HowieBass

Watch Dave (from Dave's World of Fun Stuff) fettle an old Westone Rail Bass and then demonstrate the change in tone as he slides the pickup around http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pH1G9Ot85c Stronger magnets could mean that the strings can't vibrate as freely which is the same situation as having the strings too close to the pickup, you get a louder sound but tone suffers; that's why pickup height tends to have a sweet spot.

I [i]think[/i] it's a lot to do with the number of windings in the coils and the thickness of the wire used together with the design and materials used in the magnets. The design of the pickup determines the shape of the magnetic field within which the string vibrates. Single coil pickups usually have a narrower aperture than humbuckers where the aperture defines how much of the vibrating string is sensed and consequently the mix of fundamental and overtones seen. How well those physical vibrations are translated into a true electrical representation and what then comes out of the coil (the 'hot' wire from a pickup) is what gives you the characteristic sound of that pickup. The more windings you add to a pickup (often called overwinding) the higher the output but treble response falls correspondingly. Underwinding increases treble response but lowers output, so it becomes a balancing act of tonal response versus output. I [i]think[/i]...

I don't mind watching the drummer; he's the most entertaining element of an otherwise unremarkable band though I'd probably get tired of him after a few numbers. I'm still trying to make my mind up about Michael Manring and his constant tuning changes during 'The Enormous Room'... http://youtu.be/aY4Ra2KOyas

Plenty of tread left on that tyre though!

Hmmm I'm not so sure you can't get a decent slap tone from a P pickup, I mean look at and listen to this... http://youtu.be/JMSq__vg7Gs

I'm loving my Squier VM with its Duncan Designed pickup - it's my hottest bass (the rest are active, go figure) but very usable. Don't know about the Standard for build quality/tone, but I think there are a few VMs being sold on here from time to time (though maybe not in your colour preference).

Before you go hunting for a new bass (though I can't blame you for wanting to have another in your stable, GAS is a cruel mistress) I'd look at four things. First off, your Thunder IA has the active/passive option and the dual tone switch (it's supposed to be a coil tap). How are you using these? You will get a thinner, more treble dominated tone with the coil tap selected and that will add top end. Engaging the active tone option even with it set at the middle detente will add some treble boost to whatever you've got set with the passive tone pot (the active tone pot is a sweepable frequency tone boost, treble one side, bass the other side) - at least it does on my Spectrum LX and that shares the same EQ section as your bass - this is before you even use the active tone pot to boost treble. Experiment with how the passive and active tone pots interact with each other; try dialling back the passive to remove treble but then use the active to boost the treble at selected frequencies; open the passive tone right up to get full treble but use the active to boost the bass side; use the dual tone switch on/off as you do this. Secondly, make sure your bass is set up well, especially the neck relief and action. Getting a good set up will make your bass really sing, especially with just the right amount of zing from fret buzz. The lower you can get the action without incurring excessive fret buzz the better it will sound for slap. Thirdly, are you playing through the same amp as your tutor? If not then look at how some tone shaping there will affect your sound. A few basses come with a slap switch as part of the EQ section; this usually boosts the top and bottom end, rather like a contour switch found on some amps where it brings in a predefined EQ smiley curve. So experiment with your amp's tone section. Finally, ask your tutor to play your bass and see if it sounds different to how it does in your hands. Does it now sound like it has better top end? If so then that top end clarity is partly down to technique. After all this if you still struggle to find that top end then it might be time to go shopping! Have a look at the Squier Deluxe Jazz Active... a great bass with a more conventional active EQ section... the treble boost/cut pot is centred at 10KHz which is probably the region you'd be looking for to get the 'zing' you want and it has a slap switch too. H

The listings have shown pics of the front of the headstock which is Harley Benton shape but no logo. The two eBay listings linked to in this thread have the same spiel but are different instruments and the video clips do relate to the bass being sold. So I presume the guy sands off the logo, refinishes the headstock, sits down to play it for a video and then sells it on, suggesting that it's as good as a Fender. Interesting business model from a savvy reseller. Or a con artist...

A decent set of nickel rounds should last a long time, more zing than steel flats but darker than steel rounds and they feel nice for fingerstyle playing (less abrasive to the touch than steel rounds). I was gifted some La Bella SN45 and they're great!

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1407776624' post='2523910'] You certainly don't need shiny new (or vintage old) gear to get a good sound and play in a band. I would think it's frustrating to be with guys who are able to keep buying new gear but you have commitments and it's to your credit that you prioritise as you do. I might say one thing. Your priorities are the right ones in the scheme of things but how many 'well paid' gigs would get you up and running with decent, usable gear? If that's investing in your ability to keep playing then it's an investment in more money for your family. If it's the difference between an amp and eating then I understand but is it that? Is your amp actually dead or can it be fixed (as icastle is implying)? Use the wealth of knowledge here to explore that option. You might think 'it's ok for him' looking at my signature but that bitsa (a Squier body and similar bits) would be fine for gigging and my nephew has another I put together and it's his number 1 gigging bass). [/quote] This ^^^ use the money earned from gigs to pay for a decent secondhand head and then any further money earned I'd say split 50/50 between the upkeep of your gear (looking after the tools of your trade so to speak) and the other half to your family? If you can get paid gigs there's clearly little wrong with your gear/sound.

