Beedster

6 minutes ago, Faithless said:

Could you elaborate on that?

You mean the G string just snaps off its place at the nut?

 

My Jabba was also prominent in G string issues (tuning peg, not sitting properly when mounting string)

No just too close to the edge of the board and as the bridge allowed no adjustment I had a new nut cut and installed

...although I think I'd prefer collection and testing in person if possible 👍

My Bongo 5 had an awful problem with the top string running off the fretboard, which was not only very annoying but apparently quite common. Looks like yours might suffer from this also so could need some work at the nut which is how I corrected mine

But as others have said, lovely instruments 👍

OK this is now sorted, dodgy preamp tube replaced, and is back up for sale at £300 plus postage (retro rack case included) 👍

Looks like this may be on its way to a long-standing forum member and a guy who knows his gear 👍

Mmm, the more I watch Chris Wood play the more I'm convinced I need a German bow 🤔

25 minutes ago, Dazed said:

I’ve been tempted by these sims quad pickups for years now, the price is a bit of a hurdle but also as Cato mentioned, placement is as big a factor in the sound

they put out and having watched videos of them im not convinced enough to shell out on them. Maybe one day. 
 

To briefly touch on the stealthy-ness, I believe I read some time ago that the battery was purely for the leds and can be left unconnected, it doesn’t affect the pickup sonically. 

Yep, I'm no fan of the PUP LEDs so have disconnected them as well as the neck LEDs (i.e., removed the battery), and yes, the pickups themselves are passive so require no power 

22 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

I tend to think of myself as being quite good at lateral thinking but in truth that never even occurred to me! 🤣

Ah, but the moment you do that you say to yourself "Shit, where do I now put that nice new pickup....?"  

1 minute ago, Aidan63 said:

Chris will happily put a fretted neck on it for you - if you want to try these pickups this instrument is the obvious choice, if you like them and the bass you are sorted, if you like the pickups but not the instrument then at least you can commission another instrument more to your liking, if you don't like them then sell it on; it is currently a very, very good deal. I'd buy it but I can't cope beyond 30" scale length now, but if I win the lottery anytime soon I'll buy it anyway and lend it out especially to builders and modders

Thank you @Aidan63 👍

Yes, I;d also happily sell the body and neck separately, both are very nice   

26 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Why aren't they they more popular? Because very few people change the settings on their basses that much.

 

Here's a few considerations.

 

 

A MM pickup cuts through the mix differently to a P... and a J... etc etc. Most bassists will use a bass throughout a whole gig for consistency. Is it really a deal breaker to stick with the same bass? You'll soon pee off the soundman if you are changing pickup configs all the time. And to be honest, most people find "their" sound and stick with it. I do wonder how many of these Simms pickups end up being left in the same mode once the user founds the tone most pleasing to them.

 

If recording, use a J... use a P... use a MM... whilst the Simms pickups will do a good emulation, they aren't 100% authentic... despite what people will say. Why? Pickup positioning, coil spacing (e.g. the offset of the coils in a P pickup is not represented properly) and the major factor, is that even if a coil around magnet is not engaged, the magnetic field still is... and having an influence on the resulting output from the pickup. Again, good enough maybe... and if you are jumping on a plane to a recording session, you may like to have something which gets you in the ball park (and lets face it, studios manipulate the recording sound so much, you could argue any bass in the ballpark of the tone you are hunting for will do. Its similar with coil tapping. You can switch humbuckers to single coil... they kinda single coil... but they never sound like a true single coil. But possibly "good enough" - especially in a live situation as opposed to a recording session for example.

 

It is a swiss army knife - it will do the jobs of many to a good enough standard. It kinda does everything in one package but not necessarily as good as the real McCoy. But good enough and being versatile may swing it your way. 

 

Here's some other thoughts - if you are routing a bass, you are committed to these these pickups... or may be left with some ugly looking routes if you change your mind on the pickups un the future. I would wager this is the true reason that you don't see many for sale second hand. What do you fill the gap with?

 

They aren't really stealth. Those LEDS really do stand out. This is a deal breaker for some - especially if you are type of person where the aesthetics of putting gaffa tape over the light is off limits.

 

But the concept is cool - and works to a certain extent. So if you like it, go with it. Scratch that itch and find out - you'll always be thinking about them if you dont. You may want to try them in a beater bass first though, before routing your prized bass.

