.jpg.518c69c2d9e1581799f3c11301dc2da5.jpg)
NJE
-
Posts
1,806 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Shop
Articles
Everything posted by NJE
-
I don't think living in Gloucestershire is any different to anywhere else in the country with perhaps the exception of London. It depends a lot where you are looking for bands and musicians in my opinion. I wasn't in a band when I moved to Cheltenham a few years ago, I found one band on a muso-finder style website, joined them and through that band (who consequently didn't play music I loved particularly) I have met so many brilliant musicians and been in 2-4 bands at any one point since, playing good variety of music Judging by a few posts you have made I guess your into funky/jazz/fusion kinds stuff, Incognito and Brand New Heavies etc? I LOVE music like this, but sadly I don't think there is much of market for it venues up and down the county. Some of he busiest working bands I know and have seen, play crowd pleasing stuff, big 'cheesy' tunes that you can either sing along to in pubs or dance to at weddings. I play in a tribute band, a wedding pop covers band, and up until recently two soul bands. I cant say I am a massive soul fan but I learned to almost remove myself from what I was playing and I just get a buzz playing any kind of music well with good musicians to people who enjoy it. I think it is just abut what you want from music, if you cant find a band playing what you want, try and put one together.
-
I have all of my gear listed on my home insurance. I am covered inside and out of the home and covered for professional use in venues etc. Not all insurance companies do it which I discovered when we got a quote from another provider, but I went through it with them and made sure I had confirmation that I was covered for all eventualities. The best bit is it cost me basically nothing extra on top of my normal policy.
-
I had one of these for about a year, an incredibly good bass and I only sold it as I was getting out of the soul music I have been playing for a while and doing more pop/dance music. I bought mine with the intention to pimp the hell out of it, it arrived and I didn't do anything to it, I thought it did what it needed to. The tuners on mine were solid and kept tune, and I could get any gauge string I wanted through the bridge and it and was also stable so they both stayed. I only change bridges if I have trouble with string gauges, I put a hipshot on my other Squier and there was no difference in sound at all. The B string was usable in my opinion, it sounded like a B string on a precision and I always find precisions a bit boomy and muddy. I raised the string height on the B on mine and with the Elixirs it sounded great. Someone on talkbass put a Nordstrand pickup in their Squier P5 and said it made little difference and wasn't worth it so I never bothered with modifying the pickup either. The only thing I was really tempted to do was put a P retro in so I didn't have to drill holes and modify the bass. Probably not a helpful post but I can't see you drastically improving the bass short of putting a J pickup in the bridge and maybe an EQ.
-
Hi, Our band leader/drummer has just bought a vast Alto active PA and another band I play in have also just purchased a simple Alto powered system for smaller gigs. The big rig we use is based around the Alto Black series and frankly the sound is incredible IMHO. We run 2x12" for monitors/foldback and 4x15" top cabs and then 4 of the 18" subs. Our drummer also used a Roland electric kit and has his own small 1x10" and 1x15" sub mini rig for his drums. The sound is very tight and clear and very punchy. It is obviously very subjective but I find the kit very focused and ideal for the dance/pop music we play. Some of the older musicians I play with in other bands who have heard it say its a little clinical but then they are used to massive big old Peavey rigs which I find a bit 'boomy'. The other band I play with use the TS210 and 15 cabs with TS subs and the sound is great for pubs/outdoor, again clear and very focussed without any distortion when pushed. Overall I find it really good kit, and the little powered cabs make great monitors too. I can't comment on reliability as its all very new but it gets bashed about with the bands and its still looking good and the cabs are tough. There are tone of brands making similar stuff but the Alto is incredibly good for the money.
-
I agree with other comments, the VM squiers are very good and to be honest I have never found the Mexican made fenders to be any better. The only exception, in my opinion is the Roadworn Jazz, it is incredibly good if you can live with the aesthetics. Lakland would be worth a look too, very solid and lovely necks with a vintage fender vibe.
