Lfalex v1.1

Try; Geddy Lee MIJ Jazz. Marcus Miller MIJ Jazz. Squier 70's VMJ and put a BadAss and better strings on it (but hunt down a 2-piece bodied one!) MIAs There are some MIM gems out there, but they'll take some effort to find! P.S. MIA= made in America, MIJ = Japan, MIM= Mexico. You may also see CIJ or CII ("Crafted in" Japan or Indonesia respectively) Be aware that there are some "nice looking" vintage-vibe Fenders out there. I happened on a lovely looking (new but vintage) Precision which bore "Fender" on the headstock and had no price on it in a shop. I couldn't find any place of manufacture on it, so I asked the salesperson if I could have a go... He got it off the wall, but kept trying to grab it back from me. Bottom line - Mexican ( I had to ask in the end) [size=5]£658[/size] !!! Caveat Emptor, methinks!

I have just acquired an Ibanez EDB600. Pretty good for what I paid, but Oh! The 3Band EQ is amazing. It fits the bass and my ears perfectly. I own 2 other basses with 3band Eq, A Stingray 5 Fretless and an Iceni Zoot Chaser with an East E-pro in it. Neither of which can shape the sound as appropriately as the (presumably in-house) Ibanez EQ. So the thought occurred to me; How well matched to the basses are the EQs? I couldn't say for definite, but I reckon the EQ in the 'Ray 5 is the same as the 'Ray 4 AND the Sterling, Irrespective of piezos and frets / lack of. Isn't it more appropriate that a Fretless, 5, or ERB should have different EQs to complement their sound/purpose? Systems with a Variable Mid Frequency seem like a step in the right direction. The Vigier Passion's system with variable Frequency (but just one band + or -) can be tailored, but rolls off at 80Hz. Fine for boosting the first Harmonic of an open "E" on a 4 string, but in a 5, wouldn't a 60HZ cutoff be better (1st Harmonic of open "B") Please discuss, I'd be interested to hear what suggestions and ideas people have (besides adding EQ at the amp end!!) In particular, any submissions with more adjustable on board EQs would be most enlightening!!

[quote name='Sibob' post='51903' date='Aug 28 2007, 07:39 PM']+1 for Mike Walsh Si[/quote] I've seen a "Funkmeister" body sprayed in the "reflex" (colour shifting) paint jobs that TVR use. He'd done a nice job on it. Personally, I'd favour a pearlescent finish. Perhaps white over electric blue... Mmmmm.

I am fortunate enough to own or have played all but the Deans and Spectors you mention. If you like the "P" neck profile, try; Yamaha BB series or the Attitudes Ibanez ATKs Otherwise, Yamaha RBXs might prove too skinny, and TRBs too broad and flat Most Ibanez may feel too slim, especially up by the nut (SR, SRX, Ergodyne etc) Otherwise, try before you buy! Alternatively, can you alter your technique? I can tolerate all of the above easily enough. I only struggled with a TRB6 as it felt [i]so[/i] unfamiliar. Given time, I'd have become used to it. I only have average sized hands. That said, Warwick Thumbs and Infinities feel odd because of the 26 frets and the way the short upper horn "throws" the first fret so far away.

[quote name='cetera' post='49419' date='Aug 23 2007, 11:33 AM']I hear you..... wonderful times.... [/quote] They certainly were. Nick, Alex, Grant and Chris had a lot of money off of me. And I've still got all but one piece of gear that I bought there (A Russian Bigmuff, BTW) Currently, I'm frequenting PMT (Southend or Romford) and BassMerchant. The BassCellar has always left me underwhelmed. I've never found the Gallery, but I can't be bothered to traipse all the way out to Camden just to go there. It's not like Camden has anything else to offer... Well, not for me, anyway.

Aesthetically - Gold Practically - Black (or predominantly black) I've found that all my gold hardware has worn and gone green over the years, in spite of wiping it down with a soft cloth after playing. The Black stuff is still smooth, clean and... Black. With Zero maintenance.

Ask Freuds_Cat... He's the SVP Pro valve expert around here (and Dood!) Failing that, have a Google around...

[quote name='ped' post='49977' date='Aug 24 2007, 10:11 AM']Hello mate!! You knew it wouldn't be long until I got myself a 5! Mine is number 086 - 23/04/91. That sits between my fretted 4 (15/10/88) and fretless (16/10/95). It really is a dream! The only problem I have had is with the screw in saddles on the bridge - the G string one does not screw in far enough. 5 mins with a file sirted that out! Cheers mate, lets see some pics of yours again! ped[/quote] Your wish is my command..

