bassmayhem

What makes the Lakie 55's outstanding is their very familiar feel, how they fit your hands, how they hang on your body. And - first of all - the 19 mm string spacing at the bridge making it very familiar if you are used to an old J, P or MM. Most other five strings have this narrow cramped spacing "not to make the neck uncomfortable". Heck, that's what make them uncomfortable. You feel immediately at home on a Lakie if you are a Fender type player. That's the thing. Nice review, Bubinga5!

A little porn with some British flavour... [IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/A20140613_180357_zpsa91f98e5.jpg[/IMG] My two 2126 with my now sold TE AH1000-12...

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1416446301' post='2610390'] Thanks for making me want both now How do you find the bottom end between the H115 (is that the newer smaller cabs or the older bigger ones?) and the 1126? I don't want a cab that's all mids and not enough bottom and requires a lot of EQ to sound "balanced". [/quote] A hard nut to crack, since I haven't got an old H115 or a 1126, just new (small) H115 and 2126. I'd say there is enough bottom in any of them but you get nicer mids with the 1126 or 2126. But that's my personal opinion. I could use any of them single woofer cabs as stand alone and still have sufficient power for an ordinary gig, with a twin woofer cab or two singles, well, Geronimo!!! And - I nearly never use eq. Maybe to cut some lows when necessary, which was NEVER the case with my old Eden D112XLT cabs...

Marc S, there is an old Haöström at the Bass Gallery, an HB8 eight string: http://www.thebassgallery.com/product_details.cfm?ID=2891&type=Bass%20Guitar Maybe you understand what I mean with Mickey Mouse-ish... More genuine charm than a quality instrument...

mcnach, I have a STL 900 and the 2126, the big brother to the 1126, as well as two H115's. Two 1126 cabs will NOT be percieved as "not as loud". They are more than enough powerful. Comparing the 1126 and H115, well, the 1126 has a more complex and full midrange, unbeatable for fretless bass. The H115 is more conventional and traditional sounding, but with a full and round low end. Definitely to order with a tweeter! I like them both.

We did a lightweight amp comparison with some odd "heavyweight champions" among them at the TKS facility two weeks ago. One of the conventional amps was a nice WalkAbout. We used a TKS H115 as reference speaker. The amps we checked were: - GK MB Fusion 500 - Genz Benz Streamliner 900 - Aguilar TH500 - Tecamp Puma 900 - EBS Reidmar - GK MB 200 - Genz Benz ShuttleMax 12.0 - TC Electronic RH 450 or 750, don't remember which... Also these of more conventional weight: - Mesa WalkAbout - Mesa Carbine M3 - Euphonic Audio iAmp 800 - EBS Classic 500 The favourite lightweight amp was the Streamliner 900, mostly for its very tubelike conventional tone, followed by the MB Fusion and TH500, but of different reasons. The two Mesa amps were the favourites among the heavier ones, M3 the cleaner and WA the meaner. My impression of the WA through the TKS H115 was that it sounded very good; the amp is rather easy to overdrive, but it overdrives very, very nice. Don't forget that the WA isn't that muscular in 8 ohms. Maybe this amp manage to play a bit cleaner when driving 4 ohms load. Comparing the WA and M3, the M3 was cleaner and more alike the STL 900 in tonal charachter. But - the WA into a beefy 115 sounded very... saucy and juicy, if you got my point. Wateroftyne has a real nice setup: two small 112's giving the amp the opportunity to work in 4 ohms. If I was to choose, I'd probably do like him. Or get two H115's like I have...

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1416328520' post='2609102'] Something a bit different! Nice to see old basses surviving and still being used I saw a couple of Hagstroms - if my memory serves me - but don't think I ever saw one like this What a great friend Thanks for posting [/quote] Yes, most of the old Hagström instruments were kinda Mickey Mouse-ish. This was the first real solid body bass before the fantastic Super Swede bass. (The original name was just DeLuxe, but a British magazine called it Super Swede, hence the change of name...) And - my friend is a gem. A gem in human shape!

Done! The whole bass... The body... The head... Southwards... Double strap buttons - perfect for parking the bass... The only thing not working is the tone control, be it the pot or the capacitor. Probably change to a Stellartone ToneStyler. I'll change the disgusting plastic nut (original) to a bone or graphite nut too. Yes, the pups are not exactly parallel. The neck pickup is slightly off axis. (Original Hagström vintage work...) Maybe I'll change them to some black pups when I add the ToneStyler, just to make it look nicer. It sounds really good, though. Very snappy, despite the all mahogany design. All metal parts except the tuning pegs are changed. Then just cleaning, polishing, oiling, wax on - wax off...

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1416139771' post='2607214'] That might be the key here. I inferred OP had a Jazz bass for some reason. The positioning of the bridge pickup on Jazz basses seems to accentuate certain harmonics, though I'm not sure about the physics behind it other than that the amplitude of the string is attenuated as you get closer to the bridge... [/quote] The closer you get to the end of the string, the more harmonics can be detected, as long as the string vibrates enough. Over a P-pup the amplitude (of the fundamental) is so big that it drowns a lit of the overtones more or less. Another thing to do if you don't want to carve up a P-bass: install a piezo bridge. That may do the trick, but you will also get all the mechanical sounds amplified...

