geoham

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1398082049' post='2430175'] 30 inch scale is probably still too much for an 11 year old. The Tanglewood EB18 Elf has a much shorter scale length and they come up for sale on eBay occasionally at reasonable prices. [/quote] Think it depends on the 11 year old... My boy is 12 and can handle a full size bass just fine. His cousin of the same age would have no chance!

[quote name='cclowend' timestamp='1397810490' post='2427540'] Yes. I might put a card shim under the neck whilst the strings are off. The saddles are very low on the screws but still very high. [/quote] I had to do this when I fitted my Gotoh, easy job and works a treat.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1397342498' post='2423100'] Don't feel limited to using the B string for notes below bottom E. Use it further up the neck to change the tone and reduce the amount of charging up and down the fretboard you do. [/quote] In theory, this is where I see the biggest benefit. Been relearning a few songs I know inside out - I'm surprised at how tough it is! Need to get out of autopilot mode and think about what I'm doing. It definitely is a different instrument.

[quote name='megallica' timestamp='1397338197' post='2423053'] Congrats on the new bass - what were the recent song additions that made you think of buying a 5 string? I struggled reading tab for a five string bass when I began to play, so many years of practicing with a four string. One of the first songs I learned to play on a five string was "sledgehammer" by peter gabriel, then Van halen's "right now". [/quote] Two that spring to mind are Stevie Wonder's Superstition & My Cherie Amour, both go down to E flat. Also, I've been playing Get Lucky using an octave effect, so will try that one too. Middle bit of Runaway Baby drops an octave for a couple of bars, so that might be another one. In general, there are a few tracks where I've been wanting to go down a wee touch lower than E at bits, so this will do the trick. Lastly, makes certain vocalist driven key changes a bit more feasible!

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1397335553' post='2423023'] I wouldn't worry, its a bargain! Congrats [/quote] It certainly was! A bonafide 'surplus to requirements' deal - guy had just puchased what looked like the same bass in another colour. Well chuffed!

Thanks, I'll check that out later.

Some of the band's recent additions to the setlist have put me in the mood for my first five string. I'd originally thought about waiting a few months and buying a Squire VM Jazz V, but I managed to grab myself a bit of a bargain last week. Got an Ibanez SR405, brilliant condition for £90! I can't seem to find too much information on this, but it sounds nice and plays nice. Don't know what the actual market value would be, but it seems awesome bass for what I paid. Just need to remember that the fat string is now B...... tougher than I thought! Anyone know anything about this bass (age etc)? Cheers!

Thanks for the advice to all. I think that all is fine, just that my P is naturally hotter than my J. I done a few basic diagnostics just to satisfy myself. I've tested my pots (0 ohm fully open, 250k ohm fully closed) and measured the DC resistance of the pickups (which I realise doesn't equal output, but at least gives me some comfort...) - all within spec.I also took the control plate out plugged in to make sure I didn't have any wires or components touching against the cavity shielding. My 'solution' is to create duplicate patches on my Zoom B3 with adjusted gain settings. Little bit of work, but not too bad using the computer.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1396814178' post='2417658'] What are the distances between the pickups and strings like? Some of the volume difference may be due to pickups being at different heights (maybe lower the P bass pickup?). [/quote] I can't remember exactly, however, I followed Fender's online guide when setting it up. Both are reasonably close.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1396811929' post='2417621'] Keep the Precision as it is, keep the current Jazz as it is, and get a new Jazz and put rounds on it (the 5-er may be a good move). [/quote] Think this is some good advice - I'll break the news to the wife!

I'm not sure what's going on with that attachment - it's supposed to be an MP3 - try this if it doesn't work. [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/hd61mmlupph3n35/Comparison.mp3"]https://www.dropbox.com/s/hd61mmlupph3n35/Comparison.mp3[/url]

Hi, I have a Jazz with Custom 60s pickups, and a Precision with the stock pickups (mex). Only recently, I've started using both basses with the band, and there is a significant difference in volume between the two. I realise the Precision will naturally be a bit louder due to series wiring, but on the other hand, the CS 60's are supposed to be higher output. I fitted the Jazz pickups myself, so some shady wiring is most definitely not out of the question! Are there any quick checks I can do to verify the integrity of my work? I've attached a short recording - appreciate it if someone could have a listen and let me know what they think. No effects or processing at all - first is the Jazz neck pickup on full, second is the Precision on full. (excuse the tuning & playing!) Thanks, George [attachment=159586:Comparison.mp3]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1396791926' post='2417346'] I'd get another bass (if I could afford one). I've got Chromes on my bass, the are rather bright for flats, probably on a par with halfwounds (groundwounds). I far prefer the Tomastik Infeld Jazz flats. They're bright for a flat too, but have a much nicer sound. [/quote] I want to get a five string anyway, been considering a Squier VM. Got a family holiday coming up, so will probably grab one after that. Or may hold out for something a bit more upmarket. The one thing thats put me off the TI flats is that they are supposed to be low tension. I'm a but heavy handed you see..... How do they actually feel though?

