Lfalex v1.1

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='138072' date='Feb 11 2008, 11:42 AM']Cable (and connectors) will affect tone, but hey unless you've got the DB's bass/amp/cab you'll hear differing degrees of difference ( I deliberately didn't say improvement as it may not always be an improvement). Hi-fi/audio buffs have been pursuing perfection for years but you get diminishing returns the more you spend.[/quote] All true, especially the part about the law of diminishing returns. I use an 8 track mini desk and good (Sennheiser) Closed-back headphones at home for practice purposes. I had the cables kicking about, so it cost me nothing to try it out. That's what I'd encourage- Low cost, semi-permanent experimentation. If you like the changes it makes, stick with it. If not, no harm done. I certainly wouldn't endorse spending a fortune based on some cable manufacturer's tenuous claims of sonic perfection!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='138053' date='Feb 11 2008, 11:18 AM']I can accept this in principle but my question is this: can a cable effect tone in a manner that impacts significantly on the perceived tonal results in the context of the other environmental variables in play? Or, in English, is the effect significant enough to be heard against the other things that effect it such as the shape of a room, the amp's/bass's eq, flat surfaces, carpets/tileds floors etc. My perspective is that it probably doesn't so, whilst it is worth noting, it ain't worth lying awake over. I am open to challenge.[/quote] As an (ex) Hifi Anorak, I've used cables that were laying around for various purposes. I recall a piece of parallel (spaced) DNM Reson solid core interconnect sounding great between my Ampeg SVP Pro and QSC Power amp. It sounded cleaner and less cluttered than a regular patch cable. On the other hand, I too, generally use Whirlwind and Planet Waves Instrument cables as neither have ever squeaked, popped, banged or broken, on stage or in a studio. Suitablity for intended use is also key; Is said cable tough enough to survive its task? You raise a fair point with regard to other (physical, acoustic and electrical) factors in play that determine overall perceived tone, but it is worth considering that there are some attempts to control these in many of the environments we routinely encounter; Studios. Need I say more? Isolation booths, screens, DI+Miking techniques. All attempt to control the acoustic environment. Live. Who here relies purely on their amp for FOH sound? Many of us DI through a desk. It is in these (largely electrical) domains that cable can make a contribution. Live, you're still at the mercy of the multicore, but if your signal's lacking in the first place, it certainly isn't going to get any better...

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='136934' date='Feb 9 2008, 12:11 AM']In the context of the intent of the OP it is most of all the cost of premises and staff that makes business in this country so expensive. How much do you think the Bass Centre shop in the city costs. Thats the City of London, just outside the square mile, probably the most expensive place in the world apart from Wall St.[/quote] Agreed, but I don't recall any of us forcing them to move from Wapping High Street... That was probably cheaper methinks.

If your Zoot's like mine, the (bar) string tree covers all the strings (in my case, 4) and is placed very close to the nut, causing the strings to break at a very sharp angle. I found that this, coupled to the sharp break angle at the (string-thru-body) bridge causes the overall string tension to be very high. Mike's newer basses have angled headstocks as players preferred them. Perhaps the switch to flats (often a larger gauge, but generally lower tension for a given gauge) has caused this, especially as I can't see a flat string wrap taking kindly to being bent through large angles over short distances... The original tree used quite small screws if it's like mine. I can't see an easy fix, except (perhaps) having it drilled to take 2 more screws, giving a screw between each string, thus; B (screw) E (screw) A (screw) D (screw) G But take care that this might foul access the the truss rod adjuster if the string tree is really close to the nut... Hope this helps a bit!

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='135088' date='Feb 6 2008, 03:29 PM']Compression...[/quote] And more than a little, too. Sometimes as much as 20:1!

The favoured material for acoustic (as opposed to orchestral or upright) basses is generally phosphor bronze. Electrics usually use our old favourites; Stainless Steel or Nickel. I've never tried Electric strings on an acoustic. Anyone else?

[quote name='Sparky' post='134111' date='Feb 5 2008, 09:20 AM']Chaps, what's the craic if my open, fretted 12th and 12th harmonic are all sweet, but then some frets around the 7th are out? i've Always found myself having to tweek the tuning when playing in B... i'm still adjusting (slowly - tiny tweeks every other day) everything on my new bass so haven't quite settled on saddle height and neck relief so i guess these may change - but when i finally do find the right balance, can you offer any other general rules of thumb for intonation other than the open & 12th fretted & harmonic? cheers, sparky.[/quote] Dunno about the 7th issue, but... It is possible to harmonically tune at the 5th fret, but it only works well on fresh/bright strings. The sustain is better at the 12th position. With regard to intonation, I use the fretted 12th vs harmonic (above) 12th fret method. THEN use fretted 19th vs harmonic (above) 19th fret. This helps to make the intonation better still. Do go bake and check that the intonation at 12th is still right. This method is a good idea for frequent visitors to the dusty end of the fretboard.

