Lfalex v1.1

The Warwick $$ (Double-buck) configuration mentioned above is a good reference point. It has 2x MEC Open-poled "Musicman" style Humbuckers, which may be independently configured (by 2 3-way switches) as; Single Coil Parallel Series Other controls; Volume (probably passive on a pull-up pot if it follows Warwick convention) Pan Bass Treble Check out G&L basses, too. They use a similar, if less flexible system, and sound great. Have a look on Warwick.de's support pages under the $$ models. They'll likely have a PDF of the wiring diagram to download. +1 to what everyone else has said about the various sounds/ tones on offer.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='143692' date='Feb 20 2008, 02:04 PM']I'm not quite sure what's stranger - that thread or that I had just been wandering through wikipedia ending up here: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Ashdown"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Ashdown[/url] Having started here: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun[/url] Alex P.S. I can't believe Americans go hunting with pump action shotguns, have they no manners?![/quote] Maybe Remington need to make a [i]Precision[/i] model. A bit more subtle (read accurate!)

[quote name='clauster' post='143178' date='Feb 19 2008, 04:36 PM']Weren't the Trace Elliot BLX range horn loaded?[/quote] Not exactly! They had two slotted ports in a baffle in front of the (single) 12"(?) Driver. More like a very short back-to-front transmission line enclosure...

(Rob Trujillo favours Fernandes (but they're "Custom Shop" jobs)) Mine? Marcus' 77 Fender Claypool's outrageous stripey Carl Thompson fretless VI But liking the idea of basses with tales to tell; Herbie's P Guy Pratts '64 Burgundy Mist Fender J with the EMGs in...

[quote name='Stewart' post='143450' date='Feb 19 2008, 10:59 PM']Definitely the next step...[/quote] Busted Core or Dodgy Windings! A swap is worth a try!

[quote name='David Nimrod' post='143536' date='Feb 20 2008, 09:14 AM']+1 to that... I think pickups should ideally be matched in output... How about the MM + J Sandbergs et al... that can't be good either?[/quote] Ah... They kind of get around that. Most such designs; Musicman H/S Warwick Infinity/Dolphin/Vampyre Equivalent Sandbergs et al Have the HB or TJ at the bridge and the single J in the mid or neck position, where the string excursion is greater. Greater string excursion = Greater perceived output level. This helps to fix the issue, particularly if the pole-pieces are "blades", which can detect/transcribe larger excursions than single / paired pole-pieces. MEC (Warwicks) and Bartolini use the said blades in their MM / TJ and [i]some[/i] J designs.

I actually do the "cocktail stick trick" to new basses when I fit Schaller compatible strap buttons to them. Saves a lot of aggro later on. And for the record, the buttons on my Vigier haven't moved in 11 years. Come on, Patrice, what's your secret? I've never even had to tighten them once!

The PJ, whilst a useful combination, can hum. How much is determined by the relative levels of each pick-up as determined by the volume controls. The exception to this is if the J is a "stacked" or "side-by-side" design, which actually makes it a closet humbucker anyway! (Then there's the Twin J from the Deluxe P, but that's a different design again!) I've always felt that the single coil aspect suffers relative to the split "P", which is possessed of a higher output, and is less subtle sounding. Anyone wanting to hear this writ large should check out another Fender hybrid (this time a guitar); The thinline or custom Telecaster. It has the Fender rip-off of a Gibson humbucker right up at the neck, and the slanted 6-pole single-coil mounted in the bridge plate itself. Can sound great, but I've watched mates at rehearsal wrestle with one all night to try to balance the volumes such that when you flick the selector switch, the levels stay the same (not an issue for the bass, though!)

Don't know what year exactly, but I reckon it IS 80's... A Westone Raider One. Lots of pointy Jackson/Washburn/BC Rich/Matsumoko output on here...

[quote name='dlloyd' post='143130' date='Feb 19 2008, 03:48 PM']*thinks long and hard*... Nope... Don't get it. Was somebody cruel to you over there?[/quote] Not me personally, but it's not without precedent... Besides, I have an all-original 1990 Stingray Fretless V as an insurance policy!

