BabyBlueSound

The core seems fully visible to me, not a sign of coating:

3 hours ago, ped said:

Here’s what you should see at the peg where the string first bends at 90 degrees into the post

Thanks, it does not like this, I don't see a thing at all  I'll do a macro shot once I get home to make sure but I'm thinking it's more and more possible I bought some fake ones without the proper nanocoat...

My accuracy, tempo and dynamics are all a lot more consistent when playing with a pick, as that's how I originally learned to play, donkey's years ago.

Yet today 90% of the time I play fingerstyle and loving it...  Just feels like I'll never get muting and raking right, even though muting comes so naturally with the pick I don't even pay attention to it.

4 hours ago, FinnDave said:

It's a fashion thing. I quite like the sound of flats on some basses, but I hate the feel of them, too slippery and smooth. I like to feel the rough round wounds, gives me something to grip.

Funny how different we all are, I love the feel of flats, but just hate the sound of them.

These days I just keep switching between rounds and tapes and I just keep going back and forth. There is something I like about both, so can't just stick to one  I really need a 2nd bass I guess.

@BassAdder27 there are a lot of great string comparison videos on youtube, listen to a lot of them as there's a huge difference between the various tension/brand flats too, and maybe you'll hear something you really want to try.

Ok, they're on, and they sound amazing, so that's a good start. Although visibly I still can't identify anything that would suggest this has a nanoweb coating, not even around the windings, so I guess only time will tell if the sound becomes dead or not.

On 12/11/2021 at 12:55, Chownybass said:

 

YOUR WISH IS COMING TRUE! The Evo will be short and medium scale in future.  

I just forgot to ask one important thing @Chownybass ... WHEN CAN WE GET IT? 😁

15 hours ago, atsampson said:

 

So if you like the drive effect but want less notch, another option is to turn Presence up all the way, then turn Treble down a little to compensate for the treble boost...

 

Thanks for the visualised measurements, this is awesome, and for the tips. How do you measure the frequencies like this?  I am yet to try the pedal with rounds, so far I have only used it to funk up the black tape sound, and loving the results. I guess these frequencies would look a bit different with tapes, since the amp simulator works from a different original sound? I'd love to see.

On 19/11/2021 at 21:10, ead said:

Haha fixed.  I was actually my (quite old) laptop that cased the effect when it was switched on.  Weird.

I had an issue recently where my Wifi mesh always added a low buzz to my combo (of course it took me some time to realise it's the Wifi node), and it actually got louder after I installed passive EMGs. I moved the mesh node a few centimeters and the issue is gone. Interference can be serious

So I tried the following stuff:

VOX - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NAUKJTY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

Almost a solid choice, BUT. It's not nearly loud enough (at least for some passive basses I guess), and there is a terribly, terribly loud HISS. The hiss is not coming from the bass, because the microamp does it even when it's not plugged in to a bass. Sound quality is pretty decent, your bass sounds like a bass... a lot of compromises here.

Sonicake bass - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079FGN89H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ugh, sounds like rattling a plastic can inside a tin can. Very artificial, dull sound, and the deeps even end up being distorted. Would not give a penny for this sound.

Valeton RH-100 Rushead Max - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W3K92ZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Like the Sonicake, terrible plastic-y sound without a real body or any deeps. Sounds like a toy.

EHX Headphone Amp - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003UIBQEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now this one was a quality build, the volume was great, and there was enough bass too. But it does not have an AUX-IN for practicing, and compared to the Vox, it has basically no treble at all. If you're in the game for a very deep sound, this can be a pretty good choice. But I like my zing, so this was a no.

NUX MP2 Might Plug - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084JB519R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My choice! Sound quality is not exactly as great as the Vox or the EHX, but almost! And there is no hiss, there is enough volume, and there is enough treble. It actually has bluetooth aux-in which makes practicing very comfortable, it's got drum machines, and a lot of different amp simulators and effects. These were not really a factor for me as I rarely use any effects, and these sometimes (with some settings) sound a bit toy-like once again, but there are enough options to find a sound that works for your taste.

Hope I helped some of you.  

1 minute ago, ped said:

 

I've been playing them for as long as I can remember and I've never 'seen' the coating - maybe some pictures show the older polyweb coating which IIRC was thicker. £27 sounds like a decent price rather than a total scam bargain, but I suppose time might tell if they last a advertised...

Just now, ped said:

I'll take a pic of mine later - they came direct from Elixir so it'll be interesting to compare.

 

They changed the packaging to include the chrome sticker 'seal' to put off counterfeiters at some stage, and I thin fakes are more likely to be found in the old packaging:

 

 

Thanks for all this, glad to hear you can't see it either on yours either - and curious if your ball-end windings look a bit off too. I heard they improve the coating tech every few years, so yeah the extra layer might be just a lot less visible now. And I'll be looking out for the coating stretching at the peg when I'm re-stringing, good idea too!

I had an un-opened seal on the back of the box, but that's not very secure, I could still easily open the packaging on the top or the bottom without really damaging it, leaving the seal intact.

