BassBod

Umm...for a few weeks I had a Brandoni fretted Jbass neck on that bass. Worked well, but felt soooo wrong! I won't mention the EMG, Schaller or badass stuff either. And sorry about the cavity in the back...it was about 1989 and it just didn't seem to matter at the time.

I can't look....sniff again. I know I wasn't always kind to that bass...but it doesn't deserve that.

One thing that has surprised me about the "Jaco tone" is simply how consistent he was...despite everything that was going on in his life. Some examples. The DCI video (made in 85/86) shows him playing a bitser (60's J body with maple Pbass fretted neck) but it sounds like him. The Birelli Lagrene tour recordings from the same time sound a bit harsher, but he was playing Jbasses with DiMarzio pickups (I assume his own basses were gone by then?). The only instance where I can hear a difference is the fretless section of the DCI video where he plays Jerry Jemmott's hollow body bass..but even then within a few seconds his personality is there. There is also a YouTube clip of him playing a JD. Sounds like him...not Jaco sounding like Mark King. I've always taken this as evidence that your sound is yours...what instrument you play (plus strings, pickups etc etc) is only a part of your music.

Anyway..its the weight thats important.

Takes all sorts, but I've had generally excellent experiences buying and selling here. I would expect a minority of wafflers and tyre kickers in any transaction..but BC is pretty much hassle free. Its worth using the feedback threads..and looking people up for some background. There are some sellers I would avoid. Nuff said.

Yes, that was the plan for this gig...there was a roll of stickers ready (allegedly, of course) but the singer forgot to tell anyone, and got there late...by which time jobsworth had been lurking around during load in and spied no stickers. Plan B got complicated.

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1130770' date='Feb 17 2011, 11:23 AM']I'm thinking specifically bands, or maybe if enough people in an area want their gear testing to make it worthwhile. My cousins husband (as of today, they get married this afternoon ), has his own company doing PAT testing, and other electrical testing too. He actually has a contract for doing a couple of large chain stores. He recently did my gear, and that belonging to one of the bands I play for. He's an ex musician and is very reasonable with his prices, and will give a discount if you mention basschat. He charged the band £50 for doing a load of gear including amps, PA, lighting, lasers etc. He's based in Birmingham, but will travel around the Midlands area. His name's James, and his number is 07599 356864.[/quote] But best not call him tonight???? I had a well paid gig almost cancelled on the night last summer due to jobsworth venue staff and PAT testing, so worth thinking about.

I've been lucky recently, and managed to set up, side by side the nearest to a new/old comparison I could imagine. Old - Alembic preamp, SWR power amp and Bag End 1x15. New - Euphonic Audio Micro, Barefaced Midget 1x12. Both are twin channel..portable..excellent (neutral-ish) sounding amps. Not loud rigs for rock gigs, but very capable for most situations. The old rig wins for sound, but weighs about 65lbs...the newer lacks some of the impact and warmth but weighs about 24lbs. I can use either very happily, and sound like me. But the portability (and compactness) of the newer set up just makes my life a lot easier for the work I do at the moment.

The only obviously dodgy bit to me is the photo of the wiring - it shows a standard bridge, but the bass has a Badass??

Vintage Schmintage - well put. Load of old bollo anyway...if you'd pay for it, I'm sure Leo and co. would do it! I'm guessing white primer was a lot cheaper and more plentiful than colour paint stock...so it was sprayed thicker to get an even base for the final few coats. I think the way Herbie's has ended up looking union jack/stars and stripes, with more than a hint of weathered floorboard, is very charmingly random. Nice one.

No...matching headstock on a bass that early..why, that's like putting a matching headstock on a Pbass....its just agains the laws of nature, or like getting well paid for a pub gig. Just doesn't happen. Looks good Wes - was the small amount of white primer showing through a deliberate thing, or just how it happened? I think the red blue and white thing on the original is one of its more appealing features..however unintentional and random it is.

I wouldn't cut down regular scale flats - they seem much more prone to breaking than rounds (based on experiences with LaBellas and Pyramids). I'd suggest Picato for a custom set? I know Mo Clifton had a few sets made up to fit his 30" cherry basses, and he said something about the core wire being the important bit (ie a heavier core wire worked best on a shorter string)...but that was a few years ago, and I could be spouting utter bollocks..... Time for bed.