-
I can highly recommend the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz V, very comfortable necks and the build quality is very good for a bass twice the price. I think there are a couple used on eBay at the moment. They are passive but that is easily remedied with and east preamp if you require active tones. Having taken delivery of one recently I can also suggest a Lakland, very flexible and I play a mix of pop/soul/dance/disco. There is a 55-01 on here for sale at the moment. The Squier dimension is also an incredibly comfortable and playable bass with a hint on MusicMan sound about it, great basses. Never tried the Sire Marcus Millers but people rave about them.
-
I picked up a Lakland 55-02 not too long ago and have been putting it through its paces recently with a few bands. It looks like it's a keeper (until I find 3k to buy a Fender CS Pino) 😄. I was never a fan of black basses but there is something timeless about black and maple.
-
Trying to look a little more cheerful on stage :-/
NJE replied to Deedee's topic in General Discussion
I thought I was pretty jolly on stage up until this weekend. I had a gig with a new band and there were some photos taken and basically I looked incredibly grumpy/miserable/moody in all of the photos and to add insult to injury I had some serious double chin going on. I thought when I wasn't smiling I had a 'into the music, serious/mysterious look' on my face...sadly its more of a fat miserable b@stard look. My wife then confirmed I always look grumpy/angry on stage. So I am practicing smiling and going on a serious diet as of today. -
I looked this up recently as my new Lakland has a satin-ish maple neck and fingerboard (compared to the very glossy maple fingerboards of Fender and Squier). Lakland recommend using Orange oil, apparently less harmful than lemon oil and a good cleaner.
-
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Well fair play to Aguilar, I got a really quick response from them about the -10dB pad and clipping etc, really impressed! here is their reply:[/font][/size] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]"In regards to your Tone Hammer 350, you can absolutely plug an active bass into this amp without the -10 dB pad switch engaged. This will not do "unforeseen" damage to the amp. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]If the clip light ever comes on, rest assured that this does not indicate a problem. The clip light is simply a visual indication that the wave form is clipped or squared off, which is telling you that the amp is being driven into distortion. You would most likely hear that and could adjust your Gain setting accordingly - to most people it is desirable as it creates warm overtones and makes the amp sound slightly "driven". Clipping will not damage the amp or your speakers. It will not cause a shutdown or any kind overheating."[/size][/font][/color] [font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"]So there we have it, no need to use the -10db pad and no need to worry about clipping really, although I like a nice clean sound so I wouldn't clip the amp. Super pleased that I won't do any damage so I can no use the amp worry free.[/font]
-
[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1455883310' post='2983245'] Is there a trim pot on the inside of the bass that is set very low? Looking at the block diagramme there is an input gain pot. May be worth having a tweak of that. [url="https://www.lakland.com/tech-docs/LH-3%20Wiring%20Diagram%204-07.pdf"]https://www.lakland....gram%204-07.pdf[/url] If possible, I like to set my active level about the same as passive so there isn't a big change in settings if you have to switch over mid-set. [/quote] That is brilliant, I had a completely different PDF with the mid range settings but it didn't have anything about the gain. I think that may be what is going on here, the passive pull pot doesn't give me a huge drop in sound so perhaps the previous owner had it set up how you mentioned. I will do some fiddling tomorrow.
-
I have not long taken delivery of a Lakland 55-02 (Great bass but thats another topic) and the last two nights I have been giving it a run through my Aguilar Tonehammer 350 which lives at the bands rehearsal space. Last night I was not getting the normal volume out of the Aguilar which seemed odd as I was using an active bass and had the gain and master volume higher than usual. I had the -10dB pad engaged as its an active bass and that is what we are told you should do. As I had low volume I decided to roll back the gain and and put the 10dB back in to see what happened, and I got all of my volume back and no clipping of the amp. I turned the gain up and boosted the EQ on the bass and I was still nowhere near to clipping the amp even with some more volume. I can clip my amp with my passive J normally so I am a bit confused. The first thing I should say is that the bass was working in active mode but I have no idea how old it is and I didnt have another battery to see if that was the issue. I thought when the battery was no good the EQ just went, but do that fade out before going completely? could this be the reason for the low volume? If its not the battery, is there any harm in running my amp with and active bass without the -10dB in as long as the amp isn't clipping, or will I be causing some damage internally but running the amp too hot? I will try another battery when I get back to my amp next week.
