Nostromo

Well . . . . there you go . . . .

One of my best bass mates just sent me a text saying . . . . sell the D140's . . . . order a barefaced Dubster . . . . and forget the agony of tryin to build anything yourself . . . .

that cant be right . . but he's always offered good advice ! . . . .

. . . . . . . ! ! ! !

Guys . . . . help . . . . er . . . . please ?

I have two nice (well I think so ?) vintage JBL D140 speakers that really need to be used . . . . . . . whats the point otherwise ? ?

Plus . . a moderate budget to either build a cab or ask a cabinet maker/carpenter to run one off . . . and one way or another to glue / fix it all together . . . . I can do that . . . but would equally be interested in involving a pro builder that knew a lot more than me about the whole cab design thing ?

And, then, I've got a further budget to have the cab covered in a nice tolex and grill cloth outfit . . . so that it doesn't look like a completely home made affair ! . . . I just want it to sound like a good old vintage Seventies 2 x 15 ?

And I've got a couple of nice vintage valve amps to drive it with . . . . so it needs to have an overall vintage vibe . . . .

And I've even got a blues/70's rock band . . . so I can go out and gig it ! ! !

What should I do next . . . . ?

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1274476' date='Jun 19 2011, 10:22 AM']There is an old Acoustic 2x15 in the for sale section at the minute. If it's the sort of thing you're looking to do, I can take pics/measurements of mine for you. I'm about to put the original speakers back in mine (I replaced them with Eminence betas to increase the power handling when using my Ashdown 600w head) So it will be in bits sometime soon and would be no problem to have a quick measure up.[/quote]

Thanks,

Dimensions of your Acoustic 2x15 would be very useful.

Cheers,

[quote name='CrazyDavey' post='1273391' date='Jun 18 2011, 01:38 AM']I would just go for the Babicz, however I ordered one off the bass centre about a month ago and I'm still waiting on it! I phoned the guy up to ask about it and he was just extremely rude over the phone.. wouldn't recommend them.[/quote]

Thanks for that advice . . . . noted !

[quote name='BottomE' post='1273989' date='Jun 18 2011, 06:25 PM']You won't regret it. Welcome to the club.[/quote]

Can someone educate me here please ! . . . .

Will all the Audere electronics (as I can see sat on the back of that Audere control plate) and a 9v battery all fit in the control cavity behind the control plate of a standard Jazz bass ? . . .

Or do you have to employ a luthier to undertake some woodworking to create more space or carve a new battery compartment ? ? . . . .

Its just that I've got a really lovely Squier VM fretless that I recently picked up second hand and cheap (cus it had a bad scratch on the front) which I intend to cover up with a vintage tort scratchplate ! . . . . Anyway . . this is a lovely fretless bass and I like the idea of the Audere preamp on a fretless . . . but, as I say, looking at the website, I just cant believe all that componentry and a 9v battery will fit in the cavity ?

Any advice much appreciated . . . .

Also, how long does the battery last on a Audere rig ? . . .

Cheers,

Thanks for all the input so far guys . . . .

I guess it gives me a lot to think about ? . . . .

Must say, I haven’t got access to, or the knowledge of, WinISD Alpha Pro so not sure I'm likely to be able to employ anything like a computer program to any advantage, but I do take the point that it could produce a more optomised cab design/environment for the speakers . . . having said that I wouldn't know what effect that would have on the sound/tone/character of the cab ? . . I guess we all sort of know that basic sound that 2 x 15"cabs tend to have . . . and I sort of like that old vintage sound . . . and that’s definitely what I'm after here ?

Obviously I'd like to create a cab that presents a good environment for those drivers to sit in . . one that would let them sound their best and operate properly ? . . I hadn't realised that the 70's cabs were developed with so little technical input . . sounds like it was more luck than judgement if they sounded good ? . . .

I do like the picture posted up by Mr Foxen . . . thats the sort of thing I had in mind I think ?

So, what gives that 70’s tone ? . . . is it the speakers themselves or the (sometimes badly designed) cabinetry ! . . .

I’d definitely like to get a 70’s sound from this cab, thats the whole point of the exercise, but if a seventy’s design can be tweaked a bit to allow the speakers to perform even better without loosing the 70’s character then that would be worth doing I think ? . . .

Not sure where to go next now ! . . .

Further comments much appreciated !

