Lfalex v1.1

[quote name='neepheid' post='325778' date='Nov 10 2008, 11:03 AM']In my opinion lighter fluid (naptha) evaporates too quickly to be absorbed in any meaningful way. I have no qualms about its use in this context, save for the usual safety considerations whilst actually handling/dispensing the stuff out of the tin.[/quote] I'd agree, but judging from the picture it made your tuners dissolve... Ped- WD40 is pretty good for cleaning phenolic/ebanol boards. It's a strings off job, use it sparingly and wipe it off thoroughly using something absorbent like kitchen towel. Made mine come up like a (black) mirror!

[quote name='ped' post='329215' date='Nov 14 2008, 04:11 PM']Am I the only one who finds 'stealth' basses a bit TOO black?? I think this looks very nice as it is! ped[/quote] Ahem!! Oh looky! another phenolic board!

[quote name='noelk27' post='283216' date='Sep 13 2008, 02:44 PM']The “deadness” is a consequence of the use of the polymeric material, which eradicates the voids created by the wrapping process. The word coating is somewhat misleading as the polymeric material is better thought of as a filler and not a coating - particularly with respect to Gore’s Elixir strings which have the superficial polymeric material removed by scraping. With this in mind, the deadening you perceived is a consequence of coated strings having an increased similarity to flatwound than roundwound strings, as the air pockets inherent in the wrapping of roundwound strings contribute to the perceived life of the string when it is new, and as these pockets fill with detritus the progressive deadening of the string over it’s playing life - in combination with other factors, such as surface damage.[/quote] Would this account for the relatively good life I get from DR FatBeams? Does the combination of a round core and their compression winding construction technique help to reduce the "air gaps" which clog with er.... [i]crud[/i] (for want of a better word!) and kill the string?

If it has to be closed back, HD215s are a good choice.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='328003' date='Nov 12 2008, 10:33 PM']Everytime a thread like this comes up I always say the same thing... [b]Yamaha BB614[/b]. You're getting a great jazz sound, a great precision sound & 3-band active preamp into the bargain. I've got one knocking around at the moment & it's fab! Rich.[/quote] I own a VMJ and an Ibanez SRX700. Both excellent in their own way. And still I thought of Yamaha BB 414 or BB614. It seems I am not alone. Try them. Try them all. Then buy something even better 2nd Hand... MIM Jazz ATK Musicman SUB?

Everyone focusses on rhythm! And rightly so, too! Few of us seem to consider guitar/bass interplay. I personally like the way some "String Sections" manage to avoid stepping on each others' toes, as it were. To wit; Dave Navarro / Eric Avery (Jane's Addiction) John Frusciante / Flea (RHCP) Andy Summers / Sting (The Police) Larry Lalonde / Les Claypool (Primus) Gary Sanford / Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) Note that I didn't include Navarro / Flea RHCP combo. They are both super in their own right, but fell all over each other on the "One Hot Minute" album. C'mon! Gimme some more!

[quote name='budget bassist' post='327798' date='Nov 12 2008, 05:52 PM']I bet flea had some chilly performances then![/quote] Nah, he always wears a sock/socks...

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='321022' date='Nov 3 2008, 03:53 PM']Not which Shire. THE Shire. where I come from! Bilbo [b]Bag End[/b] Hobbiton The Shire Middle Earth[/quote] Is there an unwitting plug by Tolkien for a cerain brand of US bass cabs and subwoofers in that there address? Do Hobbits play short-scale basses, then?

Welcome aboard! Good to see someone out there re-discovering their love of all things bass. This [i]is[/i] a good site, with some top people (players, luthiers, teachers etc.) frequenting its pages.

[quote name='project_c' post='326171' date='Nov 10 2008, 07:06 PM']...i'm trying to bring as much sustained woody growl out of the corvette as possible, some people tell me to go active, others say get outboard gear - what route would you recommend in order to achieve this?[/quote] Oddly, my first question would be; Are you happy with your current string choice? (whatever they may be) Experimenting a bit with string choice and/or technique [i]may[/i] deliver the tonal emphasis you're looking for. My best choices to date on Warwicks have been- Warwick Yellow Labels (Nickel) Elixirs (Coated Stainless) From other basses- DR FatBeams DR strings seem to be well thought of around BassChat. Not cheap, but they do sound good, play well, and last for ages..

If I'm not much mistaken, all Warwicks use the same control cavity cover, right? I think all the basses use the same basic control cavity routing, too. If so, then a 9v or even two will fit in there, as there's quite a bit of space. That solves battery installation/ access for you. Bear in mind that Warwick make several active 'vettes, their power and EQ has to live somewhere, too. 'Vette passives have 3 controls IIRC; Vol Pan Passive tone. In Active form, on stacked pots, that'd allow; Vol/Pan Mid [i]f[/i] sweep/ Mid level Bass / Treble with no holes drilled. You could re-fit the old electrics if you wanted to sell it on...

Your description of it makes it sound like a bit of a wrecker! That said, a plug in and play will help you to form a better opinion. If that option doesn't exist, walk away. If it plays/ sounds like a dream, then [i]maybe[/i]. I own an 2 instruments which have tenuous connections with bassists; A Billy Sheehan 10th anniversary Signature Yamaha Attitude (1 of 300). A Musicman Stingray 5 fretless allegedly owned by Boz Burrell. Neither were purchased for that reason. They're both excellent basses in perfect condition and were sensibly priced.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='320781' date='Nov 3 2008, 11:22 AM']Most lined fretless necks are off the same production line as a fretted bass so the lines are were the frets would have been. With correct intonation you will find your fingering is just behind the line. Fingers are much thicker than a fret so if you put the middle of your finger on the fret line you will be sharp. If your finger is between the fret lines you will probably be fingering flat.[/quote] As the man says. + the one.