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='129545' date='Jan 28 2008, 08:21 PM']Ref Audio vs Linear I thought that it was Audio for volume and Linear for tone (or was it t'other way around?). No I'm fairly sure I'm right.[/quote] I'm fairly sure you're right, too! [quote name='lex_luthier' post='129547' date='Jan 28 2008, 08:29 PM']It's the right type of pot (Audio taper) If you have 'push-on' knobs you want a 'Split shaft pot', if it has a small 'grub screw' in the side of the knob then you want a 'Solid shaft pot' 500k pots are good for volume & tone pots 250k pots can be used as tone pots[/quote] I thought dogma suggested 250k for single coils and 500k for humbuckers. That said, my Squier 70's VMJ has 500k for single coils. Gives a Brighter edge to dark-sounding pick-ups...

[quote name='bassbloke' post='129450' date='Jan 28 2008, 05:34 PM']Yes, but was it an inevitability because that's the way things are generally heading or was it an inevitabilitybecause the shop has been a pale shadow of it's former self after relocating from Wapping. I loved the old bass centre and really enjoyed the odd trip up there. I also bought quite a lot from them. I still regret the day I saw two Vigier basses, a Passion 5 in blueburst and a Passion delta metal fretless in black and went for the fretless. I reckon I'd still have the 5 to this day.[/quote] I played both of those! But I already own a Vigier 5. Which I bought at the Wapping BC, along with several other instrumnets and my current (long-suffering) amp!

If it helps at all, here's my scenario; I've plenty of instruments, including a Squier VMJ and an MIA Fender Jazz. Still, I hanker after a G&L (ideally an ASAT, but you never know) I have arguably kept basses I might (or even should) have sold, only to come back to them later and appreciate them more! If you can, find a way to keep the G&L, and save up for the Squier...

I have a B2A V. They'll fit in any hard case that will hold a Gibson Les Paul / Epiphone equivalent. I used one a couple of times and it fitted just fine. Just ensure it's a snug fit lengthwise and you shouldn't have any issues.

You guys are right. It is all about maintaining the interest of a student. That, and being flexible to both their wants, needs and ability. I had a tutor once. It didn't last long. He could sight read, his theory was strong, and his technique good. But he couldn't learn/play by ear, or play straight "rock" numbers! I asked him for some pointers on slap technique (etc.) and he flatly refused (?) He could slap, too, so it wasn't that. I quit there and then. I still can't slap on any of my basses (but most are tightly spaced, and me thumbs is HUGE!)

[quote name='dood' post='127630' date='Jan 25 2008, 11:25 AM']Guys.. you'll love this.... in an emergency, I once recorded acoustic guitar using....... the cartridge and styles from a turntable!! You have to get the stylus to rest gently on the bridge, unhindered by the cartridge (in the same way that it does on a record.) Depending on where you sit it, you'll have a multitude of different tones available. I found that the treble side of the bridge was good. The only downside to a great guitar tone, was that the pickup will pick up every tap and scrape from the top of the guitar. - The cartridge was a pretty good one too ;o) - You don't need an RIAA phono preamp or anything, but a channel strip will do fine to get the gain up.[/quote] In fact, I once amplified my Westone through a phono stage on a hifi amp. The RIAA eq doesn't help much (!) Oakbear, I reckon the reason EUBs are less susceptible to noise from "contact" is the fact that the piezos are under the bridge, and get a good signal to "contact noise" ratio. Also, the EUB is mechanically earthed through its spike or endpin, which may be helping.

[quote name='Oakbear' post='127113' date='Jan 24 2008, 05:30 PM']Thanks very much for the replies folks! I'm thinking of attempting a fretless 6 self build soon (possibly semi-hollowbody), and had considered either a piezo system or a dual magnetic and piezo combo. I like the idea of an extra bite or ambient resonance for that upright sound. Now i'm taking my time on this one, but am aiming for making as much of it myself as possible, for as little as possible Purely for aethetics i also really fancy the idea of a smooth top with no pickups visible! On paper piezos (even the cheap buzzers) have a great frequecy reponse. I like the sound on cellos or uprights, but have only heard it on an acoustic bass, and then through a preamp. Any more recommendations?[/quote] Hmmmm. Just a thought; On a Semi hollow, perhaps having a thin front face of good quality timber (Spruce? Maple?) with a chambered body beneath. leave the area under the strings free of internal obstructions, and fit however many piezo elements you fancy under the "top" by bonding them there. Allow acces from the rear for maintenance/ further mods Leave a solid chunk of wood for the bridge to screw into (assuming you use a clunky metal one, not a nylon piezo "bar") Presto! There's your smooth top, at least!

[i]Dave[/i] Muad Dib? Shouldn't your name be Paul? Good luck with the Kustom. Just don't get any sand in it!!

