Lfalex v1.1

Which reminds me; A Venue once had a rig laid on. It was the familiar [b]Hartke[/b] pairing of the [b]HA3500 head[/b] and [b]XL 4.5 Cabinet[/b]. I was using my [b]Warwick Infinity SN4 [/b](strung with Elixirs) Clean, snappy, refined, (From the Hartke) and loads of Growl from the Warwick with a really solid fundamental from that heavy slab of Zebrano... For once complimented by, not sabotaged by the MEC pick-ups and Electrics!

[quote name='andy67' post='71143' date='Oct 8 2007, 06:01 PM']as promised! laflex; a precision bass bridge (proper one that is) works better in my view than a badass.... [/quote] Depends what you want it to do (sonically)! I like the pics! I might definitely "invest" in one. I, too have an "Attitude problem!" (just the one though). I'd feel the urge (except that's Stu Hamm's) to do what you've done with the VM tele, then shove a "P" in the middle as well as the neck HB, and then a J down by the bridge. I sometimes wish the Attitudes had a HB/P/J layout, but there's no way I'm butchering this chap to achieve it:

[quote name='Musky' post='71334' date='Oct 8 2007, 11:01 PM']Not bass related, but Pete Townshend used to swear that there was a synergy between certain guitars/amps that surpassed anything you could get out of them in different combinations, The example he gave wasn't what you'd imagine either, being a Gretsch/Vibrolux (or something along those lines). For bass it'd have to be Precision/Ampeg. Though you all knew that anyway. [/quote] This was the sort of thought that inspired the thread, not that I'd heard Townshend express it in those terms. There are definitely combinations in which the whole exceeds the sum of the parts. I have noticed that the Ampeg pre-amp that I use does sound very good with my MIA Jazz and Stingray 5 fretless. Perhaps they (Ampeg) deliberately "voiced" the pre to sound good with popular home-grown instruments. I suppose if you're in the amp manufacturing business, it does pay to make your designs broadly compatible with popular designs/models. Then more people might buy them!

If Squier can repeat the quality/value trick they performed with the Vintage Modified series with a 5-string version, they'd be formidable... I was waiting for my car to have new brake pads fitted, and spent 2 hours in a nearby guitar shop. I played my way through about 20 basses, mainly Deans, Ibanez, Fenders, Corts, G&L tributes and a Tokai. Prices ranged from <£200 to >£900. The best (for me) were an Ibanez BTB 400/405, and the Squier 70's VM Jazz. There was a CIJ Marcus Miller Jazz and a (MIA) Fender Deluxe Jazz in amongst those tried. They were okay, but not £650 better than the VMJ. The expensive Cort was hamstrung by some truly dead strings, though. I was using an Ashdown 2x10 combo of some sort. I really didn't like it much (!)

My first "big" amp was a Trace 1110 that belonged to "Rock Bitch", the infamous all-girl band. That had been heavily gigged (and more besides, doubtless) The internal foam wadding looked like a smoker's lungs! I took it out (bleugh!) and replaced it. Maybe I should just have shoved a [i]Magic Tree [/i]in through the port slot and prayed...

I'd like to try one with a Model One and the appropriate BadAss (III, I think. They're strings through body, aren't they? The one I saw was. That's a 3, by the way, Not a stutter!)

As the thread title says, post the best combinations of equipment you've used. Please explain what made it special so that those interested in a certain sound, feel or range of features can explore some suggestions... It doesn't have to be your rig, it can be one you've tried/ used, too. (Wasn't too sure where to post this, so please move it if needs be, mods!) My opening gambits; [b]Bass:[/b]1997 Warwick Streamer LX VI (Strung with Steel Rotosound Strings) [b]Pre-amp:[/b] Ampeg SVP-PRo [b]Power amp:[/b] QSC PLX1202 [b]Cabinet:[/b] Trace Elliot 1048h Why? Superb growl from the Wenge neck and Maple body. Good weighty tone from the heavy Maple body. All-Valve tone from the Ampeg, Oodles of power (1400w Bridged) from the QSC, which really lifted the performance of the otherwise ordinary 1048h to new levels. None of these components came from the same manufacturer, yet they all perform excellently together. A good all-round set-up for a rock/prog rock sound. A bit heavy to lug around, though! [b]Bass:[/b] Ibanez EDB600, a Luthite one. (Strung with DR FatBeams) + A Fat finger. [b]Pre-amp:[/b] Hartke VXL Bass Attack (Pedal) [b]Mixer:[/b] Phonic 1202 [b]Headphones:[/b] Sennheiser HD215 The perfect home practice set-up (for me) Cleanest Hi-Fi tone you could want, especially if you bypass the VXL's controls and use it as a DI box. The Ibanez's Pick-ups and 3-band EQ provide plenty of adjustment, tone wise. I plug an MP3 player into the mixer to jam along to songs. The headphones are closed-back, which means I don't disturb anyone, nor they me. There's very little tonal colouration from anything but the bass itself. The VXL can use 9v battery power, an external adaptor (I got a well regulated 1000mAh one from Maplin) OR Phantom power from the mixer. I forgot that it could provide it at first, but the 48v power gives the VXL tons of clean headroom. Super clean, Super quiet (noise-wise), doesn't disturb anyone, very compact (I can get all but the bass in a 9"x6"x18" case) and so cheap it hurts (£250 inc. all cables and the bass, but excluding the MP3 player) It's going to France with me next time I go there on hols, but it's left me GASsing for an original-style Steinberger to make it more compact still!

