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solo4652

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Posts posted by solo4652

    Fitting new strings - advice please

    in Repairs and Technical

    Posted

    Just bought a new set of strings for my Yamaha BB404, and didn't fancy paying £40 to have them fitted.

    Is there a recommended procedure for fitting a new set of strings? Take off all the old ones and then fit the new ones? In any particular order? Or replace the strings one at a time to keep some tension on the neck at all times?

    What do you have to do to "check the intonation" (?) after fitting the new strings?

    All advice gratefully accepted. Please remember I'm new to all this, and also I'm not an especially practical person ("DIY" = "Destroy It Yourself" as far as I'm concerned...)

    Upgrading a Yamaha BB404 - worthwhile?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Machines' post='234271' date='Jul 7 2008, 04:33 PM']If you were to do so - you need a goal in mind. What about the BB404 do you dislike that you feel needs to change ? They are decent basses and well made like most Yamahas.[/quote]


    Well, I like the mid-to-top end range, but it seems to lack a bit of bottom-end punch. I'd like to beef that up a bit. Also, the controls seem to have very little effect - using the dial to move bewteen the 2 pickups doesn't appear to do much. Neither does the tone control. So, I'm sort of struggling to achieve an array of sounds and tones

    Upgrading a Yamaha BB404 - worthwhile?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Hi,

    I have a Yamaha BB404. Here's the spec.: [url="http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,6373,CNTID%253D2546%2526CTID%253D224200,00.html"]http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Conten...D224200,00.html[/url]

    I've been looking to spend about £200 to move on to my next bass, but I'm struggling to significantly improve on the Yamaha's quality. So I thought - why not spend the money on upgrading the Yamaha, rather than end up with 2 mediocre basses?

    Does it make sense to upgrade the pups? The bridge? Anything else? If so, what would you recommend?

    Is there anybody in Manchester area who could do this work for me? ("DIY" in my case stands for "Destroy It Yourself"...)

    Or am I simply at risk of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?

    All advice and suggestions welcomed,

    Steve

    SWR LA 15 vs Fender Rumble 100 for £200?

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    Having taken delivery of the SWR LA 15, I thought it might be useful to post my initial impressions. Bear in mind that I'm only 4 months into bass playing (so I don't have anything like a well-tuned ear for amps), and my only other amp is/has been a 15W Stagg practice amp...

    Size/weight: Physically bigger than I was expecting. Weighs about 20 Kgs - heavier than I was expecting. Definitely a 2-handed lug up the stairs. Not as portable as I thought. Probably me being naive/inexperienced with my expectations here.

    Controls: Simple input, tuner input, CD input. Master volume, Bass, Mid, Treble controls, Headphones out. That's it. That's all I wanted, really - nothing too complex.

    Build quality. Has a chunky, weighty feel. Tough-looking metal grille. Very strong edge-mounted carry handles.

    Sound. I'm playing a Yamaha BB404 through it. Impressive mid-range clarity giving a funky-bright tone. Top end is bright and clear. Bottom-end needs to be cranked up on the Bass control to give enough attack to compete with mids. I found the same thing with the Stagg pracice amp - perhaps it's the Yamaha's playing characteristics. There is simply no comparison to the Stagg 15W amp. The SWR gives such a clean, pure sound with no distortion, humming, crackling or anything. I'm especially pleased with the mids - I'm hearing tones I just didn't hear at all with the 15W thing. However, the SWR is not really a deep-down thumper-growler. I'm sure that none of this will surprise all you experienced people, but it's a pleasure to my ears. I'm so pleased I listened to the Basschatters, and upgraded my amp before the guitar.

    Volume is surprisingly low. I thought I wouldn't have to go above half-way on the volume dial. However, I'm already three-quarters up the master volume dial with the Bass volume at three-quarters, Mid at half, Treble at two-thirds, with the guitar volume cranked right up. And this is only for bedroom noodling. I don't have any experience of playing with other people, but I'm already wondering whether I have enough power or headroom here. I hope I haven't under-egged the pudding, so to speak. Maybe I'm a bit deaf. Interesting that BTGAndy says that he felt the LA 12 is "quiet for the wattage", and jamesf also remarked that the LA15 was really quiet.

    Ipod shuffle plays tolerably well through the CD input and is much clearer than the horrible mudslop that came out of the Stagg.

    Early days yet. Very impressed with mid-range tonal clarity. D string in particular has gone from being a bit indistinct to sounding poppy and funky. Some early concerns with volume/headroom. I'm playing with a drummer in 2 weeks - perhaps I'll post an update then.

    Steve White

    New Squier VMP TB vs used Fender (Mexican) Precision

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    More research this morning has swung me towards the Squiers and away from the Epiphone. Seems like the VMJ has a slightly narrower neck than the VMP, so I'm favouring the VMP.

    What's the difference between the VMP and the VMP "TB"? I can get a TB for £209. See: [url="http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Squier-Vintage-Modified-Precision-Bass-TB~ID~6973.asp"]http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~S...-TB~ID~6973.asp[/url]

    Is the TB a better buy over the cheaper (white) VMP?

    SWR LA 15 vs Fender Rumble 100 for £200?

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted · Edited by solo4652

    Hi,

    I'm in the market for a decent combo as a step-up from my practice amp. Looking for 100w with CD/mp3 input and headphone jack. Ideally, not too big/heavy.