I’ve got a couple of New Old Stock vintage JBL D140F 15” Bass speakers lying about - and for a long time I’ve wanted to build (or maybe have built) a replica Vintage Cab to put them in. I'm thinking around a 70’s style 2 x 15 “ cab as would have been around and popular when these classic speakers were in production.

I wondered if anyone on Basschat had any ideas about what would be a good, or indeed “The” classic bass speaker enclosure design, that I should aim to recreate ? . .

I’ve done a little googling on this and, for example, the old 70s Sun 2 x 15” bass cab seems to command some respect . . and so I thought I’d try and look in to getting the info to copy one of those ? . . but unfortunately I cant find any info on exactly what that cabs design was like (ie, dimensions, port design, internal stiffening etc) . . . . so at the moment the project is at a sort of impasse due to lack of information on the design/construction of a chosen old 70’s classic cab design ?

Anyway, any thoughts gladly received and/or any links to advice on technical/design information on any classic 70’s bass cabs that would be worth investigating for this project. Indeed any input very much appreciated.

Or, any info on any cab builders around who might be able to knowledgably create a good authentic reproduction/replica 70’s cab for me ? (I haven’t dismissed the option of getting the cab made professionally if I could find someone who would do a really good authentic job of it ?)

Cheers all,

[quote name='karlfer' post='1270738' date='Jun 15 2011, 10:08 PM']Aw, God, you've got a Black Eagle .
I stupidly tried one of those and a Shaftesbury Tele bass at the same time.
I stupidly bought the Tele (on a years HP) and I've regretted it ever since.
Black Eagle photo's pretty please.

Whaddya mean off topic?
Karl.[/quote]

Do you really wanna see some pics of my old Black Eagle ? . . .

If so I'll start a new topic . . . you choose which forum it should be in - and I'll start a topic and post up some pics !

Dont want to derail FourStrungs topic here which is clearly focused on "Jazz neck feel with Precision sound" . . . something which is well worth searching for in my opinion so a good topic to keep going ! !

Cheers,

From what I've pickup up over the years, reading stuff and listewning to people much more expert than me, I'd report that stamped neck and neck pocket markings usually designate either model identification info, date info (though some date info is penciled in) and occasionally production information which varied from factory to factory and time to time . . so I think you'll find it real difficult to get to the bottom of markings like "H05" which is 99% sure going to be some sort of production code info ?

so yep . . . put it back together and play if before you start running google searches on production codes . . . please dont start doing that ! . . .

Yes . . Jazz neck with Precision sound is easy to find or make up yourself . . .

Have a look at my list of Bass's on my sig block below - there are a couple there along the lines of what you're looking for . . . in fact my taste is very close to yours by the sound of it ?

I'm always singing the praises of MIJ Jazz Bass Specials and Power Jazz Bass Specials . . . they are beginning to become a bit collectable but they are still about for a reasonable price if you look hard and long for one ?

Also I'd highly recommend the make your own route . . . as you can see I've got a Fender Precision/Jazz Mongrel - Black Precision Body/Maple Jazz Neck w Black Binding & Block Markers - Japan/Indonesia 2008/2009 components. Well I call it an Experiment on my sig block below . . but its a great bass guitar and I've recently started taking it out to gigs as I like the sound and feel of it so much. Doesn't need to cost the earth to make a hybrid as you can sell off all the unwanted bits from the donor instruments on ebaY or the like. Mine worked our dead cheap, lovely Japanese body and the neck from one of the Squier Indonesian modified Jazz models . . lovely neck . . really nice.

You may not realise it but your options are almost endless ! ! !

Good luck . . . feel sure you'll find what you're looking for if you keep a look out on the for sale section here . . or, if you fancied a go at putting together your own hybrid then thats an even more rewarding way of getting the end result you want !

Good Luck

I keep trying to tell myself one or two really expensive Bass's must be a better option than 11 cheaper ones . . . . . would certainly free up some space and some cash to put toward a nice Macbook Pro . . . something I've wanted to get for recording stuff for a long time !

So, I keep telling myself this . . . and trying to talk myself into doing it ? . . . . . but even with a reasonable motive to sell . . . I still just find it really hard (er impossible !) to sell any of the ones I've picked up over the years . . . . there's something about owning them all and gigging or playing them every now and then ! . . . they all have a character and sound of their own ? . . . .

Ah well . . . . no Macbook Pro . . . and No spare room for a home studio either ! ! !

