geoham

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1433512637' post='2791734'] What is the factory spec for the P-pickup? If it is only reading 4.7 kohms at the jack, it might have a windings problem. Traditional P-bass pickups usually have about 10,000 winds of 42 gauge wire on them, and end up reading about 10 to 11.5 kohms on a meter at the hot lead, not through the jack. Measuring through the jack with both volume and tone dimed would lower that reading due to the interaction of the circuit, but only by about 500 ohms. The impedance drop with the selector switch in the middle is normal. But if the bridge pickup reads @ 12.5 kohms, then if the P pickup should read about 10.5 kohms, and with the switch in the center should read about 5.5 kohms at the jack. I respectfully disagree about the nature of the output. If the P-pickup reads that low on a meter, then it probably has an open coil, which means the pickup is only functioning on inductance, not conductance through the circuit, and will have a substantial fall off in signal output. Recommendation: unsolder the "hot" lead of the pickup from the selector switch and measure the pickup. If it doesn't read in the traditional range, or the reading is not stable, it may have to be rewound or replaced. [/quote] 4.7k is exactly what my MIM P was. Researched it back then and it's normal. I. I think the type of ceramic magnet they use helps give a high output, but sounded very harsh to me. I swapped mine for a Tonerider, much nicer.

[quote name='Dazzlebrush' timestamp='1433169420' post='2788486'] Thanks for the Advice guys, Seperates would be nice but a Ashdown Electric Blue 180 - 15" combo has come up at £125. Any good? [/quote] It's a decent enough amp. I used one with my originals band at a 60ish capacity venue where house backline was provided. Two guitarists using 1x12 Marshalls, violinist DI'd, and loud drummer. No PA support for bass or guitars. I almost went back to my car for my own gear when I seen it, but gave it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised - typical Ashdown sound and loud enough to keep up. You could probably gig this anywhere with PA support. It's probably going to be heavy though!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1433176413' post='2788589'] Flats sound cack when you're plunking away on your own. [/quote] Couldn't agree more! It's band situations where they really shine. I'm interested to see how my Lakland does. Haven't rehearsed with it yet, but may gig it in Friday!

[quote name='barryman' timestamp='1432238548' post='2779684'] Guys - here is my query. I have a lovely bass with two pickups - the usual PJ split plus single bar pup. Controls are a master volume, a tone control, and a three-way selector switch. It plays fine but sounds far quieter than my other basses when used at the same volume settings. I have tried testing the output using a multimeter. When the switch is in the up position (neck P pickup???) I get a reading of 4.7k. When switch is right down (the JB bridge pickup?) I get reading of 12.5k. However, when switch is in the middle position (presumably that means both pickups working together??) the reading is only about 3.7k The sound volume is pretty much the same between top and middle positions. Am I reading this all wrong - I don't know where any fault may be. I can't understand the big difference between 4.7k on one pup and 12.5 on the other one Do I need to replace pickups or could it be a faulty switch? Or is my method of testing wrong?? What test does anyone recommend if not the way I have already done it? Any advice appreciated. [/quote] There is more to the output of a pickup than just the DC resistance. I had a MIM P Bass with a very high output and low resistance. The resistance basically tells you how much wire is wound round the magnet. You'll get an overall lower value with both on, since they are wired in parallel. (It's exactly the same theory as using two 8 ohm speakers to give 4 ohms in total) Basses have different output levels. All is probably normal. In my experience, louder often doesn't mean better sounding

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1433164010' post='2788416'] Seen this? http://www.ernieball.com/flatwound [/quote] Interesting! Will probably try them out on one of my Fenders at some point. I'd be interested to know how long the 'round' sound lasts though. Reckon I'll keep rounds on the Lakland though. I can't put flats on all three of my basses. Can I?

An easy source of foam is a mouse mat - works a treat!

I've been playing bass for about 20 years, and always used roundwound strings until around three years ago - for no other reason than it was the normal thing to do. After hanging around on here for a while I became aware of flatwound strings and I bought a Fender P in 2012 and put flats on it. I loved the feel and the tone, and eventually put flats on my Jazz too. I don't think I'd ever put rounds back on either of these basses, but I did miss the sound of rounds on my Jazz sometimes. Last week, after GASing for something 'modern' since coming back from the London Bass Show, I bought myself a Lakland 5501 - factory fitted with stainless steel roundwounds. I've been playing nothing but this bass since I bought it, mostly to become comfortable with a five string. I'm loving the sound I get, but get quite a lot of finger squeaks and the strings feel quite harsh on my fingers. I'll probably replace them with nickel strings when the time comes, hopefully fix both of these without losing too much tone. I picked up my P-bass last night immediately after playing the Lakland, and I couldn't believe how unimpressed I was with the sound - lifeless and dull - like big rubber bands! This is the bass that can't sound bad - have used in all sorts of situations and has never let me down! Does anyone else find themselves contradicting themselves like this? I suppose it's this type of thinking that's responsible for GAS!

Not all lightweight cabs are overly expensive. I managed to get two TC Electronic BC210 cabs (weighing in at 19kg each) and a BH500 head, along with Roqsolid covers for £400 used. I moved the head on for £175, so two 2x10 cabs for £225, or £112.50 each! I use the much smaller BH550 head now and take it everywhere. Ideal at a rehearsal room to use my own head through their cab. Likewise at the dreaded 'shared backline' gigs. (In fairness, this head isn't the cheapest, about £380 I think - though a light cab is where the main benefit is) I previously used Ashdown gear - a 2x10 cab weighing 31kg and a bulky head. I'm in my mid-30s and quite strong - but moving that cab up two flights of stairs was hellish! It didn't cost me a whole lot less than the TC gear either.

