Osiris

Not a tribute band as such but I've always thought my mates band name was superb, but you have to say it with a Yorkshire accent;

I have Bartolini humbuckers in my Ibanez SR1000, although off the top of my head I cannot remember exactly which model they are. The stock pre-amp died years ago and was replaced by a 2 band Glockenklang. Everything works fine and there was no issue connecting everything up. One thing to consider before doing anything is that the Bartolini pickups sound very different to Jazz single coils. I'm somewhat ambivalent to the sound of the Barts, they slice through the mix brilliantly and are tonally consistent from the low E to the high G on my 4 sting, 2 octave neck. But when it's just the bass in isolation, I personally find the tone to be somewhat bland and unexciting - they don't have the classic passive single coil punch. But they may well be exactly what you are looking for.

I think you're right to be cautious. Nail varnish will contain some sort of solvent in which the acrylic is dissolved, so when the solvent evaporates it leaves behind the acrylic layer. There is a possibility that whatever solvent is used in the nail polish could interact with the acrylic used on the IEM - it is a solvent that can dissolve at least some acrylic materials after all. It may not affect it at all, of course, but there is still a risk no matter how small.

Thanks @KiOgon. What would the best thing to do with the wires that are all soldered to the back of the tone pot in that diagram? Can they be soldered to the back of the volume? Does that make sense to you @Thunderbird seeing as you'll be wiring it up for me

I've just acquired a Fender Mustang P/J. The control layout is master volume and tone knobs with a 3 way pickup selector switch. As I only ever leave passive tone controls fully open, I want to know if it is possible to rewire the bass so that it can have a pickup blend pot instead of the tone? For me, a blend pot would be far more useful than the tone control. The little metal control plate only has holes for 2 knobs and I don't want to go at it with a drill to make room for a third pot. Ideally I can just swap the tone for a blend and not have a tone control at all. If it is possible to do, would there still need to be a capacitor wired into the circuit somewhere? I seem to recall having a passive bass rewired years ago to bypass the tone control and there was excessive top end in the signal, and I seem to think at the time that I was told that it was because there was no capacitor (possibly the tone pot too) in the signal and that these naturally remove these ultra-high frequencies from the signal. The pickup selector switch can be left in place but not wired in. Can it be done? Does anyone have a suitable wiring diagram? Are there any reasons why it would be a bad idea?

OK, go for it 👍

No, don't think I have seen the Cort before. Try backing the tone off or maybe putting some flats on it if you have any laying around before buying anything. Unless you're just looking for an excuse to buy a new toy that is

There's a similar thread here that has some useful suggestions. Some of them possibly over budget though, but worth a look all the same

@Thunderbird which bass is too bright for you? I seem to remember that your rig is quite dark sounding (in a good way) so I'm surprised that you have a bass that's too bright for it. Sounds obvious, but have you tried this before getting the credit card out?

Cheers for that, all opinions are welcome

Waffle away, I'm keen to know you thoughts! I know exactly what you mean, I tend to know within a few minutes or so if I'm going to bond with a bass or not too. My Talman is the all black one. I have put some mother of pearl effect block marker stickers on it (because I'm shallow like that ) and I think it looks quite classy now, certainly more expensive than it is. Likewise I'm not sure about the headstock design but for the sheer fun of it and the ease of playing then I'm willing to overlook such a cosmetic detail. I'm somewhat ambivalent towards the cream one, some of the pictures online show it with a darker fretboard which I think suits the bass but there are others which show it with a more pale fretboard, (presumably an inherent property of the jatoba wood they are now using instead of rosewood?) but I'm not so keen on that, personally. How do you find the pickups on the Jag? Are you considering changing them at some point or do they deliver the goods as they are? From what you guys are saying I think I'm going to have to give the Jag SS a whirl.

What is it about the Jaguar short scale that you preferred over the Talman SS? The reason I ask is that I picked up a used Talman SS a few weeks ago from a mate of mine and I think it's a fantastic bass considering how cheap and cheerful they are. Admittedly he'd changed the pickups, put some better quality pots in it and checked the frets over but it sounds and plays as well as some of my more expensive basses. I like the look of the Jaguar SS so am interested to hear how you feel they compare.

