itu

I have a Status MM4 neck that Rob and his team customized the nut to accommodate BEAD tuning. I couldn't play it that well. Just changed the set to an ordinary EADG set and the bass plays like a dream. Try a thinner set first. If you meet any issues, see a luthier. 

FX loop, connectors, cables, dirty pots... if all of these are fine (try different cables), then take the amp to a technician. 

2 hours ago, ossyrocks said:

...I have already crammed 6 electric basses, 3 electric guitars, 2 acoustic guitars, 5 GK amps, 2 Barefaced cabs, and a vintage Fender Bassman 50 head and 15^ cab into it.

Toss those g-words, and you have plenty of room for a DB. You shouldn't play them anyway. 

You may have an idea of how you sound, but a looper is very good tool to reveal details from your playing. Instant playback, cheap units are really cheap. 

Remember that "settings at noon" is everything but flat. This is true with nearly every amp. For some reason people believe that the "noon" setting is really flat. You need to explore the possibilities as well as the limits of your amp by turning the pots bravely to their limits.

BEWARE: you may find new and interesting sounds from your machine. 

Yoy could even add another J pickup to the bridge position. Talk about supercharge. 

The next question is: 

Who will take care of the BassChat to the next generations? 

1 minute ago, uncle psychosis said:

The good thing about buying a mediocre Fender Jazz is that even any shop stock multiple options. 

Fixed. 

Lindt chocolate. Also found a box of effects from my garage. Most probably will sell some of them as well as my misa Tri-Bass. 

True. I added similar bearings to my "Status", and the feel and accuracy became a lot better. 

It seems that the answer here is Fender. 

Just in case you would consider something similar, but from another brand: 

- blade, Bacchus, Tokai, and ESP are decent Japanese alternatives 

- Limelight, one of the best feel J necks I've tried, nearly bought my first J 

- Modulus Graphite BassStar J was an excellent fretless 

- Pensa-Suhr, no wonder Victor Bailey played one 

- Sadowsky is a heavy contender in good sounding lightweight basses 

- you could source Warmoth or similar parts to a self-made J (with a @Kiwi neck?) 

- the extra special that is bubbling under: a local luthier that is able to tweak every tiny detail to your specs 

https://bourns.com/products/proaudio/products 

On 22/12/2025 at 19:46, cousindave said:

Not only suitable for, but it is metal! 

Where's you ser/par switch? Push/pull pot? 

21 hours ago, TimR said:

LEDs are curent driven, don't mess around with power supplies. Get some rechargeable 1.5v batteries. They'll last for decades on a single charge. 

Depends on the LED board. There are both, CC and CV systems, there. Constant current is very common in luminaires, but especially stripes are using constant voltage drivers. 

It is very nice that there are lots of DALI drivers, but also Casambi (wireless) drivers have become widely available (Osram, Tridonic, TCI...). 

22 hours ago, Dood said:

let's give it a 14mm string spacing...

You mean a g-word, or Gerald Veasley's Jabanez? 

https://www.ibanez.com/na/products/detail/gvb36_1p_04.html 

1 hour ago, BassTractor said:

...we compared it with expensive players like the Michell GyroDec, and the differences were minimal... 

Dear Tractor, you just don't understand the finesses of GyroDec. You need to listen to the sound it doesn't produce. A friend of mine changed his CD, because the mechanics made so much noise. 

I have an old Technics SL-1210 that I got for free, because it was filled with liquor, something that contains hell of a lot of sugar. I managed to clean the frames and to my surprise the electronics were intact. Had to buy a new cover and a platter cover and a cartridge that was NOS Shure V15 type III. It has been running for two decades with no issues so far. 

26 minutes ago, SimonK said:

I will choose to ignore the fact that a £550 Mexican Fender Jazz into a £25 DI box would get me through most gigs!

I could use a hammer, but I just like better tools. I am so bad player that I use instruments that help me to sound and feel better on stage. Fender is not the one. 

Nowadays expensive most likely means that I would love to have it but cannot afford it. On the other hand Fodera is not expensive because it doesn't interest me. 

19 minutes ago, prowla said:

I keep thinking about connecting my Sony Walkman Pro to my system; I think it needs a service though.

D6C is a complicated unit. Try to find someone who has manuals, tools and knows latest HW updates. 

1 hour ago, NickA said:

Meanwhile on Fender forums the question is "if I get my bass refinished to look like new, will it be less valuable" to which the answer is generally yes. 

An addition. 

I have used Tonar needles/styli. Work well, availability is decent, as is the price. 

My MG Quantum 5 was expensive when I bought it new. I sold my piano, and used all my savings to buy it. In today's money it was nearly £5000. 

It was a good sounding bass, but since then I have played instruments that feel and suit me better. I sold it and bought an MG Genesis 5 here that may not look as fancy, but it feels so much better. That sure wasn't expensive because of its value to me, no matter the price! 

As there are very good used basses everywhere, I would seriously consider buying a bass that costs over £2000. I am not into vintage stuff at all, but a lightweight 5 string super long scale Overwater... 

Jimmy Johnson is a super player. I sure cannot play the stuff he does but it is very interesting to follow his playing through your transcription. Once again, thank you @Bilbo. 

The wood is looking so good, why bother? A double bass with dots/blocks would look... strange? Luminous side dots is another story. 

@tauzero answered so well to the first question! 

Even 48 V high wattage (CV, constant voltage) stripes can withstand reverse voltage. 

9 V to a 4.5 V stripe (very odd voltages, both of them) will degrade the lifetime a lot, if the system works well. Two similar systems can be connected in series to double the input voltage. 

It is feasible to connect the stripe to a driver before connecting the system to a line especially if the system is CC (constant current). Battery powered small systems should be able to manage hot swap, just like CV (constant voltage) systems.