Nostromo

[quote name='Stacker' post='772383' date='Mar 12 2010, 07:31 AM']No offence, mate, but I'll pass. Could really do with the coin.[/quote]
Hi there Stacker,

I might be interested in your fretless ? . . . I was trying a new one in a guitar shop on Friday . . very nice it was for the money !

Apart from the hardware change, are there any other changes or issues on yours, compared to a new standard one ?

And what condition is it in re dings, dents and knocks etc ?

Do you still have the original stock hardware that would been originally fitted ?

Hi obbm

Thanks for your concise advice.

If you were me, would you bother to change it ? . . . . . I've been trying to work it out, and I reckon the amp has done about 2500 to 3000 hours work probably nearer 3000 ? . . . mainly running in mono mode into a 4ohm load so getting warm.

Cheers,

Hi Basschatters,

Is there anyone out there who understands the circuitry of and has changed the 12AX7 valve inside a SWR SM500 amp ?

As I understand it this amp only has the one valve . . .which I guess must be part of the pre amp side of the circuitry.

My SWR SM500 has been mega reliable since new and is working just fine at the moment . . . but its getting on in years and has had one hell of a lot of use . . . . so I cant help thinking it must be about time to change the valve in it before it gives up and breaks down half way through a gig ? . . . .

Im sure, that if it had been a full valve amp then the valves would have needed changing a long long time ago ?

I was just wondering how easy a job this is, and whether its just a question of literally unscrewing all the little screws around the edge of the top panel, and then removing the top panel, changing the valve, and then screwing the top panel back into position ? . . . or . . . . . whether there is any electrical setup / bias / trim setup adjustments to be undertaken or checked if/when the valve is changed ? ?

If its the former, ie, a simple matter of physical replacement, then I'm minded to do it myself . . . . but I dont have a proper understanding of all the bias stuff that applies to some valve amps ? . . and so, if its the latter, what I dont want to do, is to inocently renew the valve (but not understand or undertake any trim adjustments) thinking I'm gonna be giving it a new lease of life . . . only to find I've possibly made it less reliable than it currently is ? . . or possibly making it run hot or something - which I've read in the user manual can happen if the valve goes away from its correct bias setting ?

At the moment it is not running hot (well not for an SWR SM 500 anyway . . . as they do run warm. Mine is running at the same temperature it always did since new)

Anyway . . . . any advice very much appreciated.

Cheers,

[quote name='Muppet' post='238407' date='Jul 13 2008, 10:20 AM']Just remembered I drew this a while ago. Might help some people when measuring their guitars to see if it will fit. The measurements are correct for a BadAssIII only.

[/quote]

I'm thinking of fitting a badass to my Precision/Jazz mongrel ?

So, big thanks for this topic and especially to Muppet for the excellent diagram - which has made me think this through properly before spending any money . . . always a wise move ! !

I have just taken some measurements and deduced that as my current bridge is set very low, I dont have sufficient string height over the body at the bridge to do a straight swap over to a badass without creating very very deep groves in the saddles ? . . . that leaves me with two options - either shim the neck to kick the string up off the body a little, or recess the badass into the body to make the installation work out ?

Any thoughts about which would be the best way to go . . . recess or shim ? ? . . . both from a practicle installation point of view and resulting sound . . would one of these options be likely to produce better sustain ? . .

(the guitar sounds very nice already so its not as though Im trying to make up for any more fundimental problems - just fancied trying the upgrade).

Cheers,

Hi,

What is the nut width ? . . and could you have a go at describing what the neck profile like on this lovely Gibson ?

Cheers,

I also think you are looking at a genuine Fender Precision Bass Plus Deluxe and it would have been made between 1991 and 1996.

I must confess I thought these would have had a "N" series serial number on the headstock ? . . . If my memory serves me well, the Fender Precision Bass Plus Deluxe shared a neck profile / headstock shape etc with the Fender Prodigy Bass from the same era ? The Prodigies were made only between 1991 and 1993 I think and had a slightly more pointy body shape ?

So . . it looks ok . . . . but I'm sure it should have the N series serial number on the headstock ? . . . the absence of that is very odd ?

Hope this helps ?

Ive got a Fender Deluxe Active P Bass Special, Black with Maple neck. It sounds awesome . . obviously you have to be someone who gets along with actives ? . .

Must say, I find it very difficult to make it sound exactly, and I'm splitting hairs here, and I mean precisely like either my passive Jazz or passive Precision . . . but . . . actives do give you loads of sonic range/options/flexibility, and so, for most gigging situations where, for example, you want one bass to cover all the options at a long gig its an excellent choice. We do loads of covers and I have to be able to quickly get umpteen different bass tones ! . . Anyway I use my Fender Deluxe Active P Bass Special a hell of a lot at live gigs - over 50% of the time definitely.

