bassmayhem

The first bass there was, was a Fender Precision with s.t.b. bridge. The only strings available were flatwounds. I have used Chromes on my P-bass and two of my Lakies, all of them strung them through the body. NEVER a broken string. Just remember to give the string "some rubbing and massaging " over the bridge saddle, ie. give it the proper curvature...

Avoid them! They suck. Lasts as long as a bottle of Ale. One more thing that can break, and it does break...

I got myself an old[i][b] Fender Studio Bass[/b][/i] combo a year ago, that sounds fantastic. The problem is when I used it on stage my band mates complained they couldn't hear me. They are used to hear me very distinctly through whatever solid state amp I've ever used. Its "wooliness" can get masked in the overall sound of the band. The single 15" woofer doesn't project that well compared to the 2x112, 4x112, 210, 410 and Bose rigs I use to use. My main amp for the moment is my old [i][b]EBS Gorm[/b][/i] 210 combo that really gets things going...

This old amp is also a HEAVY s.o.b, with its single handle on top making it impossible to move. Also very top heavy... but sounds sooo good when I'm alone. It lives up to its name: Studio Bass - no hum or buzz at all at any volume, built in line send tapped from the speaker output etc. ..

The best BASS amp to reproduce what you put in: Eden WT800B! Definitely! Bass preamp? Eden WP100 Navigator! Definitely!
The best bass amp that colours your tone: Fender Studio Bass! Absolutely!

Here is my Status Streamline...
[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/1-Front_zps5d1c9781.jpg[/IMG]

...and my Skyline Hollowbody with Relay G50 system...
[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/20130603_193325_zpsae453007.jpg[/IMG]

Here is the beginning of my preamp collection. No pedals, just rack units...
[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/Staumlrkarracket_zps6dcd8235.jpg[/IMG]
Roland Rack mixer to connect the pramps to the power amp...
Yamaha PB1
Ampeg SVP-Pro
Eden WP100 Navigator
More to come...

Here is my pic: The Three Musketeers...

The US Deluxe with roundwounds, the Skylines with Chromes, one fretless...

The difference is more in the response for the player. I choose to always string through the body if the option is given. You get more downward pressure over the bridge saddles, especially if you have very low action. You won't get higher tension, that's a myth. It would mean higher pitch, and that isn't the case. I even string my Chromes that way, have NEVER snapped a string. Compare to a surface mounted anchor for a heavy shelf on the wall with a bolt right through the wall, if you know what I mean...

[quote name='bassmayhem' timestamp='1368216392' post='2074664']
This setup sounds really good too:

I have a "test week" with two TKS D212 cabs and my Eden WT1205. This setup sounds sooo good. The cabs has 2x12" and a tweeter each.
They are lighter than the 2126 at some 50 lbs each, you can carry a cab with one hand without a problem.
[/quote]
I tested the D212 and the D2126 cabs side by side today. The D212 is really good, the D2126 is KILLER. I ordered one direct.
The cab has somewhat lower efficiency, but sounds so well, just like a big studio monitor. Two 12" woofers and a 6" mid woofer, no tweeter!
I also ordered it with a look reminiscent of 65Amps: Black tolex box, crème tolex front frame and 50's Fender brown-ish cloth (over a metal mesh).
Pic's will come...

This setup sounds really good too:

I have a "test week" with two TKS D212 cabs and my Eden WT1205. This setup sounds sooo good. The cabs has 2x12" and a tweeter each.
They are lighter than the 2126 at some 50 lbs each, you can carry a cab with one hand without a problem.

I used to own this:
[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/Pedalbordsenaste.jpg[/IMG]
The upper row between the bass and the preamp, the lower row in the effects loop. The MXR/CAE booster as solo boost...
I sold it because I didn't use it, and got a Boss GT-10B that I seldom use...

An Ampeg SVT Classic with tired power valves. It was a festival backline, sounded like crap. Fortunately I had my old Eden WTX 260 in the side pocket of the gigbag; I moved the speakon from SVT to WTX and shook the sound tech by playing LOUD and LOW. An Ampeg is no thing to use to play low...

[quote name='BandmasterPete' timestamp='1358805829' post='1945514']
TKS in Sweden (tks.se) are making lightweight cabs. Never tried one, but according to the swedish sisterforum pratabas.se (speak bass) they are good sounding.


