Lfalex v1.1

Korg Pandora PX-4d. You can turn all the widgets off if you want. I scored a s/h one for £60.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1317763452' post='1394420'] do you think anyone actually ever buys aftermarket MEC stuff? like however much you like them you pretty much could buy anything you wanted for the price. For instance- if someone stole just the MEC pups and pre out of my '91 streamer then it would cost... P = £154 J = £137 pre 2 band= £289 which is £580 in total. More than I paid for the bass- so if you are lucky you can get a secondhand vintage warwick for less than the pickups! [/quote] I'm in this situation! Last I looked, The TwinJazz pick-up was about £205. My Fortress MasterMan 5 also has 2x2-band eqs in it, which is £478 (!) So a mere £683-worth of electrics in a bass which cost me a shade over 500 notes. MEC must have the best balannce sheet in the industry!

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1317671644' post='1393185'] Could one of you great bass gods explain to a lowly member why, on this bass, and the "Pino Paladino signature precision", "Jaco Pastorious tribute" and "Reggie Hamilton signature" that Fender have chosen to select premium wood, upgraded electronics and pickups yet chosen to leave the bridge standard. Isnt this the one component that everyone changes. I cant believe that Pino's "exacting standards" never stretched to an upgraded bridge. Ok now beat me up! [/quote] Because if they stuck a BadAssII (other direct-replacement bridges are available ) on it, it'd be just a bit too much like a Marcus Miller or a Steve Harris Sig, and that would never do...

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1317592256' post='1392248'] The bridge pickup on every bass I've owned has been quieter than the neck one so I reckon it's just the nature of it. [/quote] It is. The string deflection is smaller at the bridge pick-up than at the neck. This is because it's closer to one of the points from which the string is held static; The bridge saddle. Less deflection means the string cuts fewer magnetic flux lines (given off by the pick-up magnet) and this, in turn causes a smaller signal to be induced in the coil, creating a "quieter" pick-up. A hotter pick-up can help. A humbucker-in-a-J pick-up will give more output, too. It'll also be tonally different and less hum-prone. You can always run the (bridge) pick-up as close to the strings as is practical and use the pan-pot to compensate a bit...

Gold/Silver/Dynamic Correction notwithstanding, some MEC units are superb. The JJ as found in the Fortress Masterman/Dolphin/Infinity etc. Is a phenomenal unit. And rather expensive when new. I do believe that the pick-up is the same for both 4 and 5 strings, and that it has blades for pole-pieces, so no need to worry about string-to-polepiece alignment (if that sort of thing bothers you!) I've never heard their "P", but the "J"s seem quite quiet. I'm not fond of the MMHB(s) in the $$ models, though. I'd probably replace them with Duncans, an Alnico at the bridge and a ceramic at the neck if possible.

The neck on the Overwater CJ I tried was pretty ok. Know what you mean about that tone. It seems mainly to come from the P. The J was quite weak. An MEC JJ at the bridge would be awesome, but that's a router job...

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1317404117' post='1390490'] Ergonomic, long-lasting cookware by Warwick. [/quote] In Chrome, Gold, Black and Satin, I presume? With Wenge handles.

Don't the pots have to turn anti-clockwise?

Tony Butler - Big Country. Has been mentioned periodically, but deserves another shout for the sheer quality and sympathetic nature of his writing/playing.

Are you down-tuning all the strings? For example; G, C, F#, C# for a four string? Warwick go to a 0.175 for their Taranis/Dark Lord basses, which go down to low F#..

Never done anything to any of mine.Playing is enough. Both of them are 14 years old now, and are well and truly played-in. No danger of splinters, methinks!

I was expecting Burberry. [i]That[/i] tweed was a relief!

I just can't cope with buttons. When are we having T-shirts made?

Consensus on DD Verni, then!! They don't [u]have[/u] to be Metal/Rock, though...

Like the Tele. Dunno if the big 'bucker is the right choice for the bridge, but I guess it lines up well against the EB3/EB0/Epiphones . Not sure what the Jag offers when compared to the er... Jag and the VMJag.

