dave_bass5

I dont have a P any more but by all accounts it does wonders to a Jazz tone so im really looking froward to trying it. I have had a VTBass that i found was a bit too powerful for what i wanted, and the BD21 is fine but it does change the tone a bit more than i would like, ill probably still use it for our rockier gigs. The Sad seems to be subtle but effective and i can imagine ill have it on all the time. I plan on keeping it on the amp rather than using it as a pedal. Ive got Chromes on my Jazz now but im sure the Sad will give me a bit more openess. I do still have the Ray34 although i dont play it any more. I will give it a try though.

Of course not, im a bloke ;-)

Well it looks like im sorted for one, got it off another member here but thanks again for the offer. It should be hear during next week. I dont have a gig next weekend so ill have plenty of time to get used to it. Damn this GAS, i never saw that one coming.

Ive had a Fender Deluxe double gig bag for about 18 months. It seems well made and only costs £49 but my god is it impossible to use. The way the shoulder strap is designed means the pad on it sits in front of your shoulder, leaving the metal digging right in to your shoulder bone. Maybe one day ill figure out how to use it in a practical way but for now its great for storage.

Cheers. Yeah, i understand what your saying and this is what im after. I have the BD21 for the dirty/coloured tones. Ive PM'ed some people and have placed a wanted add so fingers crossed i will get one sooner rather than later.

Good luck. I've had Fralins in both my Duck Dunns (P's though) and they are amazing but pretty costly. The Wizards ive just got are very nice, Andy did a custom wind for me to get the tone i wanted, and both came to much less than one brand new Nordy or Fralin

Ive voted other and suggest a MB F500 over the F1. Its better than the F1 but the same size i believe. This would be my main amp if i could afford one. probably overkill, price wise, for a back up amp though.

My vote would go to Wizards if they do them but if not Nordstrand. This is only based on the fact that i had one in my old DJ5 and it did sound warm with a nice low end. Well, the bridge pup did as the neck was a P but i was very impressed with the 5NJFS i had. I also think Fralins would be great, based on what ive read but i've not tried thier Jazz pups yet. They are a bit expensive though.

[quote name='molan' post='890218' date='Jul 9 2010, 10:39 AM']I've got the original Sad outboard pre - bought it years ago & it's been a Godsend in crappy rehearsal studios. I simply use it to bypass the studio pre-amp and go direct into the power amp, really cleans up the sound and some nice tonal variation too. I hardly ever use mine so you'd be welcome to borrow it. I'm on holiday for a week but back after that. I work in Covent Garden so could easily get it into Central London [/quote] Cheers Barrie, that very kind of you. I have made an offer on the one thats for sale, as after a bit of reading it does seem to be more suited to what im looking for. Im happy with my gear and never use anyone else's (we dont rehearse) but it seems like these things work really well with passive Jazz basses to just enhance the tone and thats exaclty what im after. If the sale falls through etc ill give you a shout when you get back. I work in Holborn (Hatton Garden) so i can get up to you any lunchtime. Have a great holiday.

Cheers Gareth. it was you how first alerted me to the Tone Hammer. I almost got one a few months back but went for the VTBass instead. That lasted one gig and i sold it. It had too much colouring. The TH seems to get good reviews but again, its going to colour the tone too much, plus i feel its a bit overkill for what im looking for. I dont want amp sim or distortion/drive. Thats why i keep those controls off on my BD21. Im looking more for something to enhance my tone, to tighten it up and make it a bit more modern, without adding too much to it if that makes sense. God, when i PM'ed you this morning i was GAS free, now look at me lol.

First off, i didnt even know about the Sadowsky Outboard Preamp up until an hour ago so sorry if this is going over old ground. At the moment i use a Behringer BD21 to give me a more active tone. I tend to keep the EQ fretty flat on the BD21 and the drive off. This works well i guess. I dont need or want distortion, and to be honest the output from my bass (via my radio system) is good so i dont need to boost it. I dont need a DI as such as i use my amps DI whenever i have to, although having a better one is always nice. I have been thinking about a Audere or maybe even a East pre for my CV Jazz but then stumbled on the Sadowsky in the effects for sale section. I think this might be a better option, as i wont have to keep unplugging my bass between sets. Im just wondering how different it will sound compared to what i have. Any thought would be much appreciated. Anyone use both?

I dont think that holds up to be honest. A Jazz bass feels different to a P bass (and there are many sizes and shapes of P neck). One will feel more comfortable than the other and thats the one i would go for. Yes, i can happily play both (my Ray34 has been my main bass for a few months) but if one feels nicer then thats the one ill go for. Simple. I do think its more string spacing rather than size though. I know most end up the same width at the bridge but i find i can play a 5 string a bit easier than i can a P. Wider neck but narrower string spacing. Oh, and i do have long boney fingers. Its all good though and whatever works for the individual is the right one.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='889359' date='Jul 8 2010, 11:17 AM']Going back to the beginning of the post why do bass players get more hung up on neck widths than guitarists?[/quote] Well my take on this is that a P neck is too wide for me to play comfortably. At least, the string spacing is my problem. Anything under that is fine, and because i have the choice i go for what makes me play better. Dont forget, in general bass players have further to stretch than a guitarist. If its a physical thing then i would imagine as most guitar necks are well under the size of a P its not such an issue. IMO of course and sorry so the generalization.

