Darkstrike

They're neat devices alright, though I'm equally happy with any body truss rod adjust system where you don't have to take off the neck.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxVRJjlwwgE&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxVRJjlwwgE...feature=related[/url] This is a pretty good example of how they sound, with a pick at least...

Nice bass!

If you buy 'em from UK, or European dealers, you won't get that Ursa Headstock, I picked this up recently from a local dealer. # It's actually quite different from the JD on that dealers site, with the full size MM pickup, and an active pre-amp.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='970469' date='Sep 28 2010, 10:50 AM']I just discovered that John Deacon used to play one. [/quote] He used it on Another One Bites The Dust, IIRC...

[quote name='Colledge' post='956742' date='Sep 14 2010, 11:31 PM']i think i'd rather slap a bass nut and bridge on a strat, they use the same scale length and i doubt there'd be much in it neck width wise.[/quote] That's what I done, it'd be best if you can get a slightly thinner string spacing bridge, like maybe 18mm. As for the nut, it's a bit wide, it'd be more suitable for thin spaced 5ers, but it's not bad as a 4 string.

Hmmm, the tiny body'd put me off, but a 25.5" scale bass is a great fun axe for messing around.

[quote name='mcnach' post='955651' date='Sep 14 2010, 03:34 AM']binding??? thank you, you just cured my GAS. I hate binding on necks! still, it looks pretty nice![/quote] Uhhh, you're welcome, I think...... I didn't think I'd like the binding at all, but it grew on me fast. Truth be told, I bought it with the purpose of replacing the neck with a fretless Status Graphite one, but could bring myself to do it.

Oh, you can't see from that pic, but the fretboard has cream binding.

[quote name='mcnach' post='955608' date='Sep 14 2010, 12:19 AM']Sounds promising. The JE preamp is great, totally recommended. I put one on my 2EQ Stingray and I love it. I got another one to go into an OLP any of these days. Feel free to post pictures [/quote] I have one being put into a bass Gadow Guitars are building for me, I'm thinking I should wait and see if I like it in that before ordering another. And here's the bass.

[quote name='mcnach' post='955211' date='Sep 13 2010, 07:05 PM']Oooooh, pray tell... where from... what do you think of it? [/quote] As I said above, I got it in a local shop here, in Kerry. As for what I think of it, absaloutly love it! I've not much hands on experience with real 'Ray's, to give a direct comparison, espcially tonally. I've got a 5 string, and its got the seperate control plate, like a four string, rather than the extended guard. The string spacing is tighter(16.5mm, I think, like a Warwick), but I find that comfortable. Neck is pretty nice, its not fat, but not the thinnest, definatly comfy to play. The preamp is odd, bass seems to be boost only, even though it's got a detent, the mids, they don't seem to do much at all, and the treble, its nice, gets glassy when bosted up. Besides the bass control, the others seem to be boost/cut. The pickup looks well made, and certainly sounds just fine. I dunno how close to a Ray it sounds, but it does sound good. I'm thinking of replacing the preamp, with one of the John East ones, sometime.

[quote name='cameltoe' post='955085' date='Sep 13 2010, 05:38 PM']Where did you get it from may I ask?[/quote] Local guitar shop, but I would think any UK SX dealer should be able to get you one.

[quote name='mcnach' post='954401' date='Sep 13 2010, 09:31 AM']The Stingray copies by SX seemed quite interesting. They stopped production very fast, but SX instruments tend to be quite nice, and there's someone on youtuve using an SX stingray bass that looks and sounds really good.[/quote] They still make them, Rondo in the US just don't import them anymore. I bought a brand new one a month ago.

Headstock snob! "A MM Stingray is better after all than a souped up OLP." In fairness though, the MM is souped up too!

Nice pair!

A Cort A5 should come in well under that budget and is a mighty bass, but the workers dispute in Korea makes them distasteful to many.

I got them shipped direct, you got it on the bass/treble side deal, and yeah, lightweight tuners do need a new screwhole, but will be covered up, if you return to stock.

[quote name='cameltoe' post='940499' date='Aug 30 2010, 10:59 PM']Any ideas on the best brand to go for, or are they all basically the same? What size would I need also? Cheers[/quote] I've used Hipshots to good effect, I can't remember what the size is though, should say on their site.

I'd definatly try light tuners, they make a big difference, IMHO.

[quote name='mcnach' post='940188' date='Aug 30 2010, 06:35 PM']My OLP-MM family, very proud of it regardless of their origins : [/quote] Now thats a hell of a collection!

[quote name='mcnach' post='940150' date='Aug 30 2010, 05:54 PM']Keeper it is. It is definitely different to the MM 3EQ from what I remember (never owned one myself, only tried them in shops and borrowed one at a jam for a song). I wasn't too taken by the original 3EQ. I mean, it's actually quite nice, I *love* a Stingray in any shape colour or form, but found it a bit not-quite-enough "oomphy", whilst the 2EQ had tons of "oomph". It is very different to the Seymour Duncan 3-band, which I own and love (in an OLP). The 2EQ was very nice... but I guess I prefer a bit more control over the mids, and this one retains a lot of the character of the 2EQ plus gives you lots of control over the mids. "More boost than cut": Not sure how it actually works. There is a centre detent on all controls except the mid-frequency sweep control. The blurb states the mids set flat, on the detent, means the mid section of the preamp does nothing. I don't think it says that on the bass/treble controls... and one would expect the detent to be flat... but my preamp has a bypass switch installed, and there is a difference in tone between passive and active with all controls set flat, so I'd assume centre is not exactly flat. All controls are boost and cut. But the bass/treble seem to give you much of the sound you can get on the 2EQ (without centre detents, bass being only boost, etc), you just find it with the knobs at a different position. I also find that whilst the 2EQ bass could get a bit boomy, the JE is "tighter" and has a lot of body without getting boomy. This is all from playing it for about one hour on Saturday evening... so I may not be ultra accurate, but that's my recolection of the sounds right now. The SD preamp is hotter. A lot hotter (at least when coupled to a SD alnico pickup). It sounds more like the original 3EQ, but a bit more aggressive and fatter, which is why I liked it. The JE is quite different. I like both. Both tell you "stingray" when you play, but in different accents [/quote] Fantastic! Cheers for the in depth reply! Glad to hear you like it! Certanly sounds good, and good that there are detents in the bass/treble, one time I'm very glad to be wrong. I'm having a bass made with one in it, and now I'm looking even more forward to it!

[quote name='Sean' post='939410' date='Aug 29 2010, 03:52 PM']Well, that's a new one on me! I kinda like it - it's got very retro pawnshop-type styling and I like the chrome bodystrip.[/quote] They're supposed to sound and play just great too.

Looks like a Reverend Rumblefish.

Ooh! Sounds glike its a keeper. Tell me, there's no center detents(right?), and on his site it says that there is "more boost than cut", does that mean to have a non boosted eq, you have to have it rolled less than half up, but more than all off? Also it says of the Bass eq, "Conversly the cut characteristic is shelving, having an essentially flat response from 30 - 100Hz, when fully cut." Does that mean that the bass is boost only? I'm honestly quite confused, I'll admit I don't know a heap about eqs, or the theroy behind them at least.

Dayum, I really like that green!