But 11 Bass guitars . . . . ? ? ? . . . not to mention a couple of Telecasters three Acoustics and two Mandolins ?

Is there something wrong with me ? . . .

. . or . .

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1265677' date='Jun 12 2011, 01:51 AM']16 hours left on this one, move fast

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Leo-Quan-Badass-Bass-II-Bridge-Chrome-/290573825852?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43a78cb73c"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Leo-Quan-Badass-Bass...=item43a78cb73c[/url][/quote]


Blimmey ! ! ! . . . . . these Badass II's are going for a bomb at auction on ebaY . . . . . I bid on the one you suggested . . . but didnt get it, It went for nearly £60 . . . ! !

So, I looked back at some other auctions over the weekend . . . a couple of others had been sold . . . . one, a new old stock Badass II still in its presentation vacuum pack went for over a £100 and another second hand one in good condition made £90 . . . . . ? ?

So, I know they say the market speaks . . . . . but . . . . . are they really worth that much second hand ? . . . . does anyone know what they cost new before they became unavailable ? . . .

I guess I'm gonna have to bid higher or get an alternative like the Babicz ? . . . . .

What would you pay for a Badass II ? ? ? ?

How about the late 60's re-issue Fender Tele Bass's . . . . they had a big Humbucker pickup right up close to the neck pocket.

I played on of those some years ago and I really liked the tone . . as you can imagine it came across very full bodied ! ! . . . . . I think the humbucker was about half an inch away from the end of the neck.

PS . . . . . really liked LawrenceH analysis above . . . . yea agree with most of that thinking

Hi,

Does anyone know the story regarding availability of Leo Quan Badass II Bridge's ?

I've been trying to buy one on line but everyone appears to be sold out ? . . . and most of the big online suppliers in the UK and the US have them listed as "Currently Unavailable" with no known date when they will be back in stock ?

Are they obsolescent/discontinued or just temporarily out of stock ?

Not much help on the Loe Quan company website - which says . . . . "After a delay in the supply of Leo Quan® - Badass™ products to the marketplace, it is with great pleasure that we share with our website visitors, fans and friends that we have completed and shipped a VERY large order to our US Distributor, ALLPARTS" . . . and that was back in July 2009 . . . .doesn't look like the sites been updated since ? . . . . . goes without saying that Allparts dont have any in stock !

Cheers,

Fender Jazz Bass Special - Black/Rosewood - Japan 1983

Still use it more than any other bass I own.

Need a referee to sort out an argument here ! . . .

Its trivia time ! . . . .

Several of my mates here tonight are, over a beer or three, claiming they saw Michael McDaid (Paulo Nutini’s Bass player) on stage with a Fender Zebra Wood Jazz bass last year. The opposition say it isn’t a Fender at all . . . but don’t have a clue what it might be ? . . . . There is one guitarist here who doesn’t believe there is such a thing as a Zebra Wood Jazz bass ! !

Well here’s the picture:

[attachment=82312:Michael_...ids_Bass.jpg]

Anyone know what this bass is ? . . . . . we are all just arguing about it ! . . . we should be out playing !

cheers all,

[quote name='spud' post='1264402' date='Jun 10 2011, 09:27 PM']Hi

I've been thinking about buying a new Jaguar for a while, preferably the active one. Has anyone played one and can tell me if it's worth spending money on. Any help is appreciated.

Thankyou,
Spud[/quote]


Hi Spud, a second hand MIJ would be a better bet if you can find one. The UK MIJ model was discontinued almost a year ago i think, but the odd one comes up second hand.

A few very very revered scholars on these pages have already predicted the MIJ Jags will become modern classics and I think they are totally right ?

I haven’t tried the Squier version, don’t even know if they’ve got the same electronics set up as the MIJ versions ? . . .

I’ve seen non-export, ie home market, MIJ models for sale on ebaY as well . . . don’t know if they are the same spec as the discontinued UK run ? . . . . . (any comments from you Jag aficionados out there ?)

If I were you, I think I’d save up and hold out for a MIJ one . . . . they have stunningly comfortable necks (IMVHumbleO) and I really wish I’d got one around two years ago when they were not difficult to pick up ! . . . there it is . . . . easy to crave after you’ve missed the boat ! . .

Lots of people on here saying Squier are turning out good quality gear these days so the squier option could of course be fine ? . . . if its anything close to the MIJ version it will be more than ok ? . . . neck profile permitting ! . . I cant belive it will have as good a neck profile as the UK MIJ run had ?

