NancyJohnson

Just had a conversation with Derek at Watford Valves. It's just brilliant talking to someone who knows their stuff. I've said he should join Basschat to impart some of his knowledge. So I have two different 12AX7s incoming, which I'll test over the weekend. P

I decided to shoot Ashdown a quick email. They replied: [color=#1F497D][font=Calibri , sans-serif][size=2][i]The Valve Drive feature is not at the end of the chain and is only there to warm the signal up somewhat and mix a bit of drive to the signal. You could try a different valve, but I’m afraid you will be disappointed with change, if any.. You can use any good 12AX7 valve.[/i][/size][/font][/color] So I've shot Watford Valves a message. Change is as good etc. P

For some time I've been using a racked UK Ashdown ABM EVOIII; it runs superclean, so with this in mind, for the last couple of years I've been using a Sansamp RBI as my frontend and routing this into the effects return of the Ashdown. The last couple of days, I've been reading a lot online about swapping out the 12AX7 preamp valve for something different. As far as I can ascertain, swapping the valve is simply a case of taking the old one out and inserting the new one. No calibration. So, the question. Which valve? The Ashdown has a valvedrive option that adds a bit of fuzz, but it's far from the fuzz/dirt that I would prefer; it's a far cry from the Sansamp. This could be down to the circuitry on the Ashdown, it could be that the valve isn't hi-gain enough. I'm up for a bit of experimentation, especially where it could benefit others. Any help appreciated!

It's a weird one this, they're from totally different genres; it's like comparing Gene Simmons to Geddy Lee. Oh, and my answer is Chris Squire. Just prefer the tone, musicality, the material he played.

That's pretty horrible. Fender should just have gone a bit further and made a JagStang bass.

I've retro fitted two of my Thunderbirds with Babicz FCH 3-pointer bridges now. Happy to report that it took around fifteen minutes per bass to remove the old hardware, install and set up. The bridges are pretty comfortable if you play close to the bridge/palm-mute and while I'm unsure if it's my ears playing tricks, both basses sound fuller tonally. They look more traditional as well. P

I liked Terry Wogan. He was the polar opposite of pretty much everything I look for in a broadcaster/presenter, but he was just so damn likeable. And as I posted previously, Piers Morgan is still alive.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1454117544' post='2966723'] I'll tell you what tho, the 50's P shape is way cooler than the 60's, but the T Bird trumps them both, both ways round! [/quote] Woop.

The Thomann one looks like something K-Tel would have marketed as the future of home dentistry. The Tooth-o-Matic.

For anyone who has bought a pre-relic'd bass (doesn't matter who made it), are you careful with it/precious about treating it as if the finish is pristine?

I follow the NAMM stuff when it happens. I have a wishlist: - Gibson. Please make some Thunderbirds available in some different colours - Gibson. Please make an affordable double cut Les Paul Junior with a single P90 in TV yellow. I don't want/need an overpriced BillieJoe signature model.

I might pop into Reading on Friday and have a look.

OK, so perhaps I should have put purports in italics. Knowing the store, they probably wouldn't actually make a definition between a slab body or a chamfered one, given that it's a musical pawn shop and they tend to deal in cheap copies and disco equipment. If you view the image full size (right click the one that pops up or the one below), there's no chamfer visible on the right-forearm bout. It does for all intents look like a slab body. P

There's a junk/music shop in Reading that throws up some interesting/decent stuff in now and then. I bought an old Les Paul Junior there a few years ago. Just perusing their pages and there's what purports to be a slab body '63 Fender Precision up: [url="http://musicmanreading.co.uk/music/product/fender-p-bass-usa-1963/"]http://musicmanreading.co.uk/music/product/fender-p-bass-usa-1963/[/url] I have no reason to question the sellers integrity (hey, it's not Crack Converters) and really don't want this thread to go down the route of having these Precision aficionados barking 'It's a fake!' simply based on the evidence of one grainy photo; this is just a heads up for someone who might be looking for one - if it's genuine you should know what you need to look for. P

Blimey. And there goes another one. Sadly, Piers Morgan is still alive. P

There's a thread over at The Last Bass Outpost covering some 60s spec Thunderbird pickups. $45 each. Sticking genuine Gibsons in a bass seems a bit subjective; allegedly these produce a very close facsimile of the 60s tone.

[quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1453570782' post='2960690'] Love Dug Pinnick! ( and all of Kings X!) [/quote] Saw him at The Cutting Room in New York last May. Turned up mid-afternoon to pick up tickets (as we'd done them online from the UK) and they were loading in. (Corey Glover was the headliner.) Had a very long chat with dUg's tech guy and a guy from Tech21. I was expressing my love for Tech21 stuff and the dUg head came into the venue at which point I nearly jizzed. The guy from T21 was saying how expensive it was to configure heads for Europe and they just needed a minimum order before they'd even try and do it. Much as I'd love one, I believe I could probably emulate the tone for a lot less than £2,000! Shame!

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1453548178' post='2960410'] Are you there? [/quote] Yep. Didn't you get my message about coming with me? In reality, no, I'm sitting in my little study room at home in leafy Berkshire, catching up on NAMM via various feeds. To concur, the Tech21 stuff looks good, but then it always does. I spoke to Dug's tech and a guy from Tech21 in New York last May and saw the Dug head up close. It was a pant-wettingly beautiful thing: OK, Question time. What is this bass: That's right! It's a Fender Postmodern Journeyman Relic [i]Jazz [/i]bass. Yep, a Jazz bass. More reasons why the Fender team are probably on crack and trying to sell stuff that it isn't what it purports to be. P

Distinctly underwhelmed. Message ends.

If you have a humbucker sized hole and want P90s, you can get humbucker sized P90s. If you'd care to take some advice, check out Warman guitars...Josi has been in the parts game for yonks. I have no idea where his parts are made, but I dropped a pair of his P90s in one of my guitars and it came alive. Reasonably priced too.

Anyone here reckon that body shape looks like a Gibson EB from a couple of years back?

Is the buzzing happening everywhere? Home and/or gig/rehearsal locations? Dimmer switches, microwaves, network home plugs near you? If it's happening at your home, reboot the electricity supply...power the whole house down and switch on a few lights/electricals to clear the circuits, then power up.

I'm happy. I see stuff and think 'ooh', but then think I really like my testicles.