Going to the Glasgow show with some guitarists!

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1432677058' post='2783951'] Wow, I didn't know these came in white. Very nice. [/quote] I believe it's just been introduced recently. Looks awesome next to my black / black / rosewood Precision!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1432679176' post='2783965'] Is it creamier in real life? Looks whiter in your pics than in the vid. Either way it's very nice. [/quote] I'd say the video is probably closer to the actual colour. Camera phones, eh?

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1432676237' post='2783944'] That looks lovely, really understated. The vintage white looks great with the maple board. Tell me it's great... mine arrives tomorrow! [/quote] It's great! Can't wait to get it out to a rehearsal to properly try it.

Here's the pics as promised!

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1432293885' post='2780083'] A local Glasgow store owner told me a few years ago he sold 10 guitars to 1 bass. Easy economics. Having said that, Glasgow, being the major city in Scotland , is well served. [/quote] I suppose it depends on what you're after, but I'm not sure I agree. I've not been able to get what I've been after for my past few purchases. The only place with a reasonable level of bass gear is Guitar Guitar, and I've never been impressed about their staff's bass knowledge. (In fairness, they were decent enough when buying a guitar for my kid). Other than that, McCormicks is long gone, Merchant City, Kenny's Music and CC Music have quite a restricted choice. Can't think of too many other places Fender P - Wunjos in London were considerably cheaper than anyone locally, and got a good quality Fender gig bag thrown in. Also very impressive service! Bass ukulele - got it from Thomann TC Electronic BH550 (any similar head would have been good enough!) - Bought from Bass Direct at the London Bass Show Lakland 5501 - Ordered from Guitar Guitar (No stock in their Glasgow shop, just Newcastle and Epsom) Same with smaller bits - pick-ups, bridges, pickguards - all ordered on-line.

It's being delivered on Tuesday... Can't wait! It's the same as the one in this video though. http://youtu.be/S2_NWbuEMI0 I'll get the obligatory NBD pics up on Tuesday evening all going to plan!

Some of you may remember my thread on here about a month ago saying that for about the first time in my life I wanted a 'modern' bass - basically something active that sounds good with roundwound strings, to compliment my flatound equipped P & J. I almost settled on just buying another MIM Jazz, but after much research, I decided to push the boat out a bit further and decided to buy a Lakland 55-01. At £700, it's an expensive bass for me! I've really wanted to play a five string for some time (been playing 4 strings for 20 years!). It's my second attempt at this - last one was an Ibanez Soundgear, which had a nice sound, but I couldn't handle the tight string spacing or floppy B string. The Lakland addresses both of these, so I'm determined to make it work out this time! One wee question for anyone who already owns one - does the extra inch of neck have any impact on getting in to a standard gig bag or case? Thanks, George

[quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1431961819' post='2776632'] To be fair, I was being flippant, I only run the volume at about 4/10 so plenty left in the tank, and when you're two feet from the cab you're not going to hear much over the drums, last gig people actually commented on how big and powerful the bass sounded!! Can't understand how people get by with just a 212 or 210 though. [/quote] Maybe you're playing bigger venues than I am? I had a gig at a smallish pub last week, and was told the backline was provide by the venue. I took my amp and 210 just in case! When I got there, the bass amp was a tiny Warwick combo (1x8 I'm sure!) sat on top of a PA cab. Not for me at all, so I used my own. The rest of the band had PA support (even the kick and snare were mic'd), but the sound guy ran out of channels, so the bass was on its own. Volume was at a max of 50% and it was fine throughout. I also let the other two bands use my amp, so I heard it from front of house too. My lineup is vocals, drums, 2 x guitar and one person swapping between violin and keyboard.

I have a BH550 and take it everywhere with me... gigs with shared backlines, rehearsal rooms etc. If I'm playing with PA support, I generally just take one BC210 cab with me and stand it vertically. Without PA support, I take my other BC210 along too - and stack them vertically like you do. I gigged once with them stacked horizontally - to me it sounded deeper, but then again I've never played that same venue with them stacked vertically, so could just have been the room.

I recently bought a Hercules Ez-pack. Probably not quite as sturdy as its bigger brothers, but it's very compact - fits in my gig back easily. Easily holds my P bass, though my J needs a little more care, due to the offset shape. http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS200B.html

I've never heard of the ProDub licence before, but I wonder if it would be required for those of us playing in function bands? How many of us have a playlist on an MP3 player that's used for background music during breaks etc? I'd always assumed that it would be fine as long as the venue was properly licenced, but reading about ProDub would indicate that's probably not the case. If we instead use a pre-recorded compilation CD, then ProDub licence would not be required. How do the rest of you interpret this? George

Got the PMs guys, cheers.

Hi Guys, Wondering if any of you are familiar with a company in London called The Animal Farm? Http://www.theanimalfarm.co.uk My originals band are in dialogue with them regarding 'artist development' and I'd like to hear of anyone else's experience with them. Thanks George

I have a Harley Benton fretless bass ukulele and get on okay with the intonation. I have a wee riff that goes up to the 9th fret on the G string I always play flat unless I concentrate properly. Other than that, it's all good - love the sound of it. To point out - I don't ever play an electric fretless. George

Thanks for the advice guys. I might have convinced the wife to buy me one of the new Sire Marcus Miller basses, primarily to give me a jazz I can out rounds on. They seem to get great reviews for not a lot of cash. The Lakland Skylines are also appealling. If there is anywhere in Central Scotland I can try an MTB Kingston and it's anything like what I tried in London, I may even push the boat out for one of them. When my originals band ever earn the millions my singer is promising, I'll buy a US MTB! Cheers, George