Boodang

As to which pickups I favour… it used to be active emg’s but I just ended up rolling off the treble. Now I only use passive pups, I get custom ones made to get as close to the tone I’m after straight out. So for my P the response is very mid heavy and cuts thru, for my jazz it’s alnico2 magnets on the bridge for more mids, and alnico5 on the neck for more bass. 
Pickup design is a rabbit hole. Different magnets, magnet size/shape, windings and wire diameter… there’s an endless combination. But nothing I like more than discussing a new custom pickup design and then seeing what the results are like. 

The mechanics; the more windings on a pickup the higher the output but narrower the bandwidth. So a passive pickup will have enough windings for a usable output but not much response above 4k. To get around this an active pickup will have few windings, a full bandwidth and to get over the very low output, a built in op-amp to boost the signal (hence the need for a battery). 
passive pups also have an output impedance fixed by the number of windings (usually around 10k ohms) whereas active pups have an output impedance set by the op-amp which can be 10k or as low as 600/300 ohms, in which case it’s a line driver and the capacitance of the cable will not effect the top end (ie roll off treble).

In practice it means active pups tend to have more top end and are brighter. There’s a good YouTube vid where someone goes through multiple types of replacement pups on a jazz, as soon as he plays the emg’s it’s a bright tone. If you want that bright hi-fi tone then actives are the way to go as no amount of boosting the top end will get what you want from a passive pup as it doesn’t have the bandwidth. Of course you can still eq an active pup but you might find a passive one does that for you. 
‘Organic’ is a phrase often used for the tone of a passive pup but that’s basically because it’s applying its own eq by virtue of a limited bandwidth. 

Try the captain east tone print, I use this on my fretless. It’s not too aggressive and just seems to solidify the core tone. Having said that, if you want infinite sustain it might be too subtle, in which case edit the tone print and increase the blend from 39% to something much higher. 

5 hours ago, tvickey said:

I think that about 40 people showed up and when it was our turn to play, I soon realized that I could not hear myself very well on stage.  I backed up against the bass cabinet, which helped somewhat, however it wasn't quite loud enough for me.  I usually have problems hearing our guitarist on stage, but now both guitar and vox seemed super loud through the monitors.  I probably should have commented to the sound guy, but I was afraid of losing the guitar feed in my monitor so I just carried on.

As monitoring is everything to the band we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands. So when we have a foh engineer, we feed two di’s, one to the foh desk and another to our own stage box which feeds our iem’s which we are in control of. We even get the stage monitors turned off because we don’t need them, which also helps keep feedback issues at bay. It’s definitely made a difference to the our playing. 
BTW love it that your son is selling merch! Does he also play?
 

First gig of year for us! What with a change in vocalists and 2nd guitar, it’s not been a productive start but we’re up and running now. New guitarist is quite versatile (1st guitar off stage at this point in the gig enjoying his new wireless freedom!) and a change to female lead vocals has meant a more ‘lounge’ oriented set but it went down well. Played at an embassy club, there’s not much of a live scene here in Islamabad so you always get an enthusiastic crowd as they’re just grateful someone is playing, so you’re never quite sure if they’re applauding your musical performance or just the fact you turned up! 

Maybe take a timeout. Also, what I’ve found to be a tonic, is to take up another instrument. Feeling a lack of motivation for bass, I took up drums and now I split duties. 
And if you don’t fancy an instrument then maybe something different… in a complete moment of non musicality I took up photography. 

45 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

 

Atari.

 

They haven't bought out a decent console since 1987. Dead in the water.

You don’t need to release a new console, just wait 50 years!

I used a 5 string fretless strung high C in a folk rock band for a number of years, and I would say that would work well for your needs. I didn't feel the need to go high F but then that's a personal preference. However, one thing to consider if you did go 6 string is the width of the neck as it does, to me, feel a step too far. As for low B, I've never been a fan, mostly because the string itself feels like a different beast than the rest and to my ears is just too low. I know lots of people here will disagree, but you've got to get a well sorted bass to make a low B even vaguely workable (and that's before we take into account that most cabs struggle to reproduce a low E let alone a B).

11 hours ago, binky_bass said:

So many pointless questions... can we get a spam filter on basschat? 🙄

In fairness to the op's original question, whilst not being the least trivial, it is about bass and he is inviting you to chat about it.... one might say it's bass-chat.

But to answer the not entirely pointless question, I own what could be the worlds worse bass guitar. A Jedson from the 60/70s which is basically a cheap guitar with 4 strings on. Truly hideous to play but... with nylon strings and an MM pickup sounds huge! So yeah, I hate the bass but i can't give it up. 

Apple. I had a lovely iPod (the one that looked like an iPhone but isn’t) and I’d loaded it with tons of music apps which were quite cool and I used them often. As it was getting old I kept the thing in flight mode to stop it from connecting and doing a weird update as it was ticking along nicely. Then one day it refused to boot up and displayed a message saying unless I did an update it wouldn’t work anymore. Did the update and it wiped ALL my apps as they now unsupported. Most of the apps don’t exist anymore and I can’t get them back. Gits! 

10 hours ago, Shambo said:

Also Currys. About twenty years ago I went into a Dixons store to buy a laptop. They asked me at the counter for my name and address. When I declined they insisted I must provide my address, so I told them I'll just spend my money elsewhere... which changed their minds and they sold me the laptop, without extended warranty and me giving them my personal details. The next week I started receiving junk email, special offers and extended warranty offers, addressed to me, from Dixons/Currys/Carphone Warehouse group... they had to have taken my personal details from the debit card I used to buy the laptop and updated their marketing lists regardless.

