nilebodgers

Funny isn’t it. At least in the bass world amps have (mostly) got more advanced and much more portable.

The "take each fret individually down to 1mm" approach assumes the fretboard is completely flat end-to-end. I wonder if it was? I may have missed a post-crowning polish step going up through the abrasive grits?

I saw a YouTube video where someone took a fingerboard off to replace a truss rod and the first thing they did was pull the nut and the last fret and then drill 4 tiny holes through the slots into the neck so guide pins (actually 4 drill bits) could be used to exactly replace the fingerboard in position. They reckoned that would stop it slipping sideways under clamp pressure when glued and minimise any step/bump where fingerboard meets the neck.

Slapped basses all sound very similar to me if they have the same pickup configuration and string type. That is what makes demos frustrating if they are mostly slap.

That is hilarious. How much?!?!

+1 more for the Zoom - it is a great practice tool. I'm using it with an iPad running iReal Pro plugged in to the aux input for my latest attempt to crack jazz walking bass. Having rhythm and chordal context is making it look more achievable this time.

Nice! What does the completed cab weigh?

That's interesting. I was vaguely thinking about noiseless pickups for my MIM Jazz as I don't use it much with both pickups full on and these were my likely choice. What is the HF response like from these, do they sound noticeably duller than a single coil J pickup?

Interesting - a 4040 was my first ever bass back in the 70s. I don't remember much about it though.

Choice will come down entirely to how much you want to spend and whether you are looking for conventional or noiseless. The J&D probably has cheap ceramic pickups, so any of the Alnico pickup options will likely sound better. (check the dimensions of both the J&D pickups to see if they are standard sizes before buying anything else) Cheapest "brand" pickups I know of are the Roswell JBAs (£43-ish new the pair) and Ironstones (£48/pair) and then it is Toneriders at £70-ish and then there is a big choice at the £100-£120ish level from everyone. Then boutique pickups at £150++. Everyone has their favourite pickups though and I'd be very surprised if there is any common thread to suggestions!

The original ceramics didn't sound great, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on pickups as it was meant to be a budget project. My thinking was the roswells have alnico5 magnets, measure the same resistance as an equivalent Fender pickup and they were £25 the pair s/h - worth a punt. I was more than pleasantly surprised with the result and very glad I hadn't spent £100 on a "nicer" pair. My cheaply tarted up MIM Jazz is now my favourite bass by miles.

As a keen fixer/modifier I have stuck to Rosewood boards on my own basses to avoid dealing with the coated finish. I clean with Naptha (lighter fluid) and use "Howard Feed&Wax" which is a beeswax/orange oil to condition afterward. I'd just use Naptha on Maple to clean then polish with a dry cloth (I'd try a non-silcone polish to see if that helped make it slipperier).

Good spot, I didn't look at that page on their site. It's fascinating working out who is OEM-ing the bits behind some major brands. It would be ironic if the MIM Player Jazz series are using an unbranded version of the same Roswell pickups I stuck in my 2008 MIM Jazz.

Interesting - is there a source for that info? They might do all the incoming QC in California then just ship to the Mexican plant along with other parts. Easier than a split delivery I would think especially as they will be getting them in pallet loads (or container loads if they are shipped in from the Far East with other parts).

Triangular corner ports?

Did they fix the really thin sound when they remastered it though? (assuming they did remaster) I had the original vinyl copy back in the day and it was unpleasantly tinny-sounding.

With a Gibson logo?

That is still selling counterfeit goods though i.e. not legal. I would have thought a private phone call would be enough, no need for a crusade. If they were arsey then a call to trading standards should put a stop to it.

My old Yam BB sat in an unheated warehouse for 15 years and could have also done duty as a competition bow when I dug it out again. It took quite a bit of adjustment to get the relief back to a normal value and it also took a few weeks in the house to be stable again. Truss rod access is rubbish on those too which made it especially annoying (heel end embedded nut that standard tools don't fit properly).

You are dead right for most small venues. The main problem with a simple vocal PA is that it requires a lot of discipline from everyone in the band to keep their acoustic and back line levels at the right levels to get a good overall mix. Not a simple thing to achieve when egos are in the room!

Roswell pickups (http://www.roswellpickups.com/) are their own thing, no connection to Wilkinson. I have a set of the Roswell Alnico5 J pickups out of a JB75 bought s/h on here and they sound surprisingly good. I replaced the ceramic pickups in my 2008 MIM Fender J with them.

That is a perfect example of less-is-more in drum kit size. What a player too.

The B3n isn't an interface unlike the original B3 model, so won't help with recording.

Haha, yes - put a ponk on it...