SubsonicSimpleton

The G4M cases are enormous, so you need to consider how you'll be transporting the bass - if you use a softcase, you can fit the neck between the front seats of a regular hatchback, or tilt the passenger seat back and put the neck down into the footwell, if you use a hardcase, the added bulk of the case will make it physically impossible to do this. Mr Chalmers shows how it's done in this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3HJCBJFTRk

Sounds like you need a low pass filter - you might be able to bleed off the exteme treble using passive components, shorting the high freqencies to ground in the same manner that the tone control works on a passive bass. The values of the components might need a little tweaking to get result you want, but maybe someone like KiOgon would be a good person to ask if this is a potentially viable solution - it would be fairly simple to implement such a device in a small component box to avoid the need for any surgery to your BSX, assuming of course that it didn't degrade the signal in an adverse fashion.

Maybe giving some more detail would help get a useful answer; What amp/cab(s) are you using? Are you connecting the EUB direct to the amp, or is there anything else (preamps, effects etc) in the signal chain?

I'm no speaker designer, but some time back I bought a Behringer PEQ 2200 5 band parametric EQ unit that includes a 12db/octave high pass filter that sweeps from 10hz up to 400hz - I was suprised how high I could set the filter without thinning the sound when using a regular 4 string, so maybe if you could borrow a similar bit of kit to play with you might find that the bass extension doesn't need to go quite as far as you think, which may make the box design and driver choice a little easier.

I discovered Shakey and the song 'Late July' from this youtube playlist, which contains a whole load of american roots/folk type music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar3nlmGkIhw&index=1&list=RDar3nlmGkIhw Lots of bands and musicians that merit further listening on that playlist

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1416481970' post='2610597'] Im pretty sure if Wal, ACG, Status, Overwater or any of the other UK builders could have a full order book charging £10k an instrument they would do... [/quote] I think that the question that really needs to be asked is "how much could Fodera charge if they were based in Accrington Stanley and were not gaining any status from being based in New York?". It would be quite interesting to conduct a proper hands on blind play test including instruments from as many custom builders, prestige ranges(e.g. Yamaha 2024, Fender CS) and throw in some lower budget instruments that have been to good luthiers for a full fret stone/dress & setup and see what (if anything) came out as being consistently liked more than the others.

If an Ibanez SR is a really good overall ergonomic package for you, maybe it would be a better idea to investigate changing the pickups in an Ibby rather than trying to make a Fender work for you - IME you always have to play around the ergonomic shortcomings of Fenders, but other manufacturers have taken Leo's basic concept and refined it, to make the instrument more friendly to the musician. If you find that one make/model from a particular manufacturer works really well for your particular body mechanics, then it makes really good sense to stick with it - playing a gig is the equivalent for your fingers and tendons of running a half marathon, I'll bet that no-one would want to walk more than a few steps in badly fitting and uncomfortable shoes, so why would subjecting the joints and tendons in your hands to unnecessary stress be a good idea? Maybe the question you should be asking is why didn't the SR800 with P/J get you to the sonic ballpark you wanted to be in - perhaps it was the pickups and active circuitry, and you could have got the sound you wanted by swapping out the electronics for a passive setup.

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1416190334' post='2607824'] I am reminded of a conversation that I once had with Phil from Bass gear about Fodera. He said that he has had several people tell him that they thought that Foderas were overpriced and how could any bass cost that much. He then got them to sit down and actually play one for a bit and then they actually got why you might consider buying one. Apparently, on more than one occasion someone had then gone away and sold all their basses to fund the purchase of the Fodera they had just played. I think that the point of these types of high end basses, once you get past the fancy woods, is the playability. [b]If there is something that you can almost play on a fender, you might find that you can execute it cleanly on a Fodera[/b]. I think that is the real justification of thinking of spending that much on a real high end bass... [/quote] Isn't this simply a case of one manufacturer putting a lot more effort into final setup than the other? You can DIY the basic trussrod and bridge saddles to get a playable setup on most instruments, but a skilled luthier who is at the top of their game can really work wonders perfecting the playability of an instrument given sufficient time to get the work done to a high standard - how many mass produced instruments ever get this sort of attention?

This might be a really dumb question, but wouldn't it be much simpler to just tune to a lower pitch (e.g Eb,Ab,Db,Gb or C,F,Bb,Eb) and maybe change to a higher tension string to compensate if necessary or adopt an alternative tuning rather making physical modifications in order to access the lower notes you want? I can see the logic behind orchestral musicians using C extensions if they are playing a lot of music written specifically with standard tuning in mind, but beyond that is there a compelling reason not to alter the tuning of your instrument from standard - I started with my strunal tuned approximately fourth below concert (B,E,A,D) and gradually brought it up to pitch a semitone at a time over three days, and the timbre changed a little, but it didn't sound bad when detuned to my ears at least.