[i]Certain[/i] high-profile players get mentioned a fair deal on BC. [i]Certain[/i] famous players get mentioned a lot, too [i]Certain[/i] Very talented players are discussed frequently, and rightly so. This thread is for none of the above. Without searching, I can recall little or no mention of; Andrew Weiss (Ex-Rollins Band) DD Verni (Still going strong with Overkill) Greg Christian (Testament) The Eerie Von (Danzig) Please add your own unmentioned players...

Pick-up and Pre-amp mods are a must. I wouldn't aim directly for the 'Ray sound. A 3-band pre with a mid sweep and series/parallel/(?)single coil(?) switching would give you a lot of nice options without deviating too much from what you're looking for. Also, the bridge (depending on what yours is like!) tuners and nut if you're really going for it. I own a nice OLP MM3. Haven't got round to doing much with it. Certain German basses keep interfering...

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1317210408' post='1388057'] nail clippers. wet wipes. [/quote] And Coco Pops. A guy's gotta eat y'know. Otherwise, spot on!

Hohner did/do wooden copies, too. The bridges are Steinberger licensed. They're fine as a 4-string, but the 5 strings seem to lack the mass in the body to do a decent low "B". The proper Steinbergers weigh not much less than a P-bass and have a superb bottom end accordingly. I think they're great (although I don't own one) but bought the obvious UK-made alternative, a Status Streamline.

Ibanez basses are usually excellent for the money. On the downside, whilst the fit/finish is generally very good, the cost savings seem to be made in the pick-ups/electrics on the cheaper models. This isn't always immediately obvious in a shop enivironment, but once you get them home and start playing them alongside more expensive items in your collection, they disappoint a little. This is heightened by the fact that they usually feel really good and are easy to play- the tone doesn't always quite match. My SRX 700 fell foul of this. Well made, easy to play, looked nice etc. Just sounded crude, ultimately. And it shouldn't have. I couldn't be bothered to mod it by spending another £200-300 on swapping out the EQ and /or pick-ups and sold it on. Don't miss it, TBH. And they do love that SR body shape, don't they...

Looks a bit.... Simple for that much money

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1316484030' post='1378711'] The LX is a 'lower end' Streamer but they are still great. The sound is top notch though I prefer them with a high gloss finish. Those are very pretty! I nearly bought a gloss blue LX once. I'd buy that bass over again if I found it now! [/quote] If you like the trans/stained finish, but want a "higher-gloss" look than the usual factory finish, nip down to Halfords and get some colour-matching T-cut or some similar. I wanted to try and get a few scratches out of a s/h Fortress I bought, and ended up with something rather unexpected... After about 2 hours and several old T-shirts, it went all shiny!! Actually, even my initial, limited, attempts to buff out some marks made it apparent that I'd have to do the whole bass to get it all to match again. Only two issues, though; i) It's kind of slippery under the hand! ii) I think it'll be a while before normal playing wear returns it to a more matte finish, so I'd regard any cutting as distinctly irreversible. (And sorry! I don't have any photos of it uploaded right now )

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1312585262' post='1329411'] Get a 6 even if you don't use the lower register, you can use the B string higher up the neck to save you having to switch fretting hand positions, and for a deeper sound. Alternatively, do the EADGC thing as it's a cool idea you will need to set the intonation and adjust the truss rod. A new nut may also be necessary Whatever you do, enjoy it! And may it bring you much inspiration [/quote] Use the B as a thumb-rest!!! If you choose a "high-fiver", Do consider tuning it DGCFBb (all down a tone (I think that's right)) That covers a [i]lot[/i] of contemporary music..

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1316451178' post='1378170'] I used to have three of the same, one 4, one 5, one fretless. It worked really well, but now I just have the 4. [/quote] That's not quite "the same", though is it! Granted, there's some duplication between the 4 and 5, but not between fretted/fretless... (Says the man with a Infinity 4, Fortress MM 5 and Streamer LX6...)

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1312494373' post='1327947'] Is that a weird tuning or just the left hand version of EADGC? [/quote] Work it out for yourself!