Pirellithecat

Thanks for this - Works out well in Weight terms - i was thinking of something more "traditional" but I'll have a nother look. The Sandberg ones are very light ?40g, and if I go for a different look then these might also be a good option.

Anyone know the weight of the Wilkinson WJBL200's - they look like a direct (ish) replacement so if they were OK in terms of performance they might be an option .......

Contemplating an overhaul on the above bass. It's a bit weighty, and the original tuners are a bit old and worn out (bit like me really!). So thinking of replacing them with lightweight ones - I see the Gotoh Resolite GB640, might do the trick weight wise but will need new holes etc. The Gotoh FB30 looks like a direct replacement but is even heavier than what's on there now (i suspect). Anyone know of an alternative?

The thoughts about a more benign vocal Mic, are very interesting!! Sounds like it might be well worth investing in the Sontronics Solo, sounds ideal ..... ! So thanks for the info ... could make a big difference! (and be slightly less costly than an A&H CQ18-T!) In the light of input on here, last night tried the following; More dramatic management of Monitor volume and EQ - replacing our old monitor with a more "modern" one, with much better EQ controls (and adjusting input EQ's on desk). More robust management of the EQ's and volumes to FOH. (Lot's of CUT!!!). And no Compression! (Didn't use the Graphic Equaliser on this occasion as complexity is an issue - but plan to in future.) Spent more time on my IEMs to sort the "sound in my head". - lot's to do here but continuing to make progress and it allowed me to ignore the Stage Sound (as I wasn't much affected by it!!) Pretty much sorted the FOH sound at Sound Check and, fortunately, had a musician friend in the audience to confirm all was well at various points during the gig. And it Worked well ...... Bonus point. During the gig I noticed the Drummer scowling in the general direction of the Guitar amps, so I enquired .... "too much midrange "mush" from guitar(s)! Can't hear drum monitor as it's just part of an overall noise". I may have smirked, shrugged, and said "Yeah, tricky one that - you should probably mention it - nothing I can do from the mix point of view" . I am, though, a child!!! Seems like the Serenity Prayer might have to become the amateurs mixer(er)'s creed ...........grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Thanks - that's good - not too much difference then - I could probably live with that ......... !

So that's a VS next to a VT with the Split Coil removed a Jazz Pup replacing it? Or 2 VS's the blue one with an added Jazz Pup at the Bridge position and a reworking of the Split Coil recess hidden under the pick guard to accept a Jazz ............. or .....

Yes - it's a daft question! I guess I'd like a Jazz bass, (2x jazz pickups) in a P Bass body, but with a (relatively) skinny neck. I recently bought a jazz bass - but I much prefer the P Bass body style (weight/balance/less cumbersome/stands on a stand easily). I also have my fantastic VM4. It would be very hard to resist a Sandberg TT if the body were P-like ... hence the question. I guess I need to go and see one (again - now I know what to expect from a Jazz Bass) so that I can judge.

Very Nice!! This is one of those "Doh" questions but .... can anyone confirm - the bodies on the California TT MKII's (4 String) are different to those of the California VT MKII's (4 String)? I'm almost sure they are ..... but thought I should check .... ! Ta

Very Pragmatic solution!! 👍

😂 Rabbit hole ..warning! I'm sure that its something that most people don't notice or care about ..... but, once noticed it's a pain. When there are two pickups in a passive bass, the wiring circuit "sees" both pickups. The effect of this is that, particularly when both pickups are at "Full" there is a change in the tone/volume. No problem, until you roll off one of the pickups. At this point the volume/tone changes in a "strange" way, which means that you have to "re-mix" both pickups to get the tone you're after. This is fine at home but gigging it's a bit of a nuisance. Happens with traditional VVT AND/OR Volume/Balance/Tone. This from EMG " Insertion loss is a naturally occurring yet frustrating phenomenon that occurs most frequently with traditional balance pots, usually when it is in the middle position. It is characterized by a drop in signal strength that occurs when two competing signals are mixed; the nearer you move the balance knob to the middle position the more directly it affects the signal of the other pickup." They sell an ABC control which rectifies the issue, and I modded one of my other basses from VVT to VBT using one. Works really really well, but you do have to add a battery to the circuit. I may well add one to my V5 if it makes the grade as a gigging bass.