[quote name='alexclaber' post='49917' date='Aug 24 2007, 07:00 AM']They're the last people I'd listen to! Alex[/quote] Except for the fact that I tried a (Hifi) mains conditioner on my Ampeg SVP-PRO, and it worked wonders. Too big and heavy for gigging, but it gets used for recording... Experimentation is the key, provided you a) already have something similar or have access to one to try out. Then you can decide for yourself.

[attachment=1918:Ibanez_EDB600_rs.jpg] An Ibanez "ERGODYNE" EDB600. Hewn from the now defunct "Luthite" resin, which (apparently) no-one liked because of the tone and weight issues. I am not averse to lugging heavy instruments around. The clarity of tone is unusual, but it'll cut through just about anything, mix-wise. 3 band EQ is one of the best pre-amps I've heard. The bands are spot on, and should be named "Depth, Growl and Air" rather than Bass, Mid and Treble, so well are they voiced. Pick-ups are okay Body's ergonomically very good but heavy. Needed a bit of 'rod and action tweaking, but other than that, it's all good. Pity they never made a [i]hardcore[/i] one, with better Pick-ups and a Graphite neck... Oh yes! The cost? [size=6]£80[/size] Ridiculous.

For some reason, I don't feel myself GASsing for this new Vigier acquisition... What year is it? Mine's Jan 1996... Although it is a Passion STD. I believe yours to be a CUSTOM. (Difference being solid colours over Alder wings vs. Stains/Lacquer over Maple Wings) Otherwise identical apart from the control knobs...

This hasn't helped my ASAT GAS at all, you know... I really fancy a solid one, mind you. I should've bought the last one I played. It was excellent. Still wouldn't mind a comparison with a Warwick $$ though.

Wellllll... I use a Proamplifiers "Demon" combo for home practise. I think it's has about 80w under the hood. It's got a sealed enclosure, and a 1x12" driver I assume it's solid-state throughout. I gather it's mid-80's in origin. Still going (very) strong and sounds excellent (primarily due to it's simplicity, I suspect) It can't cut it against a full band, which is a pity. Lots of people have remarked very positively on it over the years. I've owned it for about 12 years, now. Sorry I can't tell you more about 'em.

AC has it right. I use a Trace AH300 SMX (much like the 1210) and I had an 1110 before that... I leave the EQ off and the pre-shape off, too. With my 2004 MIA Jazz, I run the bass thus; [b]Neck 90% Bridge 75% Tone 75%[/b] The Squier 70's VMJ has a different set of strengths, so; [b]Neck 75% Bridge 90% Tone 50-75%[/b] Those are approximate, but close enough. Has the 1210 got the dual compressor / EQ balance control? I use just a smidge of high compression and no more than 25% on the low compression (just to smooth things out a little and protect the cabs from transients!) If you do have these controls, try adjusting the EQ balance a [i]little[/i] until you can get your sound to nestle in the mix...

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='46444' date='Aug 16 2007, 02:27 PM']Don't luthiers/manufacturers normally go to great lengths to screen cavities from the pup magnets... so someone starts fitting magnets to hold screened cavity covers on [/quote] Perhaps they're arrranged so as to be humbucking. Or something.

[quote name='Alpha-Dave' post='46321' date='Aug 16 2007, 11:53 AM']Wow, I didn't expect to be this lack of response! Is everyone else going to the South East on then?[/quote] I wish... Scuppered by work again. Actually it was the Missus that made me miss the last Northants one due to a hissy fit.

[quote name='BassBod' post='44508' date='Aug 12 2007, 05:18 PM']I'd suggest changing the circuit first, and see what you think of the MEC pickups after that?.....BB[/quote] Or the other way around. My '97 Streamer LX VI came with the MEC 2 band and a pair of (SD) Basslines. It's no hotter in output terms than my Infinity SN IV (which shares the 2 band EQ), but it does sound warmer and "grittier" than any MEC pick-upped Warwick I've ever played.

Aren't they Schaller straplock compatible? My 2004 MIA has those. They're nice and tight, too. Never worked loose! They don't have any real "flange" on them, so using a naked strap on them means it'll probably fall off. Get thee some Schaller straplocks. You can get 'em nearly anywhere. Cost about £15 in silver. More in black or gold. Faliling that, use some Grolsch bottle rubber washers over the top of the strap...

