Low Down Dave

Bought a OLP MM22 from Stevie , all good highly recommended

No way of knowing as its an own brand, and the seller has no basses or guitars sales in his feedback. probably made in China but that doesn’t mean it will be rubbish… so you have to ask your self… do I feel lucky

[quote name='Twigman' post='442402' date='Mar 23 2009, 01:27 PM']I have e-mailed the seller asking where the psu is and have just been ignored so far. What should I do now?[/quote] Open a paypal dispute, and say you will accept a partial refund to cover the cost of the missing PSU, you might get something you might not but worth a try there is nothing to lose. Its surprising how many people that ignore your emails, suddenly take notice once a dispute has been opened. David.

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='441545' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:16 AM']OK , what's rewire about then? Just as I thought i was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.... [/quote] ReWire is a system for transferring audio data between two computer applications info here [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/article/205-what-is-rewire-.html"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/article/205-...is-rewire-.html[/url]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='440902' date='Mar 21 2009, 09:32 AM']Hi In my experience with The badass 2 bridge (had one on my geddy lee that i fitted to my bravewood jazz) i found that it didnt make any difference at all, if anything i actually think the standard fender bridge was better! Im not sure if a lot of the appeal is just in the marketing?[/quote] I think it really depends on the individual bass, with some you will hear a marked improvement, others very little if any. The Gotoh 201 certainly made a difference on my Alder Bodied Jazz. [quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='440902' date='Mar 21 2009, 09:32 AM']but hey if it works for you then thats great! This might cause an argument but i also think through body stringing is a joke!!! it doesn't do anything (for me anyway) [/quote] Well on certain Telecaster Guitars I have strung though body, and strung top loaded as well as mixing the two, and there was no discernable difference in tone, but I have fitted a different top loading bridge that just sucked the tone and sustain right out of the guitar. So it probably has more to do with the bridge and saddles than anything else.

[quote name='stevie' post='440594' date='Mar 20 2009, 08:05 PM']Another thing that occurs to me is that it would be normal to change strings when you swap to a new bridge, which would tend to make comparisons even less reliable.[/quote] Depends on how old the strings are and if they need changing... but you can normally use the same strings. Dave

I am not really sure what the problem is but assigning a midi track output to your keyboard or anything else is very simple, you just create a midi track then assign the output to what ever device you want, there really is nothing complicated about it and in any case it is covered in the help files. The only complications I can see is if you don’t have the drivers installed for your midi output or keyboard drivers if using a USB port. But you will have the same issues with any computer based sequencer. Generally speaking on a basic level Cubase is very easy to use, it is not until you get deep into all the really advanced features it gets tricky. The settings with regard the audio drivers are nothing to do with the midi side, but you want to use the Asio drivers as these will give you the lowest latency for recording/monitoring and also any VSTi instruments like EZ Drummer. David.

I have a couple of 70’s style Fender Jazz basses, although I have used Badass bridges on previous basses I have I fitted the Schaller 462G to my number 1 jazz bass (with an ash body), it is a high mass bridge similar to the badass but has roller saddles which allow you to adjust the string spacing. And I fitted a Gotoh 201B bridge to my number two (alder body), both basses sounded good before with excellent sustain, the Gotoh seems to have made the most difference but the original bridge was quite flimsy, the difference is not earth shattering but it is evident, unplugged it has a slightly fuller sound with a little more zing on the top end. The Gotoh was quite cheap (around £30 with shipping) very easy to install, no need for a shim and what really impressed me was the intonation was spot on without any adjustments! It also adds a sense of quality to the bass, so although not an essential upgrade I can’t thing of any reason not to apart from the price. David.

Just set your meter to 20k, and touch the ends to the 2 wires coming from your pickup, one will be the middle lub of the volume pot the other on top of the pot. With jazz basses and both volumes on full you will get a low reading, so turn the volume on one pickup off to get a more accurate one. David.

[quote name='pjbass' post='437000' date='Mar 17 2009, 10:45 AM']Could the pups be wired out of phase? I remember seeing a helpful youtube video about it, but i can't find it atm. I think the symptoms were something like low output when both pickups are on full, but with either the nexk or bridge soloed the volume was louder. I'll try to find the vid, but i'm sure someone here knows about it. Paul[/quote] Yes that was my first thought but Tom does say that the bridge pickup seems very weak, so its unlikely to be just a phase thing. Dave.

There should be quite an increase in output as these pups are supposed to meter around 11.6k. They can be used in passive basses or active basses, Fender tends to put them in the more modern sounding active basses because they are noiseless (stacked single coils, so in effect humbucking), and there is less chance of boosting the noise/hiss when you boost the treble than on standard single coil pups. Check the pickup height, as a rule of thumb you want to be just able to just slide a pound coin between the strings and the pickup (you can tweak the height to taste later but that gives you a good starting point). If you have a meter check the output, if it reads OK it’s a wiring issue. Dave.

