Lfalex v1.1

[quote name='Geddys nose' post='752650' date='Feb 21 2010, 11:27 AM']If you like a Ric sound but the neck of a Stingray have a look at a Vigier Excess they get so close to the Ric sound just ask Roger Glover and the build quality is second to none with no dead spots on the neck due to the 10/90 neck, The $$ won't get you that sound and is a more woody organic sound but still is a decent bass for the money.[/quote] A +1 for Vigier. Build quality? Off the meter. You might well score a second-hand Passion or Arpege (S2 or S3) for the cost of a new 'Ray.. Then you're [i]really[/i] going to get a superb bass.

(From a personal perspective) I'm enjoying my gradual, considered approach to upgrading my Squier VMJ. So far, all I've done is put a BadAssII on it and some nice Schaller control knobs (black) As a next move, I may make it one volume and tone per pick-up. Then maybe some better pick-ups and pots. I'm taking it easy and enjoying the process. I'm wholly unconcerned by residual value, and feel that I'm merely improving an already good bass. I wouldn't spend a fortune on it, but I will have a unique instrument that does what I want it to. Just my 2p. YMMV, naturally!

[quote name='arsenic' post='751226' date='Feb 19 2010, 06:34 PM']If it were me, I would go for a Status Streamline - around the £1425 according to their pricelist.[/quote] My thoughts also.

Headroom all the way. Assuming you don't like or require the sound of an amp being pushed to the limit. I, too have a head and a 2x10, 1x15 and 4x10. I just mix and match to suit the venue / whichever band I'm playing in / what kind of gig we're playing that night. As long as I can hear myself on stage, that's fine. In my ideal world, venues with their own (static) PA would be generous enough to have monitors that can handle bass guitar, and then I could just live with a DI box. Unfortunately, I've never been lucky enough to find even one. All we bassists get is our own backline, whilst guitarists / vocalists get a row of monitors across the front of the stage. Hell, even drummers get a monitor! Where's mine?

Ibanez. Not to be sniffed at. I love my SRX700. I loved my EDB600 until I broke it (Luthite is quite brittle, it would seem!) Played a super ATK recently, and think SR500s really are a benchmark at their pricepoint. Versus a Musicman? As much character? No. As good-looking? Not really. It's hardly iconic. Versatility? Definitely favouring the Ibanez, here! Playability/comfort? Evens. Maybe slightly favouring the Ibanez again. Cost? You can get 3 SR500s for the cost of a 'Ray! PS I also own a 'Ray 5!

Thanks for the responses so far. I don't think my MM 'Ray 5 has a circuit in it! It's a 1990, and has no phantom coil, and an Alnico-poled pick-up. I guess it's too old...

I've got a (proper as opposed to licensed) Hipshot on my Yamaha Attitude. Not [i]particularly[/i] my cup of tea, as I'd rather de-tune the whole instrument by a tone to FCGD and play off the second fret for songs in E (and tweak the truss-rod / action for the lower string tension). That said, if you set it up to be accurate, it will be accurate, and seems to stay that way. If they do drift off, only the members of the audience named Korg or Peterson will be able to tell! Yes, lube your nut, especially if it's brass or another metal. Not so bad if it's graphlon or nylon. Try slackening the string and put a few coats of graphite in the nut slot to lubricate it- just use the tip of a pencil, they work a treat. Work the string to and fro in the slot to ensure it has a coating too.

As those of you who own basses with coil switching options will know; single-coil < parallel < series in terms of output level. Has anyone implemented a "fix" to equalize the output, such as an in-line resistor before the volume pot? Would this work, allowing switching [i]without[/i] the usual jump in output normally associated with coil switching systems? Thanks in advance, Alex.

Sell it on the basis of its tonal flexibility, not its "core tone"?! I know what you mean, though! That said, it's just as bad for a Jazz Bass owner, with (virtually) infinite combinations of individual pick-up volumes and tone settings. And that's just the passives! Consider, too, all those Sterling / 'Ray5 / $$ / MMSabre / OLP / anything else with coil switching owners with a multitude of settings to explore! I can get 4 from my (modified) Status Streamline from the Series/Parallel switching alone. Before pick-up blend and 2-band EQ come into play..

Interesting thread, especially when one considers how many perfectly sound enclosures out there could be "recycled" with minimal effort. The only real issue is weight. Old cabs are frequently hewn from (thick) chipboard, MDF or various plywoods, all of which can be very heavy. I own a 1153, which I paid £100 for. A bargain, as it had about £50 worth of good diameter, rubber-tyred (lockable) castors on it. I just pull it around as though it were a large dog! The main reason I'd want to change drivers is to alter the impedance from the 8ohm Celestion unit to a 4ohm driver (with other possible benefits) This means that I'd get the full 280w from my head without having to use two cabs in parallel to get down to the 4ohm load. As for the port, that should be easy to shorten or replace. IIRC, it's short enough to be gently "drifted" into the cabinet with a rubber mallet. you can then remove it through the hole left by the driver. You can then cut it shorter or replace it with a longer one as WinISD dictates. Want more top on a 1x15? I wonder if the old TE "bright boxes" would do the trick? Remember those?