 

I get it, and a lot of that is true. But for some folks that versatility is important, not just within a single set or recording, but more commonly between them, it's bloody useful to have a single bass that can do multiple classic tones at the flick of a switch (and you can turn the lights off BTW) 👍

Here's mine BTW 

I'm selling an Enfield as I'm no longer playing electric bass. The reason you don't see many for sale is because they are THAT good, seriously, people who have them hang onto them. And yes, while pre-amp selection makes a difference, the Quads replicate Jazz, Precision, and Stingray basses perfectly, as well as offering a whole range of other options. Mine's fretless but as a Fender fit instrument you can pretty much put any aftermarket neck on it.

I suspect the reason they were discontinued is similar to for example the EBMM US SUB range, combination of the costs of making such good instruments plus competitive market forces etc, so often the case in audio gear. 

45 minutes ago, Peter Conway-Hann said:

Ok, will leave this for now but if anyone out there has a BC Fretless 4 string in good condition l would be interested.

Currently have late 90’s BC’s fretted 4’s and 5’s. For many years my main guitar was a 72’ Jazz. Sold it 6 years ago and more than happy with the BC’s. Great tones, easy on the shoulders, great balance and wonderful quality.

Perhaps post in items wanted section Peter 👍

Get a pro setup and start experimenting with changes from there Andy 👍

Rabbit meet hole 😀

1 hour ago, Oldman said:

🤷‍♂️

I'll try and get on to it at the weekend Brian, busy week 👍

42 minutes ago, pn_day said:

.....and a lovely blend of old school with modern conveniences...

Yes, nicely put, that pretty much sums it up @pn_day 👍

Serious bargain 👍

1 hour ago, Oldman said:

Chris would take BEAD Stringing?

Hi Brian, I see no reason why not, I’m not sure how well the existing nut would accommodate but can check, and I’ve a couple of 5-string sets around the place I could try if the nut does permit 👍

Far too many outstanding instruments sitting unsold on this site at present, and with work to do on my studio and a double bass to restore I could use the money tied up in this bass far more effectively at present (it's been pretty much unplayed for 6-months).

So, I'm going to offer it for £1000, no trades no PX, ideally collected or handed over in person assuming you're not in Aberdeen (although I'm still happy to post), and on the understanding that if money I'm owed and have been waiting on for a few months comes in I will put the price back up again  

3 hours ago, agedhorse said:

You probably can’t hurt anything but there’s no guarantee.

Thanks @agedhorse 👍

13 hours ago, BassmanPaul said:

For anyone who plans on working on an amplifier it behooves them to at least learn the basics of electronics. Would you work on a car's engine without learning a bit about it before you start?

Hey Paul, I'm not looking to work on an amplifier, I'm simply checking whether an off the shelf switching cable cable will work, and if not whether it'll do any damage to the amp in question, I think you've misread the posts 👍 

7 hours ago, sandy_r said:

 

...received wisdom on reddit r/woodworking seems to suggest Heat and/or White Vinegar - and if it wasn't exterior type PVA, then a water-dampened pad pressed around the stud for some minutes might do the trick in loosening the glue too :-

 

>> "The different ways to remove glue are thermally, chemically, or mechanically. The correct approach you ned to take depends on what what type of glue was used. ...

If it is PVA, use can use heat to soften the glue. You can also soften it chemically with vinegar, but that can react with removal knifes and leave a stain. Use a iron on its lowest setting to gently heat up the piece until the glue reaches around 140-150 F, then the should separate easily with a pallet knife. (This procedure is similar to removing the bridge on an acoustic guitar.)"

Yep white vinegar is very good, I've just removed a load of PVA from a DB neck joint. You do need to be patient and take your time 👍

I'd like to offer an opinion but in my case 'subtleties' and 'double bass' do not sit in the same conversation. Having said that, and assuming it's working as it should and set up well, I really doubt you, the band members, or the punters would notice any difference in tone.

4 minutes ago, HornetPinata said:

The serial number appears to start with an F, not a P. I'm pretty sure F means Fujigen factory in Japan. 

I'm sure you'll get detailed info on the bass from more knowledgeable folks. It's a nice looking bass!

 

And thanks for your effort to make sense of my previous post @Grooverjr ! 

Yep, that's an F for sure 👍