[quote name='rayfw' post='321137' date='Nov 3 2008, 05:55 PM']If it's good enough for Lakland...[/quote] True, but their machine will primarily be used on Lakland necks, which would hopefully be a known quantity (to Lakland, at least), and as such may well be capable of setting [i]those[/i] up with unerring accuracy. As a machine used by a manufacturer, it will also be subjected to a large sample size, from which maximum and minimum variances can be used to create an "ideal" for a nominal Lakland neck. Good for their purposes, perhaps not so good for repair shops or custom manufacturers. If they were that good, wouldn't every manufacturer use them, and wouldn't every guitar shop be like Kwik-fit; Bzzt, Bzzt, clatter, clatter... All done, sir! Off you go!

[quote name='Tusknia' post='320162' date='Nov 2 2008, 02:25 PM']You watch in 40 years when you pay £12,000 for a vintage 2005 American J with an S-1 switch![/quote] If so, I'm sorted, with my 2004 MIA Jazz S1. Which also happens to play well and sound lovely, especially with cheapo Fender Nickels on it! I'd buy a vintage bass, but only if it was a good player and had a good sound. And only if it was made on a [i]certain[/i] day in 1973 (!) That'd make sense.

Is the Squier VMJ still in production? It's not on the Squier site anymore. The VMP is, along with the Dirnt, Wentz, Affinities and Classic Vibe series. No VMJ in evidence. Not too bothered, as I've already got one. Very good it is too for a £225 instrument. I agree that the electrics may well be the weak link. Mine just has a BadAss II and nice Schaller control knobs on it. So far.

Me no understandee guitaree... However... My mate with whom I was in a band for 3 years had a Korean one in Islington Blue (like a sort of Sonic Blue or Daphne Blue) We spent ages trying various instruments, and 6 of these! They all seemed pretty similar. Fretwork was universally good, as was the finish. My friend was quite slight, and only had small hands. At no point did he struggle with either the weight or the neck profile. The Marquee he had was tonally like a thicker, smoother sounding Strat, and had really good sustain. I don't know what strings he used, D'Addario, I think- certainly nothing exotic. In 3 years of rehearsal and gigging, it didn't let him down once. Actually, nor did any of my basses! Shame I can't say that for my various amplifiers... Hope that helps a bit. Have a look at the reviews on Harmony Central?

Fret King Iceni Enfield Guitars

I hope it's chambered or something. Zebrano weighs a ton. Good tone, though!

[quote name='Pissman' post='316555' date='Oct 28 2008, 11:14 AM']If someone can show me all the colours of the rainbow in a lovely bassline then they win my love....[/quote] C'mon Nick (Doctor of the bass), now's your chance!! You've got to have a few different colours!

[quote name='dub_junkie' post='94886' date='Nov 27 2007, 12:46 AM']plugged in,the Sterling and SR5 should sound more like each other than they do. the EQ (and particuarly the mid freq) must be voiced different....I've owned a SR5 and borrowed another for an extentended period of time and both were soft sounding in comparion to the 3 Sterlings I've owned.mids on the sterling bite a lot harder imo but Sterling doesn't have quite the big lovely bottom end of the five either[/quote] Whilst I'm not sure if the pick-up is in the same position (on the single H models), do consider that the Ray has AlNiCo pick-ups, The Sterling has Ceramic, and the Bongo has NeoDymium. That may also contribute to what you're hearing...

[quote name='ped' post='258198' date='Aug 8 2008, 02:15 PM']What's the point in that not-quite-complete bog seat? Never understood those.[/quote] Competition model. It's to save weight and improve.... Uh.... Laptimes? Edit for on-topic! Maye if they stuck (tap-able) a JJ in the bridge and moved the P closer to the neck? Better still, do it with a Lipstick-style set of pick-ups. On a black one with a B/W/B scratchplate, that'd look better. But whatever else, ditch that nasty bridge!! I've held off buying a Squier TB for the same reason, and that costs about a third as much!

I have two basses with them. They seem to be necessary/helpful on headless basses. In addition to the sounding issue and possible ease of set-up, they may well help to reduce wear on the nut (but is this an issue?) Am I right in thinking that they're usually made of a harder material than regular frets? Common sense says that they ought to be, as the strings bear on the Zero all the time. I realise that the majority of the vibration occurs between the "fretted" point and the bridge, but nonetheless... Also remember that (on a 34" scale) the Zero fret would be at the 34" mark, the nut's a bit further north still.

I have lots of black, and quite a few naturals (mainly Maple and Ash). None of my choices have even remotely been driven by colour, to be honest. Tone, feel, and playability are far more important. But they haven't stopped this from happening!

Fretless- what everyone else said! Headless- Balance. The fact that nearly all can be leant against a wall without falling over as they all seem to have 2 strap buttons at the tail end! Portability- esp Steinbergers and the new Status Streamline... Electro-acoustic? Not loud enough "acoustically" to challenge a vigourously strummed acoustic guitar. Too prone to feedback in an amplified environment (due to the size of the top as much as anything) Plugging the soundhole isn't enough... Scale Length? Not the most important factor in a bass' sound, but, as many have said, influences feel. It does seem to make a difference when you get up to the 41" instruments, but do consider that the next longest in general production is about 36". That's a much bigger difference than from 34" to 35". Longer scales seem to have a greater fundamental content and fewer harmonics (when not EQed!) Red Basses? I play mine slower, but then it [i]is[/i] "Translucent Sunset Orange"... Me? I'm ok. trying to get some sleep, so I guess I shouldn't be doing this!