I swapped my Spirocore for Weich a week ago. The "Like Factor" is very high. What is the main difference to Spiro Core? (Remember, this is my own subjective conclusion...) - First, they are softer to the fingers. - They sound a tad weaker, but have a tone that is a little "hammock shaped and snappier". - Also, I could bow them basically without rosin, only [i]Hans Andersson's Liquid Rosin[/i] impregnated in the horsehair, none on the strings. - Another difference is that they sound better amplified in my "somewhat boomy rig" when I run the Realist straight in. I use a Streamliner 900, that itself is very low freq friendly. The cab I used was not the perfect cab for an acoustic upright: my TKS H115 with tweeter, a cab that is very efficient in the low register. Then, the Realist itself enhances the lows quite a bit. I had to tweak the eq a lot to find a useful tone. When I used my EBS MicroBass II it was a major difference. I connected it to the amp's Aux In and bypassed the tube preamp. Night and day! Well, back to the strings... No downside? Well, they took some days to settle properly, since the core is synthetic they stretch a bit, but that is just to be expected. I really liked the power of the SpiroCore, but the tone and feel of the Weich is so nice, even if they have a bit lesser volume they are winners. There is a thing to notice: in the Pirastro website they state the Weich strings (and maybe the whole EP series, I didn't check) are only available in 3/4 scale. I contacted them about that and they answered: The set works for both 3/4 and 4/4 basses. Mine is a 4/4 bass with 110 cm (43,3") scale, and they fit perfect.

The best way to enhance harmonics on a P-bass is swapping it for a J-bass, or at least putting a bridge pickup on it. The P-bas is kinda limited in doing the Jaco things, due to the pickup placement.

Quality costs! Rolls Royce costs! Are they so much better? They don't need to - they're RR...

I've had two 55-02, still have one, as well as a US 55-94. These basses have B-strings to die/kill for. The difference between the 55-02 and 55-94 is marginal, mostly the touch of the neck - oiled on US, laquered on Skyline - and somewhat heavier Skyline. The B-string is fundamental. I have a Yamaha JP2 also, it has the same 35" scale and a really firm low end, but still the Lakie B is in a league of its own. I have never played a Lakie with the LH3 system, though, just two generations of Barts...

The body and neck are both mahogany. I feared they would make a midrangey tone, but it is as twangy - maybe even more twangy - as my old Fender J'78. I'd say it sounds like an ordinary Jazz Bass with Badass and DiMarzios. About the colour combo: the body and the neck are both the same colour, not only the face of the head. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll get it ready to play.

[font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]An old friend gave me a bass, partly functional, as a restoration project, just like that.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]It is an old Hagström Jazz Bass/Scan Bass. During a transition period the basses had different names, no names, a lot of different parts and pickups. This one has no labeling other than Hagström. My friend bought it second hand around '82. It was "rather beaten up and distressed" already. It is playable, but the electronics must be fixed. It is an early one, so it must have passed 40 by now.[/size][/font] [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]I've straightened the neck and swapped bridge to an old Badass II. To my surprise the old pups work, even if I had to fasten the pole pieces and glue them with super glue. The only things I need to buy are screws for the pick guard and pups, and one and a half set of strap locks. (There are two strap buttons at the body end; perfect when putting down the bass...) The neck is FANTASTIC, btw. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]The pick guard is a piece of quality; three layer black-white-aluminium plate(!) making the bass heavily shielded and grounded.[/size][/font][/color] [font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]Friends like this don't grow on trees...[/size][/font]

A friend bought my MP Guitars Level 6 some year/years ago and have it up for sale. I told him about your thread... The bass - a nice bass - is for sale at a very good price. It is the bottom one in MY sales pic. (All basses sold...) Fender 3/4" spacing @ bridge, around P-bass spacing @ nut. Nice, rather flat C neck, 35" scale. Barts and all Hipshot. Incredibly light and extremely well balanced. If you are interested, please, send me a message and I'll get you in touch...

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1414502225' post='2589882'] This is a great post. There are so many myths I hear on a regular basis about gear compatibility and for example power handling that perpetuates further misinformation. I'd love to see a single resource online that explains away so many falsehoods with your clarity and ease of understanding. [/quote] TKS used to have some very informative links on the webpage. (tks.se) I cannot find them now, I think the page is under reconstruction. I hope the links will be up again...

Yep! They're mine...! Can't wait...

Compard to my previous cabs, a quadruple of Eden D112XLT's, the TKS cabs are very flat. The Eden cabs are HONKY in comparison...

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1414450935' post='2589516'] Really liking the look of the S212. Anyone voice an opinion on how "neutral" sounding these cabs are? [/quote]What is neutral? They sound very, very good with four string basses. They sound very good but not that deep with five string basses. It is a matter of needs and taste, really. If you are a "sub bass player" better look at the deeper models. For four string playing they are all you need at a good price and low weight. This is no "bang for the buck" thing - it is a real bang...

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1414071718' post='2585505'] Oh FFS... the last thing I need is cab GAS.. good thing they aren't green like these or I'd be in trouble. [/quote] A pair of cabs in British Racing Green with creme colour front frame would definitely be the thing... My favourite variation on the theme is black cabinet, creme front frame and 50*s Fender grille cloth. I've ordered a pair of the new compact 115's in that colour, just like my 2126 cabs...