-
Focusrite Scarlet stuff is really good and so is the Apogee, I love my Duet. As said above though, get one of the newer ones, I just upgraded to the new OS and my old Apogee is having some minor issues. Both are great and pop up used quite a lot.
-
No it isn't a JO5........Despite a few JO5 floating around used at the moment, I get swayed by a 55-02 and I am glad I went with it. I was being messed about a little with a JO5 I wanted and then made an offer I didn't think would ever be accepted on a 55-02 which should now be here Tuesday. I didn't particularly want active but my mate has a 55-02 that I played and then I remembered the joy in having the EQ available when I used to play Stingrays, and I decided it was the sound I want for a couple of bands I play with. I did think Sire Marcus Miller for a while but despite them looking incredible the EQ scares me a little and I have a massive dislike for stack knobs on basses, I'm too clumsy and have had bad experience of breaking them.
-
The bullet has been bitten........Lakland hopefully on the way.
-
I am struggling to find another bass that fits the bill for around £600 used like the Laklands seem to. I guess they aren't in fashion at the moment as there seem to be quite a few around at the moment. I am trying to arrange a visit to play and potentially buy one in the next few days and I guess I will see if the bass is what I want it to be. I have been very happy playing my Squier basses for a while and been pretty happy with them. The Squier Vintage Modified Jazz V would be a good option but I have found myself in a position where I am potentially starting a new project and despite the quality, I do feel like the poor relation in the band turning up with a Squier. No-one has said anything but I think everyone just feels sorry for me that I cant afford anything else and that I am not a 'serious player' because I don't have anything better. To be fair despite the quality of the Squiers, when you go to practice and play top end Les Paul's and custom shop fenders, you really do notice the difference in quality.
-
Yes, when I decided I was happy playing a 5 string I immediately sold the 4 string so that I could really get used to it. I can use a five string for every band/gig situation so there seemed no point to keep a bass I wasn't playing around. I tend to be quite ruthless, if it doesn't get played or used I sell it. That is my attitude to everything though, not just gear. I had a NS upright, and 4 basses at one point and it didn't make me any happier than just having one solid bass and a backup for emergencies at gigs.
-
Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys. I haven't played my mates 55-02 for a while but I do always remember the neck being very playable and although I dont play a 35" scale at the moment, I am not too bothered either way on scale lengths. The Sire basses do look incredibly good and I am going a bit weak at the knees with the white one with blocks, but I am not hugely keen on too many knobs and the EQ and all the stack pots put me off to be honest. I dont really want to hack about a perfectly good bass to make it passive or simplify the EQ. Part of the reason I am looking at the Laklands is because they are passive and if I ever have the desire for active I can pop in a East etc. One of the JO5 I am looking at seems to be the model with the Lindy Fralin pickups which seem to get good comments so that might be a little more incentive. I just seem to be looking at the right time, there are 4 used around at the moment and all different.
-
Just interested in the general opinions on build quality and sound of the Lakland 55-60 (Joe Osborn 5). There are a few around secondhand at the moment and I may have some money available to buy one as they seem to tick the box for a good solid 5 string Jazz bass. The only thing I am questioning is why these seem to be so cheap secondhand compared to the Darryl Jones Model. The DJ5 seems to stay around £800 used but I have seen the Joe Osborn go as low as £550. A friend of mine has a 55-02 and its nice but never been 'Wowed' by it. I am basically after a good 5 string J bass and wondering if they are worth a punt as I can't really test one out. All thought greatly appreciated.
-
Both all kinds of fugly! What on earth are they thinking? I love music man stuff, I thought the new Sabres in the cool colours were amazing, but these just look a bit naff. I got all excited thinking they had released a graphite neck stingray/sabre again. To be honest I would look at the new Sandberg VM5 HH now that the Sabre has gone. Great colours and it even looks similar with the new body shape.