Yes, I think the DB924 has now been replaced - but you could always pick one up from the usual places (pretty cheap? hasn't got a DI output or footswitch, so looks less useful then the current Sadowsky) or put the OPB1 circuit in a metal box.

If you want J bass but bigger I'd go outboard preamp, with your existing bass. I've not used all the options, but have had success with the Aguilar DB924 (outboard, but same circuit as OPB1) and Sansamp Bass Driver. The Aguilar is very similar to the Sadowsky (both based on the early Musicman circuit?) and adds "weight" to the sound without really making it sound active. It will do the full Marcus sizzle and thump if you crank the bass and treble. But keep the treble down and its just a warmer bigger sounding version of your bass. It doesn't add gain though, so I find it works best with full gain on a J bass. It can be subtle or a sizzly sledgehammer...depends what you like. I've got the Sadowsky circuit in my Sadowsky PJ bass, and I'd say its very similar..but a touch brighter/more active sounding than the Aguilar? The Sansamp is well known here, but I can make a jbass through a clean amp sound a bit bigger/warmer - the key is the blend control and not cranking the eq much beyond 1 o'clock. It doesn't do the Marcus type sizzle - more warmth and thump. I also borrowed a copy of the "catalinbread SFT" pedal (Ampeg style preamp) and enjoyed the warmed-up tone it gave Jbasses.

Very hard to say...every bass is different, set ups vary..and double bass strings can be extremely different in size, composition, material etc. But having said all that, if you are going from Spiro's (pretty high tension) to a more modern composite core (ie not twisted steel) then you'll probably find they area lot more flexible/floppy so you would need to to raise the action to play cleanly. Think of going from Roto flats to TI flats on a bass guitar, then scale up accordingly! You may get lucky and find they play ok once you have adjusted to the change. I'd suggest you try them, but give yourself a week to let you and the bass adjust to the change. PS Don't forget to look at the diameter of the new strings, and consider if your current nut is slotted wide enough to let them sit properly in the grooves.

Oooerrr....an early TE parametric? That looks like an a move towards Alembic/filter thinking? Who'd have thought it?!

I've had a few custom builds - but my advice would have to be take your time, really think about the type of instrument that suits what you do (or plan to do in the future) then look around for used versions. If you don't find something interesting in six months, then think about it again.

Its worth noting the history of Walter Woods amps - esoteric, supposedly the first "digital" amp on the market. Handmade, using fairly conventional components...but part numbers removed, so only he could repair them. Keeping it small and boutique/expensive has worked for him for 30 odd years, but now the electronics industry has caught up (well, EA and AI at least?). So I guess its still possible to make a modern lightweight digi amp as a one off/in low numbers. But you would have to charge rather a lot of money for one, if you had to make a living. Personally, I'd think about it...I just hate the thought of throwing my EA Micro away when it eventually dies, and replacement circuit cards are long gone. So, if someone could make a similar product the old fashioned way I'd consider it an investment, of sorts.

You can email EA - they are pretty responsive. Or ask Overwater, as they were the importer/distributor up until recently. I think the earliest (white face) amps were made by Ashdown...which may be a good or bad thing.

Well, I've used a EA 500 (toroidal transformer, but "digital" power amp) and more recently an EA Micro (all digital). No issues. Nothing. The only thing I've heard on the interweb is they might not like unstable power - ie generators on outdoor gigs. The issue I can see is in the future (ie when not in production) they will be unserviceable, due to the surface mounted design and construction. While they are being made you can get new circuit board, but in a few years time I doubt that will be possible. But isn't that true of a lot of things?

I'm hoping to get there...can bring a few things! Haven't been across the water for a few weeks.....

If buying new, I'd be looking at either a Berg or the EA Mline wizzy. I am probably one of the two who put you off the Barefaced option.....so I should say that a few weeks/gigs later I'm very happy with the midget for all my current work, but having to send it back straight out the box was a complete pain. I'd describe the sound as pretty flat, with a hint of a more traditional voicing (but nothing like older SWR/Eden etc). I'd also consider Bag End - again a bit "voiced", but in a good way, and there is a co-ax option (for one of a pair, maybe?). They are a bit heavy compared to current designs. Happy hunting