I've just bought a bass from Alan and he is without doubt an absolute gentleman to deal with. I'd been on the look out for an ash body Scott Whitley short scale and he listed exactly what I was looking for, the trouble was that the ad was posted only a couple of days before I was heading off on holiday. I dropped him a message to enquire about the bass and offered to pay a deposit to secure the bass until my return. I was half expecting him to tell me to sod off for being so cheeky but he graciously accommodated me. The deposit was paid, several messages were exchanged in the meantime and we arranged to meet at his home on my return from holiday. Not only that but I was selling one of my basses to another basschatter who didn't live too far from Alan and he suggested that the 3 of us meet at his house. Which we did and everyone was happy. Tea, cakes and biscuits were provided although I now sorely regret declining the offer of one of the huge cup cakes! The bass itself was in great condition as he'd described it. It came with a hard case that I thought was actually in better condition than the ad suggested, not that that is a problem! He also threw in a couple of sets of barely used short scale strings and knocked off a few pounds from the asking price (not that I asked him to) to help cover my petrol costs. Alan is a genuine, patient, friendly and funny guy to deal with. Cheers Alan, it's been an absolute pleasure.

Chris has just bought a bass from me. I messaged him after he'd posted a comment singing the praises of the Peavey Zodiac and I had one that I was no longer using. I sent him a message to ask if he'd possibly interesting in buying it and it went from there. Great guy to deal with, friendly, funny and a frighteningly good player to boot. Highly recommended, deal in confidence.

Dan recently bought a pedal from me and he paid in super quick time. No problems at all and I'm more than happy to deal with him again.

I've been gigging with a Tecamp M212 for several years now. 600 Watts, 4 ohm, and only around 19 Kg, so an easy one man lift. I just use the one cab and have never been left wanting for volume, heft or projection - and I'm playing similar gigs to you i.e pubs, clubs rooms for about 500 people etc. Although I have some PA support the majority of the bass in the mix is still coming from my cab. It easily fills the room. It's more than just a rehearsal room cab They're not made anymore but if you see one going used I can definitely recommend it.

18 feet, definitely. Then we can give it to @Al Krow so that he can punt himself down the river away from any thread that mentions the dreaded C word *. * Compressor - not the other one

48K with rubber keys, FTW I love the SanSamp sound but always found them to be way too compressed for my tastes so I could never make them work for me, unfortunately. As you say @Lozz196, the pedal is already adding a load of squash to the sound so adding yet more via another pedal is going to hammer the life out of your dynamics.

Yes, I use one all the time and consider it an essential part of my sound. My current band plays a mixture of everything from 60's to contemporary rock and pop. I mostly play with fingers and occasionally a spectrum.

That's my usual response, but I seem to be experiencing a brief moment of diplomacy and tact. Normal service will no doubt resume shortly.

Try speaking to the rest of the band and see if you can get a reasoned response and compromise situation. If you can then all ought to work out fine in the long run even if you're annoyed at the minute. But if you don't get a reasonable response or a compromise situation that you are happy with it might be wise to consider your long term commitment to the band. Having been in bands with people like in the past, also guitarists oddly enough, I know exactly how you feel. Assuming he's anything like the guys in question I've had the misfortune to play with then things will almost certainly crash and burn sooner or later. So it might be better to cut your losses and walk now, particularly if they're unwilling to compromise.

The Filter Feeder.

Sandberg bridges allow you to adjust the string spacing so it might be possible to squeeze the strings tighter together to find something that works for you?

Another vote for Rickenbacker. I tried a mates 4001 and much as I like the style and love the tone, the neck was horrendous. I just couldn't play it. No idea what it was exactly other than being a bit chunky for my tastes but it felt like it was the first time I'd ever picked a bass up. And a MusicMan Stingray. Another chunky neck and that trademark nasal sound just grated on me. No matter how I adjusted my technique and eq'd it was just that nasal rasp. Yuk. Not to mention it was really heavy too.