I probably wouldn't use it in a recording studio situation though . . . when its real subtlety you are after and youve got the time to swap between instruments, in that situation, there are probably better options ? . . . its in the studio when, for the sort of music I play, I'd probably go back to an appropriate passive bass to get the sound I wanted ?

I was initially attracted to my Fender Deluxe Active P Bass Special because of the neck profile and feel . . it played like an absolute dream . . effortless . . and for me, its always the feel of the neck that's the biggest deciding factor in my buying impulses ! . . . but once I'd got it home and experimented with it I just liked it more and more.

Well hope that helps . . guess I'm just saying I really rate my Fender Deluxe Active P Bass Special and, in support of FuNkShUi's comment, I would wholeheartedly recommend you give one a try !

Could solve all your conundrums with one bass ! ! . . well maybe ?

Good luck !

Thanx all for replies so far . . . . must say . . . it sounds promising ! . . . these necks and bodies really are interchangable ! . . .well then, maybe fenders still are the utility instruments Leo always wanted them to be ! ! ! . . . I have read that it was in his original thinking that they should be ?

Any more advice still much appreciated ?

Hi,
Simple question - Will any fender Jazz neck fit stright into any fender Precision body ?
I've read they are interchangeable . . . but exactly how interchangable are they ?
Ive got an option on a very nice Geddy Lee Jazz neck (MIJ I think ?) and would like to mate it with a Precision body to create a bit of a hybrid. Are there limitations on which models of Precision body I could use. I want to have a nice tidy interface between the neck and the body pocket . . no big gaps or interference fit problems ? . . . I was thinking a donor "Made in Japan" Precision body might reduce the risk of things not fitting snugly, but, various bar stool experts down my local pub are saying its absolutely no problem and everything 4 String wise from Fender's Jazz & Precision will be totally interchangeable ? If so, I'd probably wait until I found a tidy USA body I liked.
I'm only gonna do this if its simply a case of installing and adjusting the neck - ie I'm confident of taking on an assembly project and ok on undertaking a full neck setup - but I don't want to take on a woodworking and re-varnishing project under any circumstances ! !
I also note that some necks have got two more frets than others ? . . is this an issue ? . . . ie, I guess I'm wondering if the bridge on the donor precision body would automatically be in the right place for scale length irrespective of how many frets the neck has - I think the answer here must be yes . . .but I'm only 99% sure . . not 100% ! ! !
Advice much appreciated.

Welcome to Basschat . . . . I love country / rock type stuff . . . have always wanted to get into a band and do some some Bonnie Raitt type stuff ! . . . but not much like that happening round these parts really !

Sounds like you know your way round here already !

Cheers and welcome again.

Hi Stevie,

Thanx for that gold mine of JBL info . . . . wow . . . .

Im now very pleased I took the plunge with this D140F sort of impulse buy ! ! . . . and sense yet another vintage cab project coming on ! (I've only just got round to fixing up a vintage Hiwatt cab I have with no speakers in it !)

Now i guess I'll have to research what the vintage cab design should be that these speakers ought to be fitted in !

Ah well . . . . .

Anyone got any ideas ?

Cheers,

Further to your thoughts so far . . . . .

I've recently picked up a nice Stingray . . . see signature block below for spec . . . and I would agree that these are much more versatile than their reputation suggests.

However, at the end of the day, I didn't actually buy it for versatility, my Jazz Bass Specials have that . . . . what I did buy it for, was that bright, forward, percussive and pronounced signature of a sound, that Stingrays are so well known for . . . that was the thing that neither my Jazz or P basses or Specials could quite capture ! . . . but my Stingray does capture it . . . .

Makes you wanna play better !

I guess you pays yer money and takes yer choice !

Good luck

Hi all,

I've picked up a pair of vintage "new old stock", JBL D140F 15" drivers. These are "as new" and have been well stored in their original boxes since manufacture and thus not used at all since they were originally purchased in the mid 1970's I'm told.

Can anyone out there tell me if these would be any good as drivers in a Bass cab ?

I thought they probably were originally designed for bass work and that assumption, coupled with the amazing condition they are in, probably tipped the scales when I was deciding whether to buy them or not. So, I took the plunge and got them ! ! . . . . . However, one of my mates has now told me they are just 15" versions of the more common JBL D120F which was itself an upgrade offered by fender in some of their top guitar combos (like the 65 Twin Reverb) in the 70's, and, that these D140F's were designed as a 15" guitar speaker upgrade for 15" loaded fender combo's of that time, and, that they are therefore not bass speakers at all ? ?

I'm not at all sure he's right - but cant find any info about them to prove it or confirm their purpose one way or the other ?

So, any info on these would be very very much appreciated especially any ideas on their power handling capacity and the frequency range they were designed to handle ? They are vintage 70's drivers so I'm not expecting they will have much headroom in the power handling department ?

