Lfalex v1.1

Ultimately, I'm not too bothered! Frequently, Glued in or (in particular) Neck-Thru instruments have better upper-fret access due to the smoothness of the neck/body join. Neck-Thru do seem to have better sustain, and I've never played a Neck-Thru with a chunky neck profile, silly fretboard radius or rough fret-work. That said, I own 2 Neck-Thru instruments, 1 Glued-in, and the rest are Bolt-ons. I tend to buy an instrument because of its sonic character and if it plays well, neither of which are necessarily dependent on the method of construction employed!

I've been here before myself... And here's the result... I own an Ampeg SVP-pro pre-amp, a Hartke VXL bass attack, A Peavey MAX pre-amp and a Trace SMX head (plus a busted QSC power-amp) Nothing but nothing sounds like slightly edgy tubes. With the Pre-amp >> Power amp (or head driven via FX return), you don't get the power tube crunch and compression as the power stage is almost invariably going to be Solid State. You DO get lighter weight, though. I'd keep the LM, and drive its power stage via a pre-amp (be it rack or pedal based) That gives you the light weight, and the versatility of being able to use the LM via its own internal pre-amp. If you bought an SVT, you'd not have that option. I've come to appreciate what the Peavey is trying to do... Even if it is a jack of all trades (master of none!) It has switchable & Blendable SS and Valve Stages, each with separate gain / output level controls and a separate EQ for each. This (theoretically) gives you the best of both; Flick a switch on the G&L, dab a footswitch, and your entire sound can change between two separate settings. Unfortunately, it's no match for the subtle to brutal ability of the Ampeg, is noisier than my Trace or Hartke, and thumps when switched from SS to Valve and vice-versa. For alternatives that offer this degree of flexiblity (racks brain...), check out the Ampeg SVP-CL, The Sansamp BDDI (programmable), MXR 80, EBS Microbass and The Sansamp Rack mount units (RPM, RBI and PSA) In my experience, The SVP-Pro works well with American made/ designed basses; Fender, Musicman, G&L etc. and can readily tame any top-end excess without sounding dull, yet retaining warmth and allowing you to dial in as much OD as is desired, either by overdriving the input AX7, using the soft drive AU7, or both. It doesn't allow you a "clean" sound, though. There's just the one channel.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='88903' date='Nov 15 2007, 12:52 PM']Glad to have been of help! I've just moved house and now my computer is no longer in the corner of a room the el cheapo speakers have gone from sounding tolerable to horribly thin and bottomless - damned boundary reinforcement or lack thereof... Alex[/quote] My work colleagues couldn't understand why I kept moving our little stereo around until it sounded right. Our work area is approx 28000 sq ft, and it'll be lucky if its little drivers get more that 2w/ch PMPO... It needs all the help it can get! Needless to say it's above ear level in a corner. Better radio reception higher up!

[quote name='Sibob' post='86373' date='Nov 10 2007, 04:56 AM']How do you set the intonation? And how the hell does that string retainer stay on with all that tension? Very 'Ken Lawrence' Si[/quote] [quote name='paul, the' post='86374' date='Nov 10 2007, 05:19 AM']Bassy love.[/quote] No More Nails, innit!

No way he could've stacked a few of those knobs? 7 is very high on the knob-o-meter, you know!

If it feels good (in your hands), plays well, sounds good (to you) and generally does what you'd want it to, I'd say whatever you're playing is a good instrument. I own two similar basses; A 2004 MIA s1 Jazz in Translucent Sunset Orang over Ash A 2006 Squier 70's VM Jazz with a BadAss II and black (brass) control knobs One cost 3.5 times the amount the other did. I find I play the Squier more [i]adventurously[/i] as I subconciously recognise it as being the cheaper instrument (though not necessarily worse for it!) Consequently, I probably wring more from the Squier than the Fender. The Squier does sound more aggressive, and lends itself better to being thrashed, though... I wouldn't have said that your feelings on genuine/relic/NOS are quite as prevalent as the issues that some people have over instrument/ equipment manufacturers and costs; [i]It's made by xxxx, therefore my own assumptions will necessarily inflate my opinion of said item when compared to another "lesser" or "lesser known" brand[/i] The converse is true, also. How many players wouldn't touch a cheap instrument, just because they assume it not to be worthwhile? Perhaps they missed a real gem? I'll admit that I'm not partial to either mojo'd instruments, relics, re-issues or NOS. I'd rather have owned an instrument from new and have it age gracefully in my ownership! So perhaps I'm carrying some bias if my own... I know that my instruments have (generally) only ever belonged to me, and feel comfortable with them as a result...

