Pirellithecat

Thanks - it's a 1993 model, so I'm not sure how "modern" that is - I'll get drawing!

All in the title really! I've been spoiling (as in lavishing affection, not wrecking!) my Squier Silver Series MIJ P bass to see whether I can get to "love" it ... and it's definitely getting there. I've a spare Seymour Duncan SPB 1 pick-up so I've added that, got a new wiring loom from Kiogon - and that has made a big difference (250 Ohm pots). I've sorted out a bit of a hum (which I seemed to add with the Pick-up!) and it's now silent and, just for fun put some brass saddle into the original bridge. It now sounds very nice, but I can't work out the neck - on the one hand it's nice and relatively small for a P, but it feels very different "in the hand" to my old P Bass , my newer Sandberg (also a 40mm neck), and, unsurprisingly my PJ Squier. So I'm thinking it might well have a 7.25inch radius neck rather than the 14 and 9.5 that I've been used to. Anyone know the radius or where I can find it? Cheers Ian

Deluxe = 20 frets as well.

Thanks for this - looks pretty similar to the Boxer both in terms of design and price I think (?) - 22 frets rather than 20 though - not sure which I'd prefer - I know I get on well with 20, but unsure about the extra 2 ..... I'll have to go and check a Deluxe to see how many frets that has just for completeness!

Anyone experience of these two basses? Tried the Boxer "accidentally" the other day and the neck is really comfortable to play - pretty much perfect for me. I had been thinking of getting a MIM Deluxe P Bass Special, as I like the P bass elements with the a Jazz Neck. Sadly I can't actually try one of the Deluxes so it would be a case of buying "blind". I'm particularly interested in how the necks compare and which might be best in a Rock/Indie Covers band. Any info would be very welcome (although not by my "Financial Controller"!) As an aside I did also try out a Charvel San Dimas PJ - and the neck on that was divine! Overall though, I thought the bass might be a bit on the "modern" side for me (so might require some electronics/Pup changing). Cheers!

Plus 1 for the reliability of the Ashdown ABM 600 - I have one, I've done a few gigs with it and a lot of rehearsals - has a cover, but just transported in the boot of the car each week. It's around 3 years old, it's good from the tonal flexibility point of view without being too complicated, it's loud, is "hefty" enough, and it's not too heavy. I've been tempted by others but so far not moved this on. And the service from Ashdown is really really good!!

Will do!

Thanks Martin! Yep the Standard Series is definitely "an odd bird" - nothing on it is Standard! But mine is really rather good - I bought it as a "scrap" bass and have tweaked it into a nice-to-play instrument. I was looking for a slightly smaller pickup for the very reason you identified, but thought I was just being a bit faint hearted about things - so your intervention has probably saved me an expensive mistake (as I'm not going to route out a bit of the bass which lies outwith the pickguard! ). I've measured up the Armstrong Bridge pickup and it might just fit - the Neck one would fit easily. However, the combination of (currently) a Fender Custom 62 P Pickup, with the Duncan Seymour bridge pickup leads to a pronounced effect on the volume/tone controls, exacerbating the insertion loss (if that's what it is). So if I could get a better matched pairing (eg Fender Custom 62 jazz pickup) it might avoid this issue - just need to find out the measurements for these - maybe it's a trip to a guitar shop with my digital calliper to do a bit of sneaky measuring! Thanks for you help though... Ta!

Thanks Dan Dare! I'll check out Armstrong and keep measuring! Anyone have the dimensions for a Fender Custom 62 Jazz pickup or similar?

I've been bad. I had a "spare" Fender Custom 62 P Pickup and stuck it on my much loved P Bass Special. And it's really really good! So much better than the outgoing Seymour Duncan SPB1! So ........ would the addition of a similar spec J Pickup in the Bridge position (to replace the current SJB1), generate more "betterness"? I know it's not worth doing from an investment point of view, but this Bass is really rather special - after various set-ups, string changes, upgrades to the Bridge and Tuners etc etc it plays like a dream, the necks great, it's not overly heavy of bulky, it balances well but, until now, its been great for practice but falls short in the band context (doesn't "cut through"). But the addition of the new P Bass Pickup has made a real difference. Fender Custom Shop 60's J's don't appear to be sold as singles and the bridge version seems a bit too big for the Squier aperture. Does any one know whether they are available separately, whether one could use the Neck version (which is a tad smaller) instead of the Bridge version, or if there is a better/cheaper alternative out there which would fit and be a match for the new P Pickup? I only use the J Pickup to add bite to the P and rarely, if ever, solo it so it's in this context that I'm looking for options. Happy New Year!

And another one for the Ashdown ABM 600's. They go for around £300 ish ... on eBay and their service department is really very very good.

What was it about the VM's you found out of kilter and how do the TT's especially passive differ (for you)? I have a really nice VM4, and its (almost) great. I'm trying to decide whether a different Sandberg "flavour" might be worth a try, or whether I should put GAS to one side and learn to love the one I have!

