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Shove one of these onto the standard pickup on my Fleabass: http://www.probass.co.uk/StingerEQ.html Anyone tried one? The standard pickup is okay, but not terribly clear or detailed, but it is not too bad - I was thinking that this may give it a bit more clarity and definition. I was going to update the pickup later on to a Seymour Duncan or EMG 35..... Thoughts?

Manners and care are just what I ask for. I have shared countless guitar amps and borrowed - be courteous and polite, ask about the equipment and how the owner would like you to use it - note down any changed settings - etc etc etc - treat it as though it was your own. It is simple. I have only had an issue with an alleged 'creative' person using my equipment...I.e. A guy who believed his own ego that he was a great singer/songwriter; someone who basically does not give a sh*t about whose equipment they use or the costs therein and just abuses it without realizing they are abusing it. Because it's all about the music and the world that revolves around them......apparently I should have been thankful that he chose my amp to borrow....c*nt.

The status pickups were £51 and the sound from status basses is pretty clear. So, I guess more clarity and £51 is not a bad price. **I was trying to stay with passive electronics....!

I bought a Fleabass for £149 delivered. Nothing wrong with it, plays fine - could do with a pickup upgrade, but no immediate issue. Everything works and it stays in tune just fine. Also, got a Ibanez 5 string GSR200 for £140 secondhand. Not bad for a dual 'buckered active 5 - plays nice, although I am not used to a 5.

Swapping the crap 'noname' pickup that I have, for a Status pickup - just to clarify.

not sure if this is the right bit of the forum, but here goes; Status pickups; are they any good? I am considered a soapbar swap and want to stay passive - Does anyone have any example of sounds or experience with the pickups as a retrofit?

MK...hmmm...I am not a Level 42 fan. But, man, he can play bass. There was allot of stuff on the records that sounds to sterile to my ear, like it is a synth.....I know it is not synth, but I guess that is his sound and clinical ability.

The Beatles were of a generation, a time and a place. So, I think it is not just about the tunes but about the culture and what was happening in the UK at that time. Of course, this was way before my time on this planet, so, I guess I don't relate to them as a movement. However, when I compare what they were producing to what other British bands were producing - they were very good. I am happy to listen to a few records, my preference is the later period - Sgt Pepper. Pretty good pop music and I like a few songs - Are they worth the hype and hysteria; well I guess you had to be there and experience the cultural revolution first hand. So, I have allot of time for the people who want to talk about it all from first hand experience. But there seems to be something slightly 'false' about people who were not there, yet are still hysterical about The Beatles....kinda feels like gravy train or a sheep mentality that found out nothing new and are unable to adapt to new songwriting, but have no cultural connection at all to the period. So many people claim that the Beatles influenced them, but have never gone back to see who influenced the Beatles..... I was there in Norwich when Nirvana player at the Waterfront in 1990, so, I guess that is my Beatles moment - My 3yo daughter may never understand the hysteria that surrounded grunge in my yoof....But that is where I learned about music, what clothes to wear and became culturally aware; Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, RHCP and so on guided my look and my persona to some degree. And I think the same can be said for The Beatles; More than music, it was a revolution and they were at the head of the charge.

PRS: Great guitar, lovely to play. Mesa amps; well built, reliable and sound great in the right hands ( I find Mesa amps really sterile when I have used them - not suited to my playing style) But a shitload of cash does not buy talent....And I don't really care what people use as long as it sounds good and makes them feel good. In the band I play with, the guitar player has a PRS, it is beautiful to play. But he does nothing with the flexibility of the guitar - it is either clean or distorted to kingdom come..... I have always been happiest with a simple rig; the guitar I used the most throughout my career was a Mexican Fender 'Road Worn' strat with custom shop pickups, played great and sounded great. my preference was for Fender Prosonic amps, but I tended to use one only and have a backup, just in case and very few effects, like 1 or 2 with me. Even playing a few big Arenas; 2 or 3 guitars, 2 amps and maybe 3 pedals.....job done. I think that people forget that each member of the band contributes to give the music colour.....An over active ego is very easy to spot and can ruin a great sound.

We had to do a gig at a well known London club as a warm up for an international tour - it was for a boy band and several female vocalists, just a backing band for the names. Onstage I had; 2 x Fender Strats my first one was a 1960 clone Custom Shop relic in Candy apple red. The second was an SRV with a few mods to make it less SRV'ish and it had the clapton boost fitted. My amps were a Fender Prosonic 2 x 10 and an old Fender Twin 2 x 12. A Dunlop GCB95 Wah wah and 2 boost pedals (MXR clean boost and Ibanez TS9) and an amp switch. Simple setup - Normally I used a JCM800 Jubilee, but I did not fancy hauling the cab about and it was overkill for the size of the gig. A 'fly' rig as such. A middle aged guy came up to me and said 'Fender amps are sh*t, that is gonna sound so sh*t and why would a boy band need a guitar player?'....he tutted and said something about how I should be using Mesa Boogie if I was a 'real' guitar player.....he said something about his Mesa Rig, pedal board and Gibson guitars, but I was not listening. I was talking with my shared tech (shared with the bass player) about mic'ing up..... My retort 'What the f*ck is a middle aged man doing at a boy band gig?' He walked off..... I hate gear snobbery.......

A callus of bassei Sounds rather latin....

As above - They were working, but have been in the garage for a while. I will try and test to confirm. Local collection preferred from Bristol or can box up and post for postage costs.....may be high as they are heavy. PM me.

A Punch of Bassei A Depth of Bassei

I am thinking I will stay - passive / passive. The Warwick I am borrowing is passive, not mine to f*ck with. The Fleabass I am rebuilding is passive and sounds okay, I will eq it up! Cheers!

Anyone using both active and passive bases on their rig? Do you encounter gain problems when swapping over? i.e. When you change bass during a gig you have to modify amp setting to cope?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1360341612' post='1969035'] Why do you want to boost it? Wouldn't turning the input gain on your amp up be cheaper? [/quote] This is very very true!

If I have a basic pickup, can I add a normal active boost to it? Or does it have to be a pickup designed to be boosted? I.e. My Fleabass project, I quite like the pickup, but feel I need a boost. The aguilar OBP1 looks a likely candidate!

Top tip: If clothing starts a stinkin' : sweat soaked or left in a corner for too long. Put whatever item of clothing on and wash in the shower with head an shoulders shampoo. A, you get to have a shower, be clean and have dandruff free hair. B, Head and Shoulders kills the bacteria that smell in sweaty clothing - nice clean unsmelly clothing! Works a treat in cycle kit that is perma sweaty.....and I don't have dandruff. **may stain certain materals though!

And shag like your life depends on it! These opportunities to flourish in new cities rarely appear.....! As a bass player, chicks will think that you are hung like a stallion, let them believe this..... **Cause in my case....it ain't strictly true! Hence I played guitar for years....

Remember it is fun, more than anything else - YOU ARE ON TOUR!!!!! Don't overspend, very easy to come back with less in your pocket than you started with. Keep your receipts! Bulk buy your strings and pack a few extra cables. A multitool, cable ties and duck tape can fix almost anything!