Vibrating G String

[quote name='RhysP' post='1291211' date='Jul 3 2011, 09:37 AM']Is that the same "Theme One" that Van Der Graaf Generator did?[/quote] Apparently it's the disco version Not quite like on Pawn Hearts. Wow, there's a George Martin version? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ0UrwusWcM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ0UrwusWcM[/url] Until today I thought this was just a great VDGG tune.

He's tight, in the pocket and funky. I would be very pleased to have recorded that track.

[quote name='Mikeg' post='1289866' date='Jul 2 2011, 12:51 AM']But theres the problem, I cant find any prices anywhere.[/quote] The prices on the website are the direct price as they don't wholesale to retailers and new ones only come from Carvin. Used they can be quite a bargain. I've never preferred their amps but there's nothing wrong with them, their guitars and basses tend to be high quality though it's been about 5 years since I played a new one.

[quote name='ficelles' post='1285815' date='Jun 28 2011, 02:26 PM']Anyone got a 4-string in BEAD tuning?[/quote] Apparently Anthony Jackson was doing this on his Jazz in the early 1970's. Lot's of false rumors about massive tension differences, ignore those

[quote name='Doddy' post='1288511' date='Jun 30 2011, 06:39 PM']I've got these in my Jazz aswell,but added a series/parallel switch,which gives a real fatness to the sound. The thing with the Ultra Jazz pickups is that because they are split humbuckers ,you can wire them up so that each pickup can be switched to run in series/parallel individually. If you wanted to you could add a switch to the front pickup which would make it more Precision-like. It won't be exact,but it will be closer.[/quote] Isn't the default for both the Ultra Jazz and P's series? This is why the S1 was a failure on the P because it made it sound thin switching to parallel.

[quote name='brensabre79' post='1287963' date='Jun 30 2011, 08:46 AM']Just add a switch to wire the two J pickups in series Like the fender s-1 switch (completely reversible mod that will cost a couple of quid for the switch/pot). And play it over the neck pickup (as you would on a precision) Thats about as close as you'll get without routing and putting in a split P pickup. Adding any amount of active electronics will not a Precision make! I've done this to my Jazz and I use this setting for Stranglers/Blondie/Clash etc. covers - sounds pretty convincing to me and I'm a qualified sound engineer![/quote] I have a Jazz with a series switch for the 2 pickups. To me it sounds like a hotter jazz and not like a P at all as could be expected with the bridge pickup full on. The neck soloed sounds much more like a P to my ears and was the setup in the infamous Talkbass can you tell the difference between a P and a J thread.

[quote name='daz' post='1287224' date='Jun 29 2011, 06:28 PM']So he sold his arse and took smack. Big deal! Id have his bass in a flash if I had the bread.[/quote] I know a way you could earn the bread if it's no big deal

In the 1980's we would throw these away because they were junk. Anyone who was somebody knew that DiMarzio or EMG's were what you wanted. Just like the BBOT bridges these pickups were the parts you threw away when you upgraded.

Wikipedia, the holder of all truths, disagrees with this story. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanker_Phelge"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanker_Phelge[/url]

Shame you can't finish what you start. Zingers seem so much more important when they come from you. No, I can't see ever buying a singlecut.

This falls into the category of "case candy" and will definitely influence the price of a sale to a non player. Fender purchasers often use these kind of details to decide value. However to a musician it's meaningless. If you can peel it off cleanly maybe you could put it on the backside of the pickguard that way you can preserve the tone.

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='1284290' date='Jun 27 2011, 08:30 AM']If that's true, then I'm sorry that you feel you're totally devoid of intelligent content! (Come on, you can't leave a door open like that and not expect someone to walk in).[/quote]You seem to be having problems with basic pronouns but your trolling skills are top notch. I know you're famous for picking fights and then crying to the mods when you lose. Will you be following tradition here too?

[quote name='Anvil' post='1283250' date='Jun 26 2011, 11:16 AM']What genre would you be put in on Ichoons?[/quote] Funk

[quote name='Machines' post='1278068' date='Jun 21 2011, 11:38 PM']I think he's very sure not enough people will place an order and then he can do a big "I told you so" about supply and demand.[/quote] The 2 week window will make sure of that as those who want one won't even know in time. 1/4 million dollars of orders for a new product with no pictures in only one color in 2 weeks? I'd bet these will never be made even if he gets 250 orders, he's not the kind of guy to admit he's wrong. EDIT: I see I'm far from the first to see through this ruse