I use the "usual" alternating middle/index system, except that I damp the string above the one I'm striking with my third finger and play "through" the string into the damped string. I use my pinky to pop when slapping, as it can fit between the G and D strings more easily than my third finger. Oh, and my thumb to slap with (on the rare occasion that I do...) I still classify myself as a 2-finger player, though.

[quote name='ped' post='70411' date='Oct 6 2007, 07:21 PM']I have a zero fret on my basses and the nut IS made of PlayDoh![/quote] Are you sure? I thought they were nylon/phenolic! Zero Frets are good. I have two basses with them (not both Vigiers, though!) and they have superb actions. Otherwise, I like brass nuts, having them on 3 basses. The rest have Nylon or Graphlon. TBH, I wouldn't bother to change them unless there was something wrong that needed changing. Then I'd have a brass one cut...

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='69855' date='Oct 5 2007, 09:36 AM']I'm with dlloyd on this - buy a used Sterling - I think there's two up for sale on here now and I would imagine the price would be in the same ball park.[/quote] AND you get the coil switching, a "better" neck (well, unpanted...) and a better finish / wood (especially if you get a transparent finish.) thrown in

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='68982' date='Oct 3 2007, 11:14 AM']Actually... is this because it's not RoHS compliant?[/quote] Royal Horticultural Society...?

Just as a bit of background info; Why do you need to adjust the pole-piece height? Is it to match stringe-to-string output levels? (The following ideas are based on this assumption) If so, I'd ask the obvious question- Have you tried changing your strings for i) A new set ii) A different make, gauge or type (assuming that's acceptable!) Finally, is there a set-up compromise that could be made to ameliorate the problems that you are experiencing? Could you tweak the action of the offending string to compensate? Might be worth a go. Usually, adjustable pole-pieces are immediately obvious. They're usually threaded around the outside edge, and have recessed allen/hex key heads to permit adjustment. Non-adjustable pole-pieces are more common. One other idea (if it's a G or E that's offending) is to tilt the pick up at that end (G or E) up or down to compensate. It won't affect the opposite string, and the effects on the middle two (D & A) will be minimal...

If it's to regulate a Boss effect or Multi FX, Roland ones will work, too...

Just don't get a tutor like the one I had (definitely past tense!) who only wanted to teach me what he wanted to teach me, and not what I might have wanted to learn... I was willing to compromise- 50/50 of what he thought was good, allied to what I actually wanted to learn. (Slap technique was a request) Y'know... bit of stick, bit of carrot. I told him to shove it. Sure he was good in some ways, but couldn't play by ear as well as I could OR play straight "rock" tunes either (Jazz was his forte) A decade later, still no slap and a REAL aversion to teachers. Damn I need some love!

Cut 'em with a router with a 45degree bevel bit in it. Bingo. No need to angle your jigsaw. Clamp it to a bit of chipboard or MDF on a workmate so it won't skid. Use a template if need be, and leave the protective sheet on it to prevent scratches from the soleplate. Good thing about routers is you can set the plunge depth very accurately, and it'll cut through scratchplates like a hot knife through butter!

I don't really get slap either. I know what "good" sounds like; Miller, Levin, Johnson, Edwards, etc. But I can't replicate it, nor find any accessible tunes to use as a starting point. All I have learned (from experimenting) is to strike the string lightly and swiftly, and from not too great a distance away from the string. As with all things bass, economy of movement is key. The guys who are good make it look like no effort at all. Not because it is "easy" [i]per se[/i] but because the actual effort involved is quite small. It's how the small amounts of energy are precisely directed that governs the sound. (Which is true of all styles, in fact!)

