Lfalex v1.1

It's a difficult one to crack, this... I've got a broad selection of instruments, some of which are fully painted, some of which are wholly unpainted/unvarnished, and eveerything in between. There's no particular reason for my purchasing pattern- I simply buy basses that I like (because they sound good and play well) What makes it more difficult to quantify is that they're all made of different combinations of materials with different pick-ups/configurations/EQs. In general terms, however; The Painted instruments have the most "penetrating" tone - Not compressed as such - I could never accuse the Vigier of that. This instrument can almost sound "synthetic" when played in a certain way The Gloss varnished basses (presumably the biggest sector of the market?) are similar to the painted instruments, though to a lesser degree Matt varnished basses sound more open and organic than their shiny brethren. This comment is also relevant to Nitro finished instrument IME. My Warwick Infinity (SN4) is unfinished - just waxed. I bought it for the resonant and almost organic tonal qualities it offers. It is chambered, and made from Zebrano (V. dense) To make an even remotely balanced comparison, you'd ideally need something like two identical Warwick Thumbs, one [i]au naturel[/i] and one in a painted or high gloss finish. The equation is further complicated by the fact that different manufacturers use differing thicknesses of finish! Needless to say, this has a varying effect upon the tone. It ought to be mentioned that I reckon finish ranks well behind factors such as construction, materials choice, pick-ups, EQ and so on have a greater impact on tone.

Liked the SR5? I did. I bought one. Don't rule out a Bongo. Once you get past the aesthetic (love it or hate it), there's a fine bass lurking in there. Plenty of poke. Powerful and flexible EQ. Available in HH and H/S pick-up configurations.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='454000' date='Apr 4 2009, 12:11 PM']That the pickups have hex key pole pieces suggests they're DiMarzios - I think that was one of their identifying features (although I don't doubt that another pickup maker has done the same).[/quote] Westone (and Tokai?) "Hard Puncher" P pickups have this feature. Doubtless lifted from the DiMarzio Originals

[quote name='OldGit' post='592411' date='Sep 7 2009, 08:08 PM']ha ha YMMV but I never look a the front markers on my basses, well not when I'm playing them anyway. The side LED's are subtle but still let me know where I am starting a toon when I'm playing in the dark.. So my nomination, that I may have made before on this vry long lived thread, is front LEDs: totally useless unless you are Mark King or The Hamsters doing ZZ Top where the purpose seems to be for posing and getting the audience to go "ooooooooohhhhhh"[/quote] When I ordered my Status, I asked Dawn to get Rob to omit the front [i]markers[/i] Did I want LEDs? For HOW MUCH? No thanks. Of 14 instruments, 6 of mine have NO front markers, and I don't find it a problem. It cleans up the appearance of the bass IMO

[quote name='SteveK' post='609965' date='Sep 27 2009, 01:12 PM']I have quite strong views on this. If a band can't produce a totally "live" live album then they shouldn't do one. It rankles me when bands/artists pull the wool over peoples eyes just so they can pretend to be better than they really are. Mind you, it's not as bad as going to a "live" show and not getting a "live" show... Here's a LIVE album I played on...and guess what...It's [b]all live. [/b] [url="http://www.manfredmann.co.uk/music/malive.html"]mp3 samples[/url][/quote] As a sort of +1 to that, the best band I've been in had some deliberate policies; Don't put something in at the studio stage that people will miss if you don't do it live. All the songs "end". No fade outs. Makes life a LOT easier, and the audience can relate better to a live performance after having heard a recording.

The valve is an AX7. As it's only one, might as well be a Good'un. If you want a bit more grunt, try getting a slightly higher gain one. Mine's good but bland. Needs more grit..

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='606503' date='Sep 23 2009, 10:58 AM']matthew hopkins (witchfinder general) - Cathedral[/quote] Quality choice! Chuck in some appropriate Danzig/Misfits/Marilyn Manson/White Zombie?