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1282648' date='Jun 25 2011, 04:16 PM']I can play certain chords on guitar that I'd have to look up the name of that fit in with some songs. What you're saying is that because I don't know the name of the chord, I can't know whether or not it sounds good.[/quote]No, that's a straw man argument that has no relation to anything said so far. [quote]Knowing the proper name for a wood doesn't change how it sounds or whether or not it'll work. So long as the luthier knows what they're working with and can do the job asked of them, it's not relevant whether or not they know what it's called. Hence they can still have expertise in their craft without knowing the names of the woods they're working with.[/quote]If you think the most expertise is found in people that don't even know the names of what they work with then we really don't see eye to eye on what constitutes knowing more than anyone else.[quote]On occasion you can put up some great posts, but sometimes you seem to be making a real effort to simply be contrary to what people are saying rather than adding to the debate.[/quote]debate is often contrary, saying the same thing would be agreement. [quote]You seem to be agreeing with the overall jist of the thread that old doesn't equate to better but still somehow seem to be kicking up a fuss by going on a tangent to the actual topic over specific points in a flood of replies to various posts.[/quote]If you don't understand ask, I'll explain it to you. Many people are making non scientific claims and expecting them to be taken as fact. I happen to know a lot about wood and am offering information that comes from more objective sources than people that profit from the myths. I know this can cause a lot of fear in those who are heavily invested in those myths and they will often just try to attack the messenger without ever considering the points made, it's not uncommon. [quote]Back on topic: AFAIK the mystical improvement in sound in older instruments still hasn't been pinpointed to any specific trait. Electric guitars are generally simple things, they're bits of wood bolted together that generate a signal using magnets and metal strings. Science would probably be able to detect any consistent differences between new and old instruments by now and since it hasn't, I can only assume there isn't one. There's all kinds of snake oil around though, even Sandberg (who's basses I love) have a master aging process that includes putting the bass on a machine that vibrates it for several days to try and replicate the natural aging process, I can't imagine it does anything though.[/quote]The shaking myth goes back at least 30 years. There is a basic human trait where we assume that any interaction we have with something will be for the better, therefore anything we do to an instrument is by default an improvement. Calling a pickup change an upgrade no matte what the change for example. The problem comes when people get too invested in the myth and defend contradictions as an attack on them. You can see this in all the tone myths. And is why these tone discussions will always have people taking offense and getting upset.[quote]One thing that I sometimes attribute it to is that a well played bass [i]can[/i] feel nicer than a new one, older necks especially feel really nice when they're well played in IMO. Maybe the fact it feels better makes you more confident about it and in turn makes you think you sound better. Obviously it'd only work for basses that you're playing, but it's possible.[/quote]Any positive beliefs about an instrument will be perceived as an improvement over playing it without the beliefs. Any good salesman knows this. If it's a history or just your hero once played it they will all have marked effects on ones perception.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1282639' date='Jun 25 2011, 04:10 PM']I think we may be taking a wander down "conjecture with some anecdotal content" lane again.... well you started it. [/quote] No you did, no tapbacks

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1282638' date='Jun 25 2011, 04:09 PM']Cheers for the reply. Some banter is always better than none. No sorry I don't have any proof that modern wire is 99.9999% perfect. I'd hoped that with it being such a ridiculous figure that most folk would have gotten the gist of what I was saying without taking it too literally.[/quote] But why assume that wire has made such amazing improvements and changes in tone without any evidence other than it would work nicely for your argument? There are other ways to discern facts than simply declaring them boldly.

[quote name='4000' post='1282150' date='Jun 25 2011, 06:23 AM'] My argument was pointing out that it's not necessary for them to know the true name of a wood to know what it works/sounds like. Do you have to wear shades when you wipe your backside?[/quote] But that was after trying the luthiers know more argument. I'll take the personal attack as your concession, or maybe just an indication of your personal fetishes.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1281900' date='Jun 25 2011, 02:03 AM']Given a 5-string Jazz bass with the usual pair of single coil pickups (in this instance, they happen to be EMG's), what's my best bet to get it to [i][b]sound [/b][/i]like a P/J without getting into the realm of irreversible mods?[/quote] I've always felt that a split coil humbucker J wired in series should be the closest as it is the most similar electronically. And without routing is as close as you'll get.

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='1280665' date='Jun 24 2011, 02:49 AM']Agreed, you did seem to get pretty worked up about a style of bass you don't need to own.[/quote] What you say is what you are.

[quote name='4000' post='1281991' date='Jun 25 2011, 03:32 AM']So you have to know what's in a meal before you can say what it tastes like? I better get back in the kitchen.[/quote] If the argument was luthiers know the most and that's why we believe them is true then your statement would be an argument against that. If it doesn't matter what you know then the appeal to authority argument for luthiers is bogus. Can't really have both working at the same time

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1281688' date='Jun 24 2011, 03:50 PM']Kind of true, (certainly is about cars) but not too many Fender basses get junked. They can be fiddled with and improved over the years, but even allowing for pickup magnets to change etc doesn't account for the excellent comment someone else made about the guitar sounds on some old recordings being fabulous. Just been to see the Fellowship up at the Chelmsford Bassment - the Guthrie Govan/Zac Barrett weekly meander - and the stand-in guitarist was using a pedal board run by his Mac and two Mackenzie powered wedges for amps. The days of wood, valves etc seemingly on the way out.[/quote] Small world, I was just chatting with Guthrie a few hours ago I used to see a lot more Fender parts getting thrown away, the twisted 70's necks that go for a fortune on eBay today were casually thrown away in the 80's as they were worthless junk. Those thousands of Might Mite necks were replacing something that was in the trash.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1281498' date='Jun 24 2011, 12:49 PM']Fender are capable of making crap basses now just as they were then..decent ones survived.[/quote] I always thought that was backwards, wouldn't he decent ones have been played and those be the ones worn out? The crappy ones just got stuffed under the bed to be sold later.

[quote name='redstriper' post='1281307' date='Jun 24 2011, 09:50 AM']The market for vintage Fender basses must have very little to do with their sound and more to do with collectibilty and investment value.[/quote]It certainly did in when they were all being sold to those suckers in Japan who would pay $300 for an old ripped pair of jeans to go with it as they played dress up on the weekends in the park. Nowadays it's more about the better tone.

[quote name='paul h' post='1281032' date='Jun 24 2011, 06:28 AM']And I am not sure why your opinion is more valid than MM's. Mmm. Who to believe, random internet stranger, or top class professional bass player? Tough call.[/quote] Oooh! Take the appeal to authority fallacy! Nothing beats that. Not without using science at least.