[quote name='Monz' post='889301' date='Jul 8 2010, 10:03 AM']I set my stingray 5 up using the Lakland setup video off youtube with an 8 thou gap at the 6th fret and about 2mm height at the 12th and it plays perfectly. I am using Elixir 45 to 130 strings. I find that even though you can hear the zing of the frets the audience usually cant. What about using 65 to 130 (bottom 4 of a 5 string set)[/quote] yeah, i always use that setup video, its been a life changer. I normally get the manufacturers neck relief spec rather than use Laklands. It works for me.

Ive never tuned to those notes so cant really help. I do have a Ray34 and my action is 2mm on the E and G at 12th fret. I also play with a pick. Neck relief is set to .012" I find on its own, with new strings i get a bit of clank etc but at gigs its not heard. I prefer a lower action with a bit of buzz when i dig in, rather than to struggle with a higher cleaner action.

To be honest i think it was the EB's that i didnt like, rather than flats in general on my Ray34. If only the G tuner was on the other side on my Ray34 i would try my Chromes on it.

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='889055' date='Jul 7 2010, 10:35 PM']its cool dave,,,,,i was noodling all night(oh er). only thing is im now fighting the urge to stick flats on it. Can anyone shed some light if thats a good idea????????[/quote] Its nice to get a bass that you feel you cant put down. Ive had a few recently that i didnt want to pick up. I know loads of people use flats on Rays but i think they sound better with rounds. Ive had EB flats on my Ray34 and didn't really like them. Ive just today put some Chromes on my CV Jazz and love them. Ive used flats a few times before but always go back to rounds. Flats sound good for some things but i always miss the overtones and so tend to swap them around ever so many months.

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='889005' date='Jul 7 2010, 09:56 PM']rehearsal was cancelled tonight. owell time to stick the bass back in its hummer styled case.[/quote] Nooooo, you should get some playing in anyway. This bass deserves to be played not stored away :-)

That's good news about the wizards. They will be a good upgrade, even if you weren't having issues. Look forward to the outcome.

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='888351' date='Jul 7 2010, 01:03 PM']The weak G's on the stingrays is a common grumble from owners (of which I am proud to be included) - I don't understand why the pickup pole is so much lower than the A and D string ones, if indeed that is the cause. Anyway, gone o/t a bit. Give it a try with some Wizards, I've heard only great things about their Jazz puppies.[/quote] Its really nothing to do with the pup IME. i have a Nordy 4.2 in my Ray34 and its only marginally better (at most). Its all about freq IMHO. too much low end and the G just gets lost. Thats why i mentioned EQ above, it could just be the G sting is getting swamped by the fuller other three strings (im probably talking rubbish though) As mentioned above, i got some Wizards put in my CV jazz and they sound fantastic. I can almost get a P tone from the neck pup now. Very thick sounding. I did order some 84's but found them too dark so Andy sent me some custom 74's and these are just perfect. If i ever sell the bass im going to keep the pups, assuming i get another Jazz.

Have you tried a heavier G string? I must admit i dot have a clue what im talking about but i suffered from a weak G string on my Ray34 (still do to an extent) but getting a heavier G string and messing with the EQ did help a lot. Could it be that you use a low of low end boost and so the G sting (not having a lot of low end feq) is getting a bit lost? Just a thought. I have a set of Squier pups that came out of my CV Jazz (replaced with some Wizards) that your welcome to borrow to test out weather it might be those old pups or not.

You would probably have to use a different strap to the one you have the Schallers on. I must admit im not really clued up on the different types of strap locks, ive only ever used Schaller and Dunlops. Why dont you want to change the buttons? Dunlop do buttons that work with their locking system or can be used with a normal strap. These look pretty close to a normal button but have the special locking hole in the middle. Probably not what your looking for but you can get straps with locking devices that fit normal buttons. [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/6434-planet_waves_50mm_polypropylene_planet_lock_guitar_strap_black_"]Strap with locks[/url] some people also use Grolsch bottle tops on their straps although ive not tried this.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='887858' date='Jul 6 2010, 10:21 PM']I'm going to shelve the idea for a while. The RW is a nice bass, but I've confirmed with Fender UK and USA that it's exactly the same as the MIM 60s bass, except the appearance. The extra cash is for the relic/paint. All parts are Mexican including the pickups. That's not knocking em, but I'm going to think about it a little more.[/quote] I still think the HW-ones are better value if you dont want MIM. And the pups are (i think) USA vintage. Heres a thought Gareth. If you do like the RW look send me one of your new SR4s when you get them and ill customize it for you and give it that RW look lol.

[quote name='Conan' post='888149' date='Jul 7 2010, 10:11 AM']Go to "enhancements" and select "play speed".[/quote] Yeah, like i said in my post above yours, its been there for ages