-
I love the look of this, it looks like an old Bang & Olufsen hi-fi amp my dad used to have. If it is a good clean amp and not just about a range of overdrive/distortion sounds then I am am seriously interested. The only issue I can see is that it looks too pretty and I would be so scared of knocking and scratching it. maybe some kind of padded case to keep it in at gigs would be in order.
-
Sold!! -
[color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I have a 12 month old Squier Vintage Modified Precision V in very good condition. It is a superb bass and incredibly well made, even more so that a lot of basses I have played costing double the new price. There is a huge amount of praise for these on here and even more so on Talkbass.[/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I bought this with the idea of modifying it for fun. I was going to upgrade the bridge and pickup but when it arrived there was just no point, it was perfectly good stock and it seemed a shame to mess with it. The pickup is great, it sounds like a good classic thumpy Precision and was great for the soul band I played in. The B string is good but sounds like a P bass, don't expect bell like clarity like you would get from a modern active 5 string. The B string was very useful as we had to change the keys of a lot of the soul songs for various vocalists. [/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]This is my third Precision, but as much I love the look and sound for certain music, I just don't feel that comfortable playing them and have to stop buying them, I'm more of a Jazz/Stingray person and I need to get used to that.[/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The bass is in very good condition, no dings or scratches or any tarnishing. There are two very thin hairline cracks near the neck pocket that are too small to get on my camera. I will try and take some on another camera to see if they show up. These were present when I bought the bass new from a large internet retailer and are incredibly common with fender style guitars and basses apparently, particularly white ones it seems (maybe just more noticeable with white finish). The neck is rock solid and its purely cosmetic and in the finish, and I certainly wouldn't have even noticed them on a red or sunburst finish.[/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The company I bought the bass from said it happens a lot with certain finishes on Fenders and I was offered a £20 discount or another bass, but to be honest it didn't bother me at all so I kept it. They haven't got bigger and never affected what is a superb bass.[/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I paid about £300 new, but the current price is £269 online new and I'm looking for £195 ONO. I have my eye on a couple of replacements but I would consider trades, just not P basses, PM me with any offers or questions.[/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I am happy to ship the bass as I have original Squier box and outer shipping box still, but I only use good couriers and would need to get a proper quote. Alternatively, please feel free to come and collect, I'm just outside Cheltenham near Tewkesbury.[/font][/color] [attachment=210023:Squier 11.jpg] [attachment=210024:Squier 1.jpg] [attachment=210026:Squier 3.jpg][attachment=210025:Squier 2.jpg] [attachment=210027:Squier 5.jpg] [attachment=210029:Squier 7.jpg] [attachment=210030:Squier 8.jpg] [attachment=210031:squier 9.jpg] [attachment=210032:Squier 10.jpg] [attachment=210033:Squier 12.jpg] [attachment=210034:Squier 13.jpg] [attachment=210035:Squier 15.jpg]
-
Was it the custom from Bass Direct? I think we had a chat about it over PM. I am a Fender fan, had lots of them over the years, but I do think that there are very small differences between the top end fender and CS team built stuff. If I was into 4 strings I would go for a American Vintage reissue, I played on in Wunjos and it was incredible, superb feel, lovely detail and sounded fantastic. I recently tried a couple of the more expensive 'modern' Fenders, one was the Adam Clayton Jazz and I just felt incredibly underwhelmed by them. They were all hovering round the £1100 to £1400 mark new and I thought they were going to be amazing, but I put them down very quickly and had way more enjoyment playing a £270 Squier Dimension bass, it felt better in my hands which I found really difficult to comprehend. Have you thought about a real change in direction and go for Sadowsky Pickups and preamp as an upgrade? I liked the preamp in the Sadowsky I played a while back, not too extreme but usable.
-
Did you go for an American Deluxe Jazz? If the bridge and pre are poor it sounds like you would be better off selling for something that works better as it is. Secondhand Mike Lull?