They each have 8 ohms printed on them but nothing else except a serial number and the original JBL/Fender sticker. The guy I bought them from said that he also had originally had two more that were grey in colour with just JBL stickers on them, but that he'd sold those years ago. These two have cast chassis' painted bright red with black covers over the magnet. They look great - not that that's gonna be of any significance once they were tucked away in a custom build vintage cab ! . . . . but, if they sound as good as they look they'll be good !

As I say any info most welcome . . . I'm hoping I haven't bought a pair of unusable red lemons ! ! ! . . . ha . . .

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='649708' date='Nov 9 2009, 02:21 PM']With only 2.5mm excursion and 69Hz Fs IMO the BN12 300s is a poor choice for electric bass. The BL12 200X will go a half octave lower and take twice the power before running out of steam.[/quote]

Hi Mark,

My advice is . . . . that Bills advice is well worth thinking about !

Bill certainly helped me through the deciding process when I was sorting out new drivers for by vintage Hiwatt Cab !

Cheers

Hi Eddie,

Welcome to Basschat. You'll find some friendly helpful people here. So good luck with your combo upgrade . . . .

I'm into separate cabs / heads myself but then I rarely DI as my backline has to do the job on its own ! . . . however I'm certain you'll attract lots of interesting views here in next to no time !

Cheers

Hi All,

Excellent gig coming up Cliff Moore is Garry's brother and is a stunning rock/bles guitarist.

Look forward to seeing you there.

[attachment=35801:Hoot_15_Poster.pdf]

Welcome Chappers,

Basschat is a great resource for information and practical help . . . . you couldn't dream of a more friendly and helpful community of players.

Good luck with that back line upgrade . . .you'll get lots of advice here !

I've got top loaders and through body strung bass's . . . . I cant say I can hear any discernible difference to be honest ?

Hi everyone,

Anybody got any first hand experience on what difference it makes to your tone / overall sound when you change the gauge of your strings from lighter to heavier or visa versa ?

I play blues and rock and I guess I’m aiming for that 70’s blues / Rock deep bass sound with not too much top on it. Sometimes I'm finding my current sound a little "thin" for want of a better description - and so I was wondering if I could beef up my sound by using heavier strings ?

I do in any event need to put new strings on my Fender Jazz and have for a while now, been contemplating the effect it could have on the sound if I used strings of a heavier gauge than the standard set supplied with the instrument from new ?

Is the subject as simple as Im thinking it appears to be ? . . . ie . . heavier strings = deeper sound with more “bottom end” in the tone ? . .

That’s sort of what my intuition tells me should be the case . . . but thinking about it a bit more, it comes to mind, that presumably, if you install a replacement heavier gauge string for an existing lighter gauge one, then to get the same pitch out of that heavier string you will have to tune to a slightly higher string tension ? . . So is that actually going to change the tone to any noticable extent or deliver a “Bassier” tone ? . . .

I’m sort of thinking through all this on the basis that the heavier the gauge of a string then the lower the pitch it will delivers for a given tension ? is that correct ?

Well . . I don’t know if any of this makes much sense out there ? . . . but I’m intrigued to know what effect heavier v lighter strings actually has on overall tone ? . .

Unfortunately I cant afford to buy umpteen sets at different gauges just to experiment on one guitar ! . . .

Any guidance much appreciated

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='638614' date='Oct 27 2009, 11:17 PM']He is indeed a top chap.

He nicks your pint when you're not looking, though.[/quote]


I don't mind that . . . . I owe him a pint . . . . or three !

Cheers then . . . .

I might be able to show up an meet some fellow basschat persons . . . . . but I have no idea what an Avatar is ?

[size=7]Big Thank You to the Bass Doc ! . . . . [/size]

Replacement barrel height screw ( + a spare + a tiny allen key to fit it with ! ! ) All arrived safely today so my Mex Jazz Bass is now up and running again once more.

What can I say - other than a big thank you to a great guy on a great site !

May all the Bass Docs gigs be fantastic ones . . . . . . . that's what I say !

Cheers

nostromo

I reckon £50 to £60 for the bass guitar version would be fair - it would be over double that new.

I seem to remember that with the Black Widow range (and this applies to the 12"'s and the 15"s) the guitar cab versions have paper based cones whilst the PA versions have composite plastic type cones. You will definitely wanna make sure you get the instrument cab version before you part with your cash . . . if your gonna be using it in a bass cab that is ?

The technical stuff is still up on the Peavey website somewhere ?

Good luck

Hi,

Whats the condition of the lovely Walnut P close up ? . . . . the photos show it up nicely, but, has if got any body /neck dents of dinks (other than belt rash which is fine) or other damage that is there but not visible on the photo's ? . . . . . . (It sort of looks mint to me on the photo's - but the photos are not really hi-res I guess ?)

I've got a telecaster in Black Walnut from the same era (mine is 83 I think ?) . . and they would sure look nice together ! . .

My tele is top quality, really well put together, but weighs a ton - is this P particularly heavy ?

Finally, could you confirm what letters the serial number starts with ?

Cheers and good luck with the sales.

Noted,

Thanx