Bear with me on this one..... I don't mean to ramble! Looking for some advice from anyone who's had a similar experience. Since 2002, I've been playing a Fender Jazz (Mex), which has suited me perfectly in most of my endeavours - from my old originals band to a few different covers bands - ranging from a Rolling Stones tribute act to my current pop/functions band. About 18 months ago, I fitted a Gotoh Bridge and Fender Custom 60's pickups to it, which really brought it to life. Stringwise, I've played 45-105 gauge rounds - either Ernie Ball or Rotosound - for as long as I can remember. I also favoured the neck pickup, or sometimes both. Rarely found the bridge pickup had enough low-end to cut through a mix. I often found I wanted something else from my tone - I originally thought something with a more powerful bridge pickup, so purchased an Ibanez ATK. I really didn't get on with it, and moved it on after two years. In September last year, I purchased a Precision bass (again, Mexican). I put a set of Rotosound flats on it, with the mindset that having a Jazz with rounds and a Precision with flats would be a good combination to cover most tones. (The band play a very mixed set) I liked the flats at first, but before long they sounded like rubber bands to me. I've put a set of rounds back on to it, and I'm perfectly happy with it. It sounds best when driven slightly, working well with a few of our more rocky numbers. Back to the Jazz..... I was bored one day, and decided to try the same set of flats on that and I absolutely love the sound of them. I particularly like the bridge pickup in a band situation - it cuts through the mix clearly while delivering a better low end than it did with roundwounds. The neck pickup with the tone rolled off sounds great for some oldies (which I'd guess were originally played on a Precision). So, all good - a Jazz with flats and a Precision with rounds. I can cover all bases, from 'Stand by Me' or 'Mustang Sally' to modern stuff by Kings of Leon, Katy Perry or Bruno Mars. Finally - to the dilemma! I miss the sound of rounds on my Jazz. What do I do? Some things I've considered:-[list] [*]Buy another Jazz with rounds (Possibly a 5 string, as the extended range would also be handy!) [*]Buy a better pickup for the Precision (did the flats sound crap because of that?), and put rounds back on my Jazz [*]Put D'adarrio Chromes on the Jazz - I've heard they are quite bright for flats. [*]Keep things as they are - keeping the wife happy! (In fairness, I'd probably limit myself to two basses per rehearsal or gig anyway) [/list] So, thanks for reading! George

The scam here is a classic overpayment scam.... It would go something like this:- - Sale agreed - You receive a Paypal payment for more than you expect - You are told there is extra to pay a shipping fee or similar, and little for yourself for your trouble - You receive instructions to Western Union or wire transfer the money to the shipping company. (The 'little extra' makes this all seem worthwhile) - Shortly after, the Paypal payment is reversed or discovered to have come from a hacked account - You're out of pocket for whatever you paid the 'shipping company'

Me too!

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with a Zoom B3 - it models a good number of drive / pre-amp pedals pretty accurately, for the price of one or two decent pedals. It also gives you the option of almost any effect you could ever need - I've found it very handy for my functions band, where quite often I'll want to use an effect for only one song.

Really like his stuff. Practised in the rehearsal room next door to him for two weeks on the trot, then couldn't get tickets to his gig at The Barrowlands....typical!

Is that version slightly speeded up? Pitch seems a tad sharp.... The again, had two whiskies tonight!

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions (particularly to M@23 for his kind offer to write his version down) Just about got it now, close enough for Friday's rehearsal anyway.

[quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1393330776' post='2378741'] It's not all about the volume. How you and your guitar player/s set your tone/EQ settings on your amps can also make a profound difference. Many guitar players make the mistake of setting up their sound in isolation bedroom mode, often dialling in loads of bass on their amp settings to get a big crunchy sound and it sounds fine... in isolation. Put this into your live mix and it can sound muddy and lost and so begins the volume competition to try and compensate. I learnt this lesson the hard way after a few studio sessions and numerous engineers trying to point this problem out, usually resulting in the guitarists getting told to stop stealing the bass frequencies and dialling in a much brighter sound. Thankfully, this lesson carried over into our live setup at the time and resulted in a much better mix. Word of warning: Approach your guitar players with caution/long pointy stick when mentioning this, they are sensitive souls with an egotistical time-bomb waiting to explode, be diplomatic. [/quote] My guitarist is a proper pain with this! Always insist on a 'big beefy sound' on all of his guitars (from Les Paul, to pointy Ibanez to Thinline Tele). Worse, he's recently done a 2 year college course on computer based recording and he records our demos. Does a great job of everything, until the power chords come in, then you can hear nothing else! Constantly telling me I'm too loud (which in fairness I can be!) - and his solution is to turn up my presence rather than my volume. Anyway....I'll stop moaning now!

My own tale... At my own wedding, the band we had hired were on a break. Our drummer arranged for us to do a couple of numbers at 2 minutes notice - the band were cool (brave?) enough to let us use their gear. At 10pm, after a lot of booze. And I was in full highland dress, as was my guitarist/best man. I'm six foot and generally quite a large guy, whereas the band's bassist was about half my size. His bass sat directly across my chest! Wasn't an easy strap to adjust, and I was wearing a sporren, so terrified of giving it ultimate buckle rash! (Fender Select Jazz!). Think I played ok, but god knows how I looked! ,