[quote name='Beedster' post='68171' date='Oct 1 2007, 02:45 PM']All true, no complaints, they are great bridges, but perhaps the need for such hi-fi tine and the design of the bridge was a function of its time (i.e., 1970s). A lot of players - myself included - have reverted to original Fender bridges, which are, in keeping with many aspects of Fender's craftsmanship, somewhat cruder but have a tonal quality of their own. My '73 Precision, which has a lovely low growly thump with the original bridge, sounded much less so when I installed a Badass, so I re-installed the original. Like so many other things in music, the idea that a technology 'improves' something such as tone is more accurately stated as technology 'changes' that thing. 'Improvement' is a very subjective term. Having said that, I have a Badass II on my fretless Precision! Chris[/quote] I have a BAII on my Squier 70's VMJ, but a Fender unit on my 2004 MIA Jazz. The Attitude still has its standard (hefty) brass bridge... Different sounds for different basses. It'd be dull if they all sounded the same!

They may not be pretty, but do have a greater degree of engineering content than the original Fender/Squier items. There are other bass bridges out there (ABM, Kahler etc.) and these all have their various merits and de-merits. The BadAsses do improve the attack/sustain and clarity/harmonic content of notes, giving a more modern tone than the stock items. Many famous Fender users have them fitted; (and they appear on their signature instruments also) Marcus Miller Mike Dirnt Geddy Lee Steve Harris (no signature that I'm aware of) This at least gives you an opportunity to A/B a BadAssed (!) Fender Model against a Non-BadAssed model. Lots of people here own Marcus Miller/Geddy Lee Jazzes. They're well regarded instruments, on the whole. I've never seen any complaints aimed at the bridges (yet!)

[quote name='E_MaN' post='66660' date='Sep 27 2007, 10:45 PM']I put down yyz perfectly twice but never done it again ever...I hate that song now....[/quote] This comment exemplifies why I try not to ruin (difficult) songs that I love by spending ages trying to learn them. It can rob them of the Magic. If I listen to something and have a "lightbulb moment", I may attempt it, but otherwise.. No. I've solved Deeper Underground by Jamiroquai in that manner , and Selling Jesus (Skunk Anansie) also. There's lots of tunes I can't play, but lack of time, inability/unwillingness to slap and unwillingness to de-tune/re-tune are the main reasons. I'm lucky if I can get through a single song uninterrupted (by other people) these days!

Failure's version of [i]Enjoy the Silence[/i] by Depeche Mode is at least a match for the original (and it's hardly a bad song to start with) Tori Amos' [i]Smells like Teen Spirit [/i]is very different, and arguably better. Overkill's [i]Frankenstein[/i] really does better the Edgar Winters Band's original, complete with BC Riches and Double Kick drums! I'll add more as I think of them!

Don't rule out FatBeams! They're good (but quite soft feeling- due to the round core) If they're good enough for Marcus Miller, they're good enough for me... (45,65,80,100)

I own an SRX700 (and I'm not selling it!) and an EDB600, the Luthite one. They're both excellent (for the money) The EDB cost £80 secondhand. The SRX was about £450. The EDB has the better EQ, the SRX the better pick-ups. both play really well (with a bit of nifty setting-up from yours truly) Good string choices; Elixirs (as fitted from new) DR Marcus Miller FatBeams

[quote name='King Tut' post='64538' date='Sep 23 2007, 10:51 PM']You're correct - you don't need to wax the coloured oil finishes. I use furniture polish....shock horror!![/quote] Yup! I have a Streamer LX6 in "Honey Violin". I just use a bit of polish on a cloth. Wax the back of the neck if you like. I've used Lemon oil (very sparingly) on the Wenge Fretboards with no ill-effects. Just don't go turning that open grain into lots of little lemony reservoirs!

If Born to Rock did a J/J or a J/MM or a J/JJ versions, preferably active, I'd own one by now. That said, with the Dollar crumbling, you might scrape through at about £2k to get one here... I am tempted, but I'd have to play one first!!

With the current level of lending, borrowing and general financial unease, people will be; i) Hanging on to what they've got ii) Not [i]investing[/i] (and even I use the term loosely here!) in new kit iii) Rationalising their collections to obtain extra cash All of which tends to suggest "buyer's market" to me. Are other manufacturers similarly afflicted, or have the "Big W" fallen from grace?