    Any thoughts on SWR LA 15 for £199? Reliability a bit suspect?

    See [url="http://www.bassmerchant.com/item_detail.php?product_id=284&category_id=2&subcat_id=4"]http://www.bassmerchant.com/item_detail.ph...amp;subcat_id=4[/url]


    How does this compare to Fender Rumble 100? I've been advised that Fender don't make good amps.

    See [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/11481"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl...roduct_id/11481[/url]

    Any other suggestions, please?




    Thanks to everybody for your very helpful comments and reports. A decision has to be made, after 2 weeks of confusing and tiring research.

    I'm going to buy the SWR. It's got the simple features I want without the weight or the complexity. SWR's reputation seems good too. I got very mixed comments about Fender amps - everything from "Superb" to "Awful - muddiest sound I've ever heard..."

    Everyone has a favourite, of course. Let's hope the SWR is reliable enough, and has enough power. At £199 including delivery, it seemed a good deal. Fingers crossed.

    Stagg 20BA practice amp for sale (or trade?!)

    in Amps and Cabs For Sale

    Posted · Edited by solo4652

    Stagg 20BA practice amp for sale. 3 months old - "as new" condition, apart from the Stagg badge on the front grille which I removed because it was buzzing (the badge that is, not the grille). Complete with kettle lead. My first ever amp - brilliant for beginners. Never gigged!! Haha. I'm now looking to trade up. For all the tech. spec. details, see:

    [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/71594"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/71594[/url]

    Cost me £45. Take it away for £25 (or make me a sensible offer, please). In Stockport - probably not much point in paying for courier, so buyer collects.

    I'd trade this for something bigger like a decent 1X15 or 2X10 combo (Ashdown, Trace, Hartke etc) worth up to £100.

    Please use this temporary email for replies: [email protected]

    Thanks.

    HELP! I've got G.A.S. £200 available...

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='Buzz' post='195647' date='May 9 2008, 07:29 PM']Essentially a rig is made up of the Amplifier and the Speaker Cabinet (aka cab).

    The amp is also known as the "head", it's the electrical box of wonders that the instrument plugs into, and has knobs on (it contains a pre-amp and a poweramp). A cab is a box, with a speaker(s) in.
    Cabs and heads are seperate units, with cabling linking the two.


    A combo is ONE unit which combines both the amp and speakers in one packager, and your practice amp is a good example of a combo.

    Lots more information here: [url="http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/"]http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/[/url]

    Amp is often used as generic term to describe what makes sound, whether it be a combo or a head, but it also can refer to just the head.

    As a note, generally the more powerful the rig is, the less chance of it being a combo, generally due to portability, powerful combos can be very heavy (there are exceptions but they cost more).



    Thank you. Exactly the advice and information I needed. I'll be looking out for a decent secondhand combo shortly. Stockport area. Anybody got anything for me? Please treat me gently - I'm new to all this!


    Er, I think that's it.[/quote]

    HELP! I've got G.A.S. £200 available...

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Well, thank you to all who replied. I'm certainly getting the consistent message that the thing to do is upgrade the amp when I need to. I'll need help and guidance to do so, so look out for my cry for help in the near future.

    I'm not sure I fully understand the difference between an amp and a combo. Can somebody advise?

    HELP! I've got G.A.S. £200 available...

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    10 weeks ago I bought a new Yamaha BB404 and a cheap Stagg practice amp. I've definitely caught the bass-playing bug. Generally, I download a favourite song from Youtube, find the chords for it, and jam along. I'm up to 25 songs now. A drum-playing friend has asked me to jam along with him. A band beckons in the future. Don't laugh, please. Rightly or wrongly, I'm already starting to think about the kit I've got.

    I've got £200 burning a hole in my pocket. What's the most sensible way to spend this in order to sensibly upgrade my kit?

    1. Buy another bass? I've played an Epiphone Thunderbird and really liked the easy action. I've also been looking out for a secondhand Fender mexican Jazz.

    2. Stick with the Yamaha, and upgrade the amp? If so, what's a good one to buy that might be OK for performing at a party indoors? Something small, light yet powerful

    3. Do nothing for now - just keep practising? Boring.

    Seriously - what would be a sensible way forward?

    Dodgy Fender Mexican Jaz???

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Jobiebass' post='195296' date='May 9 2008, 11:00 AM']get the serial number off the headstock, go on [url="http://www.fender.com/support/mexican_instruments.php"]the fender site [/url]and it tells you what year it is, for eg, mine is MZ3 which is 2003/4.
    if hes being genuine and its a 7 year old bass it should start MZ0+ 5 digits 2000-2001 MZ1+ 5 digits 2001-2002[/quote]

    Thank you! - Exactly the advice I was after.

    Dodgy Fender Mexican Jaz???

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I've been offered a Fender Mexican Jazz, but I'm suspicious. Some cock-and-bull story about his grandfather buying it new 7 years ago and then leaving it to the seller in his will. I've asked for pictures - none so far. We haven't got as far as discussing price yet. What critical information should I ask for to help me convince myself that this is a genuine sale/deal? Are there identification numbers, or something? if so, can they be checked against some sort of register? Assuming that it's a genuine 7-year old mexican Jazz in good condition with a hardcase (as claimed), what shall I offer? £200?? All advice to prevent me buying a dog, or something stolen, gratefully received.

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