BassBod

One thing to remember about Jaco. He didn’t have a lot of choices, especially in his earlier days, but he sought out the best gear that was available in his location, and focused on being heard in gig situations. From organ trios to big horn soul bands, it was the back pickup, big amps and low mids that punched through. The delays and double tracking came later, after he had found his core sound. I’ve heard recordings where he’s playing through B-15’s and Walter Woods amps, but his tone is still there, loud and clear.

Lubrication of some sort - pencil graphite (HB) on the threads can work very well, or sparingly applied WD40. Most important is to go carefully to avoid damaging threads. Not sure exactly what the system is, but without a fixed length double ball string it is possible to have strings that are too long for the travel of the threads..so you run out of room on the tuners. Check for this first?

Thanks...I’ll look out for one! 😎

I’m intrigued by this pedal - I’ve used various Sansamps and other preamps to warm up modern sounding amps for years. Does it have “a sound” that is convincing? Or at least different...

I wouldn’t go for the ToneHammer...it’s quite gritty, by design. I’ve found a boost at 200Hz and a boost around 60Hz works pretty well on my SWR stuff. Think strings first, that’s where a lot of the attack comes from, especially with the epoxy coated fingerboard. I think he put the boat epoxy on to stop the steel rotosounds from chewing up the neck...but discovered a new sound 😎🙏🏻

Yep, he double tracked fretless, so it’s almost exactly the same lines, but there is some natural variation in the intonation- gives it a very organic and musical version of a chorus effect. Live he would have a slight (MXR) delay on one amp, with another amp dry - again, producing a chorus type effect, but more natural than a pedal. The other elements are roundwound strings (yes, it is😜) and a heavily coated fingerboard..that really makes it growl. It’s a pain, but it was a key part of his fretless sound.

Never knew there was so much Martin Turner respect on here - great to see!

Quick side note - if there is a problem with these tweeters, either they make no sound at all, or there is a very noticeable fizzy distortion. The only things to go wrong are the diaphragm getting fried, or the fuse/bulb blowing. I guess the attenuator pot could also be damaged, but I've never seen that happen.

I suspect it is just more subtle by design. The SWR tweeter is not very refined, especially at higher settings. I have an “Eden made” early Redhead combo (essentially a Goliath Jnr cab, first version) and the tweeter is very loud and has to be almost turned off to sound pleasant to my ears. But with my Goliath II 4x10 it was the opposite- the attenuator had to be on about 75% to really near the tweeter at all. I think this is just a product of the driver combinations and a passive crossover. Eden was very much looking to provide a more refined/warmer sounding version of the SWR experience ( the David vs Goliath branding was very intentional, as was the silver vs gold tweeter horn) so my best guess is that is what you are noticing in the 2x10 cabs you have. Enjoy! 😎

Alembic used to suggest a wipe of hair conditioner would provide a longer protection for brass tailpieces and bridges...can’t remember any particular brand.

Any good?

They vary a bit in size and tension, for example the Pyramid ones are huge,very floppy but sound completely old, the D'Addario set are almost regular size have a tighter feel and a bit more mid to the sound. The LaBella range is probably the most varied, and a good place to start. The one potential problem is that they all block the earth connection through the bridge that exists on most basses - so in some situations there can be an annoying earth buzz that doesn't stop when you touch the strings. I've had this on one or two places, and it is annoying of you are DI'd into the PA (and playing music with quiet bits!).

There is a thread in the repairs section, listing amp techs...should be one that’s close...

Just run it from the effects send out put, into the line input on the Orchid box. It should have enough headroom, although I did drive one into clipping once, being heavy handed on a very loud gig 😳. The Orchid runs best on phantom power. Any doubts, drop Jon an email - he’s a very helpful chap.

I guess Golihur are the other option, as long as you factor in the import costs and exchange rates 😳

Recently did a UK/Ireland bass trade with Drew - pleasure to deal with, despite my inadequacies with a tape measure! Recommended - great communication, just how it should be BB

Thinking back...there were a few Rickenbakers around as well..which I found surprising, even then. They were very expensive in a place like Bristol, so I assume most had been acquired in that London rather than locally.

The best gear I remember seeing, probably very late 70’s was a local guy who had a fretless Wal, with a Wallace head and EV 15” cab, and a Polytone combo for small gigs. Other than that it was all 70’s Fenders, some Ibanez and Aria and loads of Peavey and HH. The Sound City heads were quite popular, and not very old then either..and a lot of TV’s still had valves and were rented 😳