Anyone wanting an Ibanez SRX 705, Check out Peach Guitars (Braintree, Essex) They've got a NEW (in spite of them being discontinued) one for about £500... And on the subject of dicontinued Ibanez basses, Stringbusters/Holibay Music have a new Ergodyne EDA 5 string in Orange. About £550, IIRC.

Is a 4x10 out of the question? I've used a 2x10 and 4x10 together a lot. Works well for me. They're a Trace 1048h and 2103h BTW... I do have a 1x15 (1153) so I'm covered whatever I want to do! (Anyone got a 1518 laying around- I'll have a full set then!!)

2 ideas; 1) Tweezers! Just tease the contact/s out gently. It shouldn't need the force that pliers could exert. 2) Can't see it in the photo, but how's the battery compartment secured into the body of the bass? If there's a retaining screw/s, try taking the whole compartment out. You'll be able to check the integrity of the connecting wiring then, too, in addition to getting a better look at the contacts. If it's glued in (can't see why it would be, though) then I guess you can't!

Whilst I predominantly play 4s, I have a CGDAE tuned Fretless 5, A GDAEB tuned fretted 5, and a CGDAEB Fretted 6. The range of a 4 is generally fine for most of us, but the 6 (for example) can open up some nice possibilities- The Sub "E" tones are nice to have from time to time (and are a necessity if your band drop-tunes and you don't want to!) Just play along and from time to time, instead of going up, go lower instead. As for the high C, It gives an alternate method of reaching the higher notes without chasing up the fretboard. The C can be barred very nicely with any tone on the D if wou want to add a bit more depth to higher passages. I played one of mt best gigs on my 6. It was with a pop-punk style band. I re-worked a quiet intro part to be played as harmonics on the C and G strings, the First note of the first verse was a "C" Played it low (about five octaves from where I had been) and landed it in perfect time. The effect was devastating. We played a good gig, and then they sacked me on favour of someone less experienced and more malleable!! Everything has its place, I suppose!

[quote name='7string' post='85824' date='Nov 9 2007, 10:46 AM']Very cool and I know from experience how good Jon's repair/modification work is. Makes you wonder why Fender doesn't just sell a bass with this sort of spec.....[/quote] Precision Deluxe isn't far off... apart from having the god-awful Fender EQ in it.

Handle with care! Routers are scary! Just try routing scrap bits of wood & off-cuts to get a feel for how it works. Don't try to rout too deep in each pass. Don't Pull the bits out with your fingers (they can heat up and get stuck in the collet) Router bits are very sharp. I Found that out the hard way. Don't leave any screws or metal embedded in whatever you're routing. I hit a concealed screw once with a router going at full chat. It looked like a firework display. And melted my goggles with hot fragments... DO wear eye protection! DO use a face mask if working with MDF. The resin/dust isn't very healthy stuff. Some routers allow you to stick a Hoover into them for dust extraction purposes. Do use a template! And clamp your work to something substantial! That said, good luck! And have fun with your new toy!

[quote name='ahpook' post='84864' date='Nov 7 2007, 12:32 PM'] OR...fit a wireless system inside the bass and get rid of the output jack !! it's the 'shaved look'[/quote] I think you've just invented something there. The Wi-Fi bass! Forget the output jack, I just want a screw-in socket for one of those lil' bendy rubberised aerials!! Meanwhile, back on the Wentz sig, I reckon a matching (black) headstock and BadAss/ other replacement Bridge would render this utterly wicked!