Which ever way you go I'm sure you'll be fine . . . try and make sure you try before you buy thats what I always "try" to do ! ! ! ! ! ! . . .and its usually when I dont try hard enough . . . that I buy something I regret . . . havent ever bought many I regret but when I have . . its when i havent played them before I bought ! . . bit obvious really . . but so easy to make that mistake !

Cheers

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1193626' date='Apr 9 2011, 11:03 AM']Here are a few anorak notes for those who are interested...

Last year, I've bought the same bass, the Lake Placid blue, at a much cheaper price, I've bought it new from Nevada and paid £234. This one I've got from GuitarGuitar and costed me £329, thats £95 dearer than last year's model. Inflation and high oil prices, probably a combination of both but there you go.

[color="red"]I keep a record of all the details of every bass that go through these doors, to use as a future reference to compare basses specs, as in this case, and I recorded the weight of the Lake Placid Blue which has a basswood body at 9.12 lbs / 4.42 Kgs, now this Butterscotch Blonde has a pine body and weighs: 8.12 lbs / 3.96 Kgs that is exactly a pound lighter than the LPB one. Go figure?[/color]

I won't bother you with other details but the other major difference I've noted is in the neck profile, infact that the neck is shallower than the LPB throughout the whole neck length, and the fingerboard radius at the 12th fret on the Butterscotch is 0.04 less deep than the LPB and by being so, it matches the Classic Vibe Precision Fiesta Red instead of the orginal LPB which was slightly deeper and beefier.

I can only assume that this slight shaving of the neck profile has been done so to avoid the bass being neck heavy since the difference in weight between body woods i.e basswood vs. pine is so remarkable.

However this morning playing this bass compared to my other Squier Fiesta Red showed a disappointing comparison, this pickup on the Butterscotch lets it down big time, is thin, lifeless and no matter how you adjust the height, you never get an even sound. Too close to the E string side and it farts, too far and the balance is weak compared to the G and D strings. It's got to go, so I am going to swap it asap with the Lollar because as it is, it's just a joke, a pretend, sounds like crap I am afraid, I had forgotten how bad it was on the LPB, I remember swapping it straight away with a quarter pound Seymour Duncan for a reason, now I know why. Oh well the pickup is the only things that lets it down everything else is a bonus, lighter, more resonant and perfectly put together.[/quote]


I thought the body wood spec was the other way round on these . . . . ie, the spec sheets say the solid colour blue ones are pine and the blonde one is basswood ? . . . .

Just a point of clarification ? . . . I could well be wrong ? . . but it might explain the weight findings ? . . . maybe ? . . . . I thought basswood was a light weight wood (propably a hard wood, but I'm sure I've read its light weight ?) ? ?

Really lovely bass though . . . really nice

So, I'm still waiting to see this Shine Bass ! . . . maybe it'll be ok . . . or can be made ok ? . . . . from whats been posted it sounds quite interesting ? ?


Out of interest here's a bit of blurb I found on the internet about this manufacturer who I hadn't even heard of until a couple of days ago ! . . .

[color="blue"][i]"Saein Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. Is located in Namdong Industrial Complex in Incheon, Korea. Saein was estabulished in 1991. Currently, we have 100 employees, and our monthly capacity is 4,500pcs still growing to expand. Our main business is OEM work for the famous brand Epiphone. Also, our own sole branded Shine models are increasing in popularity steadily. In February, 2001, we successfully launched a new independent factory in Gaomi City, China. It is only an hour away from Qingdao Shandong province. Our China factory employees are 300 people, and monthly capacity is 10,000pcs still growing to expand. In China we are an OEM vendor for famous brands Ibanez and Peavey. Also, our sole branded Shine is gradually gaining in popularity. We have become one of the famous leading guitar manufacturer in China".[/i][/color]

Well there you have it ! . . . useless detail but . . . well, my band aint got a gig tonight so I'm twiddling my fingers !

Cheers,

You could consider a Squier ?

[attachment=82240:Squire_V...Sunburst.jpg]

This Squier Vintage Modified Sunburst might be just the thing ?

I understand they are about £275 . . . They get good write ups from a VFM point of view ?

Hi all,

I've picked up a great playing but very cheap second hand Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz - but thats for a reason - its got the most unatractive timber joins in the body - three totally different bits of wood both in grain and colour glued together to make the body leading to very pronounced glue joins as you look at the currently naked body. Also, its got a scratch on the front and a slightly miss-positioned Bridge (slightly off centreline relative to the neck) leading to the bottom E string being much closer to the edge of the fretboard than the top string at the pocket end of the fretboard.