Just now, Mudpup said:

How much were they? If it looks too good to be true applies here…..

It was £27, some eBayer had like a single set, was not a "vendor" per se nor one of the suspiciously cheap ones, where some Chinese vendors are selling them for like £10 - I can't imagine those being real.

1 minute ago, ped said:

They look legit to me. How do they sound? I think they feel very slightly 'slicker' than uncoated rounds. I love them. How much of a bargain were they?

Thanks, good to see they seem legit. I don't know how do they sound yet, as I still got my black tapes on. But will definitely give it a go in the next few days when I'll have the time to properly re-string.

I only thought I should be seeing something with the naked eye as I've seen a few photos online like this, but I definitely can't see such a film neither with my naked eye nor with the crappy macro camera: 

Thanks Guys, here are some additional pics

I personally like a somewhat scooped sound. Does playing with the BLEND knob help? If you turn it down, it's supposed to soften the "effect" and bring back more of the mids of your original sound.

Could someone post a macro of their Elixir nanoweb strings, do you think I have been scammed?

I bought a set of cheap ones on eBay and might have been scammed. I do not see nor feel the nanoweb coating at all, although I'm not sure how visible would it be to the naked eye. I should be able to see it at least a little in the gaps between the rounds, no? I have only seen Elixirs years ago when their coating technology was very different. First photo comparing it to some regular strings, rest is just macros where I'm trying to catch a glimpse of the coat from various macro angles but without success.

15 minutes ago, Petey said:

Ok - please re-read my post - the word Try is at the beginning and the fact that is used on metal parts to clean parts on guitars and amps for years is a well known - research it more - don't just take my word …… and  maybe I should have written it as 'TRY' 

I also used it on Cassette tape head for years - no issues at all there even with some plastic parts around - research is the key 

Umm ok sure. The point of a forum is to ASK without trying something that might damage your £50 string set, and asking for information IS research. 🙃 I can certainly just try random stuff, but what's the point of the forum then?

The hard plastic on a casette is not the same plastic that is on the tapewound.

On 22/08/2021 at 20:26, Stub Mandrel said:

Just downloaded the GDI21 manual -= it even has the 'slap bass example', so my pedal has the wrong back page. How odd.

 

 

I just bought the BDI21 and I got the GDI21 switches in the manual too.

I just spraypainted them black in the end. It's not perfect as the paint comes off fairly easy when scratched, but I won't be scratching the rings

1 minute ago, BELA said:

@whavenot the Geezers but the active version.

That is another thing I need to sort out. Where to put the battery.

Got it. Yeah, there's not a lot of room in there, but I think it should be possible to sort it out:

5 hours ago, Lesfunk said:

The EMGs were a drop in replacement?

I had been concerned about the Ibanez J pickup dimensions 

2 hours ago, BELA said:

How did the EMG fit? I am considering those for my TMB35 5 string but I am worried about the jack input, for these come for a Jazz/Precision instalation. I mean, to be installed horizontally in a plate.

Also, did they improve the sound a lot?

Thanks!

The P was a perfect fit, the J was 1-2mm larger than the stock J... I had to get the file out to work off a bit of plastic  edit: On the photo it just looks like I have just off-set the top and the bottom pickups, but it was in fact longer on both sides.

Yes, I definitely like the new sound better. It's louder, and the lows have more growl, but I am biased, I always liked that zingier EMG sound some people consider too sterile or artificial. Was the replacement necessary? No, the stock's sound was alright, really. To be completely honest, I definitely under-use the J pickup, and since it's very quiet compared to the P, I could have settled with only the P in hindsight. I am however not aware that this Geezer Butler PJ comes in a 5-string version?

3 hours ago, Mikey D said:

Love the black hardware. I was going to go black until I saw a set of hipshots on here so went for them. 

I have seen hipshots in black!

12 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Are the schallers any lighter?

Not sure, never measured them and did not find the specs. One stock machinehead is about 92g, just measured it (although I mixed the stock head rings with the Schaller heads, size difference issues, so I might be a few gramms off). I usually just play at home, seated, so do not feel a difference as I don't deal with head dive.

31 minutes ago, Japhet said:

 

Would be good to hear how the EMGs work out. The stock pickups in mine are punchy AF.

The EMGs are pretty good, they give a low "growl" the stock was missing. I am writing up the whole story of the upgrade, will be posting soon!

Upgrades are done for now, here's the end result below. Black Schaller machine heads, EMG Geezer Butlers, black screws, black knobs, black tapes, now I need a black bridge...

Getting there! Black Schaller machine heads, EMG Geezer Butlers, black screws, black knobs, black tapes, now I need a black bridge...  

18 hours ago, Petey said:

Try Isopropyl Alcohol wipes - the fluid is used to clean parts on amps and guitars - they do packs of wipes which you can get off ebay - used them for years on Bass Guitar and Double Bass strings - 

I am not sure... Isopropyl Alcohol attacks some plastic or removes the sheen on some plastics and leaves behind a residue that cannot be removed by cleaning. Would not test it on my tapes.