Jean-Luc Pickguard

Someone's bound to say "the tone is in the fingers" so it might as well be me.

Its a solution looking for a problem that makes an otherwise fairly nice-looking bass into something vaguely comical in appearance.

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='151204' date='Mar 4 2008, 06:09 PM']I defy anyone to play both and not agree that there is a genuine difference. Whether that difference is enough to justify the difference in cost is another thing. But having the right badge does help in the Feel Good stakes. Like, riding a Jap chopper and wondering what a real Harley is like. One thing's for sure. Buy used. A gibson will keep its value, and if you buy-use-sell, the real cost is negligble.[/quote] I agree there is a difference - the maple neck on the epi means its probably less likely to suffer decapitation, the epi can have its neck shimmed and its easy to relocate the strap button to the heel area to cure the neckdive, the epi is a lot cheaper, they do sound different, but the epi still sounds great even with the stock pickups. The truss rod cover on the Gibson is nicer though. Joe Punter / Sally Stripper don't care what log is on the headstock - they probably don't know the difference betwen a guitar & a bass anyway. I chose an epi over a gibson because of the differences not despite (& also for the arctic white finish), - maybe I'm weird

Looks interesting, but I'm afraid I didn't get as far as signing up. I couldn't work out why they need my phone no and whether they going to sell my email address to spammers. Yes I'm a cynical old barstool

[quote name='pete.young' post='150522' date='Mar 3 2008, 05:59 PM']It was already too noisy when it was just guitars. That and last years fiasco over the 'bass area' mean that I won' t be bothering this year.[/quote] What "bass area" fiasco was that? I can't even remember if I went last year.

[quote name='Rich' post='150449' date='Mar 3 2008, 04:25 PM']I had an AKG D80 waaaay back in the day, it was a great budget mic right up until it got stolen along with the rest of my gear. I sincerely hope it exploded in the face of whoever nicked it. [/quote] I had one of those - but it fell apart. I probably still have it in the loft with grille in bits.

Something different My favourite bass at the moment is my 'new' japanese mustang, which I got for £300 secondhand. I'm not sure everyone will like the 30" scale as much as I do, but that and the narrow (jazz-like) neck width make it especially comfy to play. The neck is much nicer in profile than my 90s Squier musicmaster or my 71 US Musicmaster. Despite its cute appearance it has a very beefy precision-like sound as well.

It looks identical to one of the models in the Tanglewood Canyon series. Same factory, different badge?

I'm not convinced. They [i]may [/i]have nothing to do with the defunct "signature" brand from the 90s. Compare this "Signature" neck & body for sale with an SX. [url="http://www.rondomusic.com/sjb6234lpb.html"]SX Jazz:[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.com/Signature-vintage-Rose-Maple-J-Bass-neck_W0QQitemZ180179896649QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4713QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem"]Signature Neck[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.com/Signature-LPB-blue-Jazz-Bass-Style-Body-complete-NR_W0QQitemZ180209780439QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4713QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem"]Signature Body[/url] I know I've definitely seen a pic of an SX somewhere where the pickguard is a bit pissed like that one. And the signature neck looks identical to the SX apart from the decal - the truss rod access hole are the same on both but different to a fender and a bit "cheap" looking. Could these necks & bodies really be modern far east copies, rather than New-Old-Stock handmade US pieces? I don't know, but I wouldn't risk it.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='149852' date='Mar 2 2008, 02:57 PM']So how are you going to plug a low impedence mike with cannon 3 pin connector into your guitar amp?[/quote] An [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=12151&&source=14&doy=2m3"]impedance matching transformer[/url] should be the cheapest way of doing the job. mic -> xlr mic cable -> impedance matching transformer -> short 1/4" socket to 1/4" jack extension cable* -> amp [i]*The extension cable is optional and is to prevent mechanical strain on the amp input socket due to the weight & chunkiness of the transformer.[/i]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='149489' date='Mar 1 2008, 03:42 PM']Why use a cheap knock off and keep the real thing as a back-up?[/quote] The SM58 is my mic I used in the 80s, and the Behringers are band-owned. There isn't a lot of difference in the sound or performance although the behringers seem to have more output , so require slightly less gain on the PA input.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='149380' date='Mar 1 2008, 11:10 AM']? Yeah. And I gig with my CIJ 58 precision and keep my '58 precision as a backup.[/quote] I guess that was directed at me - I don't understand your point. Am I being accused of bullshitting or something?

Our singer uses an SM58 and the two on BVs use Behringer ultravoice CM8500s - (as used by Alice cooper & Ann Peebles according to the Behringer web site). They're about £16 (from dv247.com). We've been gigging ours for a few years and they haven't broken yet, even with a drummer doing BVs & ocassionally mistaking it for a cowbell. I bring an old 80s SM58 along to gigs just as a spare, but haven't needed it yet. [url="http://www.behringer.com/XM8500/index.cfm?lang=eng"]behringer XM8500[/url] - it comes with a nice case & stand clip as well.

You can't really tell much from the pic, but assuming the releif is OK I'd shim it to keep it high at the saddles, but low over the frets.

If its pre-slotted it'll be too wide. My 71 Musicmaster's nut is wider than the one on my jazz, but narrower than the ones on my precisions. A non-preslotted precision one should be OK though.

Dunno, but I know one of [url="http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/bpickguard_precontrol.htm"]these [/url]will fit - I have one on my bitzer fretless P.

[quote name='Stag' post='145641' date='Feb 23 2008, 04:10 PM']where would I get a Brandoni pickup from...[/quote] Brandoni is the supplier. I'm not sure who makes their pickups, but I think they *may* be Korean-made Kent Armstrongs. The cool rails (enclosed black) strat-sized humbucker fitted straight into my '71 musicmaster bass and makes it sound massive. Brandoni are in Wembley [url="http://www.brandoniguitars.co.uk/"]http://www.brandoniguitars.co.uk[/url] I think my pickup is the SHCL - its still listed as £30 which is what I paid several years ago. Check that this still comes with a black cover before ordering if you do go for one and ask for a diagram to fit it with the coils in series.

[quote name='OldGit' post='144552' date='Feb 21 2008, 05:45 PM']Time is tight, live [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHq4laFwAEM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHq4laFwAEM[/url][/quote] Great video, but it went a bit weird at about 1:11 - I had to slap the side of my monitor to get the picture back

Impossible to tell much from those pics I can see it has reverse tuner though. It *looks like* a MIA '62 reissue, or maybe an early or later non-export Japanese one, but I wouldn't express too strong an opinion without seeing a pic of the serial no. and any markings that are exposed when the neck is taken off.

I've just looked at your site - lots of lovely stuff there. When I get paid for a web site I'm doing and if I can hide the money from the missus I will probably be asking you to get a CIJ Mustang Bass in California Blue - Are any mustang-specific cases available for these?

As Joe Meek used to say "If it sounds right, it is right"

Personally I'd steer clear & stump up the extra to get a harley benton 5 string fretless acoustic from thomann. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb35ntfl_5string_akustikbass_fretless.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb...ss_fretless.htm[/url]