What a difficult question! Especially so given that there are (now) so many variants; Stingray- H, H/S, H/H Stingray V- H, H/S, H/H Sterling Bongo- H/S, H/H Bongo V- H/S, H/H (Not to mention used SUBS, [i]That[/i] Bongo VI prototype, Piezo bridge options, Pre/post EBs, 2 or 3 band EQ ('Ray IV), Graphite necks (Cutlass), Aftermarket Graphite necks (Status), Sabres... the list goes on!) Personally, I own a 1990 'Ray V Fretless. It's a great instrument. I've liked every Sterling that I've played. I'm fond of the coil switching options present in both this model and the Stingray V But... Don't close the door on; Warwick $$ (Corvette or Streamer) IV and V strings Modulus "Flea" Signature Various G&Ls, especially my favourite, the ASAT Bass... Sorry. That didn't really help much, did it?!

[quote name='ahpook' post='84745' date='Nov 7 2007, 08:06 AM']didn't the mark hoppus sig bass only have a volume control ? mind you, i've heard it said that removing the tone control reduces the loading on the pickup and so gives a clearer sound...more boutique than punk if you ask me...[/quote] Bah! if it's minimalism you want, just take 'em both off and just leave the output socket!

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='80506' date='Oct 28 2007, 05:18 PM']Mine smells of toffee - I make everyone smell it and they think I'm weird, suppose I am really. :wacko:[/quote] Conversely, I'd pay good money for Toffee that smelt of Musicman...

With regard to the upper range of ERBSs (C strings and so on), don't fret too much about absolute high frequency response in the way you might over low frequency response. As long as the horn or tweeter suits your taste, then it should be fine. I still wouldn't rely on manufacturer's charts and frequency response claims. There's nearly always a bit of advertising "[i]voodoo[/i]" added! As many here will state, a bit of LF reinforcement can help pep-up a fading low-end, especially if you shove your cab in a corner. This has a more profound and subtle effect than trying to EQ more bottom end in, and helps conserve amplifier headroom for those peaks. Power handling and sensitivity are two other areas in which the marketing boys like to mislead us. Given that power is relatively "cheap" in modern amp terms (well, Solid State ones!), sensitivity is [u]perhaps[/u] less of an issue than we're led to believe. Power handling is arguably more important, but it is possible to use an amp whose output can notionally exceed the rating of your cabinets. With caveats; Listen to your cabs... No, really. If they're complaining, back off the master volume until they're happy again. Don't get over excited with the master volume control. Take care if you let others use your rig. Lower powered amps are more susceptible to clipping (output stage-wise) than bigger amps. A big peak from a large amp is less likely to be distorted (squared-off) . The bigger amps will have more headroom in reserve, and should ultimately control your drivers better. I found this when I changed from a 300w (4 ohms) Trace Head to an Ampeg pre and QSC Power pairing that gave 1400w RMS (also 4 ohms) The depth, power and immediacy of the sound from the [i]same[/i] (Trace 2103H & 1153) cabinets was scarcely believable. It's not all about cabs alone. It's the way that your amp and cab/s work together, so try together before you buy if at all possible!

[quote name='Mickeyboro' post='83830' date='Nov 5 2007, 07:47 AM']A Stingray, isn't it? Guy Pratt in his book admits to having been their studio bassist...[/quote] Nice choice of words... [i]Admits[/i]...

[quote name='thumb4bob' post='83583' date='Nov 4 2007, 05:06 PM']well im a philosophy student so I saw this topic and had to post something But Im not sure Descartes or Rousseau had an opinion on P bass basses. Sooooooo i think it depends wheather your defining the P bass as THE electric bass (because it was the first) or as the electric fender P bass. As the first ever mass produced electric bass guitar it has been vastly improved on in my opinion, but then if it hadn't in over 50 years it would be a sad state of affairs. I don't personally think these high end companies make a better P than if you bought an old school fender model simply because nothing can be a better P bass than a P bass. If you make it sound "better" (cleaner, more modern) than you don't have a fender P bass you have something else. All these companies really do is make modern instruments in the shape of the P and Jazz because people are still atracted to those shapes but want a modern tone. Having said that I can understand people wanting the fender shapes especially people older than me simply becuse there was a good bet most of your favourate bassists played one. If some watches all there heroes playing these instruments it goes into their subconscious and when it becomes time for them to pick up an istrument and they want to play like jaco, obvious mental link buy a fender jazz! I would bet money on this happening less and less as the generations go by and fender has more and more competition in the market. Phew [/quote] Another Philosopher, eh?! I few selected (mis-) quotes and thoughts. Some more serious than others... If I were to get all Platonic, I'd suggest that, as the form of the bass guitar supercedes all earthly manifestations of the form, that the producers who want a certain bass should try to obtain that one. Except for the fact that, according to Plato, they can't. Willard Van Orman Quine wrote a superb essay on the indeterminacy of tone. "When you look into your cabinet port, your cabinet port looks into you" (Nietzsche) Finally, this old chestnut; If a tree falls in a forest with no-one to hear it, does it make a sound? Who cares?!; What species of tree was it? Is it spalted? Does it have a good "Tap Tone"? These are the relevant issues!