[quote name='Doc B' post='142881' date='Feb 19 2008, 08:39 AM']LOL - Thanks for posting that - It has an almost surreal quality on this side of the Atlantic. Nice one.[/quote] What's scary are the almost diametrically opposed viewpoints combined with useful comments about; Turkeys Fender Amps Remington Pump-action shotguns plus some good (and bad) logic and some off-the-wall US Humor (sic) That, and the fact that it's nearly all well-intentioned "advice"! Just be grateful it wasn't a similar question on the EB forum! Gotta love them, though!

[quote name='Rich' post='142936' date='Feb 19 2008, 10:32 AM']Good god, it does doesn't it? [attachment=5730:sheehan.jpg] Well... get thee to a luthier! It needn't be expensive.[/quote] Ha Ha. Love the photoshoppe! Knowing my preferences and tendencies, it WOULD be expensive!!

I like the chrome red finish. However, I share the concerns about pick-ups and the change to a rosewood (?) fretboard. Note also the lack of fretboard scallops in the upper registers. Looks like another cost-cutting measure. Still, if it sounds good / plays well and is good value, then fine! Besides, I should worry... It's a good instrument, but I'd love to build an Attitude-a-like that would fit my preferences; *Jazz neck width & profile (!) *Neck HB and split "P" as per the Attitude. *A tap-able Twin "J" at the bridge (an idea borrowed from the "PJ"s, Warwick Infinity and Fender Deluxe "P". *Passive electrics. *A slightly longer horn on a basically "P" body (probably Alder) to prevent the Attitude's slight tendency to dive. Don't know about controls or hardware, but it'd be able to approximate the sounds of quite a few instruments, plus give a few unique tones of its own...

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='140755' date='Feb 15 2008, 12:56 AM']meh if it sounds good ild play it.[/quote] Ditto! Especially if it plays well, too!

[quote name='dlloyd' post='140102' date='Feb 14 2008, 09:53 AM']That sort of makes sense. I'll have to dig out the review... I'm sure they were talking about directional electron flow or some such nonsense.[/quote] There's a school of thought about [i]that[/i] sort of directionality, but even my (allegedly) snake-oil impregnated golden ears can't hear any difference! I think you're [i]supposed[/i] to run the signal in the same direction that the cable was drawn/cast in. Something to do with the flow of electrons being "better" if they follow the orientation/alignment of the copper molecules in the conductor. Hmmm.

[quote name='tauzero' post='138870' date='Feb 12 2008, 02:17 PM']They're already doing it [url="http://www.fuel-optimiser.co.uk/how.html"]for petrol[/url] and obviously have managed to make a profit on it...[/quote] Mmmm Fossilised Snake oil treatments!

[quote name='dlloyd' post='138721' date='Feb 12 2008, 10:45 AM']You know, I swear I've read that before... Might have been in a Bass Player mag review for some directional cable that costs over a hundred quid. I don't think I ever got to the end of the review, it struck me as a waste of effort to read it any longer. How can a jack to jack cable be directional?[/quote] The PWaves ones are. Because the outer shield is supposed to be grounded at the amp end, it suppresses noise better if you use it in the correct orientation QED (that's a little hi fi cable joke!)

[quote name='TheRinser' post='138326' date='Feb 11 2008, 05:22 PM']... Hmm, I'll give Mike a call and see what he suggests... Lfalex, that's exactly the setup of mine. Seems like kind of a half arsed way of doing it eh? Especially with the tension of all five strings on it...[/quote] Calling Mike's a good idea. He's always very helpful. Re: the string tree- Yes it isn't ideal. Mine bows upward at the centre under the strain of a .60 "D" and a .80 "A"... Roundwounds at that!

I stand. Always. Sure, I can play seated, but prefer not to.

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='130588' date='Jan 30 2008, 12:28 PM']the book Bass Fitness... [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/09/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/09/details.html[/url] real killer workouts... very boring to do though... and they really stretch you...[/quote] I've got this. Ouch! Is all I can say. I'm a little at odds with some practice regimes. Yes, they do improve flexiblity etc, but at the expense of making you play in a slightly mechanical fashion. If I have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h for something, I sort of like it to sound like I had to work for it, but still nailed it anyway. That suits my style of play. If I did it too effortlessly, it would seem to remove some of the "excitement"!

[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.