itu

I have a Dean Markley Overlord. Its sound is suitable for bass, because of its eq. I did a capacitor update and put some extra shielding to certain areas, it is a 230 V pedal.

If you have a preamps already before the blend, you can use a simple blend pot (Bourns 250k, or 500k MN), as the outputs after the eqs are lo-Z (low impedance). If you want a lo-Z ("active") blend, you can buy a Noll Mixpot. This works with hi-Z and lo-Z signals. There are individual level settings for both inputs in the PCBA. It can not be said that the two entities push similar levels, as the eqs can push lots of extra. (Volume could be understood as a full freq band eq, and individual eqs as partial freq band volumes. Confused, no?) You do can match the levels at certain settings (eq pots @ center detents).

And how easily silver gets tarnished and so on... Please do not worry, my background is in acoustics, as well as working in a broadcasting company, so I have seen all snake oils and quite some more. Yes, I am on your side.

I can't find it, but there was an ad in Bass Player long ago of a bassist probably playing a headless instrument. He had nearly orange hair, and sides of his hair were cut. His outlook resembled that 7up ad character. I associate him to Simply red, but this is just a hunch. Was he advertising strings, maybe, but the pic was fun. Anybody remember this?

Tina Weymouth. Kool. Mario Cipollina. Those glasses. Jimmy Haslip. That hair - and can play compact stuff, too.

I would love to see oxygenized copper cable... or not... Silver is actually the best, and gold plated contacts do not add any distortion. But that's hifi, that we aren't.

1. more playing 2. more reasonable playing 3. an unlined fretless 5

If you have exotic cables, and their prices are exotic, you have to buy this: https://www.thecablecooker.com/ My cables are not that exotic.

There is certain point, where more money does not equal straight raise in quality any more. The difference in basses in higher price categories are subtle. 200 / 500 / 1000 / 2000 / 5000, don't you think there is some sweet spot? Some cables cost a fortune, but as long as I have been working with sound, Neutriks and some silicone cable has been the choice of broadcasting companies. I follow that quality standard.

This could turn to "The best books you have bought/loaned/read/stolen/copied/whatever". These are the first three that I remember: Standing in the shadows of Motown Slap it! by Tony Oppenheim Bass line encyclopedia by Tim Ferguson

Playing is not the same ability as instructing. A good teacher does not have to be a brilliant player. Many excellent players are not so flashy teachers. In other words, a teacher (a pedagog) is able to describe you how to play something. A musician can create music, but may be unable to turn the music to talk. "How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? One hundred and one. Steve Gadd does it and one hundred others start a lifelong discussion about how he did it." A professional player can practically play anywhere and in any circumstance. Mortals, like me, have to do a lot to get reasonable output in complex surroundings. A funny amp, or a boomy place, or a loaned instrument: "I know I should be able to make it happen, but that pro just walked in and did it."

There are some books I have gone through, but only few are interesting. An idea here or there. Some score books have gotten a new meaning because I carry them to rehearsals: I bought a 10" tablet and the software for notes (Mobile sheets pro), and the situation changed. I have scanned few of my books. When I carry them around, they get attention. Bookshelf, yes, it's an archive.

Exactly! And I should have pointed out, that we laughed ourselves silly after his comment.

"You can slide, and you can find", was a comment from my teacher, while we discussed about the notes in tune...

Ok, few more words. My hard playing and style overall differs from yours. Because of that your pickup height is different than mine. If you need to adjust the balance between the pickups, height adjustment is your friend, too.

I put them so high, that they touch the strings, when playing. Then turn the screws until the strings do not hit the pickups any more. Simple as that.

Duracell started to pack their cells with a different technology, and was able to produce more energy to the same volume. Their batteries were very close to standard sizes, but some other companies have made bigger packages.

I had a Kramer Ferrington. Bulky, small sound. Without piezo and amp, the sound was too faint with any other player. Because the amp was a must, I decided to sell the Kramer and use an electric instead. At home the sound was decent. Setting the instrument up was a bit complicated, because there is no 3D bridge.

Agree. 9 volts is so low, and the effect is only in the tip of your tongue. Let's say that far over 30 volts through your body, and the story changes. I do admit that because of the tongue is so unprecise, I carry a tiny DMM in my bass cases to gigs. It is helpful if something seems broken.

Take it easy, I think fretless is a different beast. I have done gigs with the fretless only, but still feel she is best when playing less. I like that singing sound. Quick stuff is doable. Slides, use sparingly. It took maybe nearly a year, before I felt at home with her. Yes, something can be done nearly right away, but just play so much, that you are comfortable with her. It just takes some time. At least for an old fart like me. A flanger, a fuzz, and a comp are my favorite effects with her. I put the fuzz and the flanger through a x-over (IE Divaricator), and Cog built me a small sized octaver which works well after the comp. I use SS roundwounds only (40-95). Pretty same feel with every bass. "Play til your fingers bleed, and then play some more" (do not remember who said that).

Duracell. The sizes are slightly different, this is a known truth. Because of the "capacity war", manufacturers have been manipulating sizes a little bit.

From the electronics point of view the sound will change, if you put anything to the existing circuitry. Another thing is, if this change is too big for you. You want to mix them, the passive option is the Bourns 250k or 500k MN blend pot. Active mixing: use Noll Mixpot. Active preamp with active mixing, use Audere, or John East. Most tone capsules do not offer active mixing.

Battery lifetime depends on the preamp and its components. This may be anything from 200 - 1500 hours. As a 9 volt battery has approximately 500 mAh capacity, this equals a consumption of around 0.3 - 2 mA. If the consumption is bigger, the voltage drop in the end is faster. Then all the capacity of the battery can not be used. I have measured a bit over 7 volts, before the preamp was not working well anymore. Usually the level is 8 something. I write the change date to every battery. It is reasonable to remove the battery, if the bass is any longer time in her case. It is also good to check the situation once a year, be it midsummer or new year. Or 9. 9. if that time reminds of the voltage and the batteries. Alembic uses (at least has been using) opamps of type NE5534. It is a low impedance opamp and consumes lots of energy. Few of those and a battery would cry for help. That is the reason for an external power source.