I'm no expert, but Piezos require contact with the string. That means integrating them into the bridge saddles (as per implementations used by Fender, Ibanez, Musicman, Warwick etc) OR attaching them to the bridge/ top of acoustic instruments (Just about all electroacoustic instruments!) Even if you have the engineering capabilities, I would still doubt that the elements and crystals in a cheapo buzzer would be as good as or have the right frequency response for this application. What instrument did you have in mind for this mod? Lots of basses with Magnetic pick-ups AND piezos just use the piezos for a bit more bite, and couple them to passive tone controls. (Electro)Acoustics often have only the piezo, and this is a full-range (frequency-wise) system usually coupled a pre-amp to give more tonal control. Check out; Ovation Status (Electro model) Musicman Stingray (W/Piezo!) Fender Power Jazz Basses Ibanez EDA 900 / 905 (now discontinued)

No worries. I like P deluxes. The last one I played was very nice indeed! There's only one of my instruments I rarely gig. The rest share duties according to my mood! I keep them in the case until we go on, put it on, play and it goes straight back in its case afterwards. The only damage I've sustained is miniscule headstock dings from guitarist collisions. Hope the practice, gigs and screwdriver twiddling goes well. One other thought! Measure how far the strings are from the pick-ups at the moment (before you start) so you've got a rough idea what the factory set-up is. That said, the only issues you'll get from extremes of pick-up height are; [u]Too high (close)[/u] Loss of natural sustain with pick ups with beefy magnets Intonation issues (ditto) Strange, unnatural overtones, harmonics or wolftones Strings hitting polepieces - Not good! [u]Too low (far away)[/u] Weak output Poor signal / Noise in noisy environments Weedy tone!

I can't comment on the eliminators, but I cure the dimmer switch issue by turning the lights up full and moving away from the light switch! Failing that, I turn the main lights off and put a lamp on! I assume that this is a domestic/practice issue. Not wany people have dimmer switches in their live pedalboards. Although I've heard that they can be converted to make a good Wah.... Edit- Are any basses or settings worse than others? I find Single Coils are (naturally) most susceptible. Humbuckers seem fairly immune.

Precision Deluxe, Sir? Lovely. Just a couple of thoughts; Are all the strings okay? Does a re-string improve matters? Otherwise... Adjust one pick-up at a time- Blend out one completely and ascertain which of the pickups is causing the issue. From the pics, it looks like the bottom half of the "P" is tilted downwards quite a bit. Flattening it out will restore any imbalance between the G and D strings. Once you've done this (so that G and D produce equal volumes) try raising the half such that G/D give a similar output to A/E The bridge HB can only be tilted as a single unit One good tip: Keep a pencil and paper handy so you can jot down how many turns/ half turns you take on and off of each screw. That way, you can "reset" the instrument to its current state (should you wish to do so!) Take plenty of time and experiment. If your pick ups can be pushed down into the body, do so gently (with one hand) and strike the relevant string/s. This can at least demonstrate the changes that lowering the pick ups can give. Do remember that the relative height of the neck / bridge pick ups can play a part in the overall tone of the instrument. I've a rip-snorting Squier VM Jazz which has its bridge pick up very high and the neck considerably lower...

Isn't the Musicman Silhouette a Baritone, too?

[quote name='nash' post='125458' date='Jan 22 2008, 02:20 PM']only one truss rod on the bongo 6er. dont 6ers normally have 2?[/quote] My Streamer LX VI only has one 'rod. It does, however have two non-adjustable reinforcing rods (one either side of the truss-rod) IIRC! That said, it's got a Wenge neck, and they aren't apt to being unduly troubled by humidity/temperature variations. I guess it's also a function of inherent neck stability- If the neck's stable/ adjustable enough with one rod, why complicate it with two? More slender necks may well need two rods. You're right, it's not uncommon. I'm fairly sure I've seen twin rods on Conklin and Yamaha 6-ers, and a lot of customs seem to have them.

[quote name='gafbass02' post='124786' date='Jan 21 2008, 05:06 PM']cooooooooool porsche[/quote] See, the 70's weren't a total wash-out!!

Yep. Liking the Bongo. Already got an SR5, so the Sterling's only really an aesthetic alteration to me. Still nice, though. I don't like gold hardware. No matter how well I care for it, Gold and Brass suffer dreadfully from my sweaty paws.

It's a pity that both the blue label designs use the same p/up configuration. I'd have preferred more variety. The Green label designs are far better, but twice the price! The Europa isn't uncompetetive (price-wise) with a new T-Bird, but £1100 for a P-J and £1200 for a Jazz is steep unless they're [i]really[/i] special to play and sound amazing. Then someone will turn up with a modded hot-rod Squier or a CIJ/MIJ Fender. And possibly make you want to cry...

At last! One I can make it to! Ummm... Dunno what I'll bring, bit it'll be [i]interesting[/i] Will probably eschew a stack in favour of my headphone set-up for anyone who wants a quiet try-out of anything. Yes, Ped, I will bring the Vigier!