dave_bass5

Yeah, Paul wont hit a woman 😂

Just been watching the Andertons/Marcus Miller video, and MM states Sire use plastic knobs on their previous basses as using the wrong metal affects the tone. Now they have devised a way to add plastic inserts in to the metal knobs. Next week the Emperor gets his new clothes....

Just remembered this. I got my youngest daughter some VIP tickets to go and see Prof Green a few years ago. We do work for his agency and they owed me a favour. Anyway, she had a great night, and she said she told a few people she knew the Dave Pearce (DJ) very well to make her sound cool. Apparently it worked. First time and last time my daughter has used my name to get a drink lol.

Nothing as exciting as most of you but a few years ago we were playing a wedding, usual stuff, and during I predict a Riot we noticed these two old ladies jumping up and down and really getting in to it. Afterwards one of them came over and thanked us for playing such a good version. When we thanked her and said glad she liked it she replied that she had to, her nephew rote it. We don’t know who she was but had no reason not doubt her.

Pretty much the reaction I got first time out with the P34. Only I replied ‘ cheers, it’s lovely isn’t it. I’ve borrowed it off a mate for a while’. To clarify, my girlfriend is our singer 😏

I agree about the passive option. I wouldn’t buy an active bass that couldn’t run without a battery in it in passive mode. It’s a safety feature for me. Ive never had a bass that didn’t sound the same in passive as it does in active with all controls flat. Maybe in isolation with headphones there is a slight difference of going back and forth, but not in a live situation. I think we can get a bit too obsessed with very small changes and listen out for them under ideal conditions like at home but if we are aiming for a tone to use with a band then IMO that’s where testing should be done. We use the same rehearsal studio most of the time, with the same gear. I always record the sessions in the same way. Listing back to the many sessions and various basses I would be hard pressed to tell what bass I was using most of the time, yet at home the differences are very noticeable.

Totally agree, and I wasn’t saying anyone shouldn’t spend more, it’s a pleasure we like to indulge in every once in a while, but I’d genuinely like to know what makes a MIJ jazz a must over cheaper ones that would make someone automatically buy one. Really am interested in this and not knocking anyone.

Yeah, my 425 is more than a playable match for my P34. I would never make a claim that I would instantly spend P34 money if I needed a PJ. I think my P34 is over priced, but I rushed in to getting it and I’m happy with it, but under no illusion i could have spent much less and been just as happy. In fact MIJ never even factored in to my buying decision, I’ve played too many non MIA and MIJ basses to even consider the country of origin a necessity. I sometimes think having a MIJ bass is a status symbol. They have a good rep and are not too common, so it’s a bragging right as well I mean no offence to anyone, I’m just saying how I feel about spending more money without considering cheaper options

My tastes have possibly changed and I may feel different about the DJ5 now, but I do know my P34 is a much, much better PJ. I've alway loved Lakeland necks, I even have a maple JO4 neck at home. Never played an American one though. I’ve heard they are amazing. I was really pleased with how the P34 felt on first play. Almost as wide as my fender P (which itself has a narrower neck), but slightly wider than jazz necks that I prefer. Just perfect, other than a non glossy fishing on the back. I am coming round to the satin feel though. As for the TBRX505 I had, the pups sounded quite flat to me. Not usable, but not really inspiring. A bit like the Lakland 55-01 I had.

I brought a Lakland DJ5 a few years ago. Nice bass but I felt the tone was too deep. It just didn’t sound as ‘jazz like’ as my Squier. I got a custom made PG for it and got it converted to a PJ using Nordstrand pups. Kept it for a while but never really got on with it, the deep tone was still present.

Wow, aren’t there plenty of fantastic jazz basses at a fraction of the cost of a Sadowsky?

playing with a pick gave me the advantage of resting my forearm on the body, so forward tilting wasn’t as much of an issue compared to neck tilt, but you get used to it. I have read that some put the strap pin on the top horn like a traditional bass, but you do need to put a block of wood inside as the screw can easily be pulled out through the thin body.

I think (i do a lot of this) that each bass has its peaks and troughs in the tone spectrum. Same goes for pedals. In a band situation certain freq will also get lost as they clash with other instruments. The trick is finding the right combination in that environment, which isnt necessarily l the same as playing at home where every freq is audible. Its a fun journey to get there though.

I think it would, thats why i made the comment about having a Blend to bring some of it back.

if this is in relation to my earlier comments, just bare in mind i wasn't talking about the lows, but more the overall tone of the bass.

Had another rehearsal with my WL-20L last night and no issues at all. Different room though (our normal room). Glad that they were stable, worried they might not always be.

Hmmmm, i dont believe you have used this in a band situation though. Apologies if i have that wrong.This is where it really matter IMO. And im not talking about low end, as much as overall character. Still, i hear very good things about this box.

Im not sure if im losing any low end as such, and it can be put back, but it definitely loses a bit of punch, but then what doesn't when using something without a blend. Ill bring it over, and the COG, when i get back off holiday.

Yes, but not in a suddenly sounded weak sort of way. To my ears (and see above the gear i was using), it became smoother, lost a bit of low mid punch which is what i love about the P34, but useable as it never dropped below the volume i was at before engaging it. I had the Bass and Treble turned up very slightly, Drive on about 11 o'clock and Level about 10 o'clock. Engaging the pedal gave a bit of a spread to the tone but never made the low end sound a bit empty, and this filled out the low end nicely when my guitarist was soloing etc. Im not up on all the other OD's etc, so can only really comment on what i have, and have used, but this one seems to just work as i expected it to, without the need to keep tweaking it. No darkening of the tone like the DG pedals, no Sansamp scoop (which i have depended on for years), no fizz (although that was probably masked by the cab), just a nice warm break up.

Last night i was using my BH800 head a big old 2x12, which had hardly any top end and a rattle on some low notes, so the Mid setting had more clarity. To my ears (and i have used this cab before) the Fat setting was a lot closer to the Mojomojo, at least in warmth and saturation, but i found turning the Treble up had a more noticeable effect compared to doing the same with the MM. I even found i used it as an always on for a few songs, so very happy to have got this for such a small outlay.

Just back from rehearsals, and the SB is a keeper (for now anyway). Just the right amount of tone change, and i was surprised that i used the Mid setting as well as the Fat setting. Nice warm break up, or nastier dirt with ease. I suppose its not the best out there, but much more versatile for me over the Mojomojo. Very happy.

I work in print and we do various thickness of business cards, going from 300gsm up to 450gsm and sometimes beyond. There can be quite a difference in thickness, especially for this task.

I measure mine like Carl from Lakland shows in a video on YT. He puts a feeler gauge of the thickness he wants on the 8th fret, then uses a straight edge (like an 18" steel ruler) placed along the frets going up the neck. If the ruler rocks back and forth then the relief is not enough. I normally go for a pretty flat .010 but recently been trying .012 or a bit more, although strangely my P34 wont go to that. It keeps dropping back to .010. I understand those that say just go by feel, but when im setting up my basses i know that if i use a common amount of relief then i can (in theory) get the action common across the basses as well. Doesn't always work out that simple but it does seem to speed things up for me.

This is what happened to me when i got my MM. used it once at a rehearsal and put it away. At the time i wasn't sure what i was looking for, but it wasn't that. I kept it because i know my tastes change. Now im happy to use it but i dont expect i will now i have the SB.

Got a rehearsal tonight so ill report back. I am optimistic that it will be better than the MM, which i'd say is warmer and a bit darker, but id still like a blend knob on it. There is just something about the P34 that i love without any effect and i feel both the MM ad SB take some of that way. Less so with the SB though so i think its a keeper for now.