GreeneKing

It'd be easier for me to leave one DB112 (covered) in my van for band practice. I don't as I worry about the paper cones becoming soft with damp and corrosion in the frame. What do you reckon. I live in the cold and very damp Lake District. Peter

[quote name='jakesbass' post='654100' date='Nov 13 2009, 10:43 PM']He's dynamite on Rickie Lee Jones' 'Flying Cowboys' produced by Walter Becker[/quote] Now you've got my curiosity wetted Jake

Polish for a bass? Basowa evidently

Well he says Sheffield in the OP, could be a subtle clue?

A stunning CS there Alan. I'm loving the NS though, it's a bit special. Peter

I've started playing with a new band and the drummer recommended Document by Karizma. Neil Stubenhaus is a little bit good isn't he. I hope they don't want that standard of playing from me or I'm on my ear [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqaWRgwYer0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqaWRgwYer0[/url] 5:45 Peter

[quote name='BigRedX' post='652404' date='Nov 12 2009, 10:59 AM']But IME unless you're paying serious money for an on board pre-amp (at least J-Retro minimum) then the circuitry isn't really going to do you tone any favours. Anyone with a decent audio electronics knowledge can build a musical sounding circuit when space is no object and you can power it off the mains - your standard amp head tone controls. The real challenge comes when you want to do the same thing in the space provided by a Jazz bass control cavity and power it from a single PP3 battery. That's why the active electronics in your average sub-£1000 bass are a poor substitute for what is already there on your amp.[/quote] I agree but whatever the overall effect of any circuitry I think that we need to remember that the human ear and it's associated brain are the receiver. I suspect that a perfectly symmetrical and evenly spaced series of sine waves and sub harmonics would actually sound pretty uninteresting. To my ear the best sounding basses I've owned have been active, with higher end pre-amps such as U-Retro's, ACG's and Status's product.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='652411' date='Nov 12 2009, 11:02 AM']What you want is a programmable rack-mounting pre-amp and a footswitch. I use a BassPod XT Pro and the Line 6 Shortboard to do exactly that.[/quote] My thoughts entirely. Easier to use a toe than your fingers. The RH450 only has 3 presets but I find it very useful. Peter

Well you've seen mine Joe but I could start a NS5 thread

[quote name='Fraktal' post='652153' date='Nov 12 2009, 12:20 AM']No, I dont run my amp EQ flat. There isnt much difference, but since you cant bypass the EQ section on most amplifiers, why not use that one and get rid of your bass preamp? Everytime your signal goes through a microchip your signal loses a little something and gains some hiss, harmonic distortion, phase issues and general crap. Thats why we prefer passive basses: Less crap in the signal path, cleaner sound.[/quote] High quality signal processing doesn't have to be crap. Poor signal processing, even if there's less, is still crap.

I'm travelling 31 miles each way over Shap Can be a challenge in the Winter.

Yes I have a U-Retro in my NS5 too and one incoming for my Euro LX 5. I'd probably have gone for the ACG01 but they can't be bought without buying an ACG. My new ACG of course will have one

Now this is a REALLY interesting 'here's my basses' thread that I'll follow with intense interest.

A bit samey for me, as nice as they individually doubtless are. Now my 6 would be quite a different story

This has gone around before and I have said this before. A string vibrates above a coil and induces a small voltage. In order for that voltage to drive a speaker coil it needs to be amplified. Do it on the bass, in a pedal, or in the amp (or all 3) it still needs amplifying. Passive has to go to active somewhere and to say that this or that works better is I believe folly. Personally I like a high quality pre-amplifier onboard so that a boosted and frequency biased signal goes out through the lead to the amp and therefore suffers less losses in the cable. I also get a real buzz out of setting up my bass to produce my tone regardless of the amp, within reason. As far as the speaker coil is concerned there is no such thing as a passive bass. Peter

[quote name='Fretless Eric' post='557592' date='Aug 1 2009, 07:46 AM']Hi all, I know this might appear as if I am a right tart, after all I registered a while back but hardly contribute, but I do lurk and read post. This time I would really like some advice, possibly from someone who has had experience and I think I would get a more comprehensive and considered response from Basschat UK than my regular music forum in Melbourne [Melband]. My Giffin Custom (1987) has developed a problem in the electronics. The pre-amp is a Bartolini dual band "TBT". It still works but as time goes on, during playing, it produces a loud pop. In my mind it is as if a capacitor is charging up over a 5 to 10 minute period and then discharges producing the noise. I'm also guessing that this may be part of a component failure in the preamp. Am I on the right lines here? I'd really like to fix it rather then just replace it with some modern equivalent (NTBT?). Thanks guys.[/quote] I'm assuming you've tried the obvious, a new battery checked for voltage?

[quote name='Sean' post='651288' date='Nov 11 2009, 08:07 AM']Peter, will the push/pull "de-active" the pickups too? I tried running my EMGs in the NS5 with the U-Retro off and it sounded really thin and horrible.[/quote] No Sean the knob will only deactivate the pre-amp. The pickups will remain active. I reason that if you switch to passive to cope with the onset of a low battery then the pickups will drain a lot less and be less effected by a reduced voltage. I'm wondering if I can squeeze 2 x 9v batteries in the cavity, I suspect not and maybe a battery compartment will come along further down the line? Peter

My Spector NS5 had been modded with a John East U-Retro. It came with an 18V HazLab cut and boost treble/bass circuit and the addition of sweepable mids had significantly enhanced what was already an awesome bass. The two switches are tucked away in the control cavity and the unit is used in active only. My backup white Euro 5 LX has the 9V HazLab unit that is so highly thought of across the pond. I'm missing the onboard mids and was left with the decision of how to progress with upgrading it. Thanks to John he's sourced a pot to combine the separate volume and blend on the 5 Knob U-Retro Deluxe to accommodate the Euro's 4 holes. So that will be vol/blend, treble cut and boost/bass boost (with bright pull), sweepable mid frequency/mid cut and boost, passive tone (with pull for passive) and no switches. How lucky we are to have someone like John who offers such excellent products that he's prepared to modify for his customers. I'll do some sort of install/review thread. Peter

Okay I'll fess up

Nice idea. You do play a long way toward the neck too I notice. I find the floating thumb technique where you move the thumb down the strings as you change string, helps a lot in terms of locating, changing position along the length of the strings for tonal variety and damping strings. I used to play near the neck but find myself moving towards the bridge more lately, especially for rapid fingerstyle as there is less string movement.