Whenever I see a singlecut my initial reaction is "quick, kill it with fire before it lays eggs"

Marc, here is a quick pic to show how the tool works - rather than take a photo I've just drawn a simple cross section in MS Paint [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/WGmEvQ3.jpg[/IMG] The fishing line pulls the soundpost into the tool - it would also work using an angle section instead of a piece of pipe, which would accomodate soundposts of different diameters (the 22mm plumbing pipe I used just happened to be a perfect fit for my soundpost, but the tool would be ineffective for use with a smaller diameter soundpost). After reading the building a bass thread that Owen linked in this thread http://basschat.co.uk/topic/249155-too-few-conductors-understand-their-bass-section/ I had a look through the first few pages of the violin making forum on maestronet and found this thread which contains a different and IMHO elegant solution to the same problem http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/331364-homemade-sound-post-insertion-tool/ The wire tool could be scaled up for double bass and made from a wire coathanger quite succesfully, although the design might require a little modification to make it stiff enough due to the increased size.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1415812884' post='2604041'] [i]"We are looking for a “Bad Ass Rockin Bass Player” in the Milwaukee area. We have almost 3 sets of material, and want to play out soon. The format is mostly 80's metal. We are not concerned with playing dance music. We are focusing on playing the music we like. This band is a blast to be in, and everyone has an equal say! Give me a call and let's set something before you say no. You have to experience the good time that this band has to offer!!! I can't justify the fun in a phone conversation"[/i] [/quote] Translation; Hi there, I am currently having a midlife crisis - my wife recently kicked me out and is filing for divorce, so I am living in my car at the moment. I have a Marshall half stack which I like to run dimed all the time and am developing a chronic alcohol dependacy problem. We really need someone with self esteem issues and a van who is willing to lug everything to the gigs and make it look like there is a full band on stage, although it will never be possible for anyone in the audience to actually hear what you are playing.

I chose Spirocore Weichs to give me the option of using a mag pickup, and because of their reputation for longevity and improving as they play in.

I would really like to try the Beymas, but I can't afford to buy all 4 atm, posting here so other interested parties can contact me by PM if they want to arrange a group buy.

Despite feeling like I was born under a bad sign yesterday, I decided to exercise my ingenuity and extend my middle finger to the gods of misfortune. Having established that the baseline soundpost location should mirror the positioning of the bassbar east-west and be slightly south of the bridge foot, I proceeded to my recycling and the carboard sleeve from mondays lasagne provided a ready source of template material to map the relationship between the bassbar and f-holes. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/kOjAqxD.jpg[/IMG] As I don't have a flat cap or a whippet, I determined that I should strive to maintain the stereotype of Yorkshire people during this endeavour, so a quick rummage through my scrap bin in the man-cave provided some scraps of copper pipe which I proceeded to fashion into a low tech but effective version of the expensive american tool I linked earlier in the thread, a bit of nylon fishing line rounded it out. An old flexigrab tool made retrieving the soundpost a piece of cake. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/JIY3TTF.jpg[/IMG] Not pretty, but as my skip diving pikey bodgineering skills just saved me $145 plus shipping & import taxes, I'm feeling quite smug . The 22mm copper pipe is an almost perfect fit for the soundpost which is 3/4inch diameter, so it is really easy to control the soundpost. For anyone wanting to make one for their gigbag, the handle on mine is a little short for having an ideal amount of leverage, but that piece of pipe was a bent offcut, so I figured for an experimental prototype I might as well put it to use as it matched the offset measured from the f-hole template. Refitting the post was reasonably straightforward, but the post is a very tight fit even with no tension on the strings, so I needed to gently tap it perpendicular with piece of bar after protecting the F-hole edges with some rags, I used a second card template (basic strip with a slit in the middle) to check that I had the top of the post in the correct position and made fine tuning to vertical by eye. It looked OK, so I put a folded towel under the tailpiece, slackened the strings enough to let me lift them onto the bridge, then very carefully checked that everything looked to be lining up correctly - carefully I tuned the strings up individually to the point where the DB was starting to sound happy making defined notes rather than flubby rubber band noises, which was about a fourth below normal tuning. Speaking length of the strings was measuring a little short at 40.5", and where the D should be on the G string was sitting short of the neck heel as a result, but I elected not to attempt repositioning the bridge away from the position it was wanting to sit in. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/SKtu6R7.jpg[/IMG] The setup really needs to be taken care of, but I am an extremely happy bunny right now albeit with sore fingers. Whether this example is representative of an average 50/4 or I got a good one I couldn't say, but it is immense - far louder than any of the other ply or hybrids I've played(which isn't that many tbh but whatever), and it sounds nice too despite wearing cheapo factory strings at the moment. Top of my wishlist was to have a DB that would work well for purely acoustic playing, it also sounds better tonally than I expected it to(based on the other DBs I'd tried), so I'm well chuffed considering the gamble of buying blind. Right now I feel that any further improvements resulting from the spirocores and setup are going to be icing on what is already rather delicious cake .

