JonnyCumbo

Is anyone here a member of SBL and has received emails encouraging you to apply for a 40 person only one year course, promising one-on-one mentoring?

I just need to be sure I'm not being scammed. They haven't told me the cost yet, but a suspect a couple of grand, as they say it's a fraction of the $61,000 it would cost to attend Berkley.

Thanks in advance guys.

Jonno 

I'm aiming to thicken up an old school sound in a three piece setting whilst the guitar solos 

Is the TC Electronics Ditto Loop pedal a good purchase for Bass?

Is the Ampeg Liquifier analog chorus pedal a good purchase for Bass?

Is the Cry Baby Bass Wah pedal a good choice?

Ampeg and Aguilar apparently make decent overdrive/distortion pedals. They both have blend. Which would you choose or would you go for another brand?

1 hour ago, crazycloud said:

XT2s and XT25s are available LH new from Thomann. Don't forget the prices they list incl 19% VAT which you don't need to pay. Shipping is about $A200. New or used LH units are very rare.

 

Make a strap pin extender, a 1/2 hr $10 job to make it hang correctly. The pickups are OK, but guitar HBs fit and many sound excellent like the Wilde L90 and L500 work well in this application. Several builders on TB have used them. 7 string guitar HBs fit the 25s. Tone is personal and I've used the woodbergers live, not perfect, but good enough.

 

They are 98cm long unbagged and are less bulky than a trombone case and other bag for a neck off bass will be. I've travelled with my XL2 and woodbergers a lot. Just beware that shotgun bags, which are cheap and fit perfectly and are well padded can bring some looks in airports, but my guitarist has travelled with my Spirit guitar a lot internationally with no issues in the factory bag.

 

If you intend to use a conventional bass neck off, you'd probably be best to add inserts into the neck to facilitate regular on/off cycles similar to Klos with their CF acoustic guitars to save stripping out the neck.

 

Streamlines and Synapses are expensive now, especially the former, so an XT2 will be much cheaper.

Gee, thanks for all that @crazycloud, and especially about neck inserts. I've seen issues with frequently removed necks before. It's only likely to happen twice each year with me; at each end of the holiday. If I needed to travel with a Bass for gigging, I'd use a proper hard flight case. I know someone in Perth who makes carbon fibre flight cases. A luthier colleague put his guitar in one and jumped up & down on it. Not a dent.

Thanks for the heads up on Streamlines & Synapses.

Jonny

PS. I should try to build my own headless, slim bodied bass, maybe. With guidance I built a great J Bass.

It's been very interesting reading all these experiences of these basses, the XL-2, the XT-2, the Status Streamline and even the Synapse.

My original intension was to find a bass I could travel with, leaving my prized Fenders, self-made Jazz & Stingray 5 at home. I considered taking my Ibanez GSR, the neck in a hard trombone case, but the body took up too much space in my suitcase. So a Steinburger looks like a good option, except now I know the L-2s are one piece! And maybe the XT-2s are lacking in tone and sustain. A modern version like a Status or Synapse may be preferable. To cap it all, I'm left handed!

As I just need to keep my hand in whilst on holiday a 2nd hand XT-2 may be the sensible option (I already have 6 great Basses!). If I take fewer clothes on holiday my Ibanez body fits in quite well & I like the feel & sound of that bass.

Decisions, decisions....

Jonathan

On 10/04/2014 at 17:47, mcarp555 said:

I need to update my family photo, but here's the herd:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/mcarp555/PS5UG/DSCN6084A.jpg

Back: Right-handed [b]Engelhart [/b]strung left-handed.
Front, l. to r.: Right-handed [b]Kingston[/b], strung left-handed; 1977 [b]Fender Precision[/b]; 1999 Mexican [b]Fender Jazz[/b] (since sold); 2010 or so - [b]Hofner V62[/b] reissue; 2007 or so - [b]Indie[/b] custom finish electro-acoustic (32" scale); 1987 [b]Hofner 187 "Shorty"[/b] travel bass (one of only a handful known to exist; 28" scale).

Here's what I replaced the Mexican Jazz with:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/mcarp555/PS5UG/DSCN7167A_zps0c3203b6.jpg

[b]1967 Fender Jazz[/b], w/bound neck, block inlays & lollipop tuners. Non-original pickups.

And as seen in the [i]Reviews[/i] section, the [b]Gaskell Thunderbass [/b](2013):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/mcarp555/Guitars/DSCN7474A_zpsa96d00ce.jpg

Wow! You have a similar story to me. My first Bass (I'm a lefty) was a '78 Fender P, and I didn't replace my Mexican Jazz but bought a '68 Jazz on which I replaced the cream pick guard with a tortoiseshell pickguard.

Jonny