[quote name='JPJ' post='377263' date='Jan 11 2009, 11:45 PM']Ok Egor, my evil plan has taken a step nearer to fruition. First, we buy the black five string version. Then we take our trusty chop saw to the headstock and replace it with a ball end holder. Then we add Status style tuning keys at the body end of the bass. And then Egor, having solved the infamous neck dive issue, WE TAKE OVER ZEE WORLD HA HA HA HA HA[/quote] Or... You could get a L-O-N-G strap and stick a strap button on the back of the headstock (like the old Fenders) Or... You could get an Acoustic G****r strap- The type that ties just above the nut- and use that. I'm inclined to think that would cure the Tbirds inclination for declination

[just speculating] I've often wondered if those of us that play relatively hard (generating a good deal of string excursion) run the risk of having the string move [i]beyond[/i] the "view" of the polepieces- particularly with 2x4 pole "P" pick-ups, 8-pole Jazz pick-ups and MM style designs. I guess blade-type pick-ups have broader coverage in terms of string sensing. What impact this may have in terms of tone I couldn't begin to say, but it strikes me that [b]lowering[/b] the pick-ups may give better tring sensing at extremes of excursion- provided you play hard enough to compensate for a decrease in output. [/still just speculating!]

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='603596' date='Sep 20 2009, 02:37 PM']Thank god for that! I thought I was the only one to use 3 strings, although it`s the G I dont bother with. Jez[/quote] I have a "3"; Is this [i]sub[/i]-standard (no offence to budget MM owners!)

Does it [i]have[/i] to be Alder and have 4 strings? If not; [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=61004"]Luke's Vigier for sale![/url]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='585676' date='Aug 31 2009, 11:36 AM']Well, Status wins through again. Took My Fender Jazz/Sadowsky pre combination as well as the Streamline to the band call for two weeks of the "Footloose" stage show starting this week. Tried the jazz and it just wouldn't cut through the rest of the band (trumpet, saxes, guitar, piano, bass, drums.) The sound was just buried! Strangely enough it sounds much cleaner and more prominent through the MarkBass rig with the horn units, but that's way too much for a theatre. Once I plugged in the Streamline, it cut through everything else like a scythe - Much better Rich.[/quote] He-he! You should try one with series/parallel switching! [i]Cut through[/i] doesn't describe it!!

I. Still. Need. A. P. Toilet euphemisms notwithstanding.

[quote name='molan' post='551270' date='Jul 25 2009, 06:13 PM']I've tried them all (albeit briefly) and the Vinnie is by far my favourite in terms of sound and tonal options. It's damn near a perfect gigging bass - assuming you can get past the looks you get when you get on stage with one [/quote] Looking forward to the incredulity when I step up to the plate with me' Streamline and shake some bits loose.....

Looooooonnng shot from the left field; Vigier Passion (std) series III. Twin Single coils. 21 Frets. Alder body. Maple through neck. Phenolic Fretboard. Superb upper-fret access... 4 out of 5 ain't bad!

Leave it tuned to BEADG and capo it? This assumes that you want/need the equivalent of "Open D" or "Open C" to play off of or pedal against etc...

Me in Ibanez action...

I'm liking the car analogies. it works slightly differently for me, but it's still about priorities. "Because I play a Vigier,Status,Yamaha,Ibanez,Musicman and Fender, I drive a decade-old Skoda. At least the Trace stack fits in the back with the seats down..."

My name is Alex. I have issues with GAS, though they are abaiting with increasing age and a growing collection (14) of basses. I like to have at least one of each of things. See my sig! The Status in March has helped a lot...

[quote name='simon1964' post='594714' date='Sep 10 2009, 01:22 PM']A tip I saw, I think on the Musicman website - once you've got the pole pieces clean, paint them in clear nail varnish. Apparently it will prevent any gunk coming back, and has no effect on the sound/performance of the pickup.[/quote] I did this on my Ibanez SRX700. Works a treat. Oddly, the AlNiCo poles on my Ray5 have never tarnished. Nor those on an SD basslines MM unit in my Zoot... must be non-ferrous alloys (?)