Translated to english.
[url="http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pratabas.se%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D24%26t%3D27301"]http://translate.goo...D24%26t%3D27301[/url]

[url="http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pratabas.se%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D24%26t%3D60672"]http://translate.goo...D24%26t%3D60672[/url]
[/quote]

TKS is just half a mile from my house. Tommy, the head(!) of the one man company, is a really nice guy making some astonishingly good cabs. I took my (former) rig, consisting of a Genz Benz ShM 12.0 and two Eden D112XLT to a side-by-side shootout. The "cheap" TKS 2128 cab did a good job against two D112XLT's. More bottom end at the same volume. The more expensive, yet not that loud, D2126 slaughtered all competition. That cab has a very flat response, like a studio monitor. I had to cut back the lows and low mids on the amp from 2 o'clock to 11 o'clock and still it was way deeper than the D112XLT's. Due to the flat response it is not that efficient, but that's the nature of things. My next cab will be a TKS D2126, 2x12" + 1x6" (no tweeter) at 57 lbs. Maybe two...

What fingerboard radius do these basses have? What is the overall string spacing at the bridge?
I have played one once in my life. They are rarely seen around where I live...

Jaco WAS the tone, regardless of instruments...

I do fancy old school basses too. This Lakland, my number four, arrived today, a beautiful Skyline HoBo from the Bass Gallery in London.

[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/1-HoBohel_zps9dab26e0.jpg[/IMG]
"The full Monty..."

[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/2-HoBofront_zps59514dee.jpg[/IMG]
Body close up...

[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/bassmayhem/3-HoBoback_zps288d02f5.jpg[/IMG]
Back close up, notice the photographer...

So far it is fantastic. Well setup, I only raised the middle strings half a turn and did some intonation. Ready to go!

Well, I just sold a P'78.
I got this one in a swap. For the P'78 money I get a Skyline HoBo (on its way now, here on Thursday) and a Fender JV '62 Reissue (soon on its way). I think that's a good deal, since the P'78 was such a heavy s.o.b. that only hung on the wall...

I got so fed up with this "classic" retro hype, like "There is no other bass than a P-bass and Jamerson is his prophet" so I went the other way and bought a British made carbon fiber headless bass. Don't get me wrong, I love the P-bass and Jamerson's work, but to see everyone roll around and play dead when someone shouts "P-bass" gets kind of boring...

Anyway, here is my new gadget/gem/toy/tool:



A really, really nice Status Graphite Streamline made in 2012, you can't get any further from classic than this. The tone is nice and familiar, the feel of the instrument was a bit awkward the first ten minutes, but now it feels like home.

Since I am a dinosaur, who went headless in the early 80's, this is kinda retro for me, but that's not why I got it. I got two other basses on the way too: a Lakland Skyline Hollowbody and a Fender P'62 RI, so much for that "fed-up-with-kinda-talk"... Anyway, the Streamline will be a good match to my Bose L2 rig that is the rig I use mostly these days. They will look so good together...

I can achieve parallel compression with my Eden WT1205. Set a Heavy squashing compressor on one channel and a no compression on the other. Set them parallel. I also did it with my Shuttle Max 12.0, one compressor in the loop in one channel, the other without. Then both channels on. It works in this way: you get compressed "body" and still the transients you may need. The secret is in the blending. I don't use it. I adapt my playing.

I used an active Mackie 350 (?) with a 10" speaker a whole summer for outdoor theater gigs. It worked very well. It had, on the other hand, some active limiter circuits and stuff...

My main stage rig is in fact a small PA: a Bose L1 Model 2 With two subs. Depending on gig I may use my Boss GT-10B, the Avalon U5 or my EBS Drome as preamp/DI. For out of town gigs I may use the U5 or the GT-10B to f.o.h. but I try to get a monitor just for me an my bass. When I use my big amps I use their internal DI. I never have a problem going DI, I prefer that to miking cabs.. The only factor that can mess things up is an ignorant sound engineer who tries to [i]create a sound[/i]...


At home in the livingroom...

Well, I missed the opportunity. Next time...

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[quote name='mckendrick' timestamp='1357349354' post='1921600']
Fender aren't unapproachable. Send them an email with a picture of the machines and the back-story and ask them if they'll sell you a set. The worst they can do is say 'no'....
[/quote]

Wrong, the worst they could do is NOT answer. That's what they did to me when I asked about vintage parts. Ignoring someone is impolite...