I've just been playing my Squier Deluxe Jazz Active and as I was putting it away realised that the belly cut is about the same as that on the Fender Marcus Miller for sale. The Squier was built in Indonesia (by Cort) but it's a standard Jazz shape body AFAIK so I wonder if belly cuts vary from instrument to instrument?

I haven't noticed any real loss in sustain from using flats over rounds. They sound different (I imagine due to the difference in harmonic content governed by the string vibration modes) but I think the note decays are similar.

The jacket socket has an earth/ground side to it so you'll have the ground wire running to it from the pickup and if you shield the inside of the box with shielding foil then use a wire from the foil to the jack socket ground as well; you could use a small screw with a wide washer driven through the shielding foil into the wooden sides of the box with a wire running from under the washer (in contact with the foil).

I could be wrong but I think the TC BG250-208 only reaches maximum output of 250 watts with an extension cabinet so you'd be getting roughly 125 watts out of it and that's not enough of a difference to outclass the others as you obviously heard. Glad to hear that you've got something you like!

So, @Dik, does it sound and play well for a bass that's over 40 years old?

Looks exactly like the reviews I've seen of them on YouTube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9tfwZrlv6c The current version of the instrument now shown on the Fender website has fewer screws in the scratchplate and the headstock signature is smaller but since the instrument you're talking about is from 2002 then it looks pretty legit.

You've already auditioned a soundbar and liked what you heard, both inside a room and outside (which you can't really do inside a large shop). I think the next move might be a trip to Tesco?

[quote name='lankyman20000' timestamp='1407448011' post='2520766'] I didn't spot that, does look like a serious fracture if that's what it is, if the guy replies i'll get him to send another picture! [/quote] Bear in mind that's wenge you're looking at; it's a pretty open grained wood so you might be seeing flash reflecting off one of the striations but for the money you'd have to pay it does need further inspection.

Collectible if you're into 70s Japanese built basses! But seriously, it's possibly quite a rare beast; I can't see any serial number in the photos you've given and according to info over at Talkbass... "Ibanez were one of the very early Japanese companies to copy the P-Bass and there are very few around. This P-Bass is rare. The last of these P-Bass were made from the mid '70s. There were no serial numbers (as well as the '70s Fernandes). Probably your bass was made between '72-'77. Unlike other early Fender copies, this Ibanez P-Bass is very hard to find now, even here in Japan." "Ibanez started using serial numbers in '76, so your bass probably is no newer than a '75." http://www.talkbass.com/threads/dating-a-vintage-ibanez-precision-bass.537257/ From photos I've seen online of Ibanez P basses they seemed to use the traditional split pickup so yours might have a later pickup. Investigation under the pickguard might indicate later routing of the body to take that shape or the pickguard itself might show that it's been filed to take the rectangular humbucker. As for where it was made, probably at the FujiGen or Matsumoku factory.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1407433505' post='2520555'] I've seen it suggested elsewhere (and in older forum posts by BFM) that the increase in sensitivity from coupling closely spaced woofers is 3dB, though only where they are spaced at less than 1/4 of the wavelength. So the quoted 6dB increase in SPL when adding a second cab or driver to a solid-state amp is 3dB from doubling the amps power output and 3dB from the increased sensitivity, if I've understood this correctly (and if I haven't, feel free to explain why!). [/quote] I pretty much said this on post #28 LOL.

So this guy praises Jesus Christ and the Lord's work but he charges an extortionate amount for his products and keeps 35% of money paid to him when it turns out he's made something that doesn't fulfil the customer's request? I think you ought to quote some Bible at him, specifically from Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Yeah I also saw the TC combo video from BassTheWorld back when he first uploaded it and you can definitely hear a difference in tone across the various diameter drivers. A well designed modern combo should be able to deliver a good sound for a low B and there's no reason to reject drivers smaller than a 15"; again it might have to be a case of playing through a few units to get an idea of what works for you. I used to have an old sealed, unported 2 x 12" cab with a separate bass amp head, both of late 70s design and I've replaced them with a modern 2 x 10" plus tweeter ported combo and that delivers significantly louder lows.

Just use it as a powered speaker for your laptop and smartphone...

Says 'Clear Pyrex' in the description. Good for tarts? I'll get me coat...

So he claims to know hardly anything about basses but knows enough to say that the pickups are Wilkinson alnico costing £50...