Lfalex v1.1

For me, it was all about; Big Country Xtc Nik Kershaw The Police (and in my other persona) Metallica Megadeth Iron Maiden Slayer etc..

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1094742' date='Jan 19 2011, 03:50 AM']For the history buffs, Vigier introduced the Nautilus System in 1982 which was a programmable micro computer controlled memory system for the settings.[/quote] A slimmed-down version of which continued in the Arpege until the introduction of the Series IV instruments, IIRC. Gamechanger? If it changes it TOO much, it won't be bass playing anymore. And if it isn't bass playing, I doubt I'll be interested. Thanks, but no thanks.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1086078' date='Jan 11 2011, 09:02 PM']No corpse is safe with Dean around. The amount of junk Darrell Abbot has somehow released through Dean from beyond the grave is a farce.[/quote] And HJ Heinz & Co. Have jumped on the Entwistle bandwagon, too.. They do [i]Ox[/i]tail soup now.

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1070853' date='Dec 28 2010, 11:43 AM']I've recently put a set of Elixir strings on my Warwick and like the tone and feel of them. Very easy to play which I put down to the coating. Had a few worries with the coating though which Strings Direct & BC readers have now put my mind at ease as nothing to worry about. I've tried the Fender nickels and thought they were pretty good and seemed to last quite a while. Liked the elites that came with my Warwick in 1989 - were ok but hard on fingers. (i think they were stainless though ?) Tried several Warwicks (red, black, etc) and they were a nightmare and didn't last very long either. Because of this thread I'm gonna give the DR's a try soon. Good luck. Dave[/quote] Sounds like my experience with string brands. Started with Rotos Moved to Elites soon after. Stuck with them for a while, and will still use them as a cheaper option or in a pinch. Discovered Elixirs when an Ibanez I bought came with them on. Liked the durability. Still do, but they aren't cheap, and can sound a bit plasticky on basses with phenolic fretboards. Still use them on my Warwick, too. Tried DR MM FatBeams on a Squier VMJ I'd modded to be halfway to a Marcus Miller Jazz... And... Sold! Have now put FatBeams on my Vigier and Sunbeams on my MIA s-1 Jazz, and it's all good. Alternatives to Sunbeams? Both mine are cheap and more cheerful than their price points suggest; Fender 7250s Warwick Yellow labels I've tried Warwick Reds (not good) Yellow (Nickel, and MUCH better) and EMP (expensive and still poor) Haven't tried Blacks, and in spite of what I've heard, experience urges caution. No go areas (for me) Ernie Ball, Ashdown. Recent discovery- Status Hotwires. Have a look, see what Rob and Dawn can do for you. Huge range of types and gauges, plus they're well made, sound good and are durable.

[quote name='bh2' post='1086385' date='Jan 12 2011, 08:22 AM']A pint of Fullers ESB at my local is now £3.80. Enough said.[/quote] Yeah, but one of those and I fall asleep... Making for a cheap night!

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1081692' date='Jan 8 2011, 12:14 AM']I think it's quite a talent to get a bassline note perfect but I always prefer the creative process of putting my own stamp / twist on something.[/quote] I can see both sides of the argument. Why not do both; Note perfect for when it's absolutely necessary. Add a personal interpretation for when it's not. Simples!

[quote name='icastle' post='1082741' date='Jan 8 2011, 11:28 PM']What you ducking for? That's totally correct ya big wuss [/quote] It IS correct, but if you're running the tone control @ 100% "open" all the time, why have one at all? (see the post about the Punisher earlier on) If there's a specific tone that having a 250k pot in that position gives you, a 250k resistor would work just as well! Then you could ditch the tone capacitor altogether and have a tiny bit better (read shorter, simpler, more robust) signal path. If that bothers you at all. What exactly are you trying to achieve by changing the pot value? Dogma says (in passive instruments) that the convention is; 250k volume pots (audio taper/log) for single coil pick-ups 500k volume pots (audio taper/log) for humbuckers But that's VOLUME. The only tone control convention I'm aware of is that tone controls are usually linear pots. That, and the general acceptance of either 0.47pf and/or 0.22pf capacitors for tone control purposes. In any event, none of these components are expensive enough to preclude you from buying every single combination and simply trying them out to see what sounds/works best for you...

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1082180' date='Jan 8 2011, 03:04 PM']I play both given the circumstances. I also have basses with both options.[/quote] Me too. And I have an active bass which allows the pick-ups (active) to remain "active" while the EQ is bypassed! This is why it's necessary (IMV) to have a bit of a collection going, so as to cover all the basses (sic). To wit; Active, passive, single coil, Humbucker, 1,2,3 or more pick-ups, piezo etc. And that's ignoring construction, material choices and obvious stuff like frets/fretless/half fretted and number of strings / tuning

I have a Pandora PX4D also. I run it on some hefty (1200mAh) NiMh rechargeables. They last for ages, so my mileage certainly varies. I'm assuming everyone has the display backlight [i]off[/i]! I recommend a decent pair of headphones in the long run, too. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 415 (mk1) which are excellent. I'd opt for a circumaural, closed-back design to improve isolation and leakage. Any of the good manufacturers should do something suitable..