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='83440' date='Nov 4 2007, 11:10 AM']Yes, it was definitely a lot weaker... Can't explain it, but my Warwick $$ is amazingly overpowered![/quote] That'll be it, then! My Streamer has SD soapbars, and the Infinity has the MEC J/JJ set up. The pair of MMHBs in the $$ should give a very healthy output before the EQ stage adds any further oompf! I'd still say my pair of Ibanez were well into the top half of the output level league...

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='83412' date='Nov 4 2007, 10:03 AM']I had an SRX705 for a while with the through neck & the active humbuckers, etc. It was a lovely bass, but not a lot of output compared to my Status & Warwick basses.[/quote] That's odd. My SRX700 (4 strings to your 5!) slays both my Warwicks (Streamer LX amd Infinity SN4) in terms of output level. All three are using 9v electrics. The only basses I own that can match it are; Iceni Zoot Chaser (SD MM HB and 18v electrics) Vigier Passion V (18v electrics again) Yamaha Attitiude (evilly hot DiMarzios - passive, too.) Ibanez EDB 600 (more of the same)

[quote name='G-bitch' post='81185' date='Oct 30 2007, 11:19 AM']I have to chime in about second hand amps. Don't avoid like the plague at all - look at any install and you'll see a bank of amps that have probably been working their tits off almost daily for years. You will notice that there are no behringer amps, Thomann amps, etc. etc. in such rigs and there's a reason for it. Loads of high quality power amps out there second hand which will provide you with years of service, no point in buying new unless you are paranoid about failures (it is a small risk) or want one of the newer class D lightweight amps. Presumably you don't give too much of a fudge about weight as it'll live in a rack on its own and therefore be very easily manageable rather than in a 10u with several other bits of kit! Plenty of bargain power amps about from the likes of Crown, QSC, Yamaha etc - check Sound On Sound readers ads as well as ebay.[/quote] I was speaking from (bitter) experience... The Second- Hand QSC I bought died. The Second- Hand Ampeg Pre that I bought is terminally unreliable. In spite of it being serviced. On the other hand, my 15-year old Trace head is running just fine. I had it serviced for £80 about a year ago due to my "paranoia" about failures. I'm currently running a 65% failure rate overall, and 100% of those are second hand items. Twice bitten, third time ain't even happening... I'll buy another bass instead!

[quote name='Beedster' post='79844' date='Oct 26 2007, 03:49 PM']So, let me get this thread straight, an Ibanez Ergodyne is potentialy useful if you're band's gigging in Baghdad? [/quote] It is heavy enough to bludgeon people effectively with, yes. Not that I've tried!

[quote name='Beedster' post='81602' date='Oct 31 2007, 08:16 AM']Exectly my point . I'm keeping some money on stanby in case you decide to sell amyway. +1 for the rest of your post also. Related in a strange but just about justifiable way, I rode an old Enfield around India a few years back. It wouldn't have been the same experience on a Honda Chris[/quote] I was thinking in terms of motorbikes whilst reading this thread, But came up with this analogy; Precision = Harley Davidson Warwicks = BMW Ibanez / Yamahas = Suzuki / Kawasaki / Honda and er... YAMAHA! There's a definite parallel there in terms of design philosophy and engineering execution. It's also fairly safe to say that both types of manufacturer aim at specific areas or niches in the marketplace and that their products, almost by definition, sell well in their own domestic market. Then there are the custom boys and "Streetfighter" modifications... Equally prevalent in both worlds.

+1 for; Colin Moulding (XTC) Pete Trewavas (Marillion) Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Expt, King Crimson etc. etc. etc.) And I'll add Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) especially on the albums "I'm the man" and "Look Sharp". Done with a Plectrum on an Ibanez Roadstar IIRC!