stoo

Joined a new band last week and the first practice set my ears ringing from tuesday night until some point over the weekend. Didn't fancy that again, so ordered some universal plugs as a temporary measure - [url="http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164&Itemid=310"]ACS Pacato[/url] - and made an appointment to get some impressions made. This week's practice with the Pacatos in was much more enjoyable & no ringing whatsoever (although the drummer, who wore proplugs both weeks reckoned that things weren't as loud this time around) I got the impressions taken today and now I'm trying to work out which moulded ones to go for. The audiologist advised the ACS PRO-27, but that looked to be based on a cursory sweep of their website and going for the ones with the most protection. Can't fault her for that, I suppose - but I figured I should check on here and see if anyone had gone for the higher rated ones and then wished they'd gone for less extreme ones?

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1396458637' post='2413953'] Sterling by Musicman Sub are worth checking out. Tried one at the London Bass Guitar Show, was very impressed. [/quote] I can recommend these too - I've got one as well as an older USA EBMM SUB - and the SbMM SUB Ray4 is getting more play time. Mostly because it's lighter and my back is giving me grief lately, but it's still very impressive for the money. [quote name='Storky' timestamp='1396475706' post='2414226'] +1. My first thought on reading your reqs' and they have a 38 nut (the standard Ray34s have 41 or 43 from memory) [/quote] Yep - Ray34 is 43mm but the Ray34ca is 38mm

[quote name='Angel' timestamp='1396450968' post='2413821'] I think that must be a one off bass, if you look on the internet generally he definitely has fret rattle. [/quote] He seems to think so anyway, and you'd think he'd know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VjmTQv_KOA

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1395963925' post='2408572'] . Can't see why they can't put the B3 up to four effects though, it's the same processor as the MS-60B which does do 4. [/quote] And presumably the same as the one in the B1on which can do 5, but loses the switching flexibility and triple screens. And looks like a drunkenly conceived prototype of a hybrid between a nintendo gameboy and an etch-a-sketch.

I'm too lazy to unpack the gig bag between gigs and rehearsals, so dug out my old guitar rack bag with a Marshall JMP1 guitar preamp, Boss VF-1 effects unit and a Marshall Valvestate 40+40 power amp. It's set up as a dual purpose guitar/bass practice setup with a Zoom B3 fed into the JMP1, VF1 in the JMP1's effects loop, and then the power amp into an Ashdown 210 Deep bass cab. Tweeter long since blown up and replaced with a square of plywood! I usually plug the B3 straight into the VF1 input for bass so the JMP1 is only really being used as a volume control, but it still sort of counts, right?

[quote name='Hank Scorpio' timestamp='1395323896' post='2401117'] How do you find the range of adjustment on the stock pre-amp? I see you said the volume knob doesn't have a lot of adjustment in it. [/quote] I did't put that very well - the volume's got plenty of adjustment - it goes all the way from loud to silent! - it's just that most of the change happens near one end of the pots travel. Not really an issue at all. The preamp adjustment doesn't seem to be affected in the same way - and also they've got a centre position detente, unlike the EBMM 2 band. I like that, as I generally run it on or near the centre click most of the time and it's a handy point of reference. [quote name='Heket' timestamp='1395346571' post='2401476'] Stock strings are rough. Are they EB strings? [/quote] No, they're cheap no-brand Indonesian strings.

[quote name='Hank Scorpio' timestamp='1395322362' post='2401079']The SD 3 band can be had with a stacked bass & treble knob, so can be kept with the same current layout. A 2 band may be plenty for me, mind. Thanks for the good advice so far, keep the opinions coming! [/quote] Same with the John East one - treble & bass on one stack, and mid frequency adjuster on the outer ring of the mid boost/cut control....

I got one at the start of the year and it's an amazing bass for the money. Hardware is a bit cheap and cheerful but it all works fine. The preamp is a bit hot and the volume control is more or less an on/off switch. I considered replacing the preamp, but in the end just lowered the pickup quite a lot. I've not tried the SD pre-amp, but I do have a John East MMSR 3 band in my USA EBMM S.U.B. (which was originally one of the passive ones) and that works really well. The neck is nice and easy to get on with - very similar in size and profile to the Mighty Mite Jazz neck I've got on my MIM J. Stock strings were awful and the nut needed a little bit of a file to get it setup how I like it, but that's to be expected at the price, I think. The battery box is a bit naff - the battery connector clip is separate to the box itself - just one of those 9V clip on ones that feel like they're going to break every time I try and unplug a battery from it. I've got another battery box I've been meaning to fit instead, just never got round to it.

I'm in

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1393149057' post='2376579'] Sorry Stoo, but I disagree on all fronts! [/quote] Yeah - I suppose it depends on what you're comparing it to - but my other 2 ray copies (olp mm22 and SbMM sub ray4) are both noticeably lighter and shallower in the neck profile.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1393074617' post='2375868'] Personally I can really "feel" the difference between a J and a P neck. Although be aware that although Jazz necks almost universally have a 38mm nut and are slim in depth, P nut widths can vary from about 40-43mm. Personally, I can cope with a 41mm, but any more and I find myself being limited. My Mighty Mite P neck has these widths ... nut - 41mm 5th fret - 49mm 12t fret - 57mm neck depth ... 1st fret - 19mm 5th fret - 20.5mm 12th fret - 22.5mm [/quote] I've got a Mighty Mite Jazz neck - looks like the depth is similar to the ones on your P neck, but the widths are a bit less nut - 38mm 5th - 47mm 12th - 56mm

I've got one. Bought a passive one by mistake - had been watching a few on eBay and got mixed up when I put a bid on. It's heavy. Haven't got round to weighing it but suspect it's around 3 or 4 tons. The neck is fairly chunky in profile. It plays nice and it's usually not an issue, but sometimes it can get a bit uncomfortable, despite me having fairly big hands - probably due in part to me having broken my scaphoid years ago, but my OLP stingray copy doesn't set it off in the same way. When I got it, I was never that impressed with the sound of it. It had a fair bit of stingray character, but there was definitely something missing. Since then I put a John east preamp in it and it sounds spot on.

The newer Sterling by Musicman SUBs have got the narrower nut, as do the ray 34ca - but both are stingray style bodies. The SbMM SUB I played last year was very impressive, and cheap enough to allow for a pickup/preamp upgrade if the sound isn't quite right. Still haven't talked myself out of it even though I've got an EBMM SUB now...

The whammy 2 was the one that looked most like the bass whammy, but the bass one had presets that didn't make it onto any of the guitar oriented models as far as I know. I've got a whammy 2 in my drawer at home - seemed to work OK on bass when I gave it a quick trial, but it was always a bit glitchy with a guitar, and even more so with bass... My sloppy playing probably has a lot to do with it too!

Battery level indicator LED? [url="http://www.east-uk.com/index.php/all-products/bli-01.html"]http://www.east-uk.com/index.php/all-products/bli-01.html[/url]

Output levels are really high on mine as well. Had just assumed my bass output was loud and it was a knock on effect of that

Just spotted the same thing and was coming on here to post the same thread!

Just spotted this [url="http://forums.ernieball.com/music-man-basses/56819-sbmm-sub-ray4-green-when-europe-pat.html"]http://forums.ernieball.com/music-man-basses/56819-sbmm-sub-ray4-green-when-europe-pat.html[/url] Looks like the green SBMM SUB will be available to European distributors early next year......