So now, I won't ever buy from them again.

It seems a lot of places do this now, so I have fun with it and give my address as 1 Made Up Rd, Made Up City, Nowhereland (in fairness I am a Nowherian citizen but as it is/was a rock floating in the North Sea I’ve never been there), and I give an email address as [email protected]

2 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

 

You just can't help yourself, can you?  Are you even reading our input, or just using any excuse to berate bolt on construction?  Just rename the thread to "I hate bolt on construction and I think anyone who owns one is an idiot" and be done with it, because that's all I'm getting from this thread now.

 

Cool story bro.  I'm out.

Sorry, just can't help myself!! Actually did a 'bolt on necks suck' thread last year, so I guess this is just a rehash in disguise! However, quite happy to rein it in for some genuine thoughts on 5K Fender CS basses.

10 minutes ago, lozkerr said:

Not for me, even though my go-to bass is a Fender. I'd buy a Sandberg or a Sei and drink whatever was left over.

Ah, Sei basses are cool... and another opportunity to show off how to join a neck to a body properly... or more precisely body wings to a long neck in this case...

3 hours ago, Cato said:

I definitely woudn't say that.

 

Any design that has no only remained in production for as long as Leo Fender's guitars and basses but actually still retains it's place as a market leader must be something a bit special 

But, getting back to the original premise, if you had 5k to spend on a bass, would you buy Fender CS or look elsewhere?

On 14/02/2024 at 21:01, Vin Venal said:

Only thing that worries me bout the spectra comp is the app based stuff, like will it need updates, will I need to plug it into my phone to make it sound good, cuz I can't be arsed with that stuff.

The Spectracomp is spot on! I hate apps and multi effects as I get lost on them, but the toneprint app is dead easy to use and just works. Plus you get a load of expertly put together comps to try out so it's not a one trick pony. My fav is the Captain East toneprint which is a tri band comp which seems to just make the bass sound better and you only have one knob to tweek. 

I got quite a few comp pedals, some of them quite expensive but I still think the Spectracomp is the best sounding. 

10 minutes ago, Cato said:

I definitely woudn't say that.

 

Any design that has no only remained in production for as long as Leo Fender's guitars and basses but actually still retains it's place as a market leader must be something a bit special 

A bit of a special turd! 

3 hours ago, Cato said:

As I mentioned in another thread the Fender Custom Shop is a bit of a paradox.

 

Expensive versions of instruments that were specifically designed to be mass produced on a production line by people with no luthiery skills to be sold at an affordable price point.

I agree…. it’s a bit like polishing a turd! 

3 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Also, we get it - you don't like bolt on construction.  You're off base with your description though.  I've seen many pieces of wood screwed together with military precision, with lovely recessed screw heads and sculpted heels.  A well done neck join is a joy to behold, regardless of the method.

Me, not like bolt ons, what ever gave you that idea!! Sculptured heel or not I just think it’s a lazy cheap way of joining two pieces of wood…. Especially on something costing 5k. 

4 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

What you doing up there anyway?

 

I need access to the 24th fret! (In fact this bass has 28 frets!) The last band I was in replaced me with a guitarist. 

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

All in the eyes on the beholder, but to me, that doesn’t look elegant. My eyes want to see those two stripes from the body go all the way up the neck. Instead, there’s a piece of wood of nearly but not quite the same colour, with a single stripe. Plus, that cavity plate 🤮.
Not for me, but we’re all different, so I’m glad it works for you.

As @Lozz196 and @Reggaebass have said, in my experience, FCS basses are far from two badly bolted together pieces of wood. The ones I’ve had/have definitely are not. I’m not sure I’d go to £5k for one, although the burl top J does look very nice

I agree about the stripes but the set neck join makes upper register playing a joy as opposed to the clumsy restricted bolt on. However, the body is walnut and something my luthier had made ages ago and done nothing with. I got him to put on a mahogany set neck with a ‘62 jazz profile (although compound radius), and the single stripe was a necessary product of its construction. Looks aside it plays like a dream and because of the way it was made only £800! Which is one reason I feel a Fender Custom is not good value. 

5 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I’ve had custom shop fenders and they are amazing instruments, don’t know where you get the badly bolted together bit, they have gone up in price considerably and I wouldn’t now pay 5k for one, I’d rather go vintage for that money 

I can imagine that a Fender Custom would hold its value but not sure it’s worth it!

As for ‘badly bolted together’… well, if I had 2 pieces of would, no skill and no money, I’d put one on top of the other and put 4 bolts thru it. If I wanted to join them elegantly and, imho, properly I’d do this;

I noticed Fender custom shop have announced new models for 2024… if you’ve got £5k to spare you can buy two badly bolted together pieces of wood!

Out of interest, does anyone here think there’s something magical in these custom shop specials? Would you spend 5k on one of these or for that money might it be possible to buy something of better value!

Between BC, YouTube and No Treble I’ve got my bass bases covered. Not sure there’s a market for a new bass magazine especially if they’ll going to cover the history of Fender…. spare me!!

E. Throw a party to celebrate the first chip on your bass.

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

 

What's the tension like on the Galli Synthesis? I like Ti Flats and EB 40-95. Not a fan of anything higher tension than the EBs.

I think due to the synthetic core, they have the least tension feel of any BG string I’ve tried. I wouldn’t say they’re like rubber bands but you get the idea. 
PS A friend of mine put some Steve Harris flats on his bass and we’re like rods… unplayable!