Set up my Sire V5 yesterday. Neck relief, string height, intonation, Pup height etc. Now all to Fenderesq specs. BIG difference. Now plays very well indeed and sounds better. I'll get a few more miles out of the strings and then replace them with D'adarrio NYXLs strung through the body so that it's comparable to my other basses and post an update. Still not a fan of the black plastic knobs or the insertion loss, but I'm not sure that most people would find that a problem. So lots to like!!

Well ........ Easy bit first ....... Mic technique - getting better, sings very close to the Mic and still "cups" the Mic "Bulb" from time to time (I have explained - and its now pretty rare). Wondering about adding a little more compression on this particular Mic ....... currently just a "tad"! In terms of FX - usually use Reverb plus a small amount of delay - bit limited on the Mackie, as the delay is a combo with Reverb so I've been experimenting with just Reverb of various types. In terms of EQ ....... well this is a trade off, as we have to manage feedback via monitor, and, as vocal mics are in front of drums AND Guitar cabs they pick up lots of mid range "bloom". So, usually there is the HPF on, bass rolled off a fair bit, as is the treble, with as much of the Mids (freq/volume) as we can manage without monitor feedback. In an ideal world I'd cut some of the upper mids (1500/1800) and the lower mids (400/500 ish) but can't do that on my Analogue desk. So a bit compromised really. (Monitor has significant "Cut" across the range!). Indeed, the Graphic Equaliser might be best used to tailor the monitor(s) leaving the FOH EQ with more options. I might check ot a few Mics though ............. Feel free to point out any obvious errors!!!

The Antediluvians 🤣 To be fair, it's mostly just me who wants the sound to be "better", most audiences (exception last gig) don't mention the sound quality (it's usually just the VOLUME!) Mostly though they just stand there drooling over the vocalist and the shredding guitard, whilst consuming inadvisably large quantities of alcohol! 😭

Thanks Jack - that's a very generous offer! However, we don't really get past the Middle East, let alone making it all the way out to the Far (N) East!!

Thanks Phil, I suspect it's partly my ears .... I've always been a bit "bright-sensitive/averse" . So it might not be the speaker per se, but more the limitations of the mixers ability to adjust the specific frequencies that are a little too pronounced. Spent a few hours with a very experienced sound guy this week mixing a track which we'd put together "remotely" . Although he has an analogue desk, being able to spend the time minutely adjusting each channel EQ/volume/compression etc. was interesting. It brings home how VERY small amounts of EQ adjustment make big differences to the mix and if you have time and the ability to critically listen, a great mix can be achieved. However, in the live situation, I just don't have the time or the ability to really listen to the FOH sound whilst "tweaking" and certainly not time to do that to each feed going into the mixer. So, back to the excellent being the enemy of the good, I need an "overall" EQ adjustment which tames the excesses. Thinking about it, I guess the complexity of using a digital mixer (so many more options) might not help!! So maybe the Graphic equaliser will be the answer in the short term - although it'll be greeted with derision by he rest of the band! Tin Hat came free with it though so ............. Actually - one final thought ........ how bright are the Shure SM58's compared to the SM58 Beta's - our vocalist has a fantastic and very powerful voice, which is really the main ingredient of the mix. Maybe a different mic might be an idea ..........