I had just the opposite... I quit the last band I was in (first time I've ever walked out of one in a decade's playing) due to the other three repeatedly turning up late for practice by more than an hour each time and saying that they were tired and hungry when they'd been off all day and I'd come straight from a nightshift, not having slept for 24+ hours or eaten for 12. It only takes a month of that before you leave... Plus, they'd sacked the second guitarist, who, by my reckoning was the most melodically capable and technically able player I've encountered to date. He was such a nice guy, too. They handled it very badly, and persisted in kicking him out in spite of my protests. I left 3 months ago. They keep 'phoning / mailing my wife to try to get her to persuade me to do recording work and the occasional live gig for them... Strangely, the other guitarist has also refused to help them. Let the A-holes stick together (irrespective of what instrument they play). They can form their own little club and leave the rest of us to get on with the [i]music[/i]

Eeeek. I'm sure that ANY custom from a respected luthier (Iceni, RIM, Shuker, Sei, Goodfellow... etc.) would be very good. My concern would be whether or not the said instrument would fulfill EXACTLY what the prospective purchaser wanted. It's a bit of a curate's egg; How can you try it before it's built? And if you don't like it when it is, what then? This would drive me to; i) Order a bass from a less well-known luthier (whose work I'd sampled) to minimise financial risk ii) Buy a used (custom) bass. Costs less [i]and[/i] you get to try it first... iii) Spend ages with a "Leo's Breadboard" style bass working on pick-up combinations/ positions/ EQ systems to work out what you want before visiting a luthier (assuming you don't want a standard model or something derived from another existing design) Call me cynical, but there are just TOO many variables in there for me to confidently order something I haven't already played...

You can't beat a good, visible, accurate tuner. I'd rather not be "tied" to the front panel of my amp to tune, leaving me 2 solutions; i) A pedal (the Boss TU2s are good) ii) A rackmount with a BIG display. I bought a Korg DTR1000Ltd. It's excellent. Fast & accurate. It lives with a pre / power in a 4u case. What amp / combo manufacturers ought to do is build in a 1u space in the MDF carcass of their models. Then the end-user can fit whatever they want. Adds to the weight, though. Such is the price of flexibility...

Endorka is dead right. Plus; Can play against a drone / pedalled open string for chordal work The open string gives an accurate pitch as a reference point when playing fretless. Many fretless / upright players use numerous open strings to help them keep in good tune.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='41506' date='Aug 5 2007, 10:31 AM']Passive basses are convenient and practical but all the basses I've liked the sound of have been active. The active eq will not change the inherent character of your bass significantly it will just emphasise or cut whatever is already there. If the bass sounds good in the first place, being active or passive will make less of a difference. My Smiths sound as good whether active or passive.[/quote] The same is true of My Vigier. It's just that I'm not too keen on the boost/cut (+/- 15 dB at any frequency between 80Hz and 5kHz) being of a fixed value. If you could vary [i]Q[/i] as well as [i]F[/i] it'd be awesome. I'm inclined to think that too many active EQ's add a little something (try zeroing the bass / treble etc. and bypassing the active circuit to compare) And some circuits genuinely introduce gain of their own. It's a pity that more don't come with trim pots to tame it. Perhaps that's why I like the two passive basses - They're [i]already[/i] good in the first place. Which sounds like I'm slating the Warwicks... maybe it's the MEC electrics (bleugh!) I do like having a passive tone control on active instruments. They add a whole extra dimension, and they're an inexpensive addition. I'm surprised that you don't see more of them. How good would a Marcus Miller Jazz be if you fitted stacked Vol/Tone (passive) controls in addition to the active ones. And then threw out the evil fender active circuit and replaced it with a J-retro or Aguilar system!

Whilst I realise that active EQ can add a lot of flexibility to a bass, it never seems to alter the fundamental (sorry!) tonal characteristics of the instrument in question. I've been favouring my 2 passive tone monsters recently (A Yamaha Attitude w/Elixirs and a Squier 70's VMJ w/ DRs and a BadAssII) If I bypass the active circuits on 4 of my instruments (Warwick Infinity SN IV, Streamer LX VI, Vigier Passion V, Iceni Zoot Chaser) they all sound bland and gutless, with the exception of of the Vigier, which sounds "cleaner" The passives just sound and feel more "immediate" in the way they respond to the player's input. So... The question. Do you gain the flexibility and lose the tone, or have the tone and forego the active EQ? OR... Is there a sonic Nirvana out there that I've missed, where both co-exist? Thoughts, opinions and examples, folks!!

[quote name='The Burpster' post='41483' date='Aug 5 2007, 08:50 AM']To me it shows you dont necasarily need the latest gizmo louded gadget to create unbelieveable music...... If I could play it and 1% of Herbies abilty rubbed off onto me, I would be a 100% better bass player for it...... Herbie rocks.....! (knackered old bass or not!)[/quote] Absolutley right! He's wicked...