I think with the new GK3B bass pickups and updated V2 software the internal sounds are usable but the midi tracking is still quite poor.

[quote name='crez5150' post='430507' date='Mar 10 2009, 02:10 PM']Strings vary quite a bit..... It's amazing how much more volume you get with new strings... I'd suggest changing the whole set as changing individual strings at a time will pretty much keep giving you different variations in volume and tone.[/quote] Well the thing was the string from the cheap bass was actually newer and brighter sounding than the strings that were alreday on there, although it had been taken off a new bass it was nice and shiny not covered in gunk as they sometimes are. And Yes I pretty much always change a full set of strings rather than just one (unless its an emergency mid gig), I have a couple of sets on order from Overwater but they won’t be here until tomorrow, so this was just to see if a new string brighten the sound.

I just took delivery of a used 6 string bass I bought online, and the Roundwound strings sounded a bit dead (they sounded pretty much like flat wound), so I changed the E string for one I took off a cheap new bass I had setup and kept as a spare (the new string was a slightly higher/thicker gauge), to see if it brightened the sound. But the remarkable thing was the difference in volume between the original strings and the one I just put on... the new string was around 6db quieter! I changed the string again this time for a new unbranded made in the USA Nickel wound one, and the volume went back up. I was wondering if anybody else has had a similar experience. We all know that those really cheap basses sound weak, but I always thought it was because… well weak pickups, but also the pickups tend to be set to low. But maybe the strings are a bigger part of low output than I realised. Dave.

It is possible to get a string with a fractured core they sound fine but will not intonate, although it’s usually only the odd one in pack that is affected. And you can cause a similar problem by yanking on the strings rather than gently pulling to stretch them. With regard digital tuners generally they do a good enough job, but if you intonate with a digital tuner then check it with a Peterson or other good strobe tuner you will see the intonation is not as accurate as you might have thought, and 5 cents either way in not uncommon. But no matter how accurately the intonation if you use any more pressure than it takes to maintain contact between the string and the fret you will be sharp, this is why it is best to trust you ears, if you sound in tune you probably are.

If everything intonates OK up to the 12th fret, then starts to go wrong chances are as josh3184 said it could be a fret placement issue, in which case there is little you can do… I have come across this on a few basses including a Warwick Rockbass which I was quite surprised about due to the way they are made (fretted), and the quality otherwise was very good. But trust you ears rather than a digital tuner as they are not that accurate for intonation. David

[quote name='cheddatom' post='426919' date='Mar 6 2009, 08:58 AM']If all your missing is active level and EQ, then why don't you just use an EQ pedal. Use the volume to match the output level of your other bass, and use the EQ to match the active EQ on your other bass. I kow lots of people have this problem and use all kinds of expensive pre-amps and DIs, so I must be missing something.[/quote] +1

[quote name='Stuart Clayton' post='426958' date='Mar 6 2009, 09:48 AM']Thanks for the kind words Dave. If it's of any interest to those reading this thread, I will soon be uploading audio files for all the exercises that were left off of the two CD's that ship with Ultimate Slap Bass - there were just too many exercises in the book to fit on the discs! I will also be adding a whole batch of new exercises of all levels, plus hopefully some videos of some of the lines in the book. All free too! When it's done (which won't be for a month or two) it'll be on my publishing site: www.basslinepublishing.com Cheers Stu[/quote] Sounds great! I shall look forward to that. BTW if anybody is looking for accurate Level 42 Bass Transcriptions if only as practice exercises, you will find 5 different books at Stu's site Dave.

You have to be careful with these inlaid guitars I think there are 3 main sellers: Bruceweiart, Taisamlu & inlaidartist I won’t go into too much detail but I have come across a few with misplaced frets making intonation impossible. And never repeat, ever touch the acoustics as the wood is not dried properly and they will crack in time.

Yep as you detuned you have lowered the string tension, and the neck has straighten out a little dropping the string action and causing fret buzz, so you need to loosen the truss rod. It is not difficult to do just take it easy and do a quarter turn or less at time, retune and check for fret buzz. Once it’s OK let it settle over night then check it again. You may find some helpful videos about truss rod adjustment on youtube. Dave.

I tend to find the DVD’s start off really basic then suddenly jump to advanced stuff with no middle ground, but the ED Friedland Slap Bass the Ultimate guide is as good as any and better than most, and cheap. The Stuart Clayton Ultimate Slap Bass book with CD’s is really the ultimate guide, it will really help you develop your technique and it is very highly recommended and pretty much all you need. David.