Shipley

Thanks for the suggestion Clarky, I was contemplating bodgineering a low tech knockoff of this expensive soundpost setting tool so that I'm not up $hit creek without a paddle if it happens again and I need to be able to rescue the situation myself - it's sod's law that if it happens it will be on the way to a gig or somesuch. http://geminimusical.com/sound-post-setter.asp Lack of sleep probably means it isn't a good idea to attempt anything right now either driving or fabricating.

If you want a functional instrument rather than a collectors piece and don't care about the relicing, at least try a Squier CV - Squiers have the big advantage that it's fairly easy to try multiples of the same model and pick the best one. Even the most basic Squiers are pretty good nowadays. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/248523-squier-affinity-p-bass-vs-fender-custom-shop-pino-palladino-p-bass/

I got the call from Thomann's freight people yesterday to arrange delivery of my DB today, last night I hardly slept, both excited and anxious that it would arrive undamaged. About an hour ago, a big curtainside lorry pulled up my street, and with a bit of a struggle finding a gap in the parked cars we managed to manhandle the pallet off the wagon and indoors. The driver was a really nice guy, and helped get the packaging off so I could check the bass for transit damage before signing, thankfully everything looked in order I decided to move the DB out of the hallway and find a safe place to completely unwrap the bubble wrap, everything looked pretty good Turn the DB on its side to extract the last of the wrapping and notice a rattling noise Realisation dawns that the soundpost is down and my chances of stringing it up for a quick noodle before it goes to the luthier for setup is zero Quick phone call to the luthier - "I'm up to my eyeballs atm, call me next week" Frustration level - pretty f***ing high. Anyway here is a quick pic of the current state my curvy blonde aquisition is in atm, I'll update the thread with further pics and and impressions once I have it in playable condition, but I think a proper nights sleep is in order before making any attempt at standing the soundpost back up.

Maybe it is worth considering getting your current DB sorted with decent replacements for the fingerboard, endpin and bridge - assuming that your current bass is structurally sound. You would get maximum potential out of it, but it will still be a ply DB, which might not be a bad thing depending on how hard a life the instrument is subjected to on a day to day basis and the types of gigs you do. I believe that one of the guys on here that went to the recent DB bash uses an Antoni ply which he got cheap and has subsequently had fettled at the hands of a luthier, so you might get some useful informed opinions about whether this is a good option from both the owner, and other basschatters that went to the bash - I can't help on that front as I was unable to go.

Thanks very much for the offer Bob, but I made the decision and ordered DB and strings last week, the spiro weichs arrived from germany yesterday, with the strunal arriving tomorrow (in one piece hopefully).

Maybe you need to investigate cabs rather than amps - Ed Friedland has been extolling the virtues of his Fearless 112 in this vid (which I saw earlier in the amp/cab section of the forum) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-YUbQyK5Ls Double bass about 5 minutes in

At least you have a good place to park your bicycle.

The thing that fascinates me about vintage instruments is how come the supply seems to become more abundant with the passage of time. [quote] [i]“This is a thoroughly SPECTACULAR [/i](note the capitals)[i] late 1960s Fender Stratocaster, with ALL ORIGINAL PARTS AND FINSH! The reason there’s about four years’ difference in the dates of the parts is that Hendrix’s road manager reserved the guitar before it was fully built. To clear an inventory at the factory, the neck was then shipped without the rest of the guitar – erroneously to a chimney sweep who wishes his name to be kept out of this. The chimney sweep used the neck to clean several chimneys, hence it being so noticeably soiled. When the mistake in shipping was dicovered, Fender recalled the neck, and assembled the complete guitar, as planned. Seeing that the neck was battered to crap, Hendrix’s road manager then cancelled the order. The complete guitar, with its parts from four different years, trashed neck, and brand spanking new body with FACTORY ORIGINAL FINISH, was then shipped to a store, who locked the instrument in a vault.[/i] [i]In 1978, Leo Fender himself was shown the guitar. It is not clear why Leo would have asked to see a guitar whose neck had been used to sweep a chimney, but we have verified this story with several top secret but reliable sources, and the fact is that he did. Upon plugging in the guitar, Leo did not find the sound to meet with his usual standards of perfection, so he personally rewound the pickups on the spot. This explains why the pickups are wound with late ‘70s coil wire.[/i] [i]You can be assured that this guitar is an ALL ORIGINAL late ‘60s Fender Stratocaster, except for the pickup rewind, which was done by Leo Fender himself, and accordingly adds another five grand to the price. We will accept £30,000 for this sensational, all original Stratocaster. Direct bank transfer or cash only, no returns.”[/i] [i][/quote][/i] quoted from [url="http://planetbotch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/the-late-1960s-fender-stratocaster.html"]here[/url] Always cracks me up to see similar type tales on ebay/gumtree ads

If the transformers are in good condition then there isn't any need to rewind them, but the OPs description lead me to believe that this particular amp has had a very hard life which might mean it needs more work than just changing a couple of valves to restore it to it's former glory, especially if it is going to continue to be worked hard.