Is it mere coincidence that my best two basses have a zero fret? Or is it that they're made by complete QC obsessives (Patrice Vigier / Rob Green)? Or is it the Carbon Graphite connection? Either way, Vigiers and Statii sure are good (and consistently good, too) instruments.

Can't give a big enough "+1" to the Status Streamline. I bought one for its compact / easy to transport / invulnerable to temperature & humidity attributes. But... It's fabulously light and well balanced. Did I mention that it's a STONKING bass? Everyone who tried it at the last SE bash thought so too. (Liking Tom's Avatar, I bought one (red) for the missus last year. She loves it! Didn't they get banned?!)

[quote name='bigsmokebass' post='736317' date='Feb 5 2010, 03:38 PM']got to admire an unlined fretless for a change too, pretty unseen these days. [/quote] Unlined is [i]the[/i] way to go. Looks "uncluttered" AND requires a bit of graft to get the intonation right.... Both of which are virtuous!

[quote name='silddx' post='737242' date='Feb 6 2010, 02:39 PM']Unless they were made by your mum or something [/quote] Or Warwick. Or if your Mum's (and hopefully your) Surname is "Warwick"

[quote name='Prosebass' post='710413' date='Jan 12 2010, 07:06 PM']The responses do make me wonder though, nobody has said 'if it sounded great and played great who gives a f*** what it looks like' Looks like the bass fashion victims have been outed [/quote] You've pre-empted me, I fear! I was going to say; "Dunno if it's cool/uncool/subzero, I haven't played it yet..." It could sound like God burping... And, irrespetive of aesthetics, that carries a bit a weight IMHO! [i]It's all about tone![/i] Whoever HE is.

Go hardcore! Use copper foil tape, solder it to ground, and THEN paint it with the Graphite Acrylic Resin paint!!! Now that's [i]noiseless[/i]!

I'll qualify whatever I say next with a quick list of some of my stuff, so you'll know where I'm coming from... Musicman Stingray V fretless, tuned CGDAE Vigier Passion V S3 tuned GDAEB Warwick Streamer LX VI tuned CGDAEB I have a good idea (I think) where you're coming from. The Warwick has relatively narrow spacing c.17mm. Yet I find it VERY quick from string to string. That said, I don't really play slap. Every Ken Smith I've played has been great, but when it came to purchasing one, I couldn't justify the expense, and bought the Warwick instead. I must admit, when I first began to read the thread, I concurred with Bubinga5; The SR506. Cheap, cheerful, and you'll get a feel for a narrower spaced 6 with it. The Smiths are 35" scale, too, and can be a little "stretching", but you get used to it. Finding ANY 6 with single-coil Jazz pick-ups may be a bit of a mission! As for Status, the build quality is excellent. If it's in good condition, it'll be great. Just very "modern" sounding. All the best, and good luck in your search. Alex.

I have had this thought also. 2 years later, I've still only done number "3". It's where I started. That, and the (not exactly obvious) DR Miller Fatbeams. They're the REAL secret. The Strings. And Marcus' hands! DO consider that the VMJ's body is Maple, and not Ash, as per the the '77 (?) Jazz he uses. Even as it is, it's pretty damn good! Personally, my next move will be some s**t hot pick-ups (Wizards?) and a stacked control plate with a volume and a tone per pick-up. That Fender EQ is not the best, and there's no tone control available in passive mode (which is a BIG minus IMO) Have fun, but don't spend more than it's worth!

An HSS Bongo might be nice... I'm not entirely sure about the push buttons for pick-up selection. That said, I don't like selectors [i]per se[/i], but I can't see how they'd accomodate 1 volume per pick-up! At least the pick-up selection system is intuitive and flexible. And it looks better than a row of mini toggles! I look forward to the Reflex. Ideal for a Duran Duran covers band!

Was looking at something else on the bay, and this popped up; [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MUSICMAN-25th-ANNIVERSARY-BASS-GUITAR-HSS-4-STRING_W0QQitemZ290395386912QQcategoryZ4713QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D6%26ps%3D63"]Ebay linky. Clickety Click.[/url] Apologies to those who might already have seen it. Better looking than a Big Al, and nice to see the 4 band EQ outside of its Bongo application.

Last CV Jazz I tried was very good indeed. Even better given the price...

I;m not normally an aesthete, but I liked the look of the original, multi-lipstick look. I'd have investigated the possibility of having them re-wound a bit "hotter". I believe Wizard and Armstrong will do such things. Sorry I didn't get in earlier....

There's other choices! Roscoe Beck sig Stu Hamm Urge (1 or2) Precision Deluxe Mark Hoppus sig They're all different permutations of the 2 main Fender bass recipes, which deliver differtent sounds and feels accordingly... If I can't have them, I'll have my 2004 Ash-bodied MIA s1 Jazz in Translucent Sunset Orange, thanks!!

I want one. Eventually. Must have; Canary Yellow paintjob Black hardware. If it has a scratchplate, that'll be black. Matching (Yellow, then!) headstock. Ebony or (stained darker) Rosewood fretboard No exposed polepieces- or I'll coat them with black nail varnish! Natural coloured frets are a necessary evil. Do DR do coated Yellow strings or will I just have to use Warwick yellow labels!!!