If only - it's a pub "do" and we tend to do a a couple of very short sets through the evening. So no sound engineers/no room/no time to alter the set up (actually you can't even reach/see the settings on the Bass Combo). Apparently it all sounds OK out front, but a solution so that it's easier to hear what's going on in awkward set-ups, would be a good thing, as it happens in a number of places where we play and share "the Stage"! But yeah - it is pretty dumb as you say .......

OK I'm an old git, and probably getting a bit mutton Jeff! But ........ With my own Rig, which is a stacked set-up and so fairly close to my ears, I can hear fine and can tweak the sound to suit. Recently been playing through a "House Bands" set up in a pub - and I find it a real struggle to hear anything played above a D on the A string. Apparently it's OK in the audience, though. The set up is a Combo on the floor beside the bass player, with a 2*12inch guitar rig on top - so not ideal. Nothing else goes through the PA except vocals, so I still need to hear the on stage amps etc, but I wondered whether there was a way of rigging up a single in Ear Monitor for the bass - wirelessly without fiddling with the host amp too much?? I'm guessing I need some kind of a Bluetooth transmitter and appropriate ear bud but I'm struggling to find anything suitable. Anyone any suggestions - and yes it's probably a pretty daft question!!

Let us know how you get on - could save me a trip (or the opposite!!)

Hi, I'd be very keen to try the Lakland 44-64 Custom PJ - which Guitar Guitar in Newcastle have in Stock! I'd also try a Sandberg VT4. I have the VM4 and it's a cracking bass - but maybe not very typical PJ as it's a little on the Modern end of things in terms of tone!

Well, I've been trying some of the ideas concerning action etc. and I think I'm getting somewhere ......... I do think that the E strings sits rather high/appears disproportionately "large" on the nut, so I reckon the nut will need fettling. And I like the idea of a slightly lighter gauge E string. I guess that'll need a "Ready Aim Fire" approach - ie change string, do nut (to fit new string) if necessary, check action ....... PLAY! I'll let you know!

Hmm, I probably wouldn't be happy doing that certainly not until I'd tried to understand what's going on - after all it could just be my "perception" of the sound.

Not quite sure, but they have been checked over by the guitar workshop. They are not the originals (which I have) so I guess they are upgrades to the originals done over the last few years. I'll disembowel the instrument and have a look as soon as I get time - probably later this week. Or I could see if someone could supply some replacement pots etc. If only I could find someone who did that ...........😇.

Hi, Thanks all, The strings have been all sorts ... but now LaBella Deep Talkin flats 45 - 105. The issue isn't one of volume really, its more the lack of attack and too much sustain. Currently 4mm between top of Pup pole and bottom of string. I've tried more but didn't seem to help - I'll have another go tomorrow, but I'm not sure I could get the clearance between the E and the pickup 4mm lower than the A - it'd be a huge gradient and I imagine I'd need to raise the string heights hugely to achieve this. Surely the right edge of the pickup would stick up like an Iceberg! I'll fiddle tomorrow ..............

Hi Ped - Thanks for that. Yep should have been clearer - for each set of strings I've adjusted the truss rod to get the action as low as I can without buzzing - so it's pretty low. The sound is the same whether listened too via Beyerdynamic 770 Pro Headphones from Mixer plus high quality Headphone Amp or through either of my amps and/or cabs. Acoustically it's hard to say other than there is very good sustain across all the strings on the bass. Tonally there may be a little difference for the E-String. The bass has been set up/fret levelled etc. recently, but I have to admit that the alternative stings were all tried following the set-up. Can't say there's a definitive difference with detuning the E String.

Hi, My P Bass eString lacks definition. By this I mean that compared to the other strings it is rather boomy and sustained with little attack. This is the case whether fretted or open, but probably the effect is more noticeable when the string is played unfretted. I've swapped out the pick up for a high quality one and adjusted the string heights (up and down). I've also tried a variety of strings on the bass from Thomastic infelds/ LaBella flats, Fender Flats and Sadowsky roundwounds. All in all these changes, whilst they each change the tone somewhat, do not resolve the issue of the E String sounding less defined than its counterparts. The only things I can think of changing now are the Nut - either get a new one or get it checked out to see if the slots are OK for the strings, or replacing the bridge. I guess the alternative is that, for me, the bass is a bit too Old School/Motown. It plays really well, the neck is great both in terms of profile and width/depth. So, does the panel think that this is just a characteristic of the Bass - kind of a "baked in sound", or, are there other thing to try to get it a bit more even across the strings?

Enough already ... guitards have feelings too you know (well some at least). Yep - the 8 song set has taken years to perfect, and can't be extended as the audience would have to go home for a nap if we did more. My other band manages a set with twice as many numbers in (probably) a shorter time - guitard has Fractal pedal thingy, so I'm not damning ALL Guitards. But I think Mr Harry Helix will soon join us on Guitar ........ Thanks for all the moral support everyone.

That's a good point Casapete - Helix = Pandora's Box ????!!!!!!