IIRC the fundamental of Low E is about 41Hz. Low B is around 32. The first harmonic of each (in terms of pitch rather than position on the fretboard) is the same pitch - if your intonation's on- as the fretted note at the 12th fret. This is at TWICE the frequency- 82 and 64 Hz respectively. Trouble is, the harmonic content of any "note" on a bass is not restricted to just the first harmonic. There's a second, third, fourth etc. The sky's the limit. realistically, EQ does little that most of us mortals with ageing (if not damaged) ears can detect above about 8kHz, and there's probably not much content up there anyway. Be aware that over-application of EQ in the higher reaches of the audio spectrum can induce unwanted noise, just as too much low end can cause distortion and possibly clipping if your amp starts to run out of puff.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='590661' date='Sep 5 2009, 02:20 PM']All joking aside, Wayne, but had you considered getting a 5-string bass (or retrieving Wesley maybe) and turning it into a 3-string. Put the E where the B should be, the A can be left alone, and the D goes up to the G position. Then you'd have a bass where you could pick SO hard on all three strings, and be able to do at least simple arpegio-type riffs in I / IV / V songs. Just saying ...[/quote] I have done this to a Hohner B2a 5string. I'm using E,A & D on alternate saddles at the bridge. Only problem was, with the strings in every other nut slot it seemed odd. So I put them in the 3 centre slots. God knows I had trouble getting the intonation right, but the end result is hilarious. It's actually really good fun to play- plectrum, fingers, slap, whatever. And it has the guitarists running for cover. Theoretically nothing there that you couldn't play on a 4, but no G to reach over for big fat chords, plus you can really lay into it with utterly naff technique and get away with it. Kind of like the bass equivalent of Banger Racing!

[quote name='The Burpster' post='587957' date='Sep 2 2009, 08:54 PM']...For me tho' it would have to be the original XL-2 or a Status Streamline 4 which is an up-to-date evolution of the original idea using todays tech for the construction...[/quote] I bought the Streamline. I have played an original XL-2 and own a Hohner B2A (V). The Streamline lacks the weight of the Steinberger, and sounds (accordingly) different. Still very robust, though, and has a voice all of its own. The Hohner's never given me any trouble. The neck's thicker than the 4-stringer and seems to stay put. The E,A,D and G sound fine, but it's lacking in response below Low "D", which I attribute to the [i]very[/i] light weight.

[quote name='witterth' post='586182' date='Aug 31 2009, 11:56 PM']Iv'e been offered a 4 ohm Trace elliot cab 2x10 and so,was thinking of looking for 4 ohm 4x10 or 1x15 to go with it, then have these powered by my (old) stereo mk v AH500 gp11 head (with a crossover setting/switch thing on the back) therefore running both cabs "full range" rather than hi-pass/low-pass is this possible? is this a bolix idea? do 4ohm 4x10/1x15 cabs-300w exist? and with a AH500 gp11 (made around 83/84 I think) will they deliver the good poke (matron) that the 8 ohm 4x10/1x15 cabs did? I'm not sure of the ohm/impedance maths on all this,I know my old (broken I think)cabs were 8ohm untill all this rarity of 4 ohm cabs and ohmage thing came to light I thought I was getting somewhere..now.. any Trace elliot gurus out there to help? I understand that most cabs up for sale are 8ohm,is that right? I want to get on with doing some playing ATB Witterth[/quote] Most are 8 Ohm, including 1048, 2103, 1153, 1818, 1518 etc. Only exceptions that I can think of (excluding the bright boxes!) are; 1524 (2x15") 1084 (8x10") The cab numbers run like this (generally speaking) [b] Driver diameter, Number of Drivers, Impedance [/b] Hence 1524 is [b]15[/b]" (x)[b]2[/b] [b]4[/b] Ohm I really can't recall what the V-type cabs were called, or what their impedance was! I think they did a 2x15, 4x12 and 4x8 at the very least. They may be worthy of investigation...

I own (and still like) albums by; The Thompson Twins Nik Kershaw Howard Jones Tears for Fears All of 'em had [i]some[/i] good tunes! Er, can we chuck The Smiths in, too?