Hmm .....if I've read this correctly, the "speaker" you're looking for will provide the on stage and FOH volume i.e. not via PA? I've tried monitors, and RCF Art 710's with a view to doing this and, I have to say, I wouldn't go that route. The GR solution seems like a great idea, and there are also some nice Combo's from Mark Bass and Ashdown (2nd hand?) - even some "Kick Back" versions. Something like ...https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/ashdown-rm-c115t-500-evo-bass-combo A couple of bass players I know play in Rock three/4piece bands using these - and the sound defies the size!!! So, an easy lift and certainly not more difficult than an eg. RCF 732. The Kemper can just go into the PreAmp section "flat" or into the FX return if that's important, although the pre-amp section might work out as a simple "fix" for different room acoustics rahter than changing the core Kemper settings for different rooms?? it might, of course , be that I'm a luddite .........

Thanks for the input everyone - I think that, for a live (pub) band, with a stressed out bass player trying to set-up and nursemaid the mixer, in the face of antediluvian band members, the prospect of a modern digital mixer which finds, and sorts, feedback, mic sensitivity, etc. etc. is going to be the way forward. Might not be "the" best sound around, but as "Excellence is the enemy of the good" it's an almost irresistible proposition. Just need to convince myself that digital wizardry can be trusted .... especially without the physical faders to grab hold of in an emergency ............ Damn! And, as life is short, I might have to look at more benign PA speakers which, unlike the band, don't SHOUT at me ............ In the meantime I've borrowed a graphic equaliser ............

Dare I ask, what did you end up with instead?

Ditto. I recently bought a V5 - it's pretty good. Weighs in at around 3.9 kg - so around around 8.6lbs. I've really only played variations of P-shaped objects before and endorse the comments above. Pretty good sustain etc. "acoustically" but the pickups are noticeably low output compared to all of my other basses. In hindsight, I'd probably be happier with a P7 - just wanted to try a jazz style bass. The P7 has a PJ configuration AND a 38mm (Jazz) width neck and being active would overcome the quiet pickups. Goldilocks bass?

At a gig last weekend, there were a couple of comments about the "brightness" of the room and could we do anything to control it. This resonated with my suspicion that our PA might actually be rather bright. It's RCF 932's plus single sub. + Mackie ProFX 16v3 mixer. Only female vocals and a little rhythm guitar, plus drums going through it. I have compared it with a similar set up - Mackie SRM450 Mk2's plus 2 subs, and compared to that it is brighter (clinical?). So, couple of questions. 1) Anyone else find the RCF offering a tad bright/clinical/revealing? 2)I can't accurately control the frequencies contributing to "brightness" with our Mixer/Speaker combination. I have the chance to add a friends Stereo Graphic EQ unit to the outputs - any thoughts on trying this? I know it's added complexity/gear etc, but is it worth a try? I guess the alternative is to bite the bullet and move to a digital mixer with better EQing options - simpler on the gear front, but a steep learning curve.

Well we not all pretty, I meant " pretty much hostages to fortune" 🫣

Good thought! Thanks. We have one Spare Channel left so we may run into problems soon! How does the Drummer get to know what he sounds like " out front". Is it just a question of making sure it's ok at sound check and hoping he doesn't crank stuff up during the set? Or is that just a guitarist problem? I suppose after sound check we're all pretty hostages to fortune anyway though ..........

Just had a look "under the hood" so that I could get a template for the Pickguard. It's very tidy. All black screening paint with the Pups earthed to a "screw" into the paint (!)). Very neat, cloth insulated colour coded Pup wiring, very well soldered and cable-tied for tidiness. Routing all great and screw holes all neat and straight. Bit of saw dust in the cavity but otherwise clean. Really simply and well done. Nice! I'd assumed the Pickguard was plastic - but it's actually a pice of alloy/metal. 2.8mm thick and pretty heavy (for a pickguard). It might just be in comparison with my other basses, but it does seem fairly "quiet" in terms of output, and it's noticeable noisier (hum).

I found a labelled picture on Talkbass (courtesy Kerren 2009). And that makes sense with what it does. (basically means it's very difficult to get a specific sound when used live ......... too complicated for an old dummy like me!)

Nah ..... it's not a Pan/Blend - it's a "Frequency Sweep" (whatever that is!).