I have a 3 string (EAD). That covers most things remarkably well. 4 is fine for most things, but a 5 tuned DGCFBb is a great compromise. Want more from a four? Tune it in fifths!

Changing the value of the capacitr, however, would have a more predictable effect.

And there I was thinking the S1 jazz was universally derided!! I feel better about owning one now. I also had a pair fitted to my Status Streamline. My Stingray 5 also has it. Plenty of tonal options ahoy... I especially like the Streamline with the neck pick-up in parallel, bridge in series, and use the pan pot to compensate for the output difference. Sounds awesome....

Make mine a; Spalt Hybrid Basslab L-bow Born 2 Rock Ampeg AUB

Make mine a; Spalt Hybrid Basslab L-bow Born 2 Rock Ampeg AUB

Ok, so not everyone likes the aesthetics. Lots of tonal options, doubtless quality construction and materials. Definitely a case of don't knock it 'til you've tried it, surely?

I, too, am too far away (Essex). I have #40. Stacked Bass & Treble. I had a pair of series/parallel switches fitted to mine, which make it even more versatile. They are a very good instrument, light, well balanced, fast, compact and easy to play. There's nothing not to like unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist..

Graphite neck-through Zebrano over Mahogany or Walnut core If not a phenolic board, then ebony would be nice, even with frets.

Can't say, as I'm biased, and have never played a JayDee. My Status (A Streamline IV) is perfect for what I want it for. A relatively lightweight, compact instrument that travels well and stores easily. I've taken it on foreign holidays, chucked in the boot of a car without a second thought, and it still comes out in tune and ready to go. In terms of manufacturing/build quality, it's up there with my Vigier and (Japanese) Yamaha. Rob and Dawn consistently deliver on the service front, too. I had a pair of series/parallel switches fitted, which meant the pick-ups had to be custom wound. Sure, I had to pay for it, but was it a problem? No. All part of the service, and I'd say that , on the whole, the instrument is worth every penny of what I paid for it. Or if you prefer, it's better than some instruments that cost more. I did like the S2 I tried, but couldn't get on with the Kingbass. Yes, I could play it, but had to work at it, whereas the S2 felt altogether more natural. If I ever need a better VI than my Streamer LX, I know where I'm going!

I've strung my (already unlined fretless) 1990 MM 'Ray5 EADGC. Best thing I ever did. Higher tunings sound more obviously "fretless". Assuming that's what you want of course. IMHO the best tuning of [i]any[/i] fiver would probably be DGCFBb (so down a tone from EADGC), allowing you access to drop "D" as well as the higher registers.

[quote name='purpleblob' post='1064807' date='Dec 20 2010, 05:09 PM']If I were forced (at gun point and fearing certain death) to choose one configuration, I would choose a five string tuned E-C. In reality this offers me everything I really want from an instrument. Thankfully I can have more than one instrument, so I'll keep my 4's, 5's, 6's, 7's and 8 string ERB [/quote] If I could have [b]only[/b] one bass, it'd be a fiver strung as E-C, but dropped a tone to DGCFBb. Covers [i]most[/i] things that way, from Grunge to Jazz...

Whatever you (or anyone else) does, just be careful and don't push any single part of your set-up to destruction- literally, from your fingers to your ears and everything in between. If you percieve any signs of distress, stop pushing your amp / cabs / other equipment so hard. I've been using this set-up in rehearsal; Bass > Mixer > QSC PLX1202 > Trace Elliot 1153 (Compact 1x15) The mixer can provide VERY healthy levels to drive the QSCs input correctly, The power amp can deliver approx 700wrms into the Trace, which is rated at 200wrms. I can produce enough level to match our hard-hitting drummer and exuberant guitarist with no issues whatsoever. Maybe the driver is conservatively rated. Maybe they arrived at the 200w rating by feeding the poor thing a 1kHz sine-wave until it melted. Who knows? Most bass styles are punctuated or damped at some point, so it's not as though we're generating continuously high levels that might really damage drivers quickly without warning. Notice the lack of compressor / limiter or any gating in my set-up.. Just amplified bass. If you're using a compressor properly in the context of what I'd use one for in a live set-up (stopping too much exuberance from creeping in!) you'll br safer still.

Just sold a couple of basses, but I can't see me selling many more. Perhaps the acoustic could go, and maybe the Hohner B2A (V), then there's the OLP MM3... Couple of fence-sitters, but I can't see the Streamline, Attitude, MIA Jazz or Vigier ever going. That seems like a minimum of 4 for me, then!

Gas never dies!

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1053950' date='Dec 10 2010, 12:45 PM']+1[/quote] And again! Glad you're okay!

I lurve BC (no, the other one. Although I am also partial to a bit of Body Count!)