Regarding the Body, Im thinking about fitting a vintage Tortoise Scratch Plate on this one as this would cover up the scratch and ugly glue joins nicely, and, I suppose, also make my example even more vintage modified than it was to start with ! !

Regarding the Bridge, I'm thinking of removing the bridge, filling the screw holes, and re positioning/fixing the bridge (or maybe an upgraded bridge) in its proper position so as to achieve the correct positioning of the strings across the fretboard.

So my question is, I've read several posts here that say its not so straight forward mounting exchange scratch plates as they are not very often interchangable and often dont fit well - especially at the scratch plate/neck interface around the neck ? . . . So . . . does anyone know which aftermarket Scratch Plate model is going to be the most likely to fit my fretless so far as snug fit at the around neck pocket is concerned ? ? . . obviously I dont need to worry about screw holes and I can even slightly move/adjust the control plate as required to make it fit snug against the scratch plate; but, it seems sensible to buy a scratch plate, which, from the outset, fits snugly around neck properly ?

Second less important Question, any thoughts on any alternative vintage style bridges that I might consider ?

Cheers,

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' post='968395' date='Sep 26 2010, 02:30 PM']I took a chance and bought one on ebay and with a little bit of filing round the neck pocket & control plate it now fits perfectly. Secret was taking my time and being a bit of a perfectionist (nerd).

My opinion was, if I bought one and it was nowhere near fitting I would sell it on, guess I got lucky....... although I bought a brand new allparts black pearle one for a CV jazz and it doesn't fit, so i'll have to sell that one![/quote]

Hi,

I'm just about to embark on fitting a scratchplate to a Squier fretless Modified Jazz . . . . and am scratching my head as to which scratch plate exactly to order for the job ?

I note you said you got one off ebaY . . . which, with a little bit of fiddling you got to fit perfectly . . .

Can you remember exactly what it was that you ordered and who from ? . . . ie make/manufacturer and source ?

I'd be very grateful to know as I reckon ordering the same make that you used is as low a risk option as I'm gonna find ! . .

Any similar advice from anyone else who's in the know about this issue very much appreciated of course.

Thanks

[quote name='Clarky' post='1261437' date='Jun 8 2011, 04:47 PM']Out of interest, what are the acoustic bass-playing members of BC using to make their bass gig-friendly? Piezo pickups? microphones? I have just acquired an Eko fretless bass (from, you guessed it, Beedster) and fancy trying it out in a live setting. I already have preamp and acoustic bass amplification (Acoustic Image/EA rig) but how best to take the signal/sound from the bass in your view?[/quote]


I got one of these - Fishman Soundboard Transducer with Endpin Jack - easy to fit, and the endpin replaces the strap button in the usual way:-

[topic="1261437"]www.fishman.com/products/view/sbt-e-soundboard-transducer-with-endpin-jack[/topic]

I fitted the whole thing internally so nothing visible on the external of the acoustic bass body. Very natural sound. The fitting instructions suggested the sensor pad should be fitted close to and under the highest pitch string of the instrument and also, of course, away from any bracing, however, I found I got a more balanced sound that I liked with the sensor located the otherside of the bridge, ie, the sensor pad closest to the low E string on my acoustic bass.

I run it direct into the PA Desk via a RANE AP13 Acoustic Pre amp. I initially found I had some feedback problems but the Graphic EQ on the RANE AP13 enables me to sort it out without to much trouble.

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='827476' date='May 4 2010, 02:21 PM']I have a friend who said he'd make a pedal for me that did the job (and I suspect he'd do as good a job as anyone, given he's had a long career in music synthesis and electronics for sound engineering ... AND he did some research by extensively miking up an upright) but I've not chased him on it ... the last thing I heard was that the prototype he produced was causing a stir with local bassists ... I must find out how far he got with the idea.

Andy[/quote]


Any news on your pals Acoustic Bass emulation pedal Andy . . . . . . I'm sure there's a markert for it ! . . . . . . .

Cheers,

[quote name='Sid Rainey' post='1235685' date='May 18 2011, 01:41 PM']Got one for sale if you are still into it. [email protected][/quote]
Are you out there Sid . . . . ?

Still into it . . . . . have emailed you.

Cheers