thomastiks.

They do look very good, don't they? I read somewhere they also cost a fair bit..which was good news. A good choice for a fantasy bass (mine would be a stack knob Jazz..2 tone sunburst. Yum. I can almost smell the sawdust and thinners).

Tort scratchplates that look like the (many shades of) older ones. There are some terrible looking things sold these days....nothing like a 60's/early 70's plate.

Nice one. Hopefully they'll think a bit before selling a "soiled "item as new...

I'd be tempted to keep the bass original and move to a lighter set of LaBellas - may also be kinder to the neck in the long run? If they feel wimpy (hey..you like Mesa cabs don't you?) then inch the action up a touch to regain your zest for life. Intonation and flats - be honest, the notes don't really last long enough to tell.....

And don't forget to name and and shame - we are a very forgiving community, but supplying "used" goods as new (and charging) deserves a special mention.

Yes. I found the AI preamp/eq a bit limited..even for upright. Nice, but very minimal.

Happy Jack - the decal is only a waterslide, sitting on top the finish and will easily come off with a drop of water and a fingernail (and leave no damage whatsoever). No need to wait until it goes to a luthier...do the right thing! Edit - then post a photo?

[quote name='stevie' post='1194397' date='Apr 10 2011, 11:01 AM']I think you might find the band's manager has something to do with that.[/quote] Is there something we should know??.....was MK perfectly happy with his first borrowed short-scale, and all the rest was just to keep his manager quiet???

I had a similar experience. Owned a SSI and liked it (but not really enough to keep..too modern sounding for most of my work) and later got a SSI fiver. Really didn't get on with it - always sounded a bit feeble, and felt oversized. Moved it on after a few weeks. The SSII seems to be my Warwick..lovely woods, great design, but probably still too modern sounding for me!

You wouldn't listen to it at home....on a sunny spring Sunday morning.....

Solid body EUB - if you really want to play in loud situations its the only way. But even then they will still assume its you when anything within a ten mile radius of the stage honks, squawks or even farts....

A preamp output to a good passive DI is the most fool-proof solution I've found. If your amp has an effects loop, then just a good DI in the loop - it won't "do" anything but send your preamp signal to the desk. Does that help??

Try and get imperial measurement for anything of American origin. I got some identical replacements from Thomman for a Bag End cab....they almost fit, but the screw holes are just slightly out of place for a good fit. My guess is they are made to a metric design spec rather than imperial.